norihisa hiranuma

Fantastic Fest XVIII Review: In ONE-PERCENTER, Tak Sakaguchi Demonstrates The Method To The Madness!

“There are many martial artists in the world. Only one in every hundred master their art. Those are the ‘One-Percenters.’” …That’s a line spoken in the international trailer and newest incumbent feature from writer/director Yudai Yamaguchi, a man imbued with a wealth of knowledge and experience when it comes to working with actor and genre cinema favorite, Tak Sakaguchi. The pair have done various types of movies together, with Sakaguchi in roles that have seen him merc the undead, partake in explosive baseball battles, and even wipe out henchmen as a bionically-weaponized gangster, among other projects the two have collaborated on with other directors. It would be in 2005 that fans of Sakaguchi would see the actor embark a little more on his own quest into action direction, clearly looking to up his station in the craft following the success he gained from his previous credits. Alas, after more than […]

HiGH&LOW: THE WORST – X (CROSS) Scores A Brand New Official Trailer And Poster For The New Action-Packed Chapter

Lee B. Golden III

Get ready to immerse yourselves into the excitement once more with HiGH&LOW: THE WORST – X (CROSS), the latest installment of EXILE HIRO’s high-energy action franchise. The newest official trailer made landfall on Thursday following a spate of special promos and a teaser back in late Spring ahead of the film’s September 9 release. DTC Yukemuri Junjo hen From HiGH&LOW helmer Norihisa Hiranuma succeeds Sigeaki Kubo who has shephered most of the franchise between its television and theatrical properties leading up to 2019’s HiGH&LOW: The Worst. THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE member Kazuma Kawamura is back to reprise his lead role as leading Oya High troublemaker and badass Fujio Hanaoka, leading a cast from a script penned by Hiranuma along with Shoichiro Masumoto and Kei Watanabe Kei, which takes from Takahashi Hiroshi’s “CROWS” and “WORST” manga publications. More from LDH: In the latest work “HiGH&LOW THE WORST X”, Oya High […]

HIGH & LOW: THE WORST – X (CROSS) Unleashes Thirty Seconds Of Delinquent Mayhem In The First Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

Three years after the events of High & Low‘s S.W.O.R.D. saga and Sigeaki Kubo’s High & Low: The Worst, the countdown officially begins with the first official teaser now running online for sequel crossover, High & Low: The Worst – X (Cross), from DTC Yukemuri Junjo hen From High & Low helmer, Norihisa Hiranuma. The teaser comes following last December’s announcement enlisting the return of leading man Kazuma Kawamura of pop band The Rampage for the action-packed follow-up centered on Oya High’s full-time baddest of the bad asses. The new chapter will also include major characters performed by fellow pop sensation cohorts, Yuta Nakamoto of South Korean boyband NCT 127, and Ryoki Miyama of Japanese pop music septet, Be:First. Rounding out the cast are Hokuto Yoshino, Ryuji Sato, Fuju Kamio, Kohei Fukuyama, Ryu, Takahide Suzuki, Satoshi Uekiya, Ken Nakajima and Goki Maeda will all rejoin their 2019 cast including Akihisa […]

The Crows Are Coming, As HIGH & LOW: THE WORST Is Announced For Late 2022 Sequel Release!

Lee B. Golden III

We may never know what becomes of the mysterious figure, “Bulge”, hinted at with the end of 2017’s High & Low: Final Mission. I’m not really sure, though it’s exciting to think about now that the hit action franchise is back in the headlines. More to the point, Japanese trade news sites are now reporting the early Fall 2022 release of a sequel to Shigeaki Kubo’s High & Low: The Worst, from Shochiku, in a new video which you can view above, and a poster announcement featuring the cast which you can check out further below on this page. The sequel, to be directed by HiGH&Low franchise co-scribe Norihisa Hiranuma (director of DTC Yukemuri Junjo hen From High & Low), will bring back a mix of both returning and new cast members; Actors Kazuma Kawamura, Hokuto Yoshino, Ryuji Sato, Fuju Kamio, Kohei Fukuyama, Ryu, Takahide Suzuki, Satoshi Uekiya, Ken Nakajima […]