SciFi Japan

    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."

    Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll. ©Yukinobu Tatsu/SHUEISHA, DANDADAN Production Committee

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll. ©Yukinobu Tatsu/SHUEISHA, DANDADAN Production Committee Source: Crunchyroll press release New Season 2 Announcement Visual. Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll. ©Yukinobu Tatsu/SHUEISHA, DANDADAN Production Committee After yesterday’s season finale, it can be confirmed that this year’s critically acclaimed, genre-defying anime series DAN DA DAN will return for Season 2 on Crunchyroll this July 2025 for the summer anime season. Season 2 of DAN DA DAN is set to launch into a new chapter following the shocking cliffhanger that capped off the first season. The newly unveiled Season 2 announcement visual captures a sense of tension and unease, while the ominous presence of Evil Eye, fixated on Jiji standing at the center, commands attention with its unsettling gaze. The deep purple hues that fill the background heighten the anticipation of the intense and merciless battles that await Momo, Okarun, Jiji, and Turbo Granny. Adding

    Photo courtesy of Sentai.

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Source: Sentai press release Sentai Home Video has announced its March 2025 slate of anime Blu-ray releases. Product details follow, in order of release...   Photo courtesy of Sentai. THE WORLD IS STILL BEAUTIFUL Complete Collection Published by:    Sentai Distributed by:   Distribution SolutionsRun Time:         300 min.Street Date:      3/04/2025Format:            Disc 1 (225 min eps 1-9; Disc 2 (75 min) eps 10-12, Special FeaturesLanguage:       Japanese with English Subtitles (HD 2.0)SRP:                 $59.98 Being A Princess Has Many Perks But… Marrying For Love Isn’t Always One Of Them. When Princess Nike of the Rain Dukedom is sent to marry Livius, the ruthless King of the Sun Kingdom, she thinks she’s prepared to endure the worst in order to save her country. Until she’s thrown in jail by her new fiancé, that is.  But all is not quite as it seems, and maybe they’re just

    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. An amusement park paleontologist and a hapless security guard team up to stop a hyper-intelligent, invisible raptor from wreaking havoc on their small town in THE INVISIBLE RAPTOR -- “one of the best horror comedies I've seen in the last few years, one filled not only with funny gags, but great characters, and plenty of tributes to the king of blockbusters [Steven Spielberg], (Shawn Van Horn, Collider) -- debuting on Blu-ray February 4 from Well Go USA Entertainment. Directed by Mike Hermosa (WILDFLOWER) in the comedic tradition of a Zucker Brothers or Farrelly Brothers film, THE INVISIBLE RAPTOR features an impressive 97% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter and stars Mike Capes (POWERLESS, ACTION TEAM), David Shackelford (THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, KINGPIN), Caitlin

    Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll. ©1988 Mash-Room/Akira Committee

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll. ©1988 Mash-Room/Akira Committee Source: Crunchyroll press release Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll. ©1988 Mash-Room/Akira Committee Crunchyroll, the ultimate home for anime worldwide, has revealed that Katsuhiro Otomo's 1998 cult classic cyberpunk anime film AKIRA アキラ) will be available in SteelBook on 4K UHD for the first time on March 4, 2025. This special release will include many great special features, including “AKIRA Sound Making 2019,” “AKIRA Sound Clip by Geinoh Yamashirogumi,” “Storyboard Collection,” and more.   Story Clandestine army activities threaten the war torn city of Neo-Tokyo when a mysterious being with powerful psychic abilities escapes his prison and inadvertently draws a violent motorcycle gang into a heinous web of experimentation. As a result, a biker with a twisted mind embarks on a path of war, seeking revenge against a society what once called him weak.

    Win the new ULTRA GALAXY FIGHT SERIES 1-3 + ULTRAMAN REGULOS/FIRST MISSION Blu-ray set from Mill Creek Entertainment. Photo courtesy of Mill Creek. ULTRA GALAXY FIGHT: NEW GENERATION HEROES ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS.

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Win the new ULTRA GALAXY FIGHT SERIES 1-3 + ULTRAMAN REGULOS/FIRST MISSION Blu-ray set from Mill Creek Entertainment. Photo courtesy of Mill Creek. ULTRA GALAXY FIGHT: NEW GENERATION HEROES ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS. Source: Mill Creek Entertainment Special Thanks to CJ Johnsen and Spencer Kopp Photo courtesy of Mill Creek. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS. Mill Creek Entertainment is offering our readers a chance to win their new Blu-ray set of ULTRA GALAXY FIGHT SERIES 1-3 + ULTRAMAN REGULOS/FIRST MISSION. This 3-disc collection presents 4 mini-series -- ULTRA GALAXY FIGHT: NEW GENERATION HEROES, ULTRA GALAXY FIGHT: THE ABSOLUTE CONSPIRACY, ULTRA GALAXY FIGHT: THE DESTINED CROSSROAD and ULTRAMAN REGULOS  -- and the special ULTRAMAN REGULOS: FIRST MISSION with Japanese and English audio. ULTRA GALAXY FIGHT SERIES 1-3 + ULTRAMAN REGULOS/FIRST MISSION is on sale now and has a SRP of $39.98. The set can be ordered from Amazon, Deep Discount and other

    Image courtesy of Crunchyroll.

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Source: Crunchyroll press release Ringing in the New Year, Crunchyroll will simulcast more than 40 new, returning, and continuing anime series during the Winter 2025 anime season. With new episodes of exciting titles streaming every week from Japan, check out Crunchyroll’s Winter 2025 lineup highlights here along with the full calendar below: SOLO LEVELING Season 2 -ARISE FROM THE SHADOW- will be heating up this January with its action-packed return as Sung Jinwoo continues to master his new abilities in order to save his mother. As he faces some of his toughest foes, Jinwoo pushes his body and mind to the limit. In the all-new original series ZENSHU, an animator’s life is turned upside down after she wakes up in the world of her favorite childhood anime movie. Starting on January 5, will she be able to storyboard her way out of this harrowing

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

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    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 the fan favorite GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE (ゴジラvsビオランテ, Gojira Tai Biorante, 1989) will be released March 18, 2025 in 4K UHD + Blu-ray and Blu-ray editions. Diving into delirious realms of imagination, this second film of the Godzilla franchise’s 1980s resurgence showcased the towering beast for a new generation of fans. This time, Godzilla’s foe is one of the series’ most wondrously strange kaiju creations: Biollante — a mutant plant genetically engineered from the cells of a rose, a renegade scientist’s dead daughter, and Godzilla itself. With a wild plot encompassing spies, psychic children, and bonkers biotechnology — and some of the coolest special effects in the

    Page 2 of 118

    SciFi Japan
    Copyright © 2025 | SCIFI JAPAN
    © 2025 Your Company. All Rights Reserved. Designed By JoomShaper