Film Review: Ryūzō And The Seven Henchmen (Ryūzō to Shichinin no Kobuntachi)

A fast paced and quick witted comedy!

Produced by Office Kitano and released in Japan on 25^th April 2015 the film stars the 74 year old Tatsuya Fuji as Ryūzō, whose performance is the mainstay of the film’s success, and is directed by the critically acclaimed Beat Takeshi (aka Takeshi Kitano). The film is a delightful and, in places, very funny romp into the twilight existence of a group of Yakuza headed up by the

DVD Review: Ben-To Complete Series Collection

It’s not just dinner, it’s a matter of victory!

Ben-to is originally a Japanese light novel series written by Asaura, with illustrations by Kaito Shibano. Shueisha published 15 novels from February 2008 to February 2014. Shibano also illustrates three manga adaptations, and a fourth manga is drawn by Sankaku Head. The name literally is to mirror the word Bento box but adding that ‘-‘ makes it a lot more easier to Google against all those tasty packed lunch photos online.

After the success from the light novel it was adapted into a 12-episode anime TV series  You follow protagonist Sato Yo who is a

Event: Hyper Japan 2015 In Pictures

The UK’s biggest celebration of Japanese culture!

Hyper Japan, the UK’s biggest and best-loved annual J-Culture convention, returned on 11th – 13th July for another weekend extravaganza of all things Japanese from the authentic and traditional to the contemporary. Thousands of Japanophiles descended upon London’s O2 in Greenwich over the three days for an exciting time of live music, fashion shows, videogames, manga/anime activities, martial arts demonstrations and

DVD Review: Good Luck Girl Complete Series

Breasts, ghosts and growing a conscience!

Good Luck girl also known as Binbogami ga! translated as “This Damn God of Poverty!” based on the comedy manga series by Yoshiaki Sukeno, originally published in Jump Square magazine between July 2008 and August 2013. The anime adaptation aired in Japan from September 26, 2012 showing its popularity before the manga ended.

The first five minutes sets the scene in a land of gods who watch earth and its inhabitants. An imbalance of luck has over flowed in an area where popular, pretty, wealthy girl Ichigo Sakura is sucking the luck from

DVD/Blu-ray Review: Professor Layton And The Eternal Diva

The Professor’s first movie and his toughest puzzle yet!

‘First it started with a Game’ as the intro goes it was the vast popularity of the game series following the gentleman Professor Layton on his quests to solve puzzles with his apprentice Luke. What made the game stand out against competitor titles was the slick animation between puzzles. People were so charmed by the character designs it shortly after became a movie.

The movie begins with an introduction about the series for new watchers and I know quite few people who indeed picked up this title from conventions for the art alone, not surprising as it was produced by

Film Review: Ask This Of Rikyū (Rikyū ni Tazuneyo)

What was the secret Rikyu took to the grave?

‘Ask This of Rikyu’, a film directed by Mitsutoshi Tanaka and distributed by Toei, had its first World Premiere at the 37^th Montreal World Film Festival in September 2013 sharing the Best Artistic Contribution Award with ‘Landes’ by François-Xavier Vives. It was nominated for the Japan Academy Prize for Picture of the Year and won the Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction.

The film, based on the novel of the same name by Kenichi Yamamoto which won the Naoki Literary Prize in 2009, stars the renowned

Giovanni’s Island On Blu-ray Competition Now Closed And The Winner Is…

A winner has been chosen!

Thanks to everyone who entered the competition to win a copy of Giovanni’s Island on Blu-ray !

Sadly there can only be one winner.

And the winner is…

Win A Copy Of Giovanni’s Island On Blu-ray NOW CLOSED!

Hooray! It’s competition time again!

Giovanni’s Island is coming to DVD, Blu-ray and Ultimate Edition on Monday 12th January (available from Amazon.co.uk ) and thanks to Anime Ltd, we have a copy on Blu-ray to give away.

True to their reputation of masterful storytelling and quality animation, Production I.G achieve effortless elegance in this never before been told story. Exploring the theme of the toll of human conflict, and done so with stunning visuals, Giovanni’s Island succeeds in bringing a feeling of hope and positivity despite the heart wrenching and moving subject. Indeed, it is hard not to fall in love with the striking hand drawn

Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist Competition Now Closed And The Winner Is…

A winner has been chosen!

Thanks to everyone who entered the competition to win a copy of Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist on DVD & Blu-Ray plus 2 randomly selected Manga UK DVD and/or Blu-Ray titles!.

Sadly there can only be one winner.

And the winner is…

Press Release: Hyper Japan Christmas Market 2014

Get ready for a pop culture explosion at the UK’s largest J-culture event!

Date: 14-16 November 
Venue; National Hall, Olympia, London

Music, street fashion and cosplay – 3 pillars of Japanese pop culture which have captivated audiences and amassed devoted fans across the globe. At our HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market, we bring together the best of this trendy crowd and offer visitors the rare chance to experience a range of Japanese musical acts (both real and virtual), and to enjoy our HYPER J-style fashion show and

WIN Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist On DVD & Blu-Ray Plus 2 Randomly Selected Manga UK DVD And/Or Blu-Ray Titles!

Hooray! It’s competition time again!

To celebrate the release of Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist on DVD & Blu-Ray on Monday 27th October we have a Blu-Ray copy to give away, plus 2 randomly selected Manga UK DVD and/or Blu-Ray titles!

Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist tells the origin story of Street Fighter’s most famous duo, Ryu and Ken. Learning the way of the warrior at the secluded dojo of martial arts master Gouken, the pair are the last practitioners of an ancient fighting style known as Ansatsuken – ‘The Assassin’s Fist’. But the Ansatsuken style hides a dark and tragic secret; a legacy that is about to catch up with

DVD/Blu-ray Review: Fairy Tail The Movie: Phoenix Priestess

The first movie from the critically acclaimed Fairy Tail anime franchise!

For a series that has been long running, this is the first time there has ever been a full length movie made of it. So for the fans this has been a long time coming. The many adventures and different characters are what make this series a success as well as the other lands with different guilds which are covered in the series. In Phoenix Priestess the Fairy Tail Guild have to deal with a threat to the entire world due to one man, a cruel prince who wants to get his hand on the other half of the

DVD/Blu-ray Review: Branded To Kill – A Film By Seijun Suzuki

Packed with wild ideas incorporating some of the most imaginative killings you’ll ever see on celluloid!

Delirious, violent and bizarre, the perverse 1967 cult crime thriller Branded to Kill is widely regarded as being director Seijun Suzuki’s magnum opus, influencing major filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino, John Woo and Martin Scorsese. It stands out as being both a nonsensical and exceptional piece of film art that has to be seen to be believed.

Jo Shishido plays professional hitman Goro Hanada aka No 3 Killer, the third best killer on the best killers list, who gets sexually aroused whenever he smells and eats freshly cooked rice – a fetish hated by his

DVD/Blu-ray Review: Jormungand – The Complete First Series

One of the most highly anticipated anime series of 2014!

The story follows the escapades of Jonah, Lehm, Valmet and Lutz who all work for Koko Hekmatyar, an arms dealer who needs someone like Jonah on her team. Koko works with the HCLI an international shipping corporation who secretly deals in the arms trade. As she works with them, she sells weapons in secret in several countries while trying to avoid the local police as her work is regarded as illegal. Her team she is always seen with are bodyguards who were found in the military, but her newest colleague has another motive for joining them. He wants to find where the

Hyper Japan 2014 In Pictures

The UK’s biggest celebration of Japanese culture!

Every year since it first began back in 2010, the annual London event Hyper Japan keeps getting better and better, not to mention bigger and bigger, and this year’s extravaganza held on 25 – 27 July at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre was no exception.

The fantastic line-up catered to all tastes in Japanese pop-culture from traditional dancers and musicians like the very popular Hyper Japan regulars Hibiki Ichikawa and Akari Mochizuki, who this time around were accompanied by guitarist Hide Takemoto, to contemporary

New Directors From Japan: Kickstarter Crowd-Funding Campaign

Third Window Films is pleased to announce the Crowd-Funding Launch of a planned Dual Format 3-disc Limited Edition of New Directors From Japan!

Kickstarter Crowd-Funding Campaign now live at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/893976289/new-directors-from-japan

Popular independent UK film distribution company Third Window Films has always tried hard to bring a wide variety of films from the Far East to the West, from big studio productions to minor indie masterpieces, and this project is another step in our goal to open up the West to what’s so great about Asian cinema!

Event: MCM Manchester Comic Con 19-20 JULY

MCM Comic Con is back in Manchester …and this time it’s for the whole weekend!

Calling all sci-fi fans, film buffs, comic collectors, anime enthusiasts, gamers and cosplayers! Following last year’s record attendance, MCM Manchester Comic Con returns to Manchester Central bigger and better than ever. Running over a full weekend for the first time, the show takes place on 19-20 July, playing host to everything from

DVD Review: Chrome Shelled Regios Collection 1

The world of tomorrow is an arid wasteland!

In the future we wonder what might happen if we become invaded by beings who want to ravage the world we try to live in, and Chrome Shelled Regios is one of many from anime history. The characters drive the story, and there are a good few that the viewer might care about, but others they may not as their personalities haven’t been fleshed out enough. It tells the story of several survivors of a future earth that has suffered the effects of living  with mutated beasts called Filth Monsters, (in the anime it translates as Contaminoids) and we see the story through the eyes of these survivors who have

DVD Review: Hakuoki: Demon of the Floating Blossom OVA Collection

“A Memory of Snow Flowers”

With a series 1 and 2 collection, there is a prequel and now an OVA to enjoy for those who are fans of bishonen series where the men have handsome, sometimes beautiful facial features, long hair and flamboyant manner. This OVA starts in December 1866 before the 1868 – 69 Boshin War and focuses first on the enemy who wanted to infiltrate and take down the Shinsengumi headquarters, hoping to make a name for themselves.

The OVA is made up of six episodes that are about each of the Shinsengumi characters. Souji is his usual comical self, but this time