SciFi Japan
    New TV kaiju movie comes to DVD & Blu-ray Author: James Ballard & Keith Aiken Source: AV Watch Official Site: Geharha (Japan) SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details and images from a new movie. NHK`s TV movie GEHARHA: THE DARK AND LONG HAIR MONSTER (Chouhatsu Daikaiju Gehara) will be released on DVD and Blu-ray in Japan on September 30th and will include English subtitles. Premiering on the NHK program PAPHOOO! (Perform!) this past February 24th, GEHARHA is an affectionate tribute to the classic Toho monster movies of the 1950s and 60s that liberally mixes comedy and daikaiju action. A fishing boat is attacked at sea by a gigantic, hairy monster. After examining the sole survivor (Kanji Tsuda from GAMERA THE BRAVE) of the assault— who has lost all his hair— scientific adviser Dr Murakami (Shiro Sano, GODZILLA 2000) suspects the culprit is

    Critically Acclaimed Movies Based on Smash Hit Manga Series to Open New VIZ Cinema in August Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press releases Official Movie Site: 20thboysfilms.com (US), 20th Boys (Japanese) Special Thanks to Evelyn Dubocq and Erik Jansen VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced that it has licensed from Nippon Television (NTV) the North American theatrical and DVD distribution rights to the live-action 20TH CENTURY BOYS (20-Seki Shonen) feature film trilogy from Japan. The films are based on the critically acclaimed 20th Century Boys manga series created by Naoki Urasawa, which is a national phenomenon in Japan, selling over 20 million copies to date. VIZ Pictures is scheduled to release the first and second chapters of 20TH CENTURY BOYS films on DVD later this year, with the remaining film scheduled for release in 2010. VIZ

    Source: FUNimation Entertainment press release Special Thanks to Jackie Smith North American anime distributor FUNimation Entertainment has provided details on some new DVD releases going on sale this month... KAZE NO STIGMA: SEASON 1, VOL. 1 July 7 SRP $59.98 When the family business is fire, and you can`t handle the heat, it`s time to look for a new line of work - and maybe a new family, too. Kazuma is a descendent of an ancient clan skilled in the magical Fire Arts. Unfortunately for him, the gift seems to have skipped a generation. Defeated by his younger, female cousin, Ayano, in a battle to become the clan`s successor, Kazuma is exiled with only the smoldering burn of failure to keep him company. But now he`s back, risen from the ashes and armed with a powerful new mojo that`s sure to fan the flames of the

    Source: 4Digital Media, The Associates Special Thanks to Steve Beecham and Farhana Shaikh SciFi Japan is pleased to present another giveaway contest aimed at Japanese science fiction fans in the United Kingdom. As previously announced, the British movie and home video distributor 4Digital Media has acquired the UK rights to the Japanese splatter and gore movies MEATBALL MACHINE (Mîtoboru Mashin, 2005), TOKYO GORE POLICE (Tokyo Zankoku Keisatsu, 2008), and GROTESQUE (Gurotesuku, 2009). Now, 4Digital Media and The Associates are giving SciFi Japan readers in Britain a chance to win free DVDs of the three films, starting with MEATBALL MACHINE. An all out in your face gore-fest Japanese style. MEATBALL MACHINE is a wild, splatterific, experimental sci-fi/horror rollercoaster that will have your entire brain and body shaken and stirred. Capable of making biomechanical weapons out of human flesh, alien parasites grotesquely invade the Earth, turning their hosts

    Japanese Horror Film Released by Lionsgate Source: Lionsgate press release, Bender/Helper Impact From the legendary director of RING and THE RING TWO comes this eerie tale of ghostly vengeance. The unwitting victim of a terrible curse, a young man accidentally injures his wife, a jealous teacher who soon dies from her wound. Running away with one of her students, he fails to heed the dead woman’s warning that if remarried, she’ll haunt him to the grave. And now for an unfaithful husband, the real terror is about to begin. On June 30, the 2007 J-Horror film KAIDAN (meaning "Supernatural Tales") will be released on DVD in America by Lionsgate. Despite the title, the film is not a remake or "reimagining" of the 1965 classic KAIDAN (known in America as KWAIDAN), but is instead based on the 1859 ghost story Reckoning at Kasane Swamp (Shinkei Kasane ga

    Sony to Release 3 Disc DVD Collection of THE H-MAN, BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE, and MOTHRA on August 18 Source: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment press release ICONS OF SCI-FI: TOHO COLLECTION Three Classic Films Directed by Ishiro Honda, the Father of Japanese Sci-Fi Movies THE H-MAN ~ BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE ~ MOTHRA Collection Debuts on DVD August 18 Toho, the most famous of all Japanese movie studios, made its name in the West for the extraordinary masterworks of Akira Kurosawa. But they really struck box office gold with the wildly colorful kaiju eiga (monster movies) that began in 1954 with the original GODZILLA (Gojira), the creation of director Ishiro Honda and special effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya. Now for the first time on [Region 1] DVD— and in their original Tohoscope aspect ratios— Sony Pictures presents three Honda classics that display

    4Digital Media Gets TOKYO GORE POLICE, MEATBALL MACHINE, and GROTESQUE Source: 4Digital Media, The Associates press materials Special Thanks to Steve Beecham and Farhana Shaikh 4Digital Asia, an imprint of the British movie and home video distributor 4Digital Media, has acquired the UK rights to the Japanese splatter and gore movies MEATBALL MACHINE (Mîtoboru Mashin, 2005), TOKYO GORE POLICE (Tokyo Zankoku Keisatsu, 2008), and GROTESQUE (Gurotesuku, 2009). The films will be released on DVD beginning this July. MEATBALL MACHINE Release date: 6th July 2009 Certificate: 18 Running time: 90 mins Price: £14.99 Director: Yudai Yamaguchi, Junichi Yamamoto Stars: Issei Takahashi, Shoichiro Masumoto, Toru Tezuka, Ayano Yamamoto "Plays Like a Gloriously Bloody and R-Rated Version of the MIGHTY MORPHIN` POWER RANGERS." – DVD Town Co-directed by Yudai Yamaguchi (BATTLEFIELD BASEBALL) and Junichi Yamamoto (KABUKING Z: THE MOVIE), with special effects by Yoshihiro

    Premiere Theatrical Screenings this Month at New York Asian Film Festival Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press releases Additional Material: NTV (Nippon Television Network) Official Movie Site: k20themovie (US), K-20 (Japanese) Special Thanks to Evelyn Dubocq and Erik Jansen VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has licensed the new action film K-20: THE FIEND WITH TWENTY FACES (K-20: Kaijin Nijumenso Den) and announced special theatrical screenings at the New York Asian Film Festival 2009. K-20: THE FIEND WITH TWENTY FACES was released in Japan by Toho on December 20, 2008, and has been marketed internationally by NTV with the English title K-20: LEGEND OF THE MASK. The New York premiere will take place during NYAFF, with the next showing scheduled for 1:45pm on Tuesday, June 30 at the IFC Center (323 Sixth Avenue, at West

    Award-Winning Anime Goes on Sale May 26, 2009 Source: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Official Site (Japan): sky.crawlers.jp From Mamoru Oshii, the world-acclaimed director of GHOST IN THE SHELL, comes an award-winning story of an exciting but endless war with heroes too young to understand the meaning of their battles. A group of eternally young fighter pilots known as Kildren experience the sudden loss of innocence as they battle the enemy in astonishing dogfights above the clouds. With his only childhood memory consisting of intense flight training, the fearless teenage pilot Yuichi`s dogfights coexist with his struggle to find his missing past. When his beautiful, young female commander Suito is reluctant to discuss the fate of the pilot that Yuichi is replacing - or the strangely perfect condition of that pilot`s former aircraft - Yuichi`s curiosity becomes heightened. THE SKY CRAWLERS DVD

    Award-Winning Film about a Married Couple’s Unconventional Relationship is Based on Popular Manga Source: VIZ Pictures, MediaLab press releases Official Movie Site: happilymovie.com Special Thanks to Jane Lui and Erik Jansen VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced the DVD release of the live-action feature film - HAPPILY EVER AFTER on May 12th. The DVD will also include the original theatrical trailers, director and cast profiles, and insightful tips on Japanese culture. The DVD will carry a suggested retail price of $24.92 U.S. / $35.99 CAN and will be distributed in North America by VIZ Media. To complement the release, VIZ Pictures has launched a HAPPILY EVER AFTER giveaway contest for a prize package that includes the DVD, film poster, a premium Japanese cotton towel, and an Anime Sampler Pack courtesy of The Right Stuf /

    Franchise Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary with Three New Films Source: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Official Site: TheGrudge3 Official Site (Japanese): juon10th.jp SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details for new movies. In 1998, writer-director Takashi Shimizu was hired by Kansai TV to create two short segments for their J-horror anthology film SCHOOL OF GHOSTS G (Gakko no Kaidan G). Shimizu produced two shorts, IN A CORNER (Katasumi) and 4444444444, that featured Kayako Saeki (Takako Fuji), a twisted, death-rattling female ghost, and her son Toshio, a ghost boy that howled like a cat. The two short films were a hit with terrified viewers so, with the assistance of RING (Ringu, 1998) screenwriter Hiroshi Takahashi and producer Taka Ichise, Takashi Shimizu developed the ideas into the straight-to-video movies JU-ON (released on Feb 11, 2000) and JU-ON 2 (released March 25, 2000). The video movies introduced

    Source: VIZ Media and MediaLab press releases Special Thanks to Evelyn Dubocq and Erik Jansen VIZ Media, LLC has announced a diverse collection of new animated and live-action titles scheduled for release throughout the Second Quarter of 2009. The new releases include DEATH NOTE RELIGHT: VISIONS OF A GOD, which retells the groundbreaking DEATH NOTE psychological crime drama from an entirely new perspective. Also set for release is the concluding DVD Box Set of the DEATH NOTE animated series. New BLEACH episodic and NARUTO box set editions are also scheduled for release, along with the next Box Set compilation of HUNTER X HUNTER. INUYASHA fans will delight in the debut of the final Season 7 Box Set edition containing the series’ cliffhanger finale, while younger fans can look forward to four new POKÉMON DVDS that highlight their favorite characters. Many of these releases are also available as Special Editions featuring

    ADV Films Will Distribute To Home Video Market Source: ADV Films press release Special Thanks to Chris Oarr Sentai Filmworks announced its forthcoming DVD release of APPLESEED (Appurushido), which brings the dystopian sci-fi thriller back in print for the first time in years. ADV Films handles North American home media distribution for Sentai Filmworks and will release the APPLESEED movie June 30. APPLESEED was first released in North America by Geneon Entertainment (USA) in 2005. Based on the legendary manga series by Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell, Dominion) and directed by groundbreaking filmmaker Shinji Arimaki (BUBBLEGUM CRISIS), APPLESEED set a high-water mark for anime features in the 21st century. Synopsis: Earth`s last city, Olympus , rose from the ashes of a global war on the backs of Bioroids, artificial clones who make up half the city`s population. Under the strict guidance of a supercomputer, humanity`s

    Source: 4Digital Media, The Associates Official Movie Site: 20th Boys Special Thanks to Steve Beecham and Farhana Shaikh The response to SciFi Japan`s Win the 20TH CENTURY BOYS DVD Prizepack! contest was phenomenal, and we thank everyone who entered, 4Digital Media, and The Associates for making our first UK giveaway a big success. We`ll be doing more contests for our British readers! The following randomly drawn entrants correctly answered all contest questions: Ellen Stafford Paul Shepherd Jackie ONeill Congratulations to the winners! Each of you has won a 4Digital Media "20TH CENTURY BOYS DVD Prizepack" that includes the 2-Disc DVD set, a Friend cult T-shirt, and the 20TH CENTURY BOYS theatrical poster. The Associates will be shipping out the Prizepacks shortly after the DVD streets on May 4. Contest Answers: 1. What is the Japanese title of the movie or the

    Source: 4Digital Media, The Associates Official Movie Site: 20th Boys Special Thanks to Steve Beecham and Farhana Shaikh SciFi Japan is pleased to present another giveaway contest; for the first time aimed at Japanese science fiction fans in the United Kingdom. In celebration of the upcoming UK DVD release of 20TH CENTURY BOYS, 4Digital Media and The Associates are giving British SciFi Japan readers a chance to win one of three "20TH CENTURY BOYS DVD Prizepacks". Each Prizepack includes the 20TH CENTURY BOYS theatrical poster, a Friend cult T-shirt, and the 2-Disc UK DVD set. Based on the hugely successful, award winning manga series created by Naoki Urasawa (Yawara; Monster), 20TH CENTURY BOYS is the first installment of the mind-blowing, three-part live-action adaptation of the epic sci-fi fantasy adventure. Directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi (SUSHI KING GOES TO NEW YORK; HAPPILY EVER AFTER; KEIZOKU:

    Japanese Sci-Fi Blockbuster Comes to DVD on 4th May, 2009 Source: 4Digital Media, The Associates press release Official Movie Site: 20th Boys Special Thanks to Steve Beecham and Farhana Shaikh It`s been creating a buzz of anticipation since its production was first announced in late-2006 and now 20TH CENTURY BOYS, the first instalment of the epic live-action trilogy adaptation of Naoki Urasawa`s hit manga series, is finally coming to DVD in Britain. Directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi (SUSHI KING GOES TO NEW YORK; HAPPILY EVER AFTER; KEIZOKU: THE MOVIE) and starring Toshiaki Karasawa (CASSHERN), 20TH CENTURY BOYS` epic storyline spans 50 years and several continents, factors that necessitated a budget of 6 billion yen for the trilogy – an unprecedented figure for the Japan film industry. Japan, 1973. Elementary school kid Kenji Endo (Toshiaki Karasawa) and his small gang of young friends pass the

    The Korean Monster Hit Invades Japanese Home Video Market Author: Kim Song-ho Source: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Japan Official Movie Sites: D-WAR (Korea), D-WARS (Japan) Special Thanks to Mr. Yang Hee-seung Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Japan announced that it will release a two-disc DVD and single-disc Blu-ray of DRAGON WARS (D-War, 2007) on June 3. Formerly, the film was released theatrically in Japan on November 29, 2008. The Japanese title is D-WARS (????????), which was somewhat reminiscent of the US title DRAGON WARS. Both the Region 2 DVD and Blu-ray Disc feature more than 2 hours of bonus features (listed below). The DVD will include 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen feature, along with Dolby Digital 5.1 original English/Korean sound. As with many Japanese titles, the Japanese dub (also DD 5.1) will be added. Blu-ray will feature the 2.35:1 widescreen film and Dolby TrueHD (original English/Korean and Japanese dub)

    A New Spin on the Japanese Horror Film Source: Tidepoint Pictures, LLC Official Movie Site: Late Bloomer Special Thanks to Shade Rupe and Tetsuki Ijichi He was disabled with Cerebral Palsy, but all he wanted was to hang out with his friends, just like anybody else. Beer, rock and roll, and women. But when his best friend steals his secret love, he launches into a cold-blooded rampage of revenge. Directed by the powerful new Japanese talent Go Shibata, LATE BLOOMER features stark and highly stylized camera work and a soundtrack by World`s End Girlfriend. Fresh from week-long runs in New York, Seattle, and Chicago, director Go Shibata`s critcially acclaimed cult hit LATE BLOOMER (Osoi Hito, 2004) comes to DVD from Bone House Asia and Facets. “Weird, wicked and wonderfully perverse”—THE NEW YORK TIMES “ ***1/2 ” —ROGER EBERT “Gets under your skin, then immediately starts eating

    Source: MVM Entertainment Official Website: MVM Entertainment ELEMENTAL GELADE Box Set Release Date: 9th February 2009 / Certificate: 12 / Price: £49.99 / Total Running Time: 650 mins / Audio Options: English (2.0), Japanese (2.0) / Subtitles: English / Aspect Ratio: 4:3 / Disc Specs: 6 discs, Region 2, PAL Colour, Single Sided & Dual Layered From director Shigeru Ueda (Tactics; Serial Experiments Lain) and manga author and illustrator Mayumi Azuma comes ELEMENTAL GELADE, a sci-fi comedy-adventure about a young apprentice sky pirate, Cou, who discovers and befriends a mysterious young girl, Ren, who turns out to be a mythical creature with the ability to transform herself into a "living" weapon of formidable power. ELEMENTAL GELADE BOX SET will be released on 2nd February 2009 and features every single episode from all 6 volumes. On a seemingly routine mission, Cou, a bumbling rookie

    Zany Comedy About a High School Boy and Two Sexy Classmates Inspired By a Popular Manga Series Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press releases Special Thanks to Evelyn Dubocq and Erik Jansen IT’S BOY MEETS GIRL – AND ANOTHER GIRL – IN VIZ MEDIA DEBUT OF I”s DVD BOX SET VIZ Media, LLC will expand its library of animated properties with the eagerly awaited debut of I”s as a special two-disc DVD box set with an estimated street date of March 24th. I”s is based on a popular manga series by Masakazu Katsura, published domestically by VIZ Media under its Shonen Jump Advanced imprint. The original I”s animated series, as well as a six-episode follow-up called I”s PURE, will be included this new DVD box set (rated “M” for Mature audiences) and carries an SRP of $29.98 US/$39.99 CAN. Iori Hazuki is a beautiful high school girl

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