Cover art for the upcoming UK DVD and Blu-ray editions of the Japanese live action sci-fi adventure GANTZ. Photos courtesy of The Associates.
© Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

Source: The Associates press release
Official Movie Site: gantz-movie.com (Japan), gantzmovies.com (US)

Already adapted as a hugely successful anime series, Hiroya Oku’s manga Gantz gets a stunning special effects-laden, live action makeover courtesy of director Shinsuke Sato (SAND CLOCK; ALL ABOUT MY DOG) and DEATH NOTE trilogy producer Takahiro Sato.

GANTZ (cert. 15) will be released on DVD (Region 2, PAL) and Blu-ray (Region B) in the UK by Manga Entertainment on 3rd October 2011. Special Features include: The Making Of GANTZ; interviews; teasers and trailers; TV spots; Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital and 2.0 PCM audio options; optional English subtitles.
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New Website to Promote Creative Life in Japan
Author: Keith Aiken
Official Site: gaijinchannel.com
Special Thanks to JR Lipartito and Jim Ballard

Logo for the new Gaijin Channel website. © 2011

SciFi Japan would like to alert our readers to a great new website. Debuting Thursday, September 1st, Gaijin Channel has been brought together by JR Lipartito (FOX BACKSTAGE PASS, BRINGING GODZILLA DOWN TO SIZE) and a team of talented contributors in Japan to become a premiere creative community for Japanophile entertainment.

Gaijin Channel’s mission is to spread unique views on life in Japan as can only be told by those who come from or have been heavily influenced by other cultures. There is something unique about Japan that inspires the creative spirit, and Gaijin Channel is specifically designed to enable Japan-based creators to reach a global audience… not only by showing their work, but by sharing the creative process as well to connect with other creative minds in Japan.
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Source: NEW PEOPLE Entertainment, MediaLab
Official Movie Site: gantz-movie.com (Japan), gantzmovies.com (US)
Special Thanks to Shio Toyoda and Erik Jansen

Win a GANTZ Prize Pack containing the poster and DVD.
Photo courtesy of NEW PEOPLE Entertainment. © Hiroya
Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

On August 30th, NEW PEOPLE Entertainment 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 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.

To celebrate the upcoming release, NEW PEOPLE Entertainment is giving SciFi Japan readers a chance to win a GANTZ Prize Pack containing the 2-Disc DVD Edition and a poster.
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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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Author Sakyo Komatsu’s novels were adapted into several popular Japanese films. SUBMERSION OF JAPAN and ESPY © Toho Co., Ltd.
VIRUS © 1980 Haruki Kadokawa Films. SINKING OF JAPAN © 2006 “Sinking of Japan” Production Committee

Prolific Sci-Fi Author Passes Away at Age 80
Authors: Andrew Nguyen and Keith Aiken
Source: Nippon 2007, Science Fiction Studies, Mainichi Daily News, various

Sakyo Komatsu, the “King of Japanese SF”.

Japan’s science-fiction community lost one of its grand figures recently with the passing of Sakyo Komatsu on July 26, 2011 from pneumonia.

Born January 28, 1931 in Osaka, Komatsu graduated from Kyoto University with a degree in Italian Literature in 1954. In 1961 he entered the Hayakawa Science Fiction Competition, a story contest co-sponsored by Hayakawa Library, publisher of SF Magazine (SF Magajin), and the Toho Motion Picture Company. He received an Honorable Mention and 5000 yen for his entry Peace on Earth (Chi-ni Heiwa), a World War II story set in an alternate timeline where Japan did not surrender in the wake of the atomic bombings. The next year, Komatsu won the contest with his story Memoirs of an Eccentric Time Traveler (Ekisentoriki), which was published in SF Magazine.

Sakyo Komatsu soon became one of Japan’s most prolific and popular science fiction writers. His most famous novel was Japan Sinks (Nihon Chinbotsu), in which the shifting of the tectonic plates resulted in earthquakes across the entire nation and causes all of Japan to crumble into the sea. The book was published in March, 1973 and was a massive hit, selling over 4 million copies in Japan alone.
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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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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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FUNimation Entertainment has announced three new titles for release in 2011-2012. ZEBRAMAN 2: ATTACK ON ZEBRA CITY © 2010 Zebraman- Attack on Zebra
City Partners. WE WITHOUT WINGS- UNDER THE INNOCENT SKY © 2011 Navel. CITY UNDER SEIGE © 2010 Universe Entertainment.

ZEBRAMAN 2, CITY UNDER SEIGE, and WE WITHOUT WINGS- UNDER THE INNOCENT SKY to Get US Release
Source: FUNimation Entertainment
Special Thanks to Jackie Smith

This past weekend, FUNimation Entertainment announced it has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to three new properties. The live action film ZEBRAMAN 2: ATTACK ON ZEBRA CITY (ゼブラーマン -ゼブラシティの逆襲-, Zeburaaman -Zebura Shiti no Gyakushuu-, 2010) was directed by Takashi Miike (ICHI THE KILLER, 13 ASSASSINS) and is a sequel to Miike’s 2004 film ZEBRAMAN. The anime series WE WITHOUT WINGS- UNDER THE INNOCENT SKY (俺たちに翼はない, Oretachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai, 2011) is a romantic comedy from director Shinji Ushiro (BLESSING OF THE CAMPANELLA) which revolves around a group of young people whose seemingly unconnected lives may be linked in an alternate world. The Hong Kong science fiction action film CITY UNDER SEIGE (全城戒备, Chun sing gai bei, 2010) was directed and co-written by Benny Chan (NEW POLICE STORY, FIST OF FURY, HEROIC DUO) and follows a group of circus performers who go on a rampage after accidental exposure to chemical gas left by the Japanese army in WWII grants them superhuman abilities.
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Sisters Miyuki (Yuri Nakamura) and Kaori (Mina Fujii) get into serious trouble in KYOFU, the sixth film in the J-HORROR THEATER series.
© 2009 KYOFU Film Partners

Movie from the Creators of RING to be Released July 20th
Source: Madman Entertainment
Official Site: sentoshojo.jp (Japan)
Special Thanks to Ben Pollock and Philippa Lamb

In 2004, producer Takashigi Ichise (the RING and JU-ON/THE GRUDGE films) launched J-HORROR THEATER (J horaa Shiataa), a series of six standalone horror films directed by genre favorites such as Hideo Nakata (RING, DARK WATER), Takashi Shimizu (JU-ON, THE GRUDGE), and Kiyoshi Kurosawa (CURE, PULSE). The final J-HORROR THEATER movie, KYOFU (恐怖, 2010), was written and directed by Hiroshi Takahashi, the screenwriter of the original RING (リング, Ringu, 1998) which made modern Japanese horror films a worldwide phenomenon.

Not yet released in North America, KYOFU will be available on DVD (Region 4, PAL) in Australia by Madman Entertainment this July.
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Lee Dae-ho (Kim Sang-kyoung) has some concerns about skyscraper fire safety measures in THE TOWER, a new Korean disaster movie in the style of
THE TOWERING INFERNO. Photo courtesy of CJ E&M Pictures and The Tower Pictures. © 2011 CJ E&M Pictures/ The Tower Pictures

Principal Photography Begins for New Korean Disaster Movie
Author: Kim Song-ho
Source: CJ E&M Pictures/ The Tower Pictures

CJ E&M and The Tower Pictures jointly announced on June 6th (Korean date) that principal photography for THE TOWER (타워) began on May 18 at KOFIC Studio in Namyangju, Korea.

THE TOWER depicts the desperate struggles of a group of people trapped in a giant skyscraper located in downtown Seoul, as a massive fire consumes the building on Christmas Eve. The movie is helmed by Kim Ji-hoon, director of the upcoming 3D creature feature SECTOR 7 (7광구, Chil gwanggu) which premieres in Korea August 4. His 2007 debut feature MAY 18 (화려한 휴가, Hwaryeohan hyuga), about the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy movement, was a critical and commercial success. SECTOR 7 is also expected to be a strong contender in the domestic box office battle this summer.
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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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Yakuza Shozo Iwaki (Tak Sakaguchi) is transformed into weapon-loaded cyborg in YAKUZA WEAPON, the new film from the team behind the cult hit VERSUS.
Photo courtesy of Sushi Typhoon. © 2010 Ken Ishikawa/ Dynamic Planning, Yakuza Weapon Film Partners

Made in Japan, Kicking Ass Worldwide
Source: Sushi Typhoon
Official Movie Site: sushi-typhoon.com/films/yakuza-weapon
Special Thanks to Marc Walkow

Poster for YAKUZA WEAPON. Photo courtesy of Sushi
Typhoon. © 2010 Ken Ishikawa/ Dynamic Planning, Yakuza
Weapon Film Partners

The team who brought you VERSUS have returned with YAKUZA WEAPON (極道兵器, Gokudo Heiki, 2011), another hard-edged battle royale featuring tough gangsters, deadly women and cybernetic penis implants! Working as a hard-to-kill mercenary in South America, ex-yakuza Shozo Iwaki (Tak Sakaguchi) is informed of the death of his gang boss father, Kenzo (Akaji Maro). Returning home after four years, Shozo discovers that his father’s number-one man, Kurawaki (Shingo Tsurumi), has double-crossed and assassinated Kenzo, leaving Shozo not only in charge of what little remains of the Iwaki Family, but also burning with the desire for vengeance. After a titanic battle in which an entire building is leveled, both Shozo and Kurawaki are left barely alive, Shozo missing an arm and a leg.

Despite his debilitating wounds, the nearly superhuman Shozo clings to life, and wakes up in a mysterious medical facility with an M61 Vulcan cannon in place of his right arm, and a rocket launcher where his left leg used to be! Although confused by his new body and tormented by the pain it brings him, Shozo quickly learns to love his weaponized frame, and makes himself ready for a rematch with Kurawaki, who also has some mechanical improvements of his own.
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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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The new Toho SFX Actress Encyclopedia is a treasure trove of photos and information about the leading ladies of Toho’s fantasy films.
© 2011 Yosensha Co. Ltd./ Toho Co., Ltd.

Author: Loren Portillo
Official Site: Toho SFX Actress Encyclopedia

Released in Japan barely a month ago, the incredible softcover book Toho SFX Actress Encyclopedia (別冊映画秘宝　東宝特撮女優大全集, Toho tokusatsu jouyuu taizenshuu) covers 50 years of Toho special effects film actresses, from 1954 to 2004. Published by Yosensha Co. Ltd., this 158 page marvel includes a stunning amount of rare color and B&W photographs of some of the most beautiful women ever to grace the screens at Toho Studios.
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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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GOEMON, the action film from the director CASSHERN and the producers of THE GRUDGE, has been released on DVD and Blu-ray in North America.
Photo courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment. © 2009 “Goemon” Film Partners.

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

The enterprising director of CASSHERN weaves Japanese folklore and history into GOEMON (ゴエモン, 2009), a tour de force evocative of the classic Robin Hood tale. The film is now available on DVD and Blu-ray in North America, courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment. Both home video editions present GOEMON in its original theatrical aspect ratio, with Japanese and English dub audio tracks, supplemented by an hour of extra features.
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T-’s Facto presents the prototype Godzilla 54 sculpture, one of the the incredible kits sold at Winter WonderFest 2011.
Photo by Ed Godziszewski. © 1954 Toho Co., Ltd.

Godzilla, Ultraman, and More at Tokyo Model and Toy Collectors Show
Author: Ed Godziszewski
Official Site: Wonder Festival

Once again, it’s that time of year for the winter season orgy of model kits, toys, and cosplay otherwise known as Wonder Festival. Hosted once again by toy and kit maker Kaiyodo, this year’s event again took place February 6, 2011 at the Makuhari Messe, just a few train stops down the Keio Line from Tokyo Disneyland. And as usual, this year’s show had its share of surprises as well as the weird, wacky, and wonderful.
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Takashi Yamazaki Continues the Blockbuster Film Series… this Time in 3D
Authors: Keith Aiken and Jim Ballard
Source: NTV (Nippon Television Network), Cinema Today, various
Official Site: Always 3

Advance art for ALWAYS- SUNSET ON THIRD STREET ’64.
© 2012 Always Sunset on Third Street ’64 Film Partners

Fresh from the smash success of his live action SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO (SPACE BATTLESHIP ヤマト, Uchu Senkan Yamato, 2010), filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki is now at work on a third installment of the award-winning ALWAYS- SUNSET ON THIRD STREET movie franchise.

During a January press conference for ALWAYS- SUNSET ON 3RD STREET ’64, Takashi Yamazaki told the press that, “As the title clearly states, the film is set in 1964, when throughout Japan there was a heightened state of excitement for the Tokyo Olympics.” It wasn’t just the Tokyo Olympics; with the grand opening of the Tokaido bullet-train line and the rapid economic growth as a result of increasing tourism, the year was a critical juncture for the country. Coincidentally, 1964 was also the year that the director and ALWAYS cast members Shinichi Tsutsumi and Hiroko Yakushimaru were born.

This time period was never depicted in the Sunset on Third Street manga series, but creator Ryouhei Saigan gave his blessing to the new film and offered some story suggestions. Yamazaki explained, “We showed the plot to Mr. Saigan and incorporated some of his ideas. “I had a very difficult time creating the screenplay [with ALWAYS and ALWAYS 2 co-screenwriter Ryota Kosawa] while I was thinking about the significance of making a third movie.”
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Source: FUNimation Entertainment press release
Official Site: funimation.com/avn, Sushi Typhoon
Special Thanks to Jackie Smith and Manny Alcala

Cover art for the ALIEN VS NINJA DVD. Photo courtesy of
FUNimation Entertainment. © 2010 Sushi Typhoon & “Alien vs.
Ninja” Production Committee

On February 22nd, ALIEN VS NINJA will be released on North American DVD and Blu-ray from FUNimation Entertainment. The filmmakers behind TOKYO GORE POLICE and THE MACHINE GIRL joined studio Sushi Typhoon for this side-splitting horror-comedy… a new hybrid of science fiction and period action film brought to fans by legendary action directors and fight choregraphers Yuji Shimomura (VERSUS, SHINOBI, DEATH TRANCE) and Kensuke Sonomura (MACHINE GIRL, HARD REVENGE MILLY: BLOODY BATTLE), and directed by Seiji Chiba (DEATH TRANCE, EVIL NINJA)!

In ancient Japan, the fiercest ninjas of the Iga clan face their toughest enemies – and they aren’t from this planet! A fiery mass crashes in the forest and soon horrifyingly savage creatures reduce the warriors to tasty snacks. But these jerks from outer space have bitten off more than they can chew. The ninjas’ swords and throwing stars may fail against the unearthly goons, but their skills don’t stop at sharp stuff. If you’re into ARMY OF DARKNESS, you’ll be taking bets over who’ll win this over-the-top battle for survival!
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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.
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Christopher Nolan’s critical and box office smash INCEPTION is now available on DVD and Blu-ray.
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros Home Video. © 2010 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Author: Kyle Byrd
Official Site: inceptionmovie

Blu-ray cover art for INCEPTION. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros
Home Video. © 2010 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Every now and then a genre film will come along that takes old ideas and reinvents them. It reminds you why you go to see fantasy films to begin with. INCEPTION is one of those rare films.

Directed by Christopher Nolan (MEMENTO, BATMAN BEGINS, THE DARK KNIGHT), INCEPTION is a sci-fi action film that plays out like a Hitchcockian thriller on acid. It concerns a man named Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a skilled thief who is paid to enter people’s dreams and steal ideas from them. Saito (Ken Watanabe), the head of a powerful corporation, approaches Cobb about doing a reverse operation… planting an idea instead of stealing one. He wants Cobb to enter the mind of his dying corporate rival’s son, Robert Fischer Jr. (Cillian Murphy) and plant an idea that will inspire him to break up his father’s company. Saito tells him that if he performs this task, he’ll get clearance for Cobb to live in the United States again, where he has been exiled from after being framed for murdering his wife, Mal (Marion Cottilard). Longing to be with his children in the States, Cobb accepts.
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Matsuko Kawajiri (Miki Nakatani) fins joy in the mundane in MEMORIES OF MATSUKO, the multi-award winning tragic fairytale from CONFESSIONS director Tetsuya
Nakashima. Photo courtesy of Third Window Films. © 2006 “memories of MATSUKO” Production Committee

Source: Third Window Films, TBS
Official Movie Site: thirdwindowfilms.com/memories-of-matsuko (UK)
Special Thanks to Adam Torel

Cover art for the UK Blu-ray of MEMORIES OF MATSUKO. Photo
courtesy of Third Window Films. © 2006 “memories of MATSUKO”
Production Committee

When a bored college student learns that a long lost aunt has been found dead in a park, he begins piecing together her life to see if it had any value. What he finds is a revelation.

On February 14th, Third Window Films will release MEMORIES OF MATSUKO (Kiraware Matsuko no Isshoo, 2006) on Blu-ray in the United Kingdom. Talented film director Tetsuya Nakashima (KAMIKAZE GIRLS, CONFESSIONS) wields a host of cinematic tools to make a memorably entertaining and emotionally powerful “fairytale tragedy,” weaving together realistic human drama with offbeat comedy and spectacular, Bob Fosse-like production numbers to tell the heartbreaking story of Matsuko Kawajiri, a starry-eyed woman who spends her entire life searching for a worthy “prince” capable of returning her limitless love. The versatile actress Miki Nakatani renders a virtuosic performance in the lead role of Matsuko.

Third Window Films’ Blu-ray release will include a 30 minute “Making of” documentary, storyboard to film comparison, and interview with music composer Gabriele Roberto, and the Japanese theatrical trailer. The recommended retail price is £19.99.
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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.
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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.
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