SciFi Japan

Source: Well Go USA, MPRM Communications Official Site: wellgousa.com/detail-tripletap (US) Special Thanks to Liza Nedelman and Leif Hellend A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Our thanks to everyone who entered Well Go USA and SciFi Japan's contest for a free DVD of TRIPLE TAP. The randomly chosen winners are: David Bullard Jason Fanesi Patrick Beagan Congratulations to the winners! The prizes will be shipped soon by Well Go USA so keep an eye on your mailboxes. Two-time Best Director Hong Kong Film Award winner Derek Yee’s (ONE NIGHT IN MONGKOK, SHINJUKU INCIDENT) latest action-packed thriller, TRIPLE TAP (鎗王之王, Qiang Wang Zhi Wang, 2010) is now available in a Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack for $29.98 SRP and on DVD for $24.98 SRP. Continued...

New 35mm Prints of 15 Titles to Screen at IFC Center from December 16 to January 12 Source: GKIDS Inc. press release Official Movie Site: gkids.tv/intheaters Special Thanks to Sara Groves, Eric Beckman and Dave Jesteadt GKIDS, a distributor of award winning animation for both adults and family audiences, is bringing a complete retrospective of films from Japan’s renowned Studio Ghibli to the IFC Center in New York (323 Sixth Avenue at West Third Street) from Friday, December 16 to Thursday, January 12. The run will include US premiere theatrical engagements for several titles. All fifteen Studio Ghibli feature films produced between 1984 and 2008 will be presented, including Hayao Miyazaki’s Academy Award winning SPIRITED AWAY, PRINCESS MONONOKE, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND, CASTLE IN THE SKY, PONYO, HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE, and KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE. Newly-struck 35mm prints of the films will be shown in both subtitled and English dubbed versions. Following the IFC Center engagement, the retrospective will tour to major US and Canadian markets, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC, Toronto, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, and other cities, throughout the first half of 2012. GKIDS is also planning limited releases of select Studio Ghibli titles, many of which have never been released theatrically in the US, beginning late 2012. Continued...

Source: The Associates press release Official Site: trollhunterfilm.com One of the biggest hits with audiences at this year’s Film4 Frightfest and a major critical success during its subsequent UK theatrical release in September 2011, which saw it earning Four Star reviews in Empire (“spectacular fun”), Total Film (“a true one off... it will quite simply blow you away”) and Time Out (“shot through with an unexpected, often unsettling, humour”), the horror-comedy TROLL HUNTER (Trolljegeren, 2010) bursts its way on to DVD and Blu-ray on 9th January 2012. Continued...

Source: FUNimation Entertainment press release Official Site: tv-tokyo.co.jp/fairytail (Japan), funimation.com/fairy-tail (US) Special Thanks to Jackie Smith and Michelle Lee FUNimation Entertainment will release the Blu-ray/DVD Combo set of the action/adventure anime FAIRY TAIL: PART 2 (フェアリーテイル, Fearii Teiru, 2009) on December 27th. Based on the hit manga by Hiro Mashima (each new manga volume published since 2007 has debuted in the Top 5), the long running series is co-produced by A-1 Pictures and Satelight, and directed by Shinji Ishihira. The second Blu-ray/DVD Combo set contains episodes 13-24. Across the Fiore kingdom, wizards join guilds and make their pay by filling magical needs - but one guild has a reputation as the roughest, rowdiest, most dangerous of all: Fairy Tail! In the midst of a mission to break the curse over Galuna Island, Natsu and the gang face a band of deranged mages trying to resurrect the monstrous demon Deliora. Gray's determined to put the freeze on the sinister plan in a frigid battle with a rival from his past - even if it takes his own life! Back in Magnolia, the city becomes a warzone after sorcerers known as Element 4 destroy Fairy Tail headquarters and kidnap their beloved rookie, Lucy. A bone-crunching, skin-charring fight between fire and iron erupts when Natsu squares off against another Dragon Slayer wizard! Continued...

Hideo Gosha's Classic Chambara Film Streets in February Source: The Criterion Collection, Image Entertainment Official Site: criterion.com/three-outlaw-samurai Special Thanks to Jonathan Saba On February 14th, 2012, THREE OUTLAW SAMURAI (三匹の侍, Sanbiki no Samurai, 1964) will be released in digitally restored DVD and Blu-ray editions by The Criterion Collection. This first film by the legendary Hideo Gosha (SWORD OF THE BEAST) is among the most canonized chambara (sword-fighting) films. An origin-story offshoot of a Japanese television series phenomenon of the same name, THREE OUTLAW SAMURAI is a classic in its own right. In it, a wandering, seen-it-all ronin (Tetsuro Tamba) becomes entangled in the dangerous business of two other samurai (Isamu Nagato and Mikijiro Hira), hired to execute a band of peasants who have kidnapped the daughter of a corrupt magistrate. With remarkable storytelling economy and thrilling action scenes, this is an expertly mounted tale of revenge and loyalty. Continued...

Source: FUNimation Entertainment press release Official Site: funimation.tv Special Thanks to Scott Lonski FUNimation Channel, a partnership between Olympusat, Inc. and FUNimation Entertainment, is the market leader in providing fans in the U.S. direct access to an exclusive portfolio of anime movies, series and specials to TV, mobile and broadband customers alike. FUNimation Channel is currently available in approximately 20 million TV households in the U.S. and is available on AT&T, Charter Communications, Comcast, Verizon, and others. The FUNimation Channel has now launched its Subscription Video-On-Demand Package on Armstrong Cable. The package combines standard definition and select high definition product sampling with proven transactional and subscription levels of service for this extremely attractive demographic. Each product drives usage to the next, creating a path to capture a wider audience while maximizing revenues. Continued...

Source: Tiger Rock Publishing, Rivers PR press release Special Thanks to Louise Rivers The brand new eBook The Bruce Lee Chronicles: Volume 1 goes on sale in the United Kingdom from December 5th, 2011, courtesy of Tiger Rock Publishing. There's no better reason to want an iPad/Kindle for Christmas this year! To millions of fans around the world, Bruce Lee was the greatest martial arts icon who ever lived. Join Bruce on one of his greatest real-life adventures and discover the true story behind the making of his most personal movie, WAY OF THE DRAGON (猛龍過江, aka RETURN OF THE DRAGON, 1972). Officially endorsed by The Bruce Lee Foundation and supported with a foreword from Bruce Lee's daughter Shannon Lee, this compelling 180 page volume by pro fight-trainer and renowned Lee historian, Steve Kerridge, provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at one of the greatest martial arts movies ever made! Continued...

World Premiere this Weekend at New York International Children’s Film Festival Source: FUNimation Entertainment press release Special Thanks to Scott Lonski The English language version of the anime feature film OBLIVION ISLAND (ホッタラケの島 〜遥と魔法の鏡〜, Hottarake no Shima - Haruka to Maho no Kagami, 2009) will have its world premiere this weekend at the New York International Children’s Film Festival. Production I.G., the creators of GHOST IN THE SHELL, mix exquisitely detailed 2D backgrounds with modern 3D character designs in a dazzling animated adventure that plays like Alice’s fall through the rabbit hole into a world of topsy-turvy, anime dream-logic. Continued...

Source: Third Window Films Official Movie Site: thirdwindowfilms.com/villain (UK) Special Thanks to Adam Torel Lee sang-il's higly acclaimed adaptation of the award-winning novel by Shuichi Yoshida, VILLAIN (悪人, Akunin) comes out on DVD in the United Kingdom this Monday, December 5th from distributor Third Window Films. A North American release has not been announced. Nominated for 15 Japanese Academy Awards (winner of 5), winner of the Best Actress Prize at the Montreal Film Festival and picked as the 'Best Japanese Film of 2010' by the Kinema Junpo organization, VILLAIN is one of the most highly rated and gripping Japanese films of the year. Yuichi Shimizu (Satoshi Tsumabuki) is a construction worker who has lived his entire life in a dreary fishing village. With no girlfriend or friends, he spends his days working and looking after his grandparents, with no enjoyment in life other than his car. Meanwhile, Mitsuyo Magome (Eri Fukatsu) also lives a monotonous life pacing between the men’s clothing store where she works and the apartment where she lives with her sister. When the two lonely souls meet using an online dating site, they immediately fall in love with each other. But there’s a secret Yuichi had been keeping from Mitsuyo: Yuichi is the one suspected of killing the woman whose body was found at Mitsue Pass only a few days before. Continued...

Complete Series One Streets December 20th Source: FUNimation Entertainment press release Official Site: kadokawa-anime.jp/soraoto (Japan), funimation.com/heavens-lost-property (US) Special Thanks to Jackie Smith and Michelle Lee On December 20th, the complete anime series HEAVEN'S LOST PROPERTY (そらのおとしもの, Sora no Otoshimono, 2009) will be released in a 5-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack by FUNimation Entertainment. Based on the manga series of the same name by Suu Minazuki, the anime was produced by Anime International Company (AIC), directed by Hisashi Saito (INUYASHA, MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM SEED) and features the talents of art director Hiromasa Ogura (FLCL, APPLESEED and GHOST IN THE SHELL). Tomoki's life was normal until a wish-granting angelic android named Ikaros fell from the sky and started calling him master! Of course, thanks to his raging teenage hormones, most of Tomoki's wishes have something to do with panties. And that makes things pretty complicated, because one simple wish can lead to a rampaging robot made out of frilly undergarments or turn bloomers into bombs capable of blowing up entire neighborhoods! If Tomoki doesn't learn to control his impulses around Ikaros and be more careful with his wishes, the chaos will only get crazier. Luckily, even with such a dirty mind, Tomoki's heart is in the right place. His hands, however, are a completely different story. Continued...

Source: Sentai Filmworks press release Special Thanks to David Williams Sentai Filmworks proudly announces the company’s acquisition of distribution rights for the critically acclaimed animation masterpiece GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES (火垂るの墓, Hotaru no Haka, 1988). Based on the semi-autobiographical retellings of survivor Nosaka Akiyuki and directed by Iaso Takahata (co-founder, with Hayao Miyazaki, of Japan’s legendary Studio Ghibli, the studio that performed the animation duties for the film,) GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES has been universally hailed as both an artistic and emotional tour de force, with famed critic Roger Ebert calling the feature “An emotional experience so powerful that it forces a rethinking of animation” and stating that “it belongs on any list of the greatest war films ever made.” Sentai Filmworks is extraordinarily honored to have been given the privilege of handling the digitally restored version of one of the art of animation’s true crowning achievements. Digital distribution of GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES will begin through many outlets this winter, and a DVD of the digitally restored master will be in stores next year. Continued...

Director Derek Yee’s Action Thriller Explodes on Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack and DVD December 6th Source: Well Go USA, MPRM Communications Official Site: wellgousa.com/detail-tripletap (US) Special Thanks to Liza Nedelman and Leif Hellend Two-time Best Director Hong Kong Film Award winner Derek Yee’s (ONE NIGHT IN MONGKOK, SHINJUKU INCIDENT) latest action-packed thriller TRIPLE TAP (鎗王之王, Qiang Wang Zhi Wang, 2010) debuts on Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack and DVD December 6 from Well Go USA. Louis Koo (TRIAD ELECTION, FLASH POINT) plays a champion shooter who becomes a hero after fatally-shooting a band of armed bank robbers, but is soon suspected to be the mastermind behind the heist by a crack shot police officer (Daniel Wu, SHINJUKU INCIDENT). TRIPLE TAP will be available in a Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack for $29.98 SRP and on DVD for $24.98 SRP, and is packed with explosive extras, including deleted scenes, director and actor interviews, a behind-the-scenes featurette, a photo gallery and an optional English dub. To add to the fun, Well Go USA is offering SciFi Japan readers a chance to win a free DVD of TRIPLE TAP! Read on for details. Continued...

New Full-Color Art Book Features the Memorable Work of Series Creator Katsura Hoshino Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press releases Special Thanks to Jane Lui and Erik Jansen VIZ Media, LLC, the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, will delight manga art fans with the release of D.Gray-Man Illustrations: Noche on December 6th. The new art book arrives just in time for the holidays and will carry an MSRP of $21.99 U.S. / $25.99 CAN. Enter the lavish fictional 19th century world of D.Gray-Man in this new collection featuring nearly 100 pages of full-color character art, magazine covers, and other original compositions by series creator Katsura Hoshino. Also featured are insightful Q&A’s between Hoshino and two manga creators that inspire her: Takeshi Obata, the artist behind Hikaru no Go, Bakuman｡, and the smash hit Death Note (all published in North America by VIZ Media); and Osamu Akimoto, whose manga series, Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen Mae Hashutsujo, has been serialized in the best-selling boy's manga magazine in the world, Weekly Shonen Jump, for 35 years and remains the magazine’s longest-running manga series. D.Gray-Man Illustrations: Noche also includes an exclusive, double-sided full-color poster. Continued...

Source: Anime Network press release Official Site: breakblade.jp (Japan) Special Thanks to Christian Lopez Anime Network and Comcast are starting 2012 off with a bang, coming together to bring fans a tale of war, magic, and ancient mecha: BROKEN BLADE (ブレイク ブレイド, Bureiku Bureido, 2010)! The six part film series will be available to rent in the Xfinity OnDemand Top Picks section, only on Comcast, from January 1 to January 31, 2012. An exclusive Top Picks extra will also be included at release, available only to Comcast customers. Continued...

“Wisdom is the mightiest weapon” Source: FUNimation Entertainment press release Official Movie Site: kongzi.sina.com (China), funimation.com/confucius (US) Special Thanks to Scott Lonski FUNimation Entertainment has acquired the U.S. home video rights to CONFUCIUS (孔子, Kong Zi, 2010). This $23 million dollar budget biopic film financed by the Chinese government, stars Chow Yun-Fat as the iconic philosopher, Confucius, whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced life in Asia and beyond. Directed by Hu Mei, best known for her work in the acclaimed historical drama series YONG ZHENG DYNASTY and THE EMPEROR IN HAN DYNASTY and captured on Film by Oscar-winning Director of Photography Peter Pau (CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON) this cinematic masterpiece will be a must have for lovers of history. The film begins with Confucius as an old man, reflecting back on his life. Through flashbacks, we see him in his early 50s being promoted from Major to Minister for Law in his home state of Lu. He battles with ethical issues after saving a slave boy who was sentenced to be buried alive with his recently deceased master. A series of complex political decisions and war result in Confucius being outcast and relegated to become a wandering scholar. This film details his epic journey of numerous hardships and losses as Confucius perseveres to earn his place as one of China’s revered philosophical figures. The DVD will be released March 27, 2012. Continued...

Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press releases Official Site: vizeurope.com Special Thanks to Jane Lui and Erik Jansen VIZ Media Europe is proud to announce that Hyoe Narita, previously Executive Vice President at VIZ Media, LLC in San Francisco, will become the new President of VIZ Media Europe (VME) from December 1, 2011. After five years in his function as President of VME, John Easum, will be stepping down at the end of November to pursue new initiatives. Under Easum’s leadership, VME was established in January 2007. Easum was instrumental in building VME’s presence and implementing VME’s strategy of growing the European market for VIZ’s animation and manga properties. From December, he will be moving to Tokyo where he will continue to provide services to the manga and anime industries. Narita has been appointed as Easum’s successor and will assume the role of President of VME from December 1. Narita will be responsible for managing the day-to-day operations in Europe along with Cedric Littardi, Managing Director of Kazé, and Nicolas Weber Krebs, Managing Director of VIZ Media Switzerland. Continued...

Source: Shout! Factory press release Special Thanks to Tom Chen On December 6, 2011, Shout! Factory, in collaboration with Hasbro, Inc, will release the CGI animated film TRANSFORMERS PRIME – DARKNESS RISING on DVD. Celebrate the triumphant return of the Autobots through cutting-edge CGI animation, combining all five action-packed episodes of the TRANSFORMERS PRIME television series currently airing on The Hub television network. Delivering a new level of heavy metal action and family entertainment for all ages, this highly collectible DVD is priced to own with a suggested retail price of $14.97. Continued...

Source: FUNimation Entertainment press release Official Site: juiz.jp (Japan) Special Thanks to Jackie Smith and Michelle Lee On December 27th, the complete anime series EDEN OF THE EAST (東のエデン, Higashi no Eden, 2009) will be released in a 4-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack by FUNimation Entertainment. Produced by anime studio Production I.G. (GHOST IN THE SHELL, KILL BILL VOL. 1), the show was created, written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama (director of MORIBITO: GUARDIAN OF THE SPIRIT and the best-selling GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX), and features character designs by manga artist Chica Umino (Honey and Clover). Akira Takizawa wakes up naked outside the White House with no memories. He's got a gun in one hand and a cell phone in the other, and he doesn't know if he's a good guy or one of the worst. He doesn't remember that the phone gives him instant access to ten billion yen and a woman who can make his most outlandish requests a reality. He doesn't recall his connection to the ongoing missile attacks terrorizing the Japanese people, or the part he played in the sudden disappearance of 20,000 shut-ins. He doesn't even remember he's supposed to save Japan and will be murdered if he fails. Whatever it is he's tangled up in, Takizawa's definitely in deep - and that's not even scratching the surface. The EDEN OF THE EAST Complete Series Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack contains all 11 episodes. Continued...

Jackie Chan's 100th Movie to be Released in Multiple Formats Source: Well Go USA, MPRM Communications press release Official Movie Site: mediaasia.com/1911, 1911movie.com (US) Special Thanks to Leif Hellend and Liza Nedelman Legendary action star Jackie Chan (POLICE STORY, PROJECT A, RUSH HOUR trilogy) marks the milestone of his 100th film with 1911 (辛亥革命, Xin Hai Ge Ming), debuting on Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack and DVD January 10 from Well Go USA Entertainment. From the walls of the Forbidden City to the battlefields of China, with no expense spared in production and no detail ignored in its quest for historical accuracy, 1911 is a true epic in every sense of the word. The film details a key moment in modern Chinese history — the fall of the Qing Dynasty — and the violent rebellion that brought it down. In addition to Chan (who also co-directed with cinematographer Zhang Li), the film also stars Li Bing Bing (TRIPLE TAP), Winston Chao (THE WEDDING BANQUET, EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN), Joan Chen (THE LAST EMPEROR, LUST, CAUTION) and Jaycee Chan (BREAK-UP CLUB). Continued...

You'll Believe It When You See It Source: Madman Entertainment Official Site: trollhunterfilm.com The Norwegian fantasy film TROLL HUNTER (Trolljegeren, 2010) will be released on DVD (Region 4, PAL) and Blu-ray (Region B) in Australia on December 14, courtesy of distributor Madman Entertainment. The SFX-laden mockumentary was among the top five most popular film at the 2011 Melbourne Film Festival, also played every major festival in Australia throughout 2011. A Hollywood remake is being developed by Chris Columbus (HOME ALONE, HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE) for a tentative release in 2014. Continued...