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Although at the moment, the anime/manga adaptations of Japanese cinema have reached a quite high standard, the case back in 2016 was not exactly the same, with a number of titles being of dubious quality. At the same time, there were still films of the category that stood out. “Teiichi: Battle of Supreme High” is one of those exceptions

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Based on a manga by Usamaru Furuya, the story takes place in the Showa era (1926-1989) and revolves around Teiichi, a high school student whose sole wish is just to play the piano, but after his father’s strict behaviour and a hit in the head, he decides to become the Prime Minister, and eventually to create an empire of his own. Having just been accepted to one of best schools in the country, a cradle of politicians, he starts paving...

Under Ninja , an upcoming live-action film based on the seinen manga by Kengo Hanazawa, has published the official movie poster for the film (below). The film hits theaters in Japan on January 24, 2025. Yuichi Fukuda writes and directs the live-action film, which also stars Kento Yamazaki, Minami Hamabe, Shotaro Mamiya, Mai Shiraishi, Amane Okayama, Chihiro Yamamoto, Ryubi Miyase, Ryotaro Sakaguchi and Mitsuru Hirata. Hanazawa has serialized the Under Ninja manga in Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine since 2018, with 13 collected volumes released in Japan to date. Denpa also publishes an English language version of the series. Related: Under Ninja Live-Action Film Reveals New Trailer, Creepy Nuts Theme Song Satoshi Kuwabara directed the TV anime adaptation of Under Ninja at Tezuka Productions, and the series aired for 12 episodes from October to December 2023. Crunchyroll streams the anime and describes it: Within the shadows of Japan, a covert battle wages on. Around 200,000 ninjas still exist carrying...

Under Ninja , an upcoming live-action film based on the seinen manga by Kengo Hanazawa, has published a new trailer (below) featuring the official theme song for the film, entitled “doppelganger”, which is performed by Creepy Nuts. The film hits theaters in Japan on January 24, 2025. Under Ninja Live-Action Film Trailer 2 Yuichi Fukuda writes and directs the live-action film, which also stars Kento Yamazaki, Minami Hamabe, Shotaro Mamiya, Mai Shiraishi, Amane Okayama, Chihiro Yamamoto, Ryubi Miyase, Ryotaro Sakaguchi and Mitsuru Hirata. Hanazawa has serialized the Under Ninja manga in Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine since 2018, with 13 collected volumes released in Japan to date. Denpa also publishes an English language version of the series. Under Ninja promotional image Related: Under Ninja Live-Action Film Adds Four New Cast Members Satoshi Kuwabara directed the TV anime adaptation of Under Ninja at Tezuka Productions, and the series aired for 12 episodes from October to December 2023. Crunchyroll streams the...

Under Ninja is coming soon!

The live-action film adaptation of Kengo Hanazawa‘s manga series, which has been serialized in Kodansha’s Weekly Young Magazine since 2018, released a character trailer featuring four additional cast members.

Here’s a plot summary: “Within the shadows of Japan, a covert battle wages on. Around 200,000 ninjas still exist carrying out deadly missions as a secret organization, National Intelligence of Ninja, or Nin. But a challenger arises: Under Ninja. Known as Un, these ninjas oppose Nin at every turn. One such Un is Kuro, a high school loner sent to the front lines. What will be his fate and which faction will prevail?”

The live-action film was written and directed by Yuichi Fukuda, and stars Kento Yamazaki, Minami Hamabe, Shotaro Mamiya, Mai Shiraishi, Amane Okayama, Chihiro Yamamoto, Ryubi Miyase, Ryotaro Sakaguchi and Mitsuru Hirata.

A TV anime adaptation of the manga aired from October to...

The official website for the upcoming Under Ninja live-action film adaptation of Kengo Hanazawa's manga released a character trailer and a new visual for four additional cast members. The film will release in Japan theaters on January 24, 2025. Under Ninja Live-Action Film Character Trailer The new cast members for the film include: Ono (played by Murotsuyoshi) Ai Kawado (played by Haruka Kinami) Homeroom Teacher (played by Shinobu Hasegawa) Akikazu Yoshida (played by Jiro Sato) Yuichi Fukuda writes and directs the live-action film, which also stars Kento Yamazaki, Minami Hamabe, Shotaro Mamiya, Mai Shiraishi, Amane Okayama, Chihiro Yamamoto, Ryubi Miyase, Ryotaro Sakaguchi and Mitsuru Hirata. Hanazawa has serialized the Under Ninja manga in Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine since 2018, with 13 collected volumes released in Japan to date. Denpa also publishes an English language version of the series. Ono , Ai Kawado , Homeroom Teacher , and Akikazu Yoshida Related: Under Ninja Live-Action Film Reveals First...

The upcoming live-action adaptation of Under Ninja , based on the manga by Kengo Hanazawa, has published a dramatic (and comedic) new main trailer for the film, which hits theaters in Japan on January 24, 2025. Under Ninja Live-Action Film Trailer Yuichi Fukuda writes and directs the live-action film, which stars Kento Yamazaki, Minami Hamabe, Shotaro Mamiya, Mai Shiraishi, Amane Okayama, Chihiro Yamamoto, Ryubi Miyase, Ryotaro Sakaguchi and Mitsuru Hirata. Hanazawa serializes the Under Ninja manga in Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine since 2018, with 13 volumes released in Japan to date. Denpa also publishes an English-language version of the series. Related: Under Ninja Live-Action Film Announces Two Cast Additions Satoshi Kuwabara directed the TV anime adaptation of Under Ninja , at Tezuka Productions, and aired for 12 episodes from October to December 2023. Crunchyroll streams the anime and describes the series: Within the shadows of Japan, a covert battle wages on. Around 200,000 ninjas still exist carrying out deadly missions as a secret organization,...

Acma:game: Saigo no Kagi , a feature film sequel to the live-action TV drama adaptation of Meeb (story) and Kouji Megumi's (art) Acma:game manga series, opened in 325 theaters across Japan on October 25. The 119-minute film earned 63 million yen on 45,700 admissions, making a fourth-place debut in the weekend box office ranking, according to Kogyo Tsushinsha . The TV drama aired in Japan for ten episodes from April to June 2024. Each of the main cast members, including Shotaro Mamiya as the protagonist Teruasa Oda, reprised their roles in the film. The film ranked in sixth in Filmarks' first-day satisfaction ranking with an average rating of 3.40/5.0 based on 146 reviews. Following the world premiere screening of Give It All (known as Ganbatte Ikimasshoi in Japan) at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival 2024 on June 10, the 3Dcg adaptation of Yoshiko Shikimura's award-winning 1996 novel opened on October 25 in 238 Japanese theaters, ranking eighth in its opening weekend. The...

The official website for the Under Ninja live-action film today announced two additional cast members — Shotaro Mamiya (Reinhard von Lohengramm in the Legend of the Galactic Heroes stage plays) as Kato and Mai Shiraishi (ex-Nogizaka46 member) as Suzuki. The site has also released a new trailer introducing the two. Under Ninja Live-Action Film Trailer Kato is an elite member of the ninja organization “Nin”, and he has a serious ninja mission for the protagonist, Kuro Kumogakure (played by Kento Yamazaki). "I was very happy because it had been 10 years since I had worked with Kento," said Mamiya. "I hope that I was able to create a sense of tension in Kato's quiet and unique way, and since the action scenes were filmed through trial and error with the staff, I think those are scenes worth seeing." Suzuki is also a skilled kunoichi (female ninja) who belongs to "Nin." She usually...

Amazon has struck first-of-its-kind deals with Japan’s Nippon TV and BBC for podcasts.

The former tie-up will see Nippon’s Acma: Game drama series stream on Prime Video Japan starting April 7, immediately after Nippon TV’s Sunday primetime air slot, with global streaming of the series to follow on Prime Video two weeks later. Hulu Japan will also stream the series immediately after Nippon TV’s broadcast as part of the unusual deal.

Based on the popular manga of the same name written by Meeb (Brave Bell) and illustrated by Koji Megumi (Bloody Monday), Acma: Game takes place in a devil’s world where the challenge is to conquer the world by collecting 99 devil’s keys. Players are forced to participate, and if they lose, they cannot refuse any orders. The protagonist challenges the game risking his life, along with the people who are being manipulated by the devil’s key.

Anime is ever growing in popularity, to the point where the original TV series are now transforming into hit live-action projects. Look at the long-running One Piece, for example. Meanwhile, hit manga series are transforming from page to screen, such as the inspiring and relentlessly entertaining Blue Giant, which hits select theaters this week. Directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa, Blue Giant will touch the hearts of young musicians everywhere — and anyone daring enough to dream, for that matter. Featuring electrifying musical performances and a dynamite jazz soundtrack, Blue Giant is a must-see for cinephiles of all shapes and sizes.

An Ode to 'Passionate and Intense' Jazz

"Blue giant" is term coined for stars in space that burn so hot that their perceived color turns from red to blue. The aspiring "shining star" here is Dai (voiced by Yûki Yamada), a young basketball player whose life is turned upside down the day...

There’s nothing quite like jazz. Hitting the right notes in the tiny area between experimentation, chaos, art and cacophonous noise is a tricky thing to do, and the artists that can are held in a regard few other professions can touch. There’s an allure to it, a danger in live performances where one false note could send an entire act into disarray. It may be the most pure form of music, depending not on set patterns and structure, but instinct and intuition in every moment. Curious then, that Shinichi Ishizuka’s “Blue Giant” manga series was miraculously able to catch the hearts and minds of many with words and images about jazz rather than including the music itself. As a medium, manga is restricted to the expression of the illustration and the truthfulness of the story, but one thing it inherently cannot have is sound to go with it.

Third adaptation of Toson Shimazaki’s classic novel “Hakai”, after the ones by Keisuke Kinoshita in 1948 and Kon Ichikawa in 1962, Kazuo Maeda’s edition marks the centenary of Japan’s first-ever human rights declaration, which argued that Burakumin (aka Eta and untouchables), Zainichi Koreans, Ainu and other “disadvantaged minorities” deserve the same respect and freedoms accorded to others, and is set during the Russo-Japanese War.

Broken Commandment is screening on New York Asian Film Festival

Ushimatsu Segawa is a respected teacher in an elementary school, cherished by both his colleagues and his students. However, he harbors a dark secret, as he is actually a burakumin whose father sent him away when he was a child, insisting he never reveals his origin, in an effort to have him avoid the fate of the lower classes. The initial scene, where an older man is kicked from a hotel upon the discovery that he is an Eta,...

We are defined by moments, decisions made by us or for us by another. For Teiichi Akaba (Masaki Suda) it was always the choice between love of the piano (his mother’s passion) and a desire to please his father (Kôtarô Yoshida’s Josuke Akaba) by following a path towards political power — something he himself failed to achieve. Teiichi chooses the latter because of something his Dad said during a rant about status and control: that ascension to the height of Japan’s Prime Minister is to position oneself as maker of the country. Only at the top can you dictate true change and/or ensure your passions are protected under law. It’s a lofty goal that proves as much about self-sacrifice as it does about self-centeredness. And the journey begins now.

Well, that’s a lie. As Akira Nagai’s Teiichi: Battle of Supreme High — adapted by Yoshihiro Izumi...