SciFi Japan

    Kamen Riders Dragon Knight and Wing Knight. Let`s Ride! Photo courtesy of Steve Wang. ©2008 Ishimori Production, Inc.; Toei Company Ltd.; Adness Entertainment Co., Ltd.

    Tokusatsu - FX

    An interview with KAMEN RIDER DRAGON KNIGHT Producer/Director Steve Wang Author: Bob Johnson Official Sites: kamenridertv.com, Kamen Rider Productions Special Thanks to Loren Portillo On the opposite side of every mirror on Earth lies the parallel dimension of Ventara - a world destroyed by the evil alien, General Xaviax. The Kamen Riders were warriors from Ventara who fought Xaviax with armor and abilities powered by their Advent Decks. Unfortunately, Xaviax stole the Advents Decks and defeated all the Riders but one. Kamen Rider Wing Knight is the sole surviving Kamen Rider – the only man who can stop Xaviax from destroying Earth the same way he destroyed Ventara. To defeat Wing Knight, Xaviax brought the Advent Decks to Earth and tricked ordinary citizens into becoming new Kamen Riders – super-powered soldiers who will carry out his evil plans. After his father’s mysterious disappearance,

    The half human/half yokai hero Kitaro (Eiji Wentz) is annoyed by his friends Ratman (Yo Oizumi), Kaede Hiramoto (Kie Kitano), and Cat-girl (Lena Tanaka). Photo courtesy of Shochiku Co., Ltd. © 2008 Kitaro Film Partners

    Tokusatsu - FX

    Press Notes and Photos from Shochiku for the Sequel to the 2007 Hit KITARO Source: Shochiku Co., Ltd. Official Movie Site: GeGeGe Special Thanks to Aki Harimoto and JM Shop SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details for a recent movie. A mystery of missing women, triggered by by a forbidden romance between a man and a yokai, concealed in a cursed song... Introduction Shigeru Mizuki`s ever-popular manga series GeGeGe no Kitaro was first adapted into a big-budget live action fantasy movie in the spring of 2007. KITARO was a smash hit in Japan, reaching 2.3 billion yen ($25 million US) at the box office. Last year, the main cast and crew reunited for the sequel KITARO AND THE MILLENNIUM CURSE (Gegege no Kitaro Sennen Noroi Uta)... but this time the story was aimed not only at children, but for older

    Poster art for 252: SIGNAL OF LIFE, the new Japanese disaster movie. Photo courtesy of NTV. ©2008 ”252” Film Partners

    Tokusatsu - FX

    A Behind the Scenes Look at the Japan`s Newest and Biggest Disaster Movie Source: NTV (Nippon Television Network) Official Movie Site: 252 Special Thanks to Asuka Kimura and Tzeling Huang 252... The signal only known to the Hyper Rescue Squad It`s the Signal that Brings Hope It`s the Code that means... "There are Survivors" The largest mega-typhoon ever in history strikes Japan and destroys Tokyo!! 252: SIGNAL OF LIFE (252: Seizonsha Ari), the biggest disaster drama ever to strike the screens of Japan, will move everyone to tears. It`s a drama of extreme conditions, told from both sides of the rescue operation in the aftermath of a disaster; the survivors trapped in the collapsed subway station and the rescuers attempting to save them against the devastating force of nature. This spectacular catastrophe was shown for the first time at Cannes Film Market and attracted international attention.

    Promotional art for the new Shochiku fantasy film KAMOGAWA HORUMO ? BATTLE LEAGUE IN KYOTO. © 2009 Kamogawa Horumo Film Partners

    Tokusatsu - FX

    New Titles to Premiere at European Film Market in Berlin Source: Shochiku Co., Ltd. Special Thanks to Junko Kawaguchi The Japanese studio Shochiku Co., Ltd. has announced their key movie and anime titles for 2009. The fantasy film KAMOGAWA HORUMO ? BATTLE LEAGUE IN KYOTO and the animated feature MAI MAI MIRACLE were both recently completed and will premiere with screenings at the European Film Market in Berlin. The 2009 EFM runs from February 4-15. The studio`s summer and holiday schedule will include the big budget ninja movie KAMUI and OTOUTO, the latest film from director Yoji Yamada. This spring will see the animated TV series SENGOKU BASARA?SAMURAI KINGS, based on the Capcom video game. Shochiku will also screen their acclaimed 2008 drama DEPARTURES (Okuribito) at the European Film Market. The emotionally moving tale about a failed cellist who becomes an "Encoffineer" (a person who handles

    Ai-chan (Saki Fukuda) and Gan-chan (Sho Sakurai) are the duo called Yatterman. Photo courtesy of NYCC. © 2009 Tatsunoko Production/Yatterman Film Partners

    Tokusatsu - FX

    New York Comic Con, Subway Cinema, and Nikkatsu Present World Premiere of New Japanese Feature Film Source: Roger Bilheimer Associates press release Official Site: New York Comic Con New York Comic Con (NYCC) today revealed that maverick Japanese director Takashi Miike will appear at its 2009 event as a Guest of Honor and superstar actor and pop star Sho Sakurai will attend as a Special Guest. Miike and Sakurai will be at NYCC to speak about their upcoming feature film YATTERMAN—and then present the world premiere of the highly-anticipated movie, produced by Nikkatsu Studios and scheduled for release in Japan in early March. The 2009 New York Comic Con takes place February 6-8 in the Jacob Javits Center in New York, NY. Miike and Sakurai join Guests of Honor including Brian Michael Bendis, Carmine Infantino, Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, J. Michael Straczynski, and Bruce Timm and

    Cover art for the first two DVD volumes of POWER RANGERS JUNGLE FURY. Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, Inc. © 2008 BVS Entertainment, Inc. and BVS International N.V.

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    Let’s Rumble in the Jungle! Author: Aaron Cooper Source: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, Inc. Official Site: Jungle Fury It is hard to imagine that the Power Rangers franchise is 16 years old! There are really not a lot of kid’s shows out there that can lay that type of claim for constant original programming. Us old fogies at SciFi Japan realized we’ve been ignoring this particular area of Japanese-influenced action for a little too long, so I took a look at the first two volumes of POWER RANGERS JUNGLE FURY entitled “Into the Jungle” and “Way of the Master”, which comprise the first 12 episodes of the series as seen on Jetix through Toon Disney in 2008. Hardcore fans are well aware that the Power Rangers series was developed originally through a distribution deal with Saban Entertainment in which they took many

    Concept art from HAEUNDAE showing a massive tsunami hitting the South Korean beach. Photo courtesy of Doosaboo Film. © 2009 Doosaboo Film, Inc./ CJ Entertainment

    Tokusatsu - FX

    Source: Official Korean press release Translations and Additional Material: Kim Song-ho Doosaboo Film, Inc. announced on January 14, 2009 (Korean date) that principal photography on the disaster film HAEUNDAE has finished. The company also revealed conceptual artwork from the film. HAEUNDAE tells the story of a massive tsunami striking the Korean beach area of Haeundae, a hugely popular tourist attraction and home of the world-famous Pusan International Film Festival. The film is a co-production between Doosaboo Film and Korean film distributor CJ Entertainment, with special effects being created by the Northern California-based movie company Polygon Entertainment. According to the official press release, the final photography took place on December 17, 2008, in San Francisco. It was a scene where the protagonist and his crew were attacked by a large wave while they were fishing in the Indian Ocean. The scene was based on a real-life 2004

    Childhood fantasy and terrifying reality merge in 20th CENTURY BOYS, the first of three new movies based on the acclaimed manga by Naoki Urasawa. Photo courtesy of NTV. ©2008 ”20th Century Boys” Film Partners

    Tokusatsu - FX

    A Behind the Scenes Look at the Big Budget, Epic Sci-Fi Trilogy Source: NTV (Nippon Television Network) Official Movie Site: 20th Boys Special Thanks to Asuka Kimura and Tzeling Huang One of the biggest events in recent Japanese cinema is 20th CENTURY BOYS, the movie trilogy adapted from the internationally acclaimed sci-fi manga series. The three pictures were filmed together (as with THE LORD OF THE RINGS films) by a partnership of the Nippon Television Network, Shogakukan, Toho Co., VAP, Yomiuri Television, Dentsu, Yomiuri Shimbun, Cine Bazaar, Office Crescendo, and d-rights. Produced at a combined budget of 6 billion yen (approximately $60 million US), 20th CENTURY BOYS is the most expensive film project in Japanese history. The first 20th CENTURY BOYS was released in Japan by Toho on August 30, 2008. It premiered in the #2 spot behind Sony Pictures’ HANCOCK and moved

    The ferocious deep-sea monster REIGO joins Japan`s ever-growing pantheon of daikaiju stars. The beast was created by GAMERA 4 fan film director Shinpei Hayashiya. Photo courtesy of producer Show Tsuchida, Option Inc. © 2008 InterMedia Co., Ltd.

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    After Several Years, the Much-Delayed WWII Kaiju Film Finally Surfaces in Japan Author: Keith Aiken Source: Gold View Co., Ltd., Option Inc., various Official Movie Site: REIGO Additional Material and Translations by Oki Miyano and Norman England Special Thanks to Show Tsuchida, Kiyo Joo, Ryo Ikeuchi, Daisuke Ishizuka, Sheldon Warnock, and Shinichi Wakasa A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details and images from a new movie. In the midst of World War II, the battleship Yamato, the pride of the Japanese navy, joins with the main squadrons of the Combined Fleet in the South Seas. While lurking in the waters off the Truk Islands, the crew of the Yamato spot what is believed to be an enemy submarine and fire on it. The attack is a success, however what sinks to the sea bottom is not a

    Stepmom-to-be Rachel (Elizabeth Banks) has a problem with sisters Alex (Arielle Kebbel) and Anna (Emily Browning) in THE UNINVITED, the American remake of the 2003 Korean horror hit A TALE OF TWO SISTERS. Photo courtesy of DreamWorks Pictures. © 2008 DW Studios LLC. and Cold Spring Pictures

    Tokusatsu - FX

    Production Notes for DreamWorks` Remake of the Korean Horror Hit Source: DreamWorks Pictures Official Site: uninvitedmovie.com Exactly one year ago today, SciFi Japan ran an article on DreamWorks Pictures` TALE OF TWO SISTERS, a remake of the 2003 Korean film A TALE OF TWO SISTERS (Janghwa, Hongryeon). The original version, written and directed by Kim Jee-woon (THE QUIET FAMILY), was a critical and box office hit, becoming the most successful horror film in Korean movie history. DreamWorks` plans for an English language remake were first announced in June 2006, and the new TALE OF TWO SISTERS (studio press materials dropped the “A” from the English title) was scheduled for a 2008 theatrical launch in America. The release was eventually pushed back to January 30, 2009 and the film has been renamed THE UNINVITED. The new title may cause some confusion because another Korean

    The online media distributor Crunchyroll is premiering episodes of the live action Japanese series DETECTIVE OFFICE 5. © 2008 Detective Office

    Tokusatsu - FX

    Online Media Distribution Leader to Stream North American Premiere of Japanese Live-Action Detective Franchise Source: BAM! Marketing, Publicity & Promotions press release, Dream Kid, Inc., various Official Site: Tantei5.com Special Thanks to Chase Wang There have been many mystery heroes throughout its times. To name a few: Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot and Philip Marlowe. They are legends. Now from Japan come new heroes at ‘D’etective ‘O’ffice ‘5’. Located in the gritty underbelly of Tokyo’s neighboring Kawasaki City. DO5 has a rich 60-year history of crime solving and is the headquarters where 100 detectives are employed. They don’t go by names. Each is identified by a personal code: A 3-digit number beginning with the number 5: 500 to 599. They combine their unique skills with ‘7 tools of the trade’ to solve impossible crimes. Crunchyroll of San Francisco, CA and Dream Kid, Inc. of

    The large scale action adventure film K-20: LEGEND OF THE MASK opens this weekend in Japan. International promotional art courtesy of NTV. © 2008 'K-20' Film Partners

    Tokusatsu - FX

    The Creators of ALWAYS -SUNSET ON THIRD STREET Bring Japan’s Favorite Supervillain to Movie Screens Source: NTV (Nippon Television Network) Official Movie Site: K-20 Production Notes translated by Jason Gray Special Thanks to Asuka Kimura and Tzeling Huang A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE No one has ever seen his face… He could be anyone… Editor`s Note: Last month I visited the American Film Market 2008 in Santa Monica, CA to see some of the latest films from Japan. Among the screenings I attended was the world premiere of K-20: LEGEND OF THE MASK (K-20: Kaijin Niju-Menso Den), a great action adventure film set in an alternate reality version of 1949 Tokyo. The film was produced by Nippon Television Network (NTV), Robot Communications, and Toho, and stars Asian superstar Takeshi Kaneshiro (RETURNER, RED CLIFF) as a circus acrobat who is framed by a mysterious Batman/Shadow-like villain. Toho

    A homicidal maniac and a deadly chemical weapon threaten the entire world in the upcoming Japanese thriller MW. © 2009 MW Production Committee

    Tokusatsu - FX

    Movie to Commemorate the 80th Anniversary of Tezuka`s Birth Author: Keith Aiken Source: NTV (Nippon Television Network), Vertical, Inc. Official Site: mw.gyao.jp SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details and images from a movie scheduled for release in 2009. 16 years ago, a horrifying incident occurred on Okino Mafune Island, part of the southern archipelago near Okinawa. A top secret chemical weapon called MW accidentally leaked from a storage facility at a foreign military base on Okino Mafune, wiping out the inhabitants of the island. Fearing an international scandal, authorities immediately moved in to cover up the event. Overnight, the truth was buried and everything was supposedly blown over by the thorough concealment efforts. However, there were two boys on Okino Mafune who happened to survive by a twist of fate… Michio Yuki survived exposure to the poison gas, but the potent nerve

    English language international sales art for the 2008 Korean horror movie DEATH BELL. Photo courtesy of Mirovision. © 2008 Core Contents Media

    Tokusatsu - FX

    SAW Meets BATTLE ROYALE in Korean Box Office Hit Author: Kim Song-ho (Loomis) and Keith Aiken Source: Mirovision Inc., Official DEATH BELL Press Kit, American Film Market, various Official Website (Korea): Gosa2008 170 days before college entrance exams, the twenty top students at a high school meet for a special Saturday exam cram session. Midway through class, the students are interrupted by Beethoven`s piano solo "Für Elise" playing over the school p.a. system. The picture on the classroom TV switches to reveal the top ranked student, Hye-yeong, trapped in a tank that is filling with water. As the water level rises and the girl screams and struggles to breathe, an unidentified voice comes over the loudspeaker and asks a question from the mid-term exam. If the students answer incorrectly the girl will lose her life. And for each additional wrong answer, another student from the class

    On December 3rd, DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME will be screened in theaters across Canada. Photo courtesy of VIZ Media. © 2006 [Death Note] Film Partners

    Tokusatsu - FX

    Special One-Night-Only Presentation of Supernatural Crime Thriller to Delight Canadian Fans Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press release Official Movie Site: Death Note Films Special Thanks to Manami Iiboshi and Erik Jansen VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced an exciting one-night only theatrical event – DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME – showing at select Cineplex Entertainment and Empire Theatres locations across Canada on Wednesday, December 3rd. Advance tickets are now on sale. For more information, screening times, advance tickets and a complete list of participating theatres go to DeathNoteFilms.com/tickets, cineplex.com, or empiretheatres.com/deathnote2. VIZ Media’s SHONEN JUMP magazine will lend additional support with a promo ad in the December 2008 issue, which hit stores on November 4th. Earlier this year, VIZ Pictures partnered with Cineplex Entertainment and Empire Theatres to present the first

    A small sampling of the many Japanese films promoted at this year`s American Film Market.

    Tokusatsu - FX

    K-20, MONSTER X STRIKES BACK, 20TH CENTURY BOYS, IKIGAMI, GOD`S PUZZLE and more screened in California Author: Keith Aiken Source: AFM, Shochiku Co., Ltd., NTV, Gold View Co., Ltd., TBS, Toei Co., Ltd. Since 1981, the Independent Film and Television Alliance has hosted an annual motion picture trade show in Santa Monica, CA called the American Film Market (AFM). The 29th American Film Market started on November 5 and concludes November 12. The event has drawn more than 400 motion picture companies and over 8,000 acquisition and development execs, producers, distributors, agents, attorneys, buyers, and film financiers from around the globe. For the past eight days, all 23 theater screens on and surrounding Santa Monica’s 3rd Street Promenade have been used for more than 900 screenings of 513 different films, including 102 world premieres. Titles shown at AFM range from high budget releases

    Cover art for Ray Harryhausen - Master of the Majicks Volume 2: The American Films. Photo courtesy of Ernest Farino. © 2008 Archive Editions LLC.

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    Source: Ernest Farino, Archive Editions LLC Special Thanks to Loren Portillo Ray Harryhausen - Master of the Majicks Volume 2: The American Films by Mike Hankin Foreword by Jim Danforth (WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH, JACK THE GIANT KILLER, THE 7 FACES OF DR. LAO) Written and produced over the past 10 years with Ray Harryhausen`s cooperation and support, the complete 3-volume definitive 295,000-word career/biography features interviews with Ray and his colleagues and is profusely illustrated with several hundred rare photographs, artwork, and illustrations (many of which have never been previously published). Volume 2, focusing on Harryhausen`s break into feature films, has been released first and went on sale September 14. In-depth chapters cover MIGHTY JOE YOUNG, THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS, IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA, THE ANIMAL WORLD, EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS, 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH and THE 7TH VOYAGE OF

    The Bugmaster Ginko (Joe Odagiri) encounters the strange creatures called Mushi in director Katsuhiro Otomo`s feature film adaptation of the manga and anime series. Photo courtesy of Barbican. © 2006 Tohokushinsha Film

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    Live Action Film Directed by AKIRA`s Katsuhiro Otomo Source: Barbican Centre Special Thanks to Laura Bushell, Sarah Harvey Publicity JAPANIMATION: MUSHISHI Tuesday 28 October The third season of Japanimation returns with the latest live action movie by Katsuhiro Otomo, creator of the manga and anime movie classic AKIRA. MUSHISHI is based on the manga that inspired Revelation Films` current hit anime series of the same name. The manga, created by Yuki Urushibara and serialized in Kodansha`s Afternoon magazine from 1999-2008, has sold over 3 million copies. In 2006, it was nominated for the Kodansha Manga Award. The MUSHISHI film stars Joe Odagiri (SAD VACATION), Nao Omori (MIDNIGHT EAGLE), Makiko Esumi (PISTOL OPERA), Yu Aoi (HULA GIRLS), and Reisen Lee. The movie had its world premiere at the 2006 Venice Film Festival, and in January of 2007, MUSHISHI (under its alternate English title BUGMASTER)

    Misa Amane (Erika Toda) is guarded by the shinigami Rem in DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME. Photo courtesy of VIZ Media. © 2006 [Death Note] Film Partners

    Tokusatsu - FX

    Hit Japanese Film to Play in 400 US Theaters Source: VIZ Media Official Movie Site (Japan): Death-Note-Movie Official Movie Site (US): Death Note Films VIZ Pictures and NCM FATHOM present a special two-night, multi-city event — DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME at nearly 400 theatres across the United States on October 15 and 16 at 7:30pm local time. The theatre event will also feature an exclusive behind-the-scenes look about the creation of this breakthrough live-action event, an in-depth interview with director Shusuke Kaneko, who also directed DEATH NOTE, and a unique profile of the cast. For complete details on the DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME U.S. Theatrical Event, please see the earlier report on SciFi Japan. DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME Directed by SHUSUKE KANEKO Based on the best-selling Japanese Comic by TSUGUMI OOBA and TAKESHI OBATA Starring:

    Hot Topic stores are offering free tickets to DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME with the purchase of DEATH NOTE products. Photo courtesy of VIZ Media. © 2006 [Death Note] Film Partners

    Tokusatsu - FX

    Music And Pop Culture Retailer To Offer Tickets To Attend Big Screen Premiere Source: VIZ Media press release Official Movie Site: Death Note Films VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced that it will again partner with music and pop culture retailer Hot Topic Inc. to promote the North American premiere of the live-action film DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME. VIZ Pictures has partnered with NCM FATHOM, the entertainment division of National CineMedia, to present DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME for a special two-night, multi-city event at approximately 400 theatres across the United States on October 15th and 16th. Tickets, prices and participating theatre locations are available at presenting theatre box offices and at FathomEvents.com (theatres are subject to change). As part of a special promotion, customers who purchase a DEATH NOTE t-shirt or

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