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The official X (formerly Twitter) for the live-action film adaptation of Akane Shimizu's manga series Cells at Work! announced on February 13 that the film's cumulative total domestic gross had reached the six billion yen (39.31 million Usd) mark. According to Animate Times , the film had earned 6,003,011,870 yen from 4,480,147 ticket sales as of February 12, in 61 days since its release in Japan. Now it has become the second top-grossing Japanese film opened in 2024, behind only Kingdom: Return of the Great General with 8.03 billion yen (52.61 million Usd). The film has already become the biggest hit at the box office so far for the director, lead actors, and distributor all. The director Hideki Takeuchi's previous top-grossing work was Thermae Romae (2012 / 5.98 billion yen). And that for actor Takeru Sato and distributor Warner Brothers Japan was Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno (2014 / 5.25 billion yen). And it had also become the top-grossing film in the career of Mei Nagano,...

Netflix has revealed its 2025 slate of Japanese films and television series, with the streamer offering a rich mix of period series, action films and intriguing unscripted offerings.

The standout highlight from the lineup, and a potential breakout global hit, is the period series Last Samurai Standing. The series hails from filmmakers Michihito Fujii, Kento Yamaguchi and Toru Yamamoto and could appeal to fans of both FX’s Shogun and Netflix’s Squid Game with its survivalist premise and period setting. Junichi Okada leads the cast in this story that takes place at the tail end of the samurai era in Japan and is about 292 warriors who are invited to compete to the death for a cash prize. Last Samurai Standing is an adaptation of Shogo Imamura’s novel Ikusagami, which has already been adapted into a popular manga series.

‘Last Man Standing’

Hirokazu Koreeda’s Asura is among the streamer...

Netflix has revealed fresh details of its upcoming slate from Japan, including a three features and an epic samurai period drama.

At an event in Tokyo today (February 12), the streaming giant said it would release manga adaptation Demon City this month, action remake Bullet Train Explosion in April and “boys love” (Bl) drama 10Dance in December. All have previously been announced.

Demon City, based on the manga Oni Goroshi and written and directed by Seiji Tanaka (Melancholic), is about a hitman played by Toma Ikuta who awakens from a long coma and embarks on a bloody, revenge-inspired killing spree. The...

Netflix has unveiled its Japanese content slate for 2025, headlined by “Last Samurai Standing,” a period drama featuring 300 samurai warriors gathered at Tenryuji Temple in Kyoto, lured by the promise of a 100 billion yen prize. The series stars Junichi Okada, who serves as lead actor, producer and action choreographer.

“When most people think about samurai, they think about this very glamorous period in Japanese history,” says Netflix Japan content head Kaata Sakamoto. “But what a lot of people don’t realize is that, towards the end of the Edo period, the samurai lost a lot of their glamour and their power. ‘Last Samurai Standing’ is about what would happen if these warriors — the toughest and best in Japan — all of a sudden became common people and had to fight for their lives. Think ‘Shōgun’ meets ‘Squid Game.'”

The streaming giant’s lineup includes “Alice in Borderland” returning for its third season in September,...

In its second weekend, advance theatrical screenings of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- , a re-edited episode version of the upcoming Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX TV series, earned 528 million yen (3.41 million Usd) on 306,000 admissions — only a 12 percent week-on-week drop — retaining first place in the box office ranking according to Kogyo Tsushinsha . The anime's official website also confirmed that the film's performance in the two-day weekend between Saturday and Sunday was 107.6 percent in gross and 106.8 percent in attendance compared to the previous weekend . The screenings now have a total of 1,432,794,300 yen (9.24 million Usd) earned from 856,371 ticket sales in ten days since debuting in 426 Japanese theaters on January 17. The two-weekend gross was 75.2 percent of that of Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom in February 2024 ( 1.9 billion yen ). The live-action film adaptation of Kengo Hanazawa's action manga series Under Ninja opened in 340 theaters on January 24, earning 226 million yen (1.46 million Usd) on 160,000 admissions to make a third-place debut.

Advance theatrical screenings of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- , a re-edited episode version of the upcoming Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX TV series, began in 426 theaters (including 52 IMAX ones) across Japan on January 17, 2025. The anime's official website announced that it earned 598,832,300 yen (3.85 million Usd) on 352,522 admissions in its first three days between Friday and Sunday, making a first place debut in the weekend box office ranking. The first three-day weekend gross was 114.3 percent of that of Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway in 2021 ( 524 million yen ) and 56.2 percent of that of Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom in 2024 ( 1.066 billion yen ). As reported , the theatrical re-edited edition will also release in North American theaters starting February 28, 2025. Related: Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- Gets North America Theatrical Release Date Gekijouban Project Sekai Kowareta Sekai to Utaenai Miku (“Project Seikai the Movie: The Broken World and The Miku Who Can't Sing”), an theatrical anime film inspired...

The official website for the live-action film adaptation of Akane Shimizu's manga series Cells at Work! has announced that the film's cumulative total domestic gross surpassed a milestone of five billion yen on January 16. According to Animate Times , the film has earned 5,002,624,050 yen (32 million Usd) from 3,731,753 ticket sales in 35 days since its release in Japan. After debuting Japanese theaters on December 13, 2024, the film stayed on No.1 in the box office ranking for four consecutive weekends. Now it has become the fourth top-grossing Japanese film of 2024. To commemorate this phenomenal hit, messages from the two lead actors, Mei Nagano (Red Blood Cell) and Takeru Sato (White Blood Cell ), and director Hideki Takeuchi have been posted on the website. Message from Mei Nagano: I am very happy that the movie “Cells at Work!” has reached so many people and is loved by them! Thank you very much! It has become a major representative work for me.

The concept of experiencing romance for the first time is a tried and tested trope in shows, movies, literature, and music. Hikaru Utada’s global 1990’s hit “First Love” which tackles this theme is one of the most successful Japanese pop songs worldwide. It perfectly captures the yearning and grief associated with an all consuming love which ended but still haunts the person who felt it.

Click on the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix

Almost two decades later, Netflix produced a series directly inspired by this song and its 2018 follow up track called “Hatsukoi.” It stars Takeru Satoh, Hikari Mitsushima (“Love Exposure”), as well as Yagi Rikako and Taisei Kido. Consisting of cliches which are woven beautifully, it depicts fated love and serves as a great introduction to Japanese melodramas for audiences worldwide.

Spanning two decades, it narrates the story of Yae (Riko/Mitsushima) and Harumichi (Kido/Satoh), as wide-eyed,...

"I'll always protect you." Warner Bros Japan has revealed their full official trailer for a live-action manga adaptation called Cells at Work!, arriving in Japanese theaters in December. This is a big screen version of a manga series written & illustrated by Akane Shimizu (first published in 2015). It was also made into an anime series already in 2018, though this is a full-on live-action version. "Welcome to the wonderland of the body's working cells!" Starring Mei Nagano and Takeru Satoh as cells AE3803 and U-1146, respectively, along with Sadao Abe as Shigeru Urushizaki and Mana Ashida as his daughter Niko Urushizaki. "This innovative series, which brings the inner workings of the human body to life by personifying cells, quickly captured the hearts of readers and became a sensation." With action scenes from action director Takahito Ouchi, known for the live action Rurouni Kenshin series and Yu Yu Hakusho. "A truly original visual...

The official website for the upcoming live-action film adaptation of Akane Shimizu's manga series Cells at Work! released a main trailer today featuring the theme song "50%" provided by the four-piece Japanese rock band Official Hige DANdism . Official Hige DANdism was formed in 2012 and is known for their theme song works among anime fans for Tokyo Revengers and Spy x Family (2022). Official Huge DANdism released a comment for the movie: Last year, we pushed our bodies too hard and were unable to perform live for a while. We are fine now, but "health comes first," when the phrase that we should be tired of hearing stuck with us, we received this offer, then we were flooded with ideas. Live every day while working on yourself with about 50% effort, Only at those moments when you can't compromise or when it's important, do your best or have fun. We put 100% of our passion into this song,...

As the home of the samurai profession, Japan has an understandable love for the genre and thus many samurai anime and manga series exist. These series transport viewers to feudal Japan or imaginative worlds inspired by its rich culture, where skilled swordsmen uphold justice, navigate intricate political landscapes, and embark on journeys of personal growth.

Although many have faithfully depicted the life of a samurai, there are just as many that take their own route and blend genres while staying true to the spirit of the swordsmen. This makes the samurai genre an extremely diverse and exciting one, and there's bound to be one or two that strike a chord with anime fans.

Yasuke Produced by Mappa Studios

Yasuke

Directed by LeSean Thomas and Takeru Sato, Yasuke is a Netflix-based Anime that stars the voices of Lakeith Stanfield in the lead role. The premise revolves around an African man...

The official website for the upcoming live-action film adaptation of Akane Shimizu's manga series Cells at Work! today announced nine additional cast members, which include: Helper T Cell played by Shota Sometani Hepatocytel played by Kyoko Fukada Junior Red Blood Cell played by Rihito Itagaki Senior Red Blood Cell played by Ryo Kato Shin Takeda played by Seishiro Kato Pneumonia Coccus played by Ainosuke Kataoka Streptococcus Pyogenes played by Shinya Niiro Staphylococcus Aureus played by Maju Ozawa ???? played by Fukase Among them, Fukase 's role is the only one not yet revealed. The character is introduced only as “the strongest enemy for the cells." This will be the second film appearance for Fukase, vocalist of the Japanese rock band Sekai No Owari , as an actor. He made his acting debut with the role of a serial killer in the 2021 suspense film Character , where he won the 45th Japan Academy...

The official website for the upcoming live-action film adaptation of Akane Shimizu's manga series Cells at Work! released a new poster visual today. The visual features the film's four main cast members: Mei Nagano as Red Blood Cell, Takeru Sato as White Blood Cell, Sadao Abe as Shigeru Urushizaki and Mana Ashida as Niko Urushizaki. There are at least 13 main cast members yet to be announced and will be added to the poster in the future. Related : Cells at Work! Live-Action Film Releases New Teaser Trailer Introducing Human Characters Additionally, a limited number of first-edition MoviTicke advance tickets will be available at theaters nationwide starting July 12. A card printed with the "World's Smallest Micro Poster," which is 1mm in height and is scheduled to be submitted to Guinness World Records, will be included as a bonus. Starting the same day, "The World's Smallest Poster" will be displayed in some theaters.

The official website for the upcoming live-action film adaptation of Akane Shimizu's manga series Cells at Work! has released a second teaser trailer introducing two human characters. For the first time in the series, it is revealed that the human world will be depicted. Sadao Abe plays Shigeru Urushizaki, a father who leads an inadequate life, and Mana Ashida plays Niko Urushizaki, his daughter who is a high school girl in excellent health. Additionally, it was revealed that the story of the movie will also be based on the spin-off manga series Cells at Work! Code Black in addition to the original Cells at Work! manga series. As reported , Mei Nagano plays Red Blood Cell and Takeru Sato as White Blood Cell. Hideki Takeuchi ( Thermae Romae live-action film) serves as director on a screenplay by Yuichi Tokunaga ( Kaguya-sama: Love is War live-action film). The movie is scheduled to release...

The previously announced live-action film adaptation of Akane Shimizu's Cells at Work! manga revealed its first teaser trailer today, presenting Mei Nagano as Red Blood Cell and Takeru Sato as White Blood Cell, along with a December 2024 theatrical release in Japan for the Hideki Takeuchi ( Thermae Romae live-action film)-directed feature. Yuichi Tokunaga ( Kaguya-sama: Love is War live-action film) pens the script. Related: Opinion: How Cells at Work! Taught Me to Embrace Self-Care Akane Shimizu's Cells at Work! manga was serialized in Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Sirius magazine from January 2015 to January 2021 and released in six volumes. The TV anime adaptation aired for two seasons between 2018 and 2021. Crunchyroll streams both seasons and describes the series: This is a story about you. A tale about the inside of your body… According to a new study, the human body consists of approximately 37 trillion cells. These cells are hard at work every day within...

Why didn’t I tell you a million times? is a Japanese series written by Naoko Adachi starring Mao Inoue, Takeru Satō and Kenichi Matsuyama.

Why didn’t I tell you a million times? This is Netflix’s commitment to the most realistic, sensitive (and cheesy) Japanese fiction, with a certain intention, especially when it comes to photography.

A series that is committed to romanticism, sentimentality and to win over “its” audience. Without dissimulation, neither in the music nor in the dialogues. It is a series with intimate touches that offers us a journey with emotions running high.

It knows how to change from its initial approach but without changing course too much, without disappointing those viewers who expect the sensitive rather than the spectacular.

It has the merit of unfolding at a good pace, of knowing how to win over the spectator in its slow and reflective narrative and,...

First Love Hatsukoi is a Netflix romantic drama series written and directed by Yuri Kanchiku and starring Hikari Mitsushima and Takeru Satō.

In nine episodes you can follow the stories of Yae and Hurimichi as they reminisce about the time they fell in love.

Premise

Their lives did not turn out to be as wondrous as they had expected when then were young, free and madly in love. Everything was so much easier as teenagers, they had everything they could dream of, especially, love. Now, grown and disenchanted with life they will lean on their memories to make it through the day, one dull day at a time. No amount of lackluster, no harsh reality, will take that away from them, they will always have those beautiful memories.

First Love Season 1. Chapters When the Lilacs Bloom

Yae drives through the streets of Sapporo as a taxi driver. Back in her rural hometown,...

The Netflix Series “First Love” is a new story that has been crafted through inspiration from two songs by Hikaru Utada: the 1999 smash hit and musical gem “First Love,” and “Hatsukoi,” released 19 years later. The story follows a couple retracing their memories of their unforgettable first love over the course of more than 20 years and spanning three decades: the late ’90s, the 2000s, and the present.

The ultimate love story presented by the miraculous combination of Hikari Mitsushima, Takeru Satoh, director Yuri Kanchiku and the songs of Hikaru Utada

The Netflix Series “First Love” starts streaming from November 24, 2022, only on Netflix!

Emerging stars from Netflix Japan’s biggest original shows have revealed their experiences working with the streamer today at the final Tudum event of the past 24 hours.

Netflix is involved in a fierce battle for streaming supremacy in Japan with Amazon, Disney+ and others, and today’s event was a chance to show off its firepower.

As such, it held interviews with five up-and-coming stars from the Asian country at their Netflix Tudum event: Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya, who play Arisu and Usagi from Alice in Borderland, appeared at the event alongside Nana Mori and Natsuki Deguchi, who play Kiyo and Sumire from The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House, and voice actress Fairouz Ai, who plays Jolyne Cujoh in the upcoming JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean.

Season one of Alice in Borderland is, based on the manga of the same name, launched in 2020, following Yamazaki and Tsuchiya...

Teenagers locked in their rooms, chained to the desks, drawing frantically, ignoring personal hygiene and feeding on instant noodles, only to be able to appear – even just once – in a comic magazine, is undoubtedly difficult material to forge and transform into an exciting action story, but somehow, Hitoshi One succeeds in such a task. The director is rather familiar with manga adaptations and his 2015 film “Bakuman” is a good live action film from a well-known manga, which, despite its two-hour duration, amuses and engages.

on YesAsia

Japanese comics (manga) are very popular and “consumed” also in the West. In the last decades they wormed their way through all the European countries with their own strong tradition of comics, like Italy, France, Belgium, Spain. However, it is worth mentioning that, in Japan, the mangakas (comic book artists) are real stars, on a par with their characters. Becoming an...

translation by Lukasz Mankowski

Takahisa Zeze is a Japanese film director and screenwriter first known for his soft-core pornographic pink films of the 1990s. Along with fellow directors, Kazuhiro Sano, Toshiki Sato, and Hisayasu Sato, he is known as one of the “Four Heavenly Kings of Pink”. Eventually, he moves away from the particular industry, directing movies such as “Heaven Story” which took the Fipresci and Netpac award in Berlin, and “The Chrysanthemum and the Guillotine”.

On the occasion of “In the Wake” screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival, we speak with him about adapting Shichiri Nakayama’s novel, the Fukushima disaster and its connection with social welfare, the main characters and the casting, his past and present in cinema, and his latest project

“In the Wake” screened at Toronto Japanese Film Festival

Why did you decide to adapt Shichiri Nakayama’s novel “Mamorarenakatta Monotachi e”?

It all starts with...

The Film

The new Miyazaki. That’s a description I’ve heard applied to Mamoru Hosoda over and over, and it’s never sat well with me. Notwithstanding that Hosoda has expressed critical feelings about Miyazaki’s depiction of women, or my own apathy about Miyazaki’s films, Hosoda isn’t the new anybody, nor does he need to be. He’s the first Mamoru Hosoda, and across his six solo features, he’s established a strong authorial voice and, for my money, stands out as one of the best and most exciting filmmakers working today, and not just in animation.

Belle, like Hosoda’s previous films, takes a gigantic sci-fi concept and boils it down to a tiny personal story. The setting is contemporary, but the internet seems to be dominated by an app called U, a social network which, through body sharing technology (think a less gross take...

As we mentioned many times before, Takahisa Zeze has moved as far away from his pinku film past as possible during the last years, with his latest works essentially being mainstream, at least in Japanese movie industry terms. As such, a film about the aftermath of the 2011, which have been releasing aplenty after a “healing” decade has passed, was bound to come from the veteran filmmaker, who, once more, does not disappoint.

“In the Wake” is screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival

The story is based on Shichiri Narayama’s novel “Mamorarenakatta Monotachi e”, begins in 2011, nine years after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, and focuses on two brutal murders of men working for Social Welfare, who were found tied up and starved to death. Prefectural investigator Tomashino, who has lost his family in the tsunami and carries the burden in the most evident way possible, works with young detective Hasuda to investigate the murders,...

U is the world’s biggest internet community and ethereal singer Belle is its brightest star. From the moment she burst onto the virtual scene, lovers and haters Irl and inside U have been consumed with learning the pink-haired pop icon true’s identity.

17-year-old Suzu (Kaho Nakamura) is horrified by Belle’s success. Devastated by the loss of her beloved mother, the weight of grief has stolen Suzu’s confidence and her voice from her. The act of singing now makes her ill and she has withdrawn from her father and closest friends to mourn alone.

Escaping into U was an act of desperation but the site’s biometric tech draws out its users’ inner strengths and gifts so once inside Suzu couldn’t help giving voice to her pain. Her plaintive song was raw and real and a host of avatars gathered to listen. Checking her phone back...

By Sophia Ng

A Faustian bargain is often recognised as a deal with the devil where one trades something of moral or spiritual importance such as the soul for the acquisition of worldly or material gains. It’s hardly a new trope in books and films, but is given a little twist in Akira Nagai’s film adaptation of “If Cats Disappeared from this World”. Based on Genki Kawamura’s book of the same name, the 2016 film follows its terminally-ill protagonist as he is offered a chance to prolong his life by a devil wearing his face– erasing one thing from the world in exchange for one more day of life. Compared to the high personal stakes involved in “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, where the titular character trades his soul for permanent youth, the deal offered by the devil in this case seems like a pretty good deal when...

One of this year’s animated Oscar contenders could be veteran Mamoru Hosoda’s dazzling Cannes debut “Belle: The Dragon and the Freckled Princess”, inspired by the French “Beauty and the Beast” fairy tale, about rural school kids who take on alter egos in a digital universe, based on their strengths and weaknesses. “Belle” could mark the filmmaker’s second animated feature Oscar nomination after “Mirai.” The movie screens October 23 at Hollywood’s Animation Is Film festival before its later Oscar-qualifying GKids release.

Hosoda updates the 18th-century fairy tale that has spawned countless movie adaptations, from Jean Cocteau’s 1946 black-and-white French classic to the Disney animated musical and its recent live-action remake, with a near-future story that combines “Ready Player One” with “Eighth Grade.” The movie’s naturalistic setting is the filmmaker’s birthplace Kamiichi, a remote western island.

“It’s a very rural place,” Hosoda said. “It’s a...

One of this year’s animated Oscar contenders could be anime veteran Mamoru Hosoda’s dazzling Cannes debut “Belle”, inspired by the French “Beauty and the Beast” fairy tale, about rural school kids who take on alter egos in a digital universe, based on their strengths and weaknesses. “Belle” could mark the filmmaker’s second animated feature Oscar nomination after “Mirai.” The movie screens October 23 at Hollywood’s Animation Is Film festival before its later Oscar-qualifying GKids release.

Hosoda updates the 18th-century fairy tale that has spawned countless movie adaptations, from Jean Cocteau’s 1946 black-and-white French classic to the Disney animated musical and its recent live-action remake, with a near-future story that combines “Ready Player One” with “Eighth Grade.” The movie’s naturalistic setting is the filmmaker’s birthplace Kamiichi, a remote western island. “It’s a very rural place,” Hosoda said. “It’s a part of Japan that is dying away.

(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)

The Movies: Rurouni Kenshin Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3

Where You Can Stream It: Funimation

The Pitch: A former assassin nicknamed Hitokiri Battosai lays down his sword after committing countless atrocities during the Bakumatsu war and vows to never kill again. Ten years later, a wandering rurouni named Himura Kenshin (Takeru Satoh) makes his way through the Japanese countryside, offering protection and help to those in need. But he carries a strange...

The post The Daily Stream: The Rurouni Kenshin Trilogy Brings the Western-Samurai Dynamic Full Circle appeared first on /Film.

The conclusion of what came to be the pentalogy of Rurouni Kenshin live action movies, was another much anticipated film of the year, even though the 4th entry bordered on being disappointing, with the exceptions of a few action scenes. However, and although the ending of the story was essentially known due to the previous film (which I felt should be watched last actually) the final episode is actually quite good, on par with the previous trilogy, at least for the most part.

The story essentially focuses on the beginnings of Kenshin as Hitokiri Battosai, which is portrayed through a series of flashbacks. As the movie starts, Kenshin is already a notorious killer moving in the shadows of Kyoto, according to the orders of Katsura, who leads the Choshu clan, a group of anti-shogun members. Having killed a hundred people since his hiring from Katsura a year ago, Kenshin has...

One of the most anticipated movies of the last few years, particularly for fans of the “Rurouni Kenshin”-franchise, was the movie based on the final chapter of both the manga and the anime, which, in the original, concludes the story, in the most dramatic, but also the most magnificent way. Unfortunately, once more, a Netflix production went for impression rather than substance. Let us take things from the beginning though.

Wu Heishin, a man supposedly from Shanghai, arrives in Tokyo, only to be revealed a bit later, that his sole purpose is to exact revenge from Himura Kenshin, due to some events that took place between Battousai and his sister, Tomoe, in the past. Hajime Saito arrests the newcomer after a violent incident in the train that brought him, but a commercial agreement between Japan and China forces him to let him go. As Wu Heishin’s gang begins...

9 years after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, two murder cases take place in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. The two victims are assumed to have been murdered by the same person. Both of the victims were tied all over their body and starved to death. Yasuhisa Tone (Takeru Satoh) emerges as a suspect in the murders. Yasuhisa Tone was just recently released from prison. In his past, he committed arson and injured someone to protect his acquaintance. Detective Seiichiro Tomashino (Hiroshi Abe) discovers a common link between the two victims and chases after Yasuhisa Tone.

"I've never seen him look so tormented before." Warner Bros Japan has released an official trailer for the epic new back-to-back series of movies titled Rurouni Kenshin: The Final and Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. These are part of an ongoing series of Japanese period action-adventure films based on the manga of the same name written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The first one, Rurouni Kenshin: Origins, originally debuted in 2012. These next two are back-to-back sequels, technically the fourth and fifth films in the series, opening in theaters in Japan within months of each other later in the spring. Takeru Satoh returns as Himura Kenshin, joined by Emi Takei, Mackenyu, Munetaka Aoki, Yū Aoi, Yusuke Iseya, and Riku Ōnishi. This looks completely like a live-action anime set in the old times, with stylized action and endless characters with grudges and much more. Might be a kick ass double feature! Check it out.

Father and daughter relationship, corporate vs rock, fear of aging and near-death experience are only some of the hot topics that TV and commercial director Shinji Hamasaki has chosen to tackle and turn them into a madcap comedy in his first feature film “Not Quite Dead Yet”.

Not Quite Dead Yet is screening at Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme

Nanase Nobata (Suzu Hirose) is a brilliant scientist, fresh from University and with a dad who is president of the Nobata Pharmaceutics, a leading pharmaceutical company well known for their research on a rejuvenation drug called Romeo. It could be an ideal situation for Nanase if a little detail wasn’t in the way; Nanase hates her father and she would like to see him dead. So much so that she has written a song about it for her idol death metal band Soulzz. She despises him at the point that...

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s big-screen adaptation of Rokuro Inui’s novel A Perfect Day for Plesiosaur marks the director’s slow transition from horrors like “Cure” and “Retribution” to more recent dramas including 2017’s “Before We Vanish” and “To the Ends of the Earth.” In this genre mashup of thriller, science fiction, drama, romance, and monster movie, Kurosawa creates an experience which is bound to be bizarre and disorienting, even for viewers who are accustomed to his surreal style.

The story revolves around Koichi Fujita, a neurologist with access to new and innovative technology, trying to access the depths of his comatose lover’s mind. Atsumi Kazu is a manga artist who had attempted to kill herself the year before, after a negative experience with writer’s block, and has been unconscious ever since. Alongside his assistants Aihara and Yonemura, Koichi spends hour-long sessions in the mind of Atsumi through a...

Actor Haruma Miura, one of Japan’s top young film and television stars, has died at age 30 after being found unresponsive at his Minato ward home in Tokyo.

His manager found Miura when he came to his home to check on the star, who did not show up for work. News reports said he was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead upon arrival.

Tokyo Metropolitan Police are investigating his cause of death as a possible suicide, reports said.

Miura debuted in Japanese film at age seven, appearing in the drama Agri in 1997.

He was a founder of the band Brash Brats with his fellow classmates, but the group went on hiatus in 2005.

From there, Miura earned the Sponichi Grand Prix Newcomer Award at the Mainichi Film Awards in 2009 for his role in Naoko. He also won the newcomer award at the 31st Japan Academy Awards for that role.

"Whoever wins this race... I shall grant them a wish." Signature Ent. UK has debuted an official trailer for the indie action thriller Samurai Marathon, also known as Samurai Marathon 1855. Inspired by a real-life race that is still held annually in Japan, Samurai Marathon is an epic thriller from the team behind 13 Assassins and The Last Emperor. It is actually directed by a British filmmaker named Bernard Rose, best known for directing Candyman and Immortal Beloved. Set in the late feudal era of Japan, a young ninja is operating undercover in the court of an aging Lord during a peaceful era of Japan. His loyalties are put to the test as he competes in the Samurai Marathon event. Starring Takeru Satoh, Nana Komatsu, Mirai Moriyama, Shôta Sometani, Munetaka Aoki, Ryu Kohata, Yuta Koseki, Motoki Fukami, Junko Abe, and Danny Huston. Featuring a Philip Glass score, which is also a...

Stars: Takayuki Yamada, Takeru Satoh, Yoshiyoshi Arakawa, Takuzo Kubikukuri, Kei Ishibashi | Written by Kousuke Mukai | Directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita

I definitely do have a love for films are not only original but very strange as well. From the killer tyre movie Rubber, to the one-off brilliance of Swiss Army Man, to food that will murder you in Dead Sushi and there’s so many more I love. And Hard-Core, like those, is indeed a bit strange…

For about the first thirty minutes, Hard-Core doesn’t seem that odd. We see a guy, Ukon and his friend Ushiyama (who has a a learning disability) working in a derelict mine for a guy who believes there is gold there. These two then discover a robot in an abandoned factory and along with Ukon’s brother Sakon, their world changes forever.

Ukon is such a fascinating and brilliant character. I always felt like...

Exclusive: HanWay Films has grown its sales team with the hire of former Protagonist and TF1 exec Marta Ravani who joins as director, HanWay Select.

Ravani will oversee HanWay’s extensive library and upcoming slate of documentaries. The UK firm’s catalog includes classics from the likes of Bernardo Bertolucci, David Cronenberg, Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, Bob Rafelson and John Dower.

Long-time HanWay Select director of sales Mark Lane continues at the company as director of sales to focus on the company’s expanding slate.

Ravani worked in production in Paris before moving into international sales and acquisitions for Funny Balloons where she was responsible for the acquisition of Tony Manero by Pablo Larrain.

In 2014, she joined TF1 Studio as international sales manager and the following year she moved to London to join Protagonist Pictures as director of digital, video and TV sales. Recently she has spearheaded the international sales...

Discouraged by the arrival of U.S. Commodore Perry (Danny Huston), aboard black ships laden with bourbon and gunpowder, feudal lord Itakura Katsuakira (Hiroki Hasegawa) of the Annaka clan views his own forces with little confidence. They have grown slow and idle after decades of peaceful isolation, and as such he challenges all men of fighting age to a marathon to prove their mettle — the prize for first place being the winner’s wish come true. When Edo spy Jinnai Karasawa (Takeru Satoh) mistakes his lord’s agitation for insurrection, however, an order is placed in error and the shogun’s ninjas duly dispatched.

While not as sensitive as Memoirs of a Geisha or Letters from Iwo Jima, Samurai Marathon is surprisingly a congruous and measured entry in the growing genre of internationally produced Japanese period dramas — all the more so given that it was directed by Candyman’s Bernard Rose.

Whoa! Toho Co. in Japan has debuted the first official trailer for a new Japanese 3D animated feature film titled Dragon Quest: Your Story, based on the popular video game series of the same name. For those in America, this game was released under the title Dragon Warrior, and the first version of it was released for the Nes back in the 1980s. Maybe you remember playing it? The series has since continued and is currently up to Dragon Quest XI. This film pulls its story from Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride - the fifth instalment in the series, released on the Super Famicom in 1992 and re-released on the Nintendo DS in 2008. Featuring the voices of Kasumi Arimura, Kentaro Sakaguchi, Takeru Satoh, and Takayuki Yamada. Looks action-packed and wildly entertaining. As a fan of the old game, I can't help but be curious. Here's the first Japanese...

“Candyman” director Bernard Rose has helmed a new Japanese film, “Samurai Marathon,” which HanWay Films will introduce to buyers in Berlin. The picture has an original score by Philip Glass and is produced by HanWay’s Jeremy Thomas.

Thomas has a pedigree in Japanese cinema, making films including “13 Assassins” and “Hara-Kiri.” He has again teamed with Toshiaki Nakazawa, who produced the Academy Award-winning “Departures,” on “Samurai Marathon.”

Having an English director on the Japanese-language project is an unusual twist for a samurai movie. Thomas told Variety that Rose gives a subtly adjusted take on the genre but remains true to the form.

“I suggested why don’t we try and make a samurai film with an English director, or one not so entrenched in the tradition of samurai, which is a very traditional form of Japanese cinema,” Thomas said, adding that Rose “was fascinated by the challenge.”

The story...

London Born director Bernard Rose has completed production on his new film “Samurai Marathon 1855”. Filmed in Japan, the films stars Takeru Satoh as an government spy investigating an annual marathon, which is considered treasonous. The film marks veteran directors Bernard Rose first production working with a Japanese cast. The film, is adapted from the novel “Bakumatsu Marason Samurai”, written by Akihiro Dobashi.

The film is set to be released on February 22, 2019, a teaser for the film has been released by Gaga Corp.

Synopsis

To prepare his warriors for potential attacks from foreign invaders, the hanshu holds a marathon. The marathon runs along a mountain path for about 58 kilometers. Retainers join the marathon to get a prize offered to them. Meanwhile, the marathon is mistakenly viewed as an act of treason by the central Edo government. Assassins are sent to the hanshu’s castle. Jinnai Karasawa (Takeru Satoh) appears as a normal samurai at the han,...

58 year old Ichiro Inuyashiki is a down trodden loser working in sales for a company who doesn’t want him, to pay for a mortgage for his wife and kids who couldn’t care less about him. Ichiro’s life seems like it can’t get any worse, until a letter sends him to the doctor’s office, where he is told he has a terminal illness. He attempts to confide in his family, but is completely disregarded due to their disdain towards him. Upon arriving home one night, he finds a dog that was left on his door step who he so wishes to befriend, but in keeping up with his wife’s wishes tries to abandon in a park. In his attempt to discard the dog, a bright light in the sky renders him unconscious and upon awakening the next day, he begins to experience new found abilities and a new found body.

With the 22nd annual Fantasia International Film Festival kicks off in Montreal this July, the first wave of programming has now been announced, and as per usual, there are many events for genre fans to look forward to, including the world premiere of the horror anthology Nightmare Cinema, screenings of Unfriended: Dark Web and David Robert Mitchell's Under the Silver Lake, and a Lifetime Achievement Award presentation to filmmaker Joe Dante:

Press Release: Montreal, May 2, 2018 - The Fantasia International Film Festival will be celebrating its 22nd Anniversary in Montreal this summer, taking place from July 12-August 1, with its Frontières International Co-Production Market and Industry Rendez-Vous Weekend being held July 19-22.

The festival’s full lineup of over 130 feature films will be announced in early July. In the meantime, Fantasia is excited to reveal a carefully selected first wave of titles, along with several special happenings.

International Premiere Of...

In “Inuyashiki,” an alien encounter mutates two unsuspecting charaters — one, a decrepit salaryman, the other, a neighborhood teenager — into indestructible cyborgs, but contrary to genre conventions, it’s the kid who turns evil, leaving the wussy old codger to save the day. Adapted from a manga by Hiroya Oku, this Japanese genre effort is ably directed by Shinsuke Sato, who foregrounds interpersonal relationships and human emotion over action and effects. The fact that English translations of the 10-volume series exist digitally, while an anime miniseries can be viewed on Amazon Prime Video, should boost the film’s overseas potential. Meanwhile, in a country with the world’s highest elderly population, the action movie’s anti-ageist thrust — demonstrating how undervalued senior citizens kick ass — proves unexpectedly heart-warming.

From “Parasyste” to “Gantz” (also written by Oku), Japanese science fiction is rife with stories of humans merging with androids or aliens. Of this tradition,...

After experimenting with his form of boundary-pushing, cinema-as-memory films to great, succesful lengths with his last three narrative features–not to mention Voyage of Time, which we’re still awaiting an actual U.S. release for–Terrence Malick will return to more of a traditional script with his WWII drama Radegund, hopefully releasing later this year. But first, after splicing in avant-garde and experiential touches with his last few films, he’s making the natural step into virtual reality.

Premiering at South by Southwest Festival–where he gave a rare public talk last year–on March 13 is the Vr experience Together, which is directed by Malick and shot by cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (Silence, The Wolf of Wall Street, Brokeback Mountain). Clocking in at 5 minutes and 46 seconds and featuring music by Simon Franglen, see the synopsis below, as well as the first look above.

“Together” is a Vr experience about the power of human connection.

Following the announcement that John Krasinski's A Quiet Place will be the opening night movie at SXSW, the anticipated Midnighters genre slate has now been revealed, including the buzzed-about Hereditary (read Heather Wixson's Sundance review here), Leigh Whannell's Upgrade, Jenn Wexler's The Ranger, and Field Guide to Evil.

You can check out the full list of Midnighters below, and visit the official SXSW website for more information on the festival's schedule.

From SXSW: "The SXSW Midnighters section is a perennial favorite for SXSW audiences thrilled by the weird, electric, and sometimes terrifying selections. Featuring 10 genre films, including 6 World Premieres, the slate includes dark comedies, thrillers, Sci-Fi, mystery and slasher horror from a mix of established and first-time filmmakers. The Midnighters, as well as 12 additional films, which are included in the 132 total features now to be screened at the SXSW 2018 Film Festival.

Scary, funny, sexy, controversial – provocative...

This year’s South by Southwest Conference and Festivals has announced the remainder of its film festival program, including the full run of their Midnighters, Shorts, Virtual Cinema, Music Video, Title Sequence, and the brand-new Independent Episodic lineup, along with a number of additions to their Features slate. Additionally, the festival has announced that the North American premiere of Wes Anderson’s highly anticipated new stop-motion feature, “Isle of Dogs,” will serve as the event’s Closing Night Film, following the film’s world premiere at Berlin. The festival has also added a number of Sundance favorites, including “Sorry to Bother You,” “Blindspotting,” and “Science Fair.”

This year’s Midnighter’s section — a long-time favorite of the genre-loving SXSW audiences — features 10 genre films, including six world premieres, with offerings that span dark comedies, thrillers, sci-fi, mystery, and slasher horror from a mix of established and first-time filmmakers.

Highlights include Ari Aster’s “Hereditary,...

Click here to read our french "Real" movie review, directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa with Takeru Satô, Haruka Ayase, Jô Odagiri starring.Koichi (Sato) and Atsumi (Ayase) are childhood friends who have become lovers. Despite this closeness when Atsumi attempts suicide Koichi is at a loss to understand the circumstances that drove her to do such a thing. Now she is in a coma and Koichi needs to find out the reason. Since Koichi is a neurosurgeon he has access to the latest studies and so he takes part in a medical procedure that will allow him to enter Atsumi's subconscious. Through 'sensing', a type of neurosurgical procedure allowing contact with the intentional aspect of a comatose patient's mind, Koichi tries to discover why Atsumi tried to kill herself, and to bring her back to...

Filth | Sunshine On Leith | The Perverts Guide To Ideology | For Those In Peril | How I Live Now | The Crash Reel | Thanks For Sharing | Camp 14 | The To Do List | Emperor

Filth (18)

(Jon S Baird, 2013, UK) James McAvoy, Jamie Bell, Eddie Marsan, Imogen Poots. 97 mins

Drugs, sleaze, sex, Scots, Irvine Welsh – is it 1996 again? This is just as energetic as Trainspotting, but less hip and more theatrically grim, wallowing in the debauchery and mania of a copper bent way out of shape. The only subtlety to be found is on the face of McAvoy, whose committed performance holds it all together.

Sunshine On Leith (PG)

(Dexter Fletcher, 2013, UK) George MacKay, Kevin Guthrie. 100 mins

It worked for Abba, so why not the Proclaimers? Basing an Edinburgh love story around their music turns out to be a fine idea.

The Pervert's Guide To Ideology (15)

(Sophie Fiennes, 2013, UK) 133 mins

Slavoj Žižek gives an absorbing, annotated...