SciFi Japan
    Photo courtesy of Epic Games Japan. © 2024, Epic Games, Inc. © 2025 Legendary. GODZILLA © TOHO CO., LTD. Become Godzilla and destroy buildings on the Battle Royale island Source: Epic Games Japan, Epic Games press releasesOfficial Site: https://www.fortnite.com Look out! Something massive is afoot. Godzilla and Kong are arriving in FORTNITE BATTLE ROYALE with v33.20! Unlock the Godzilla Evolved Outfit (コスチューム「ゴジラエヴォルヴ」, Kosuchūmu Gojira Evuoruvu) from Battle Pass Quests, and wreak havoc across the Battle Royale Island by jumping in and becoming the monster Godzilla itself from Warner Bros/Legendary's GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE (2024)! With more than 400 million registered accounts worldwide, FORTNITE is a game that allows players to create their own experiences and team up in iconic battle royales and action-packed zero-builds. Fortnite” is an ever-evolving space where culture thrives and players can create, watch and play in a global community

    Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.  Source: Well Go USA, LBHpr  Special Thanks to Leif Helland Photo courtesy of Well Go USA. The legend himself, Jackie Chan (RUSH HOUR franchise, A LEGEND), stars in PANDA PLAN (熊猫計劃, Xióngmāo jìhuà, 2024), the comedy-adventure-thriller loaded with martial arts action, debuting on Digital, Blu-ray and DVD February 18 from Well Go USA Entertainment. After Chan adopts a panda from the zoo, an international crime ring plots to kidnap his furry friend, leaving Chan to team up with his agent and the panda’s caretaker to outsmart—and outkick—the bad guys at every turn.  Directed by Zhang Luan (GIVE ME FIVE) with action choreography by Lü Shijia (POLICE STORY, THE FOREIGNER), PANDA PLAN also stars Wei Xiang (TOO COOL TO KILL), Shi Ce (ASH, A COOL FISH), and Han Yambo (GIVE ME FIVE).   Synopsis:       Soon

    Photo courtesy of Ghost X Ghost. TM & ©TOHO CO., LTD. Photo courtesy of Ghost X Ghost. TM & ©TOHO CO., LTD. Source:  Ghost X Ghost Special Thanks to Brock Otterbacher  IN STOCK NOW! Ghost X Ghost introduces the Godzilla Minus One Deluxe Enamel Pin, designed by Death Style Graphics! This monster measures at 3.75" high x 2.5" wide, and comes carded and bagged.    ■ Godzilla Minus One by Death Style Graphics Deluxe Enamel Pin   Soft enamel pin with black metal, approx. 3.75" high x 2.5" wide. Pin features double posts and rubber clutches, bagged on a card back. Designed by Death Style Graphics Price: $16.00 Order Link:  https://ghostxghost.com/products/godzilla-minus-one-by-death-style-graphics-enamel-pin   About Ghost X Ghost All the strange in the world. The odd, bizarre, and weird. That’s us, that’s the

    Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll. ©Solo Leveling Animation Partners Source: Crunchyroll press release Episode 1 of the English dub for SOLO LEVELING SEASON 2 -ARISE FROM THE SHADOW- premieres this Saturday, January 18 at 1 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. ET only on Crunchyroll. New dub episodes will continue to stream weekly on Saturdays. Voice actors from the first season, including Aleks Le, Patrick Seitz, Rebecca Wang and Emi Lo, will return to reprise their roles in the second season. The full English dub cast is as follows: Aleks Le as Sung Jinwoo Rebecca Wang as Sung Jinah Daman Mills as Barca Emi Lo as Han Song-Yi Patrick Seitz as Kim Chul Trina Nishimura as Park Heejin Geoff Bisente as Go Myunghwan SungWon Cho as Woo Jinchul Matthew David Rudd as Hwang Dongsoo Ian

    BERSERK OF GLUTTONY, A CERTAIN SCIENTIFIC RAILGUN T, and CHILLIN' IN ANOTHER WORLD WITH LEVEL 2 SUPER CHEAT POWERS Also Arriving on Blu-raySource: Crunchyroll press release Relive the epic showdown between Sunraku and his party against one of the legendary Seven Colossi, Wethermon the Tombguard, when SHANGRI-LA FRONTIER Season 1 Part 2 arrives on Blu-ray on April 8, 2025, from Crunchyroll. Along with the remaining episodes of Season 1, the Part 2 Blu-ray release will also include the SLF Mini episodes as part of the bonus features. Additionally, with even more plots and schemes to behold, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka continues his intense education at the Advanced Nurturing High School in CLASSROOM OF THE ELITE Season 3, which will release on Blu-ray on April 29, 2025 from Crunchyroll. Also coming to Blu-ray this April from Crunchyroll will be BERSERK OF GLUTTONY, CHILLIN' IN ANOTHER WORLD WITH LEVEL 2 SUPER

    Photo courtesy of Keith Sherman and Associates. ©Naoko Takeuchi・PNP / “Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon” The Super Live Production Committee 2025 Source: Keith Sherman and Associates press releaseOfficial Site: https://sailormoonsuperlive.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sailormoon_thesuperlive/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SailorMoonTheSuperLive YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sailormoonsuperlive Special Thanks to Scott Klein Producers Makoto Matsuda (appare) and Kumiko Yoshii (Gorgeous Entertainment) have announced that following its sensational month-long engagement in London, PRETTY GUARDIAN SAILOR MOON: THE SUPER LIVE, the world-wide smash hit 2.5D musical sensation based on the wildly popular manga, will launch a North American tour this March with technical rehearsals and previews held in Pittsburgh, PA and an official opening on March 15 in Austin, TX and in partnership with SXSW (South by SouthWest). www.sailormoonsuperlive.com. With book, lyrics and direction by Kaori Miura (MUSICAL: THE PRINCE OF TENNIS, TOKYO REVENGERS THE MUSICAL), choreography by Satomi Toma, and music by Go Sakabe and KYOHEI, the visually stunning show follows the stories

    Source: Titan Books Special Thanks to Isabelle Sinnott and Hannah Scudamore Photo courtesy of Titan Books. © Legendary. Godzilla TM & © TOHO CO., LTD. MONSTERVERSE TM © Legendary. Titan Books will release The Official Godzilla Movie Novelization Omnibus, collecting the adaptations of Legendary Pictures' Monstervers movies GODZILLA (2014) by Greg Cox and GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS (2019) by Greg Keyes, on August 26th. Two powerful stories of human courage and reconciliation in the face of titanic forces of nature. Humanity stands defenseless when the awe-inspiring Godzilla rises to restore balance.   GODZILLA Ford Brody, a Navy bomb expert, has just reunited with his family in San Francisco when he is forced to go to Japan to help his estranged father, Joe. Soon, both men are swept up in an escalating crisis when an ancient alpha predator arises from the sea to

    Photo courtesy of the Criterion Collection. © KADOKAWA 1953 Source: The Criterion Collection press release Special Thanks to Courtney Ott Cover by Michael Boland. Photo courtesy of the Criterion Collection. © KADOKAWA 1953 The Criterion Collection has announced the Kenji Mizoguchi's classic ghost film UGETSU (雨月物語, Ugetsu Monogatari, 1953) will be released April 1st in a 2-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray set, as well as Blu-ray and DVD editions. By the time he made UGETSU, Kenji Mizoguchi was already an elder statesman of Japanese cinema, fiercely revered by Akira Kurosawa and other directors of a younger generation. And with this exquisite ghost story, a fatalistic wartime tragedy derived from stories by Akinari Ueda and Guy de Maupassant, he created a touchstone of his art, his long takes and sweeping camera guiding the viewer through a delirious narrative about two villagers whose pursuit of fame and

    Photo courtesy of Arrow Films. ©KADOKAWA CORPORATION 1970 Source: Arrow Films, MVD Entertainment Special Thanks to Derek Stubinski Daiei's crime drama PLAY IT COOL (でんきくらげ, Denki Kurage, 1970) from the director of BLIND BEAST, RED ANGEL, and AFRAID TO DIE will be released in March in a limited edition Blu-ray from Arrow Films. Photo courtesy of Arrow Films. ©KADOKAWA CORPORATION 1970 PLAY IT COOL is a chic and erotically charged drama starring popular Japanese singer of the day Mari Atsumi as a college girl negotiating her way through the male-dominated hierarchies of Tokyo's seductive but treacherous nightclub culture. Yumi (Mari Atsumi) is a pretty fashion student who shares a cramped home with her mother Tomi (Akemi Negishi, THE SAGA OF ANATAHAN) and good-for-nothing stepfather Ryoichi. Tomi works at a local hostess bar and hopes for a better fate for Yumi. When Ryoichi violently

     Source: Bandai Co., Ltd.   Photo courtesy of Bandai. TM & ©TOHO CO., LTD. In celebration of both Godzilla's 70th anniversary and the 30th anniversary of the High Grade capsule toy line, Bandai is releasing a set of HG figures that includes the adult Mothra and adult Battra from the Heisei hit GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA (ゴジラVSモスラ, Gojira vs. Mosura, 1992) -- the film released in the United States as GODZILLA AND MOTHRA: THE BATTLE FOR EARTH. Also featured in this set are Godzilla (1999) from GODZILLA 2000 (ゴジラ2000 ミレニアム, Gojira Nisen: Mireniamu, 1999) and Baby Godzilla from GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA II (ゴジラvsメカゴジラ, Gojira vs. Mekagojira, 1993), who is available as a HG figure for the first time! These HG figures are now available at Gashapon Bandai Official Shop specialty stores for Bandai's new Gashapon products, toy stores, mass merchandisers, and electronics stores throughout Japan.

    Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.  Source: Well Go USA, LBHpr  Special Thanks to Leif Helland Photo courtesy of Well Go USA. In volatile 1920s Tianjin, a clandestine martial arts circle arose to maintain peace between rival martial arts schools in the ultra-stylish old-school kung fu martial arts epic 100 YARDS (门前宝地, Mén qián bǎodì, 2024), debuting on Blu-ray and DVD February 18 from Well Go USA Entertainment. But when a renowned master dies, it ignites a power struggle that will bring the entire city to the brink of chaos. Co-directed by Xu Haofeng (THE HIDDEN SWORD, screenwriter of THE GRANDMASTER) and first-time director Xu Junfeng, 100 YARDS stars Jacky Heung (THE WARLORDS, FEARLESS), Andy On (NEW POLICE STORY, RIDE ON), Bea Hayden Kuo (KUNG FU MONSTER), Tang Shiyi, and Li Yuan (REMAIN SILENT) with “some of the year’s most satisfying fight choreography” (RogerEbert.com)

    Photo courtesy of Bushiroad. TM & © TOHO CO., LTD. ©Bushiroad The battle begins in July! Source:  Bushiroad Co., Ltd.. press releaseOfficial Site: https://godzilla-cardgame.com/ Bushiroad Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Nakano-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Takaaki Kitani) hosted the Bushiroad New Year's Grand Announcement 2025 on Monday, January 13th to preview their trading card releases for the coming year. The event revealed new details about their upcoming GODZILLA CARD GAME (ゴジラ カードゲーム, Gojira Kādo Gēmu). Bushiroad is a partner with Toho for this game, providing sales support at TCG (trading card games) specialty stores and mass retailers and also operating official tournaments and events in Japan and the United States. Photo courtesy of Bushiroad. TM & © TOHO CO., LTD. ©Bushiroad Photo courtesy of Bushiroad. TM & © TOHO CO., LTD. ©Bushiroad In the GODZILLA CARD GAME, the Godzilla series moves the stage from

    Source: Film Movement press releaseSpecial Thanks to Michael Krause In the 1960s Toei Studio was Yakuza Central and filmmaker Tai Kato was the chief exponent and innovator of this popular genre. American audiences equate the yakuza with the contemporary gangster, but the classic yakuza setting is more akin to the western, with swordplay more than gunplay, silk not seersucker, and honor not anarchy in the teeming gambling underworld. This allowed Kato to indulge his passion for historical drama, as well as for startling realism and audacious camerawork. In the low-budget quickies that were in demand during the second Golden Age of Japanese cinema, constraint was the mother of invention and personal style for Kato. Not only did he favor "the natural beauty of the face" over makeup, and gesture over genre codes, he created what some call a cinema of excess: one-shot sequences of extraordinary lyricism and power,

    Source: Netflix press releaseOfficial Site: https://www.netflix.com/mymelody&kuromi Photo courtesy of Netflix. ©’25 SANRIO Get ready for a delightful adventure as MY MELODY & KUROMI brings the beloved Sanrio characters to life in a charming stop-motion animation series, premiering in July 2025. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of My Melody and the 20th anniversary of Kuromi, the series takes viewers on an adventure in Mariland, their whimsical home. A special sneak peek reveals the characters in their adorable stop-motion form  — and they’re so cute you’ll want to reach out and touch them! My Melody is a straightforward, cheerful girl who cares deeply for her younger brother. She enjoys baking cookies with her mother. Since her debut in 1975, she has continued to be loved by a wide range of fans. Kuromi, who debuted in 2005 as My Melody’s self-proclaimed rival, may seem like a troublemaker, but she’s actually

    Photo courtesy of Shochiku Co., Ltd. ©2025 SNOWFLOWERS Film Partners Source: Shochiku Co., Ltd. Official Site: https://movies.shochiku.co.jp/yukinohana (Japan)   Shochiku has provided information and photos for their new historical drama, SNOWFLOWERS: SEEDS OF HOPE (雪の花 ―ともに在りて―, Yuki no Hana ―Tomoni Arite―), opening in Japanese cinemas on January 24th. This impactful film is a "new period drama masterpiece" that transcends generations with its star-studded cast featuring Tori Matsuzaka, Koji Yakusho and Kyoko Yoshine.   Photo courtesy of Shochiku Co., Ltd. ©2025 SNOWFLOWERS Film Partners Introduction "A true story of love and inspiration" unfolds as an unknown small-town doctor, fought to develop a cure for an epidemic in the late Edo period. With the support of his wife and a Western medicine doctor in Kyoto, this untold story comes to life. SNOWFLOWERS: SEEDS OF HOPE is directed by Takashi Koizumi, former

    Japanese artwork for Booster Pack 03. Photo courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS Dark Heroes and Monsters Will Soon Appear!Source: Tsuburaya Productions press releasesOfficial Site: https://ultraman-cardgame.com/ Tsuburaya Productions Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President: Masayuki Nagatake)  is pleased to announce that the third Booster Pack for the ULTRAMAN CARD GAME (ウルトラマン カードゲーム, Urutoraman Kādo Gēmu) will be released on Friday, April 25th. The ULTRAMAN CARD GAME is a new trading card game inspired by the world of Ultraman featuring playability appealing to both adults and kids, as well as collectability with specially designed cards by renowned creators from around the globe. The game also offers several rare cards to collect from artists and designers who have worked on the Ultraman shows and movies. The game was released simultaneously around the world on Friday, October 25, 2024 in 4 languages, a first in the history

    Source: CRAZY BUMP Inc. press release   Photo courtesy of CRAZY BUMP. TM & ©TOHO CO., LTD. Crazy Bump Inc., a company that organizes and manages special exhibitions themed on subcultures such as manga, anime, and special effects, has announced some new products to be sold at the Giant Mechagodzilla POP UP STORE in Gallery of Hakaba (大メカゴジラPOP UP STORE in 墓場の画廊, Dai Mekagojira Poppu Appu Sutoa in Hakaba no Garō). The POP UP STORE will be held at the Gallery of Hakaba store in Nakano, Tokyo, from January 16 to February 25, 2025. The venue will feature a Mechagodzilla exhibition plus official merchandise. Most products will be available at both the Gallery of Hakaba in Nakano and their online store. For more information on the Giant Mechagodzilla POP UP STORE in Gallery of Hakaba, please see the earlier report here on SciFi Japan.

    Source: Radiance Films, MVD Entertainment Special Thanks to Derek Stubinski Photo courtesy of Radiance Films. ©Toei Toei's yakuza thriller HOKURIKU PROXY WAR (北陸代理戦争, Hokuriku Dairi Sensō, 1977) will be released February 25 in a limited edition Blu-ray from Radiance Films. For fans of THE YAKUZA PAPERS, THE FRENCH CONNECTION, and MEAN STREETS, this film unites Kinji Fukasaku, the director of BATTLE ROYALE, with Sonny Chiba, the star of STREET FIGHTER. HOKURIKU PROXY WAR is available for the first time on Blu-ray, 4K restored, and loaded with extras. Loose-cannon gangster Kawada rebels when his two-timing boss forms an alliance with a major crime syndicate. The syndicate's main rivals see Kawada as their perfect proxy, but his furious temper quickly rubs them the wrong way, leaving Kawada to face overwhelming forces. Fukasaku's final yakuza film features some of the strongest women's roles in his career, plus a

    Photo courtesy of GKIDS. ©Takashi Imashiro, KODANSHA/Ghost Cat Anzu Film Partners Source: Shout! Studios press release Special Thanks to Lauren Blum   Photo courtesy of GKIDS. ©Takashi Imashiro, KODANSHA/Ghost Cat Anzu Film Partners On March 4th, the charming new anime film GHOST CAT ANZU (化け猫あんずちゃん, Bakeneko Anzu-chan, 2024) comes to Blu-ray from GKIDS, with distribution by Shout! Studios, following a successful theatrical run in the U.S. this past November. Bonus features on GHOST CAT ANZU include teasers and trailers. The film will also be available on digital platforms, including Amazon, Apple, Google, Fandango, Microsoft, and iNDEMAND, on January 28th. Precocious tween Karin finds herself abandoned by her father in rural Japan. Living in a temple with her grandfather, she meets Anzu, a giant “ghost cat” and notorious layabout tasked with looking after her. Distrustful of her new guardian, Karin sabotages Anzu’s odd jobs

    Photo courtesy of TOKYOPOP. ©2025 Mattel ©TOKYOPOP First titles set to debut in print in 2026.Source: TOKYOPOP press release Special Thanks to Erik Jansen (MediaLab) Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT), a leading global toy and family entertainment company and owner of one of the most iconic brand portfolios in the world, and pioneering manga and anime media brand TOKYOPOP, today announced a partnership to develop original manga-style graphic novels for children ages 8-12 based on Mattel’s Hot Wheels and Barbie brands. The first titles, including a western-style manga graphic novel series inspired by Hot Wheels and new stories featuring characters from Barbie, are set to debut in print in 2026. These series will feature fresh artwork and original stories, bringing the cherished brands to new audiences in innovative formats. “Hot Wheels and Barbie have long been symbols of storytelling, creativity

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