Reel Japan Film Festival 2016

Press Release.

Real Cinema. Real Culture. Reel Japan.

Date: Bank Holiday Weekend, Sat April 30th/Sun May 1st

Tickets: Available from April 1st, £5 per film（limited to 100 seats per screening) Day ticket £15 (4 screenings), Weekend ticket £25 (8 screenings)

Venue: The Yard Theatre Unit 2A, Queen’s Yard, White Post Lane, Hackney Wick, London, E9 5EN

Hit The Road With NHK WORLD TV This Spring

Japan’s international English-language channel launches travel season

This spring NHK WORLD TV, the 24-hour international English language channel from Japan’s public service provider NHK, presents an exciting season of travel programmes offering unique insights into Japanese culture, both ancient and modern.

Kicking off this April, the season of travel programmes form part of NHK WORLD TV’s extensive resource of materials for anyone studying Japanese, planning a trip, or interested in learning more about the country in the run up to Japan’s Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

‘ABU Robot Contest “Badminton Robo-Game” Battle To Be The World’s Best’

NHK World TV showcases first Robominton on 31^st October, 2015

Times: 0:10-1:00/06:10-7:00/12:10-13:00/18:10-19:00   

This summer, 18 teams from the Asia-Pacific region took part in the 14^th ABU Robocon held in the ancient city of Yogyakarta, Indonesia.  The ABU Robocon is an annual contest where university, college and polytechnic students build handmade robots to battle it out in

Film Review: Obon Brothers – A Film By Akira Osaki

A charming and heart-warming portrayal of a man down on his luck!

Akira Osaki (read interview here) has not had an easy time in the Japanese film industry. After the failure of his debut film Catchball-Ya, Osaki struggled to secure funding for a new film. Again and again his projects were dropped in the early stages, and this made him frustrated about the film industry he was working so hard to be accepted in. This anger has been translated into his latest film, Obon Brothers, a dark comedy penned by his close-friend, and

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

Interview: Film Director Akira Osaki

“My films won’t all be about losers, I do want to make something different in the future!”  – Akira Osaki

Akira Osaki is an independent filmmaker whose latest production, Obon Brothers, was screened in London (represented by Third Window Films) as part of the 23rd Raindance Film Festival. Hailing from Gunma prefecture in Japan, Osaki is a humble and friendly director, who has worked predominantly as an Assistant Director. Much like the lead character in his film, Takashi Kitano , Osaki was looking for his big break in the Japanese

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

Interview: Michael Booth Author Sushi and Beyond: What the Japanese Know About Cooking

“I can’t walk down the streets of Japan without finding something unusual or peculiar. It’s just so stimulating.” – Michael Booth

Award winning food writer and traveller Michael Booth (author of the bestselling Sushi & Beyond: What the Japanese Know About Cooking) attended the popular three-day J-Culture festival Hyper Japan 2015 (photo report here), which was held at London’s O2 on 10-12 June, to participate in his first talk show with Japanese celebrity chef Rika Yukimasa, co-host of

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

Film Review: Uzumasa Limelight (Uzumasa Raimuraito)

A homage to Charlie Chaplin’s LIMELIGHT!

Winner of the Cheval Noir Award and Best Actor Award at the 2014 Fantasia International Film Festival, the Audience Award at the 2014 New York Asian Film Festival and the 2014 Camera Japan Festival, and the official selection at both the 2014 Hawaii International Film Festival and the 2014 Shanghai International Film Festival. 

JAPAN CUTS: Festival Of New Japanese Film Announces Full Slate Of NY Premieres

July 9-19, 2015 at Japan Society

Expanded 9th Edition Boasts Nearly 30 Features, Dozens of Shorts,

Classic Restorations and Most Special Guests Ever!

New York, NY – North America’s largest festival of Japanese

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…

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

Japan Film Society Announces Film Lineup For LA EigaFest 2014

September 12^th – 14^th, 2014 at the Egyptian Theater

International Premiere of LUPIN THE THIRD to Open LA EigaFest and welcome director Ryuhei Kitamura and actress Meisa Kuroki (Crows Zero 1 & 2, Space Battle Yamato), US Premiere of RUROUNI KENSHIN: KYOTO INFERNO to Close Film Festival

Godzilla: The Japanese Original (1954) and Godzilla (2014) to be screened back-to-back in celebration of 60^th anniversary

Tom Cruise, Doug Liman, and Legendary Pictures to Receive