- A Cast list (coming soon) - Weblog "Countdown to Adult Swim: A daily digital diary of launching a show" featuring a diary of FUNimation's trip to Adult Swim HQ in September. - As well as more traditional extras including trailers, wallpapers, character descriptions, episode summaries, information on the upcoming Square Enix Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel PS2 game, and much more.
We are very busy gearing up for the broadcast debut of Fullmetal Alchemist on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. So make sure you tune in on November 6 at 12:00 a.m. E/P.
-P008 - Peach Princess's "Gibo - Stepmother's Sin" Product type: Interactive Bishoujo game on CD-ROM for Windows 98/Me/2000/XP Language: English with Japanese voices OS: Windows 95, 98, Me Pentium 166 mhz or higher (200 MMX or higher recommended) Memory: 48 MB or greater, 64 MB recommended Sound: Full quality CD music with Japanese voices
My father remarried...
My name is Yusuke Yagami. When I was a boy, I witnessed something which no one should ever see: my own mother, locked in the throes of passion with a man who wasn't my father. Her adultery caused our happy home to come crashing down, and my father divorced her. Since those dark days, I've been mistrustful of what the concept of "mother" really was.
Now, after so many years, my father remarried, and suddenly, I had a new stepmother, or Gibo.
The woman my father married was not old, but young, and beautiful. When I looked at Misako-san for the first time, I felt something move inside me.
As the days went by, I found myself thinking of my new mother in ways that shocked myself.
Could I accept this beautiful woman as my mother? After all, I found out what mothers are really like the day I saw their unfaithfulness. Punishment may be necessary...
A high-quality Japanese bishoujo adventure full of drama and adult themes, Gibo causes you to question the very nature of love as you move through the overlapping scenarios to one of the game's bizarre endings. With over a dozen potential endings for high replay value, and a bizarre cast of beautiful characters, Gibo is a dating-sim game experience unlike any that have been brought to the English language. Great for fans of bishojo games from Japan!
-GC022 - Idols Galore! - Please Enjoy the Idol Product type: Bishoujo game on CD-ROM for Windows 98/Me/2000/XP Pentium 200 mhz or faster, Windows 98/Me/2000/XP
A great new interactive dating-sim game from G-Collections, you're about to enter the very sexy world of Japan's singing pop idols -- and you're going to have fun!
Pop idol culture is highly developed in Japan, and everywhere you turn you're confronted with incredibly gorgeous girls who charm their way into the hearts of male fans. But life as a pop star isn't always easy, and sometimes the girls need to give some special attention to their manager in order stay in his good graces -- the squeaky wheel getting the grease, as they say. Now in Idols Galore!, the new English interactive hentai game, you play Kuro, a master manager of Japan's top idols. As manager, you'll get to be the one calling the shots for a gorgeous groups of sexy pop stars. What will you do with them?
Since you control the careers of these lovely girls, they can't very well refuse your advances. Will you make them give their bodies to you at the office, or on the set of a film shoot? One at a time, or all at once? And which of the four gorgeous girls will you take for your own in the end? It's all up to you, and you've got the whole world in your hands.
Idols Galore! is a multi-scenario love-sim game for Windows. You play the interactive game by moving through the game story and making choices that affect the outcome, allowing for many different potential endings and excellent replay value. The game features the original Japanese voices along with an accurate English translation. This game is 100% uncensored, too, for full enjoyment of the erotic interactive story. Includes a great "hands free" feature too!
(C)2004 G-Collections, original game by Sekilala.
-GC020 - Slave Pageant Product type: Bishoujo game on CD-ROM for Windows 98/Me/2000/XP Pentium 166 mhz or faster (233 mhz recommended) Windows 98/Me/2000/XP
Welcome to the world of Slave Pageant, a magical world where fantasies most can only dream of really come true. The first title by a brand-new bishoujo game company IGNITION, you'll find your every wish fulfilled here!
I'm Yujiro, an average student at an average private school. On the surface, our school is a reputable one, with some of the smartest students in all of Tokyo. I've recently learned a secret though: the girls who win the annual Miss Twilight beauty pageant are secretly being trained as sex slaves to be sent out to service VIP members of society. The dream of every girl at our school is to be chosen as Miss Twilight: she's beautiful, charming, and liked by everyone, but the three lovely contestants for the title this year have no idea what awaits them if they should win. Now that I know the secret of the Slave Pageant, I can't just leave things well enough alone. After stripping the student coucil president of his authority, I decided to train the lovely girls myself...
Game System
"Slave Pageant" is a command selection adventure game for Windows computers, for adults. The game utilizes a multi-ending system, where the stories unfold and change according to command selections. The game has been translated faithfully into English, and all graphics are 100% uncensored, allowing you to enjoy the erotic CG without mosaic or other censorship of any kind. Features a full "auto forwarding mode" mode as well, for hands-free play. Enjoy yourself as you explore this rich and complex hentai game!
(C)2004 G-Collections.com, original game by Ignition.
-GC021 - Come See Me Tonight 2 Product type: Bishoujo game on CD-ROM for Windows 98/Me/2000/XP Pentium 200 mhz or faster, Windows 98/Me/2000/XP
A super sequel to the very popular Come See Me Tonight 1, welcome to a beautiful traditional Japanese world!
You are Kensuke Tsukikage, the son of a family that runs the famous Tsukigake Shinto Shrine. One day your grandfather, chief priest of the shrine, introduces you to a beautiful girl: Koruri Hanayashiki, a young shrine-maiden-in-training who will be studying here. It's quite an honor to be able to train at such an ancient and famous religeous site as your shrine. A party is held with your childhood friends Nanao and Shiina to welcome Koruri-chan.
At the party, your grandfather makes an announcement: the upcoming harvest festival will be broadcast live on television, including the climax of the festival, the beautiful "dance of the shrine maidens." There's just one complication: it's the custom at this shrine that the shrine maidens have sex as part of their graceful festival dance. To make the special event a success, it's vital that you train all the girls in the erotic act of the dance in time for the festival, and choose your true love in the process. Because the girl who you take as your wife will help save the honor and tradition of the Tsukikage Shrine.
Come See Me Tonight 2 is a multi-scenario love-sim game for Windows. You play the interactive game by moving through the game story and making choices that affect the outcome, allowing for many different potential endings and excellent replay value. The game features the original Japanese voices along with an accurate English translation. This game is 100% uncensored, too, for full enjoyment of the erotic interactive story. Includes a great "hands free" feature too!
(C)2004 G-Collections, original game by Sekilala.
Mixing live-action with animation, this whacked-out series centers on the adventures of Milk, a selfish, foul-mouthed female superhero with no real superpowers. Far from the typical A-list superhero, Milk is assisted by an obsolete, abused robot and a slug that drinks too much. She also has a mechanical dog with a bad habit of relieving itself at inopportune moments. Produced by Studio Pierrot (GTO and Saiyuki), "The Super Milk-Chan Show" is currently available on DVD from ADV Films, the number one producer-distributor of Japanese animation in the U.S.
"We're excited by the opportunity to showcase 'The Super Milk-Chan Show' in Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. The network, and especially Adult Swim, is an ideal destination for the series and will introduce this incredibly off-beat series to a whole new audience," says John Ledford, founder and CEO of ADV Films.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter special thanks to Daniel Zelter for the submission link
The DVD insert became a subscriber-only premium in August 2004, after which fans and select retailers rallied to request its return to newsstand issues. “We listened to our loyal readers, who we want to reward with the very best anime magazine, including the incredibly popular DVD insert,” Ledford says. “In fact, we’re pushing ourselves to pack even more episodes and extras on every bonus DVD!” The November DVD has full episodes from two highly anticipated shows, D•N•Angel and Petite Princess Yucie, along with numerous trailers for other upcoming releases.
November 2004 also marks the second year of publication for Newtype USA, which continues to dominate the market as the top-selling anime magazine in the English-speaking world. To commemorate this momentous milestone, Newtype USA will publish a reader-voted awards feature highlighting the top 25 anime of all time, compiled from over 11,500 votes sent in by readers and collected at anime conventions. “Newtype USA readers are the ultimate anime fans, so it’s only fitting that they get to select the best anime of all time,” says editor in chief Gary Steinman. “The final list has plenty of surprises; I’m sure it’s something anime fans will be debating for years. You don’t want to miss this issue!”
Availability Newtype USA Vol. 3, Issue 11 will be available Nov. 1, 2004 for $12.98. Subscriptions are also available for $89.95 for 12 issues at www.newtype-usa.com.
Both the movie and the book it is based on are in fact western
interpretation of Japan's geisha culture. The Japanese are especially upset
that geishas are portrayed as prostitutes. In fact, they are entertainers
and could even be seen as artists.
Source: http://www.monkeypeaches.com/ via Daniel
Chicago, IL- Bandai Entertainment and Manga Entertainment proudly present Ghost in the Shell – Stand Alone Complex Volume Three on DVD November 23, 2004. Produced by Japan’s acclaimed animation studio Production I.G (Kill Bill, Blood: The Last Vampire), this highly popular and best-selling 26 episode anime sci-fi series is being released bi-monthly on seven DVD volumes. The third DVD volume follows closely on the heels of the North American television premiere of Ghost in the Shell – Stand Alone Complex which begins airing on Cartoon Network's “Adult Swim” programming block beginning November 6th at 11PM.
Available in both a Regular Edition and a Special Edition, Volume Three contains four exciting half-hour episodes encoded directly from high-definition masters, and features state-of-the-art Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound in English or Japanese, interviews, and other exciting bonus features. In addition, the Special Edition contains a second DVD with DTS audio and an exclusive Ghost in the Shell – Stand Alone Complex t-shirt available nowhere else.
The series follows agent Major Motoko Kusanagi and her fellow police officers of Section 9 as they continue to hunt down a host of criminals in both the real and online worlds. Convinced that the cyber-terrorist known only as “the Laughing Man” has resurfaced, Section 9 accelerates their inquiry to include eavesdropping on a chat room whose participants are not who they seem to be. They are also found investigating a facility for the treatment of children with “'cyberbrain closed shell syndrome” – a malady which renders the victim unable to cope with the cybernetic interface in their artificial brains. In the meantime, Kusanagi’s right-hand man, Batou, must confront a serial killer with connections to his own dark past.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Volume 3 Street date: November 23, 2004 Pre-book date: October 26, 2004 Sales & Distribution: Anchor Bay Entertainment Running Time: 120 minutes Genre: Sci-fi/Action/Adventure Unrated. Suggested 16+. Contains animated violence. Parental discretion advised. Limited Edition (2 disc set with free t-shirt!) SRP: $49.98 Barcode: 6-69198-25222-8 Disc one: 16x9 anamorphic widescreen, English and Japanese language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, English subtitles, Interviews, Trailers Disc two: 16x9 anamorphic widescreen, English and Japanese language DTS 5.1 Surround Sound, English subtitles, Interviews, Trailers ______________
Standard Edition (single disc) SRP: $24.98 Barcode: 6-69198-25202-0 16x9 anamorphic widescreen, English and Japanese Language, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, English Subtitles, Interviews, Trailers
IN A TWO DVD BOX SET -- NOVEMBER 23, 2004 "A Fast Paced No-Holds-Barred Adventure!" - Video Watchdog Chicago, IL -Manga Entertainment is proud to release the action packed 12 part video comic series The Guyver in a deluxe two-DVD Box Set featuring six 30 minute episodes on each disc. When high-school student, Sho, unwittingly activates a mysterious alien weapon, he is transformed into THE GUYVER, a powerful mechanized warrior possessing an incredible alien arsenal. He must now defend mankind against the Zoanoids - devastating bio-weapons created by an ancient alien race’s gruesome genetic experiments
The Guyver first gained popularity in 1985 when the saga appeared within the pages of the Japanese comic anthology Shonen Captain. Encouraged by his editor to make his initial combat-suit design more grotesque, comic artist Yoshiki Takaya struck upon the idea of an alien, biological device - a living suit of armor that bonded itself organically to its host. The animated version of The Guyver was released in two separate OVA series in Japan with Takaya personally involved in both productions. Not only did The Guyver make the jump from manga to anime, but the franchise has also spawned two live-action films (Screaming Mad George’s Guyver in 1991, and Steve Wang’s Guyver: Dark Hero in 1994).
DVD Special Features Include: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround & 2.0 Stereo, English and Japanese languages, English subtitles, Zoanoid Data files, Character bios & trailers, free poster inside each DVD, Original Japanese intros, Photo Gallery, and Manga extras.
THE GUYVER: Bio-Booster Armor- The Collection Studio: Manga Entertainment Sales & Distribution: Anchor Bay Release Date: November 23, 2004 Pre-Book Date: October 26, 2004 Barcode: 0 1313 82008-9 1 Selection: M2008 SRP: $39.98 Running Time: 180 minutes per disc Each DVDs contains 6 half-hour episodes. Rating: Not rated. Contains violence, adult situations, and brief nudity. Parental discretion advised.
Numerous characters in Japanese animation and manga are based on these samurai. Among them are the Shinsengumi (Saito Hajime, Kondo Isami, Hijikata Toshizo, Serizawa Kamo, Okita Soji, et al) Sakamoto Ryoma, Katsura Kogoro, Saigo Takamori, Takechi Hanpeita, Takasugi Shinsaku -- to name just a few. The true stories of these samurai are the subject of Samurai History Papers.
About the Meiji Restoration The Meiji Restoration was one of the most important events in Asian history, and one of the greatest revolutions in the history of the world. It centered around the overthrow of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1868, and the restoration of political power to the emperor.
Mid-19th-century Japan was a caldron of political upheaval and intrigue, bloody inner-fighting among samurai, and the end of three centuries of feudalism under shogunal rule. This most enthralling age in the annals of Japan brought forth some of the most fascinating men in that nation's history. These samurai modernized Japan. They also laid the foundation for the militarism of WWII and the economic powerhouse of today. Close scrutiny of these two-sworded men provides insight into the political, cultural and psychological roots of modern Japan. Just as the Meiji Restoration is considered "the dawn of modern Japan," knowledge of this history is essential for understanding how and why Japan has evolved into the nation that it is today.
Purpose of Samurai History Papers - the only serial publication in English focusing on the history and culture of the great men of the Meiji Restoration
The Meiji Restoration has often been neglected and/or misrepresented by writers of the English language. When this history has been represented seriously and accurately, it has generally been in a dry academic format. Since the publication of his first book, RYOMA Life of a Renaissance Samurai, it has been the objective of Romulus Hillsborough to present this most fascinating period in Japanese history, and the humanity of the men who made this history, accurately and realistically, in a vivid literary format which will at once educate and entertain. Hillsborough continues this objective in Samurai History Papers.
Targeted Readership Enthusiasts of Japanese history and culture, military history enthusiasts, students and teachers of these subjects, patrons of public, university and high school libraries - and anyone interested in history depicted as human drama.
First Issue: Fall 2004
Frequency: Quarterly (delivered by email)
Format: Electronic only
Yearly subscription: $25 (four issues)
More information about Samurai History Papers, including summary of contents and ordering, is available at www.ridgebackpress.com.
Musician Steve Conte sends preliminary word and an image from his recently wrapped "awesome" tour in Japan with the New York Dolls. Conte is well known in the anime world from his various collaborations with composer Yoko Kanno (vocals: Cowboy Bebop "Call Me, Call Me"). A full report and more images are promised soon at the above link but as a teaser, Steve has sent in the following image from the their Tokyo show featuring fellow New York Doll members and Yoko Kanno collaborator: lyricist, Raj Ramayya.
Source: Japan's Corporate News Network
Blackbelt TV President, Joshua Wexler, announced the agreement adding, “We are proud to work with Comcast, the leading cable operator in the country, to bring Blackbelt TV, the biggest martial arts cable network in the world, to more viewers.” Blackbelt TV will compliment its linear programming service with a substantial array of VOD programming for its subscribers. The VOD offering will draw from Blackbelt TV’s nearly 20,000 hour library of the greatest martial arts entertainment in the world, including movies, series, tournaments, anime, and more.
With a management team comprised of leading cable and Hollywood executives, Blackbelt TV has assembled the largest and most comprehensive martial arts entertainment and sports library in the world from the foremost worldwide fight organizations and Hollywood studios including Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal and News Corp’s Fortune Star. With more than 20,000 hours of programming in its library, Blackbelt TV will be broadcasting the greatest martial arts movies, TV shows and fights of all time. The network will feature such classics as Once Upon A Time in China, The Karate Kid, Drunken Master, Double Impact; classic and new martial arts television series; fights from all over the world; Japanese animation; as well as original shows including the biography show Soul of the Champion. Larry Kasanoff, Blackbelt TV’s Chairman added, “Blackbelt TV looks and feels like nothing else on television. It offers a wide range of martial arts content that is a proven driver for the 18-34 year old male. Our motto says it all: Kicks, Flicks and Chicks!”
In addition to the greatest martial arts films and TV shows of all time, Blackbelt TV has entered into exclusive relationships with leading promoters of championship fights and martial arts competitions from around the globe. Blackbelt TV viewers will enjoy world championship bouts that have never before aired on US television from countries such as China, India, Japan, Russia, Europe, Korea and Thailand. Blackbelt TV will feature world championship Judo bouts directly from the International Judo Federation in Korea; explosive kickboxing from the US, through the WCK, the fury of Muay Thai Kickboxing directly from Lumpini and Rajamadern Stadiums in Thailand; the fighting spectacle called K-1, the number one martial arts kickboxing tournament originating in Japan with tournaments held in Tokyo, Europe, Latin America, Australia and the U.S.; mixed martial arts from Europe's explosive Superleague, never before seen in the U.S. Kung Fu from the Chinese Government and Kung Fu King, Karate from the USA World Championships, the largest Karate tournament in the U.S. and more.
Blackbelt’s on-air look and feel will be created by its sister company Threshold Digital Research Labs (TDRL), one of Hollywood’s leading digital animation and visual effects companies whose technology alliance is with IBM. The feature film quality bumpers, interstitials and Network IDs will be created by the same digital wizards that produce special effects, theme-park attractions, and animation for MGM, Miramax, Paramount, Disney, Sony, Discovery, Fox and others. Blackbelt TV will be hosted by gorgeous female "Fight Jocks" as featured in MAXIM Magazine, who will provide humorous, sexy and no holds barred interstitial commentary.
The comic series, featuring the life of a Japanese bureaucrat in the tumultuous times of the early 20th century, had been carried by popular Weekly Young Jump. The Shueisha spokesman said about 2 million copies of the magazine had been sold each week. A group of 37 members of local assemblies protested to the publisher earlier this month, arguing that the Rape of Nanjing had never taken place and that the depiction of the scene in the comic distorted history. The publisher plans to change or delete some parts of the comic when it publishes the series in book form, the spokesman said, without elaborating. Japan-China relations remain bedeviled by the two nations' wartime past. China suffered from Japanese military aggression in the 1930s and 1940s. Bilateral ties have been further strained by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's annual visits to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, which honors war criminals along with other war dead. Koizumi has visited the shrine each year since taking office in 2001, most recently on New Year's Day, a visit condemned by China and South Korea, also a victim of Japan's wartime aggression.
Source: Reuters
The Jidou-Urban Outfitters plush licensing development follows on the heels of the Jidou Company’s recent announcement for the production start of a new JIDOUSPORTS animated series to be marketed worldwide. A 26 episode animated series based on the popular Hong Kong-originated children’s toy brand, has begun production in Hong Kong. In the U.S., the production start announcement was made by New York-based Serenata Group, the North American licensing and broadcast representative for JIDOUSPORTS.
Aimed at children 6-12, the JIDOUSPORTS action-adventure animated series follows the fantastic journeys of Jidou and his three friends as they travel the world to participate in sporting events from skiing and surfing to basketball and boxing. Launched less than a year ago as a published comic strip and line of action figurines in Hong Kong, JIDOUSPORTS quickly emerged as a highly popular toy sold through automated vending machine kiosks specially designed by the Jidou Company and CEO Alexander Wong. The property was unveiled by Serenata Group during the 2004 New York International Licensing Show last June to the licensing industry.
JIDOUSPORTS was first introduced by Jidou – which means automation in Japanese – via automated vending machines situated throughout Hong Kong. The star of the entertainment franchise is also named Jidou, an adorable dog with an insatiable desire to compete. Together with his friends Jazz, Judo and Dr. Jeff, the Jidou characters were immediately embraced by children throughout the market who line up in front of the innovative vending machines to add to their JIDOUSPORTS collection. “Urban Outfitters ranks among the world’s most prestigious cutting-edge lifestyle retailers. We are thrilled to join with this outstanding company in bringing our Jidou character to the U.S.,” said Alexander Wong, President and CEO of The Jidou Company.
The series includes seven films from the 1960's through 1970. These kaidans ("stories of strange things") made in the golden age of the 1950s-1960s, were often set in-period and utilized age-old legends, folk tales or erotic/grotesque kabuki plays as their source material - yarns of disfigured, black-haired female ghosts wronged by their samurai lovers, tales of cat-ghost vampires, disembodied phantasms, female snow spirits and specters of murdered masseurs. Ghost-cats - avenging spirits, usually of wronged handmaidens, incarnated after their cats lap up their spilt blood (!) - are a staple of Japanese ghost stories as well as the nation's classic horror cinema. Scores of Japanese kaibyo (or ghost-cat) films have been made since the silent era. Japanese horror films of this period frequently matched the baroque frissons of UK's Hammer Studios and the creepy ambience of such classics as THE INNOCENTS and THE HAUNTING. All films in Japanese with English subtitles. All screenings are at the newly renovated Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the historic Egyptian (6712 Hollywood Boulevard between Highland and Las Palmas) in Hollywood.
Although kaidans had been made since the silent era in Japan, it wasn't until the early 1950s that a veritable post-war boom in movie production boosted the number of scary, supernatural films. All the Japanese studios joined in, but fledgling, poverty-row Shintoho led the pack with a handful of classic horror opuses by macabre maestro Nobuo Nakagawa, including such classics as HELL (JIGOKU) and BLACK CAT MANSION (BOREI KAIBYO YASHIKI, 1958). When Shintoho went under in 1961 from financial woes, other studios like Daiei, Toho and Toei expanded their horror film output to fill the gap.
Friday, October 29, 2004 The Friday, October 29sth program begins at 7:30 PM with a Double Feature. First up is BLACK CAT IN THE FOREST (KURONEKO) (1968, Toho, 99 min.). Director Kaneto Shindo's demented follow-up to his surprise arthouse/horror hit, ONI BABA, shot in shimmering black-and-white and even more overtly supernatural in tone. After being murdered by a roving band of bestial mercenaries, a mother (Nokuko Otowa) and a daughter-in-law (Kiwako Taichi) return as avenging cat-ghost vampires, bent on destroying every samurai that crosses their path. They suffer more torment when long-lost son/husband Gintoki (Kichiemon Nakamura) returns, dispatched by the brutal local lord, (Kei Sato) to stop their killings.
Next on the same bill is PORTRAIT OF HELL (1969, Toho, 95 min.), directed by Shiro Toyoda. Adapting a story by Ryunosuke Akutagawa (RASHOMON), director Shiro Toyoda conjures a beautiful and eerie medieval parable about the consequences of oppression, conceit and decadence. Proud, indentured Korean artist Yoshihide (Tatsuya Nakadai) sees Hell materialize on earth when arrogant Lord Hosokawa (Kinnosuke Nakamura) not only commissions a painting of paradise, but also begins lusting after his only daughter, Yoshika (Yoko Naito). With breathtakingly gorgeous cinematography by Kazuo Yamada and phantasmagorical production design by Shinobu Muraki.
Saturday, October 30, 2004 The Saturday, October 30th program begins at 5:00 PM with KWAIDAN (1964, Janus Criterion, 164 min.). Master director Masaki Kobayashi's legendary quartet of ghost stories was adapted from the writings of Lafcadio Hearn, a Greek-Irish immigrant to Japan and collector of the nation's folk tales. First, "The Black Hair" with Rentaro Mikuni and Michiyo Aratama, followed by "Woman Of The Snow" with Tatsuya Nakadai and Keiko Kishi, "Hoichi The Earless" with Katsuo Nakamura and Tetsuro Tanba and "In A Cup Of Tea" with Kanemon Nakamura. KWAIDAN creates an eerily fantastic, dreamlike ambience, largely through superb direction, painted production design and Toru Takemitsu's awe-inspiring score. If you've never seen it on the big screen, it is not to be missed!
Following at 8:30 PM is a Double Feature. First up is BLIND BEAST (1969, Kadokawa-Daiei, 84 min.). A deranged, sightless sculptor (Eiji Funakoshi) kidnaps an artists' model (Mako Midori) and introduces her to his rural warehouse of horrors: a forest of giant, sculpted female body parts. Before long, Midori finds herself succumbing to a deliriously tactile shadow world where sight is replaced by touch. Master director Yasuzo Masumura chisels a monument of erotic terror from Edogawa Rampo's perverse short story.
Next on the same bill is HELL (JIGOKU) (1969, Kadokawa-Daiei, 100 min.). directed by Nobuo Nakagawa. This horrifically surreal vision of the underworld resembles Disneyland designed by the Marquis de Sade. Shigeru Amachi stars as a theology student led astray by nihilistic pal Yoichi Numata. Their reckless pranks lead to the hit-and-run driving death of a drunken yakuza and the eventual poisoning of a group of party guests - after which everyone is sent straight to Hell! The last half-hour of the film, featuring grotesque ogres, burning wheels of fire and mist-filled rivers of the damned, must be seen to believed. Highly recommended!
Sunday, October 31, 2004 The Sunday, October 31st program begins at 5:00 PM with a Double Feature. First up is THE MASSEUR'S CURSE (KAIDAN KASANE GA FUCHI), 1970, Kadokawa-Daiei, 82 min. This spooky fable of a money-lending, blind masseur - murdered by a duplicitous samurai, only to rise from his swampy grave - has been filmed many times since the 1920s, including a version by Nobuo Nakagawa. Director Kimiyoshi Yasuda helmed another (much tamer) black-and-white version in 1960. This film, shot in color, emphasizes the blood and lets the violence rip. With a great cast, including Kenjiro Ishiyama as the ghostly masseur, Saburo Date as the craven swordsman and Ritysu Ishiyama as his cursed son. With Reiko Kasahara, Maya Kitajima.
Next on the same bill is THE HAUNTED CASTLE (HIROKU KAIBYODEN) (1969, Kadokawa-Daiei, 83 min). Director Tokuzo Tanaka, like his studio-mate Kimiyoshi Yasuda, was an accomplished genre specialist (and veteran of many Zatoichi blind swordsman films). Here he spins his rip-roaringly macabre take on the ghost-cat mythos, a tale of the suicided sister of a murdered nobleman returning to avenge herself on guilty Lord Nabeshima's samurai. With Kojiro Hongo, Naomi Kobayashi, Rokko Toura. [Note: This, the only surviving print of the film, is slightly faded.]
http://www.egyptiantheatre.com/
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