Front and back cover art for Shout! Factory’s GAMERA VS ZIGRA/ GAMERA: THE SUPER MONSTER Double Feature DVD.
Photos courtesy of Shout! Factory. © 1971. 1980 Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

Source: Shout! Factory
Special Thanks to Tom Chen

Our friends at Shout! Factory sent over an advance copy of their GAMERA VS ZIGRA/ GAMERA: THE SUPER MONSTER Double Feature Collector’s Edition DVD set, so we’re pleased to give SciFi Japan readers an early look at what’s coming their way on March 15th. The DVD has a suggested retail price of $19.93.
Continued…

The subtitled version of GANTZ will be screened this month at the VIZ Cinema in San Francisco. Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures.
© Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

Source: MediaLab press release
Official Site: NewPeopleWorld.com
Special Thanks to Erik Jansen

VIZ Cinema at NEW PEOPLE, the nation’s only movie theatre dedicated to Japanese and Asian film, presents a pair of special movie events taking place at the venue in February. Trailers, screening times and tickets are available at VIZCinema.com. The venue is located inside NEW PEOPLE at 1746 Post Street in San Francisco’s Japantown.

Slated to screen on February 19th will be the acclaimed Korean director Kim Ki-duk’s romantic prison drama, BREATH, which will be followed by a reception with The Red Lantern: Bay Area Asian Cinephiles, based in San Francisco and the world’s largest Meetup group for Asian films.

Also, by popular demand, VIZ Cinema at NEW PEOPLE will offer a special one-night-only screening on February 19th of the live-action sci-fi thriller GANTZ (in Japanese with English subtitles). GANTZ is based on the smash hit manga and anime series and was world-premiered at 334 theatres nationwide in January.
Continued…

Gendo Hikari observes a battle between Angel and Evangelion in EVANGELION: 2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE, now in limited theatrical release
across North America. © 2009 Khara

Second Impact Happens in Chicago, Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis and More…
Source: Eleven Arts Entertainment press release
Official Movie Site: funimation.com/evangelion (US), evangelion.co.jp (Japan)
Special Thanks to Shun Ohara

Cinema Arts Releasing, Eleven Arts and FUNimation Entertainment are proud to announce the new release schedule of EVANGELION: 2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE (Evangelion Shin Gekijoban: Ha, 2009) in the United States. The movie originally opened in US theaters on January 21, 2011. EVANGELION: 2.0 has met with great success in each city and has received postive reviews and word of mouth, prompting an expansion of its theatrical release. Some theaters will also show the first chapter, EVANGELION 1.0: YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE (Evangelion Shin Gekijoban: Jo, 2007), prior to the release of the second feature.
Continued…

The World Premiere of GANTZ was held January 20th in Hollywood. Photo by Richard Pusateri.

Kazunari Ninomiya and Kenichi Matsuyama present GANTZ World Premiere in Hollywood
Author: Richard Pusateri
Official Movie Site: gantz-movie.com (Japan), gantzmovies.com (US)
Special Thanks to Erik Jansen and Rieko Fuji

Kenichi Matsuyama fields questions through his interpreter. Photo courtesy of
VIZ Pictures. © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

The fans were restless at the GANTZ World Premiere in Hollywood. Above the world famous Grauman’s Chinese Theater January 20, the fans lining the entrance corridor of Mann’s Chinese 6 theaters were fidgeting and nervously chattering long before the film’s stars Kazunari Ninomiya (LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA) and Kenichi Matsuyama (DETROIT METAL CITY, DEATH NOTE) arrived for what was billed as the “GANTZ WORLD PREMIERE.” One of the first things master of ceremonies Patrick Macias told the crowd was the stars were just in from the World Premiere earlier that day in Tokyo, leaving the description of this event as the “World Premiere” needing some clarification.
Continued…

Shout! Factory completes their DVD releases of the original Gamera films with the GAMERA VS. ZIGRA/GAMERA: THE SUPER MONSTER DOUBLE-FEATURE,
on sale March 15th. Photo courtesy of Kadokawa Pictures and Golden Media Group, Inc. © 1980 Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

Final Two Classic Gamera Movies to be Released March 15th
Source: Shout! Factory press release, Golden Media Group, Inc.
Special Thanks to Tom Chen, Roy McAree and Richard Noboru Kekahuna

Cover art for the GAMERA VS. ZIGRA/GAMERA: THE SUPER
MONSTER collection. Photo courtesy of Shout! Factory.
© 1971, 1980 Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

The wait is over! On March 15, 2011, Shout! Factory will unleash the final two films in Daiei Motion Picture Company’s illustrious Gamera franchise: GAMERA VS. ZIGRA and GAMERA: THE SUPER MONSTER! Witness twice the excitement as Gamera takes on the malevolent underwater alien creature Zigra and then revisits each of his deadliest foes on by one while trying to save the word! Both films feature newly remastered transfers in their original Japanese language as well as English dubs.

Until the partnership of Shout! Factory and Kadokawa Pictures in May 2010, the original Gamera films were woefully underrepresented on DVD in the United States, especially in featuring the authentic original Japanese versions of the films. But that has changed with the recent releases of GAMERA THE GIANT MONSTER, GAMERA VS. BARUGON, the two double feature collections GAMERA VS. GYAOS/GAMERA VS. VIRAS and GAMERA VS. GUIRON/GAMERA VS. JIGER and now GAMERA VS. ZIGRA/GAMERA: THE SUPER MONSTER.

The GAMERA VS. ZIGRA/GAMERA: THE SUPER MONSTER DOUBLE-FEATURE COLLECTOR’S EDITION DVD has a suggested retail price of $19.93.
Continued…

Karate-Robo Zaborgar fights Diarrhea Robot Arizailer in Sushi Typhoon’s new feature film update of the classic TV series DENJIN ZABOGA.
Photo courtesy of Sushi Typhoon. © 2011 P-Production/ Zaborgar Film Partners

Sushi Typhoon Presents a New Movie Update of the 70s Superhero Show
Source: Sushi Typhoon
Official Movie Site: zaborgar.com (Japan)
Special Thanks to Marc Walkow

Poster for KARATE-ROBO ZABORGAR. Photo courtesy of
Sushi Typhoon. © 2011 P-Production/ Zaborgar Film
Partners

On April 6, 1974, the Fuji Television Network debuted the first episode of DENJIN ZABOGA (電人ザボーガー), a live action superhero series from P-Productions (THE SPACE GIANTS, SPECTREMAN). Created by manga writer Kazuo Koike (Lone Wolf and Cub, Crying Freeman), the show starred Akira Yamaguchi (KAMEN RIDER V3) as Yutaka Daimon, a secret police agent who battles sinister organizations with the help of his transforming robot Zaboga (played by Yoichiro Tajiri). The series ran for 52 episodes through June 29, 1975. The first 39 episodes were also broadcast in Hawaii with English subtitles as DENJIN ZABORGER.

Now, as DENJIN ZABOGA approaches its fortieth anniversary, the story has been reworked and updated for the new movie KARATE-ROBO ZABORGAR (電人ザボーガー劇場版, Denjin Zabogaa: Gekijoo-ban, 2011) from director Noboru Iguchi.

Produced by Nikkatsu Corporation’s genre label Sushi Typhoon, KARATE-ROBO ZABORGAR will make its world premiere this Friday, January 28th at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Iguchi will be present for the premiere, and for the first encore screening on January 29th. A promotional event for the film is also planned for late February at the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival in Hokkaido. Later in 2011, KARATE-ROBO ZABORGAR will play at various film festivals around the world, though exact locations and dates have not yet been announced.
Continued…

The cast of SECTOR 7, from left to right: Park Jeong-hak, Ahn Seong-gi (as Jeong-man, captain of the oli rig Eclipse), Ha Ji-won (as equipment manger Cha Hae-joon),
Oh Ji-ho (as Kim Dong-soo, analyst of oil quality), Song Sae-byeok (as a welder) and Park Cheol-min (as an equipment manager).
Photo courtesy of CJ Entertainment. © 2010 JK Film / CJ Entertainment

First Batch of Stills and More Information on Upcoming Korean Monster Movie
Author: Kim Song-ho
Source: CJ Entertainment

This week, the Korean film company and distributor CJ Entertainment and production company JK Film released a batch of new stills for the upcoming 3D creature feature SECTOR 7 (7광구, Chil gwangu). These are the first images issued from the movie itself other than the conceptual/advertising artwork. Most of the photos depict the struggle against the hostile undersea creature (its appearance is yet to be revealed) by the crew members of ‘Eclipse’, an oil prospecting platform. SECTOR 7 has been described by producer Youn Je-kyun as the Korean equivalent of the ALIEN movie series.
Continued…

Japan takes a weird turn following a zombie holocaust in HELLDRIVER, the new movie from splatter filmmaker Yoshihiro Nishimura direct.
Photo courtesy of Sushi Typhoon. © 2010 Sushi Typhoon/ Nikkatsu

Press Notes for New Zombie Film from the Director of TOKYO GORE POLICE
Source: Sushi Typhoon
Special Thanks to Marc Walkow

English language poster for HELLDRIVER. Photo courtesy
of Sushi Typhoon. © 2010 Sushi Typhoon/ Nikkatsu

Sushi Typhoon’s HELLDRIVER (日本分断　HELL DRIVER, Nihon Bundan: Heru Doraibaa, 2010) is the latest movie from cult-favorite splatter film director Yoshihiro Nishimura. The all-out zombie epic has been playing the international film festival circuit.

The following press notes and images are courtesy of Sushi Typhoon…

WELCOME TO ZOMBIE WORLD!

An alien-spawned, mysterious mist blankets the northern half of Japan, transforming those who inhale it into ravenous, flesh-eating zombies hell-bent on devouring the surviving human population. Plunged into chaos, Japan is torn in two— the southern half of the country, where the populace remains untouched by the deadly gas, lives behind a heavily-fortified wall, while the northern half is a lawless, zombie-infected wasteland. Political forces are locked in a stalemate over whether the living dead should remain protected as family members or exterminated like a plague. The economy withers away, and all hope seems lost for the people and the nation of Japan.
Continued…

The Japanese live action sci-fi adventure GANTZ will be screened nationwide in the United States on January 20th, with the Japanese theatrical run launching
January 29th. Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures. © Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

English Language Press Notes for Highly Anticipated Manga Adaptation
Source: VIZ Pictures, NTV
Official Movie Site: gantz-movie.com (Japan), gantzmovies.com (US)
Special Thanks to Rieko Fuji

The long-awaited adaptation of the suspense action manga GANTZ is finally here!

Based on the popular Japanese manga and anime series, GANTZ is the ultimate survival game. Summoned by the mysterious black orb known as “GANTZ”, childhood friends Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato are forced into participating in the extermination of ‘aliens’ in order to survive. While Kurono chooses to fight for survival, Kato refuses to engage in battle and rejects a world controlled by violence. Kurono and Kato, along with the others sharing their fate, are pushed to their limits in the relentless battles against the aliens.

Due to its intense action and strikingly original story, a movie adaptation was once considered impossible. However, after NTV led the adaptations of DEATH NOTE and 20TH CENTURY BOYS to success, a movie adaptation of GANTZ became possible with director Shinsuke Sato. The highly-awaited movie project has two parts; the first installment coming in January 2011, and the second in spring 2011.
Continued…

Anime Series Available January 25, 2011
Source: FUNimation Entertainment
Official Site: gantz.net (Japan), funimation.com/gantz (US)
Special Thanks to Manny Alcala

Packaging art for GANTZ: THE COMPLETE SERIES. Photo
courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment. © 2004 Hiroya Oku/
Shueisha • GANTZ Partners.

Life and Death. It’s nothing but a game.

Is it a game? A nightmare? All Kei knows is that this reprieve from death may only be temporary. If they fail, they will die again…

Excitement is building for the live-action feature film GANTZ (前編, 2011), which will make its world premiere at 334 movie theaters across the United States in an exclusive one-night-only event this Thursday, January 20th. And following hot on the heels of that premiere comes GANTZ: THE COMPLETE SERIES (2004), a Region 1 DVD anime set from FUNimation Entertainment which streets on January 25th.
Continued…

Kenichi Matsuyama stars in GANTZ. Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures. © Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

Two of Japan’s Top Actors Introduce New Sci-Fi Action Feature Debuting on 333 Screens Across North America
Source: MediaLab press release
Official Movie Site: gantz-movie.com (Japan), gantzmovies.com (US)
Special Thanks to Erik Jansen

NEW PEOPLE, a dynamic entertainment company bringing the latest examples of Japanese popular culture to North American shores, welcomes Japanese actors Kazunari Ninomiya (LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA) and Kenichi Matsuyama (DEATH NOTE, DETROIT METAL CITY), for the opening of the stars’ latest feature film – GANTZ. The pair will appear in-person for the premiere of the film in Hollywood, CA on Thursday, January 20th at 5:00pm at the Mann’s Chinese 6, located in the Hollywood & Highland Mall in Hollywood, CA. Immediately following the GANTZ screening, Otaku USA Editor-in-Chief Patrick Macias will conduct a live interview session with Kazunari Ninomiya and Kenichi Matsuyama that will be telecast to the 333 theatres across the U.S. also screening GANTZ for the January 20th premiere.
Continued…

The Japanese live-action film GANTZ will have its world premiere in the United States on January 20th. Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures.
© Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

Winners to See the New Movie Before It Opens in Japan, Courtesy of VIZ Pictures and SciFi Japan!
Source: VIZ Pictures
Official Movie Site: gantz-movie.com (Japan), gantzmovies.com (US)
Special Thanks to Rieko Fuji and Erik Jansen

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Thank you to everyone who entered VIZ Pictures and SciFi Japan’s contest for a free ticket to the GANTZ One-Night World Premiere screening. The winning entries are:

Anthony DeGelorm
Jonathan Ragon
Christopher Rowe

Congratulations to the winners! Congratulations to the winners! Each of you has won a ticket to see the live-action feature film GANTZ at your local cinema on Thursday, January 20th; nine days before the movie opens in Japan.
Continued…

The ninja Nezumi (Donpei Tsuchihira), Rin (Mika Hijii), and Yamata (Masanori Mimoto) wonder what the heck they’ve gotten themselves into in ALIEN VS NINJA, coming
next month on DVD and Blu-ray in the United Kingdom. Photo courtesy of The Associates. © 2010 Sushi Typhoon & “Alien vs. Ninja” Production Committee

If It Bleeds… Ninjas Can Kill It!
Source: The Associates
Official Site: Sushi Typhoon

Cover art for Revolver Entertainment’s DVD of ALIEN VS
NINJA. Photo courtesy of The Associates. © 2010 Sushi
Typhoon & “Alien vs. Ninja” Production Committee

Returning from a deadly mission, a band of legendary Iga Ninja warriors see a giant fireball blaze across the sky and crash into the distant forest. Rushing to investigate, they soon find themselves under attack from a pack of brutal and hungry aliens, and that none of their weapons, neither swords nor throwing stars, seem to have any effect on the savage predators.

ALIEN VS NINJA (2010), one of the first titles from Nikkatsu’s new genre label Sushi Typhoon, will be released on DVD (Region 2, PAL) and Blu-ray (B/2) in the UK by Revolver Entertainment this February.

ALIEN VS NINJA is non-stop martial arts mayhem meets monster mash-up in this fantastic flick packed with fast and furious fights, great gore, hilarious action and incredible stunt work. A new hybrid of science fiction and period action film brought to fans by legendary action directors and fight choregraphers Yuji (VERSUS, SHINOBI, DEATH TRANCE) Shimomura and Kensuke (MACHINE GIRL, HARD REVENGE MILLY: BLOODY BATTLE) Sonomura, and directed by Seiji Chiba!
Continued…

Kei Kishimoto (Natsuna Watanabe) is ready to kick some ass in GANTZ, premiering January 20th. Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures.
© Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

Kinetic Sci-Fi Live-Action Film Screens at Mann’s Chinese 6 and Will Include In-Person Cast Interviews
Source: MediaLab press release
Official Movie Site: gantz-movie.com (Japan), gantzmovies.com (US)
Special Thanks to Erik Jansen

NEW PEOPLE, a dynamic entertainment company bringing the latest examples of Japanese popular culture to North American shores, presents a very special theatrical event to celebrate the premiere of GANTZ across North America on Thursday, January 20th. Mann’s Chinese 6, located in the Hollywood & Highland Mall in the heart of Hollywood, CA, will host the film’s theatrical premiere in a gala screening beginning at 5:00pm.

Audiences are invited to join Otaku USA Editor-in-Chief Patrick Macias immediately following the screening as he leads an insightful discussion session on GANTZ and conducts in-person interviews with several cast members. More details about this session and the chance for audience members to submit interview questions will be announced next week.
Continued…

Eva Unit 02 leaps to the attack in EVANGELION: 2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE, playing theaters across Canada (and the US) this month. © 2009 Khara

Exclusive Nationwide One Night Only Engagement on January 20, 2011
Source: Eleven Arts Entertainment press release
Official Movie Site: funimation.com/evangelion (US/Canada), evangelion.co.jp (Japan)
Special Thanks to Shun Ohara

Cineplex Entertainment and Cinema Asia Releasing, Eleven Arts and FUNimation Entertainment are pleased to announce they are bringing the second film of the new EVANGELION series to the big screen in Canada. EVANGELION: 2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE (Evangelion Shin Gekijoban: Ha, 2009) will be shown nationwide in Canada, for one night only, on Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 7 p.m. (local time) at select Cineplex Entertainment and Empire Theatres locations.
Continued…

New Information on Upcoming Korean Monster Movie
Author: Kim Song-ho
Source: CJ Entertainment

The teaser poster design for the 3D monster movie
SECTOR 7. Photo courtesy of CJ Entertainment. © 2010
JK Film / CJ Entertainment

The Korean film company and distributor CJ Entertainment and production company JK Film recently revealed the advance teaser poster for their upcoming 3D creature feature SECTOR 7 (7광구, Chil gwangu). The revised design overall is basically the same as the promotional artwork distributed at the American Film Market in Santa Monica, CA back in November, but has been somewhat modified with a different color tone and added elements (mainly the smoke and the flying birds in the sky). It also shows the new English title logo for the film.

Along with the new artwork, CJ and JK announced that they have pre-sold the picture to four international markets during AFM. The foreign distributors who have acquired rights to SECTOR 7 are TF1 Group of France, M Pictures Entertainment Public Company Ltd. from Thailand, and Scorpio East Holdings Ltd. of Singapore and Malaysia. The companies were reportedly impressed by promotional materials and computer generated concept art shown at the film market.

Produced by Youn Je-kyun, who directed the disaster hit HAEUNDAE (해운대, released in the US as TIDAL WAVE), the film is about a group of workers on the ‘Eclipse’, an oil prospecting platform, being terrorized by a hostile undersea creature. The movie is directed by Kim Ji-hoon, who is well known in Korea for his 2008 drama MAY 18 (화려한 휴가, Hwaryeohan hyuga), which depicted the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy movement.

Starring Ha Ji-won (Youn’s HAEUNDAE and MIRACLE ON 1ST STREET), Ahn Seong-gi (SLEEPING MAN), Lee Han-wee (CITY OF GLASS), Park Cheol-min (MAY 18), Oh Ji-ho (MY WIFE IS A GANGSTER 3), Song Sae-byeok (MOTHER) and Cha Ye-ryeon (DOREMIFASOLASIDO), SECTOR 7 is now in post-production and will open in Korea in the summer of 2011.

Just a few of the titles coming from Warner Bros in 2011. Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. © 2010 Warner Bros Entertainment, Inc.

Action, Fantasy, Horror, Animation and Thrillers Scheduled for the Coming Year
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures

Warner Bros. Pictures has provided details and images for movies scheduled from release by the studio from January through December of 2011. Read on for an early look at GREEN LANTERN, THE RITE (starring Anthony Hopkins), the over the top action fantasy SUCKER PUNCH, Liam Neeson in UNKNOWN, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2, the romantic fantasy thriller RED RIDING HOOD, HAPPY FEET 2, FINAL DESTINATION 5, the supernatural tale THE APPARITION, JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, the all-star thriller CONTAGION, and Robert Downey Jr. in SHERLOCK HOLMES II.
Continued…

See the New Movie Before It Opens in Japan, Courtesy of VIZ Pictures and SciFi Japan!
Source: VIZ Pictures
Official Movie Site: gantz-movie.com (Japan)
Premiere Event Page: GANTZ
Special Thanks to Rieko Fuji and Erik Jansen

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Promo art for the world premiere of GANTZ. Photo
courtesy of VIZ Pictures. © Hiroya Oku/Shueisha
© 2011 Gantz Film Partners

The live-action feature GANTZ, based upon the popular Japanese manga and anime series, will be screened in American theaters nine days before the film opens in Japan. NEW PEOPLE and NCM Fathom are bringing the world premiere of GANTZ to cinemas nationwide for a one night live event on Thursday, January 20th at 8:00 pm ET/ 7:00 pm CT/ 6:00 pm MT/ 8:30 pm PT (tape delayed). It will be English over-dubbed exclusively for this big screen event.

Following the feature, the two stars, Kazunari Ninomiya (LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA) and Kenichi Matsuyama (DEATH NOTE, DETROIT METAL CITY) will participate in an exclusive live interview that can only be seen at this premiere.

Tickets for this special event are available at participating theater box offices and online now. For a complete list of theater locations and ticket information, please visit FathomEvents.com/Gantz.

As an added bonus, our friends at VIZ Pictures have offered SciFi Japan readers a chance to win free tickets to see this film on the big screen. We have three passes to give away… and here is your chance to grab one for yourself!
Continued…

Friends Miyu (Erina Mizuno), Ken (Yuya Yagira), Lin (Ai Maeda), and Hajime (Ryo Katsuji) find themselves in a strange, maze-like — and haunted— building
in the 3D J-Horror film SHOCK LABYRINTH. © 2009 Shock Labyrinth Film Committee

From the Director of THE GRUDGE Comes J-Horror’s First Live-Action 3D Shocker
Source: The Associates press release
Official Movie Site: 3d-shock.asmik-ace.co.jp (Japan)

UK DVD cover for SHOCK LABYRINTH. Photo courtesy of
The Associates. © 2009 Shock Labyrinth Film Committee

Japanese master of horror Takashi Shimizu, the writer-director and overall creative force behind the nerve-shredding and hugely successful JU-ON/THE GRUDGE franchise, takes J-Horror into a brand new era with the spooky and mysterious SHOCK LABYRINTH 3D (戦慄迷宮３Ｄ, Senritsu Meikyuu 3D), which comes to DVD in the United Kingdom in January 2011 and features both the 2D and 3D versions of Shimizu’s latest spine chiller complete with two pairs of 3D glasses.

Directed by Shimizu and based on the world’s largest walk-through ‘haunted house’, The Haunted Hospital attraction situated at the world famous Fuji-Q Highland theme park, SHOCK LABYRINTH 3D is the first Japanese film shot in HD Digital 3D (and J-Horror’s first ever live action 3D movie) and stars some of Japanese cinema’s hottest acting talents, including Ai Maeda (GAMERA 3: REVENGE OF IRIS, DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME), Suzuki Matsuo (ROBO-GEISHA) and Shoichiro Masumoto (GOEMON; ICHI; TOKYO GORE POLICE).

SHOCK LABYRINTH 3D (cert. tbc) will be released on DVD (Region 2, PAL) by Chelsea Films on 31st January 2011.The suggested retail price is £14.99.
Continued…

Eva Unit 01 races into action in EVANGELION: 2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE. The anime film will be released in theaters across North America
beginning this January. © 2009 Khara

Theatrical Run Launches January 21, 2011
Source: Eleven Arts Entertainment press release
Official Movie Site: funimation.com/evangelion (US), evangelion.co.jp (Japan)
Special Thanks to Shun Ohara

North American theatrical poster for EVANGELION:
2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE. Photo courtesy of
Eleven Arts. © 2009 Khara

Cinema Arts Releasing, Eleven Arts and FUNimation Entertainment are proud to announce the initial release schedule of EVANGELION: 2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE (Evangelion Shin Gekijoban: Ha, 2009) in the United States. The movie is the second chapter in four part “Rebuild of Evangelion” (Evangelion Shin Gekijoban) film series by Hideaki Anno and Studio Khara, re-imagining the sci-fi animated series blockbuster NEON GENESIS EVANGELION (Shin Seiki Evangelion)— also written and directed by Anno— which first aired on Japanese television in 1995. It was one of the top five highest grossing Japanese films of 2009 with box office in excess of $40 million US. EVANGELION: 2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE screened at Film Festivals around the world, including the 2010 Fantasia Film Festival, the 2010 SITGES Film Festival, and the 15th Lyon Asian Film Festival (France).

With a few exceptions, EVANGELION: 2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE will begin its American theatrical run on January 21, 2011. Some theaters will also show the first chapter, EVANGELION: 1.0 YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE (Evangelion Shin Gekijoban: Jo, 2007), prior to the release of the second feature.

Read on for a list of confirmed theaters at this time. More American theaters will be added in the coming weeks, and the theatrical release schedule for Canada will be announced in early January.
Continued…

The Japanese live action sci-fi adventure GANTZ will be screened nationwide in the United States more than a week before Toho opens the film in Japan.
Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures. © Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

Exclusive Event Featuring Two of Japan’s Biggest Stars to 325 Select Movie Theaters LIVE on January 20
Source: MediaLab press release
Official Movie Site: gantz-movie.com (Japan)
Premiere Event Page: GANTZ
Special Thanks to Erik Jansen

International promo art for GANTZ. Photo courtesy of
NTV. © Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film
Partners

GANTZ, a live-action Japanese feature event, is making its world premiere in 325 movie theaters in an exclusive one-night Fathom event on Thursday, January 20th, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CT / 6:00 p.m. MT / 8:30 p.m. PT (tape delayed). Following the feature, GANTZ’s two leading actors, Kazunari Ninomiya (LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA) and Kenichi Matsuyama (DEATH NOTE, DETROIT METAL CITY) will participate in an exclusive live interview that can only be seen at this event.

Tickets are available at participating theater box offices and online at FathomEvents.com. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, please visit EventTheatresReport_gantz.

Presented by NCM Fathom and NEW PEOPLE, in association with Dark Horse Comics, GANTZ (English dubbed) tells the story of childhood friends Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato who are accidentally killed while trying to save another man’s life. Rather than find themselves in the hereafter, however, they awaken in a strange apartment in which they find a mysterious black orb they come to know as “GANTZ.” Along with similar abductees, they are provided with equipment and weaponry and manipulated into playing a kind of game in which they are sent back out to the greater world to do battle with alien beings, all while never quite knowing whether this game is an illusion or their new reality.
Continued…

The Japanese/Korean horror adventure HIGANJIMA – ESCAPE FROM VAMPIRE ISLAND is one of several new Asian films picked up for North American distribution
by FUNimation. Photo courtesy of The Associates. © 2010 Suzuki Koji/ Kodansha, “Higanjima” Film Partners.

Source: FUNimation Entertainment
Special Thanks to Manny Alcala

North American theatrical and home video distributor FUNimation Entertainment recently acquired rights to a number of Asian live action films. The following titles will be released on home entertainment in 2011.

The lineup includes the ten delinquent action film DROP (2009), the horror vampire flick HIGANJIMA – ESCAPE FROM VAMPIRE ISLAND (Higanjima, 2010), the martial arts romance THE SWORD WITH NO NAME (Bulkkotcheoreom Nabicheoreom, 2009), the samurai action drama TAJOMARU (2009), the action adventure THE TREASURE HUNTER (Ci Ling, 2010), and the over the top action epic GOEMON (2009).

Read on for details and images.
Continued…

Author: Elliot Gay
Official Site: sentoshojo.jp (Japan), Sushi Typhoon (US)
Special Thanks to Marc Walkow and Norman England

English language poster design for MUTANT GIRLS SQUAD.
© 2010 Sushi Typhoon and Toei Video

MUTANT GIRL SQUAD (Sento Shojo: Chi no Tekkamen Densetsu, 2010) might be one of the strangest films I have ever seen. One could attempt to describe it as a Japanese X-MEN though I have the feeling that might be missing the point entirely. It’s a film that cannot be put into any one category if only because its tone jumps around so frequently it is impossible to place. Don’t get me wrong, there is an entertaining story in here. Just understand that in my opinion it isn’t nearly as accessible as its predecessor ALIEN VS NINJA.

Trying to summarize MUTANT GIRL SQUAD is akin to being asked how to take a hamster for a walk; you think you can do it but you’re not entirely sure if you’re going to get it right the first time. The story follows a young high school girl named Rin in her quest to find peace in her life after a series of ridiculous events occur that force her to join a top secret and elite squad of mutants with outlandish weapons and abilities. Of course, when I say ridiculous events, I mean things along the lines of breast guns and nose pistols. One sequence early on is essentially ten minutes of our heroine violently killing nearly every person she confronts as she is attacked for a bounty. I won’t spoil what takes place after she joins the squad, but just know that it is both incredibly weird and violent.
Continued…

Miki (Nonami Takizawa) comes fact-to-face with the title character in PSYCHO SHARK. © 2009 Ace Deuce Inc.

Spoiler Free Review of the 2009 Japanese Horror Movie
Author: A. David Conway

When I think of the distribution company Jolly Roger, I usually think of the Japanese equivalent of a SyFy Channel original movie, the likes of MEGA SHARK VS GIANT OCTOPUS, or any direct to DVD release from Asylum, but director John Hijiri surprised me by focusing at least as much on the idea of suspense as spectacle in the form of horror. I am known for my preference for low-budget movies over blockbusters, but PSYCHO SHARK did not take the path I expected. For a change, this was a good thing. The premise of the secluded island being covered in hidden cameras creates an act of voyeurism on part of the audience, and a question persists through the course of the film: through whose eyes are the cameras truly looking? The majority of this film consists of very little plot, which is not surprising, but it contains quite a collection of subtle imagery to coincide with its blatant visuals.
Continued…

The ninja Yamata (Masanori Mimoto) battles a killer alien (Katsu Itagaki) in ALIEN VS NINJA, the first film from Nikkatsu’s new genre label, Sushi Typhoon.
Photo courtesy of Sushi Typhoon. © 2010 Sushi Typhoon & “Alien vs. Ninja” Production Committee

Author: Elliot Gay
Official Site: The Sushi Typhoon
Special Thanks to Marc Walkow

Let me preface this review by stating that I love films and filmmakers who do a lot with very little. In this day and age it’s hard to find big budget films that go beyond the pretty explosions and mega stars to make something that is legitimately fun and/or shows the audience something they haven’t seen before. Maybe that’s why I have a soft spot for low budget Japanese films that seem to do anything and everything despite whether it makes sense or not. Sushi Typhoon’s first release, ALIEN VS NINJA, fits that bill perfectly.
Continued…

Asuka appears to be thinking “It’s about time!” in this promotional shot from EVANGELION 2.0: YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE.
The film will be released in theaters across North America this January. Photo courtesy of Eleven Arts. © 2009 Khara

Source: Eleven Arts Entertainment press release
Official Movie Site: funimation.com/evangelion (US), evangelion.co.jp (Japan)

Cinema Arts Releasing, Eleven Arts and FUNimation Entertainment are bringing EVANGELION: 2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE (Evangelion Shin Gekijoban: Ha, 2009), the second of the new Evangelion films, to the big screen in theaters across North America in January 2011. In an explosive new story full of brutal action and primal emotion, a group of young pilots maneuver their towering, cyborg Eva Units into combat against a deadly and disturbing enemy.
Continued…

Director Yoshihiro Nishimura (left) and producer Yoshinori Chiba on the set of Sushi Typhoon’s HELLDRIVER.
Photo by Norman England, courtesy of Yoshinori Chiba and Emiko Kawai. © 2010 Sushi Typhoon

Author: Elliot Gay
Official Site: Sushi Typhoon
Special Thanks to Marc Walkow and Emiko Kawai

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Trade ad for Nikkatsu’s Sushi Typhoon lineup at the 2010
American Film Market. © 2010 Sushi Typhoon

During the 2009 American Film Market, Japan’s oldest film studio Nikkatsu Corporation announced their new genre film label the Sushi Typhoon, which would produce and internationally release “extreme movies” by such controversial and acclaimed filmmakers as Takashi Miike (ICHI THE KILLER, AUDITION), Sion Sono (LOVE EXPOSURE), and Yoshihiro Nishimura (TOKYO GORE POLICE). The first two Sushi Typhoon titles— the action gore comedy film ALIEN VS. NINJA and the splatter action comedy MUTANT GIRLS SQUAD— have already played the film festival circuit in the United States and Canada and are now slated for release on North American DVD and Blu-ray by FUNimation Entertainment in early 2011.

Sushi Typhoon was conceived by 44-year-old producer Yoshinori Chiba, a longtime behind-the-scenes creative talent whose work has literally changed the face of the Japanese film industry. Chiba and Sushi Typhoon are hard at work to (in their own words) “satisfy audiences who crave the good taste of bad taste, and for whom too much is never enough”. With ALIEN VS. NINJA and MUTANT GIRLS SQUAD in the can, the team is putting the finishing touches on thier next slate of films… director Shion Sono’s COLD FISH, Yoshihiro Nishimura’s HELLDRIVER, and Noboru Iguchi’s KARATE ROBO ZABORGAR, an update of the 1974 P- Productions superhero television series DENJIN ZABORGAR.
Continued…

The first promotional art released for SECTOR 7, the new 3D Korean monster movie scheduled for 2011.
Photo courtesy of CJ Entertainment. © 2010 JK Film / CJ Entertainment

Latest News on Upcoming 3D Korean Monster Movie
Author: Kim Song-ho
Source: CJ Entertainment

The Korean 3D creature film SECTOR 7 (7광구, Chil gwanggu) is now in the post-production stage. The movie, which began production on June 16 and wrapped on September 29, is about a group of workers on an oil prospecting platform (called the ‘Eclipse’) being terrorized by a hostile undersea creature. It is one of the most anticipated genre pictures in Korea since it was one of the first domestic 3D films announced by a major production company and features a list of prominent cast and crew members.
Continued…

Be Careful Who You Bully Because They Might Be An Ogre!
Source: VIZ Media press release
Special Thanks to Jane Lui

Cover art for Volume 1 of Kurozakuro. Photo courtesy
of VIZ Media. © 2004 Yoshinori Natsume/Shogakukan

VIZ Media, LLC release award-winning artist Yoshinori Natsume’s manga series Kurozakuro on November 9th. The new series, offered under the Shonen Sunday imprint, is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.

Mikito Sakurai is tired of being a punching bag for all the delinquents on campus. But what can he do? By nature he’s a gentle and easygoing high school student. That all changes the night he swallows a mysterious orb and meets Zakuro, a strange kid who promises to grant his most heartfelt desire. “When you wake up,” says the pint-sized apparition, “you’ll be stronger and better than a human.”

“The kids who bully Mikito are in for a rude awakening when he starts displaying new, violent instincts after he swallows the orb,” says Andy Nakatani, Editorial Director and Editor-in-Chief, Shonen Sunday. “Anyone who has ever been bullied will be able to relate to Mikito and will enjoy the wild and unpredictable adventure in Kurozakuro. But beware, because becoming the new strongest boy on campus isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, especially when you might be turning into an ogre with a taste for human flesh!“
Continued…

Five SciFi Japan readers have won free copies of DEMEKING THE SEA MONSTER and PSYCHO SHARK. Photo courtesy of Cinema Epoch.
© 2009 “Space Monster Demeking” Film Committee.

New Japanese Giant Monsters for Free on Region 1 DVD
Source: Cinema Epoch
Movie Website: demeking-movie.com (Japan)
Special Thanks to Gregory Hatanaka and Edwin Santos

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Thank you to everyone who entered Well Go USA and SciFi Japan’s DEMEKING and PSYCHO SHARK contest. The winning entries are Aaron Conway, Timothy Padgett, Heather Bradley, Stuart Webner, and Don J. Krouskop.

Congratulations to the winners! The prizes will be shipping shortly so keep an eye on your mailbox.
Continued…