SciFi Japan

    Cover art for the UK DVD of DEADLY OUTLAW: REKKA. Photo courtesy of The Associates. © 2002 Toei Video Co.

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    Riki Takeuchi Stars in Ultra-Violent Yakuza Film by Takashi Miike Source: The Associates press release Official Site: Arrow Films Sex, gore, ultra-violence, psychotic Yakuza hitmen, the blackest of humour, Sonny Chiba, a pounding proto-metal soundtrack and gratuitous and inappropriate use of a tire iron and a hand-held rocket launcher – it just has to be a movie from Japan’s most prolific and unpredictable cult filmmaker and master of Asian extreme cinema, Takashi Miike (SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO; ICHI THE KILLER; the DEAD OR ALIVE trilogy; AUDITION). Written by Shigenori Takechi (BLOOD; IZO) and produced by Tsuneo Seto (BLOOD) – both real-life Yakuza before taking up careers in the movies – Takashi Miike’s DEADLY OUTLAW: REKKA (Jitsuroku Andoo Noboru Kyoodoo-den: Rekka, 2002) is an expertly crafted tale of vengeance and betrayal set in Japan’s vicious criminal underworld. Following the death of his boss, crazed killer Kunisada embarks on

    Death metal star Johannes Krauser II (Kenichi Matsuyama) rocks out in the men`s room with Hidenori Saji (Issei Takahashi) in DETROIT METAL CITY, Toho`s live action comedy based on the international best-selling manga series. © 2008 Toho Co., Ltd. /Horipro Inc. / Hakusensha, Inc. /Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. / Dentsu Inc. /d-rings Inc. /Parco Co., Ltd. /SDP, Inc. /Tokyo FM Broadcasting Co., Ltd. /Yahoo Japan Corporation /Nippon Shuppan Hanbai Inc. /Tsutaya Group.

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    Film Based on Popular Manga Series Features Appearances by Gene Simmons of KISS and Marty Friedman of MEGADETH Source: VIZ Pictures, MediaLab press releases Official Site: go-to-dmc (Japan), DMCtheMovie.com (US) Special Thanks to Erik Jansen VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced the DVD release on November 9th of DETROIT METAL CITY. The live-action comedy, directed by Toshio Lee and based on the popular manga created by Kiminori Wakasugi, is presented in Japanese with English subtitles and will carry an MSRP of $24.92 U.S. / $35.99 CAN. To celebrate the release, VIZ Pictures has scheduled a special one-night-only screening of DETROIT METAL CITY at 7:15pm on Tuesday, November 4th at VIZ Cinema, located inside NEW PEOPLE in the heart of San Francisco’s Japantown (1746 Post St., San Francisco CA 94115). Deluxe tickets to

    Cover art for the new GAMERA DOUBLE FEATURE Blu-ray. Photo courtesy of Mill Creek Entertainment. © Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Critically Acclaimed Films Available for the First Time in America in High Definition Source: Mill Creek Entertainment, Tower PR Special Thanks to Chris Sanchez and Amy Gorton On October 12th the award-winning films GAMERA: GUARDIAN OF THE UNIVERSE (Gamera Daikaiju Kuchu Kessen, 1995) and GAMERA 2: ATTACK OF LEGION (Gamera 2: Region Shurai, 1996)— promoted here as GAMERA 2: ATTACK OF THE LEGION— will be released as a Blu-ray Double Feature by the Minneapolis, MN home video label Mill Creek Entertainment. Both movies were directed by Shusuke Kaneko (GMK, DEATH NOTE), written by Kazunori Ito (GHOST IN THE SHELL), and feature visual effects directed by Shinji Higuchi (SINKING OF JAPAN, HIDDEN FORTRESS: THE LAST PRINCESS). Previously released on Region 1 DVD by the now-defunct ADV Films, GUARDIAN OF THE UNIVERSE and ATTACK OF LEGION were recently newly licensed by Mill Creek from Joyplex, Inc., the US

    Win the new Region 1 DVD of Mamoru Oshii`s ASSAULT GIRLS. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA. © 2009 88mm Deiz/ Geneon Universal Entertainment

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    Win New Live Action Sci-Fi Adventure from Director of GHOST IN THE SHELL Source: Well Go USA, Inc. Official Site: assaultgirlsmovie.com (US), assault-girls.nifty.com (Japan) Special Thanks to Chrissy Walker A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Gorgeous women, huge weapons, and gigantic sand whales... the long-awaited Oshii masterpiece is coming to DVD and Blu-ray... In the aftermath of global thermonuclear war, three gorgeous battle tested women— Gray (Meisa Kuroki), Lucifer (Rinko Kikuchi), and Colonel (Hinako Saeki)— are outfitted in tight, sexy body suits and armed with their own special Assault Rifles and electrifying magic. Transported to the virtual world of Avalon F, a barren desert-like wasteland, these beautiful heroines these beautiful women known as Assault Girls must prove their fighting skills in an epic battle against sand-dwelling monsters called Sand Whales. This endless “hunt” also known as game “play” will test their nerves and resolve. As the virtual

    Packaging art for the ASSAULT GIRLS on Region 1 DVD. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA. © 2009 88mm Deiz/ Geneon Universal Entertainment

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    Live Action Sci-Fi Adventure from GHOST IN THE SHELL Director Streets October 19th Source: Well Go USA, Inc. Official Site: assaultgirlsmovie.com (US), assault-girls.nifty.com (Japan) Special Thanks to Chrissy Walker Mamoru Oshii, the internationally acclaimed director who brought the world the explosive anime hit GHOST IN THE SHELL (Kokaku Kidotai, 1995) delivers his first live action movie since AVALON in 2001. ASSAULT GIRLS (Asaruto Garuzu, 2009) is a true visual experience that will amaze fans both old and new. Oshii shot the film in 35mm and utilized all new techniques from CGI to VFX effects. The movie`s theme song “Screw” is written and sung by the popular international artist KOTOKO, who has provided songs for several anime and video game titles. ASSAULT GIRLS has become the highest grossing film to date from the Japanese movie and video company Geneon Universal Entertainment. US film distributor

    A special police force protects the Mibu district of Kyoto in Daiei`s classic SHINSENGUMI CHRONICLES - I WANT TO DIE A SAMURAI! Photo courtesy of AnimEigo, Inc. © 1963 Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Source: AnimEigo, Inc. Official Site: shinsengumi-chronicles Special Thanks to Bobby Engelmann The classic SHINSENGUMI CHRONICLES - I WANT TO DIE A SAMURAI! (Shinsengumi Shimatsuki, 1963) is being released on DVD in North America by AnimEigo, Inc. The DVD streets November 9, 2010 but can be purchased now directly from animeigo.com. Based on the best-selling novel by Kan Shimosawa (creator of Zatoichi) and produced by the Daiei Motion Picture Company, SHINSENGUMI CHRONICLES is an action-packed epic tale of the Shinsengumi, a special police force consisting of ronin, farmers and peasants established in 1863 to protect the Mibu district of Kyoto. The film stars Raizo Ichikawa (the SHINOBI NO MONO series) as Susumu Yamasaki, a honest man who joins the Shinsengumi out of admiration for its leader, Isami Kondo (Tomisaburo Wakayama, star of LONE WOLF & CUB), and because he wants to die as a

    Cover art for the upcoming US DVD release of DEATH TUBE. Photo courtesy of Cinema Epoch.

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Who Will Escape, and What Will Be Left of Them? Source: Cinema Epoch, 4Digital Media, Organic Marketing press releases Special Thanks to Steve Beecham, Andy Green, Gregory Hatanaka and Edwin Santos From Yohei Fukuda, the director of CHANBARA BEAUTY (Onechanbara: The Movie, 2008) and TOKYO GORE SCHOOL (Gakko Ura Saito, 2009), and the producers of the "banned in the UK" horror movie GROTESQUE (Gurotesuku, 2009) comes DEATH TUBE (2010), a Japanese extreme splatter film in the tradition of the HOSTEL and SAW series. The movie was released on DVD in the United Kingdom this past September by 4Digital Media and comes out in the United States at the end of this month, courtesy of Cinema Epoch. DEATH TUBE stars Shoichi Matsuda (CREEPY HIDE AND SEEK, TOKYO GORE SCHOOL), Ayaka, Wataru Kaoru, Atsushi Ishino (A DAY ON THE PLANET), Sanae Tsukamoto, Hajime Namikawa (CREEPY HIDE AND SEEK),

    One SciFi Japan reader has won THE LORD OF THE RINGS Blu-ray Prize Pack containing all three films and a host of cool LOTR collectibles. Photo courtesy of Warner Home Video. © 2010 New Line Productions, Inc.

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Source: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Official Website: LordOfTheRings.net Special Thanks to Bridget Groller Thank you to everyone who entered Warner Bros. and SciFi Japan`s THE LORD OF THE RINGS Blu-ray Prize Pack contest. We received hundreds of submissions, and the randomly-chosen winning entry is... Mike Wegener Congratulations to the winner! We will be shipping the prizes shortly so keep an eye on your mailbox. More contests are planned for 2010 so keep checking back with SciFi Japan for more chances to win some cool stuff! About Warner Home Video With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, a division of the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video`s film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner

    Exotic dancer Lena Jodo (Sola Aoi) uses a chainsaw get rid of some annoying zombies. Photo courtesy of The Associates. © 2010 Total Media Corporation

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Strippers Battle the Living Dead in New Japanese Splatter Film Source: The Associates press release Official Movie Site: kyonyu-dragon.com (Japan), big-tits-zombie-3d (UK) WARNING: This article contains some "adult" language. Reader discretion is advised. ‘Zombie Strippers’ meets ‘The Evil Dead’ Japanese style in BIG TITS ZOMBIE (Kyonyuu Doragon: Onsen Zonbi tai Sutorippaa 5, aka THE BIG TITS DRAGON), an insane horror-comedy that delivers everything the title promises and much, much more… and all in eye-popping, in-your-face 3D! Written and directed by Takao Nakano, the man who brought you SEXUAL PARASITE: KILLER PUSSY (Kiseichuu: Kiraa Pusshii, 2004), SUMO VIXENS (Hana no Onna Sumo, 1996) and the EXORCISTER movies, BIG TITS ZOMBIE is based on Rei Mikamoto’s infamous manga, Kyonyu Dragon, and stars legendary Japanese porn idols Sola Aoi and Risa Kasumi, the hugely popular pin-up model Mari Sakurai, and controversial comedian Minoru Torihada. Recently returned

    An angry— and hungry— giant wild board terrorizes a small Korean village in CHAW, coming to America in 2011 as CHAWZ. Photo courtesy of Madman Entertainment. © 2009 Polygon Entertainment LLC/Soo Jack Films

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    Korean Horror Comedy to be Renamed CHAWZ for America Source: Magnet Releasing press release On September 14, Magnet Releasing, the genre arm of US film distributor Magnolia Pictures, announced that it had acquired the North American rights to CHAW (2009), a wild and funny Korean monster movie about a giant, vicious pig terrorizing an idyllic countryside. Directed by Jeong-won Shin, the film is an affectionate tribute to classic monster movies that boasts fantastically gory special effects of the porcine beast attacking innocent tourists looking to pick organic vegetables. Magnet will modify the title slightly to CHAWZ (rhymes with `JAWS`) for the movie`s 2011 American release. “If JAWS was looking to branch out to dry land, without a doubt he’d want to be CHAWZ,” said Magnet SVP Tom Quinn. “Another worthy addition to the Korean monster hall of fame and the Magnet Releasing library.” Youngjoo Suh, CEO

    Cover art for the UK DVD and Blu-ray editions of the Japanese/Korean horror adventure HIGANJIMA - ESCAPE FROM VAMPIRE ISLAND. Photo courtesy of The Associates. © 2010 Suzuki Koji/ Kodansha,

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Source: The Associates press release Official Movie Site: Higanjima (Japan) From the TWILIGHT movies to television’s TRUE BLOOD, screen vampires have never been hotter than they are right now, so it should come as no surprise that Asian filmmakers would be keen to add a bit of spice to the genre with their own unique style and sensibilities. That’s certainly the case with HIGANJIMA - ESCAPE FROM VAMPIRE ISLAND, a brand new live-action horror movie based on the best-selling manga series by Koji Matsumoto, coming to DVD and Blu-ray in the United Kingdom in October 2010. Brought to the screen by the South Korean director of VOLCANO HIGH, Kim Tae-gyun, and faithfully adapted by the Japanese screenwriter of the DEATH NOTE movies, Tetsuya Oishi, HIGANJIMA - ESCAPE FROM VAMPIRE ISLAND takes the vampire genre and its myths to new extremes, adding samurai sword

    KIMIKISS: PURE ROUGE COLLECTION 1. Photo courtesy of Section23 Films.

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    CANAAN Available on October 26th Source: Section23 Films press release Special Thanks to Mike Bailiff Home video distributor Section23 Films has provided details on its October 2010 slate of releases, including CANAAN and TEARS TO TIARA which will be released on DVD and Blu Ray, from Section23 client Sentai Filmworks. Product details follow, in order of release... KIMIKISS: PURE ROUGE COLLECTION 1 Published by: Sentai Filmworks Distributed by: Section23 Films Run Time: 325 min. Street Date: 10/5/2010 Format: DVD Language: Japanese with English Subtitles SRP: $49.98 Kouichi always thought of Mao as his little sister, but when he wakes up from a dream and she walks into his house, he doesn`t even recognize her. Probably because, after living in France for several years, Mao is definitely not anyone`s little sister anymore! To further complicate things, Koichi`s mom has invited Mao to stay at their house while

    Contents of the UK DEATH NOTE 1 & 2 Blu-ray Collection. Photo courtesy of 4Digital Media and Organic Marketing. © 2006 [Death Note] Film Partners

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Source: 4Digital Media, Organic Marketing press releases Official Movie Site: Death-Note-Movie (Japan), 4digitalmedia.com/deathnote (UK) Special Thanks to Steve Beecham and Andy Green With over 25 million copies sold, Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata`s hit manga series Death Note has spawned an internationally successful anime series, and been adapted into two box office smash live-action feature films directed by Shusuke Kaneko, widely known for the popular Gamera monster film series. Now British distributor 4Digital Media will release a 4 disc special edition box set with both feature films in Blu-ray; DEATH NOTE and DEATH NOTE: THE LAST NAME, plus two discs packed full of extras on DVD. DEATH NOTE 1 & 2 Blu-ray Collection Street Date: 20 Sep 2010 Label: 4Digital Media Region: PAL Number of discs: 4 Running Time: 262 minutes Certificate: 15 RRP: £24.99 DEATH NOTE follows the story of Light Yagami

    DVD cover art for the UK release of BROTHER. Photo courtesy of Park Circus and Organic Marketing. © 2000 Little Brother, Inc./Office Kitano

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    Crime Thriller Streets October 4th Source: Organic Marketing Official Movie Site: office-kitano.co.jp/brother (Japan) Special Thanks to Andy Green Internationally acclaimed Japanese media phenomenon `Beat` Takeshi Kitano`s (ZATOICHI, BATTLE ROYALE) 2000 crime thriller BROTHER will be released on DVD in the United Kingdom by distributor Park Circus on October 4th. Kitano wrote, directed and starred in this straight-ahead gangster saga with a cross-cultural twist. The film focuses on Yamamoto (Kitano), a Yakuza gangster, who is forced out of the country when a gang war all but wipes out his clan. Armed with a fake credit card, a forged passport and a bag of money, he travels to Los Angeles, where he organizes one of the most powerful criminal syndicates in the city. Yamamoto seems unstoppable, until his gang runs afoul of the Mafia. Soon all that he built quickly and bloodily starts to unravel,

    We have winners for the Blu-ray DEATH NOTE COLLECTION and the BATTLE LEAGUE HORUMO DVD. Photos courtesy of VIZ Pictures. © 2006 [Death Note] Film Partners. © 2009 Kamogawa Horumo Film Partners

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Source: VIZ Pictures Official Movie Sites: Death Note Films, horumo.com Special Thanks to Rieko Fuji A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Thank you to everyone who entered VIZ Pictures and SciFi Japan`s DEATH NOTE and HORUMO contest. The winning entries are... Blu-ray DEATH NOTE COLLECTION: Daniel Contreras BATTLE LEAGUE HORUMO DVD: Rita Porter Congratulations to the winners! VIZ Pictures will be shipping the prizes shortly so keep an eye on your mailbox. More contests are planned for 2010 so keep checking back with SciFi Japan for more chances to win some cool stuff! About VIZ Pictures, Inc. Based in San Francisco, CA, VIZ Pictures, Inc. distributes Japanese live-action films and DVDs, with particular focus on Japanese "kawaii (cute) and cool" pop culture. VIZ Pictures approaches each release from a J-pop fan`s point of view to serve manga and anime generation in North America . VIZ

    The LORD OF THE RINGS films will be released individually on Blu-ray this week. Warner Bros. is offering SciFi Japan readers a chance to win all three Blu-ray discs and a selection of LOTR prizes. Photo courtesy of Warner Home Video. © 2010 New Line Productions, Inc.

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    Source: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Official Website: LordOfTheRings.net Special Thanks to Bridget Groller Warner Bros. is giving SciFi Japan readers a chance to win a great THE LORD OF THE RINGS Blu-ray Prize Pack containing all three films and a host of cool LOTR collectibles. The award-winning, international blockbuster trilogy will be released individually on Blu-ray for the first time on September 14th. The Blu-ray discs have a MSRP of $24.98 each. Based on JRR Tolkien`s best-selling fantasy book series, director Peter Jackson`s THE LORD OF THE RINGS movie series comprises... THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING Assisted by a Fellowship of heroes, Frodo Baggins plunges into a perilous trek to take the mystical One Ring to Mount Doom so that it and its magical powers can be destroyed and never possessed by evil Lord Sauron. The astonishing journey

    Cover art for the STARCRASH 2-DISC SPECIAL EDITION DVD. Photo courtesy of Shout! Factory and New Horizons

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Roger Corman, Caroline Munro, David Hasselhoff, Marc Singer, MST3K on DVD and/or Blu-ray Source: Shout! Factory press releases Special Thanks to Tom Chen B-movie fans are in for a treat as Shout! Factory prepares to unleash several Roger Corman films and another MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 DVD collection... STARCRASH 2-DISC SPECIAL EDITION BLU-RAY and DVD One of the most eagerly awaited inter-galactic science-fiction adventures, released by Roger Corman’s New World Pictures, will finally be made available for the first time to the home entertainment shelves as STARCRASH, directed by Luigi Cozzi, will debut September 14, 2010 on 2-Disc Special Edition Blu-ray and DVD from Shout! Factory, in association with New Horizons Picture Corporation. An adventure like no other, the STARCRASH 2-DISC SPECIAL EDITION contains anamorphic widescreen presentation of the movie with DTS HD 5.1 surround sound (Blu-ray), a reversible cover featuring

    Mamoru Hosoda`s Japanese Academy Award-winning SUMMER WARS is getting a US theatrical release. © 2009 Summer Wars Film Partners

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    An Anime Family Saves the World in this Film Festival Favorite Source: FUNimation Entertainment Official Site: s-wars.jp (Japan) Special Thanks to Jackie Smith and Manny Alcala FUNimation Entertainment has acquired the North American home entertainment, theatrical, broadcast and merchandise rights to the animated sci-fi action film SUMMER WARS (Samaa Woozu, 2009) from NTV (Nippon Television Network). Released in August 2009 in Japan by Warner Brothers, SUMMER WARS is produced by Madhouse and directed by Mamoru Hosoda. SUMMER WARS is the second full-length film that Hosoda has made as a freelance director. The first, THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME (Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo, 2006), an animated movie in which the teenage heroine discovers that she can travel to the past, received rave reviews from critics and audiences worldwide. SUMMER WARS reunites many who worked on that film, including scriptwriter Satoko Okudera and character

    DVD cover art for DEMEKING, THE SEA MONSTER and PSYCHO SHARK. Photos courtesy of Cinema Epoch. DEMEKING © 2009

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Source: Cinema Epoch Movie Website: demeking-movie.com (Japan) Special Thanks to Gregory Hatanaka and Edwin Santos Next month, the American movie and video distributor Cinema Epoch will release two 2009 independent Japanese monster movies on Region 1 DVD. Both DEMEKING, THE SEA MONSTER and PSYCHO SHARK will be available October 12th for the suggested retail price of $19.98 each. DEMEKING, THE SEA MONSTER is adapted from the 1991 cult hit manga Demeking by Takashi Imashiro. The film was produced by Tornado Film Co., Ltd. (MONSTER X STRIKES BACK/ ATTACK THE G8 SUMMIT!) and given a limited theatrical release in Japan by Jolly Roger Inc. starting March 7, 2009. Imashiro also co-wrote the film`s screenplay with director Kotaro Terauchi (SLIT MOUTH WOMAN 2, BOYS LOVE THE MOVIE, SHAOLIN GRANDMA). Takeshi Nadagi, a member of the comedy team The Plan 9 who has been highly praised

    Region 1 DVD and Blu-ray cover art for EDEN OF THE EAST, The Complete Series. Photos courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment. © 2009 EDEN OF THE EAST.

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Complete Series Goes on Sale October 19th Source: FUNimation Entertainment Official Site: juiz.jp (Japan), funimation.com/edenoftheeast (US) Special Thanks to Jackie Smith and Manny Alcala FUNimation Entertainment will release the award-winning anime series EDEN OF THE EAST (Higashi no Eden, 2009) next month on Blu-ray and Region 1 DVD. Produced by anime studio Production I.G. (GHOST IN THE SHELL, KILL BILL VOL. 1), the show was created, written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama (director of MORIBITO: GUARDIAN OF THE SPIRIT and the best-selling GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX), and features character designs by manga artist Chica Umino (Honey and Clover). Originally announced for September 28th, 2010, the FUNimation DVD and Blu-ray of EDEN OF THE EAST will now street on October 19th. The 2 disc sets will each contain the complete series of 11 episodes. Story Monday, November 22, 2010...

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