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The official accounts for the upcoming live-action TV drama adaptation Wingman , based on Masakazu Katsura's superhero manga from 1983, today released a 60-second new trailer featuring the theme song "chang[e]" performed by Japanese rock band Blue Encount . The clip introduces the main cast members and also shows for the first time the transformation of the protagonist Kenta Hirono into Wingman. Also, three voice cast members who voice three characters of Podreams, the other dimensional world to which the heroine Aoi belonged. Akio Otsuka (Batou in Ghost in The Shell ) voices the role of Rimel, the emperor who has complete control over Podreams and is after Aoi's Dreamnote, Haruka Tomatsu (Asuna in Sword Art Online ) voicecs The Shiba, an assassin sent to Earth by Rimel, and Tomokazu Seki (Domon Kasshu in Mobile Fighter G Gundam ) voices Doctor. Lark, who is imprisoned in Podreams at war. Akio Otsuka Rimel Haruka Tomatsu The...

The official accounts for the upcoming live-action TV drama adaptation Wingman , based on Masakazu Katsura's superhero manga from 1983, today announced five additional cast members including voice actor Mamoru Miyano . Miyano is cast as Kitakura, a handsome new teacher who is assigned to the high school attended by the protagonist, Kenta Hirono. "I am very happy to be able to be involved in Katsura-sensei's work again in this way, and to be able to work with Director Sakamoto again in a way that I never thought possible. My heart is shaken by my actor life with a strange destiny," said Miyano. "On the set, I was moved by Director Sakamoto's passionate direction, and we were able to proceed while having deep discussions about my role with Katsura-sensei. I am now playing the role of 'Teacher Kitakura' with all of my strength, so please look forward to watching the show!" Additional...

A new episode of the Revisited video series has just been released, and since we covered the 1991 science fiction tokusatsu film The Guyver a couple of months ago, with this episode we’ve decided to circle back and take a look at the sequel to The Guyver, the 1994 release Guyver: Dark Hero (watch it Here) – also known as Guyver 2: Dark Hero, or, if you saw it in the Philippines, Predator 3. You can hear all about it in the video embedded above.

Directed by Steve Wang from a screenplay by Nathan Long that was based on both a story crafted by Wang and the Japanese manga series Bio Booster Armor Guyver by Yoshiki Takaya, Guyver 2: Dark Hero has the following synopsis: A year has passed since he defeated the Cronos Corporation, but Sean Barker continues to struggle with his ability to call upon the powers of the Guyver,...

The official accounts for the upcoming live-action TV drama adaptation Wingman , based on Masakazu Katsura's superhero manga from 1983, today released a key visual featuring the show's main hero character, Wingman. The tagline accompanying the visual reads: "A tokusatsu hero otaku saves the world!?" The designer of the visual, Masahiro Furuya said, "While paying respect to the worldview of this work drawn by Katsura-sensei, I aimed to reach a quality that would not be outdone by hero movies from around the world on creation of this key visual." Related: Wingman Live-Action Drama Reveals Two Main Cast Members, Theme Song Artist In addition to the previously announced Maito Fujioka the protagonist, Kenta Hirono, and Konatsu Kato as the main heroine, Aoi Yume, seven more cast members have been revealed as below: Miku Ogawa played by Himena Kikuchi Kumiko Fuzawa played by Hiyori Katada Momoko Morimoto played by Amane Uehara Tomoo Fukumoto...

The official website for the upcoming live-action TV drama adaptation Wingman , based on Masakazu Katsura's superhero manga from 1983, today announced the two main cast members and theme song artist. 20-year-old Maito Fujioka is cast as the protagonist, Kenta Hirono. He recently played Shun Futani, one of the main characters in the live-action TV drama adaptation of Kokone Nata's Play It Cool, Guys in 2023. Kenta Hirono is his first solo lead role in a serial live-action drama series. Maito Fujioka released the following comment: I am Maito Fujioka, and I play the role of Kenta Hirono. I was very happy to be offered the role because it has been one of my biggest dreams in my acting career to play the lead role in a terrestrial TV series. I felt a lot of responsibility and pressure to play the role of Kenta Hirono in “Wingman,” which sparked a revolution...

Stars: Julia Nagano, Yuichi Nakamura, Kohshu Kirano, Shun Nishime, Kanon Miyahara | Written by Junichiro Ashiki | Directed by Kôichi Sakamoto

With a title like Ninja vs Shark you might think this is another Mark Polonia film along the lines of Sharkula or Shark Encounters of the Third Kind. Or maybe one of the more bizarre Chinese kaiju films such as Land Shark. But you’d be wrong, it’s actually a Japanese film written by Junichiro Ashiki and directed by Kôichi Sakamoto.

During Japan’s Edo Period, Sayo, a pearl diver from the village of Okitsu, swims back to shore only to find the remains of one of her fellow divers washed up on the beach. This has been happening a lot since Lord Koshiro Mizuchi of the Crimson Devil Clan demanded the villagers hand over their pearls to him. When they refused he used sorcery to turn the sharks into living weapons.

There was a time, maybe fifteen years ago, when a title like “Ninja vs. Shark” would have been enough to whip up some early-viral excitement. In those days, the tongue-in-cheek grindhouse homage was still a novel idea, and upstart filmmakers were in a rush to combine b-movie tropes into self-consciously “epic” packages. Now, after more than a decade of lazy faux-exploitation productions dropped on streaming, the freshness factor has worn off. Still, not all filmmakers are created equally, and it’s important to note that “Ninja vs. Shark” is directed by stunt legend Koichi Sakamoto, who has made a career crafting dizzying fight choreography and directing live action anime and Tokusatsu features. His reputation made the idea of yet another “[B-Movie Creature] vs. [“B-Movie Creature]” title a little more exciting, and the good news is that he’s created a legitimately entertaining and refreshingly brief movie that, for better or worse, plays a little...

"Bungo Stray Dogs The Movie: Beast", is the 2022 live-action feature directed by Koichi Sakamoto, based on "Bungo Stray Dogs" manga comics by Asagiri, now streaming on Crunchyroll:

"..in a parallel world in the city of Yokohama, where 'Osamu Dazai' is the underworld boss of the port along with 'Atsushi', 'Ryonsuke Akutagawa' in a desperate move, enlists the help of the 'Armed Detective Agency' to help him find his lost sister..."

Click the images to enlarge...

"It's ready to blow your mind!" Let! Them! Fight! A Japanese trailer is out for an epic B-movie battle called Ninja vs. Shark, made by filmmaker / stunt expert Koichi Sakamoto. If you can believe, it isn't an Asylum creation, but an actual live-action movie from Japan. Set in the Edo period, the film is about a village that hires a ninja warrior to help them fight off evil sharks that are attacking pearl divers. That's pretty much all you need to know, other than that it will likely by pretty gnarly. Kohshu Hirano of "Ultraman Z" will play Kotaro, and Shun Nishime of "Kamen Rider Ghost" will play Shinsuke, who fights with Kotaro. Yuichi Nakamura plays Sameshiro. In addition, the heroine Sayo is played by Julia Nagano, while Kikuma, a female ninja who loves Kotaro, is played by Kanon Miyahara. This trailer is a bloody, gory first look at the film,...

Here on Bloody Disgusting we’ve covered several movies featuring ninjas and countless movies centered on sharks, but today brings something else entirely: Ninja Vs. Shark!

Directed by Koichi Sakamoto, Ninja vs. Shark is a real movie, and the trailer suggests it’s going to make good on the promise of its title. There’s a ninja. And a shark. And they fight.

In the film, which releases in Japanese theaters on April 14…

“In the Edo period, at the remote village of Okitsu, the evil cult leader Koushirou uses ninjutsu to control sharks and forces them to attack local pearl divers so the cult can steal the pearls from their mangled corpses. Desperate for help, the village chief hires Kotaro Shiozaki, a guard at a nearby temple, but Kotaro soon finds his path blocked by lady ninja Kikuma, and a gigantic shark that doesn’t seem like something from this world.

This Ultra collection contains 2 complete series (Ultraman Ginga and Ultraman Ginga S) along with the theatrical feature Ultraman Ginga S: The Movie as well as the bonus miniseries Ultraman Victory (aka Ultra Fight Victory) in one Ultra-impressive Blu-ray collection! Check out this trailer:

Ultraman Ginga

At one time, all of the Ultra warriors, along with the monsters and aliens, were turned into Spark Dolls by the mysterious Dark Spark. Time passed, and the youth Hikaru Rido got hold of the mysterious Ginga Spark, which could return the monsters and Ultra warriors to their previous giant forms. In order to protect those dear to him, Hikaru Ult-Lives the Ultras and monsters and faces off against the evil monsters.

Ultraman Ginga S

This is the sequel to Ultraman Ginga. It is two years later, and the defense team that didn’t appear in the previous show, as well as another Ultraman, Ultraman Victory,...

With over 25 years of experience working in Hollywood as a stunt performer and action actor, Sonny’s career has led him to reinvigorating the action genre in the Philippines as an action director and producer with a focus of bringing international productions to film in the country. In addition, future projects in development are slated to film in Asia and Europe.

On the occasion of “Maria” premiering at Netflix May 17, we talk with him about his training, his experiences working in Hollywood and in the Philippines, Anna Curtis and Cristine Reyes, Erik Matti, and about his approach on the particular film.

How did you first enter martial arts? What kind of training did you receive and how is your training program at the moment?

I started martial arts training in 1975 in Shorin Ryu Karate. My main martial arts style is a hybrid system of Karate, Judo/Jujutsu, Kenpo, Boxing called Kajukenbo-Wun Hop Kuen Do.

Koichi Sakamoto's delirious action-fest, Red x Pink (Aka x Pink), is coming your way on February 22nd 2014. Words really don't do the trailer justice, so we'll just leave you to uncover this little cinematic wonder for yourself. Suffice to say, girl on girl action have never taken on so many alluring identities. Synopsis: Four girls take part in illegal underground fighting event "Girl's Blood" held at an abandoned school building in Roppongi every night. The girls have their own stories and quirks from their private lives. Satsuki (Yuria Haga) suffers from a gender identity disorder, Chinatsu (Asami Tada) ran away from an abusive husband, Miko (Ayame Misake) is a S&M queen and Mayu (Rina Koike) has a Lolita face. Red x Pink Trailer...

Koichi Sakamoto's delirious action-fest, Red x Pink (Aka x Pink), is coming your way on February 22nd 2014. Words really don't do the trailer justice, so we'll just leave you to uncover this little cinematic wonder for yourself. Suffice to say, girl on girl action have never taken on so many alluring identities. Synopsis: Four girls take part in illegal underground fighting event "Girl's Blood" held at an abandoned school building in Roppongi every night. The girls have their own stories and quirks from their private lives. Satsuki (Yuria Haga) suffers from a gender identity disorder, Chinatsu (Asami Tada) ran away from an abusive husband, Miko (Ayame Misake) is a S&M queen and Mayu (Rina Koike) has a Lolita face. Red x Pink Trailer...

The 6th annual Arizona Underground Film Festival might be beginning on the unluckiest day of the year — Friday the 13th — but the residents of Tucson are lucky for this 9-night extravaganza of wild and wooly cinema from all over the globe. The fest runs Sept. 13-21 at The Screening Room and other locations.

Opening Night films include the retro, music-fueled slasher flick Discopath by Renaud Gauthier and the Internet-based bloodbath Truth Or Dare, directed by scream queen Jessica Cameron making her filmmaking debut. The last film of the fest on the 21st is the cryptic post-apocalyptic thriller Dust of War, directed by Andrew Kightlinger.

The rest of the fest includes mind-bending fiction flicks like the cult-ish Fateful Findings by Neil Breen; the 90-minute, one-shot noir Worm by Andrew Bowser; Zach Clark’s twisted holiday movie White Reindeer; Drew Tobia’s surreal See You Next Tuesday; as well as challenging documentaries...

Well it looks like we have a contender for the award for the cinematic oddity of the week, in the form of action/fantasy, horror mash-up...Innocent Lilies. Directed by Koichi Sakamoto (“Kamen Rider” and “Power Rangers”) the main cast comprises of six members of girl J-pop group Dempagumi.inc and watches like a soft core pinky movie - with added superhero Angels - all topped of with teen schoolgirl angst, and self harm. Bee-zar! Only in Japan; and it opens there on Sept 23. Synopsis: The time has rejected innocent virgins. No place seems to be left for girls suffering from broken hearts. But there are hands reaching out for them: the hands of the legendary White Witch. They say, the Witch was once a girl, deeply hurt carrying a never-ending pain. For only the ones who know real pain can - acquire the power of witchcraft. Innocent Lilies trailer...

Former "Dancing with the Stars" contestant and "Iron Chef America" host Mark Dacascos is getting back to his action roots in Song of the Knife, co-starring Michael Rooker and Keith David. For the fight scenes, the style of martial arts expected to be showcase is Silat, Kali and Jeet Kune Do (see promo reel embedded below for demo).

Song of the Knife is a gritty action/love story about Jeremiah Daga (Mark Dacascos), a lonely government assassin with a terminal illness seeking redemption and meaning to his life in its final days. During his last mission, he meets the spunky cab driver, Scarlet, the muse whose vitality and wit reawakens his dormant spirit. But just as they plan their escape to a new life together, Scarlett disappears. In a race against time, Jeremiah wages war against ruthless crime lords to win back his true love.

In other related-news, Mark has...