SciFi Japan

    Kagome and Inuyasha in a scene from INUYASHA THE FINAL ACT. Photo courtesy of VIZ Media. © Rumiko Takahashi /Shogakukan Inc. • Yomiuri TV • Sunrise 2009

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    Watch the Conclusion to INUYASHA Online for FREE Source: VIZ Media press release Official Site: ShonenSunday.com Special Thanks to Evelyn Dubocq Beginning this weekend, brand-new subtitled episodes INUYASHA THE FINAL ACT (InuYasha Kanketsu-hen) will stream on ShonenSunday.com/anime and Hulu.com mere hours after it airs in Japan. A new episode will air every Saturday thereafter. INUYASHA is a hit TV anime series based on the manga by famed creator Rumiko Takahashi, who won the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award for InuYasha (Sengoku Otogizoshi InuYasha) in 2002. Many of the Takahashi titles have been adapted into other media such as anime, live-action TV series, and film. Takahashi’s manga, as well as the other formats her work has been adapted into, have continued to delight generations of fans around the world. Distinguished by her wonderfully endearing characters, Takahashi’s work adeptly incorporates a wide variety of elements such

    Key Korean theatrical poster art for HAEUNDAE. Photo courtesy of CJ Entertainment. © 2009 JK Film / CJ Entertainment

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    Disaster Film Scores Big at the Korean Box Office… and is Now Playing in American Cinemas Author: Kim Song-ho Source: Official Korean press materials, JS Media & Entertainment, various Official Movie Site: HAEUNDAE Korean box office figures courtesy of the Korean Film Council Special Thanks to Paul Shin SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details and images from a new movie. Located on the southeast tip of the Korean peninsula is the international city of Busan. A popular vacation spot on the East Sea coast, Busan City`s Haeundae Beach draws more than one million visitors every year. Man-shik (Sol Kyung-gu), a native of Haeundae, lost a co-worker to a tsunami during a deep-sea fishing trip four years ago. Since that day he has never returned to sea. He now leads a simple life running a small seafood restaurant and is preparing to propose

    Program cover for the 2009 Asian Film Festival of Dallas. Photo courtesy of AFFD.

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    Source: Asian Film Festival of Dallas Special Thanks to Mike Keller The Asian Film Festival of Dallas returns to Landmark`s Magnolia Theater from July 17-23, 2009. This year`s festival will open with Dante Lam`s THE BEAST STALKER, which was nominated for five Hong Kong Film Awards. The closing film will be IP MAN, the acclaimed biography of Bruce Lee`s martial arts teacher. In between will be a wide range of action, drama, animation, documentary, comedy, and fantasy movies from the United States, Japan, China, Vietnam, North Korea, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, India, and the Philippines. A partial list includes such titles as WRITTEN BY, K-20: THE FIEND WITH TWENTY FACES, HANSEL AND GRETEL, KABEI: OUR MOTHER, YOU DON`T KNOW JACK, CAPE NO. 7, ICHI, TANDOORI LOVE, MUSHISHI, 4BIA, OLD PARTNER, 881, NEKO RAMEN TAISHO, SAMURAI AVENGER, and KIMJONGILIA. General ticket prices are

    The blind swordswoman Ichi (Haruka Ayase) slays a member of the Banki gang. Photo courtesy of The Associates. © 2008 ICHI Film Partners

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    Reimagining of the Legendary Blind Swordsman ZATOICHI Opens in Britain on July 10 Source: The Associates press release, Shochiku Co., Ltd. Official Movie Site: ICHI (Japan), ICHI THE MOVIE (UK) Special Thanks to Farhana Shaikh From Fumihiko Sori, the director of VEXILLE and PING PONG, comes the period martial arts action saga ICHI, a bold, gender-bending reimagining of the classic "Zatoichi" series of films and TV shows. Originally created by novelist Kan Shimozawa, the eponymous hero— a blind masseur and master swordsman— has traditionally been a male character (previously played by stars such as Shintaro Katsu, Takeshi Kitano and, in BLIND FURY, by Rutger Hauer). In a refreshing break from tradition that adds an intriguing twist to the story, Sori`s ICHI stars actress Haruka Ayase (HERO) in the title role playing a young and beautiful blind musician who also happens to be an

    Manga Entertainment`s UK poster art for ICHI. Photo courtesy of The Associates. © 2008 ICHI Film Partners

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    Reimagining of the Legendary Blind Swordsman ZATOICHI Opens in Britain on July 10 Source: The Associates, Manga Entertainment UK Official Movie Site: ICHI (Japan), ICHI THE MOVIE (UK) Special Thanks to Farhana Shaikh Director Fumihiko Sori`s 2008 movie ICHI, a gender-bending reimagining of the classic "Zatoichi" series of films and TV shows, will open at selected UK cinemas on 10th July, 2009. British distributor Manga Entertainment and publicist The Associates have provided a handful of clips from movie. Enjoy! For more information on ICHI please see the earlier coverage here on SciFi Japan: Japanese Movies at American Film Market 2008 ICHI: Zatoichi Returns as the Blind Swordswoman Japan Film Festival - Los Angeles: April 10-26 Fumihiko Sori`s ICHI Gets UK Theatrical Release

    US poster art for BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE, the live action adaptation of the hit anime film. Photo courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films. © 2009 East Wing Holdings Corp. and SAJ.

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    Samuel Goldwyn Films Releases Live Action Film Based on Hit Anime Source: Samuel Goldwyn Films press notes Official Movie Site: Blood The Last Vampire Special Thanks to Teresa DiMartino, Jean McDowell, and Sharon Siegel SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details for a new movie. Following theatrical releases in Japan, France, Hong Kong, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, Chris Nahon’s martial arts action thriller BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE will open this month in American cinemas. The film is a live action adaption of the award-winning anime of the same name from Production I.G. (GHOST IN THE SHELL, KILL BILL VOl. 1) and Aniplex. The new movie was created by an international partnership that includes East Wing Holdings Corp., Pathé, the Hong Kong-based EDKO Film, the French production company SAJ, and cooperation and support from Production I.G. BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE will be

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    Movie Opens this Friday in Britain Source: Pathé, The Associates Official Movie Site: Blood The Last Vampire movie, Last Blood (Japan) Special Thanks to Farhana Shaikh The Associates and distributor Pathé have provided video of the opening scene of the new movie BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE. Originally schedule for earlier this month, the UK theatrical release date for BLOOD is now set for this Friday, June 26th. For more information, videos, and images from BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE, please see the previous coverage here on SciFi Japan: First Look at BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE UK Trailer New BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE UK Theatrical Poster

    Gianna Jun stars as Saya, a 400 year-old vampire hunter. © 2009 East Wing Holdings Corp. and SAJ.

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    The Live Action Adaptation of the Hit Anime Comes to Britain this June Source: Pathé, The Associates press release Official Movie Site: Blood The Last Vampire movie (UK, coming soon), Last Blood (Japan) Special Thanks to Farhana Shaikh A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE On the surface, Saya is a stunning 16-year-old, but that youthful exterior hides the tormented soul of a 400-year-old “halfling.” Born to a human father and a vampire mother, she has for centuries been a loner obsessed with using her samurai skills to rid the world of vampires, all the while knowing that she herself can survive only on blood like those she hunts. When she is sent onto an American military base in Tokyo by the clandestine organization she works for, Saya immediately senses that this may be her opportunity to finally destroy Onigen, the evil patriarch of all

    Legendary Japanese voice actor Toshiyuki Morikawa is among the newly added Official Guests of Honor for AX 2009. Photo courtesy of Anime Expo.

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    News on the Nation`s Largest Anime and Manga Convention Source: BAM! Marketing, Publicity & Promotions press releases Official Site: anime-expo.org Special Thanks to Chase Wang Anime Expo 2009 will be the place to be for anime and manga lovers this fourth of July weekend. The nation’s largest anime/manga convention serves as a key meeting place for the general public to express their interest and explore various aspects of anime/manga, as well as for members of the industry to conduct business. AX 2009 will be held July 2 – July 5, 2009 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Southern California. Attendees, Press and Industry Members are invited to view the video coverage site of the 2008 convention at AXBackstage.org and to register for the 2009 convention at anime-expo.org. In addition, the convention recently launched a Japanese language version of its newly re-designed fan-friendly

    Two theatrical poster designs for HAEUNDAE. © 2009 JK Film / CJ Entertainment

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    Author: Kim Song-ho Source: Official Korean press release Production companies CJ Entertainment and JK Film (formerly Doosaboo Film, Inc.) have released two advance theatrical posters and the teaser trailer for the highly-anticipated Korean disaster film, HAEUNDAE. The movie is about a massive tsunami striking Haeundae, a famous Korean beach area located in Busan. Special effects for HAEUNDAE are being created by the US company Polygon Entertainment. The first teaser poster, released on May 6, depicts a massive tidal wave towering over two children on the beach. The second teaser poster was released on May 11 and features the tidal wave striking Gwangan Bridge, the longest bridge in Korea and a landmark of Busan. Running away from the wave in the lower middle of the poster are lead actors Sol Kyung-gu (left, playing the role of Choi Man-shik) and Ha Ji-won who (plays Kang Yeon-hee), respectively. The teaser

    The gigantic superhero Dai Nipponjin (Hitoshi Matsumoto) defends Japan from monsters in the mockumentary BIG MAN JAPAN. © 2007 Yoshimoto Kogyo Co. Ltd.

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    Giant Monster Comedy Opens in Theaters Across America on May 15 Source: Magnet Releasing Official Movie Site (US): sixshooterfilmseries.com/bigmanjapan Official Movie Site (Japan): dainipponjin.com Special Thanks to Janeal Bernhart "Decidedly odd, even by Japanese standards, this mockumentary about an electrically charged, skyscraper-high superhero saddled with misfortune, bad press and even worse TV ratings is tears-down-the-face funny and a genuine, jaw-dropping oddity. A must for midnight madness slots as well as Asia and fantasy-themed fests, pic will astound auds of all stripes. A long and healthy life as an ancillary cult item awaits."— Russell Edwards, Variety A middle-aged slacker living in a rundown, graffiti-ridden slum, Masaru Daisatou (Hitoshi Matsumoto) is the subject of a documentary that follows his banal daily routine. That is, until he prepares for his job, which involves being shocked by bolts of electricity that transform him into a stocky, stick-wielding

    In 1973, the Vacant Lot Gang admires their new secret base. Photo courtesy of 4Digital Media. ©2008 ”20th Century Boys” Film Partners

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    Source: 4Digital Media, The Associates press release Official Movie Site: 20th Boys Special Thanks to Steve Beecham and Farhana Shaikh THE FIRST INSTALMENT OF THE EPIC LIVE-ACTION TRILOGY ADAPTATION OF NAOKI URASAWA`S HIT MANGA SERIES IS FINALLY HERE! It`s been creating a buzz of anticipation since its production was first announced in late-2006, and now the Japanese movie event of the decade, 20TH CENTURY BOYS, is finally here. Based on the hugely successful, award winning manga series created by Naoki Urasawa (Yawara; Monster), 20TH CENTURY BOYS is the first instalment of the mind-blowing, three-part live-action adaptation of the epic sci-fi fantasy adventure originally inspired by the T. Rex song of the same name. Directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi (SUSHI KING GOES TO NEW YORK; HAPPILY EVER AFTER; KEIZOKU: THE MOVIE) and starring Toshiaki Karasawa (CASSHERN), 20TH CENTURY BOYS` epic storyline spans 50 years and

    Ad for April`s US theatrical screenings of L, change the WorLd. Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures. © 2008 L Film Partners. © 2008 L Plot Produce

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    See the Latest Live-Action DEATH NOTE Film for Free, Courtesy of VIZ Pictures and SciFi Japan Source: VIZ Pictures Official Movie Site: Death Note Films: L Special Thanks to Rieko Fuji A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Following successful nationwide screenings of DEATH NOTE and DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME in 2008, VIZ Pictures and NCM Fathom are teaming up once again for a special two night, multi-city US theatrical event for the third live-action DEATH NOTE feature film, DEATH NOTE: L, change the WorLd, on April 29th and 30th at 7:30 pm local time. By popular demand, a subtitled version will be presented on April 29th and an English-dubbed version on April 30th with L’s voice played by Alessandro Juliani from the anime series. Both nights will feature exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and interviews of Kenichi Matsuyama (L), Alessandro Juliani, and director Hideo

    Jerry Ito (lower right) was among the cast members featured on the Japanese poster for MOTHRA. © 1961 Toho Co., Ltd.

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    A Tribute to the Star of MOTHRA Author: Keith Aiken and Steve Ryfle Additional Material: Bob Johnson and Clay Holden Translations: Oki Miyano and Chieko Tsuneoka Special thanks to Hiroshi Koizumi, Michele Ito, Shinichi Wakasa, Shigeko Kojima, Loren Portillo, Kayo Holden, Stuart Galbraith IV, Fred Olen Ray, and Jim Ballard Friends and Fans Remember Jerry Ito... Jerry Sings "Fly Me to the Moon" Video from THE MANSTER and Godzillafest On July 29 a memorial service was held in honor of actor and singer Jerry Ito, who passed away earlier this month at age 79. Family and friends gathered in the Garden Room of the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center of Los Angeles to share stories and memories of their departed loved one. To movie fans, Jerry Ito is familiar for his roles in

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    An Interview With Shyaporn Theerakulstit Author: Bob Johnson The name Shyaporn Theerakulstit may not immediately come to mind when thinking of Godzilla, and it will most likely not come rolling off the tongue. However, a video on YouTube, rapping about the big lizard has crept its way through a few Godzilla fans` computer screens, as well as non-fans who just like sifting through the millions of videos on the famed site. SciFi Japan caught up to Shyaporn and now we take a look at the man behind the Godzilla rap. SciFi Japan: Not a lot of readers really know you, so we should start with your background. Where did you grow up? What were/are your interests? Shyaporn: I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, and both my parents are from Thailand. As for what my interests are, I started writing them out but it began

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