mackenyu arata

[UPDATED With Trailer] KNIGHTS OF THE ZODIAC Debuts Official US Poster

UPDATE: The official trailer is here, courtesy of IGN! Earlier: Sony Pictures and Stage 6 have revealed the official US poster on Friday during WonderCon for Knights Of The Zodiac, opening in theaters on May 12. Tomasz Baginski directs the live-action adaptation of the hit “Saint Seiya” manga and anime franchise, that now features international star Mackenyu Arata (Rurouni Kenshin: The Final) in the lead role. When a headstrong street orphan in search of his abducted sister unwittingly taps into hidden powers, he discovers he might be the only person alive who can protect a reincarnated goddess, sent to watch over humanity. He will only become a Knight of the Zodiac when he can let his sister go and embrace his destiny. Arata, who will also appear later this year in Netflix’s live-action series adaptation of One Piece, is joined by a cast that also lists Madison Iseman, Diego Tinoco, […]

New KNIGHTS OF THE ZODIAC: THE BEGINNING Promo Teases New Version Of Classic Anime Theme Song

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been interesting to see the reactions to the promotional footage currently circulating out of Toei for its upcoming April release of Tomasz Baginski’s adaptation of popular manga/anime property, “Saint Seiya”. The regionally titled Knights Of The Zodiac: The Beginning will be the first of a hopeful franchise to come and stars Mackenyu Arata in the title role along with Diego Tinoco, Nick Stahl, Sean Bean, Famke Janssen and Mark Dacascos, billed as an origin story which, provided its success could mean an introduction into the other “Saints” in our heroic cadre. For now, Japan will be the first to lay eyes on what Baginski and his team of action stalwarts led by Andy Cheng (AMC’s “Into The Badlands,” Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) have brought to the table, and to top off all the teaser trailer content out of Toei is another short promo this […]

KNIGHTS OF THE ZODIAC: Toei Animation Teases Pegasus’ Meteor Fist In New Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been a little over a few months since the first main teaser arrived for Tomasz Baginski’s live-action adaptation of “Saint Seiya” titled Knights Of The Zodiac outside Japan. The teaser boasts some impressive visuals with cool nods to the original manga/anime IP on which the film is based, although surprisingly it also drew some ire from a few more persnickety friends in my circle. Personally, I hope the full trailer and coming movie can change some minds and hearts this year, and until then, the campaign continues to help ramp up the excitement with Toei Animation heading up the film’s release in the far East this April hereby titled Knights Of The Zodiac: The Beginning. Tap here for the first teaser from Sony back in December, and check out the new teaser below signaling lead actor Mackenyu Arata (Netflix’s upcoming One Piece) in his first feature move outside Japan.

KNIGHTS OF THE ZODIAC: Mackenyu Lights Up The Ole’ Meteor Punch In The First Full Teaser Trailer!

Lee B. Golden III

You guys can keep your Marvel and DC movies at this point. For all the brouhaha over the years with live-action manga and anime adaptations, filmmaker Tomasz Baginski’s hopeful franchise kickstarter, Knights Of The Zodiac is hitting all kinds of cool notes following a teaser leak a few days ago. That teaser stemmed from the Japanese website heading up the film’s release next year from Toei, which has since gone dark until further notice – at least as of this post – while other uploads remain available, although it probably won’t matter anymore now that the first full teaser trailer is here in all its glory, with Sony shepherding the film stateside in 2023. When a headstrong street orphan, Seiya (Mackenyu), in search of his abducted sister unwittingly taps into hidden powers, he discovers he might be the only person alive who can protect a reincarnated goddess, sent to watch […]

WB Japan Teases Two-Part FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST Sequel Finale Debuting Mackenyu Arata As Scar!

Lee B. Golden III

A little over six years ago, I began a little catch-up journey in the world of anime, and I did so in time to be mindful of the immense rollout of live-action manga adaptations arising in the following year: Yuichi Fukuda fans had Gintama; Kentaro Hagiwara sat in to manifest Tokyo Ghoul; Takashi Miike brought JoJo’s Bizzare Adventure: Chapter One – Diamond Is Unbreakable and Blade Of The Immortal to life; and for what it’s worth, there was Adam Wingard’s treatment of Death Note for Netflix. Also, Sori Fumihiko gave us Fullmetal Alchemist, a sprawling, explosive dark fantasy story that treks across the globe and between dimensions, centering on two brothers cursed by the practice of Alchemy, and equally gifted as the two race to battle near-impenetrable forces of evil in order to bring the world back to balance. The animated series was one of the first I deep-dove into […]

KNIGHTS OF THE ZODIAC: Mackenyu Arata Leads International Debut Adapting ‘Saint Seiya’ For The Big Screen From Toei, SPWA

Lee B. Golden III

It feels so timely that I’ve only just seen actor Mackenyu Arata’s most recent performance in the fourth installment of the Rurouni Kenshin saga. If you ask me, considering he’s the one cast for the lead role in what looks to be a bolstering international debut with Tomasz Baginski’s Saint Seiya treatment, Knights Of The Zodiac, I’d say Baginski is in good hands. The new movie is produced Toei and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions, and just wrapped filming in Croatia and Hungary with Arata joined by Madison Iseman, Famke Janssen, Sean Bean, Diego Tinoco, along with Nick Stahl and action star Mark Dacascos. Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken (10 Cloverfield Lane) penned the most recent drafts, according to THR‘s Borys Kit. The manga and anime, created by Masami Kurumada and first introduced in 1986, told of warriors known as The Saints who gather their powers from the constellations. They are […]

RUROUNI KENSHIN: THE FINAL Roars Online With The Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Seven years after searing festival screens and theaters with an explosive trilogy, director Keishi Otomo and actor Takeu Satoh are back to revive the magic twofold this year, firstly with Rurouni Kenshin: The Final, the first of a diptych to bookend the live-action saga based on the hit manga anime IP. A big hit film franchise with its cumulative box office surpassing 12.5 billion yen is finally coming to an end! In 2021, this greatest climax of the series will make history in Japanese cinema! Kenshin’s legend continues and everything about “Rurouni Kenshin” is ultimately disclosed! The Beginning: how Kenshin got his scars. The Final: the stunning series climax. Rurouni Kenshin: Beginning and End in simultaneous release! The story commences here with a retelling of the Jinchu arc, with our titular heroic samurai going toe-to-toe with notorious arms dealer Enishi, played by Mackenyu Arata (Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable, […]

BRAVE: GUNJYO SENKI Teases High School Students Vs. Sengoku Warriors In The First Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

With any luck, next year might bode more fortunately for the theatrical experience in the wake of this mortifying pandemic around the world, which, to our delight, hasn’t gotten too much in the way of the creative process for some. This especially goes for director Katsuyuki Motohiro (Ajin: Demi-Human, Laughing Under the Clouds) ahead of his latest, Brave: Gunjyo Senki, based on Masaki Kasahara’s 2013 manga. Toho officially teased the pic on Wednesday, and features Mackenyu Arata (Chihayafuru 1 and 2) as Aoi, a teen archer who, along with his fellow club members and classmates, gets accidently transported back into feudal Japan. Rounding out the cast are Hirona Yamazaki (Killing For The Prosecution) and Kenichi Matsuyama (Miyamoto), and in heartfelt departure, late actor Haruma Miura (The Confidence Man JP 1 & 2, upcoming Tengaramon) in one of his final on screen performances. Brave: Gunjyo-Senki opens locally in March 2021.