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It’s no secret that the art world is an exclusive field. While there is no shortage of artists and talent, there are only a few whose works are praised by critics and receive attention. Being taken seriously as an artist is a difficult task defined by self-doubt and depression. In his new feature “Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist’s Journey” director Kazuaki Seki tells the story of a talented young woman determined to become a successful mangaka. As she enrolls in a summer course taught by an eccentric artist, she is confronted with criticism for the first time and thus has to re-think her definition of art and its potential. Seki’s feature is entertaining and funny, without ignoring the seriousness of its subjects.

Blank Canvas: My So Called Artist’ Journey is screening at Fantasia International Film Festival

Akiko (Mei Nagano) has a big dream, she wants to become a famous mangaka.

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

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

The official website for the upcoming live-action film adaptation of Akiko Higashimura 's autobiographical manga series Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey (known as Kakukaku Shikajika in Japan) released a main trailer today. The clip introduces the film's theme song "Message" performed by Misamo for the first time. Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey Main Trailer Misamo is a three-person unit consisting of Japanese members of the Korean girl group Twice — Mina , Sana , and Momo . They started their activies in July 2023, and this is their first film theme song work. "We are truly honored that Misamo was chosen as the theme song performer for the movie Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey, which is based on the wonderful original manga by Higashimura-san and created by splendid cast members," said Sana. "We were surprised when we heard about the offer. And we wanted to deliver our song with all my heart.

A live-action film adaptation of Akiko Higashimura 's autobiographical josei manga series Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey (known as Kakukaku Shikajika in Japan) is set to release in Japan on May 16, 2025. Mei Nagano (Red Blood Cell in the Cells at Work! live-action film) plays the protagonist, Akiko Hayashi, who is based on Higashimura herself, and Yo Oizumi (Shou Tucker in the Fullmetal Alchemist live-action film) plays Kenzo Hidaka, a teacher she meets at an art school she visits to apply for art school. The film's official website has opened with a teaser trailer introducing the two. Higashimura's original manga was serialized in Shueisha's Cocohana magazine from 2012 to 2015, and won the Grand Prize of the Manga Grand Prize 2015 and the Manga Category of the 19th Japan Media Arts Festival. Seven Seas Entertainment, which released the manga's English edition , describes the synopsis: High schooler Akiko has big plans to become...

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

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

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

Between the tens of millions of tourists visiting and the soft power success of films and drama series set in Japan, the country has never attracted so much attention. The impact on sales and other deals at the Tiffcom market of Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), however, has been mixed.

“Interest in Japanese content has spread from just core fans to a wider audience. Anime still has the strongest appeal, but live-action productions are also gaining traction,” said Satoru Kamiyama, an executive in the international business department of film giant Shochiku, on the final day of Tiffcom. “We’ve had a lot more meetings and discussions about deals than last year.”

Japanese companies rarely sign contracts to announce or deals at festivals, due to protracted internal decision-making and the need to consult with the production committees that are behind most commercial projects. Usually comprised of at least a dozen companies,...

The Japan Academy Film Prize Association held the 47th edition of its awards ceremony on March 8, 2024. The nominees are selected by the Nippon Academy-Sho Association of industry professionals from the pool of film releases between January 1 and December 31, 2023 which must have screened in Tokyo cinemas.

Following its success at the recent Blue Ribbon Awards and leading with 12 nominations, Toho Studios' and Takashi Yamazaki's kaiju cinema masterpiece “Godzilla Minus One” takes top honours winning Picture of the Year and a slew of technical awards. Sakura Ando cements her place as one of Japan's top actresses securing both awards for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (for “Monster”) as well as Supporting Role (for “Godzilla Minus One”).

The full list of winners is described below.

Picture of the Year

Monster

Godzilla Minus One

Mom, Is That You?!

September 1923

Perfect Days

Animation of the Year

Kitaro Tanjo – GeGeGe no...

The Shanghai International Film Festival, China’s most prestigious movie industry event, kicks off its 30th-anniversary edition Friday night. It will be the first version of the festival that’s easily accessible to the global film community since 2019, after the past three editions were either canceled or rendered difficult to attend by strict Covid-19 travel restrictions at the time.

This year, film stars from at home and afar will descend on China’s commercial capital to celebrate the ongoing comeback of China’s movie business. Jason Statham will lend some Hollywood star power to the proceedings when he walks the red carpet for the festival’s opening ceremony Friday night in promotion of his upcoming Warner Bros. blockbuster sequel, Meg 2: The Trench, which opens Aug. 4 and co-stars Chinese leading man Wu Jing. European film legend, Jerzy Skolimowski of Poland — who wrote Roman Polansky’s landmark Knife in the Water...

Reincarnation is the central topic o Ryuchi Hiroki's drama “Phases of The Moon” that has just had its European premiere at far East Film Festival in Udine. Based on the bestselling novel by Shogo Sato, the script follows the aftermath of a big family tragedy, and one man's attempt to come to terms with it.

“Phases of the Moon” is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival

What happens when someone dies has been one of the most explored questions since the birth of religions. Some believe in heavens and hells, others in reincarnation, and an increasingly large number of people, in plain unison of decomposing bodies in nature. Which one of many presumption's is true is left to each one of us to fathom once we meet our end. If Hiroki was asked, he would chose both reincarnation and John Lenon's music to prove his point.

Kei (Yo Oizumi...

The Japan Academy Film Prize Association held the 46th edition of its awards ceremony on March 10, 2023. The nominees are selected by industry professionals from the pool of film releases between January 1 and December 31, 2022 which must have screened in Tokyo cinemas. Award categories are modelled after Hollywood's Academy Awards®.

Following its success at the recent Blue Ribbon Awards, and leading with 13 nominations in 12 categories, Kei Ishikawa's “A Man” walks away with 8 Japan Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. The full list of winners is described below.

Picture of the Year

A Man

Shin Ultraman

Phases of the Moon

Anime Supremacy!

Wandering

Team from A Man Animation of the Year

Inu-Oh

Lonely Castle in the Mirror

Suzume

One Piece Film Red

The First Slam Dunk

Director of the Year

Kei Ishikawa – A Man

Takashi Koizumi – The Pass: Last...

Kei Osanai (Yo Oizumi) enjoys a peaceful and happy life with his wife Kozue Osanai (Kou Shibasaki) and daughter Ruri Osanai, but his wife and daughter die in an accident. Kei Osanai’s life suddenly changes. One day, a man named Akihiko Misumi (Ren Meguro) visits Kei Osanai. Akihiko Misumi tells him that on the day Kozue Osanai and Ruri Osanai died, Ruri Osanai, who was a complete stranger to him, was coming to see him. Akihiko Misumi tells him about a woman named Ruri Masaki (Kasumi Arimura), who he once loved. These people, who don’t seem related, connect under the name of love.

The combination of family drama and quirky comedy has always been dominant in the Japanese movie industry, with a plethora of titles following the rules of the category. Thus, it is always interesting to find movies that manage to truly stand out. “Good Morning Everyone” (aka G’mor evian!) is definitely one of those titles, although not for the inclusion of punk music as the promotion of the title insisted, but for the comments it makes and its rather likable characters.

Hatsuki is a fifteen year old student who lives with her mother, Aki, who had her when she was seventeen with a man the former has never met. Aki used to be in a punk band and is the type of mother that is more a friend with her daughter, than a parent, with the switching in roles frequently taking place. Yagu is a young man who was the lead singer of the band,...

Translation by Lukasz Mankowski

Born in 1963 in the Kagoshima prefecture, Daihachi Yoshida has been working as a commercial director for over 18 years. He has directed over several hundred commercials up to date, and has won many awards such as Cannes, Iba, Clio, NY, AdFestAsia Pacific and is considerated a top rated director in the advertising world. In addition to commercial, he has directed music videos, television dramas, and short films. Past short films include Otokonoko Wa Minna Hikoki Ga Suki and Mitsuwa (2003). Since 2006 and “Funuke Show Some Love, You Fools!” he has also been directing feature films, having won awards from Japanese Academy and Busan. “Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction” is his latest work.

On the occasion of “Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction” screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival, we speak with him about adapting Takeshi Shiota’s work, Yo Oizumi and Shinya Tsukamoto, printed media nowadays, the Japanese movie industry and other topics.

For its subject matter, “Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction” is a magnificent story, featuring several accomplished and intriguing actors, and using these to bring life to the world of magazine editing. Director Daihachi Yoshida does so with a mix of drama and comedy, making for a surprisingly fun film.

“The Fangs of Fiction” is screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival

One of the many films delayed due to Covid-19, “Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction” details the story of a Japanese magazine in current times, where many of them, including this one, are on the brink of collapse. Teruya Hayami (Yo Oizumi) is tasked to work on one magazine, Trinity, to keep it afloat and make it flourish once again. By using innovating tactics, some of which highly risky, he, with the help of young and passionate Megumi Takano (Mayu Matsuoka), tries to do everything in his capacity to make sure...

I Am a Hero is a zombie film, from director Shinsuke Sato (The Time of Death). Already released in Japan in 2015, the film is based on a Manga comic book. Similar to Sang-ho Yeon's Train to Busan in action and intensity, I Am a Hero brings an exciting tale to Blu-ray, this month. The film centrally stars: Masami Nagasawa, Yô Ôizumi (Fullmetal Alchemist) and Kasumi Arimura. The Blu-ray release details are hosted here. The story involves a manga artist and an apocalypse. Hideo (Ôizumi) is stuck in an office position, with dreams of making it big in the artistry world. His girlfriend breaks up with him. Meanwhile, an infection is spreading across Japan. And, this is the chance that Hideo has been waiting for, to show his true courage. I Am a Hero is definitely a film for zombie or infection type film fans. Full of action, this title...

Tokyo Ghoul U.S. Trailer Kentaro Hagiwara‘s Tokyo Ghoul / Tôkyô gûru (2017) U.S. movie trailer stars Masataka Kubota, Fumika Shimizu, Yu Aoi, Nobuyuki Suzuki, Yo Oizumi, and Shunya Shiraishi. Tokyo Ghoul‘s plot synopsis: based on the manga by Sui Ishida, “Riddled with gripping fight scenes and tasteful gore, this adaptation of Tokyo Ghoul brings the popular manga [...]

Continue reading: Tokyo Ghoul (2017) U.S. Movie Trailer: Ken Kaneki Mistakenly has a Ghoul Organ Transplant...

"Humans are no longer at the top of the food chain." A new Us trailer has arrived online for the Japanese live-action adaptation of the manga series Tokyo Ghoul, which already opened in theaters in Japan back in July. The story is about a Tokyo college student who is attacked by a ghoul, a superpowered human who feeds on human flesh. He then discovers there's an entire race of ghouls and becomes a fugitive on the run, the "one and only existence who knows the two worlds." Starring Yû Aoi, Masataka Kubota, Shun'ya Shiraishi, Nozomi Sasaki, Fumika Shimizu, Yô Ôizumi, and others. One of the quotes in this trailer claims the film is the "best live-action anime adaptation to date." Not sure if that's true but it's worth a look. Here's the official Us trailer (+ poster) for Kentarô Hagiwara's Tokyo Ghoul, direct from YouTube: Human and ghoul. The one...

Reviewed by Depressed Satan,

MoreHorror.com

One day, after returning from work late in the evening, Hideo (Yo Oizumi) witnesses a traffic accident in which a car is crashed, killing the victim instantly. However, despite severe injuries including a broken neck, the victim's body stands up and walks away. Hideo questions whether this is another one of his hallucinations, but strange events begin happening around him.

From a long time now we've had English zombies and Chinese zombies, then last year we got our first Korean zombie movie Train to Busan and now we welcome the first appearance of Japanese zombies in I Am A Hero.

The zombie apocalypse genre is excessively tried and tired. How Japan, having some of the most crowded cities in the world, hasn't gotten into the act is another mystery. Shinsuke Sato, adapting Kengo Hanazawa's massively popular manga of the same name.

Hideo Suzuki...

Last month, Warner Bros. released the first Fullmetal Alchemist trailer, which gave fans a first look at this live action adaptation based on the beloved manga. While it remains to be seen when the next footage will be released, two new photos have surfaced, offering a new look at Ry&#333suke Yamada as Edward Elric, as he fights one of the film's iron giants in the streets. The movie is set for release in Japan this coming December, but a domestic release date has not been issued at this time

The photos surfaced on the official Warner Bros. Japan website for the movie. Fumihiko Sori is directing the film with the director teasing new details about his approach to this story in a new interview. Here's what the filmmaker had to say below, about why he thought it was important to have an all-Japanese cast.

"I want to create a...

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...

The Blue Ribbon Awards are film-specific prizes awarded solely by movie critics and writers in Tokyo, Japan.

The awards were established in 1950 by The Association of Tokyo Film Journalists which is composed of film correspondents from seven Tokyo-based sports newspapers. In 1961, the six major Japanese newspapers (Yomiuri Shinbun, Asahi Shinbun, Mainichi Shinbun, Sankei Shimbun, Tokyo Shimbun andNihon Keizai Shinbun) as well as the Japanese Associated Press withdrew their support for the Blue Ribbon Awards and established the Association of Japanese Film Journalists Awards, (which were held a mere six times). In 1967, the awards were cancelled as a result of the Black Mist Scandal, a baseball bribing case. In 1975, the awards were revived, and have continued until the present day. The annual award ceremony is held in a variety of places in Tokyo every February.

Although the award is not acclaimed highly on an international level, due to their long history and the rigorous screening process,...

[Guest reporter Jenny Nulf shares her impressions of three movies from this year’s South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas, including I Am Not a Serial Killer, I Am a Hero, and Pet.]

I Am Not a Serial Killer: What happens when a movie gets stuck in limbo for three years? Well, the director is given enough time to create a slow-burning monster movie that will lurk in the back of your mind long after viewing it.

In a tiny Midwestern town, John Wayne Cleaver (Max Records) works with his mother and aunt at a funeral home, helping her embalm the dead bodies. A possible sociopath, John also chats regularly with his psychologist, Dr. Neblin (Karl Geary), about how to subside his murderous tendencies. Then things start to go wrong when an actual serial killer sweeps through the town, and when Max discovers the identity of the killer, it takes him down a terrifying path of self-discovery. This is not your average, sweet coming-of-age story.

I Am Not a Serial Killer’s slow and methodic pace will keep some at bay, but director...

Two worlds collide once young Kyuta (Shôta Sometani) and warrior Kumatetsu (Kôji Yakusho) meet in Mamoru Hosoda‘s The Boy and the Beast. The former was recently orphaned after his mother’s death (she had divorced his father years ago and her family refuses to get in touch with him), currently working his way towards becoming a solitary street urchin full of dark rage aimed at the human race for causing him such pain. The latter is a candidate to replace the Beast Kingdom Jutengai’s lord—a fighter of immense power but little discipline who probably won’t stand a chance against his opponent Iozan (Kazuhiro Yamaji). One needs a father and the other an apprentice. One to learn strength and love while the other discovers humility and patience’s immense value.

It’s all pretty familiar—at the beginning. The film’s first half can get tedious as a result.

Simply put, the SXSW Film, Music and Interactive Festival is one of the biggest, most prestigious events in the media calendar. Taking place annually in Austin, Texas, it is beloved by film fans and filmmakers from all over the world, and has reached such heights by building a reputation for showcasing excellent content. This results in a high level of competition, with the Narrative Feature category alone having received 1442 submissions this year, and the documentary feature category having received 1,013.

The 2016 event looks to be particularly exciting, with many world premieres and feature debuts already announced. The Narrative Feature category will include Julia Hart’s Miss Stevens, Debra Eisenstadt’s Before The Sun Explodes, Joey Klein’s The Other Half, and Musa Syeed’s A Stray, among others, while the Headliner category will feature Richard Linklater’s Everybody Wants Some.

The Narrative Spotlight category includes 9 Rides by Matthew A. Cherry; The Waiting...

The Tall Man's sphere is aiming its blades at Austin, as Bad Robot's 4K restoration of Don Coscarelli's Phantasm will screen at South by Southwest 2016 as part of the film festival's recently revealed Midnighters lineup:

From SXSW: "Scary, funny, sexy, controversial – provocative after-dark features for night owls and the terminally curious.

Carnage Park

Director/Screenwriter: Mickey Keating

The year is 1978. A team of wannabe crooks botch a small-town bank heist and flee with their hostage deep into the California desert, where they find themselves in a harrowing fight for survival against a psychotic ex-military sniper. Cast: Ashley Bell, Pat Healy, Alan Ruck, Darby Stanchfield, Larry Fessenden, Graham Skipper, James Landry Hebert, Michael Villar

Hush

Director: Mike Flanagan, Screenwriters: Mike Flanagan, Kate Siegel

A deaf woman is stalked by a psychotic killer in her secluded home. Cast: Kate Siegel, John Gallagher Jr., Michael Trucco, Samantha Sloyan (World Premiere)

I Am a Hero...

Based on the popular recent manga of the same name and rated as arguably the ‘greatest zombie manga ever made‘. Let’s hope that the movie leaves up to the very high expectations.

From the trailer it does look like it could be something special indeed and with ‘Gantz’ director Shinsuke Sato at least we know its gonna look amazing!

The film originally premiered at the Sitges Film Festival in October 13, 2015 and will finally get its general release in April.

Plot

The story begins with Hideo Suzuki, a 35-year-old manga artist assistant, whose life seem to be stuck around his exhausting but low-paying job, unfulfilled dreams, strange hallucinations and unsatisfying relationships. He sees himself as a supporting character in his own life, has low self-esteem, resulting in frustration.

One day, the world as Hideo knows it is shattered by presences of a disease that turns people into homicidal maniacs, whose...

CANNES -- A taut and ironic hustler movie that keeps turning the tables on the audience, "After School" requires mental concentration to disentangle the web of deceit surrounding three middle school alumni and the private eye who comes between them under the watchful eyes and iron fists of the yakuza.

Although not many Japanese critics warmed to this sophomore feature of Kenji Uchida, who won four awards at during Cannes Critics Week 2005 for his debut "A Stranger of Mine", this sophomore effort is still worth a look for the director's adult wit, artistic coherence and the subject's remake potential.

Approaching his screenplay just like he's planning the perfect heist, Uchida has constructed a plot so dense that every scene or casual cutaway holds the key to a dramatic reversal, and every character is a pawn that could turn into a Queen. In this micro-managed, cerebral world, there is little room for character development or authentic emotions. Or so the audience is led to assume, until the denouement reveals that life's biggest jinx may be to make assumptions about people and let experience and cynicism erode the simple values taught at school.

Moving beyond the mathematical structure, two-set production design and theatrical triptych of actors in his lauded debut, Uchida taxes the audience with more scattered locations, a cluster of characters and a final revelation sequence that reaches far and near in time to explain everything without room for conjecture. However, he handles multiple scenes shifts and demanding fast edits like a pro. The ensemble cast also eases stretched credibility with convincing portraits of an unworldly school teacher, a square salaryman with a double life and the comically down-at-heel gumshoe.

Tokyo Broadcasting System, Inc/Groundbreaker

Cast: Yo Oizumi, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Masato Sakai, Takako Tokiwa, Tomoko Tabata.

Screenwriter-director: Kenji Uchida.

Executive producer: Makato Fujimoto.

Producers: Satoshi Akagi, Hiroshi Onishi, Daisuke Ooka.

Director of photography: Kozo Shibazaki.

Production designer: Koiichi Kanekatsu.

Music: Kei Haneoka.

Editor: Shinichi Fushima.

Sales: Tokyo Broadcasting System, Inc.

103 minutes.