Going into some more adaptations, I have at least five others in mind worth pointing out, one of which already might be in production given the recent announcement of Gintama 2. Little is known about the project which will have Fukuda Yuichi back at the helm advancing a follow-up to this year’s live-actiom rendition of the Benizakura Arc in his 2017 film starring Oguri Shun, Kahsimoto Hanna and Masaki Suda; Well Go USA is releasing that one in the Spring on DVD and Blu-Ray while we await more info on the sequel and what it entails.
Chinese moviegoers will continue to endure their beloved folklore as seen on the big screen in time for the Chinese New Year release of The Monkey King 3: Kingdom Of Women. Aaron Kwok is back in the title role with William Feng as the monk Tang under director Soi Cheang who shepherds this latest chapter that now sees our heroes mitigating their newfound place in a self-sustaining kingdom of women and its stern leader. February 16, 2018 is the date which might see a day-and-date release with the U.S. as well from Well Go USA. We’ll see.
Kubo Tite’s Bleach saw better days for its 2001 manga and bustling anime early on, although granted, there’s still a fanbase that Warner Bros. Japan still wishes to tap into, even if actor Fukushi Sota is the only name publicly attached to the pic. Here he stars as a high school student gifted with the ability see ghosts, who is further imbued with the abilities of a Soul Reaper when stumbling upon an epic battle between an afterworld warrioress from the Soul Society, and a ghoulsh entity known as a “Hollow”. I love the anime through the Soul Society arc and I’m curious about where this will go. Sato Shinsuke directs. And I’m pretty certain others will star in it too because having Sota all my himself is starting to get pretty damn weird.
Kim Jee-Woon of I Saw The Devil fame is well underway with a feature adaptation of his own with Inrang, taken from the alluring action, drama and suspense seen in Oshii Mamoru’s acclaimed 1998 animated thriller, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. This one resets its story in the future where the path to a unified Korea remains fragile due to skirmishes between formalists and radical dissidents. Kang Dong-Won stars along with Han Hyo-Joo, Jung Woo-Sung, Han Ye-Ri and Choi Min-Ho for the film’s expected 2018 release.
I’m not too familiar with the Laughing Under The Clouds manga but the anime is keeping me pacificed at the moment. At any rate, folks can catch this latest precursor to Bleach from Ajin helmer Motohiro Katsuyuki with Fukushi Sota leading the cast of characters for the tale of three brothers entrusted with protecting an ancient shrine in lieu of the Meiji government’s takeover of Japan. The trailer itself has some appeal as well and for that matter, a full cast compared to…well… Sato-san’s Bleach (like seriously, someone needs to get on that, STAT!) Laughing Under The Clouds opens in March in Japan!
Another batch of five arrives tomorrow! Stay tuned!
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