With his directorial debut, Seek, firmly making the festival rounds since late last year, filmmaker Shane Kosugi is currently underway on the sequel as of this week. Japanese protocols are pretty strict on announcements beyond shorthand posts teasing the news on social media so don’t expect any particulars about the film until possibly the summer when filming is finished.
Seek has already won dozens of awards with screenings for festival organizations in North America, Germany, India, Hong Kong and Spain to name a few. Actor Kansuke Asano stars in the first film which centers on the machinations of a covert ninja organization, and its efforts to recover a mysterious and elusive chemical weapon when conspiracy and vengeance suddenly arise.
Kosugi is joined on the opposite side of the lens by brother, actor and martial arts star Kane Kosugi, with a cast that also lists Tomohisa Yuge, Nahana, Mikako Yoshida, Masaki Miura, Miyu Ogawa, and Yasuaki Ishii. Asano also penned the script based on Kosugi’s 2023 shortfilm.
Contributing writer Mike Garcia took the liberty of sharing his thoughts in his inaugural review when the movie screened for this year’s edition of TACFEST in Toledo (where he served as juror) which you’re welcome to read here. Aside from this, let’s hope I can bring some official coverage at my website for the sequel but the momentum is looking fantastic for Kosugi’s latest ninja film enterprise. I’ve seen the film myself as well, and I’ll be happy to share my own review in due time.