SciFi Japan

    Photo courtesy of Radiance Films. ©Shochiku

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Source: Radiance Films, MVD Entertainment Special Thanks to Derek Stubinski Shochiku's acclaimed film THE EEL (うなぎ, Unagi, 1997) will be released March 25 in a limited edition Blu-ray from Radiance Films. From the star of PERFECT DAYS and the director of BLACK RAIN, THE EEL won the Palme d'Or, Independent Spirit Award, and over a dozen other international accolades. It is available for the first time on Blu-ray, 4K restored, and loaded with extras. Photo courtesy of Radiance Films. ©Shochiku After serving time in prison for murdering his unfaithful wife, Yamashita (Koji Yakusho, PERFECT DAYS, CURE) is released on parole, accompanied only by his pet eel. Hoping to stay out of trouble, he takes over a rural barber shop that quickly becomes a gathering point for the eccentric locals. However, the discovery of a woman's failed suicide starts a chain reaction that brings back past demons -

    Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    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 Crunchyroll. ©Solo Leveling Animation Partners

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    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

    Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll.

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    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 the Criterion Collection. © KADOKAWA 1953

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    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

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    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

    Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    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 Film Movement. © Toei

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    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,

    Photo courtesy of Radiance Films. ©Toei

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    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

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    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 Vision Films. ©Vision Films, Inc.

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Source: Vision Films, Inc.Special Thanks to Avery Guerra Photo courtesy of Vision Films. ©Vision Films, Inc. Vision Films has announced the North American Transactional VOD release of cult-classic filmmaker Jim Wynorski's latest feature DINOGATOR on January 14, 2025. A 30+ year veteran in the Hollywood B-movie filmmaking genre, writer/producer/director Jim Wynorski has made over 150 films across a myriad of genres. He launched his career under the tutelage of his childhood idol, legendary filmmaker Roger Corman and the rest is history. 10 years in the making, Wysnorski shot this full-length feature on location in one of his favorite locales, Mariana, Florida. The cast ranges from first-time actors to veteran Michael Madsen. DINOGATOR holds true his successful, campy, b-movie formula that includes cult classics such as RETURN OF THE SWAMP THING, CHOPPING MALL, PIRANHACONDA, POINT OF SEDUCTION: BODY CHEMISTRY III, and BODY CHEMISTRY 4: FULL EXPOSURE.

    Blu-ray cover art. Image courtesy of MVD Entertainment. ©2021 The Great Yokai Wars Film Partners

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Source: MVD Entertainment press release Special Thanks to Derek Stubinski Blu-ray cover art. Image courtesy of MVD Entertainment. ©2021 The Great Yokai Wars Film Partners Following the Limited Edition Blu-ray, and the DVD, Kadokawa's THE GREAT YOKAI WAR: GUARDIANS (妖怪大戦争 ガーディアンズ, Yōkai Daisensō Gādianzu, 2021) will receive a wide release Blu-ray edition this April from SRS Cinema. The film is the second entry in the popular Great Yokai War series from legendary director Takashi Miike (AUDITION, ICHI THE KILLER). In the year 20xx, cities located along the Fossa Magna, a fault that runs from north to south across the Japan island, are destroyed by what appears to be a storm or an earthquake. The route of the destruction points towards Tokyo. Meanwhile, in Beijing, Yokai from around the world come together for an international conference known as the "Yummit". They discover that monsters formed from

    Photo courtesy of Radiance Films. ©NIKKATSU CORPORATION

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Source: Radiance Films, MVD Entertainment Special Thanks to Derek Stubinski Nikkatsu's UNDERWORLD BEAUTY (暗黒街の美女, Ankokugai no Bijo, 1958) will be released January 28 in a limited edition Blu-ray from Radiance Films. This wildly inventive early noir sees Seijun Suzuki (BRANDED TO KILL, TATTOOED LIFE) infectiously playing with genre rules and gender stereotypes. Photo courtesy of Radiance Films. ©NIKKATSU CORPORATION Retrieving the diamonds he stashed before his arrest, thief Miyamoto (Michitaro Mizushima) hopes to help his old partner Mihara (Toru Abe), crippled during the heist. Their former boss, crime lord Oyane (Yusuke Ashida), offers to mediate with a foreign buyer, but secretly wants the stones for himself. The deal goes awry when gunmen appear on the scene. Mihara swallows the diamonds but dies in the chase, leaving a valuable corpse in the police morgue. Miyamoto forms an uneasy alliance with Mihara's wildcat sister Akiko (Mari Shiraki) to

    Photo courtesy of Arrow Films. ©1967 KADOKAWA CORPORATION

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Photo courtesy of Arrow Films. ©1967 KADOKAWA CORPORATION Source: Arrow Films, MVD Entertainment Special Thanks to Derek Stubinski The Daiei crime thrillers A CERTAIN KILLER / A KILLER'S KEY will be released in February as a double feature limited edition Blu-ray from Arrow Films. Photo courtesy of Arrow Films. ©1967 KADOKAWA CORPORATION Anticipating the cool aesthetic of Seijun Suzuki's BRANDED TO KILL and based on a crime novel by Shinji Fujiwara, the author of the original material for the same year's A COLT IS MY PASSPORT, A CERTAIN KILLER and A KILLER'S KEY are similarly stylish contemporary hitman thrillers directed by Daiei's top director of jidai-geki, Kazuo Mori (THE TALE OF ZATOICHI CONTINUES) and starring the studio's top actor Raizō Ichikawa (SHINOBI: BAND OF ASSASSINS, SLEEPY EYES OF DEATH). In A CERTAIN KILLER (ある殺し屋, Aru Koroshiya, 1967), Shiozaki's low-profile existence as a chef

    HOSHI 35 Blu-ray artwork by Matt Frank. Image courtesy of SRS Cinema. ©2023 3Y

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Source: SRS Cinema LLC Special Thanks to Ron Bonk HOSHI 35 Blu-ray artwork by Matt Frank. Image courtesy of SRS Cinema. ©2023 3Y Distributor SRS Cinema has announced the launch of preorders for their Blu-ray and VHS editions of 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) in the tradition of the classic Godzilla and Gamera films. HOSHI 35 has attracted fan attention in both Japan and the United States for its cast, which is made up of a veritable 'who's who' of genre veterans, starting with Godzilla Heisei Series star Megumi Odaka (GODZILLA VS BIOLLANTE to GODZILLA VS DESTOROYAH). The movie, whose title is derived from the Japanese word for "star" (hoshi), is a celebration

    Photo courtesy of MVD Entertainment. ©Showa Tokusatsu Monster Film Cooperation Corps

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Source: SRS Cinema LLC, MVD Entertainment Special Thanks to Derek Stubinski   Photo courtesy of MVD Entertainment. ©Showa Tokusatsu Monster Film Cooperation Corps SRS Cinema and distributor MVD Entertainment present the DVD release of Shinpei Hayashiya`s WAR OF THE NINJA MONSTERS: JARON VS. GOURA (忍獣大戦記 蛇龍対號羅, Shinobu Kemono Daisenki Daryū Tai Goura, 2024), coming in March 2025.   Two men, tired from work, visit the town of Chichibu to enjoy their favorite hobby - exploring caves. But little do they know, the town has been secretly protected by the descendants of the righteous Shinobi ninja since the Sengoku period. The two unlucky friends accidentally break a spell that awakens two colossal beasts, Jaron and Goura. The area's rival clans manipulate them into a fierce battle, bringing chaos to the area. But a righteous female ninja steps up, wanting to stop the destruction and restore the seal.

    Teruo Ishii's LOVE AND CRIME gets a limited edition Blu-ray release next month. Photo courtesy of 88 Films and MVD Entertainment. ©Toei

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Director Teruo Ishii delivers four dramatized tales of real-life crimes of passion involving women across the ages in this grotesque anthology Source: MVD Entertainment press release Special Thanks to Derek Stubinski 88 Films will release Toei's LOVE AND CRIME (明治大正昭和 猟奇女犯罪史, Meiji Taisho Showa Ryoki Onna Hanzaishi, 1969), an infamous anthology sure to appeal to fans of KWAIDAN, THREE EXTREMES, and TRICK 'R TREAT, in January 2025. This limited edition Blu-ray/DVD set includes an individually numbered obi strip, audio commentary and collector’s booklet.    Japan's legendary "King of Cult" Teruo Ishii (HORRORS OF MALFORMED MEN, SHOGUN'S JOY OF TORTURE) delivers four dramatized tales of real-life crimes of passion involving women across the ages in this grotesque anthology featuring the stories of the "Hotel Nihonkaku Murders", the notorious "poison wife" and last woman in Japan to be executed by beheading, Oden Takahashi, the brutal serial killer

    Limited Edition. Image courtesy of Crunchyroll.

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Additional Blu-rays Arriving from Crunchyroll Include THE APOTHECARY DIARIES Season 1 Part 2 and THE 100 GIRLFRIENDS WHO REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY LOVE YOU Season 1, Among OthersSource: Crunchyroll press release As winter ends and spring begins, Crunchyroll will be sowing its next crop of highly anticipated anime TV series and movies in March 2025 on Blu-ray, which include JUJUTSU KAISEN SHIBUYA INCIDENT, SPY x FAMILY CODE: WHITE, SPY x FAMILY Season 2, AKIRA, A SIGN OF AFFECTION, SHANGRI-LA FRONTIER Season 1, THE APOTHECARY DIARIES Season 1 Part 2, and more. The treats of Halloween arrive early on March 18, 2025 when JUJUTSU KAISEN SHIBUYA INCIDENt releases on Blu-ray with updated animation. Complete the JUJUTSU KAISEN Season 2 Blu-ray set with the critically acclaimed, action-packed blockbuster that currently holds the Guinness World Record for the most popular anime series. The Limited Edition Blu-ray and DVD combo box

    Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll. ©Solo Leveling Animation Partners

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll. ©Solo Leveling Animation Partners New footage and the ending theme song “UN-APEX” by TK are unveiled ahead of the highly anticipated returnSource: Crunchyroll press release Crunchyroll, the ultimate destination for anime, in collaboration with Aniplex, is excited to announce that SOLO LEVELING SEASON 2 -ARISE FROM THE SHADOW-  will officially premiere on January 4, 2025, only on Crunchyroll. This news was shared alongside the release of the main trailer, giving fans a fresh look at new footage from the upcoming second season. The trailer also revealed the ending theme song, “UN-APEX” performed by TK (best known for TOKYO GHOUL’s “Unravel”), promising another emotional and powerful musical centerpiece for the series. Watch the trailer HERE. Adapted from the best-selling Korean web novel written by Chugong, SOLO LEVELING follows Sung Jinwoo, the world’s weakest hunter. After being brutally slaughtered by monsters in a high-ranking dungeon, Jinwoo

    Image courtesy of AnimEigo.© TMS All Rights Reserved.

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Source: AnimEigo Image courtesy of AnimEigo.© TMS All Rights Reserved. Anime distributor AnimEigo and parent company MediaOCD have licensed the anime classic NOBODY'S BOY REMI (家なき子, Ie-naki Ko, 1977-78) from TMS Entertainment. Based on Hector Malot's 1878 novel, Nobody's Boy (Sans Famille), this 51 episode series tells the story of a boy who's life in the French countryside is shattered when he discovers he is actually not his parents' son. Forced to leave home, Remi searches for his real family. NOBODY'S BOY REMI is considered among the best works from director Osamu Dezaki (TOMORROW'S JOE, DEAR BROTHER, LADY OSCAR: THE ROSE OF VERSAILLES, and SPACE ADVENTURE COBRA). AnimEigo also describes the series as "DARK AS HELL. It's one of the saddest, most traumatizing depictions of childhood ever animated. But it's also hopeful, beautiful, surreal, and a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit."

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