New Additions to Crunchyroll`s

New Additions to Crunchyroll`s "Kadokawa Tuesdays"

Top Anime and Asian Entertainment Online Service Provides Bone Chilling New Titles from Kadokawa Pictures USA Source: BAM! Marketing, Publicity & Promotions press releases Special Thanks to Chase Wang "Kadokawa Tuesdays" continue on Crunchyroll with tales of horror, suspense and the supernatural. New titles launching in May are MAIL, STORY OF THE DETECTIVE, TRAGEDY OF W, ONMYOJI, THE BEAST TO DIE, SAILOR SUIT AND MACHINE GUN, KEKKON ANNAI MYSTERY, EARLY SPRING STORY, GIRL OF TIME, and KADOKAWA MYSTERY & HORROR TALES. These Kadokawa Pictures titles are available for FREE to all fans and members in the U.S., Canada, American Samoa, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam and Virgin Island regions. More information can be found at Crunchyroll`s Kadokawa Pictures Collection page.

Title Synopsis:

MAIL (2004) Based on the Shigemizu Takasaki`s comic book series, MAIL is the latest cinematic adaptation from the Kadokawa Horror publishing label that brought us mega-hits like RING (1998), DARK WATER (2002) and ONE MISSED CALL (2003). Told through nine short episodes, the film follows psychic Detective Akiba (Takamasa Suga) and the enigmatic 19-year-old female assistant, Mikoto (KILL BILL`s Chiaki Kuriyama), as they root out and release the restless spirits that terrorize this world. Each episode is centered around an ascension of the spirits, taken from a chapter of the comic book. ONMYOJI (2001) During a dark age of demons and ghosts in the Heian period (794-1185 AD), the Emperor relies upon the imperial order of the ONMYOJI, who are the experts of the supernatural power, to protect the kingdom. However, as the birth of the emperor`s heir approaches, political intrigue and jealousy will lead to the most dangerous of betrayals - from within the ONMYOJI and the Emperor`s family! It will be up to the most talented of the order, Seimei (Mansai Nomura), to face his master, Doson (Hiroyuki Sanada), and the dark magic that threatens to destroy them all! KADOKAWA MYSTERY & HORROR TALES (2002)

MEINICHI: "Maybe father was right. Maybe we should not have moved into that house..." When Minako loses her boyfriend in an accident, her sister tries to cheer her up, though sinister forces would have it otherwise. CRUEL KIDNAPPING: As Toshio struggles to make ends meet, his daughter is kidnapped and a ransom note arrives. Desperation leads him to a cruel plan designed to procure the money he needs. DESIRE TO KILL: Alone in her house, Rie comes face-to-face with a murderer. Determined to protect her child, she makes a desperate attempt to convince the man to leave. WOODEN CLOGS: The distraught Takagi goes to a temple to reconnect with a relative but instead encounters the exceedingly beautiful Yoshie. Their love is ultimately doomed, as Yoshie has a secret too horrible to mention. REGENERATION: While undergoing treatment for alcoholism, Professor Ujo meets an intriguing girl. Madly in love, the couple seem destined for happiness, were it not for a dark secret that conspires to keep them apart. LAST DAY AS A TEENAGER: When he was seventeen years old, Tomoya made a grim pact with a girl who claimed to be the god of death. Today, on his 20th birthday, the ominous entity has returned to collect on that desperate promise. GHOST HOUSE: A young couple is irreversibly linked to a gruesome traffic accident and horrible death. Try as they might to escape the past, it won`t be long before it catches up to them. WHISPER TREE: A writer is sent by his boss to investigate a strange tree known to the locals as Whispers. He remains unconvinced that is possesses mystical powers until unthinkable things begin to occur all around him. WORLD OF INFINITY: After Takeo loses his job, he wanders aimlessly and meets a woman whose brooding personality lures him in to a world of trysts and deceit. Soon the line between reality and evil becomes inextricably blurred.

THE BEAST TO DIE (Yaju Shisubeshi, 1980) A cop was killed and his gun was stolen. It was used for another murder. Detective Kashiwagi who investigated this case got a description of the perpetrator; "He walks like a dead man". The detective found a guy named Date (Yusaku Matusda) who was an ex-Vietnam veteran cameraman that descended into madness after committing a string of murders. Actor Yusaku Matsuda lost 8 kg of body weight and allegedly even had some of his teeth pulled out in order to achieve the gaunt look for the murderer for this film. EARLY SPRING STORY (Soushun Monogatari, 1985) A university student named Hitomi falls in love with a middle-aged man named Okawa, the former lover of her deceased mother. Hitomi`s feelings shift back and forth as she is not sure whether it is true love or just a realization of her mother`s romantic dream. GIRL OF TIME (Toki o Kakeru Shojo, 1983) A romantic 16-year-old high school girl in love with a classmate starts dreaming about events before they actually happen. As it turns out, the object of her love is actually a space alien affected by her own romantic views of life and because of their unified wave length. TRAGEDY OF W (W no Higeki, 1984) A young girl is striving for stardom. In order to get a lead role in a new production, she agrees to stand-in for a famous star whose rich patron died in her arms one night. The real-life drama gradually comes to mirror the story of the play being performed by her.

KEKKON ANNAI MYSTERY (1985) 19-year-old girl Hiroko Terasawa (Noriko Watanabe) works in a matching agency. She promises her client Masakazu Sekine that she`ll pose as his fiancee at a family meeting in exchange for a remarkable cash reward. Hiroko moves to Sekine`s mansion and prepares to attend the event. However, this only turns out to be a prelude of a bloody fight over the family`s legacy. SAILOR SUIT AND MACHINE GUN (Sailor-fuku to Kikanju, 1981) Following the unexpected death of her mob boss father, a young high school student (Hiroko Yakushimaru) inherits his Yakuza gang. They investigate her father`s murder and take out the drug dealers who are responsible for his death. The scene of Hiroko when she sprays a room with machine gun fire and then exclaims "Kaikan!!" became somewhat famous in Japan at the time with people using the phrase in the same tone of voice as Hiroko. STORY OF THE DETECTIVE (Tantei Monogatari, 1983) Naomi (Hiroko Yakushimaru) is a university student who is leaving in a week for the US to study; Shuichi (Yusaku Matsuda) is a washed-up gumshoe who`s hired by Naomi`s father to bodyguard his daughter until she leaves. Things got worse when Naomi and Shuichi stumble upon a murder.

About Kadokawa Pictures USA

Kadokawa Pictures USA (KPUSA) is the Los Angeles based arm of entertainment giant Kadokawa Holdings, Inc. (KGH) in Japan. KGH includes Kadokawa Group Publishing and Kadokawa Pictures. Kadokawa Group Publishing is one of the oldest and largest publishing groups in Japan and the largest publishers of Japanese Manga. Kadokawa Pictures with its library of over 2,000 titles, develops, finances, produces and distributes live action and anime films theatrically and for TV throughout Japan and Asia and boasts a state-of-the art production facility in Tokyo. Films that have garnered worldwide attention from these libraries include: THE RING, DARK WATER, PULSE and SHALL WE DANCE? KGH also includes a major exhibitor in Japan, Kadokawa Cineplex. KPUSA distributes, licenses, remakes and adapts library films and books for an international audience in the English language, such as One Missed Call and Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

About Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll is an online video service and community that offers full-length episodes and movies of the very best in Japanese anime and Asian entertainment. Crunchyroll`s content is provided by Asian media leaders including TV Tokyo, Shueisha, Fuji Creative Corporation, Pony Canyon, Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation, Toei Animation, Gonzo, Munhwa Broadcasting of America and many others. Crunchyroll was founded in June 2006 and has offices in San Francisco and Tokyo. Crunchyroll is a pioneer and innovator in the Japanese anime industry and the only video service in the world to offer hit programs like NARUTO SHIPPUDEN, GINTAMA, and many others online to its subscribers within one hour of its Japanese broadcast. Crunchyroll is a member of the Association of Japanese Animations (AJA) and the Licensing International Merchandisers Association (LIMA) and is funded by leading venture capital firm, Venrock. More information can be found at its website crunchyroll.com.

For more information on Crunchyroll`s Kadokawa films please see the earlier coverage here on SciFi Japan: