SciFi Japan » Music

NEW PEOPLE Releases DOCUMENTARY OF AKB48 – TO BE CONTINUED on DVD and DIGITAL

Keith Aiken — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 04:00:09 +0000

New Music Biopic Traces the Rise to International Fame of Japan’s Most Popular Pop Idol Group Source: NEW PEOPLE Entertainment, MediaLab press release Official Site: 2010-akb48.jp (Japan) 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 the release of DOCUMENTARY OF AKB48 – TO BE CONTINUED (AKB48のドキュメンタリーを継続する, 10 Nengo, Shojo Tachi wa Ima no Jibun ni Nani wo Omounodaro, 2011) on DVD on Thursday, December 1st. The new music biopic follows the unstoppable all-female Japanese pop idol group, AKB48, on their incredible rise to fame, and will be sold exclusively online for $19.99 through the NEW PEOPLE store at store.newpeopleworld.com. DVD pre-orders will begin today. For a limited time, NEW PEOPLE is offering a FREE bonus DVD title from its catalog to all pre-order purchasers. Select from a list of available titles. DOCUMENTARY OF AKB48 – TO BE CONTINUED will also be available to stream online at newpeoplechannel.com for $4.99 (for a 48 hour rental) beginning December 1st. The DVD will be available from Amazon by mid-December. Follow NEW PEOPLE Entertainment on Facebook and Twitter for updates. AKB48 was conceived in 2005 by Yasushi Akimoto, one of Japan’s most respected music producers. Beginning as a small all-girl singing group based in the Akihabara district of Tokyo – the city’s bustling electronics and anime/pop culture shopping Mecca – AKB48 has grown to 60 members and topped Japan’s Oricon music charts with the two best-selling pop singles in 2010 as well as another two singles ranking in the Top 10. Continued...

UNDERWATER LOVE on UK DVD November 21st

Keith Aiken — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 19:43:28 +0000

Source: Third Window Films press release Official Movie Site: facebook.com/pinkmusical, thirdwindowfilms.com/underwater-love (UK) Special Thanks to Claire Marty

On November 21st, the British label Third Window Films will release UNDERWATER LOVE- A PINK MUSICAL (おんなの河童, Onna no Kappa, 2011) on DVD in the United Kingdom. Produced by Germany’s Rapid Eye Movies and Japan’s Kokuei Company, UNDERWATER LOVE is a whimsical pink film musical about a woman and a sea creature. Asuka (Sawa Masaki) works in a lakeside fish factory. She is just about to be married to her boss. One day, she encounters a Kappa, a water creature living in the lake and learns that it is the reincarnation of Aoki (Yoshiro Umezawa), her first love. What ensues is a zany spectacle of love, music and sex. Directed by pink-film veteran Shinji Imaoka (LUNCH BOX, FROG SONG), shot by Christopher Doyle – the famed cinematographer behind HERO and countless films by Wong Kar Wai – and with music by Germany’s Stereo Total, UNDERWATER LOVE- A PINK MUSICAL promises to be unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Continued...

Media Blasters DESTROY ALL MONSTERS Blu-ray, DVD and CD News

Keith Aiken — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:46:55 +0000

Author: Keith Aiken Source: Media Blasters, Inc. Special Thanks to Carl Morano and Andres A. Perez

Over the past week there has been a good deal of confusion regarding Media Blasters' DVD and Blu-ray release of the Godzilla film DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (怪獣総進撃, Kaiju Soshingeki, 1968). Based on our talks with reps from Media Blasters, we'll try to separate the facts from the secondhand stories and oddball claims to hopefully give Godzilla fans a better idea of where things stand with this title. In June, Media Blasters first mentioned a tentative release date of October 25th for DESTROY ALL MONSTERS. Two months later, the company's first DAM press release confirmed the Blu-ray and DVD release date and also listed a November 8th release for the Soundtrack CD. Despite rumors that DESTROY ALL MONSTERS would be delayed or that the DVD would not be sold until weeks after the Blu-ray edition streeted, Media Blasters never changed their scheduled release date. Following fan inquiries, Media Blasters checked with both their manufacturer and distributor and neither has reported any problems with the production or shipping of the discs. With smaller labels such as Media Blasters, new releases may not be available from all retailers on the exact same date, and it appears that some retailers chose to hedge their bets and set the release of the DESTROY ALL MONSTERS Blu-ray and DVD on November 8th, the same date as the Soundtrack CD. Continued...

HATSUNE MIKU Concert Film to Show in 9 US Cities in November

Keith Aiken — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:54:07 +0000

World’s First Virtual Pop Idol Will Be Featured in a Special One-Night-Only Event Source: MediaLab press release Special Thanks to Erik Jansen

Live Viewing Japan, a distribution company focused on bringing Japanese entertainment media to an international audience, has announced that it will stage a very special one-night-only Hatsune Miku event simultaneously in nine major U.S. cities on Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 7:00pm (local time). Hatsune Miku Live Party 2011 39's LIVE in SAPPORO (originally organized by 5bp Inc. in August, 2011) will screen a live concert performance of Hatsune Miku in movie theaters in select markets. More information about this exclusive one-night-only event is available at liveviewing.jp/009_mikupa.html. The cities that will host the Hatsune Miku event include: Baltimore, MD Boston (Manchester), MA Chicago, IL Houston, TX Los Angeles, CA Orange, CA New York, NY – Two locations San Francisco/Bay Area, CA Seattle, WA Continued...

UK Premiere Party for UNDERWATER LOVE- A PINK MUSICAL

Keith Aiken — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 01:34:17 +0000

Sex, Music, and Monsters in Zany New German/Japanese Movie Source: Third Window Films press release Official Movie Site: facebook.com/pinkmusical, thirdwindowfilms.com/underwater-love (UK) Special Thanks to Claire Marty On October 16th, British label Third Window Films will be hosting the UK premiere party for UNDERWATER LOVE- A PINK MUSICAL (おんなの河童, Onna no Kappa, 2011). Produced by Germany’s Rapid Eye Movies and Japan’s Kokuei Company, the film is a zany and whimsical tale of the romance between a woman and a sea creature. UNDERWATER LOVE was directed by pink-film veteran Shinji Imaoka (LUNCH BOX, FROG SONG), shot by Christopher Doyle – the famed cinematographer behind HERO and countless films by Wong Kar Wai – and was shot in 5 ½ days, one take only. It features an original score (in Japanese!) by the new wave/synth pop/punk rock/lo-fi, multi-lingual French-German duo Stereo Total. The movie promises to be unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Continued...

Influential Japanese Group Set to Rock London’s Raindance Film Festival 2011

Keith Aiken — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 17:07:17 +0000

CONTROL TOWER Inspired by and Named After Song by Indie Teenage Sensation Galileo Galilei Source: Twisted PR press release Official Movie Site: galileogalilei.jp/eiga (Japan) Special Thanks to Tom Smith

Hokkaido’s hottest new talent, Galileo Galilei, prepares for success in Britain as a film inspired by their music gets its European premier at London’s Raindance Film Festival 2011 on 9 October. The four-piece indie-rock group blasted into the mainstream after dominating Japan’s ‘Senkou Riot’ teenage talent festival. Since then, their debut single has surpassed one million download sales and their first major label album gained top five success in the country’s Weekly Oricon Album chart. Now, a film named after the first song they ever wrote, CONTROL TOWER (管制塔, Kanseitou, 2011), sets to capture the emotion behind the chords and translate the lyrics’ message in a medium that transcends the language barrier. Upon first hearing the song live in concert, director Takahiro Miki knew that he wanted to make a film from it. “We were surprised and thrilled when we first heard about the project,” says vocalist Yuuki Ozaki. “Kanseitou was about those feelings we had as teenagers, battling against an overwhelming sense of hopelessness as time inevitably ticks on.” Continued...

Japanese Pop Group Supercell New US Release Featuring Hatsune Miku

Keith Aiken — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 13:05:32 +0000

Brand New EP SEKIRANUN GRAFFITI Now Available from Sony Music Direct on iTunes and Amazon Source: MediaLab press release Official Site: facebook.com/supercell.JPN Special Thanks to Erik Jansen

Following up the release of its first full-length record in the U.S., Sony Music Direct (Japan), Inc., a division of Sony Music Entertainment Japan, Inc., has announced the U.S. release of a brand new EP by the Japanese pop artist/group, Ryo (Supercell). The new release, SEKIRANUN GRAFFITI, is available now exclusively on iTunes and Amazon and features vocals from Hatsune Miku, the world’s first virtual pop diva. The EP’s title track, “SEKIRANUN GRAFFITI” (SEKIRANUN means Thundercloud), is also the theme music to the latest Hatsune Miku PROJECT DIVA arcade console game and video game for the PSP, which will be released in Japan this fall. The release also contains the new single, “Fallin' Fallin' Fallin’,” which was composed by Ryo and the celebrated Japanese Vocaloid producer known as Dixie Flatline. The SEKIRANUN GRAFFITI EP also contains instrumental and remixes of the two tracks. Cover art for the new release was created by Atsuya Uki. Continued...

Ryuhei Kitamura Directs Piano Rocker ELEW’s Music Video

Keith Aiken — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 22:39:06 +0000

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" music video, courtesy of the Nancy Hirsch Group.

Piano Rendition of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Source: Nancy Hirsch Group press release Official Site: elewrockjazz.com Special Thanks to Rebekah Stein and Teddy Getz Japanese filmmaker Ryuhei Kitamura— director of such movies as VERSUS, AZUMI, GODZILLA: FINAL WARS, and MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN— has directed the debut music video of Rockjazz Pioneer ELEW; a cover of Nirvana’s iconic rock anthem "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Continued...

MOTHRA (1961) 2 DISC SOUNDTRACK SET from Toho Music

Keith Aiken — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:38:22 +0000

Classic Toho Soundtrack Re-mastered in a Deluxe Edition Author: John “Dutch” DeSentis Source: Toho Music Store Special Thanks to Mike Temple and Ed Godziszewski Over the last two years, Toho Music has begun reissuing some of their non-Godzilla related special effects film scores in deluxe packaging with re-mastered sound. Joining the already re-released soundtracks to THE THREE TREAURES (Nippon Tanjo, 1959) and THE MYSTERIANS/BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE (Chikyu Boeigun, 1957/Uchu Daisenso, 1959) is Yuji Koseki’s score to MOTHRA (Mosura, 1961), released as a dual disc set at the end of July. Continued...

Toho’s DETROIT METAL CITY Gets North American Release

Keith Aiken — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 12:46:49 +0000

Innocent wannabe pop musician Soichi Negishi (Kenichi Matsuyama) becomes the death metal star Johannes Krauser II in DETROIT METAL CITY, Toho's live action movie based on the international best-selling manga series. © 2008 Toho Co., Ltd. /Horipro Inc. / Hakusensha, Inc. /Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. / Dentsu Inc. /d-rings Inc. /Parco Co., Ltd. /SDP, Inc. /Tokyo FM Broadcasting Co., Ltd. /Yahoo Japan Corporation /Nippon Shuppan Hanbai Inc. /Tsutaya Group.

Source: VIZ Pictures, MediaLab press releases Official Site: go-to-dmc (Japan), DMCtheMovie.com (US) Special Thanks to Jane Lui and Erik Jansen VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced that it has licensed from Toho Company, Ltd the North American theatrical and DVD distribution rights to the heavy metal live-action comedy, DETROIT METAL CITY. The DVD is scheduled for release later in the fall of this year. DETROIT METAL CITY takes the zany rock antics inspired by films like THIS IS SPINAL TAP to hilarious new extremes in this film directed by Toshio Lee and based on the popular manga comic created by Kiminori Wakasugi. It features notable appearances by Gene Simmons from the legendary band, KISS, and Marty Friedman of Megadeth, and stars Kenichi Matsuyama, one of the most adored actors in Japan today and known widely for his role as 'L' in the DEATH NOTE films. Continued...