shigeaki kubo

Toho Announces GOLDEN KAMUY Sequel

Toho has announced a sequel to Shigeaki Kubo’s latest Meiji-era manga adaptation, Golden Kamuy. The film was adapted for the screen by Tustomu Kuroiwa and featured a cast led by Kento Yamazaki and Anna Yamada, and released in Japan cinemas back in January. Based on Satoru Noda’s award-winning Seinen manga out of Weekly Young Jump which ran from 2014 through 2022, Kubo’s Golden Kamuy hails from Credeus, Inc., the production label behind the Yamazaki-led Kingdom trilogy. Golden Kamuy is set during the aftermath of the Russo-Japanese War, and sees Yamazaki in the role of Sugimoto, a celebrated Imperial war hero who, along with an indigenous Ainu hunter named Asirpa, finds himself at the center of a mystery involving a band of prison escapees beholden to tattoos of a ciphered map locating a hidden cache of gold. The inaugural film went on to a wider release via Netflix the following May, […]

GOLDEN KAMUY Takes You Behind The Scenes With Kento Yamazaki As A Soldier In Training

Lee B. Golden III

I haven’t seen Shigeaki Kubo’s new movie Golden Kamuy as it’s only just released in Japan theaters last month. Still, the distributors over there were kind enough to release a behind-the-scenes featurette showing lead actor Kento Yamazaki training for the lead role of a legendary late-Meiji era soldier. That meant reteaming with the ever accountable Yuji Shimomura, longstanding in the field of Japanese stunts and action on film and having collaborated with Yamazaki already on Shinsuke Sato’s Kingdom franchise and Netflix series “Alice In Borderland”. Serving as action director on Golden Kamuy, clearly it’s a partnership that provides both with plenty of experience with each other in the rigorous training, prep and teamwork to make the on-screen action possible. And not for nothing either. A reel like this is especially worth checking out as exemplary for the kind of rehearsals committed actors like Yamazaki are readily engaged in, especially with […]

GOLDEN KAMUY Official Teaser Signals ‘High & Low’ Director’s Latest With Kento Yamazaki In 2024!

Lee B. Golden III

Director Shigeaki Kubo of HiGH&LOW franchise fame is a name I, and others among my mutuals have come to love and appreciate over the last eight years or so. His latest return to the big screen comes by way of Toho nowadays as fans of actor Kento Yamazaki can now look toward January 19 for the Japan release of the new survival action thriller, Golden Kamuy. Hailing from Credeus, Inc., the production label behind the Yamazaki-led Kingdom trilogy from director Shinsuke Sato, Golden Kamuy is based on Satoru Noda’s award-winning Seinen manga out of Weekly Young Jump which ran from 2014 to last year. The story, set in the aftermath of the Russo-Japanese War, sees Yamazaki in the role of Sugimoto, a celebrated Imperial war hero who, along with an indigenous Ainu hunter named Asirpa, finds himself at the center of a mystery involving a band of prison escapees beholden […]

HIGH & LOW: THE WORST Review: An Exhilarating PSA That Graduates A Hit Saga

Lee B. Golden III

It was a little over a year ago that filmmaker Shigeaki Kubo and team HI-AX bookeneded the High & Low franchise following five years of major success on both the small and big screen; With the events of the first five films and three of the franchise’s supporting characters take the wheel for their own lighthearted adventure in the sixth, Kubo returns to form with High & Low: The Worst, invariably another action-packed and dramatic tale of childhood, crime and family, albeit toned with a keener anti-drug message that puts our delinquents at the forefront of a noble cause. Alas, we revert back to the stomping, no holds barred grounds of S.W.O.R.D. faction, Oya High School, amidst the fallout between leader, Murayama (Yuki Yamada), and second in command Todoroki (Goki Maeda), over the involvement of full-time and part-time students in fights, leaving the school in a fractured state. Arriving just […]

HIGH & LOW THE MOVIE 3: FINAL MISSION Review: A Groundbreaking Japanese Action Saga Comes To A Rousing Close

Lee B. Golden III

Peaking as the third (or fourth – or fifth – and final depending on your preference) main act of the High & Low saga, High & Low The Movie 3: Final Mission, at long last brings Cobra face-to-face with heavy-hitting criminal organization, Kuryu Group. The film doesn’t start off right away, but it does flash forward briefly in a key torture scene before its da capo revert to the aftermath of the epic train station battle between S.W.O.R.D. against Doubt and the Mighty Warriors. Little do the gangs of S.W.O.R.D. know, just as Boss Yoshitatsu (Goro Kishitani) of Kuryu’s Zenshin clan’s arrival offsets a climatic confrontation with Cobra (Takanori Iwata) and the rest of S.W.O.R.D., that Kuryu has already begun its violent campaign against the district, targeting the Rude Boys’ Nameless City as its key demolition target, in order to commence a major casino project. With the gangs all then […]

HIGH & LOW 2: END OF SKY Review: Sad Goodbyes, Sinister Plot Twists And Blockbuster Action Mark The Beginning Of The End

Lee B. Golden III

Following his solo turn at the helm for High & Low: The Movie, the aftermath of Yudai Yamaguchi’s High & Low: The Red Rain now brings our attention to the latest of major final chapters of the High & Low film saga. It’s understandable if you feel like things have hit a fever pitch too, especially if you’ve seen both seasons of the NTV and Hulu dramas that pre-empt the current film saga from LDH Pictures and Shochiku. Still, it bares noting the freshness and practicality with which these films have been treated in bringing this contemporary Japanese gangland action cineverse to life, with none other than some of J-pop’s brightest stars composing most of the roster. In High & Low 2: End Of Sky, things are heating up even more in the district of S.W.O.R.D., with the emergence of outside gangs looking to muscle their way in amid the […]

HIGH & LOW: THE MOVIE Review: …Gang’s All Here!

Lee B. Golden III

In incredible, staunch fashion, international talent staple LDH’s film banner spent a good deal of the past decade building a sprawling, original entertainment franchise comprised of some of today’s regional stars of music and film. After winning fan favor with streaming series High & Low: The Story Of S.W.O.R.D., and revving things up with 2016’s Road To High & Low, writing unit Team HI-AX and director Shigeaki Kubo followed through that year as the pivotal inaugural film entry of the franchise, High & Low: The Movie, revealing the intial phase of a story that combines the gritty gangster drama of Sons Of Anarchy with Crows-style action on a level equal to that of the MCU’s The Avengers. Following the tone-setting events of Road To High & Low, High & Low: The Movie takes off in explosive fashion with a terror attack that sets off in Rude Boys’ territory, Nameless City. […]

HiGH&LOW: One Of Japan’s Biggest Hit Action Franchises Arrives On Netflix September 20

ROAD TO HIGH & LOW Review: Shigeaki Kubo’s Epic Motorcycle Gangster Action Drama Revs Up With A Sizeable, Emotive First Chapter

Lee B. Golden III

As obscure as any news can be about Japanese film productions, this site has certainly made an ample effort over the last six years to update readers on the progress of LDH’s hit mega franchise, High & Low (stylized as HiGH&LOW at home). That it comes packaged with a frontline of A-list screen and stage talents from the music and acting scene bodes a formidable offering as well, and it especially helps that those catching on out here in the West have since taken a liking to the work of directors like Takashi Miike, especially since High & Low speaks indelibly to the deliquent gangster genre fanbase. Led off by a two season drama on NTV and Hulu in Japan, the film end of the franchise launched on Sunday on Netflix with all seven feature films now streaming; Sharing the helm for the first-season NTV drama, High & Low: The […]

HIGH & LOW: THE WORST: Manga Gangsters Pile On In The Official Trailer For LDH’s New Crossover

Lee B. Golden III

I’ve been as curious as ever to ascertain just what the hell High & Low (styled as HiGH&LOW) is all about with a proper viewing of its shows and films. Sadly the franchise still remains without a legitmate stateside release component, though the fact remains that it exhibits one of the most spectacular franchises ever seen in the far east – brained and bred by LDH Pictures with talents spanning its in-house artists of Exile Tribe and the like. The company now revs up its next chapter of the High & Low saga with a new film opening October 4 titled High & Low: The Worst, directed once more by Shigeaki Kubo and from a script by Norihisa Hiranuma, Shoichiro Masumoto and Kei Watanabe. What’s more? The film is its own triple threat crossing over between characters of the High & Low franchises with those from creator Hiroshi Takahashi’s Worst, […]

The S.W.O.R.D. Wields Its Might In A New Highlight Video For HiGH&LOW: THE MOVIE

Lee B. Golden III

At an off-and-on pace since late last year, I’ve been following the promotional campaign for director Shigeaki Kubo’s latest high-profile action J-drama, HiGH&LOW: The Story Of S.W.O.R.D.. The first season has already aired as of last October with the second season already underway with a cast largely comprised of ensemble J-pop supergroup, Exile Tribe for the story of a city split five ways between five gangs to make up the eponymous acronym you now see in the title. Much ado for my own interest with this obviously lies in the action shown in all the various trailers for the show’s narrative, and not for nothing either. The fighting and parkour sequences look absolutely electric as per some great cinematography and it all looks really impressive, and now there’s much more of it to tease this week in a new story featurette that follows the series leading up to the feature […]

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HiGH&LOW: THE MOVIE Rallies A New Trailer!

Lee B. Golden III

The epic size and scale of what has taken shape in the past year with Japanese supergroup, Exile Tribe, has imaginably been a fun one since last year’s Hulu premiere of HiGH&LOW: The Story Of S.W.O.R.D. in Japan. The premise in question, of course, lies in the action-packed drama and brutality that follow when a town ruled by five warring gangs (spell out the S.W.O.R.D. portion in the title) is thrown into upheaval when newcomers enter the arena to tip the balance of power. Produced by LDH president and Exile Tribe founder, Hiro, the show itself has been deemed as the world’s first comprehensive entertainment project with the promise of a series, and a slew of interactive marketing via social media ahead of its manga releases and upcoming live concerts themed around the drama itself. Alas, a second season is already underway and all seems to be paying off pretty […]

It's Do Or Die In A Special Trailer For HiGH & LOW: The Story Of S.W.O.R.D.

Lee B. Golden III

Director Kubo Shigeaki has had a stellar run so far for the first season of his latest original series, HiGH & LOW: The Story Of S.W.O.R.D.. Japanese supergroup Exile Tribe aligns the cast in whole and for an action packed story centered on the rivalries between five distinct gangs in a single town, and the emergence of another gang that dares to tip the balance. The first season, now poised to release on DVD and Blu-Ray on April 20 in Japan, is only part of a larger ensemble effort which will include live concert events and a feature film on July 16. For this, the production has unveiled a special trailer for the film which you can check out below, along with an extended music video promo which went viral earlier on, featuring Japanese band Doberman Infinity’s soundtrack performance, “Do Or Die”. Check out both videos below and have a […]

Watch A New Promo For HiGH & LOW: The Story Of S.W.O.R.D.

Lee B. Golden III

Japanese pop music supergroup, Exile Tribe is currently making waves this month with the new series, HiGH & LOW: The Story Of S.W.O.R.D.. The series took off back in October as part of what’s been billed wholly as the world’s first comprehensive entertainment project courtesy of LDH, inc. in association with NTV, and they’re not kidding either with a social media campaign in full bloom coupled with upcoming concert performances, and a television show that boasts some pretty slick gangster drama and cool action to enjoy. Kubo Shigeaki directs the series which centers on the rivalries set between five distinct gangs in a single town, and the emergence of another gang that dares to tip the balance. Exile Hiro serves as executive producer of the project for the series in its current run while a second season appears to be in tow, in addition to a fully fledged feature film […]

Music Men Trade Dance Moves For Fists And Kicks In The New Promo For HiGH & LOW: The Story Of S.W.O.R.D.!

Lee B. Golden III

The latest production of Kubo Shigeaki‘s HiGH & LOW: The Story Of S.W.O.R.D. may be a little under a year from its forthcoming feature film extension. On that note, while host to a whole slew of content that includes a television premiere and other content, the latest ensemble action project by Japanese supergroup, Exile and executive producer Exile Hiro are digging their feet well into the promotional process; Their social media activity is key in this regard, so if you follow J-pop and entertainment at all and have an instagram account at best, you’re in for an eyefull of easter eggs on the project from now through next year. In the meantime, footage is already rolling out with at least one teaser having gone viral. This week now marks the release of the full trailer ahead of this month’s television premiere propelling viewers into the world of HiGH & LOW: […]

Get Ready To Experience HiGH & LOW: The Story Of S.W.O.R.D. In The First Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

Make no mistake with ensemble Japanese pop and dance supergroup, Exile Tribe. They’ve got some big plans ahead with each of its subgroups partaking between now and next summer for fans around the world, and it dabbles in a little bit of everything in social media, movies, music, television and more. Welcome to the multi-mediaverse of HiGH & LOW: The Story Of S.W.O.R.D., billed solidly as the world’s first comprehensive entertainment project from LDH, inc. in association with NTV. Founding member Exile Hiro executive produces with Kubo Shigeaki directing, and featuring a cast comprised of all its own in what reads like a sprawling and action packed tale akin to elements from films like The Warriors and Crows Zero. SYNOPSIS: The legend begins at a certain town that used to be under the rule of a legendary organization called“Mugen”. And within the ranks of that domineering organization were two legendary […]