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    Source: Crunchyroll Press Release Special Thanks to Bianca Doria Crunchyroll, a subsidiary of Otter Media (a WarnerMedia company) serving anime fans in more than 200 countries and territories, and VIZ Media Europe Group, one of Europe’s established licensors and distributors of Japanese animation, have announced today the signing of an agreement to bring together Crunchyroll’s global platform with VIZ Media Europe Group’s EMEA-wide network of partners, distributors, and licensees. Through this strategic relationship, Crunchyroll will become the majority investor in VIZ Media Europe Group, with The Hitotsubashi Group (Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd.) retaining a minority stake in the company. Closing of the transaction will occur once closing conditions have been satisfied, including the receipt of required antitrust clearances. Crunchyroll, founded in 2006 as a simple anime-sharing platform, has grown to amass a passionate community

    Ultraman Ginga makes appearances throughout the Philippines. Above (L-R): Mall of Asia, SM Cinema North Edsa and The SM Cinema Megamall. © 2016 Tsuburaya Productions Co., ltd. Photos courtesy of SM Cinemas.

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    First International Release of New English Dub Author: Bob Johnson Source: SM Cinemas Official Movie Site: m-78.jp/ginga/movie (Japan) Winckler Productions’ English dubbed version of Tsuburaya Productions’ ULTRAMAN GINGA S THE MOVIE (??? ?????????? ??! ????10??!!, Gekijoo-ban Urutoraman Ginga S Kessen! Urutora 10 Yuushi!!, 2015) began a theatrical run in the Philippines on September 10, 2016. This comes directly on the heels of SM Cinema’s theatrical showings of GODZILLA RESURGENCE (SHIN GODZILLA), which began on August 31, 2016. The weekend of September 10-11, SM Cinemas held a “Meet and Greet” for fans attending showings of the movie at the Mall of Asia, SM Southmall and the SM Megamall Cinema. The events included a chance to meet Ultraman Ginga and get some toy giveaways. Thousands of toys were to be given away to attendees buying tickets to the movie. Buying 2 tickets got fans a chance to win an

    Click on the image for a look at the completed Retailer Incentive cover for issue #2 of Godzilla: Rage Across Time. Image courtesy of Aaron John Gregory. © 2016 Toho Co., Ltd.

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    Author/Source: Aaron John GregoryOfficial Site: IDW PublishingSpecial Thanks to Bobby Curnow A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Artist Aaron John Gregory has offered SciFi Japan readers an exclusive step-by-step look at the making of his cover illustration for Godzilla: Rage Across Time. Godzilla: Rage Across Time is a five part comic book mini-series debuting this week from IDW Publishing that features Godzilla and other Toho monsters during different eras of Earth’s history. Each issue is produced by a different creative team and comes with multiple cover variants. Aaron has created artwork for the Retailer Incentive cover of the second issue, which will be available from comic book shops and retailers on September 21st. While Godzilla: Rage Across Time is Aaron`s first comic book assignment, he is no newcomer to the art world. Class valedictorian from the Academy of Art, University in San

    Ultraman Ginga speaks English? ©2015 UGS FILM PARTNERS

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    Author: Bob Johnson William Winckler Productions, in tandem with Tsuburaya Productions is in the process of providing English language dubs for some of the new Ultraman feature films. The movies that have been dubbed and subtitled so far are ULTRAMAN GINGA S THE MOVIE, ULTRA FIGHT VICTORY and ULTRAMAN X THE MOVIE. No official release of the films has been announced, though the subtitled print of ULTRAMAN X THE MOVIE was screened recently at FantAsia in Canada. William Winckler Productions had previously dubbed a package of animated series, edited together into movies, for Toei Productions. Some of those were released through Shout Factory over the last couple of years. The DVDs released were GAIKING, DANGARD ACE and STAR ZINGER, though other series were produced, including FIST OF THE NORTH STAR, SPACE PIRATE CAPTAIN HARLOCK, GE GE GE NO KITARO and others. Winckler began his career and involvement

    Matt Frank Exclusive Orga sketch. Photo courtesy Inhumanly Possible Creations

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    Source: Bay Area Film Events Event Page: The Great Godzilla Sweepstakes In conjunction with Godzilla Night 5, Bay Area Film Events presents The Great Godzilla Sweepstakes. However, you do not have to be present at the event to enter or to win. The Sweepstakes is an online event for Godzilla fans all over the world. Once again Kevin d`Antonio has amassed an amazing array of Godzilla goods that will please even the most ardent collector. The Sweepstakes is open from July 2nd to July 29th. Godzilla fans can buy tickets and enter either online or at Godzilla Night. Tickets are limited to 20 per individual. Winners will be picked onstage at Godzilla Night 5 at The Historic BAL Theatre on July 30th. Winners that are present can come to the stage to collect their prizes. Those not in attendance will be notified afterwards and arrangements will be

    Photo courtesy Bay Area Film Events

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    Author: Bob Johnson Source: Bay Area Film Events Show info: Godzilla Night 5 Tickets: BAL Theatre Godzilla Night 5 Bay Area Film Events and Curtain Call Performing Arts team up to bring Godzilla back to the San Francisco Bay Area and The Historic BAL Theatre for the fifth annual Godzilla Night! In past years, Godzilla Nights have featured bands such as The Deadlies and Big Pimp Jones, as well as classic Godzilla films like GODZILLA KING OF THE MONSTERS, KING KONG VS. GODZILLA, GODZILLA VS. BIOLsmLANTE, GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH and more! This year, BAFE presents a monstrous double bill of GODZILLA 2000 and the original 1961 MOTHRA. Joining the show this year will be Michael Schlesinger, the writer/producer/director of Sony’s nationwide theatrical release of GODZILLA 2000. Michael will be there to talk about adapting the film for American audiences and what went

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    Japanese lawmakers are seriously considering the legalization of Japan’s first ever casino. The move, as asserted by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is in the hopes of increasing Japan’s revenues for the upcoming 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. The matter is still being debated but in case Japan actually builds its first casino, what will the world actually get from these proposed plans? Perhaps cosplayers as waiting staff at front of doors, high-tech screen equipment, or video games featuring sci-fi-themed titles instead of slot machines? If there’s anything the Japanese are experts in, it’s taking something, perfecting it, and making it their own. Remember, the West may have introduced the first guns for armed combat but it was the Japanese who perfected the matchlock. So if anyone thinks that the Land of the Rising Sun is likely to mimic the casinos similar to the ones in

    After passing on Jan De Bont`s version of GODZILLA, TriStar turned to Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich with disastrous results. © 1998 TriStar Pictures, Inc./ Toho Co., Ltd. © 1999 Toho Co., Ltd.

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    After passing on Jan De Bont`s version of GODZILLA, TriStar turned to Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich with disastrous results. © 1998 TriStar Pictures, Inc./ Toho Co., Ltd. © 1999 Toho Co., Ltd. The Rise, Fall and Aftermath of Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin`s GODZILLAAuthor: Keith AikenSpecial Thanks to: Please See ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS in Part 1 A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Part 1 FACE TO FACE WITH THE MISSING LINKS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ORIGINS DEVELOPING THE STORY THE SCREENPLAY DIRECTOR HUNT THE FIRST FX TEST Part 2 JAN De BONT PRE-PRODUCTION BEGINS CONCEPTUAL DESIGN, ROUND ONE: GOJIRA PRODUCTIONS and STAN WINSTON STORYBOARDS Part 3 DIGITAL EFFECTS CONCEPTUAL DESIGN, ROUND TWO: WINSTON STUDIO FINAL PREPARATIONS: CASTING plus MINIATURE and PRACTICAL EFFECTS THINGS FALL

    Stan Winston Studio developed new GODZILLA creature designs while Sony Pictures Imageworks began preliminary work on the film`s digital FX. © 1993-1995 Sony Pictures Entertainment/ Toho Co., Ltd. © Stan Winston Studio © 1994 Sony Pictures Imageworks

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    Creature Concepts, Previz, Set Designs and More Are Created Before Sony Pulls the Plug　Author: Keith Aiken　Special Thanks to: Please See ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS in Part 1 A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Part 1 FACE TO FACE WITH THE MISSING LINKS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ORIGINS DEVELOPING THE STORY THE SCREENPLAY DIRECTOR HUNT THE FIRST FX TEST Part 2 JAN De BONT PRE-PRODUCTION BEGINS CONCEPTUAL DESIGN, ROUND ONE: GOJIRA PRODUCTIONS and STAN WINSTON STORYBOARDS Part 3 DIGITAL EFFECTS CONCEPTUAL DESIGN, ROUND TWO: WINSTON STUDIO FINAL PREPARATIONS: CASTING plus MINIATURE and PRACTICAL EFFECTS THINGS FALL APART Part 4: Released May 31 RETRENCHMENT THE REWRITE THE DISCONNECT REACTION AFTERMATH GODZILLA (1994) CREDITS

    Jan De Bont quickly assembled a team to create concept art, maquettes and storyboards for GODZILLA. © 1993-1995 Sony Pictures Entertainment/ Toho Co., Ltd.

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    Director Jan De Bont is Hired and Pre-Production Begins　Author: Keith Aiken　Special Thanks to: Please See ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS in Part 1 A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Part 1 FACE TO FACE WITH THE MISSING LINKS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ORIGINS DEVELOPING THE STORY THE SCREENPLAY DIRECTOR HUNT THE FIRST FX TEST Part 2 JAN De BONT PRE-PRODUCTION BEGINS CONCEPTUAL DESIGN, ROUND ONE: GOJIRA PRODUCTIONS and STAN WINSTON STORYBOARDS Part 3: Released May 24 DIGITAL EFFECTS CONCEPTUAL DESIGN, ROUND TWO: WINSTON STUDIO FINAL PREPARATIONS: CASTING plus MINIATURE and PRACTICAL EFFECTS THINGS FALL APART Part 4: Released May 31 RETRENCHMENT THE REWRITE THE DISCONNECT REACTION AFTERMATH GODZILLA (1994) CREDITS

    A selection of pre-production art and sculpts from various stages of TriStar Pictures` initial, unrealized version of their American GODZILLA movie. © 1993-1995 Sony Pictures Entertainment/ Toho Co., Ltd.

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    Interviews, Never-Before-Seen Photos, Storyboards, and Production Art from Sony Pictures` Abandoned First Attempt Author: Keith Aiken Special Thanks to: Please See ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Below A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE On May 16, 2014, Warner Bros. Pictures released GODZILLA, a $160 million American adaptation of the long-running Toho Co. franchise. Co-produced by Legendary Pictures and directed by Gareth Edwards, the film finally gave many fans what they had long hoped to see... a big-budget, Hollywood take on the King of the Monsters with state-of-the-art visual effects. Well-received by critics and audiences, the new GODZILLA was a box office success, with a sequel announced for 2018. The generally positive reviews for the 2014 film were a sharp contrast to the reception given the first Godzilla movie made by an American studio. In October 1992, TriStar Pictures (a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment) announced that they

    Original Japanese poster for GOJIRA (1954).

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    Classic movie with post-show Q&A with Godzilla Expert. Source: Japan Society of Northern California Special Thanks to Brianna Burrows, Program Coordinator On Sunday, April 26, 2015 the Japan Society of Northern California will be hosting a special double header event, perfect for fans of Godzilla! First is a screening of the original film from 1954 featuring a giant monster (or kaiju) resurrected from nuclear testing and goes on a rampage in Tokyo! Can it be stopped? Should it be killed? After the film attendees will have the unique opportunity to hear from Japanese-monster expert Armand Vaquer, who will provide commentary on the movie, including tidbits not generally known to the public. He will also share his knowledge about classic Japanese movie monsters (including not only Godzilla but also Rodan, Mothra, Gamera and many others), and the techniques used in the making of Japanese monster movies. For those

    © Take-Two Interactive Software

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    Loved all around the world, Science Fiction brings excitement, adventure and thrills to life for its fans. Be it through books, television shows or films, the genre captures the audiences’ imagination and lets it run wild in space and time. Here are some examples of the best games: BLADE RUNNER Based on Ridley Scott’s 1982 epic cinematic encounter, the BLADE RUNNER game is an absolute credit to the legacy created by the film. The game is a point and click adventure around a futuristic Los Angeles and pushed out the boundaries for both story-telling and graphics when released in 1997. Featuring the original film score, characters such as Eye-Man appear throughout the game, as well as the famous Voight-Kampf test. BIOSHOCK BIOSHOCK has become one of the best loved console releases in recent years, not only being popular with Sci-Fi fans, but the entire gaming community. The

    Artists turn to Kickstarter to fund project..

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    Kodoja: Terror Mountain Showdown Turns to Kickstarter to Print the Collected Story Into a Hardcover Graphic Novel. Source: Kodoja Official Kickstarter Site: Kodoja: A Graphic Novel With a Soundtrack. Author: Keith Foster Like any good giant monster story, this one has a soundtrack, in this case the music is part Akira Ifukube, part James Brown and the drums of Led Zeppelin, what the band calls "giant monster funk". You can check out the Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kodoja/kodoja-a-kaiju-graphic-novel-with-a-soundtrack Grab your copy now, the Kickstarter is only around through September 28! STORY Kodoja is a 200 foot-tall bio-mechanical superweapon created by the government to combat terrorism, unfortunately it went rogue and just destroyed every outpost of Special Weapons Division (the people who created it). Except one - and as the surviving members of Special weapons scramble to stop it, the political system begins to crack, losing the Secretary of Defense

    Photo courtesy of San Francisco International Airport/Nicole Mullen ©2013

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    Author: Bob Johnson Special thanks to Nicole Mullen and Kelvin Godshall Official Website: Fly SFO Photos taken by Bob Johnson As toy collectors, many fans scour the internet, check on eBay, maybe hit local comic or toy stores and if they are lucky, make the trek to Japan to search out the latest and greatest items on the shelves. Some delve into the past. paying large sums of money for a toy or two either from their childhood or maybe one that just catches their eye. These toys are usually hard to find and expensive or difficult to come by. However, if you are a Japanese toy collector, fan or just have a casual interest in the past, you will want to check out "Japanese Toys: From Kokeshi to Kaiju" a new exhibit in, of all places, Terminal 3 of the San Francisco International Airport. The exhibit

    DVD cover art for Men in Suits. Image courtesy of Wyrd Studios. © Wyrd LLC.

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    MEN IN SUITS Comes to the Bal Theatre in San Leandro. Source: Wyrd Studios Bay Area Film Events Author: Bob Johnson With the evils we all have to deal with in real life, nothing beats escaping into a fantasy world of movie gorillas, aliens, robots and monsters! This is the world that a brand new documentary from Wyrd Studios, MEN IN SUITS takes us to. In talking to the men and women that have donned rubber and fiberglass costumes over the decades of cinema, MEN IN SUITS shows us the kind of strength, determination and mental toughness it takes to not only move around in heavy, boiling suits, but to also act, emote and perform, bringing emotion to a character who without the actor inside, is just a lifeless mass of materials. It is also amazing to see the advances in suit technology that have taken

    Don`t miss a rare chance to meet Corinne next month.

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    Famous anime voice actress Corinne Orr, known to millions as the voice of Trixie in the classic anime series SPEED RACER, will be making a rare personal appearance at THE HOLLYWOOD SHOW, April 19-21, 2013, at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, 5400 W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045. Orr is an icon in English anime, having voiced starring roles in not just SPEED RACER, but in LUPIN THE THIRD, STAR BLAZERS, LITTLE NORSE PRINCE, MARINE BOY, the TOEI ANIME CLASSIC FAIRY TALES, etc. Other Japanese fantasy work includes English voices in GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER, GAMERA VS.MONSTER X, GAMERA VS. VIRAS and the original ULTRAMAN TV series. Orr also did a voice in the recent Warner Bros. SPEED RACER live-action feature film. She is one of the few remaining voice artists from the classic 1960s dubbing days at Titra Studios in New York, and

    Manga 2.5`s motion comic KARASUMA KYOKO. ©2013 Winckler-Oya, Inc..

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    Source: Winckler-Oya Inc. Official Website: Manga 2.5 Special Thanks to William Winckler Winckler-Oya Inc. is producing the English soundtracks for all new Japanese motion mangas based on KARASUMA KYOKO NO JIKENBO, THE MYTHICAL DETECTIVE LOKI, and OTOGI SOUSHI. J.F.Oya and William Winckler are producing and writing the shows. William Winckler is directing the voice actors. KARASUMA KYOKO NO JIKENBO is kind of a Japanese X-FILES, about a young female police detective, Kyoko Karasuma, who investigates bizarre murders in Tokyo, only to discover they are caused by Yokai monsters, the "Oni." THE MYTHICAL DETECTIVE LOKI is about a young boy who runs his own detective agency, but in reality he`s a Norse God in disguise, out to stop monsters in Japan. This manga property was previously a successful anime series as well. OTOGI SOUSHI is a Japanese period piece about the son of a warrior god who

    Promo card for the new GODZILLA. © 2012 Legendary Pictures, Toho Co., Ltd.

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    Source: Legendary Pictures Facebook Page BURBANK, CA, September 13, 2012 –- Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures have slated their take on the classic Godzilla franchise to kick off the Summer moviegoing season on May 16, 2014. The joint announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures, and by Legendary Pictures. Toho Co., Ltd.’s Godzilla franchise contains one of the most widely recognized movie monsters worldwide, including more than 25 films, multiple television programs, video games and book series. Legendary, which has been developing the project, and its partner Warner Bros. will return the character to its epic roots with a gritty, realistic actioner. The project will fall under Legendary’s overall agreement with Warner Bros. The film is directed by Gareth Edwards, who earned worldwide acclaim for his feature

    Ray animates a skeleton from SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD. © 2012 Frenetic Arts

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    Bay Area Film Events Brings Ray Harryhausen Documentary to the Bal Theatre on September 8, 2012 For the U.S. Premiere. Source: Bay Area Film Events Special Thanks to Tony Dalton and Alexandre Poncet From the original MIGHTY JOE YOUNG to George Pal’s PUPPETOONS in the 1940s to monster on the loose films of the 1950s such as BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS, 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH and IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA through amazing fantasy films including SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD, JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS, the original CLASH OF THE TITANS and many more films, Ray Harryhausen has created images that occupy the dreams of most of today’s major special effects creators and have entertained audiences for generations. The amazing stop motion effects that Ray produced have provided inspiration for many of today`s top producers, directors and special effects artists. These inspirations and Ray`s work are

    Anime - Animation

    Ultraman - Tsuburaya

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