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Posts filed under ‘Viz Pictures’
May 3rd, 2008 by PCSbot No Comments » Light fans, rejoice–VIZ Pictures will be screening the live-action adaptation of Death Note at a theater near you on May 20th and May 21st. You can purchase advance tickets by visiting www.FathomEvents.com. For more information about the movie, check out Senior Ninja Consultant Erin F.’s review of Death Note and its sequel, Death Note: The Last Name, both of which were screened at last year’s New York Asian Film Festival. Still need convincing? Then here’s the trailer:
April 22nd, 2008 by PCSbot 1 Comment » If you just can’t get enough Death Note, you’ll be happy to learn that VIZ Media will be bringing the live action Death Note films to a movie theater near you on May 20th and 21st. Still on the fence about going? Then check out Ninja Consultant Erin F.’s review of the two Death Note films, which she saw at last year’s New York Asian Film Festival. Read on for the official press release. (Continued) 
April 1st, 2008 by Erin F. 2 Comments Check out my review of the first volume of the Honey and Clover manga series here, and my review of A Taste of Tea here. I really love Viz Pictures, and although these films are not two of my favorites from their catalog, they are still titles which I would import if I were in charge! Honey and CloverDirected by Masahiro Takata
For the unfamiliar, here’s the plot in a nutshell: Takemoto is in love with the talented Hagu, a painting student and the younger cousin of professor Hanamoto at an art school near Tokyo. The talented eighth-year senior Morita is also in love with Hagu, the only artist who has ever posed a challenge to him. Meanwhile, Yamda is in love with mutual friend Mayama, who is in love with his boss at his internship. If the right people fell for each other at the right time, there would be no dramatic tension. That said, don’t get your hopes up, because in this film nobody gets together with anybody. The film favorably adapts the characters to the big screen; Mayama is portrayed as the stalker he really is, Yamada cries less (she hardly cries at all, really), and Hagu is physically small without being either lolicon (like the anime) or hamster-like (as in the manga). Hanamoto and Morita appear much older in real life than they do in the manga (which is accurate). Takemoto is a bit of a blank slate, but that is the crux of his character. Due to the serialized nature of the manga, the plot does not unfold in a three-act narrative, rather, the story unwinds across the screen. I’m not sure it would make sense to fans unfamiliar with the original work, and it will certainly bore viewers who are not experienced meandering films typical of international festivals.
My disappointment in the film is two-tiered. First of all, it does not reflect my actual college experience on any level. Granted, I went to an American film school and not a Tokyo art school… but I was hoping to identify in some small way. I strongly identified with some of the characters in the anime/manga versions. I can’t put my finger on the factor that made the film less universal. My second disappointment comes from the ridiculous “making art” montages. Hagu and Morita do a lot of abstract expressionist art in montages which are presented to the viewer in a way that forces the message “Gee! Painting sure is fun!” or worse: “I wish I was so young and talented!” The art produced in these montages is not great, and you can’t force me into thinking painting is that much fun! I’ve tried it! The English-lyric songs on the soundtrack have distractingly literal lyrics (the songs directly relate to the action on screen). If the songs were in Japanese I wouldn’t be distracted by the lyrics–even if I was presented with subtitles. The songs come off in a Felicity-buy-my-soundtrack! commercially way. I’m glad Viz imported this so Honey & Clover fans can watch it, but compared to the high bar set by other Viz Pictures, I was let down a little bit. The Honey and Clover DVD will be available on May 13th, 2008. Funky ForestDirected by Katsuhito Ishii, Shunichiro Miki, Anikii
Like any anthology work, I enjoyed some of the shorts much more than others. My favorite shorts were the concert in the forest, the rock and roll high school, and the alien comedy duo Pikko-Rikko-chan. The other 35% of the film I could live without watching again. Katuhito Ishii started off in animation, so several of the shorts involve characters who work in animation, not unlike the mom subplot in Taste of Tea. Since Funky Forest is weirder, the animation subplot involves a man with a giant head and someone translating for a director who happens to (also) be a dog.
Overall, I got the sense that one of the three directors really wanted to make a full length dance movie. The dance/dream sequence on the beach is the most memorable scene in the movie–but there just wasn’t enough plot to make it into a feature film. Ishii’s Taste of Tea was an extremely accessible narrative work compared to Funky Forest. Much of the cast of Tea reappears in Funky Forest in central roles. Funky Forest is essentially a v.1.5 sequel for people who want to watch “something else like a that!” A good film draws you into the world of the film, and is memorable for days afterwards. Funky Forest achieves both of these qualities, and is long enough I was not left wanting more. I kind of wanted less. It was really awesome compared to Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams. The DVD Funky Forest: The First Contact is currently available.
March 24th, 2008 by Katherine Dacey 2 Comments
Given the serious shortage of good titles this week, I dedicated today’s column to two manga-cum-movies: Love*Com and Nana, both distributed by Viz Pictures. Though the two films cover roughly the same amount of material—six volumes of Love*Com and five of Nana—the results are utterly different. Read on for the full scoop. One final note for the budget-conscious otaku: Manga Xanadu blogger Lori Henderson has unearthed a great sale at BookCloseouts.com. From now until March 31st, all Tokyopop titles are discounted 75%. As she points out, you won’t be able to snag the most recent or most popular titles at this enticing $2.49 rate (sorry, Gakuen Alice fans), but you will find plenty of crowd-pleasers—+ANIMA, Chronicles of the Cursed Sword, Dragon Voice, Fruits Basket, Immortal Rain, Initial D, Magic Knight Rayearth, Peach Girl, Rebirth—a few rarities—CLAMP School Paranormal Investigators, Dolis—and even some books from their POP Fiction line. Thanks for the tip, Lori! SHIPPING THIS WEEK: Lovely Complex
NanaDistributed by Viz Pictures
As anyone who’s seen Batman Begins or Spiderman can attest, adapting a long-running comic for the silver screen is an art in itself. Done poorly, such films alienate devoted fans with the omission of favorite characters and glossing of seminal plotlines, or confuse newcomers with their in-jokes and choppy storytelling. Done well, however, comic book movies bring a fresh perspective to the material—adding shades of nuance to a principal character, perhaps, or fleshing out an element of the story that had previously been left to the imagination—while hooking a new audience. Viz Pictures has begun licensing such manga-cum-movies, including adaptations of two popular titles from their Shojo Beat imprint: Aya Nakahara’s Love*Com (a.k.a. Lovely Complex) and Ai Yazawa’s Nana. These two films make an instructive case study, as they illustrate the pitfalls and potentials of bridging the gap between page and screen. Love*Complex is the weaker of the two adaptations. The premise remains intact: Risa, the tallest girl in the seventh grade, develops a crush on Otani, the shortest boy in her class. Though superficial opposites, the two are really kindred spirits, sharing an enthusiasm for Umibozu (a Japanese rap artist that their classmates detest), swapping good-natured insults, and bonding over memories of rejection for being too tall and too short, respectively. The movie’s problems begin as soon as the story calls for obstacles to prevent Risa and Otani from making a love connection. The scriptwriter conjures two romantic rivals—Otani’s ex-girlfriend and Risa’s handsome homeroom teacher—from different volumes in the series’ run, but only succeeds in making the homeroom hottie an integral part of the story. Even then, Mr. “Mighty” Maitake’s arrival is a bolt from the blue, and is never satisfactorily explained; he’s simply inserted into the final act of the story so that he and Otani can compete for Risa’s affections—literally . (The two play a pick-up basketball game in front of the entire school.) The other major drawback to Love*Com is its superficial treatment of the principal characters. Though Aya Nakahara’s manga charts the ups and downs of Risa and Otani’s friendship in minute detail, the movie’s frantic pace never allows us to get to know the characters or understand why they’re drawn to each other; we simply see them walk through a variety of stock scenes—cultural festivals, school trips—without actually seeing the evolution of their feelings dramatized. It’s a pity that the Love*Com script feels so hastily assembled, as the film has the potential to appeal to both long-time fans and newcomers. The button-cute leads have some chemistry, even if the script doesn’t give them much to do. And the script shows flashes of inspiration; a “director” surrogate periodically interrupts the proceedings to explain certain peculiar-to-manga conventions (most notably the nosebleed-as-sign-of-arousal), intoning this information over strains of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. These digressions occur just a few times, but add some much-needed humor to a generally lackluster film. The Nana movie, on the other hand, is proof that one can adhere faithfully to the source material and still produce something fresh and original. The movie offers a somewhat streamlined account of the series’ first five volumes, beginning with the two Nanas’ fateful encounter on a Tokyo-bound train and ending with Trapnest’s first visit to the girls’ apartment. Most of the dramatic juice is supplied by Hachi’s relationship with the feckless art student Shoji, and by Nana O.’s relationship with Trapnest bassist Ren. Though I’ve enjoyed the manga immensely, I always found Hachi’s relentless enthusiasm and boy-crazy antics rather irritating and couldn’t imagine why Nana O. didn’t feel the same way about her. As portrayed by Aoi Miyazaki, however, the character made more sense. Miyazaki does a superb job of showing us why Nana O. takes a shine to someone who seems too ditzy, too dependent, and too femme to hang with an up-and-coming punk act, revealing Hachi’s inherent sweetness and decency as well as her fragility, her immaturity, and her selfishness. Mika Nakashima, as Nana O., also turns in a solid performance, playing her character as a believable mixture of belligerence, determination, and vulnerability. The other great advantage of the movie is its soundtrack. All of the rock-n-roll shoptalk and song lyrics seemed a little preposterous on the page; I had a hard time imaging why Trapnest or Black Stones commanded loyal followings. Seeing and hearing these acts in the film, however, transported me back to my college years, reminding me how passionately I felt about certain musicians, and how much their songs felt like an expression of my own identity. (Or, in the immortal words of Roberta Flack, “He was strumming my pain with his fingers/singing my words with his song…”) The film’s two lengthy concert scenes are highpoints of the film, offering us a window into both girls’ complicated emotional lives—their dreams, their disappointments, their improbably close relationship. I had a few small bones to pick with the scriptwriters—what happened to Junko and Kyosuke?—but on the whole, I found Nana immensely entertaining. The true measure of the film’s appeal, however, is that my sister, who isn’t a manga maven, loved it too, and wanted to know if there was a sequel. Thank goodness the answer is yes—and Viz Pictures will release Nana II in July. A viewing tip: if you enjoyed Nana, you might want to rent Hula Girls, a heartwarming comedy that may remind you of The Full Monty (with no naked middle-aged British men, thankfully); Kamikaze Girls, an adaptation of Novala Takemoto’s bitingly funny novel; and Ping Pong, a manga-cum-movie based on a five-volume series by Taiyo “Tekkonkinkreet” Masamoto. All are available through Viz Pictures. Love*Com is available now; Nana will be available on April 8th. 
February 28th, 2008 by Katherine Dacey No Comments » Whether you’re a rabid Ai Yazawa fan or a sucker for three-hankie drama, you’ll want to check out the live-action Nana movie, coming soon to screens in New York and Los Angeles. I just watched Nana this weekend and loved it. The movie captures the look and feel of the manga, telescoping the first six volumes into a coherent, compelling story without trimming too many characters or important plot details. Scandalous though it may be, I developed a slight preference for the movie over the manga, largely on the strength of Aoi Miyazaki’s sympathetic portrayal of Hachi (a.k.a. Nana Komatsu). Her sweet, enthusiastic demeanor seems more plausible and endearing on screen than in the manga. (Hachi’s fecklessness frequently annoyed the hell out of me when I was reading the early volumes of the series.) Read on for more details!
VIZ PICTURES ANNOUNCES THEATRICAL SCREENINGS OF MANGA INSPIRED FILM - NANA IN LOS ANGELES AND NEW YORK San Francisco, CA, February 26, 2008 – VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced a pair of new theatrical runs scheduled for New York and Los Angeles of NANA, a live action film directed by Ootani Kentarou and based on the best-selling shojo manga (graphic novel) series by Ai Yazawa… NANA follows the adventures of two girls both named Nana. While they share the same name, they couldn’t be more different. Nana “Hachi” Komatsu follows her boyfriend to Tokyo and hopes to make a new start, while Nana Osaki, who arrives in the city at the same time, is a punk rock beauty who has the ambition to make it big in the world of rock and roll. Although these two young women come from vastly different backgrounds, they quickly become best friends. What sets them apart, however, is the stark difference between their lives. One Nana comes from a small town, following her friends and boyfriend but ultimately looking for her own goal to obtain, while the other Nana has a single-minded aim to make her dream and band, the Black Stones, among the best in Japan. NANA performed well at the Japanese box office upon its release in 2006, grossing more than 4 billion yen and staying in the Top 10 for several weeks. The main theme from the film, “Glamorous Sky,” took the number 1 spot on Japan’s Oricon charts in its first two weeks of sales and quickly sold over 450,000 copies. Another song from the film, “Endless Story,” took the number 2 spot on the same chart in its first week of release and sold over 300,000 copies. The English version of the manga series, rated ‘M’ for Mature readers has sold over 22 million copies in Japan, is published domestically by VIZ Media under its SHOJO BEAT imprint. “NANA presents a realistic and sometimes gritty portrayal of two modern women searching for love, careers and a sense of purpose amidst the urban bustle of Tokyo,” says Manami Iboshi, Director, Marketing, VIZ Pictures. “The manga series on which the film is based has been critically acclaimed and demonstrates the versatility of manga-inspired plots to transition from print to film in such a compelling way. NANA was warmly received at its U.S. premiere at the 2007 New York Anime Festival, and we look forward to audiences in Los Angeles and New York enjoying the film.” LOS ANGELES NEW YORK 
February 16th, 2008 by Katherine Dacey No Comments »
FUNKY FOREST is a visually inventive masterpiece from director Katsuhito Ishii (THE TASTE OF TEA and SHARK SKIN MAN & PEACH HIP GIRL) and will screen March 7-13 in New York City, NY at the Imaginasian Theater. The film moves on to Seattle, WA, March 21-27, at the Grand Illusion Cinema, and finally April 18-24 in Los Angeles, CA at the Imaginasian Center. Theater information follows at the end of this release. Cult-favorite director Katsuhito Ishii, who also notably directed the animated portion of Kill Bill Vol. 1, teams up with the talented directors Shunichiro Miki and ANIKI (aka Hajime Ishimine) to create a visually imaginative masterpiece with some hilariously odd characters. FUNKY FOREST was a hit at numerous international film festivals and was an official selection at the 2006 Montreal Fantasia Film Festival, the 2006 San Francisco Independent Film Festival and the 2007 New York Asian Film Festival. FUNKY FOREST features 21 free-associative episodes ranging from a nonsense “sci-fi” comedy to a dance-battle daydream. Akin to a feature length sketch routine in the tradition of Monty Python, it opens with the Mole Brothers, a traditional but hyperactive Japanese stand-up duo that return periodically throughout the film. FUNKY FOREST then shifts to a science fiction daydream featuring actress Maya Banno of THE TASTE OF TEA who plays a distracted student who dreams of wild adventures in the cosmos when she should be finishing her homework. In another segment, three unpopular brothers, Masaichi, Masaru and Masao, are comically featured as they struggle to be popular among the girls. Luckily enough, they finally get a chance to have a co-ed picnic with some pretty young ladies! Audiences will delight in the Babbling Hot Spring Vixens, a trio of professional women on a hot spring vacation telling each other increasingly pointless stories as they get progressively drunker. In one of the film’s most memorable comedic vignettes, Neon Genesis Evangelion director Hideaki Anno is cast as an animator complaining about the lack of artistry in the youth of today while drawing sequences for a project directed literally, by a dog. “We are excited to announce this special series of screenings of FUNKY FOREST,” says Manami IIboshi, Director, Marketing, VIZ Pictures “Director Katsuhito Ishii endeared audiences to his offbeat style of filmmaking with THE TASTE OF TEA, which is now available domestically on DVD from VIZ Pictures, distributed by VIZ Media, and he offers a daring, quirky and funny experience with FUNKY FOREST. For anime fans, the appearance of famed Evangelion director Hikeaki Anno is also a treat. We look forward to cinema aficionados of all types seizing this rare opportunity to catch this unique film theatrically.” Theatre information: NEW YORK (March 7-13th)IMAGINASIAN THEATRE SEATTLE (March 21-27th)GRAND ILLUSION CINEMA LOS ANGELES (April 18-24th)IMAGINASIAN CENTER About VIZ Pictures, Inc. 
January 18th, 2008 by Erin F. No Comments » Gackt: The Greatest Filmography 1999-2006 REDDistributed by VIZ Pictures
Last fall I was randomly thinking, “I should listen to some Gackt!” and suddenly, like magic, Viz releases a filmography of his music videos! Unfortunately Carlos didn’t like the Blue volume, and I didn’t either, because I don’t like slow love songs. The Red volume is definitely the way to go, (even Carlos admitted it). Red contains much peppier rock and pop songs. The strongest music video in this 12 video compellation is “Metamorphoze,” wherein Gackt plays a (dead) Gundam pilot singing to his lost love. Live-action footage of Gackt floating through space in a Gundam cockpit is inter-cut with scenes from Gundam anime series, including mech battle scenes. Although it is a little cheesy, and I’m not a fan of Gundam, I watched this video three times in a row as soon as I got the shrink wrap of the DVD case. It’s significant that Gackt is singing from the point of view of a dead pilot, as he plays a dead guy in over half of the music videos on Red. These aren’t murder ballads, per say, but if you are interested in murder ballads, I recommend the 1996 album “Murder Ballads” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, wherein each song is sung from a murder victim’s point of view. Gackt’s death is less obvious in some of the videos. In the upbeat song “Another World” Gackt is shot off-camera in a heist gone wrong. As he drives away (looking gorgeous) in a red VW bug at the end we see a brief shot of his bloody shirt. He’s probably not going to live, but it was a fun video, even if the details of the plot were hard to follow. “Oasis” takes place in a post-apocolyptic desert. It seems like the blonde chick and little boy in the video may already be dead - Gackt’s cyber-armed character is pretty depressed about that. Maybe he won’t last much longer either. In “Secret Garden” Gackt’s character disappears in a mysterious flash of light at the end after spending some time in a bus station filled with racial stereotypes. Was he dead before the video started? Was he a guardian angel? “Redemption” features more fantastic visual-kei outfits with a lot of leather straps, shoulder guards, and feathers. The microphone is inside a huge ornate dragon staff. Gakct (looking hot) plays a dead character, although the reason for the death is not obvious (on first viewing) and the character stands up at the end. Perhaps he recovered? In “Seki-Ray” Gackt (looking cute) dies of exposure in the snow. In “Never Forget You” Gackt apparently dies by drowning after riding his motorcycle a lot and also leaning against it in an airplane hanger. (Gackt is hotness in leather.) “Dreams You Pursued” reminded me of Cibo Matto’s video to “Sugar Water”. Gackt (I didn’t like his jacket in this one) is going to meet his date at European café near a fountain. He can’t get the waiters’ attention and his watch is inexplicably smashed. It turns out Gackt’s character is already dead, hit by a car on the way to meet his date! The girl in the video is really cute, and the song is surprisingly cheerful. Gackt does not die in “Mizerable,” wherein he’s carried around in a palanquin and the devil plays violin in a glam-rock version of medieval Europe. It’s hard to take the song seriously, as part of the chorus is sung in English, “I am ‘Les Miserables’!” Nevertheless, Gackt wears the most David Bowie like outfits in this video, and I mean Bowie from the “Spiders from Mars” era. “Black Stone” and “Mirror” rock out (in a pop way). In “Black Stone” Gackt is accompanied by several dreadlocked guitarist in the back of a moving semi-truck. In “Mirror” the accompanying band and Gackt wear matching (and totally hot) red leather jackets and gold pants. This song is the most angry, with a couple of swear words thrown in. The guitar riff reminded me favorably of the riff in the Stone Temple Pilots’ song “Vaseline”. “Vanilla” is the weakest video on the DVD, despite the upbeat, ska-like song and interesting futuristic outfits. Strange white-hooded nurses run up and down a hallway, occasionally carrying the type of ribbons used in rhythmic gymnastics and/or a pilates ball. Unfortunately, there are only three or four camera set-ups in this video, and the editing is random. The song never builds to much of anything and the future nurses aren’t great dancers. (Gackt wasn’t as attractive either.) I really enjoyed almost every single song on this compilation, even if I found some of the videos a little too weird (or not weird enough). Gackt’s singing reminds me a little of Billy Corgan’s on the album “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness”. Fortunately for me, Gackt’s catalog was made available in the iTunes store around the time these DVDs were released. This a great DVD to squeal over at your junior high slumber party. I would show it back to back with Death Note the Last Name if I was turning 13 or 14 again. The only way Red could have been improved would be by providing some kind of DVD extras - perhaps a “making of” featurette or an interview with Gackt. The DVD booklet does not contain any information besides basic facts - a Gackt biography included somewhere would have been fun. The lyrics are available on the disc in both Japanese and English. I would have liked romanji lyrics so I could practice for karaoke, but I guess I could buckle down and learn the kanji if I was that serious about it. I’m totally stoked that Viz is importing Japanese music videos. What’s next? M-Flo? The Pillows? Shiina Ringo? Shojo Beat magazine seems to cover more and more J-rock and J-pop. What is Viz secretly planning? 
December 12th, 2007 by Katherine Dacey No Comments » San Francisco, CA, December 10, 2007 –VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced that it will join with Miami Dolphins’ star defensive end, Jason Taylor, to support his annual charity table tennis event – JT’s Ping Pong Smash 4 – taking place Monday, December 17 at the Seminole Hard Rock Live Arena in Hollywood, Florida. The popular event is a unique tournament in which athletes and celebrities are paired with charity donors for an exciting night of doubles ping pong matches. Other celebrities scheduled to attend and participate include Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas and former Montreal Expos and Chicago Cubs great Andre Dawson. All proceeds raised will benefit the Jason Taylor Foundation, which supports South Florida’s children in need. Earlier this year, VIZ Pictures released the critically acclaimed film PING PONG, from director Sori Fumihiko, which explores friendship and the nature of competition and rivalry against the backdrop of a middle school table tennis team. As part of its sponsorship, VIZ Pictures will supply PING PONG DVD’s and posters for the gift bags to be given away to celebrities and tournament attendees. PING PONG is based on a popular 5-volume comic by bestselling artist Taiyo Matsumoto, who created several acclaimed youth-driven manga titles such as TEKKONKINKREET: BLACK & WHITE, NO.5, and BLUE SPRING (all published in North America by VIZ Media). Director Sori Fumihiko, who also notably worked as an effects supervisor for the movie, TITANIC, went to great lengths to preserve the visual style of the original manga in the film, which ultimately was nominated for eight Japanese Academy Awards in 2003. Actor Shidou Nakamura also won the ‘Newcomer of the Year’ award for his performance as Dragon, a rival of the two main characters. PING PONG was a favorite at a the Montreal Fantasia Film Festival, the Philadelphia Film Festival, The San Diego Asian Film Festival and the New York Asian Film Festival, where it was the Audience Award winner. The DVD was released in September and is distributed by VIZ Media. “We are excited and privileged to team with NFL superstar Jason Taylor to help sponsor JT’s Ping Pong Smash 4 and highlight our recent release of PING PONG on DVD,” says Manami Iiboshi, Director, Marketing for VIZ Pictures. “The opportunity to use the sport of table tennis for such a worthy cause and spotlight a heartwarming film about friendship and competition is an ideal match for the holiday season and we are excited to participate. This will be a fun evening with plenty of action to keep you on the edge of your seat and we look forward to people coming out to lend their support and the opportunity to take home this unique film.” About VIZ Pictures, Inc. 
December 4th, 2007 by Katherine Dacey No Comments » Planning to attend New York Anime Fest this weekend? If so, you need a strategy for getting the most out of this three-day extravaganza. Here are five fun things to do… besides shop ’til you drop and nab autographs, of course.
4. Tour Japan with a tall girl (and maybe pick up some cosplay tips, too).
3. Break into journalism.
2. Go mano-a-mano with Mothra.
1. Learn something about Japanese culture.
The organizers of NY Anime Fest have posted a complete schedule of panels, premieres, and screenings on their website. There are also more interactive ways to get your geek on: cosplay contests, artist signings, haiku slams, and a maid cafe. Click here for a full schedule of events and contests. And if you’re planning to duck out of the Javits Center, consult Erin F.’s map for the best places to find manga and munchables in midtown Manhattan. 
November 28th, 2007 by Katherine Dacey 2 Comments San Francisco, CA, November 27, 2007 – VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced that it has become an owner of an art-house movie theatre set to open in winter 2008/2009 in the heart of San Francisco’s Japan Town, a prominent and historical sightseeing spot in the San Francisco Bay Area. The theatre will specialize in screening Japanese films and anime. This 150-seat movie theatre, which is expected to open in winter 2008/2009, will be the main attraction within a multi-boutique commercial building called The J-Pop Center (for Japanese Pop culture) that will also house a bookstore, café and several hip fashion boutiques originated in Tokyo. The complex will be a popular destination for the local Bay Area community as well as tourists to experience the kawaii or “cute and cool” J-Pop culture, which has become increasingly popular across North America in the wake of the momentum behind anime and manga. Fully equipped with THX® sound system and cutting edge film as well as digital projection systems, the theatre will screen a diverse collection of Japanese live action and animated titles, many of which have been little-seen outside Japan or at select film festivals. VIZ Pictures has partnered with the venue as an extension of its mission to be a preeminent distributor and exhibitor of Japan’s hottest visual entertainment. The company has to-date released a diverse collection of critically acclaimed Japanese films, both theatrically and on DVD, including HULA GIRLS, KAMIKAZE GIRLS, LINDA LINDA LINDA, TRAIN MAN: DENSHA OTOKO, THE TASTE OF TEA and more. “VIZ Pictures is committed to delivering a bright and positive message about Japanese pop culture and bringing some of the best examples to a mainstream audience.” says Seiji Horibuchi, President and CEO of VIZ Pictures. “The launch of the J-Pop Center will be focal point of our mission and offer tourists an exotic, fun and fresh look at what is hip in Japan. The theatre will introduce some of the most entertaining Japanese movies, many of which are based on popular novels, manga, and anime, as well as help to establish J-Pop as an exciting new movie category with domestic audiences.” About VIZ Pictures, Inc. | |
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I love the Honey and Clover manga and anime series, but the movie left me a bit cold. I watched the first episode of the live action drama series, and I have to admit the film is a much better adaptation than the TV show. 
Funky Forest is a collection of loosely-related short films which run the gamut from boring-slice-of-life to hilarious comedy, from science fiction to dance films; a rock and roll classroom gives way to a story about duel comedians in the far future; disturbing Cronenberg-like creatures appear inexplicably in the second half of the film. The central theme of the shorts is sexual in nature: phallic creatures and lonely men fill the 120+ minutes of screen time. This is the most experimental film in the Viz Pictures catalog so far, and not kid-friendly.
The big story this week is 
Distributed by Viz Pictures
VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced a trio of theatrical screenings in New York, Seattle and Los Angeles for its newest film, FUNKY FOREST, throughout March and April. With special press screenings to take place in New York and in Los Angeles.
Viz Pictures really ought to have the subtitle: Stuff Erin Likes. It’s uncanny. I should meet the guy who’s picking these titles and shake his hand - I should buy him a beer at SDCC. I just hope that my personal taste in film is commercial enough to last!
