HERO’S ISLAND: Teaser Revealed For Keishi Otomo’s New Post-War Mystery Thriller Coming In September!
The movie opens in Japanese cinemas from September 19!
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MUROMACHI OUTSIDERS: Yo Oizumi Leads Roaring Rebellion With A Smile In The Explosive Trailer
It’s been nearly a year since Toei revealed a behind-the-scenes featurette for 15th century sword slasher Muromachi Outsiders. A small teaser arrived in the summer revealing just a smidget of what’s in store with leading actor Yo Oizumi in his first-ever action role, and now we have an official trailer and poster to help pitch to the global chambara crowds ahead of a January 17 release in Japan. Kyoto, 1461. A devastating famine and plague simultaneously struck this area. The ruling powers remained inept, enjoying their wealth. Seeing the hellish landscape of Kyoto, a vagrant, Hasuda Hyoe, rallied outlaws and orchestrated an unprecedented riot against the colossal authority. Muromachi Outsiders is directed by Nemesis, Joker Game and Confession Of Murder director Yu Irie, and is based on the 2016 Shincho Bunko series of novels from multi-award winning author, Ryosuke Kakine. The movie also stars “Naniwa Danshi” member Kento Nagao, Akira […]
RUN FOR MONEY: THE MOVIE – TOKYO MISSION: The Game Gets Deadly Real In The Official Trailer!
Hit FujiTV competition show “Run For The Money” is celebrating its 20th anniversary this summer. Oh? Pray tell!… Run For Money: The Movie – Tokyo Mission is the name of the narrative survival adventure thriller starring Takumi Kawanishi, and Kimata Syoya, along with Aomi Kaneshiro from boyband JO1, and Taiki Sato from Exile Tribe subgroup FANTASTICS. The film is directed by Code Blue franchise vet Masaki Nishiura, and centers on a band of friends who all came up in high school athletics who each get exclusively invited among 1000 other entrants to compete in a citywide competition for 100 Million Yen. Little do they know that the game is about to spiral out of control when a corrupt entity seizes control of the game and the rules turn deadly. Also starring are HIKAKIN, Ririka Tanabe, and young actor Eito Kawahara, Chika Uchida, Hideyuki Kasahara, and Riki Honda for the film’s […]
BRATS, BE AMBITIOUS! Trailer: Shin Adachi’s Latest Dares These Youths To Dream
Moviegoers in Japan are only a few days away from the upcoming release of coming-of-age drama Brats, Be Ambitious! The film is the third and latest directorial effort by Shin Adachi, best known for penning flicks like Popeyed Goldfish and memorable romantic boxing drama, 100 Yen Love to name a few. A countryside in 1988. Shun is crazy about fooling around with his best friends. Facing up with their family environment or bullying in school, they struggle against the problems in their adolescents. The above is the film’s description per its programming notes for the 35th Tokyo International Film Festival where its world premiere was held last year. Toei is now handling its Japan release for this Friday with a cast led by Yukiya Ikegawa, Hikaru Tashiro and Shiraishi Kiichi.
LIFE OF MARIKO IN KABUKICHO Trailer Finds Sairi Itoh Looking For Aliens!
Eiji Uchida (Offbeat Cops) and Shinzo Katayama (Missing) have paired up to stir some much-needed craziness this summer as Life of Mariko in Kabukicho revs up a June release. Steered by lead actor Sairi Itoh from a script by both directors along with Yoshitatsu Yamada, the story sees our star as Mariko, a bar owner who moonlights as a detective and is assigned to help find an alien living amongst the residents of Kabukicho. Yutaka Takenouchi also stars in the flick as Mariko’s boyfriend, Masaya, who helps her on her quest. The trailer is online to help tease a little more of just what this entails and looks like it’ll promise a fair and watch-worthy escape from reality. Take a look!
Don’t Miss Toei’s BAKUMATSU WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY Mini-Teaser
Signal: The Movie helmer Hajime Hashimoto will have plenty to present for his latest goings-on since then now that the first mini-promo is here for gangster/jidaigeki spoof, Bakamatsu Without Honor And Humanity. It’s only fitting that a title like this comes out of Toei seeing as the title takes its cues from the classic crime saga of yesterday shepherded largely by the late, legendary Kinji Fukasaku for the studio – here now broached once more with a comedic, fantastical twist with Hashimoto directing from a script by Kamen Rider vet, Nobuhiro Mori. Ryo Matsuda, also of Kamen Rider franchise fame, stars alongside Touken Ranbu (2019) actor Takuma Wada for the story Kyoji, a yakuza leader rising in the ranks who finds himself jettisoned back to Edo period with pugnacious right-hand man, Ippei. As it stands, after crossing paths with a legendary warrior who shares his likeness, Kyoji is forced to […]
HELL DOGS: Don’t Miss The Latest Promos For The Yakuza Crime Thriller Adaptation Starring Junichi Okada
Less than a month away from its Japan release is the long-awaited gangster crime thriller, Hell Dogs, starring Junichi Okada and Kentarô Sakaguchi. Toei and Sony Pictures Japan are handling its distribution, which means we should see the film’s release outside the region at some point. Based on Akio Fukamachi’s 2017 novel, Okada stars as Shogo, a cop who, while still recovering from the trauma of his girlfriend’s murder, is assigned to go undercover and investigate the Yakuza, using a loose-cannon gangster named Hideki with whom he apparently shares a 98% match in his personality profile. Harada also adapted the novel marking his third and latest film with Okada following Sekigahara and Baragaki: Unbroken Samurai, and with featured action sequences by Okada himself. Also starring are Mayu Matsuoka, Miyavi, Kazuki Kitamura, Shinobu Otake, Satoshi Kanada, Mai Kiryu, Arisa Nakajima, Kyoko, Yasumasa Ohba, Mitsuo Yoshihara, Ukon Onoe, Mio Tanaka, Jun Murakami […]
KAMEN RIDER KUUGA: THE COMPLETE SERIES Coming to Blu-Ray
Fans asked; Shout! Factory, as usual, delivered! Fan favorite and classic Heisei-era tokusatsu series Kamen Rider Kuuga will be making it’s way to blu-ray as a further celebration of the franchise’s 50th anniversary. Originally premiered in Japan in 2000, Kuuga began the Heisei-era with a new spin on the original Kamen Rider formula, and to this day remains a must watch for new fans of tokusatsu and veterans alike. After the success of the Kamen Rider Zero-One release by Shout!, many thought this would follow, and on September 20, Kuuga finally has it’s moment in the spotlight! When a group of archaeologists uncovers the tomb of a legendary warrior, they unearth Kuuga’s belt, accidentally releasing an ancient race of monsters called the Grongi, bent on destroying humanity. Enter Yusuke Godai, a modern-day guy-next-door, who learns he is telepathically linked to the mysterious stone belt. With its power, he transforms into the legendary warrior known as Kuuga, humanity’s only defense against […]
Koichi Sakamoto’s Latest Period Film Delivers Killer Swordplay Thrills In The Official Trailer
Japanese cinema is still a hurdle for me most days since I’m neither fluent nor literate, but it helps to be able to translate things for these kinds of discoveries. Such is the case with 『漆黒天 -終の語り-』, or as Google Translate notes: Raven Story: The End Of The Story, rejoining famed Toku action Koichi Sakamoto with none other than actor Hirofumi Araki following their previous work together on Sakamoto’s live-action Bungo Stray Dogs: Beast movie back in January. The film is a continuation of a franchise between live stage shows and films, with Hidenori Ishida’s Gozen: The Sword Of Pure Romance kicking off the feature film series in 2019, and Takayuki Shibasaki’s Grim Reaper Case Book following suit a year later. This one sees Araki starring as a lone, nameless swordsman who journeys into Edo and finds himself squaring off with scores of thugs after rescuing a woman. Sakamoto, best […]
HELL DOGS Take A Bite Out Of The Yakuza Underworld In The First Teaser
I haven’t seen Sekigahara or Baragaki: Unbroken Samurai yet, or any of director Masato Harada’s films safe for his screen appearances in The Last Samurai and Jet Li’s Fearless. To that end, it’s no easy thing to mull over how he’s been discussed in recent local Japanese media reports regarding his on-set demeanor, and for better understanding, you’re invited to catch up with actor Yuki Matsuzaki’s own tweet threads discussing it and forging your own opinions from there. It’s a bit brutal given all else that’s been reported. So to say the least, the better focus here lies on how fond I am of actor Junichi Okada who’s done nothing but deliver the goods in recent memory, with the addition of the aforementioned films and lately with Kan Eguchi’s lean and mean action comedy manga adaptations of The Fable which are currently on Netflix. Okada’s return to the screen now […]
SHIN JAPAN HEROES UNIVERSE Project Announced For The Big Screen
A new collaboration project has been announced with writer and director Hideaki Anno ( Neon Genesis Evangelion, Shin Godzilla) and his Shin films at it’s core. Billed as a “Miracle Project” on it’s official website, the collaboration has been launched in tandem by Toho, Color, Tsuburaya Productions, and Toei as a dream collab of four heroes that represent Japan. Shin Japan Heroes Universe begins with Shin Godzilla and Shin Evangelion films, and will continue with the upcoming Shin Ultraman and Shin Kamen Rider, set to release in 2022 and 2023 respectively. The first piece of crossover media that has been released is this special art piece! The special image was created by Mahiro Maeda (Neon Genesis Evangelion, The Vision of Escaflowne, Director, Blue Submarine No. 6) , and the emblem for the crossover was created by Yutaka Izubuchi (Creator, RahXephon, Design, Patlabor, Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack, Kamen Rider OOO). We’ll be sure to update when news about this once […]
KAMEN RIDER OOO 10th Film Announced
At a special live event, it was announced that a new film to continue the story of 2010’s Kamen Rider OOO would be released. Kamen Rider OOO: Revival of the Core Medals is the next film to be released in Toei’s V-Cinext series, and features the return of several characters from the beloved series to the screen. The film will have a limited theatre screening in Spring 2022, and a Blu-Ray/DVD release August 24th. The story synopsis, translated by Tokusatsu Network, is as follows: In the year 2021 C.E., the world is wrapped in chaos and fear. The Kamen Rider OOO from 800 years ago has returned by crossing time. With humanity on the verge of extinction, the traveling Eiji Hino makes his return. Shintaro Goto, Akira Date, and Hina Izumi are part of a resistance group fighting back. Will a tomorrow come where they can meet Ankh again…? The […]
KAIZOKU SENTAI: TEN GOKAIGER: New Information and Trailers!
Toei has shared new details and trailers ahead of the release of the return of one of it’s most popular Sentai teams’ return to the screen: Kaizoku Sentai: Ten Gokaiger. Along with sharing a new poster and one minute long trailer for the V-Cinext film, they have confirmed release dates for not only the Blu-Ray and DVDs, but a limited theatrical run as well. Kaizoku Sentai: Ten Gokaiger is the 10th anniversary celebration of, and sequel movie to the popular entry in the Super Sentai franchise, Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. In Gokaiger, a team of Space Pirates come to Earth in search of the greatest treasure in the universe. Wielding the powers of the previous 34 Super Sentai, they fight off constant siege by the Space Empire Zangyack, a powerful interstellar empire. With only the Gokaiger in the way of total galactic domination, the Pirate Sentai must learn new powers and […]
BACK STREET GIRLS – GOKUDORUZU: Toei’s Gender-Swapping Yakuza Crime Romp Gets An Official Trailer
What do you get when you take three hard-as-nails Yakuza underlings and give them a sex change as part of their penance? Possibly one of the wackiest tales ever featured in any medium, but you can bet Jasmine Gyuh was up to the task back in 2015 upon birthing the hit manga, Back Street Girls, from Kodansha. A ten-part anime soon followed in Japan from director Kon Chiaki which, from what I hear, bodes just as wacky as expected and you can now find that one on Netflix. At some point therein, Toei took it upon themselves to produce a live-action adaptation of the hit Kodansha IP with director Hara Keinosuke at the helm, and as such, an official trailer has now arrived following a teaser last month A group of 3 yakuza failed their boss for the last time. After messing up an important job, the boss gave them […]
Yakuza Crime Thriller THE BLOOD OF WOLVES Tows The Thinning Divide Between Crime And Justice In The Official Trailer
Director Shiraishi Kazuya just had his latest theatrical opening this month with kidnapping thriller, Sunny/32, and is now onto the next round of promotions for his latest offering which arrives this summer. Enter Hiroshima with author Yuzuki Yuko’s 2015 bestseller, The Blood Of Wolves, serving as the basis for Shiraishi’s new crime noir thriller set in the years leading up to Japan’s crackdown on the Yakuza in the early 1990s. The Devil’s Path helmer is joined by Twisted Justice scribe Ikegami Junya with actors Yakusho Koji and Matsuzaka Tori leading the narrative for the film pre-emptively driven by the author’s affinity for Showa-era crime tales as exemplary as Toei’s highly acclaimed ripped-from-the-headlines crime saga, Battles Without Honor And Humanity. The first official trailer is finally here as well and does amply in observing much of that bygone splendor of the roaring 80s crime lore with a plot highlights the boiler […]
Matsuda Is The Law In Kumakiri's DIAS POLICE: DIRTY YELLOW BOYS. Watch The Trailer!
With manga continuing to be an ever fruitful source for film progression in Japan, Toei’s latest pivot now arrives with My Man helmer Kumakiri Kazuyoshi’s Dias Police: Dirty Yellow Boys. The film is set for a September 3 release in Japan with actor Matsuda Shota starring as a one-man police force in service of well over 100,000 illegal immigrants dwelling in Japan with their own way of life. Kumakiri wrote the script with screenwriter Moriya Fumio based on 2006 Weekly Morning seinen publication prior to its TBS-MBS series earlier this year. Other plot details are unknown but several teasers and an official trailer have been making the rounds to help throw hints around, otherwise boasting a workable, energetic manga adaptation amply loaded with action and comedy. Fans familar with the show or the manga may feel free to debate, but check it out below and judge for yourself.
Toei's KAMEN RIDER 1 Rides Online With A New Trailer!
Actor Fujioka Hiroshi is back again this season in lieu of his forthcoming commemorative performance in Toei’s upcoming tokusatsu feature, Kamen Rider 1. The iconic franchise, which spawned from its TV roots in 1971, turns 45 next month upon the film release on March 26 from director Kaneda Osamu. SYNOPSIS: 45 years ago, a man named Takeshi Hongo was transformed into a cyborg by the secret organization, Shocker. He escaped to become Shocker’s greatest foe… protecting humanity and fighting for justice as the first Kamen Rider, Masked Rider. While dealing with Shocker overseas, Hongo learns that Mayu Tachibana (Natsumi Okamoto) — the granddaughter of his late friend and mentor, Tobei Tachibana — is in danger. Returning to Japan, he crosses paths with Kamen Riders Takeru Tenkuji (Shun Nishime) and Makoto Fukami (Ryosuke Yamamoto), who have discovered that Mayu is being targeted both by Shocker and a new faction of the […]
Toei Announces New KAMEN RIDER Anniversary Blu-Ray Box Set
Oh boy, this is pretty exciting for a Toku fan like me.If you guys don’t know what Toku is, it’s short for Tokusatsu; a very popular genre of TV (and movie, kinda) in Japan, which is primarily live-action drama with special effects. This houses a lot of the sci-fi stuff from Godzilla to my all time favorite, Kamen Rider. With the 45th anniversary of the original Kamen Rider series next year, Toei will be releasing a 4-box set Bluray for it. It will include all 98 episodes since Kamen Rider Niigo comes in halfway through the series though the character has been a protagonist from the start. The thing is, this is a deluxe pack and with its deluxe status comes deluxe price tag. Supposedly, the first 3 box sets are priced at 34,560 yen ($278.24 US), while the 4th boxed sets costs 27,000 yen ($217.37 US). Yikes. So I […]
TRAILER: Show Aikawa Blows Up The Competition In V-Cinema's New Celebratory Gangster Thriller, 25 NIJYU-GO
Asian cinema bares numerous layers of fandom, including certain circles with a specific appreciation for Japanese cult movies. And for many of those fans, Japan’s Toei’s straight-to-video line, V-Cinema, will always hold a place in peoples’ hearts, especially for longstanding film favorite, actor Show Aikawa, who has returned once again to headline a stellar ensemble cast for the spectacular new gangster flick with a title to commemorate the celebration, 25 NIJYU-GO. The film is set to release in Japan on November 1, 2014 from director Tsutomu Kashima, and from the looks of its most recent trailer aims to push all of the necessary buttons to please the eyes…including the one that fires the rocket launcher! Watch the explosive new trailer below, as well as the latest stills and most recent behind-the-scenes featurette! H/T: 24 FPS, AsianWiki
Beerus Is Coming! Catch The New U.S. Theatrical Release Trailer For DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF THE GODS!
Close to a year after Toei released Dragon Ball Z: Battle Of The Gods in Japan, the official word from Funimation is that the film is now getting a limited theatrical release here in the U.S. this August, as indicated by the poster above. This is pretty big for the anime fans out there, particularly for those jaded by the 2009 live-action contribution that didn’t pan really pan out very well with the hardcore fan base. For most of them, the epic saga featuring lead character Goku against his former Saiyan comrades should best stay animated. Personally, I disagree, as I have shared my own hopes for Casshern and Goemon helmer Kazuki Kiriya to bring the property to form, and it was the magic mad happen for Casshern that convinced me this was possible. Plus, my own coverage of the independent film scene has also garned my approval that enpassioned […]
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