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Last part of the trilogy adapting one of the best anime and manga of all time, “The Final Alchemy” concludes the story as closely to the original as possible, with a 142 minute epic that is probably the best in the trilogy.

While Edward and Ling Yao are fighting Envy inside Gluttony, Hohenheim, father to the Erlic brothers, also becomes a factor in the story, while Roy Mustang realizes that the conspiracy he thought included some of the higher echelons of the army is much bigger than he anticipated. The narrative then focuses on the various arcs of the last episodes of the anime, with Scar still being part of the equation, Ling Yao becoming a whole different entity, Lust, Greed, Sloth, Wrath revealing even more of their secrets, and the gang finding powerful allies in the face of Alex Armstrong’s sister, Mira, and Izumi, the woman who actually taught alchemy to the two brothers.

Two new “Fullmetal Alchemist” live-action features, based on the manga comics series by Hiromu Arakawa are targeting theatrical releases including “Fullmetal Alchemist: Final Chapter – The Avenger Scar” and “Fullmetal Alchemist: Final Chapter – The Last Transmutation”:

Cast includes Ryōsuke Yamada as ‘Edward Elric’, Atomu Mizuishi as ‘Alphonse Elric’, Tsubasa Honda as ‘Roy Mustang’, Misako Renbutsu as ‘Riza Hawkeye’, Kanata Hongou as ‘Envy’, Ryuta Sato as ‘Maes Hughes’ and Shinji Uchiyama as ‘Gluttony’.

Click the images to enlarge…...

The second part of the trilogy adapting the famous manga and anime (one of the best of all time actually) has recently been released on Netflix, continuing the story from the middle part of the original, focusing on Scar’s arc, one of the most interesting characters in the whole franchise.

As it is soon revealed, Scar is on a mission to kill every State Alchemist, in a desperate effort to exact revenge from the genocide the army committed years ago in Ishval, with his quest eventually revealing another side of the army and particularly of the Fuhrer, which was not evident at all before. At the same time, Edward and Alphonse stumble upon a prince named Lin Yao and his two bodyguards, who are in search of the Philosopher’s Stone, as much as Lan Fan, a kind-hearted girl who is from the same country as the three foreigners.

Satoshi Miki started out as a writer for hit TV variety shows, some of which are legendary in Japan. He then began directing stage plays and further expanded into TV dramas and films. His directing style has its good and urbane sense of humor, in which seemingly unnecessary episodes and dialogues are developed and interwoven into a story, incidentally making them indispensable parts of the story. His first film “In the Pool” (’05) and his second feature “Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers” were consecutively released theatrically in the year 2005. Two of his movies were also released in 2022, “What to Do With The Dead Kaiju” and his collaboration with Mark Schilling, “Convenience Story”.

On the occasion of both screening at Fantasia, we talk to him about the appeal of kaiju movies, Japanese politicians, the casting of the two movies, cooperating with Mark Schilling, the Japanese movie industry, and other topics.

“What to Do With The Dead Kaiju...

The easiest way to describe the tone of Satoshi Miki’s realization of an objectively ingenious concept (What happens to the rotting carcass of a defeated kaiju?), is to mention the question to which every journalist demands an answer after a blister filled with the gaseous byproduct of the monster’s decomposition bursts: Does it smell like poo or puke? If that sounds like your idea of a good time for two hours, Daikaijū no Atoshimatsu [What to do with the Dead Kaiju?] is for you. If it doesn’t, however, the film will feel more like a different scene occurring much later, one where a character electronically leaks a classified photo and text file. Rather than an instantaneous transfer, we must literally watch the progress bar slowly fill to completion.

That’s how most films in this vein feel to me, though: the whole lowest common denominator comedic send-up of a usually earnestly dramatic genre piece a la Scary Movie.

An emerging auteur in Japanese cinema, Satoshi Miki isn’t the first name thought of to helm a big-budget, mainstream-ready kaiju film, and he seems up to the task with his latest offering “What to Do with the Dead Kaiju?” Managing to blend together a range of influences from political satire, romantic comedy, and popcorn-style action into a cocktail that doesn’t always deliver on the mark, this rousing new genre effort will have its international premiere at the 26th Fantasia International Film Festival.

“What to Do with the Dead Kaiju?” is screening on Fantasia International Film Festival

Following the creatures’ sudden appearance and subsequent death, the carcass of a giant monster is left behind while the joyful citizens celebrate its defeat and the attempt to revert to a normal life. The task of disposing of the behemoth falls to Arata Obinata (Ryosuke Yamada), a member of the fictional Japan Special Forces.

Two new “Fullmetal Alchemist” live-action features, based on the manga comics series by Hiromu Arakawa are targeting theatrical releases including “Fullmetal Alchemist: Final Chapter – The Avenger Scar” and “Fullmetal Alchemist: Final Chapter – The Last Transmutation”:

Cast includes Ryōsuke Yamada as ‘Edward Elric’, Atomu Mizuishi as ‘Alphonse Elric’, Tsubasa Honda as ‘Roy Mustang’, Misako Renbutsu as ‘Riza Hawkeye’, Kanata Hongou as ‘Envy’, Ryuta Sato as ‘Maes Hughes’ and Shinji Uchiyama as ‘Gluttony’.

Click the images to enlarge…

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Author: Steven Neish

When aspiring alchemists Edward (Ryôsuke Yamada) and Alphonse Elric (Atom Mizuishi) are robbed of their mother at an early age they decide to turn their prodigious talents to the taboo practice of human transmutation in the vein hope of bringing her back. Working against the laws of nature, however, they each pay a heavy price for their transgression when Ed loses an arm and Al loses everything to the powers that be. Sacrificing another limb to bind his brother’s disembodied soul to a nearby suit of armour, Ed vows to track down the only item he believes capable of restoring his brother to his former body: the Philosopher’s Stone.

A live-action adaptation of Hiromu Arakawa’s beloved manga, previously retold as a pair of revered animes currently streaming alongside it on Netflix, Fumihiko Sori’s Fullmetal Alchemist was always going to struggle to extrapolate the...

We've already seen a good amount of Edward Elric (Ryosuke Yamada) and his brother Alphonse in earlier looks at the upcoming live-action adaptation of Fullmetal Alchemist, but this new trailer is the best one yet. Not only does it show off some rather impressive effects work in bringing a massive, sentient suit of armor to life, it reveals the film's collection of over-the-top, terrifying villains. This new trailer gives us glimpses of the rogue Homunculi: Lust (Yasuko Matsuyuki), Envy (Kanata Hongō), and Gluttony (Shinji Uchiyama). Also shown here are Winry Rockbell (Tsubasa Honda), Roy Mustang (…...

If you aren't already excited about the live-action Fullmetal Alchemist movie, or if you aren't aware that it is happening, this trailer may just do the trick. This latest teaser showcases the same footage we saw in a previous sneak peek, but this one comes with English subtitles, providing some much needed context for those less familiar with the material. Or even for those who know the material, but aren't fluent in Japanese.

Warner Bros. released the trailer online recently and it gives us a great, though brief, look at the Fullmetal Alchemist movie, which is set to hit theaters later this year. The short preview packs in a whole bunch of quick moments, including a great shot of Alphonse in action, as well as giving us a good sense of the anime style and what we can expect in terms of the general narrative. A lot of longer trailers...

Arakawa Hiromu’s Fullmetal Alchemist, has already spawned two animated series and spin-off animated films and now comes the obilgatory live-action adaptation, directed by Fumihiko Sori and starring Ryosuke Yamada, Tsubasa Honda and Dean Fujioka. The film is scheduled for release in Japan by Warner Bros. on December 1st.

Edward Elric, a young, brilliant alchemist, has lost much in his twelve-year life: when he and his brother Alphonse try to resurrect their dead mother through the forbidden act of human transmutation, Edward loses his brother as well as two of his limbs. With his supreme alchemy skills, Edward binds Alphonse’s soul to a large suit of armor.

A year later, Edward, now promoted to the fullmetal alchemist of the state, embarks on a journey with his younger brother to obtain the Philosopher’s Stone. The fabled mythical object is rumored to be capable of amplifying an alchemist’s abilities by leaps and bounds,...

Exciting news for Fullmetal Alchemist fans! A new trailer was released for the upcoming live action version of this anime favorite.

Fullmetal Alchemist follows a pair of brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who try their hand at alchemy after their mother passes away, only to experience disastrous results. The recent trailer showcases the darker side to the franchise and focuses on the brother’s attempts to obtain the Philospher’s Stone.

The newly released trailer sheds some light on some of the aspects that have fans so curious. The reveal of who plays the main character, Edward Elric, was revealed to be the idol, Ryosuke Yamada from the band Hey! Say! Jump. In the trailer, Ryosuke is outfitted the same way Edward is drawn in the anime and manga—blonde hair with signature red coat. The film also portrays Edward’s brother, Alphonse, in his huge armor “suit.” Other signature characters,...

Another live-action adaptation of an anime & manga series is coming to the big screen. Aside from Ghost in the Shell, Japan is developing a live-action Fullmetal Alchemist movie from director Fumihiko Sori. In the Fullmetal Alchemist world, alchemy is one of the most-practiced sciences. The film is about two brothers who go on a quest for the Philosopher's Stone (no connection to Harry Potter). It stars Ryôsuke Yamada as Edward Elric, Tsubasa Honda as Winry Rockbell, Dean Fujioka as Roy Mustang, Ryuuta Satou as Maes Hughes, Misako Renbutsu as Riza Hawkeye, Natsuna as Maria Ross, Natsuki Harada as Gracia Hughes, You Ooizumi as Shou Tucker, Jun Kunimura and many others. This first teaser doesn't have much footage in it, but at least there's more to see here than the Blade of the Immortal trailer. Take a look. Here's the first teaser trailer for Fumihiko Sori's Fullmetal Alchemist movie, direct...

Fullmetal Alchemist is one of the most beloved Manga ever. And now, for the first time, the world that Hiromu Arakawa crafted is being brought to life on the big screen like never before. Fans can finally see what it looks like in live-action, as the first trailer for the Fullmetal Alchemist movie has landed online. It may be brief, but it is definitely stylish.

The trailer just made its way onto YouTube, which should delight fans who have been eager to see footage from the movie. This first Fullmetal Alchemist trailer is just over thirty seconds long, but packs a big punch. We get to see some gorgeous scenery shots, Edward and Alphonse (who is in his classic armored body), and if you stick around until the very end, you will even get to see Edward face off with with a very cool looking beast. Oh, and there is definitely some alchemy going on,...

The beloved manga series “Fullmetal Alchemist” has had quite a life beyond the pages. Though the original series ran from 2001 through 2010, it has produced two anime series — “Fullmetal Alchemist,” the loose adaptation, and “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood,” a more faithful retelling — a series of light novels, an audio drama, five video games and soon, a live-action adaptation, featuring an all-Japanese cast.

Read More: ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’: Iconic Anime Getting A Big Screen Adaptation, With No Whitewashing

Now, Warner Bros. has released a first glimpse of the film in the form of a brief teaser trailer. Though there are no English subtitles, it features several shots of Ryosuke Yamada (“Assassination Classroom”) as Edward Elric and a promise from him to get “[their] bodies back.” The film co-stars Tsubasa Honda, Dean Fujioka, Misako Renbutsu, Kanata Hongō, Jun Kunimura, Kenjirō Ishimaru and more. Watch the teaser trailer below.

Read More: ‘Ghost In The Shell...

Eichiro Hasumi's Assassination Classroom: Graduation screening on Fantasia International Film FestivalSTORY70%DIRECTION70%ACTING66%VISUALS76%POSITIVESGreat VisualsArtful adaptationSlapstick humor and preposterous storyNegativesThe film assumes that the audience have read the manga or watched the anime2016-07-2471%Overall ScoreReader Rating: (1 Vote)73%

The sequel of Assassination Classroom is an equally great adaptation of the manga/anime and concludes the story.

All the absurd characters of the first part return, including the yellow creature with the smiley face as his head and the body of an octopus, the killer robot that has become a “regular” student, the student with the tentacles, the talented assassin, the overly sexy teacher, and many more. This time, however, there is also conflict among the students, as Koro Sensei reveals his identity, and the time that he is about to explode destroying the earth, is near.

The main concept behind the anime is, once more, the passive-aggressive notion,...

At last year’s Fantastic Fest, I was introduced to an unkillable teacher (nicknamed “Ut” by students) and his class of assassins-in-training who must execute their tentacled mentor before he blows up the Earth. The movie was Assassination Classroom, and the tone was manga-inspired, coming-of-age weirdness at the hand of a borderline superhero/supervillain. Ya empowerment with a Japanese flair – but could director Eiichirô Hasumi capture the same outcasted significance in the film’s sequel, Assassination Classroom: Graduation? Yes and no, thankfully with a stronger emphasis on “Yes.”

Hasumi’s sequel returns to Kunugigaoka Junior High School, where Ut’s E-Class continues to learn from their assassination-happy alien teacher – but with graduation approaching, the severity of their actions begins to kick in. Besides figuring out what career path to take, the students are running out of time to kill Ut, thus saving humanity from a fiery destruction. The government continues...

Full Metal Alchemist’s next film adaptation will be live-action, with fans of the extremely popular anime already getting fired up.

The filming will begin this June in Italy, with the release in Japan being scheduled for 2017. The movie will use a combination of real actors and CGI. Fumihiko Sori (“Ping Pong”, “Ashita no Joe”) will direct and the cast revealed is as follows:

Ryosuke Yamada (Asssassination Classroom) as Edward Elric.

Tsubasa Honda (Blue Spring Ride) as Winry Rockbell.

Dean Fujioka (Dance! Dance! Dance!) as Roy Mustang.

Ryuta Sato (Tokyo Tribe) as Captain Maes Hughes.

Yo Oizumi (Kakekomi) as Major Shou Tucker.

Yasuko Matsuyuki (Smuggler) as Lust.

Kanata Hongo (Attack on Titan) as Envy.

Shinji Uchiyama (Gokusen: The Movie) as Gluttony.

The plot for the first half of the upcoming film will faithfully reproduce the story of the original Fullmetal Alchemist manga by Hiromu Arakawa. The film will digress in...

For those of you who are fans of Hiromu Arakawa's action-fantasy manga Fullmetal Alchemist, you might be surprised to learn that there’s a live action movie currently in development! According to Crunchy Roll, this movie will be released in 2017.

Fumihiko Sori (Ping Pong, Ashita no Joe) is directing the film, and it will star Hey! Say! Jump member Ryosuke Yamada (Assassination Classroom) as Edward Elric.

The project will start shooting in Italy in June and will be in production through August of 2016. According to the report, the film will heavily use CGI to "recreate the fantastic elements of the comic, such as Alphonse Elric's armor.”

This news was completely unexpected, but since it was such a popular manga and anime, it was bound to happen one day after the series ended in 2010. I’m surprised it took them so long to do it! I can’t wait to see how it turns out!

Japanese entertainment publication Daily Cyzo (via Crunchy Roll) indicates that a live-action film adaptation of Hiromu Arakawa's action-fantasy manga "Fullmetal Alchemist" is currently in development.

Fumihiko Sori ("Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker," "Vexille") will direct the film, while "Hey! Say! Jump" member Ryosuke Yamada will star as Edward Elric. The production will make heavy use of CG to recreate the fantastic elements of the comic such as Alphonse Elric's armor.

Hiromu Arakawa created the original manga which is set in a world styled after the European Industrial Revolution, a world where alchemy is an advanced scientific technique. The action follows two brothers searching for a philosopher's stone to restore their bodies after a failed attempt to bring their mother back to life using alchemy.

The Fullmetal Alchemist manga has sold approximately 64 million volumes worldwide. It has been adapted into two anime television series, two animated films. Filming on...

The ceremony took place in the Grand Prince Hotel on the 4th of March and the winners were:

Best Picture: Our Little Sister (Hirokazu Koreeda)

Best Animated Film: The Boy and The beast (Mamoru Hosoda)

Best Director: Hirokazu Koreeda (Our Little Sister)

Best Actor: Kazunari Ninomiiya (Living with my Mother)

Best Actress: Sakura Ando (100 Yen Love)

Best Supporting Actor: Masahiro Motoki (The Emperor in August, Japan’s Longest Stay)

Best Supporting Actress: Haru Kuroki (Living with my Mother) Best Screenplay: Shin Adachi (100 Yen Love)

Best Cinematography: Mikiya Takimoto (Our Little Sister)

Best Lighting Direction: Norikiyo Fujii (Our Little Sister)

Best Music: Sakanaction (Bakuman)

Best Art Direction: Hidefumi Hanatani (125 Years Memory)

Best Sound Recording: Nobuhiko Matsukage (125 Years Memory)

Best Film Editing: Yasuyuki Ozeki (Bakuman)

Best Foreign Language Film: American Sniper

Newcomer of the Year: Kasumi Arimura (Flying Colors), Tao Tsuchiya (Orange), Ryosuke Yamada, (Assassination Classroom), Yojiro Noda (Pieta in the Toilet...

Where the f@ck do I even begin with Assassination Classroom, an anime/manga adaptation about a classroom of high-school-age assassins? It’s a film so absurd, that even when one of the main characters – an alien homeroom teacher who intends to destroy Earth – explains the plot rather coherently, another character takes over by immediately saying “That probably made no sense.” Then again, do other Japanese movies like Dead Sushi, Tokyo Gore Police, and Machine Girl make any sense? Welcome to one of the wildest cinematic genres around.

Assassination Classroom is an apocalyptic bit of J-pop mayhem that’s an underdog story at heart, but an alien invasion film in practice – among twenty billion other elements. How about we settle on “children have to defeat a giant smiley face before he eliminates humanity” and move on from there?

In Kunugigaoka Junior High School, the E-Class represent the lowest of the low.