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The stats for Netflix's top 10 non-English TV shows list from the final week of December (Dec. 30 - Jan. 5) are in, and you won't believe what older yet beloved Japanese show made the cut. It's none other than Alice in Borderland, often referred to by some as the Japanese Squid Game.

In a new Netflix press release, the streamer shared all 10 non-English shows that earned a spot. The series that made the list were the most popular non-English shows during the period of Dec. 30 to Jan. 5. As expected, at the No. 1 spot sat Squid Game season 2 with 58. 2 million views for that week. Since the brand-new second season had just recently come out, many people were also going back to rewatch the first season. This is why Squid Game season 1 ended up ranking at the No. 2 spot with 13.6 million views.

Next, the drama miniseries La Palma took the No. 3 spot, followed...

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Squid Game is a South Korean survival horror thriller series created by Hwang Dong-hyuk. The Netflix series follows Seong Gi-hun, a single father in a huge amount of debt, who is invited to compete in a series of children’s games to win huge sums of money. The only caveat is that if anyone loses the game, they are killed then and there. Squid Game stars Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon, and Lee Byung-hun. So, if you loved the social commentary, thrilling story, and compelling characters in Squid Game, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

The 8 Show (Netflix) Credit – Netflix

The 8 Show is a South Korean dark comedy torture thriller series created by Han Jae-rim. Based on the Naver webtoons Money Game and Pie Game by Bae Jin-soo, the Netflix series revolves around...

There have been so many engrossing dark TV series that took viewers on mind-bending journeys and truly played with their heads. While modern television has embraced much darker and more sinister stories in recent decades, it takes a truly great show to bury underneath the surface of a series narrative and deliver philosophically rich stories that strike a chord for their deep, probing themes that leave a mark on viewers consciousness well after the credits have rolled. A thought-provoking series that can play with viewers' expectations often marks the difference between a simply good show and a truly great one.

Many of the best TV shows of all time were dark in nature and did not underestimate viewers' intelligence with deeply complex and intricate narratives. Highly influential series like Twin Peaks laid the groundwork for television to embrace more challenging and experimental stories. At the same time, creators worldwide, such...

Some of the most effective and engaging TV shows in recent years were also so gore-filled that audiences often had to look away in pure terror and disgust. From thrilling sci-fi dystopias to intense psychological horrors, just because a series was packed with gore, murder, and violence did not stop it from being truly great. In many cases, the excessively gruesome nature of these shows added to their appeal as they pushed the limits of what could be depicted and accepted in mainstream television.

Plenty of the most gruesomely violent TV shows were filled with gory sequences and sinister characters who committed heinous acts. From intense games that saw characters' lives on the line to sinister antiheroes who killed for the sheer thrill of it, in recent years, television has caught up with horror movies to make series that were equal to or even exceeded the most gore-filled cinematic spectacles.

The 8 Show is a South Korean dark comedy thriller series created by Han Jae-rim. Based on a Naver webtoon titled Money Game and Pie Game by Bae Jin-soo, the Netflix series follows the story of eight cash-strapped people as they participate in a mysterious game that gives them money just to be present but as time progresses things start to go a bit crazy. The 8 Show stars Ryu Jun-yeol, Chun Woo-hee, Park Jeong-min, Lee Yul-em, Park Hae-joon, Lee Zoo-young, Moon Jeong-hee, and Bae Seong-woo. So, if you love psychological drama and dark comedy with brilliant performances in The 8 Show here are some similar shows you could watch next.

Alice in Borderland (Netflix) Credit – Netflix

Alice in Borderland is a Japanese sci-fi survival thriller series created by Yoshiki Watabe, Yasuko Kuramitsu, and Shinsuke Sato. Based on a graphic novel of the same name by Haro Aso, the Netflix...

Yuichi Sato's energetic flick “City Hunter” is loud, explosive, and in your face. Yet, it knows that, embracing it in a wildly entertaining experience. While many recent Netflix manga/anime adaptations have missed the mark, this movie does Tsukasa Hojo's source material justice, while taking a few creative liberties to tweak aspects for a modern audience. The film has garnered a positive reception from longtime fans of the “City Hunter” franchise, as well as newcomers, being highlighted as the definitive live-action adaptation next to the French version “Nicky Larson et le parfum de Cupidon” by Philippe Lacheau. It is funny to consider it took this long for Japan to adapt Hojo's work for non-animated media, with many prior renditions primarily coming from Hong Kong, the most famous being Wong Jing's “City Hunter” starring Jackie Chan.

If you like City Hunter, check our coverage of Netflix content by clicking...

Sometimes, when two people with very different experiences meet, it is not enough simply to arrive at the same place in space and time; each must still undertake a journey to find the other.

Misako (Ayame Misaki) makes her living by providing various forms of assistance to blind and visually impaired people. She’s trying to break into the art of audio description for films, but it’s difficult. Whilst other blind people try to be polite, photographer Masaya Nakamori (Masatoshi Nagase) gives it to her straight: he doesn’t think that she’s cut out for it. She’s too poetic. Her subjective emotions get in the way of allowing blind audience members to use their imaginations, whilst she makes so many observations that there’s no opportunity left for quiet contemplation.

Nakamori badly needs that kind of space. He’s struggling to come to terms with the gradual loss of his sight,...

On the heels of Naomi Kawase’s 2014 feature Still the Water getting distribution in North America from Film Movement, the distributor has now announced the Japanese director’s 2017 drama Radiance will get a release at the end of this month. Following a world premiere in competition at Cannes where it received the Ecumenical Jury Prize, we’re pleased to exclusively premiere the new U.S. trailer ahead of its April 28 debut.

Here’s the synopsis: “Misako (Ayame Misaki) is a writer of audio descriptions of films for the visually impaired. At a screening, she meets Nakamori (Masatoshi Nagase), an older photographer who is slowly losing his eyesight following an illness. Misako soon discovers Nakamori’s photographs, which will strangely bring her back to her past. Though hesitant to start a relationship, feelings soon arise between a man who has lost the light and a woman who pursues it.”

Kawase, whose...

Following on the unexpected success of the original, Yuichi Fukada shot a sequel, this time having a rather bigger budget in his hands, since Toei got involved in the production, replacing T-Joy, thus giving the opportunity to the Masked Pervert to flaunt his abilities in an even more impressive way.

HK2: The Abnormal Crisis is screening at Fantasia 2020

Kyosuke is now in college, but his relationship with Aiko is going through a rough patch, since the girl cannot understand his obsession with women’s underwear, even asking for her own back, thus stripping Hentai Kamen from his main source of strength. At the same time, Kyosuke’s superhero “work” has caused his manager in the pizza delivery shop he worked to fire him, putting even more strain on his relationship with Aiko, who does not want him putting his life in danger. However, his archrival Ogane seems to...

Family dramas revolving around a family funeral are quite common in Japanese cinema. Toshiyuki Teruya, however, manages to distinguish himself from the plethora of similar productions by using Senkotsu (bone washing) as his base theme. Senkotsu is an Okinawan local ritual, during which involves taking the dead body out of the tomb, after all the flesh is gone, and after being cleaned by his/her close relatives, the bones are again buried in the tomb, which allows the soul to finally leave “this world”.

“Born Bone Born” is screening at Five Flavours Asian Film Festival

Takashi comes back to his hometown in Aguni island, Okinawa for his mother’s Senkotsu. His father Nobutsuna is living alone after his wife’s death, and he has succumbed to alcoholism, an ailment that had troubled him and his family before. Takashi blames Nobutsuna for his mother’s death, since she worked very hard...

I have to admit, I find a number of Naomi Kawase’s films repeating, too self-conscious and occasionally even pretentious, despite their more than evident visual prowess. “Radiance” however, achieves a rather unusual and also quite impressive accomplishment, of encompassing all the characteristics (both good and bad) that have shaped her career, including her own life experiences in cinema, and in the process becoming the quintessential Kawase film. As my friend Bastian Meiresonne mentioned, “An open manual on how to watch a Naomi Kawase movie, which is the most beautiful and the most pretentious thing an artist could do.”

Radiance is screening at Japan Cuts 2018

Misako is a young writer of audio description working for a company that produces soundtracks for visually impaired cinemagoers. Her work seems to be her passion, as, in the initially scenes, we watch her narrating everything that occurs in front of her eyes in a street she crosses.

Family dramas revolving around a family funeral are quite common in Japanese cinema. Toshiyuki Teruya, however, manages to distinguish himself from the plethora of similar productions by using Senkotsu (bone washing) as his base theme. Senkotsu is an Okinawan local ritual, during which involves taking the dead body out of the tomb, after all the flesh is gone, and after being cleaned by his/her close relatives, the bones are again buried in the tomb, which allows the soul to finally leave “this world”.

Born Bone Born is screening at Japan Cuts 2018

Takashi comes back to his hometown in Aguni island, Okinawa for his mother’s Senkotsu. His father Nobutsuna is living alone after his wife’s death, and he has succumbed to alcoholism, an ailment that had troubled him and his family before. Takashi blames Nobutsuna for his mother’s death, since she worked very hard to pay the debt for his company.

At the center of Radiance is Misako (Ayame Misaki), a writer struggling to perfect the art of penning audio descriptions for the visually impaired. Test audiences describe her first effort as too verbose, and her second attempt as too pared down. The film’s director, Naomi Kawase, has been trapped in a similar conundrum in recent years, alternating between movies characterized by empty enigmas (Still the Water) and contrived melodrama (An).

Kawase’s latest is certainly an improvement on both - if only slightly. While letting go of the exotic mysticism of Still the Water (or 2011’s Hanezu, for that matter)...

Exactly 20 years after Naomi Kawase became the youngest winner of the Camera d’Or, for Suzaku, the director returns to Cannes with her latest feature, Radiance. The drama focuses on the relationship between celebrated photographer Masaya Nakamori (Masatoshi Nagase), whose eyesight is rapidly deteriorating, and Misako Ozaki (Ayame Misaki), a young narrator of movie voiceovers for the visually impaired.

Kawase talked to The Hollywood Reporter about casting former model Ayame Misaki, deviating from her script and why she likes working in her hometown.

You cast former model Ayame Misaki in a key role. What was it about her that made...

While Naomi Kawase‘s cachet stateside hasn’t necessarily increased in the last few years, her last film, Sweet Bean, did manage to get a U.S. release. The Japanese filmmaker is now returning with her follow-up, Radiance (aka Hikari), which is set for a Japanese release at the end of May, hinting at a likely return to the Cannes Film Festival.

The first teaser trailer has landed, which previews the story of a film writer who meets a photographer who is losing his eyesight. Starring Masatoshi Nagase (last seen at the end of Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson), Ayame Misaki, and Tatsuya Fuji, check out the trailer below (via Cine Maldito), which is currently without subtitles, but we’ll update if they arrive.

Misako is a passionate writer of film versions for the visually impaired. At a screening, she meets Masaya, an older photographer who is slowly losing his eyesight.

We just debuted our list of the movies we’re hoping will hit Cannes, and while Naomi Kawase‘s “Radiance” didn’t make the main list, that doesn’t mean we’re not still eagerly awaiting what the Japanese filmmaker has on the horizon. And now we have our first taste.

Starring Masatoshi Nagase, Ayame Misaki, and Tatsuya Fuji, the film details the relationship that develops between a filmmaker and an older photographer, who is starting to lose his eyesight.

Continue reading First International Trailer For Naomi Kawase’s ‘Radiance’ at The Playlist.

Warner Bros is negotiating to acquire the big screen rights to Attack on Titan, for a U.S. remake that will be shepherded by Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them producer David Heyman. It isn't clear how far along these negotiations are, or if the studio is eyeing a director and/or screenwriter to bring this project to life quite yet. The studio has previously tried to bring the iconic manga Akira to the big screen, but that adaptation languished over a number of years. It remains to be seen if this film will move forward with more speed and efficiency.

Deadline reports that the movie will be an adaptation of the two-part Japanese manga adaptation that debuted in 2015. The first movie earned $25.7 million in Japan, although the second movie dropped significantly, earning just $13.2 million, hitting theaters just one month later. Both films were released in the U.S.

You want to see something scary? I mean, really scary? Then watch the new Attack on Titan trailer. This isn't a horror movie, but it sure looks terrifying, as this latest sneak peek at the Japanese manga and TV anime adaptation comes roaring to life on the big screen. If you weren't excited about this blockbuster export, you might be now! As this single teaser packs more thrills than most of this summer's American movies combined. And you certainly don't need to understand the language to enjoy it.

In Attack on Titan, The sudden arrival of the Titans, mysterious, gigantic humanoid creatures who devour human beings one after the other, brings mankind to the brink of extinction. Fast-forward more than 100 years later. What remains of the human population now live in relative peace behind massive walls that were erected to defend themselves against the Titans. Yet once again, that peace...

There's no doubt about it. Attack on Titan is the most anticipated foreign movie of the year! And we finally have the full-length trailer with English subtitles. A true phenomenon in it's native country of Japan, Hajime Isayama's manga series has attacked the globe, achieving widespread acclaim on par with Marvel and DC. It first arrived in 2009, and since then, we've seen a novel prequel series, a TV anime adaptation, and more than one video game. Now, we get the crown jewel in this epic franchise, a live-action movie!

Attack on Titan takes place in a time when humanity is on the verge of extinction. The world has been wiped out by a race of giants known as Titans. They spawned from nowhere, wandering the lands and eating every human they can get their hans on. The Titans don't make their game plan known, as they continue to trudge forth with no seeming motivation.

Following the six posters released way back in November, a new full-length trailer has been released for Attack on Titan. This live action adaptation of Hajime Isayama's 2009 manga is actually the first of two movies, with Attack on Titan set for release on August 1 in Japan, with the second movie, Attack on Titan End of the World debuting September 19 in Japan. Unfortunately, it hasn't been revealed when these movies may be released in the U.S. at this time.

The story is set in a world where all of humanity must live behind massive walls, to protect themselves from gigantic humanoid creatures known as the Titans. Haruma Miura stars as Eren Yeager, who, along with his adoptive sister Misaka Ackerman (Kiko Mizuhara) and their friend Armin Arlert (Kanata Hong&#244), join the elite fighting unit known as the Survey Corps to battle the Titans, after Eren's mother passes away following a Titan breaching the walls.

Kyle Chandler and Linda Cardellini in Bloodline, which was renewed for a second season this week.

On the eve of the premiere of the first Netflix/Marvel tv series, another one has found its showrunner. Cheo Hodari Coker has been formally tapped as the showrunner of Marvel’s Luke Cage, the third in the series of four tv shows by Marvel that will air on Netflix.

Coker joins the show having worked on a number of series, from Southland to Almost Human to Ray Donovan. He also co-wrote the 2009 Biggie biopic Notorious. The Good Wife‘s Mike Colter has been tapped to play the titular character, who will also be appearing in Marvel’s Aka Jessica Jones. A premiere date for the series has yet to be set, although it has been confirmed for 2016.

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The Daytime Emmy nominations were announced this week. The ABC soap opera General Hospital led the charge with 28 nominations,...

Later this year, the immensely popular Japanese manga Attack on Titan will come to life in two live action movies, with the first debuting in July and the second this August in Japan. Now we have word from Anime News Network that the live action movies are being expanded into a new TV series, with several stars from the movie set to reprise their roles. Among the returning stars are Satomi Ishihara (Hanji), Nanami Sakuraba (Sasha), Rina Takeda (Lil) and Ayame Misaki (Hiana). Y&#251ta Hiraoka has also joined the cast as a new character.

The TV series will tie into both of the Attack on Titan movies, telling stories about the "everyday lives and secrets" of these soldiers. The original manga is set in a world where giants now rule the Earth, as humans fight for survival inside their walled-off enclaves. The manga has spawned an anime TV series...

Here's the official teaser poster for "Attack On Titan", the live-action adaptation of the anime that's now on Netflix. Toho, who also makes the Godzilla films, is behind this two-part live action adventure directed by Shinji Higuchi. Haruma Miura, Kiko Mizuhara, Kanata Hongô, Satomi Ishihara, Nanami Sakuraba, Takahiro Miura, Hiroki Hasegawa, Ayame Misaki, Pierre Taki, Jun Kunimura, Shû Watanabe, Satoru Matsuo, Rina Takeda and Nana Seino are starring.The sudden arrival of the Titans–mysterious, gigantic humanoid creatures who devour human beings one after the other–brings mankind to the brink of extinction. Fast-forward more than 100 years later. What remains of the human population now live in relative peace behind massive walls that were erected to defend themselves...

Here's the official teaser poster for "Attack On Titan", the live-action adaptation of the anime that's now on Netflix. Toho, who also makes the Godzilla films, is behind this two-part live action adventure directed by Shinji Higuchi. Haruma Miura, Kiko Mizuhara, Kanata Hongô, Satomi Ishihara, Nanami Sakuraba, Takahiro Miura, Hiroki Hasegawa, Ayame Misaki, Pierre Taki, Jun Kunimura, Shû Watanabe, Satoru Matsuo, Rina Takeda and Nana Seino are starring.The sudden arrival of the Titans–mysterious, gigantic humanoid creatures who devour human beings one after the other–brings mankind to the brink of extinction. Fast-forward more than 100 years later. What remains of the human population now live in relative peace behind massive walls that were erected to defend themselves...

While it isn't exactly known when the Japanese manga adaptation Attack on Titan will hit theaters, six new character posters have debuted, giving fans a proper introduction to the main cast.

Shinji Higuchi (The Last Princess) directs this live-action adaptation, based on Hajime Isayama's 2009 manga, which is set in a world where humanity hides behind massive walled cities, to protect themselves against monstrous humanoid creatures known as the Titans. The story centers on Eren Yeager (Haruma Miura), his adoptive sister Misaka Ackerman (Kiko Mizuhara) and their friend Armin Arlert (Kanata Hong&#244), who all join the elite fighting unit known as the Survey Corps to battle the Titans, after Eren's mother passes away following a Titan breaching the walls.

Check out the one-sheets featuring Eren Yeager, Misaka Ackerman, Sasha Blouse (Nanami Sakuraba), Jean Kirstien (Takahiro Miura), Hange Zo (Satomi Ishihara) and Armin Arlert. The adaptation is scheduled to arrive in Japanese theaters next summer,...

13 awesome character posters have been released for director Shinji Higuchi's live-action Attack of Titan film. Each one gives us a look at a different character in the film. I've got to say, I love what I'm seeing here. It's definitely exciting to get our first glimpse at what the style and tone of the film will be.

One of the last things we heard about the Japanese feature is that it would be split into two films. Attack on Titan creator, Hajime Isayama, helped in the creation of the movie and even came up with seven additional characters. Of course, the movie will stay true to the spirit of the source material. 

The cast for the film includes Haruma Miura as Eren, Kiko Mizuhara as Mikasa, Kanata Hongo as Armin, Satomi Ishihara as Hanji, Nanami Sakuraba as Sasha, Takahiro Miura as Jean, Hiroki Hasegawa as Shikishima, Ayame Misaki as Hiana,...

I've got some good news for all you Attack on Titan fans out there! Last week director Shinji Higuchi announced that the live-action adaptation he's working on will be split into two feature films! He also revealed that with the help of manga creator Hajime Isayama, they will introduce some new characters and new, more dangerous villains. As a fan of the franchise, I'm completely okay with new characters being added to the story. I'm sure the movie will end up being just as badass as the anime.

23 year-old actor Haruma Miura was previously announced as the film’s star, and he is taking on role of Eren Jaeger. We now have a list of actors who will be Joining Miura in Attack on Titan, and they consist of Hiroki Hasegawa (Jellyfish Princess), Kiko Mizuhara (Norwegian Wood), Kanata Hongō (Prince of Tennis), Takahiro Miura (Space Battleship Yamato), Nanami Sakuraba (Twin...