After 35 years as character designer for the Shin Megami Tensei series at Atlus, Kazuma Kaneko has moved on to new ventures. His latest move takes him to Colopl, where he will be working on a new original title. Details are pretty much nonexistent at the time of this writing, so we'll have to wait for more about what Kaneko is working on next. According to a recent interview on Colopl's website, the project will incorporate the latest technology, with Kaneko providing the "worldview" upon which it's based. Related: Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Brings Enhanced RPG to All Platforms in June Next up for the Shin Megami Tensei series is the June 14 launch of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance , an enhanced version of the RPG that originally hit Nintendo Switch. Vengeance will be available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC. Sources: Colopl , Gematsu...
- 4/23/2024
- by Joseph Luster
- Crunchyroll
Famous for its surreal genre-mashing and cross-gender casting, “Summer Vacation 1999”'s (1988) cultish elements recall the beginnings of shonen-ai (boy's love), one of many queercoded creative spaces that have been veiled for heterosexual enjoyment. Before our time of identity politics and labels, representations of gender and sexual fluidity wove itself into existence by sheer will and unquenchable desire. Today, in the restored catalogs of festivals such as Queer East, we look back in celebration, but also with a mixed sense of wonder, empathy and relief. In Shusuke Kaneko's futurist romantic-mystery, three boys reel from the return of their supposed-dead schoolmate to their countryside boarding school, igniting tensions and unrequited desires. “Summer Vacation 1999” breathes life into a depiction of queer spaces as innocent, fleeting and beautiful, forever scarred into memory.
Summer Vacation 1999 is screening at Queer East Festival
Under an ominous full moon, we witness the dramatic suicide of the well-loved,...
Summer Vacation 1999 is screening at Queer East Festival
Under an ominous full moon, we witness the dramatic suicide of the well-loved,...
- 4/19/2024
- by Renee Ng
- AsianMoviePulse
One of the greatest underdogs in daikaijū history is a turtle. To be more exact, a giant turtle who breathes flames, flies by jet propulsion and, most importantly, protects mankind from other colossal monsters. And after a lengthy absence on screen, the herculean turtle Gamera is back in an animated series called Gamera Rebirth. Netflix has gifted eager fans an exciting new story that demonstrates the titanic turtle’s appeal and extends his legacy.
While Gamera isn’t exactly unknown by the masses, his presence is, for the most part, limited to the East. There is also the undeniable fact that Gamera is overshadowed by his clear inspiration and pop-cultural counterpart, Godzilla. Between these two Japanese icons, though, Gamera has had a tougher time overcoming his past. An acclaimed ‘90s trilogy of films, one that reimagined Gamera as a serious antihero, was directly responsible for the monster’s critical reevaluation.
While Gamera isn’t exactly unknown by the masses, his presence is, for the most part, limited to the East. There is also the undeniable fact that Gamera is overshadowed by his clear inspiration and pop-cultural counterpart, Godzilla. Between these two Japanese icons, though, Gamera has had a tougher time overcoming his past. An acclaimed ‘90s trilogy of films, one that reimagined Gamera as a serious antihero, was directly responsible for the monster’s critical reevaluation.
- 9/7/2023
- by Paul Lê
- bloody-disgusting.com
With a selection from the “top of the shelf” once more, as the films of Keishi Otomo, Yuya Yagira, and the next big anime thing “Slam Dunk” eloquently highlight, Japan Cuts showcased how the top of the Japanese movie industry fares currently, while not forgetting the “hidden gems” aspect, with the returns of Yusaku Matsumoto and Daisuke Miyazaki and the presentation of “Sanka”, a film that has passed absurdly under the radar, moving into that direction. The general direction in terms of selection seemed to move towards mainstream paths, with the shorts, the animation and the documentary “I am a Comedian” adding an element of diversity. Without further ado, here is a list of this year's coverage of Japan Cuts.
You can read the full reviews by clicking on the titles 1. Interviews: Kentaro and Yuya Yagira 2. Anime Review: The First Slam Dunk (2022) by Takehiko Inoue
What is the most impressive aspect,...
You can read the full reviews by clicking on the titles 1. Interviews: Kentaro and Yuya Yagira 2. Anime Review: The First Slam Dunk (2022) by Takehiko Inoue
What is the most impressive aspect,...
- 8/8/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Following the success of “Noise”, Yusaku Matsumoto had some trouble coming up with his next movie, instead opting to deal in shorts and TV. This changed in 2022, with “All My Fault”, which was, though, definitely on a lower level than his aforementioned debut. As such, it is with great pleasure to see that he is back in form with “Winny”, a court drama focusing on the homonymous copyright infringement criminal case, the first in which a computer program developer faced a criminal charge for assisting in the copyright infringement of the program's users.
Winny is screening at Japan Cuts
The film follows the actual events quite closely, starting with the two arrests of Winny users, which eventually led to the apprehension of the actual developer of the program, Isamu Kaneko, a 33-year-old assistant professor at the University of Tokyo who is also the main protagonist of the movie. At the same time,...
Winny is screening at Japan Cuts
The film follows the actual events quite closely, starting with the two arrests of Winny users, which eventually led to the apprehension of the actual developer of the program, Isamu Kaneko, a 33-year-old assistant professor at the University of Tokyo who is also the main protagonist of the movie. At the same time,...
- 7/28/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Kadokawa Daiei Studio and the Netflix streaming service have teamed up to bring us the kaiju anime series Gamera: Rebirth, which is set to begin streaming on September 7th. With that date just a month and a half away, a new trailer for the show has arrived online, and you can check it out in the embed above!
A “giant, fire-breathing, prehistoric turtle monster”, Gamera was first introduced to audiences in the 1965 film Gamera, the Giant Monster, which begins with an atomic bomb waking him from a long slumber in the Arctic. Over the next six years, Gamera returned in Gamera vs. Barugon, Gamera vs. Gyaos, Gamera vs. Viras, Gamera vs. Guiron, Gamera vs. Jiger, and Gamera vs. Zigra. When the studio was struggling with financial issues in 1980, they cut together a bunch of stock footage Gamera: Super Monster. Gamera then took a fifteen year break before being brought back...
A “giant, fire-breathing, prehistoric turtle monster”, Gamera was first introduced to audiences in the 1965 film Gamera, the Giant Monster, which begins with an atomic bomb waking him from a long slumber in the Arctic. Over the next six years, Gamera returned in Gamera vs. Barugon, Gamera vs. Gyaos, Gamera vs. Viras, Gamera vs. Guiron, Gamera vs. Jiger, and Gamera vs. Zigra. When the studio was struggling with financial issues in 1980, they cut together a bunch of stock footage Gamera: Super Monster. Gamera then took a fifteen year break before being brought back...
- 7/24/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Last month, we saw a teaser trailer for Gamera: Rebirth, an anime series coming from Kadokawa Daiei Studio and the Netflix streaming service. We still don’t know exactly when this show is going to make its premiere, but a full trailer has now arrived online to give us a preview of its kaiju action. You can check it out in the embed above.
A “giant, fire-breathing, prehistoric turtle monster”, Gamera was first introduced to audiences in the 1965 film Gamera, the Giant Monster, which begins with an atomic bomb waking him from a long slumber in the Arctic. Over the next six years, Gamera returned in Gamera vs. Barugon, Gamera vs. Gyaos, Gamera vs. Viras, Gamera vs. Guiron, Gamera vs. Jiger, and Gamera vs. Zigra. When the studio was struggling with financial issues in 1980, they cut together a bunch of stock footage Gamera: Super Monster. Gamera then took a fifteen...
A “giant, fire-breathing, prehistoric turtle monster”, Gamera was first introduced to audiences in the 1965 film Gamera, the Giant Monster, which begins with an atomic bomb waking him from a long slumber in the Arctic. Over the next six years, Gamera returned in Gamera vs. Barugon, Gamera vs. Gyaos, Gamera vs. Viras, Gamera vs. Guiron, Gamera vs. Jiger, and Gamera vs. Zigra. When the studio was struggling with financial issues in 1980, they cut together a bunch of stock footage Gamera: Super Monster. Gamera then took a fifteen...
- 3/27/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
The essentially inherent inability of the Japanese people to express their thoughts and feelings and, occasionally, even to communicate with others, has been explored repeatedly in the cinema of the country, other times in comedy and others in drama. Yurina Kaneko decides to focus on the same theme, but including an intense element of cuteness, as expressed in the plushies club the story revolves around.
People Who Talk to Plushies Are Kind is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
The script is based on a short story by Ao Omae, and revolves mostly around three university students, Nanamori, Mugito, and Shiraki, who, as the film begins (and after an intro into their past as junior high school students) join the Plushie Club in their campus. Their surprise when they see a room filled with stuffed animals is intense, but soon warm up to the rest of the members, even more so when they learn that,...
People Who Talk to Plushies Are Kind is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
The script is based on a short story by Ao Omae, and revolves mostly around three university students, Nanamori, Mugito, and Shiraki, who, as the film begins (and after an intro into their past as junior high school students) join the Plushie Club in their campus. Their surprise when they see a room filled with stuffed animals is intense, but soon warm up to the rest of the members, even more so when they learn that,...
- 3/16/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
About three months ago, we heard that Kadokawa Daiei Studio and the Netflix streaming service were teaming up for a mysterious project called Gamera: Rebirth, a continuation of the popular Gamera giant monster franchise. Would it be a film, a series, an anime feature? Well, now a teaser trailer has arrived online to let us know exactly what Gamera: Rebirth is. It’s an anime series that will show the giant turtle Gamera battling five other kaiju over the course of six episodes! The show is expected to premiere sometime in 2023.
A “giant, fire-breathing, prehistoric turtle monster”, Gamera was first introduced to audiences in the 1965 film Gamera, the Giant Monster, which begins with an atomic bomb waking him from a long slumber in the Arctic. Over the next six years, Gamera returned in Gamera vs. Barugon, Gamera vs. Gyaos, Gamera vs. Viras, Gamera vs. Guiron, Gamera vs. Jiger, and Gamera vs.
A “giant, fire-breathing, prehistoric turtle monster”, Gamera was first introduced to audiences in the 1965 film Gamera, the Giant Monster, which begins with an atomic bomb waking him from a long slumber in the Arctic. Over the next six years, Gamera returned in Gamera vs. Barugon, Gamera vs. Gyaos, Gamera vs. Viras, Gamera vs. Guiron, Gamera vs. Jiger, and Gamera vs.
- 2/13/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Click here to read the full article.
Safe to say there isn’t another country bar Japan where a handful of top directors, including celebrated auteurs and an Oscar winner, learned their craft in adult films. Or perhaps even anywhere else in the world where that is imaginable.
But when cinemagoing plunged in parallel with the penetration of television sets into homes in the 1960s, it was so-called Pink Eiga that kept large parts of the movie industry afloat for decades, nurturing a generation of directors, scriptwriters and other filmmaking crew.
Usually between 60 and 70 minutes long, shot on 35mm and released in theaters, often on triple bills, the low-budget productions gave directors a lot of freedom provided they delivered the prescribed number of sex scenes.
In 1964, with the eyes of the world on Japan as it reemerged onto the world stage after World War Two as host of Tokyo Olympics,...
Safe to say there isn’t another country bar Japan where a handful of top directors, including celebrated auteurs and an Oscar winner, learned their craft in adult films. Or perhaps even anywhere else in the world where that is imaginable.
But when cinemagoing plunged in parallel with the penetration of television sets into homes in the 1960s, it was so-called Pink Eiga that kept large parts of the movie industry afloat for decades, nurturing a generation of directors, scriptwriters and other filmmaking crew.
Usually between 60 and 70 minutes long, shot on 35mm and released in theaters, often on triple bills, the low-budget productions gave directors a lot of freedom provided they delivered the prescribed number of sex scenes.
In 1964, with the eyes of the world on Japan as it reemerged onto the world stage after World War Two as host of Tokyo Olympics,...
- 10/28/2022
- by Gavin J Blair
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Back in the late 19th century, Japan started to modernize itself to catch up with the West and to raise its economic and military power. This effort however, had a significant impact to the country’s long lasting healthy ecosystem, with the extinction of the Japanese wolf being one of the consequences. Taking inspiration from this fact, Masakazu Kaneko pens and directs “Ring Wandering”, a rather interesting movie that unfolds on a number of levels.
“Ring Wandering” is screening on Fantasia International Film Festival
Sosuke is an aspiring manga artist, though for the moment he’s stuck doing heavy labor on construction jobs in central Tokyo. At the same time, he is trying to finish his manga about the battle of a hunter and a Japanese wolf taking place during the Russo-Japanese war. He is struggling however, particularly in drawing the animal, since no one has seen one for over a century.
“Ring Wandering” is screening on Fantasia International Film Festival
Sosuke is an aspiring manga artist, though for the moment he’s stuck doing heavy labor on construction jobs in central Tokyo. At the same time, he is trying to finish his manga about the battle of a hunter and a Japanese wolf taking place during the Russo-Japanese war. He is struggling however, particularly in drawing the animal, since no one has seen one for over a century.
- 7/31/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The “Godzilla” franchise is one of the most successful long-running film series out there. The iconic monster has gone down in cinema history as a metaphor for the horrors of nuclear warfare. However, the truth is that the quality of the franchise varies. The original “Godzilla,” directed by Ishiro Honda, is a brilliant piece of sci-fi filmmaking, and Hideaki Anno’s witty gem “Shin Godzilla” is a superbly written political thriller. Yet, features like “Destroy All Monsters” and the later Heisei entries of the 1990s show the unfortunate trend of repeated formulas that quickly becomes old and shoddy filmmaking that is a chore to watch. Not to mention, all of the American “Godzilla” projects have been misfires. Following the underwhelming finale feature “Godzilla vs. Destoroyah” and the poor 1998 American reboot, Toho would kickstart the experimental Millennium series. Things would start solid with “Godzilla 2000: Millennium” but lose momentum with “Godzilla vs.
- 7/8/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
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