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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Source: Madman Entertainment
Special Thanks to Ben Pollock and Philippa Lamb

Photo courtesy of Madman Entertainment. ©2010 Rei
Mikamoto (Bunkasha Publishing Co.,Ltd.)

The Australian distributor Madman Entertainment is releasing the following anime and Asian live action titles on Blu-ray and Region 4 DVD in February, 2011. The selection includes:

BIG TITS ZOMBIE
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD Collection 3
MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM 00 Season 1 Collection
MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM 00 Second Season Vol. 6
XAM’D: LOST MEMORIES Collection 1
BLEACH Collection 07
TRIGUN REMASTERED
KENICHI: THE MIGHTIEST DISCIPLE Collection 1
BAKUGAN: NEW VESTROIA Collection 3
ONE PIECE (Uncut) Collection 6
DRAGON BALL Z KAI Collection 3
NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Collection 05
GURREN LAGANN MOVIE COLLECTION

Read on for plot descriptions, DVD specs, cover art, and more.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Source: FUNimation Entertainment
Official Movie Site: kamuigaiden.jp (Japan), funimation.com/kamui (US)
Special Thanks to Manny Alcala

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Three SciFi Japan readers have won copies of the new
KAMUI GAIDEN Region 1 DVD. Photo courtesy of FUNimation
Entertainment. © 2009 Kamui Film Partners

Thank you to everyone who entered FUNimation Entertainment and SciFi Japan’s contest for free KAMUI GAIDEN DVDs. The winning entries are:

Maurine Starkey
Linda Conrad
Scott Jones

Congratulations to the winners! The DVDs will be shipped in the next week so keep an eye on your mailboxes.

Based on the 1964 manga series by Sanpei Shirato, KAMUI GAIDEN is the 17th Century story of the young ninja Kamui. Disillusioned with the laws and principles of his ninja clan, which dictate that he must use his skills to kill others, Kamui chooses to leave his past behind him and go in search of true freedom. But, for a ninja, liberation comes at a price and the only way to escape the bonds of the ninja brotherhood is to die.

KAMUI GAIDEN is now available for purchase on Region 1 DVD ($24.98) and Blu-ray ($29.98) by FUNimation Entertainment. The discs contain the original Japanese audio, an English dubbed track, English subtitles, and 45 minutes of extra features.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.

Source: Madman Entertainment
Special Thanks to Ben Pollock and Philippa Lamb

Photo courtesy of Madman Entertainment. © 2008
Tatsunoko Production/Yatterman Film Partners

The Australian distributor Madman Entertainment is releasing a mix of anime and Asian live action titles on Region 4 DVD in January, 2011. The selection includes:

YATTERMAN
BIRDY THE MIGHTY: DECODE Collection 2
DRAGONAUT Collection
VAMPIRE KNIGHT Volume 3
GIRLS BRAVO Collection
MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM 00 Second Season Vol. 5
BLEACH Collection 06
SPICE AND WOLF Season 1
INITIAL D 1ST STAGE Collection 2
SEKIREI COLLECTION
CORPSE PRINCESS: SHIKIBANE HIME Collection 2 – Kuro
LINEBARRELS OF IRON OVA
ONE PIECE (UNCUT) Collection 5
EUREKA SEVEN MOVIE: GOOD NIGHT, SLEEP TIGHT, YOUNG LOVERS

Read on for plot descriptions, DVD specs, cover art, and more.
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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.
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Get the New Ninja Adventure for Free, Courtesy of FUNimation and SciFi Japan
Source: FUNimation Entertainment
Official Movie Site: kamuigaiden.jp (Japan), funimation.com/kamui (US)
Special Thanks to Manny Alcala

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Here is your chance to win a free DVD of KAMUI GAIDEN.
Photo courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment. © 2009 Kamui
Film Partners

Another Christmas may have passed, but the gift giving isn’t over yet! SciFi Japan is pleased to present out first contest with FUNimation Entertainment, who have offered our readers a chance to win the new Region 1 DVD of KAMUI GAIDEN, starring Kenichi Matsuyama (DETROIT METAL CITY, DEATH NOTE) and directed by Japanese Academy Award winner Yoichi Sai (BLOOD AND BONES).

Based on the 1964 manga series by Sanpei Shirato, KAMUI GAIDEN is the 17th Century story of the young ninja Kamui. Disillusioned with the laws and principles of his ninja clan, which dictate that he must use his skills to kill others, Kamui chooses to leave his past behind him and go in search of true freedom. But, for a ninja, liberation comes at a price and the only way to escape the bonds of the ninja brotherhood is to die.

Now a fugitive on the run from his clan, who are determined to hunt him down and eliminate him for his betrayal, Kamui finds himself constantly fighting for his life and unable to trust anyone. He eventually finds some solace when he meets an indomitable fisherman who saves his life and invites him to settle with his family. Unexpectedly, the arrangement brings Kamui face to face with a long-forgotten nemesis of his, another renegade ninja with a deadly score to settle. Meanwhile, the ninja army hunting Kamui is setting a trap from which there can be no escape…

KAMUI GAIDEN will be released on Region 1 DVD ($24.98) and Blu-ray ($29.98) by FUNimation Entertainment on December 28, 2010. The discs contain the original Japanese audio, an English dubbed track, English subtitles, and 45 minutes of extra features.
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A mega-typhoon hits Japan in the large scale disaster movie 252: SIGN OF LIFE. ©2008 ”252” Film Partners

In the Midst of Disaster, Only One Signal Matters
Source: The Associates press release
Official Movie Site: 252 (Japan)

UK DVD cover art for 252: SIGN OF LIFE. Photo courtesy
of The Associates. ©2008 ”252” Film Partners

Inspired by a miraculous real-life rescue event that occurred following the Chuetsu earthquake of 2004 and named after the Tokyo Fire Department code that indicates the discovery of survivors in need of rescue, 252: SIGN OF LIFE (252: Seizonsha Ari, aka 252: SIGNAL OF LIFE, 2008) is an epic, special effects-laden disaster movie that combines the thrills and dramatic heroics of THE TOWERING INFERNO with the elemental spectacle of SINKING OF JAPAN.

Giant, baseball-sized hailstones and a devastating tidal wave are merely precursors to the main event, a mega-typhoon that strikes Japan and virtually destroys Tokyo, leaving a handful of survivors trapped in the rapidly flooding and collapsing subway system with their fate of hanging in the balance. Among them is a former Hyper Rescue Squad member, Yuji Shinohara, and his young deaf-mute daughter, Shiori, along with a desperate businessman, an antagonistic medical trainee and a beautiful Korean nightclub hostess.

252: SIGN OF LIFE (cert. 12) will be released on DVD (Region 2, PAL) by MVM on 10th January 2011. The suggested retail price is £15.99.
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North American Release on December 28
Source: FUNimation Entertainment
Official Movie Site: kamuigaiden.jp (Japan), funimation.com/kamui (US)
Special Thanks to Manny Alcala

Blu-ray cover art for KAMUI GAIDEN. Photo courtesy of
FUNimation Entertainment. © 2009 Kamui Film Partners

FUNimation Entertainment will release the live-action dramatic epic KAMUI GAIDEN on Region 1 DVD and Blu-ray on December 20th. Produced by Shochiku Co. Ltd., the film was released in September 2009 in Japan. An adaptation of Sanpei Shirato’s 1964 manga series of the same name, the movie is directed by Japanese Academy Award winner Yoichi Sai (BLOOD AND BONES), written by Kankuro Kudo (PING PONG) and stars Kenichi Matsuyama (DETROIT METAL CITY, DEATH NOTE).

Both the DVD (SRP $24.98) and Blu-ray ($29.98) present KAMUI GAIDEN in its original 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio with both Japanese and English dubbed audio tracks. There are also 45 minutes of extras, including “Making Of” and behind the scenes footage.
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