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    Photo courtesy of GKIDS. TM & © TOHO CO., LTD.

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    Photo courtesy of GKIDS. TM & © TOHO CO., LTD. GKIDS TO OPERATE AS A WHOLLY-OWNED SUBSIDIARY UNDER COMPANY, FOUNDER/CEO ERIC BECKMAN AND PRESIDENT DAVE JESTEADTSource: GKIDS press release   Japanese entertainment leader Toho Co., Ltd. announced today that it has reached an agreement to acquire a 100% equity share of GKIDS, Inc., the Academy Award-winning North American animation producer and distributor. Financial terms were not disclosed.   GKIDS, which maintains offices in New York and Los Angeles, will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Los Angeles-based Toho International. GKIDS Founder Eric Beckman will remain as CEO, and Dave Jesteadt will remain as President of the company. The two have run GKIDS together since the company first released the Academy Award-nominated film THE SECRET OF KELLS as a two-person company in 2009. Together, they have grown GKIDS into a powerful force in the U.S. animation scene,

    Image courtesy of Crunchyroll.

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    Image courtesy of Crunchyroll. Additional Blu-ray Titles Arriving from Crunchyroll this January Include THE WRONG WAY TO USE HEALING MAGIC and DEAD MOUNT DEATH PLAY Part 2, Among OthersSource: Crunchyroll press release Crunchyroll has the best remedy to ring in the New Year with THE APOTHECARY DIARIES Season 1 Part 1, arriving on Blu-ray on January 28, 2025. Fans excited for the release can expect an elixir of special features including 12 mini-episodes featuring Maomao and Jinshi that have never officially been subtitled until now. Those looking to warm up their hearts from cold this winter can also look forward to the Crunchyroll Anime Awards winner for Best Romance Anime, HORIMIYA: THE MISSING PIECES, with a Blu-ray and DVD combo set on January 21, 2025. This collection of episodic stories completes the romantic tale between Kyouko Hori and Izumi Miyamura and will be packaged together with

    YOJIMBO. Photo courtesy of the Criterion Collection. TM & ©TOHO CO., LTD.

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      YOJIMBO. Photo courtesy of the Criterion Collection. TM & ©TOHO CO., LTD. Source: The Criterion Collection press release Special Thanks to Courtney Ott Photo courtesy of the Criterion Collection. TM & ©TOHO CO., LTD. The Criterion Collection has announced that YOJIMBO / SANJURO: TWO SAMURAI FILMS BY AKIRA KUROSAWA will be released January 7, 2025 in a 4-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray set. 2-disc Blu-ray edition is also available for purchase. Thanks to perhaps the most indelible character in Akira Kurosawa’s oeuvre, YOJIMBO (用心棒, Yōjinbō) surpassed even SEVEN SAMURAI in popularity when it was released. The masterless samurai Sanjuro, who slyly manipulates two warring clans to his own advantage in a small, dusty village, was so entertainingly embodied by the brilliant Toshiro Mifune that it was only a matter of time before he returned in a sequel. Made just one year later, SANJURO (椿三十郎, Tsubaki

    Photo courtesy of Fathom Events. ©BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA, TOEI ANIMATION

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    In Theaters November 10, 11 & 12 and Now Available in Both the United States and CanadaSource: Toei Animation Inc. press release Special Thanks to Scott Barretto Photo courtesy of Fathom Events. ©BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA, TOEI ANIMATION This November, Toei Animation and Fathom Events will present the world English dub premiere of the highly anticipated new series DRAGON BALL DAIMA as a three-day, limited release, which has now been expanded to include both the United States and Canada and will screen exclusively in more than 1,000 theaters locations during its November 10 - 12 run. Moviegoers will be treated to a special introduction by Japanese actor Masako Nozawa, the voice of Goku, that can only be experienced in theaters. Fans can now purchase tickets to the DRAGON BALL DAIMA World English Dub Premiere theatrical release, which will screen November 10, 11 & 12 and features the first three episodes

    Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll.©Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Yusuke Nomura, KODANSHA/BLUE LOCK Production Committee.

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    Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll.©Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Yusuke Nomura, KODANSHA/BLUE LOCK Production Committee. Shortly After the Season Two Premiere, the Crowd-Favorite Soccer Anime Film Scores a Premiere Date of October 17Source: Crunchyroll press release Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll.©Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Yusuke Nomura, KODANSHA/BLUE LOCK Production Committee. BLUE LOCK is keeping up the momentum as BLUE LOCK THE MOVIE -EPISODE NAGI- makes its way to Crunchyroll this Thursday, October 17 at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET. The film will be available to stream in select territories around the world in Japanese with subtitles in English, Latin American Spanish, Castilian Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Russian and Arabic. The film will also be available with dub languages in English, Latin American Spanish, Castilian Spanish, French, German and Italian.   After receiving acclaim for its international premiere at the 2024 Annecy International

    Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.

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    Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.  Source: Well Go USA, LBHpr  Special Thanks to Leif Helland Photo courtesy of Well Go USA. Well Go USA Entertainment is offering SciFi Japan readers a chance to win a Blu-ray of the British horror-thriller THE BEAST WITHIN. The narrative directorial debut by documentary filmmaker Alexander J. Farrell (REFUGEE), and a cast including Kit Harington (GAME OF THRONES, ETERNALS), Ashleigh Cummings (THE GOLDFINCH, CITADEL), Caoilinn Springall (STOPMOTION, THE MIDNIGHT SKY), and James Cosmo (BRAVEHEART, GAME OF THRONES)​, bring a “timelessness” (Variety) to this atmospheric, supernatural tale--shot mostly around the historic Harewood Woods and Castle in West Yorkshire, UK. After a series of strange events leads her to question her family’s isolated life on a fortified compound deep in the English wilds, 10-year-old Willow (Caoilinn Springall) follows her parents on one of their secret late-night treks to the

    Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll.

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    Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll. Source: Crunchyroll press release This past weekend, Crunchyroll held an Industry Panel at SOFA (el Salón del Ocio y la FAntasía) 2024, Colombia’s biggest annual fan convention, at the Corferias Convention Center in Bogotá, Colombia. During the panel, Crunchyroll announced multiple anime series coming to its streaming platform in January 2025, including TOILET-BOUND HANAKO-KUN Season 2, THE 100 GIRLFRIENDS WHO REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY LOVE YOU Season 2, HEADHUNTED TO ANOTHER WORLD: FROM SALARYMAN TO BIG FOUR!, and MEDAKA KUROIWA IS IMPERVIOUS TO MY CHARMS.Details for each title can be found below:   Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll. TOILET-BOUND HANAKO-KUN Season 2   Synopsis: There’s a rumor going around about the Seven Wonders of Kamome Academy. Nene Yashiro and her classmate, Kou Minamoto, work with Hanako-san to expose a traitor among the ranks of the

    Photo courtesy of Toei Animation. ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, TOEI ANIMATION

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    Source: Crunchyroll press release Photo courtesy of Toei Animation. ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, TOEI ANIMATION Toei Animation has announced that the legendary anime series ONE PIECE will be embarking on a hiatus following today’s release of Episode 1122. The series will return in April 2025 with fresh episodes from the Egghead arc. During the hiatus, fans can look forward to new content, including ONE PIECE LOG: FISH-MAN ISLAND SAGA, a special re-envisioned edition of the iconic arc streaming on Crunchyroll. These episodes will be available exclusively in select regions for one month before becoming accessible on other platforms worldwide. This special 21-episode cutdown will showcase the FISH-MAN ISLAND ARC with a fresh look and feel, bringing a contemporary visual style and new animation sequences, including opening and ending themes. The new opening theme, “We Go!” by Kitadani Hiroshi, will include a special guest collaboration to be announced soon,

    The main cast of HOSHI 35. From left to right: Megumi Odaka, Jun Hashizume, Daijiro Harada, Hiroshi Miyasaka and Yumiko Tanaka. Photos courtesy of 3Y Film. © 2023 3Y

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    The main cast of HOSHI 35. From left to right: Megumi Odaka, Jun Hashizume, Daijiro Harada, Hiroshi Miyasaka and Yumiko Tanaka. Photos courtesy of 3Y Film. © 2023 3Y Source: SRS Cinema LLCSpecial Thanks to Avery Guerra A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Photo courtesy of SRS Cinema. © 2023 3Y Aki lived her young life with a baby monster, but got separated from it for some reason. Thirty-five years later, a big earthquake hits her home. As the shaking grows stronger, a giant monster emerges… no longer a baby kaiju, the creature has grown… SRS Cinema LLC has acquired North American rights to the new kaiju film, HOSHI 35 (星35, 2023). Written and directed by Hiroto Yokokawa (THE GREAT BUDDHA ARRIVAL, NEZURA 1964), and co-directed by Kazuma Yoneyama and Daisuke Sato, with effects by Sato, the movie uses traditional Japanese FX techniques (aka tokusatsu)

    My First Ultraman Exhibition poster, courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS

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    Experience the charm of Ultraman through pop art, illustrations, and interactive photo spots! Source: Tsuburaya Productions press releaseOfficial Site: https://kusou-ultraman.m-78.jp/fue/  (Japan)Official X (Twitter): https://x.com/tsuburaya_event My First Ultraman Exhibition poster, courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS Tsuburaya Productions Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President: Masayuki Nagatake) will hold the "First Ultraman Exhibition"(はじめてのウルトラマン展, Hajimete no Urutoraman-ten) from Friday, November 1 to Sunday, November 17, 2024 at PARCO FACTORY on the 7th floor of Ikebukuro PARCO Main Building (1-28-2 Minami-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo). The "First Ultraman Exhibition" is being developed as one of the projects of the "Ultraman Fantasy Special Effects Series" (空想特撮シリーズ ウルトラマン, Kūsō Tokusatsu Shirīzu Urutoraman) project, which uses "fantasy" as a keyword to enjoy the charm of Ultraman. In the exhibition area, episodes and characters are introduced with pop art and cute illustrations so that attendees can enjoy the charm of Ultraman without any stress. There

    Photo courtesy of Toei Animation. ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, TOEI ANIMATION

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    Photo courtesy of Toei Animation. ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, TOEI ANIMATION Weekly Production of ONE PIECE Episodic Anime Series Takes Pause; New One Piece Programming to be Released During Scheduled Break Source: Toei Animation Inc. press release Special Thanks to Scott Barretto Photo courtesy of Toei Animation. ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, TOEI ANIMATION This evening at 11:00 pm JST, legendary studio and anime industry leader Toei Animation announced that ONE PIECE, the long-running, globally beloved episodic series from creator Eiichiro Oda, will take a break from regular production starting today, Sunday, October 13, following this morning’s release of Episode 1122. Fans can look forward to watching  fresh new episodes from the Egghead arc when ONE PIECE returns in April 2025 in a new regular time slot that will be revealed at Jump Festa 2025, which takes place on Sunday, December 22, 2024. In anticipation of this planned production

    Photo courtesy of Toho. TM & © TOHO CO., LTD.

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    Photo courtesy of Toho. TM & © TOHO CO., LTD. Source: Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America Inc., Toho This October 17-20 at New York Comic Con, Bandai will offer fans an exclusive Godzilla Monster Series Godzilla 2023 Special Gold Edition figure. Based on the 6" Godzilla Action Figure Set Series Godzilla (2023) figure, Bandai's NYCC 2024 exclusive gold version features the same articulation-packed sculpt, approximately 6.25" height and 3.5" length, and 18 points of articulation. Joining its lustrous new paint job is also a gold heat ray effect part fit for celebrating Godzilla's 70th anniversary. Fans can buy the Godzilla Monster Series Godzilla 2023 Special Gold Edition figure for $34.99 at Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America Inc.'s Booth: 2621. New York Comic ConOctober 17-20, 2024Javits Center429 11th Avenue New York, NY 10001 Photo courtesy of Toho. TM & ©

    Ultra Heroes EXPO 2025 New Year Festival poster, courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS

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    The main cast of ULTRAMAN ARC will appear every day!Source: Tsuburaya Productions press releaseOfficial Site: https://www.ultra-expo.com/prism2025/Official X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/m78expo Ultra Heroes EXPO 2025 New Year Festival poster, courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS Tsuburaya Productions Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President: Masayuki Nagatakei) will host the "Ultra Heroes EXPO 2025 New Year Festival in Tokyo Dome City" (ウルトラヒーローズEXPO 2025 ニューイヤーフェスティバル IN 東京ドームシティ,  Urutora Hīrōzu EXPO 2025 Nyū Iyā Fesutibaru IN Tōkyō Dōmu Shiti) at Ikebukuro Sunshine City (3-1-4 Higashi-ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo) from Friday, December 27th, 2024 to Monday, January 6th, 2025 at Tokyo Dome City Prism Hall. "Ultra Heroes EXPO" is a popular year-end and New Year's holiday event for the Ultraman series, with the 2025 festival held under the theme of “Bringing the Power of Imagination to Heroes". The EXPO is also planned to be held in conjunction with other events in and around Tokyo

    KAIJU YARROW! teaser poster. Photo courtesy of Titan Co., Ltd JP. ©2024 Team KAIJU GUY!

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    Source: Titan Co., Ltd JPOfficial Site: https://www.kaijuyaro.com/ (Japan)Translation: Yuki MoritaSpecial Thanks to Avery Guerra KAIJU YARROW! teaser poster. Photo courtesy of Titan Co., Ltd JP. ©2024 Team KAIJU GUY! The makers of the upcoming independent Japanese giant monster movie comedy KAIJU YARROW! (怪獣ヤロウ!, Kaijū Yarō!) have revealed new details about the production. The film is directed by Award-winning indie filmmaker Junichiro Yagi and produced by Mitsuyo Ota, both of Titan Co., Ltd JP. It will be be released theatrically in Japan on January 31, 2025 by Aya Pro JP (Aya Productions). Nikkatsu Corporation is handling international sales, and is marketing the movie with the English title KAIJU GUY!   KAIJU YARROW! stars comedian Gunpee (aka Gunpi) as Ichiro Yamada, a government employee in the tourism department of Seki City, Gifu Prefecture. After being ordered by the mayor to produce a "local

    Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll. ©BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA, TOEI ANIMATION

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    Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll. ©BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA, TOEI ANIMATION Source: Crunchyroll press release The premiere episode of DRAGON BALL DAIMA will be available to stream on Crunchyroll starting October 11 at 10:00 AM PT (9:00 AM PT starting November 7, after Daylight Saving Time ends), with new episodes releasing every Friday. DRAGON BALL DAIMA is an all-new original anime series produced by Toei Animation in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Akira Toriyama’s original manga Dragon Ball, which grew to become the worldwide, popular franchise we know today.   DRAGON BALL DAIMA Goku and company were living peaceful lives when they suddenly turned small due to a conspiracy! When they discover that the reason for this may lie in a world known as the "Demon Realm", a mysterious young Majin named Glorio appears before them. –STAFF– Original Work, Story, and Character Design by

    Photo courtesy of Toei Animation. ©BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA, TOEI ANIMATION ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, TOEI ANIMATION ©Akiyoshi Hongo, TOEI ANIMATION

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    Photo courtesy of Toei Animation. ©BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA, TOEI ANIMATION ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, TOEI ANIMATION ©Akiyoshi Hongo, TOEI ANIMATION Programming Line-Up Includes Trio of Franchise Panels Featuring Celebrity Guests Together with One Piece: Mugiwara Store and Dim Mak Pop-Up Store Experiences Source: Toei Animation Inc. press release Special Thanks to Scott Barretto (Publicity Partners) Legendary anime studio Toei Animation returns to New York Comic Con (“NYCC”) this year with a triple celebration of Dragon Ball, One Piece and Digimon. For NYCC 2024, Toei Animation will spotlight these three fan-favorite properties and global hit franchises with mix of celebrity guest panels and fan experiences. This year, Toei Animation’s exhibit booth (#2635) will feature two pop-up shops including the always popular Toei Animation X Dim Mak Pop-Up Shop with its curated selection of One Piece merchandise, including hoodies, t-shirts and shorts as wells as NYCC exclusive releases like a Straw Hats

    Photo courtesy of Ablaze.

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    Source: ABLAZE press release Special Thanks to Erik Jansen (MediaLab)  Photo courtesy of Ablaze. Comics and graphic novel publisher ABLAZE announces the print and digital release of the horror manga launch of Happyland (終園地, Shūenchi) on November 26th. The publisher’s latest release under its ABLAZE Manga imprint was created by Shingo Honda and is set in an extreme amusement park where nothing is as it seems and depicts the horror that lies in store for an unsuspecting family that visits the park.   Happyland, Vol. 1, story and art by Shingo HondaSRP: $12.99 · 180 Pages ·  ISBN: 9781684973040 · Available November 26th    Welcome to Happyland, an extreme amusement park! The Komiya family is not unusual is any way, two parents love each other and their two children, who are healthy, happy, and accomplished at school and with extracurriculars. In appearance, they’re an

    Image courtesy of AnimEigo. Parts I & II © AIC, Part III © AIC / Flying Dog

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    Source: AnimEigo press release Special Thanks to Erik Jansen (MediaLab) Image courtesy of AnimEigo. Parts I & II © AIC, Part III © AIC / Flying Dog Anime distributor AnimEigo announces the upcoming home media Blu-ray release of the MEGAZONE 23 OVA (メガゾーン23, Megazōn Tsū Surī) on November 12th. Making its debut in 1985, MEGAZONe 23 ignited the Japanese Original Video Animation (OVA) boom. It proved there was a market for direct-to-video anime films and paved the way for anime to become not just a niche genre, but a world-wide phenomenon. It was soon joined by a visually mind-blowing sequel, and a 2-part spinoff that takes place centuries later. The new release from AnimEigo compiles the complete MEGAZONE 23 trilogy along with an array of bonus features that includes the original ADV Films commentary track, ADV Films English dub tracks for all 3 parts

    Photo courtesy of Toei Animation Inc. ©BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA, TOEI ANIMATION

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    Photo courtesy of Toei Animation Inc. ©BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA, TOEI ANIMATION Toei Animation Celebrates the 40th Anniversary of Dragon Ball Created by Akira Toriyama with a Brand New Goku Character Balloon Debuting at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day ParadeSource: Toei Animation Inc. press release Special Thanks to Scott Barretto On Thanksgiving Day, Goku, one of anime’s most recognizable characters, returns to Big Apple, but in a brand new form.  Earth’s mightiest warrior from the global hit anime franchise Dragon Ball will fly in his iconic Saiyan form in the 98th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. In a new pose sporting jet black hair and his signature orange martial arts uniform, Goku will debut as a brand-new featured character balloon on November 28, 2024 in the iconic holiday tradition. Goku will greet millions of excited Parade spectators with an expressive smile and salute—marking the 40th anniversary of Dragon Ball. Measuring

    Photo courtesy of Janus Films. ©1956 Nikkatsu.

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      Photo courtesy of Janus Films. ©1956 Nikkatsu. Source: Janus Films press release Special Thanks to Courtney Ott Photo courtesy of Janus Films. ©1956 Nikkatsu. Janus Films presents a new 4K restoration of the Nikkatsu classic antiwar film THE BURMESE HARP (ビルマの竪琴, Biruma no Tategoto, 1956). The movie will play October 18-24 at the Film Forum in New York and is available for bookings nationwide. In the last days of World War II, a Japanese platoon sustains morale through the Burma campaign by singing traditional songs, accompanied by the delicate harp-playing of Private Mizushima (Shoji Yasui). After the unit surrenders to British forces, Mizushima is tasked with convincing a holdout of cave-dwelling Japanese soldiers to lay down their arms; when his mission fails, he is counted among the dead. Mizushima survives, however, and becomes a monk who dedicates his life to providing proper burials for

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    Ultraman - Tsuburaya

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