SciFi Japan

    The Virgin Mary Girls Academy literature club. Seated: Shiyo Takaoka (Nana Seino), Sayuri Sumikawa (Fumika Shimizu), Itsumi Shiraishi (Marie Iitoyo) and Mirei Nitani (Yuna Taira). Standing in back: Diana Decheba (Tina Tamashiro) and Akane Kominami (Riria Kojima). Photo courtesy of Showgate Inc. © 2017

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    Source: Toei Co., Ltd., Showgate Inc. Official Site: ankoku-movie.jp (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Distributors Showgate and Toei have provided information and photos from their upcoming release, ANKOKU JOSHI (????), an adaptation of the novel of the same name by author Rikako Akiyoshi. Akiyoshi`s story has been hailed as a masterpiece; a locked room mystery packed with betrayal and an ending that makes for uncomfortable reading. The film co-stars a number of popular Japanese starlets, led by Marie Iitoyo (KYORYUGER, CLOSEST LOVE TO HEAVEN) and the recently retired Fumika Shimizu (KAMEN RIDER FOURZE, HK / FORBIDDEN SUPER HERO, RYUZO AND THE SEVEN HENCHMEN, HENTAI KAMEN: THE ABNORMAL CRISIS). The supporting cast includes Nana Seino (DANGER DOLLS, TOKYO TRIBE, ALIBIS FOR HAPPINESS), Tina Tamashiro (SADAKO VS KAYAKO, WOLF GIRL & BLACK PRINCE, POLICEMAN AND ME, SAGRADA RESET), Riria Kojima (RESSHA SENTAI TOQGER, WOLF

    Photo courtesy of Nikkatsu Corporation. © 2014 INOUE SANTA/TOKYO TRIBE FILM PARTNERS

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    Sion Sono Tackles the Tokyo Criminal Underworld! Source: Nikkatsu Corporation, Toronto International Film Festival Official Movie Site: tokyotribe-movie.com (Japan) Introduction Set in an alternate Tokyo of the near future, director Sion Sono continues his run of sensational films with the explosive street gang tale, TOKYO TRIBE (????? ????, Tokyo Toraibu). The film is the first live-action adaptation of the best-selling manga series Tokyo Tribe 2, by Santa Inoue, which has sold 2 million copies and has been published in Asia and even the west to great popularity. Story Tokyo. A multitude of tribes exist, with resident youth ruling the streets through violence while protecting their own turf. Shibuya Saru, Shinjuku Hands, Kabuki GiraGira Girls, Musashino Saru and... Bukuro Wu-Ronz. Until now, crossing territorial lines has led to riots and rumbles. In Bukuro, Big Buppa (Big Daddy), his son Nkoi and

    Amazon Prime Video (Japan) has provided high-res photos from their live-action manga adaptation GAKI ROCK: ASAKUSA 6TH- WARD HONOR STORY. Photo courtesy of Amazon Prime Video. © CLUSTAR inc.

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    Drama Series About Honor Among Street-Punks in Downtown Tokyo to Start Streaming from April 14 Source: Amazon Prime Video, Wright Film Inc. press releases Special Thanks to Richard Jeffery, Ayame Yamamoto and Sarasa Saiki A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Amazon Prime Video has provided a selection of high-res photos from its latest Japanese Amazon Original series GAKI ROCK: ASAKUSA 6TH- WARD HONOR STORY (????????????????, Gaki?Rokku ? Asakusa Roku Kuhito Jomonogatari ?). A dramatization of the popular manga Gaki Rock (??????), the 12-episode series will start streaming exclusively with unlimited viewing on Amazon Prime Video (Japan) beginning April 14.

    The live-action manga adaptation GAKI ROCK: ASAKUSA 6TH- WARD HONOR STORY is the latest Japanese Amazon Original series. Photo courtesy of Amazon Prime Video. © CLUSTAR inc.

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    Drama Series About Honor Among Street-Punks in Downtown Tokyo to Start Streaming from April 14 Source: Amazon Prime Video, Wright Film Inc. press releases Special Thanks to Richard Jeffery, Ayame Yamamoto and Sarasa Saiki A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Amazon announced its latest Japanese Amazon Original series GAKI ROCK: ASAKUSA 6TH- WARD HONOR STORY (????????????????, Gaki?Rokku ? Asakusa Roku Kuhito Jomonogatari ?), a dramatization of the popular comic book Gaki Rock (??????) serialized in Young Champion, is to start streaming exclusively with unlimited viewing on Amazon Prime Video (Japan) beginning April 14. The 12-episode series will stream with new episodes every week on Fridays. Amazon Prime members can watch and download the series via the free Amazon Prime Video app for iOS and Android mobile devices, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Fire tablets, game consoles, smart TVs and online at amazon.co.jp/primevideo.

    Kento Yamazaki and Haruna Kawaguchi star in the manga adaptation, ONE WEEK FRIENDS. Photo courtesy of Shochiku Co. © 2017 Matcha Hazuki/SQUARE ENIX, “ONE WEEK FRIENDS” Film Partners ? Author / Matcha Hazuki

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    Source: Shochiku Co., Ltd. Official Site: ichifure.jp (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Shochiku Co., Ltd. presents ONE WEEK FRIENDS (????????, Isshuukan Furenzu.), an "innocent, heart-rending pure love story" based on a best-selling manga of the same name by Maccha Hazuki. The film stars Kento Yamazaki (DEATH NOTE television series, LOVE FOR BEGINNERS, L?DK – LIVING TOGETHER, WOLF GIRL & BLACK PRINCE) and Haruna Kawaguchi (SAY “I LOVE YOU”, TIME TRIP APP, CREEPY). Yuki Hase (Kento Yamazaki) wants to be friends with his high school classmate Kaori Fujimiya (Haruna Kawaguchi) who always keeps to herself. One day he takes the courage to talk to her but she tells him, “I lose all memory of my friends at the end of each week”. Still eager to befriend Kaori, Yuki approaches her every Monday when her memory is reset, “Please be friends with me!” They

    Yuiji Kira (Taishi Nakagawa) wows Nino Okamura (Marie Iitoyo) in CLOSEST LOVE TO HEAVEN, the movie adaptation of the manga Kyo no Kira-kun. Photo courtesy of Showgate Inc. © 2017 ?CLOSEST LOVE TO HEAVEN

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    Source: Showgate Inc. Official Site: kirakun.jp (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Kira, I want to be with you forever. Distributor Showgate Inc. has provided information and photos from their upcoming release, CLOSEST LOVE TO HEAVEN (???????, Kyo no Kira-kun). The film is based on the manga series Kyo no Kira-kun (Today`s Kira) by Rin Mikimoto. Nino falls in love with Kira, a heartthrob of the whole class. Introverted Nino finds it hard to interact with people, but when she learns Kira`s secret, the two quickly become close. Though uncertain about the new feelings she is experiencing, Nino does her best to make Kira smile, despite his big secret. What will happen to Nino`s first love? Their invaluable "365 days" have begun, joined by classmate Yabe and Kira`s childhood friend Mio. CREDITS Japanese Theatrical Release: Saturday, February 25, 2017 (Nationwide Roadshow)

    Photo courtesy of Shochiku Co. ©2017 “HAMON: YAKUZA BOOGIE” Film Partners

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    Source: Shochiku Co., Ltd. Official Site: hamon-movie.jp (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Shochiku Co., Ltd. presents HAMON: YAKUZA BOOGIE (?? ???????????, Hamon Futari no Yakubyogami), an adaptation of Hamon (Expulsion), the 151st Naoki Prize-winning novel from Hiroyuki Kurokawa`s hugely popular Yakubyogami (Jinx) series. The film is directed by Shotaro Kobayashi and stars Kuranosuke Sasaki (SAMURAI HUSTLE, THE INERASABLE, SOLOMON`S PERJURY) and "Kanjani Eight" band member Yu Yokoyama (TENCHI: THE SAMURAI ASTRONOMER, EIGHT RANGERS 1 & 2). STORY Yakuza Kuwahara (Kuranosuke Sasaki) and construction consultant Ninomiya (Yu Yokoyama) go on a search for a movie producer, who has run off with money invested in his dubious project by a yakuza lieutenant. Their pursuit takes them around Japan’s Kansai region and even to Macao, which accidentally leads to inter-gang conflict. The hunters become the hunted, forcing them to risk everything in a final desperate

    Satoshi Tsumabuki stars in the mystery GUKOROKU – TRACES OF SIN. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures Japan. © 2017 Hirune Hime Production Committee

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    Source: Warner Bros. Pictures Japan, FilmPressPlus Official Site: gukoroku.jp (Japan) Special Thanks to Richard Lormand A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Warner Bros. Pictures Japan and international publicity agent FilmPressPlus have provided press notes and high-res photos for their new mystery, GUKOROKU – TRACES OF SIN (???, Gukoruku). The movie opens in Japan on February 18th. INTRODUCTION GUKOROKU - TRACES OF SIN is a haunting and intense tale of the demons we face every day -- inside and out. Satoshi Tsumabuki (THE ASSASSINS by Hou Hsiao-Hsien, THE LITTLE HOUSE by Yohji Yamada, VILLAIN by Lee Sang-il ) and Hikari Mitsushima (HARA-KIRI: DEATH OF A SAMURAI by Takashi Miike, LOVE EXPOSURE by Sion Sono) star as the reporter Tanaka and his troubled sister Mitsuko. A graduate of ?ód? Film School and director of short films selected at New Directors, New Films and Sitges, Kei

    Toma Ikuta is back as Undercover Agent Reiji Kikukawa in the manga adaptation THE MOLE SONG -HONG KONG CAPRICCIO-. Photo courtesy of Pony Canyon Inc. © 2016

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    Source: Pony Canyon, Inc., Toho Co., Ltd. Official Site: mogura-movie.com (Japan) Pony Canyon and Toho have provided press materials for THE MOLE SONG -HONG KONG CAPRICCIO- (???? ?????, Mogura no Uta Honkon Kyoosoo Kyoku), the sequel to director Takashi Miike`s live action adaptation of the hit manga series. The film opens in Japan on December 23rd. ? Introduction WELCOME BACK TO MOGURA WORLD!!! This bizarre story begins with Reiji Kikukawa, a patrol cop who graduates with the lowest score in police academy history. Kikukawa is given an assignment to infiltrate the world of organized crime as an undercover cop -- a “Mole.” His mission: to restore purity in an increasingly corrupt society. The bestselling manga, Mogura no Uta by Noboru Takahashi, serialized in Big Comics Spirits Weekly, reached new heights in 2014 when it was adapted to a live action film directed by

    A yakuza funeral is one of the stories shown in Toei`s ALIBIS FOR HAPPINESS. Photo courtesy of Toei Co., Ltd. © 2016

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    Source: Toei Co., Ltd. Official Site: koufuku-alibi.jp (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Toei has provided information and high-res photos from their new drama, ALIBIS FOR HAPPINESS (????????Picture?, Koofuku no Aribai ~Picture~). The film looks at important turning points of life, such as a "Coming-of-Age Ceremony”, “Arranged Marriage”, “Childbirth” and “Funeral”. STORY A funeral director unwittingly ends up organizing a yakuza funeral, while the family and acquaintances of the deceased argue over his will. A woman of marrying age considers meeting an affluent man, while her boyfriend gets caught cheating on her. A son tries to wear a bike gang outfit instead of a suit to his coming-of-age ceremony, while his parents desperately try to stop him from doing so. A husband drives to the hospital where his wife is about to give birth, while his father-in-law takes out his resentment on him

    High school girls are fascinated by death in NIGHT`S TIGHTROPE, the upcoming movie adaptation of the best-selling novel by Kanae Minato. Photo courtesy of Toei Co., Ltd. © 2016 NIGHT’S TIGHTROPE Production Committee

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    New Drama from the Author of Confessions Source: Toei Co., Ltd. Official Site: shoujo.jp (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Over one million copies published! The eagerly-awaited film adaptation of Kanae Minato’s novel! Toei has provided information and high-res photos from NIGHT’S TIGHTROPE (??, Shojo), the new feature film based on Shojo (Girls), the hit novel from the acclaimed author of Confessions and The Snow White Murder Case. The story is a feature-length mystery mired in the "forbidden world" of death, and the appeal that lurking darkness has for a pair of 17 year-old girls. NIGHT’S TIGHTROPE is being promoted as a 4-way women`s collaboration of "writer Kanae Minato × director Yukiko Mishima × actor Tsubasa Honda × actor Mizuki Yamamoto". Tsubasa Honda has starred in BLUE SPRING RIDE (??????, Aoharaido, 2014) and TERMINAL (???? ?????, Kishuten Eki Taminar, 2015) and will be

    Young Ung (SUPER JUNIOR`s Yesung) instructs Sakura (Nozomi Sasaki) in the romantic comedy MY KOREAN TEACHER. Photo courtesy of Shochiku Co. © 2016

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    Source: Shochiku Co., Ltd. Official Site: Ikinarisensei.jp (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Pop star Yesung of SUPER JUNIOR makes his film debut in MY KOREAN TEACHER (????????????????????, Ikinarisensei ni Natta Bokuga Kanojo ni Koi woshita), a romantic comedy set in Okinawa. The film makes its US premiere November 8th at the 2016 Hawaii International Film Festival. Young Ung (Yesung) refuses to take over his father’s business in Korea and works as a contract employee in Tokyo. While on a business trip to Okinawa, he unexpectedly loses his job and decides to stay in Okinawa for a while. One day, he happens to meet the principal of a local foreign language school who gives him a temporary job as a Korean language instructor. He meets a single mother Sakura (Nozomi Sasaki) who desperately needs to speak Korean fluently to get a fill-time job

    Takakura (Hidetoshi Nishijima) learns a disturbing truth in director Kiyoshi Kurosawa`s CREEPY. Photo courtesy of Asmik Ace. © 2016 “CREEPY” Film Partners?

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    Source: Fantasia Festival, Shochiku Co., Ltd., Asmik Ace Entertainment, Inc. Official Movie Site: creepy-movie.com (Japan) Special Thanks to Kaila Hier and Emmanuelle DiBuono Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa first came to international attention with the acclaimed suspense/horror films CURE (???, Kyua, 1997), CHARISMA (????, Karisuma, 1999) and PULSE (??, Kairo, 2001) before moving on to award-winning works like TOKYO SONATA (????????, 2008) and JOURNEY TO THE SHORE (????, Kishibe no Tabi, 2015). He recently made a welcome return to the genre of his early days with CREEPY (????? ?????, Kuriipii Itsuwari no Rinjin, 2016), an adaptation of Yutaka Maekawa`s mystery novel. His new film has proven a favorite at international film festivals, including the July 26th Canadian premiere at the 2016 Fantasia Festival. STORY After a traumatic incident, criminal psychologist and former police detective Takakura (Hidetoshi Nishijima) moves to a new neighborhood with his wife Yasuko (Yuko Takeuchi) to

    Kiyoshi Mitarai (Hiroshi Tamaki) investigates several interconnected mysteries in Toei`s THE SEA OF SEIRO: DETECTIVE MITARAI`S CASEBOOK. Photo courtesy of Toei Co., Ltd. © 2016

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    Source: Toei Co., Ltd. Official Movie Site: mitarai-movie.jp (Japan) Toei has provided information and high-res photos from their new thriller THE SEA OF SEIRO: DETECTIVE MITARAI`S CASEBOOK (?????????? ????, Tantei Mitarai no Jikenbo Seiro no Umi). The movie was released last month in Japan and is now being offered to foreign distributors. The film is based on the 2013 novel Sea of Hoshikago: The Clockwork Current (???? The Clockwork Current, Hoshikago no Umi The Clockwork Current), by mystery author Soji Shimada. The book was the 28th in Shimada`s popular Kiyoshi Mitarai series, which launched in 1981 and has sold more than 5.5 million copies to date. The protagonist, Kiyoshi Mitarai is a Japanese take on Sherlock Holmes, an astrologer, fortuneteller, and self-styled detective known as the "brain scientist". In THE SEA OF SEIRO, the character is played by actor/model/singer Hiroshi Tamaki, who first

    Underground police officer Saki Kubozuka (Shota Matsuda) hunts down a pair of killers in the live-action manga adaptation, DIAS-POLICE -DIRTY YELLOW BOYS-. Photo courtesy of Toei Co., Ltd. © Richard Woo, Shinichi Sugimura ? Kodansha / DiasPolice Film Partners

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    Source: Toei Co., Ltd. Official Site: dias-police.jp (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details and images from an upcoming movie. Toei has provided information and high-res images from their upcoming crime drama, DIAS-POLICE -DIRTY YELLOW BOYS- (??????? -DIRTY YELLOW BOYS-, Diasuporisu -DIRTY YELLOW BOYS-). The film is based on the manga series DiasPolice: Real Tokyo Underworld (???????-????-, Diasuporisu -Ihou Keisatsu-) by writer Richard Woo (aka Takashi Nagasaki) and artist Shinichi Sugimura, which was serialized in Kodansha`s Weekly Morning magazine from 2006-2009. The lead character in the manga is Saki Kubozuka, the sole member of the "Dias Police" (Gentiles Police), an unofficial police force created to protect the 150,000 illegal immigrants living in Tokyo. Not recognized by the Japanese government, the underground citizens have formed their own political, banking and health systems, with Kubozuka tasked to keep

    Rookie agent Aoki (Masaki Okada) accesses the memories of murder victims in the science fiction thriller THE TOP SECRET: MURDER IN MIND. Photo courtesy of Shochiku Co. © 2016

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    Sci-Fi Suspense from the Director of RUROUNI KENSHIN Source: Shochiku Co., Ltd. Official Site: himitsu-movie.jp (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE The legendary manga is finally a movie. Shochiku has provided some information and images from their upcoming sci-fi suspense thriller, THE TOP SECRET: MURDER IN MIND (???THE TOP SECRET, Himitsu Toppu Shiikuretto). The film is based on Reiko Shimizu`s best-selling manga series Himitsu the Top Secret, which was originally serialized in Hakusensha`s Melody magazine. THE TOP SECRET: MURDER IN MIND is directed by Keishi Ohtomo, best known for the RUROUNI KENSHIN (??????) movie trilogy. STORY Unit No.9 is a special Police detective which uncover the unsolved cold cases by using a special MRI scanner that can scan the brains of dead people in order to visualize memories from their lifetimes. Rookie agent Aoki (Masaki Okada) and No.9 unit chief Maki (Toma Ikuta)

    Hapless samurai Masaatsu Naito (Kuranosuke Sasaki) is back on the run in the comedy SAMURAI HUSTLE RETURNS. Photo courtesy of Shochiku Co. © 2016 “Samurai Hustle Returns” Film Partners

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    Source: Shochiku Co., Ltd. Official Site: cho-sankin.jp (Japan) A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE In 2014, Shochiku released the samurai comedy SAMURAI HUSTLE (????????, Chokousoku! Sankin Kotai) -- aka MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: SAMURAI -- starring Kuranosuke Sasaki (20TH CENTURY BOYS trilogy, SOLOMON`S PERJURY, THE INERASABLE) and Kyoko Fukada (SECOND VIRGINITY, WILD 7, ROOMMATE). Directed by Katsuhide Motoki (the KITARO movie series, BATTLE LEAGUE HORUMO), the film followed the misadventures of Masaatsu Naito (Sasaki), the head of a small and poor clan who is ordered by the shogun to come to the capital city, Edo, with his entire staff. The samurai had to complete the 8 day journey in just 4 days or his clan`s land would be taken away. SAMURAI HUSTLE was a critical and commercial success so the cast and crew have reunited for a sequel, tentatively titled SAMURAI HUSTLE RETURNS (??????????????, Chokousoku! Sankin

    Fumi Nikaido is Erika Shinohara and Kento Yamazaki is Kyouya Sata in the live-action movie version of WOLF GIRL & BLACK PRINCE. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures Japan. © Ayuko Hatta / Shueisha © 2016

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    Trailer and High-Res Photos for New Film Source: Warner Bros. Pictures Japan Official Site: warnerbros.co.jp/ookamishojo (Japan) The romantic comedy WOLF GIRL & BLACK PRINCE (??????????, Okami Shojo to Kuro Oji) opened today at the Shinjuku Piccadilly and other theaters across Japan. Directed by Ryuichi Hiroki (KABUKICHO LOVE HOTEL), the movie is based on Ayuko Hatta`s manga of the same name, which has sold more than 450 million copies since its 2011 debut. WOLF GIRL & BLACK PRINCE stars Fumi Nikaido (WHY DON’T YOU PLAY IN HELL?, HIBI ROCK: PUKE AFRO AND THE POP STAR) as "wolf girl" Erika Shinohara and Kento Yamazaki (LOVE FOR BEGINNERS, L?DK – LIVING TOGETHER) as "black prince" Kyouya Sata. The supporting cast features Nobuyuki Suzuki (THE KIRISHIMA THING, STRAYER’S CHRONICLE), Mugi Kadowaki (GASSOH), Ryusei Yokohama (MARUYAMA THE MIDDLE SCHOOLER), Elaiza Ikeda (THE VIRGIN PSYCHICS), Tina Tamashiro (SADAKO VS

    Nikkatsu`s new thriller HIMEANOLE opened on Saturday. © 2016 “HIMEANOLE” Film Partners

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    Source: Nikkatsu Corporation Official Movie Site: himeanole-movie.com (Japan) Which one are you? Predator or prey? Nikkatsu`s new thriller HIMEANOLE (??????, Himeano ~ ru) opened this weekend in Japan. Based on the manga series by Minoru Furuya, the film stars Go Morita (V-6), (ULTRAMAN GAIA: THE BATTLE IN HYPERSPACE, ONE PIECE FILM GOLD) and Aimi Satsukawa (SADAKO VS KAYAKO). Story Okada works part-time at a cleaning company. Recently he has been feeling frustrated about his go-nowhere life. One day his co-worker Mr. Ando asks Okada to help him in his quest to win the love of Yuka, a waitress at a nearby restaurant. Reluctantly Okada agrees and, by chance, meets high school classmate Shoichi Morita when at the restaurant. After seeing Okada and Morita talking, Yuka tells Okada that Morita has been stalking her. While Okada finds it hard to believe, he recalls how

    New York`s Japan Society kicks off their `Monthly Classics` series with Japan’s first-ever color film, CARMEN COMES HOME. Photo courtesy of Japan Society and Janus. © 1951/2012 Shochiku Co., Ltd.

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    Launches with Restoration of Japan’s First Color Film in September Source: Japan Society press release Special Thanks to Shannon Jowett Japan Society’s Film Program resurrects Monthly Classics to give New Yorkers regular screenings of beloved classics, hidden gems or recent discoveries of Japanese cinema on the first Friday of every month. Slated for September 2015 through June 2016, the first season of Monthly Classics launches Friday, September 4, 7:00 pm with Japan’s first-ever color film, CARMEN COMES HOME (1951), which was filmed during the end of the era of U.S. Occupation and addresses the issue of the influence of American culture in immediate postwar Japan. A “classic” in the traditional sense, the film was digitally restored in 2012 by Shochiku for Kinoshita’s centenary. This screening also marks the 120th anniversary of the renowned Shochiku studios. On Friday, October 2, at 7:00 pm, Monthly Classics screens PARADISE VIEW,

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