News

Kyoto, 1461. On the eve of the Onin War, the capital is a city in collapse. Famine and plague have claimed tens of thousands, with the dead lining the Kamo River, while human trafficking and forced labor thrive under the noses of a ruling class more interested in decadence than duty. Amid this backdrop, a lone ronin named Hasuda Hyoe moves through the chaos. An outlaw by choice, Hyoe relies on his skill and cunning to navigate a broken society—burning down checkpoints, killing corrupt officials, and gradually attracting a ragtag band of drifters and misfits. Among them is Saizo, nicknamed Frog, a starving youth with raw talent in staff combat, whom Hyoe trains into a formidable fighter.

Together with a sword master, a giant with an iron club, and a Korean archer, they plot an uprising against the shogunate. Their main obstacle is Hyoe’s former friend turned adversary, Doken Honekawa,...

Japanese mystery novelist and multi-awarded author Keigo Higashino has a knack for crafting visually friendly narratives. In fact, nearly twenty of his novels have already been adapted into films and television series. His body of work includes a wide range of stand-alone novels, but is renown for two major series: the Detective Galileo series, in which university professor Manabu Yukawa helps police solve strange and seemingly impossible cases, and the Detective Kaga series, whose gentle and introspective protagonist has been portrayed on screen by Hiroshi Abe. Among the two, Galileo has made the strongest impression on the public. His cases were adapted into a popular TV series that premiered on Fuji TV in 2007, followed by a second season in 2013, and five feature-length TV specials. “Suspect X”, directed by Hiroshi Nishitani and written by Yasushi Fukuda, is the first film adaptation of “The Devotion of Suspect X”, the opening novel in the Detective Galileo series.

Bitters End has acquired international sales rights for “Two Seasons, Two Strangers,” the latest feature from Japanese director Sho Miyake, ahead of the Cannes film market.

With three decades in the business, Bitters End has established itself as a leading Japanese distributor, handling films from internationally acclaimed filmmakers including Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Bong Joon-Ho, the Dardenne brothers, and Jia Zhangke. Recent acquisitions include “Anora,” “Sex/Love/Dreams,” “Caught by the Tide,” “La Chimera,” and “Perfect Days.” The company also produces and was behind the Academy Award-winning “Drive My Car.”

“Two Seasons, Two Strangers” stars Korean actor Shim Eun-kyung alongside Japanese actor Shinichi Tsutsumi (“Always: Sunset on Third Street”). Currently in post-production, the project is targeting a November domestic release in Japan.

Miyake has built a strong festival reputation with previous works including “All the Long Nights” (Berlinale 2024), “Small, Slow But Steady” (Berlinale 2022), “And Your Bird Can Sing” (Berlinale 2019), and “Playback” (Locarno 2012). His contemplative,...

Japan’s Toei Company has closed key deals on Muromachi Outsiders, a historical action adventure by Yu Irie, which it will showcase at AFM ahead of a local release in January.

The film has been sold to Well Go USA for North America, Splendid Film for German-speaking territories and Pro Films for Bulgaria. A release in Japan through Toei is set for January 17.

Set in 1461, the story takes place when the elite of Kyoto were enjoying their wealth while allowing their subjects to die of plague and famine. Incensed, a vagrant named Hasuda Hyoe rallies a group of outlaws – including...

“Always: Sunset on Third Street” is based on the manga series “Sunset on Third Street,” written and illustrated by Ryohei Saigan, which follows the lives of various characters in post-war Japan. Upon release, “Always: Sunset on Third Street” would be a box-office hit, receive an overwhelmingly positive reception, and be picked as the Picture of the Year at the 2006 Japanese Academy Awards. The success of the movie would spawn two sequels.

on Amazon by clicking on the image below

Set in 1958 Japan, during the post-war economic recovery, technology is evolving, with the rising advent of television and the building of the Tokyo Tower. The primary location is a lower-income neighborhood in the Yuhi district. Rural schoolgirl Mutsuko Hoshino arrives in the metropolitan city excited to work as an apprentice at Suzuki Auto. Yet, she's perplexed when she learns that her workplace is a rundown auto repair shop...

Hiroyuki Tanaka, better known under the pseudonym Sabu, has started his career as an actor, but in the 1990s became a director, which arguably proved to be a much more successful venture for him. Especially internationally, he has made quite a reputation for himself, creating a unique blend of comedy and drama with many philosophical, sometime even social comments.

Running and walking are one of the recurring motifs within his filmography, especially his early work. It is both a means to escape something, a yakuza henchman chasing a character or a postman trying his best to deliver the mail. But there are also the walkers among the protagonists in his work, attempting to find some kind of hidden meaning in chaos, it seems.

In this list, we will take a look at how Sabu employs running and walking in his features

1. Dangan Runner (1996)

Already his debut feature introduces the concept of running,...

The Deer King is a breathtaking and emotionally-stirring fantasy adventure film on Hulu by Studio Ghibli alumnus Masashi Ando making his directorial debut. Anime film fans looking to be swept away by The Deer King's world takes places in should seek to stream the film, which is now available on Hulu. The film was initially screened at several film festival in 2021, where it won the Bronze Audience Award from the Fantasia International Film Festival, before Gkids worked with Fathom Events to bring select showings to the general public in July 2022.

The Deer King sees former warrior Van captured and forced to indefinitely serve in Zol-controlled territory salt mines along with dozens of other prisoners. One night, a pack of ravenous Ossam dogs attack, bringing with them a mysterious disease. Van makes his escape to save the life of a little girl named Yuna and their lives are inexplicably entwined by...

The uneven Japanese animated fantasy “The Deer King” often resembles the sort of Studio Ghibli action-adventure that made animation figurehead Hayao Miyazaki internationally famous, especially “Princess Mononoke” and “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.” “The Deer King” not only looks like those Studio Ghibli staples, but also follows a plot that recalls Ghibli-style high fantasies: two warring feudal kingdoms try either to capture or enlist Van, a resourceful ex-soldier who may or may not be immune to a devastating plague.

Comparisons between “The Deer King” and Studio Ghibli’s better known movies seem inevitable, especially given how many of this movie’s creators learned their trade as animators and animation directors at Studio Ghibli, particularly co-directors Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji, and key animators Kenichi Konishi and Kenichi Yoshida. Thankfully, what works in so many Ghibli movies also mostly works in “The Deer King,” given the craft and consideration...