Covers for Monster Attack Team issues M8 (illustration by Kevin Grays) and M9 (art by Matt Frank).
Photos courtesy of MAT. © 2011 Monster Attack Team

Japanese SF Movie Zine to be Distributed by Diamond
Source: Monster Attack Team
Special Thanks to Michael G Keller and Edward Holland

In the 1990s, Monster Attack Team, a fanzine devoted to Japanese live action sci-fi and fantasy productions, ran for seven issues. After a fifteen year break, editors Edward Holland and Michael Keller revived MAT in 2010 with a massive, full-color 132 page eighth issue packed with informative articles covering a wide range of tokusatsu film and television programs.

And now Monster Attack Team is back in a big way. Holland and Keller are currently working with a team of top writers on MAT #9, another 100+ page, full-color special. Monster Attack Team has also been picked up for distribution by Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc., North America’s largest comic book distributor, making upcoming issues available to comic shops, book stores, and specialty shops across the country.
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DVD and Blu-ray cover art for TROLLHUNTER. Photo courtesy of Magnet Releasing. © 2010 Filmkameratene AS

Witness The Government Conspiracy First-Hand from Magnolia Home Entertainment
Source: Magnolia Home Entertainment, Bender Helper Impact press release
Official Site: trollhunterfilm.com
Special Thanks to Lauren Alexander

Everyone will believe it when they see it! Norwegian director Andre Ovredal (FUTURE MURDER) presents an “enormously entertaining” (Variety) look at a creature thought only to exist in fairy tales when TROLLHUNTER is uncovered on Blu-ray Disc and DVD August 23 from Magnolia Home Entertainment under the Magnet label. The Blu-ray Disc and DVD are loaded with special features including deleted scenes, improv and bloopers, behind the scenes and more. The Blu-ray Disc and DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $29.98 and $26.98, respectively.
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Final cover art for Mill Creek’s GAMERA 3: REVENGE OF IRIS Blu-ray. The disc will be released on September 27th. © 1999 Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

Cover Art and Special Feature News; Plus a DAIMAJIN Update!
Author: Keith Aiken
Source: Mill Creek Entertainment
Special Thanks to Barrett Evans and Roy McAree

A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Mill Creek Entertainment has provided new cover art and details regarding their upcoming Blu-ray release of Kadokawa Pictures’ GAMERA 3: REVENGE OF IRIS (1999) and the GAMERA TRILOGY Collector’s Edition. Both titles are scheduled for release on September 27th.
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MOTHRA 50th Anniversary Film Festival
Author: Tom Dougherty, Clawmark Toys

Actress Maya Fujisawa poses with a prop from REBIRTH OF MOTHRA.

The Ginza area of Tokyo is known as an entertainment district and it is only fitting that it was the site for a 50th anniversary celebration of the creation and release of the first ever Mothra movie in 1961. And what more fitting for a celebration of this exciting Japanese Kaiju film than an entire day devoted to Mothra films and the exciting stars that helped make the magic.

I had attended Kaiju film festivals in this Ginza Theater before and so I knew I was going to be in for a treat. The Cast Co. of Japan’s Nagata Daisuke and his wonderful hard working staff along with several other movers and shakers in the Japanese Kaiju movie fan world came together and made sure this was going to be a fitting MONSTER celebration! Since the earthquake, tsunami and related disaster, much of Tokyo is either doing without air conditioning or living with reduced air conditioning to save power. The theater was no exception and I was very glad I had worn my handy dandy light weight Clawmark Toys Tee shirt for the occasion! It was going to be warm, but lots of FUN!
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Classic Sci-Fi Action Saga Will Debut New Weekly Digital Chapters For Only $0.99!
Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press releases
Official Site: VIZManga.com
Special Thanks to Jane Lui and Erik Jansen

The Neon Genesis Evangelion manga is now available on VIZManga.com and the
VIZ Manga App. © 1995 Gainax. © 2011 VIZ Media, LLC

VIZ Media has announced the digital launch of the acclaimed sci-fi manga masterpiece, Neon Genesis Evangelion, on VIZManga.com and the VIZ Manga App for the Apple iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Neon Genesis Evangelion will be available chapter-by-chapter for only $0.99 each, with a new chapter launching each week. To celebrate the series’ debut, VIZ Media will offer a free Chapter 1 preview; Chapter 2 is also now available for download for $0.99.

Neon Genesis Evangelion (rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens), is series co-creator Yoshiyuki Sadamoto’s personal interpretation of the Evangelion characters and story is sure to intrigue new and old fans alike.
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Cha Hae-joon (Ha Ji-won) comes face to face with a deadly deep-sea creature in the new 3D Korean monster movie SECTOR 7.
Photo courtesy of CJ E&M Pictures and JK Film. © 2010 JK Film / CJ E&M Pictures

Korean 3D Creature Feature Doesn’t Live Up to it’s Potential
Author: Kim Song-ho
Source: CJ E&M Pictures, JK Film
Official Movie Site: 2011sector7.co.kr

A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details and images for a new movie.

Main theatrical poster for SECTOR 7. Photo courtesy of
CJ E&M Pictures and JK Film. © 2010 JK Film / CJ E&M
Pictures

The title of the new Korean 3D monster movie, SECTOR 7 (7광구, Chil gwanggu), refers to a real-life mining area that lies between the south of Jeju Island, Korea and the west of Kyushu, Japan. It is a continental shelf where great amounts of petroleum and natural gas are thought to be buried. Korea is not an oil-producing country, so it heavily relies on imported petroleum. To many Koreans, the real sector 7 means a dream that has not come true yet… someday, Korea could produce oil. Setting the plot against a place like that many Koreans feel strongly about, could give the movie SECTOR 7 a very realistic, emotional edge. Even the workers, who are the characters of the movie, could have eclectic sense of existence. Then, instead of petroleum, they encounter a monster— and a horrible one at that. No other monster movie from Korea has had a more promising premise than this.

But, unfortunately, SECTOR 7 could not demonstrate the full potential of its setup. There were many holes in the script and direction, and sometimes those holes were big ones. The monster shows itself quite a bit earlier than expected (though its full version would not be revealed until later in the film), but those early episodes regarding it were not brought into the central story— like oil and water, the monster and the plot did not interact well with each other.
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GAMERA 3: REVENGE OF IRIS will be released on Blu-ray September 27th. © 1999 Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

Source: Mill Creek Entertainment
Special Thanks to Roy McAree

Slipcase cover art for the GAMERA TRILOGY Collector’s
Edition. Photo courtesy of Mill Creek Entertainment.
© 2011 Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

Mill Creek Entertainment will follow up last year’s Blu-ray Double Feature of GAMERA: GUARDIAN OF THE UNIVERSE (Gamera Daikaiju Kuchu Kessen, 1995) and GAMERA 2: ATTACK OF THE LEGION (Gamera 2: Region Shurai, 1996) with two more Gamera Blu-ray releases scheduled for September 27th: GAMERA 3: REVENGE OF IRIS (Gamera 3: Iris Kakusei, 1999) and a GAMERA TRILOGY set of all three films.

The upcoming releases will complete the acclaimed series by the team of directed Shusuke Kaneko (GMK, DEATH NOTE), writer Kazunori Ito (GHOST IN THE SHELL), and FX director Shinji Higuchi (SINKING OF JAPAN, HIDDEN FORTRESS: THE LAST PRINCESS). The Gamera movies were licensed from Joyplex, Inc., the US sales agent for Kadokawa Pictures, owners of the Gamera franchise. The GAMERA 3 Blu-ray will feature a brand-new high-def transfer from Kadokawa’s original film elements.

For anyone who has noticed that the GAMERA 3 cover art mistakenly uses images from GAMERA: GUARDIAN OF THE UNIVERSE, Joyplex has already requested that Mill Creek correct that error (and the typo on the TRILOGY cover) and been assured that Mill Creek is “all over it!”.
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The shoulder to shoulder crowds of Wonderfest. Photo courtesy of Clawmark Toys.

Clawmark Does Wonderfest
Author: Tom Dougherty, Clawmark Toys

WONDERFEST! The name says it all! I have had the good fortune to experience many Japanese Toy and Model shows in both Osaka and Tokyo over the years, but nothing quite compares to Wonderfest. An enormous event like Wonderfest is of course held in the enormous complex called Makhuhari Messe. I only had to ride a train for about two and a half hours through Tokyo and past Disneyland to arrive at the station and begin the walk.
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Eriko Ayukawa (Ayumi Ito) struggles with the mystery of GANTZ. Photo courtesy of NEW PEOPLE Entertainment. © Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

Japanese Sci-Fi Live-Action Film and New Sequel Set to Screen During 2011 San Diego Comic-Con
Source: MediaLab press release
Official Movie Site: gantz-movie.com (Japan), gantzmovies.com (US)
Special Thanks to Erik Jansen

NEW PEOPLE Entertainment, a film division of NEW PEOPLE, Inc. that focuses on the licensing and distribution of Japanese films and media, has announced a series of special theatrical screenings of the live action sci-fi thriller GANTZ (前編, Gantsu, 2011) and its sequel, GANTZ II: PERFECT ANSWER (前編 PERFECT ANSWER, Gantsu Pafekuto Ansaa, 2011), at the Pacific Gaslamp 15 Theatres in San Diego, CA.

GANTZ screens on Friday, July 22nd at 6:00pm and 9:00pm, while GANTZ II: PERFECT ANSWER screens on Saturday, July 23rd at 6:00pm and also at 9:00pm. Both films will be shown in Japanese with English subtitles. The film screenings will take place during the 2011 Comic-Con International, the country’s largest comic book, science fiction and pop culture event, which takes place at the nearby San Diego Convention Center.
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Kei Kishimoto (Natsuna Watanabe) and Masaru Kato (Kenichi Matsuyama) confront a big threat in GANTZ. © Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

Winners will See Both Movies for Free, Courtesy of NYAFF and SciFi Japan
Source: Subway Cinema/New York Asian Film Festival
Special Thanks to Kristen Osborne and Grady Hendrix

Thank you to everyone who entered New York Asian Film Festival and SciFi Japan’s contest for free passes to see GANTZ and GANTZ: PERFECT ANSWER at NYAFF. The screenings takes place at the Japan Society on Saturday, July 9 starting at 12:30 pm. Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street (between First and Second avenues), New York, NY 10017. Their box office number is 212-832-1155.

The randomly drawn winning entries are:

Dylan Bach
Greg Cordaro

Congratulations to the winners!

Each of you has won a pair of tickets to see the double feature of GANTZ and GANTZ: PERFECT ANSWER. Your passes will be available on the day of the show at the NYAFF table in the lobby of the Japan Society. Winners must present a photo ID in order to claim their prize.
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Kei Kishimoto (Natsuna Watanabe) battles weird aliens in GANTZ. Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

See Both Movies for Free, Courtesy of NYAFF and SciFi Japan
Source: Subway Cinema/New York Asian Film Festival
Special Thanks to Kristen Osborne and Grady Hendrix

Next week sees the launch of the 2011 New York Asian Film Festival and Japan Cuts: Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema. Running from July 1-14 at the Film Society of Lincoln Center and July 7 – 22 at Japan Society, the combined festival will feature dozens of films, international and world premiere screenings, Q&A’s with filmmakers, and other special events.

This year’s lineup a double feature of the new live action sci-fi movies GANTZ (前編, Gantsu, 2011) and GANTZ: PERFECT ANSWER (前編 PERFECT ANSWER, Gantsu Pafekuto Ansaa, 2011). Presented back-to-back and in the original Japanese with English subtitles, the screenings will mark the New York Premiere of the subtitled GANTZ and the North American Premiere of GANTZ: PERFECT ANSWER. And if that’s not cool enough, our friends at NYAFF are offering SciFi Japan readers a chance to win free tickets to see both movies!
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A living god challenges those who profit from war in THE GOD OF CLAY, a new Japanese short film making its world premiere this Thursday in Los Angeles.
Concept art by the late Tetsuzo Osawa, SFX production designer for the Heisei Godzilla films. Photo courtesy of Marbling Fine Arts. © 2011 Marbling Fine Arts

Veteran Toho SFX Director Helmed New Indie Giant Monster Short, Making Its U.S. Debut This Week
Author: Steve Ryfle
Translation: Oki Miyano
Special thanks to Toshiko Iwasaki, Norihiko Iwasaki, Dennis Bartok, and Elliot Gay

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

GOD OF CLAY co-director Koichi Kawakita supervising a special effects scene for
GODZILLA VS SPACE GODZILLA. © 1994 Toho Co., Ltd.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Koichi Kawakita brought Godzilla back to life. When he took over as special effects director of the long-running film series with GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE (ゴジラ VS ビオランテ, Gojira tai Biorante, 1989), Kawakita rejuvenated a franchise that was creatively and technically moribund and introduced a new-look Godzilla that redefined the monster for a whole new generation of fans worldwide. Kawakita went on to work on a total of six Godzilla movies, the last being GODZILLA VS. DESTOROYAH (ゴジラ VS デストロイア, Gojira tai Desutoroia, 1995).

More recently, Kawakita was a creative force behind a project that is decidedly smaller in scale yet has much in common with the Godzilla franchise, from the antiwar theme that propelled the original GODZILLA (ゴジラ, Gojira, 1954) to the traditional Japanese analog special-effects techniques that define the entire genre it begat. THE GOD OF CLAY (ねんどの神さま, 2009/2011) is a 13-minute short film that pays homage to the classic tokusatsu films and television shows of the 1950s and 60s. The film, on which Kawakita shares co-director credit with Nobuaki Sugimoto, has never been shown publicly, not even in Japan. Its world debut will be held at 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 23 at the Bigfoot Crest Theater in Westwood, CA.
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Huge Festivals Return to New York City with Screenings of 70 Asian Films
Source: Subway Cinema, Japan Society
Special Thanks to Kristen Osborne, Grady Hendrix, and Shannon Jowett

Beginning July 1st, New York City once again plays host to America’s leading large-scale festival of popular Asian cinema. Subway Cinema’s New York Asian Film Festival (July 1-14) and Japan Society’s Japan Cuts: Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema (July 7-22) combined will feature 70 different movies, world and US premieres, exclusive Q&A’s with filmmakers, and other special events. This year also marks the fifth annual collaboration between Japan Cuts and NYAFF, who will co-present several films at the Japan Society from July 7-10.
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44 years after its theatrical release, the Korean monster movie YONGARY, MONSTER FROM THE DEEP will be broadcast for the first time on Korean television.
© 1967 Keukdong Entertainment Company

The Quintessential Korean Monster Movie is Finally Shown on Korean Television
Author: Kim Song-ho
Source: EBS, Korean Film Archive
Special Thanks to Ms. Shin Ye-won and Mr. Kim Bong-young

On June 19, 2011, the Korean network EBS (Educational Broadcasting System) will air YONGARY, MONSTER FROM THE DEEP (대괴수 용가리, Daegoesu Yonggary, 1967). This marks the first ever domestic TV broadcast of the film, 44 years after its theatrical release in Korea. It is also the first HD broadcast of the movie. EBS will air YONGARY as part of its weekly movie program, KOREAN MOVIE SPECIAL (한국영화 특선), which shows classic Korean movies at 11:00pm KST every Sunday.
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Giant trolls are a big problem in the new film TROLLHUNTER, now in limited theatrical release in America. Photo courtesy of Magnet Releasing.
© 2010 Filmkameratene AS

Norwegian Monster Movie Opens in US Theaters Today
Source: Magnolia Pictures
Official Site: trollhunterfilm.com

US poster art for TROLLHUNTER. Photo courtesy of
Magnet Releasing. © 2010 Filmkameratene AS

The government says there’s nothing to worry about – it’s just a problem with bears making trouble in the mountains and forests of Norway. But local hunters don’t believe it – and neither do a trio of college students who want to find out the truth. Armed with a video camera, they trail a mysterious “poacher,” who wants nothing to do with them. But their persistence lands them straight in the path of the objects of his pursuits: Trolls. They soon find themselves documenting every move of this grizzled, unlikely hero – The Troll Hunter – risking their lives to uncover the secrets of creatures only thought to exist in fairy tales.

From Norwegian writer/director André Øvredal comes TROLLHUNTER, a thrillingly entertaining creature feature filled with harrowing suspense – and the darkest of humor. Filmed in the stunningly beautiful countryside of Norway, from fjords to forests, TROLLHUNTER tells the story of a veteran hunter – and fed-up government employee – as he reveals the world of beasts known only to Norwegians in stories from their childhood. It’s not long before the students – and the audience – believe his unlikely tales.
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Turner Classic Movies’ June schedule features several classic monster movies, including a half-dozen Japanese creature features.
Godzilla films, RODAN, and THE H-MAN © Toho Co., Ltd. THE MANSTER © 1958 United Artists Japan

Classic Monster Movies Every Thursday
Source: Turner Classic Movies

Thursdays this June, the cable station Turner Classic Movies will be airing a series of “Drive-In Double Features” of monster movies from the 1950s and 60s such as THEM!, THE VALLEY OF GWANGI, THE BLOB, TARANTULA, THE BEAST FROM 20000 FATHOMS, and THE THING. The lineup features fifteen movies never before aired on TCM, including four favorites from the Golden Age of Japanese movie monsters… GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS, RODAN, GHIDORAH THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER, and GODZILLA VS MONSTER ZERO. Also on the schedule are Toho’s THE H-MAN and the Japanese/American co-production THE MANSTER. All will be shown in their English language, US release versions.
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Cover art for the upcoming North American DVD and Blu-ray/DVD Combo Set of the Japanese live action sci-fi adventure GANTZ.
Photos courtesy of NEW PEOPLE Entertainment. © Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

Source: NEW PEOPLE Entertainment, Warner Home Video
Official Movie Site: gantz-movie.com (Japan), gantzmovies.com (US)
Special Thanks to Shio Toyoda

This August, NEW PEOPLE Entertainment (formerly VIZ Pictures) is bringing the Japanese live action science fiction adventure GANTZ (前編, 2011) to DVD and Blu-ray in North America. The film is based on the hit manga series created by Hiroya Oku, which has sold over 15 million copies worldwide (published in America by Dark Horse Comics) and was previously adapted in a 26 episode anime series. Directed by Shinsuke Sato (THE PRINCESS BLADE) and starring Kazunari Ninomiya (LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA) and Kenichi Matsuyama (DEATH NOTE, DETROIT METAL CITY), GANTZ made its world premiere in the U.S. with screenings held at over 330 theaters nationwide. The movie went on to top the Japanese box office for four consecutive weeks, grossing over $40 million.
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Madman Will Unleash the Freaks on June 22nd
Source: Madman Entertainment
Official Site: sentoshojo.jp (Japan), Sushi Typhoon (US)
Special Thanks to Ben Pollock and Philippa Lamb

Australian DVD cover art. Photo courtesy of Madman
Entertainment.© 2010 Sushi Typhoon and Toei Video

Action, comedy and splatter: times three! For the first time ever, Japanese cult filmmakers Noboru Iguchi (ROBO-GEISHA, THE MACHINE GIRL), Yoshihiro Nishimura (TOKYO GORE POLICE, VAMPIRE GIRL VS. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL) and Tak Sakaguchi (DEATH TRANCE, VERSUS, SAMURAI ZOMBIE) have joined forces to bring you three times the heart-pounding action, three times the jaw-dropping comedy and three times the head-exploding splatter of your average action / horror / comedy! It’s MUTANT GIRL SQUAD (戦闘少女 血の鉄仮面伝説, Sento Shojo: Chi no Tekkamen Densetsu, 2010)… a three-times-larger Mutant Action Extravaganza, filled with so much outrageousness that it took three directors to bring it to you!

Rin (Yumi Sugimoto) is a seemingly normal Japanese high school girl, but on her sixteenth birthday, everything in her life changes when government special forces break into her home. After witnessing her mother’s face blown into bits and her father’s severed head falling into her birthday cake, Rin’s dormant mutant abilities are awakened: her arm transforms into a sharp, knife-encrusted claw, and a moment later, she finds herself standing in a pool of blood, surrounded by dead soldiers!
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New poster for the 3D Korean monster movie SECTOR 7, focusing on the main cast and characters. Photo courtesy of CJ E&M Pictures.
© 2010 JK Film / CJ E&M Pictures

New Promotional Materials for the Upcoming Korean 3D Creature Feature
Author: Kim Song-ho
Source: CJ E&M Pictures
Official Movie Site: 2011sector7.co.kr

The Korean film company and distributor CJ E&M Pictures, the film department of CJ E&M which was previously known as CJ Entertainment, has released two new teaser posters and an advance trailer for the 3D monster movie SECTOR 7 (7광구, Chil gwanggu).

The first poster design is basically the same as the advance teaser image which was released last December, but with slightly revised artwork, the Korean title logo and a tag line which reads “Off the southernmost tip of Jeju-do, 2,500 meters below in the ocean depths… something is there (or ‘something exists’).” The other teaser poster is specifically designed to introduce Korean audiences to the main characters from the film. And the trailer does finally show some brief glimpses of the creature.
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The worldwide releases of EVANGELION: 2.22 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE continue as the film comes to DVD and Blu-ray in Australia.
Photo courtesy of Madman Entertainment. © 2009 Khara

Second “Rebuild of Evangelion” Film Streets June 15th
Source: Madman Entertainment
Official Movie Site: evangelion.co.jp (Japan), funimation.com/evangelion (US), madman.com.au/nge (Aus)
Special Thanks to Ben Pollock and Philippa Lamb

The impressive 21st Century makeover of one of the most revered and influential anime series of all time continues apace with the Australian DVD and Blu-ray release of the feature-length EVANGELION: 2.22 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE (ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版: 破, Evangelion Shin Gekijoban: Ha, 2009) from Madman Entertainment.
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Old-school Japanese monster action is back on the big screen in THE GOD OF CLAY, the new short film by FX crew members from the Godzilla and Ultraman series.
Photo courtesy of Dennis Bartok. © 2011 Marbling Fine Arts

Daikaiju Double Feature on June 23rd
Source: Bigfoot Crest Theater
Special Thanks to Dennis Bartok

On Thursday, June 23, the Bigfoot Crest Theater in Westwood, CA (near UCLA) will present a special giant monster/Godzilla-themed film event featuring the World Premiere of the Japanese giant monster short film THE GOD OF CLAY produced by Marbling Fine Arts, co-directed by Godzilla FX master Koichi Kawakita and featuring a veritable Who’s Who of some of the greatest names in Japanese monster special effects. Also on the schedule is a 35 mm screening of the classic Toho movie GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER.

Between the films there will be short discussion on the making of THE GOD OF CLAY and the history of Japanese giant monster movies with producer Norihiko Iwasaki of Marbling Fine Arts, Godzilla expert Steve Ryfle (Classic Media’s Toho Master Collection, Sony’s ICONS OF SCI-FI: TOHO COLLECTION) and film restoration expert Oki Miyano (RASHOMON).
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Contents for the 2-Disc Collector’s Edition of EVANGELION: 2.22 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE, available June 20th in the United Kingdom.
Photo courtesy of The Associates. © 2009 Khara

Second “Rebuild of Evangelion” Film Streets June 20th
Source: The Associates press release
Official Movie Site: evangelion.co.jp (Japan), funimation.com/evangelion (US)

New Pilots, New Evas, New Angels. The landmark anime NEON GENESIS EVANGELION (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン, Shin Seiki Evangerion, 1995) evolves, reaching new heights of intensity in the new feature film EVANGELION: 2.22 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE, coming to DVD and Blu-ray in the UK from Manga Entertainment on the 20th of June, 2011. The home video editions present the theatrical anime movie EVANGELION: 2.0 (ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版: 破, Evangelion Shin Gekijoban: Ha, 2009), digitally mastered and with upgraded scenes.

EVANGELION: 2.22 will be released on DVD (Region 2, PAL), Blu-ray (Region B), and in a 2-Disc Collector’s Edition containing the DVD, Blu-ray, and a 20 page book.
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Hayao Miyazaki’s classic PORCO ROSSO is among the films and anime series screening at this year’s AM² convention. © 1992 Nibariki • TNNG

Source: BAM! Marketing, Publicity & Promotions press release
Official Site: am2con.org
Special Thanks to Chase Wang

AM², the highly-anticipated animation, music and manga convention taking place July 1-3, 2011 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Southern California, has revealed some of the titles (with more to come) that will be screened at this year’s event.
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The samurai assassin Aya (Eri Otoguru) hunts the living of the living dead. Clip courtesy of Madman Entertainment.
© 2008 “Onechanbara: The Movie” Production Committee

Babes, Bikinis, Blades, Guns and a Fistful of Zombies on Region 4 DVD
Source: Madman Entertainment
Special Thanks to Ben Pollock and Philippa Lamb

DVD art for CHANBARA BEAUTY. Photo courtesy of Madman
Entertainment. © 2008 “Onechanbara: The Movie”
Production Committee

The live action Japanese feature film CHANBARA BEAUTY (お姉チャンバラ The Movie, Onechanbara: The Movie, 2008) is now on DVD (Region 4, PAL) in Australia from Madman Entertainment. The film is based on the hit video game series THE ONECHANBARA for PS2, Xbox360, Wii; created by Tamsoft and D3. CHANBARA BEAUTY was the directorial debut of cinematographer Yohei Fukuda (GROTESQUE), and stars Eri Otoguro (VAMPIRE GIRL VS. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL; SHUTTER), Tomohiro Waki (INITIAL D – DRIFT RACER) and Taro Suwa (UZUMAKI; END CALL; THE MACHINE GIRL).

The bikini-clad samurai chick, Aya (Eri Otoguru), roams a chaotic and desolate future world where the streets are filled with zombies. In search of her sister, Saki (Chise Nakamura), she meets a mysterious gun-toting leather outlaw named Reiko (Manami Hashimoto). Teaming up, they take on the marauding hordes of zombies in an all-out war.
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Eleven Gamera movies are among the free content now streaming on GooHead, the new internet channel for classic Asian feature films and television series.
© 1999 Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

Source: Golden Media Group press release
Official Site: GooHead Internet Channel
Special Thanks to Roy McAree

GooHead, Inc. has announced that their Internet Channel is now available at GooHead.com. The new channel specializes in internet delivery in the United States and Canada, free of charge, of classic Asian feature films and television series.

Included in the more than one hundred and sixty hours of content immediately available are the famous GAMERA series of eleven full length feature films produced from 1965 to 1999, now streaming in their original aspect ratio, plus three rarely seen complete television series from the 1970s: SUPER ROBOT RED BARON (スーパーロボット レッドバロン, Suupaa Robotto Reddo Baron, 1973-1974), IRON KING (アイアンキング, Aian Kinguu, 1972-1973), and FIGHT! DRAGON (闘え！ドラゴン, Tatakae! Dragon, 1974).
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Acclaimed Supernatural Crime Mystery is the Latest VIZ Media Anime Series to be Streamed by Netflix
Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press releases
Official Site: Deathnote.viz.com
Special Thanks to Jane Lui and Erik Jansen

Key artwork for the anime series DEATH NOTE, now on
Netflix Streaming. Photo courtesy of VIZ Media. © 2003 by
Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata/ Shueisha Inc. © 2006 DNDP, VAP,
Shueisha, Madhouse

VIZ Media has announced the premiere of the entire uncut and subtitled DEATH NOTE (デスノート, Desu Noto, 2006) anime series on Netflix, Inc., the world’s leading Internet subscription service for enjoying movies and TV shows. The supernatural suspense thriller is now available to watch instantly for subscribers in the U.S.

A unique storyline and complex characters, combined with visually stunning animation by Madhouse, made DEATH NOTE one of the most popular anime series to ever be released in Japan and North America. The complete 37 episode series joins several other VIZ Media anime titles such as BLEACH, NARUTO, and INUYASHA, which can now be instantly streamed from Netflix.

DEATH NOTE (rated TV-14, subtitled) was inspired by a 12-volume manga counterpart (published in North America by VIZ Media) written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The anime series follows the adventures of Light Yagami, an ace student with great prospects but who is bored out of his mind. All of that changes when he finds the Death Note, a strange notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god named Ryuk. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals mysteriously begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal – or his life?
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The Korean monster movie CHAW has been released on DVD and Blu-ray in North American with a slightly modified title.
Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. © 2009 Polygon Entertainment LLC/Soo Jack Films

Source: Magnolia Home Entertainment press release, Bender/Helper Impact
Official Movie Site: chawzmovie.com

A very large— and very hungry— wild board stalks the forest surrounding a small
Korean village. © 2009 Polygon Entertainment LLC/Soo Jack Films

Magnet Releasing, the genre division of Magnolia Pictures, has released the Korean monster movie CHAWZ (차우, 2009) on Blu-ray and Region 1 DVD. Directed by Jeong-won Shin, the film is an affectionate tribute to classic creature features that mixes horror and comedy in a tale about a giant, vicious wild boar terrorizing an idyllic countryside and attacking innocent tourists.

The movie was shown in Korea and internationally as CHAW, with the name both a play on the English word ‘chew’ and meaning ‘to trap’ in the Korean dialect of the Gyeonggi and Chungcheong provinces. For the American release, Magnet slightly altered the film’s title to CHAWZ as a very intentional reference to the 1975 classic JAWS. The US distributor played this up in publicity for the film, with Magnet SVP Tom Quinn stating, “If JAWS was looking to branch out to dry land, without a doubt he’d want to be CHAWZ.”
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The Japanese monster movie classics MAJIN, RETURN OF MAJIN, and MAJIN STRIKES AGAIN are coming to Blu-ray in North America from Mill Creek Entertainment.
© 1966 Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

Author: Keith Aiken
Source: Golden Media Group, Tower PR
Special Thanks to Roy McAree and Amy Gorton

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

The North American sales agent for Kadokawa Pictures has revealed that the classic Daimajin monster movie series has been licensed to distributor Mill Creek Entertainment for a home video release in 2011.

The Daiei Motion Picture Co. released all three films— MAJIN (大魔神, Daimajin), RETURN OF MAJIN (大魔神怒る, Daimajin Ikaru), and MAJIN STRIKES AGAIN (大魔神逆襲, Daimajin Gyakushu)— in 1966. But unlike the studio’s Gamera franchise, the Daimajin series were period films set during Japan’s Sengoku (Warring States) period, and combined elements of the kaiju eiga (monster movie) genre with Daiei’s extremely popular jidai-geki (period stories) and chanbara (sword-fighting) films. These movies each followed a similar pattern; telling the story of a giant statue of Daimajin (the name roughly meaning “Great Angry God”) that would come to life in times of need to punish evildoers.
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Ten SciFi Japan readers have won free copies of EVANGELION: 2.22 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE on Region 1 DVD or Blu-ray. © 2009 Khara

Source: FUNimation Entertainment
Official Movie Site: funimation.com/evangelion (US), evangelion.co.jp (Japan)
Special Thanks to Jackie Smith

Contest winners were able to choose either the DVD or
Blu-ray edition of EVANGELION 2.22. Photo courtesy of
FUNimation Entertainment. © 2009 Khara

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Thank you to everyone who entered FUNimation Entertainment and SciFi Japan’s EVANGELION 2.22 Blu-ray and DVD contest. We received hundreds of entries, and the ten randomly drawn winners are:

Willie L. Calvert (DVD)
Bret Lonsway (Blu-ray)
Will Frazier (Blu-ray)
Robert Haney (Blu-ray)
Mike Palumbo (Blu-ray)
Christopher Monk (Blu-ray)
Thomas Singleton (Blu-ray)
Derek Shepard (DVD)
Robert Wright-Stasko (Blu-ray)
Helen McNamara (Blu-ray)

EVANGELION 2.22 will be available for purchase on Region 1 DVD ($24.98) and Blu-ray ($29.98) on March 29th. The discs contain the original Japanese audio, a new English dubbed track, English subtitles, deleted scenes, a dubbing cast audio commentary, theatrical trailers, Japanese TV spots, and much more.
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UK (left) and Australian (right) DVD covers for the sci-fi film MONSTERS. Photos courtesy of The Associates and Madman Entertainment. © 2010 Vertigo Films, Ltd.

Source: The Associates, Madman Entertainment press releases
Official Movie Site: monstersfilm.com (US), monstersthemovie.com (UK)

Following a US home video release in February, the critically acclaimed MONSTERS comes to DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on April 11th courtesy of Vertigo Films, and in Australia on April 13th from Madman Entertainment.
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