News

The Disney film, Moana, may be the absolute last franchise most fans would expect to receive an anime adaptation, but recently, animation artist Gensho Yasuda has translated the adorable story into this format. Studios Xenotoon and Yasuda Studio have masterfully taken the Disney film and added an anime spin that fans of Japanese animation are sure to appreciate deeply.

Not only does the project pay homage to the compelling story of Moana, it includes songs from the recently released Moana 2 film, dubbed in Japanese. Two musical shorts were initially released, and now, fans can enjoy an additional two short animations based on more music from the acclaimed film itself.

The Moana Anime Has Just Released Two Additional Musical Inspired Shorts These New Animations Feature the Moana 2 Songs “Get Lost” and “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” Moana 2 gets 2 more anime shorts, Chee Hoo!https://t.co/OhJLODelQj...

The live-action film Demon City will premiere on Netflix on February 27. Based on the comic Oni Goroshi, which ran from 2020 to November 2024, the story follows a hitman in the city of Shinjo seeking revenge for the tragic loss of his wife and daughter.

Known for its intense and graphic violence, the comic earned a devoted fanbase and is now being brought to life on screen.

The movie is written and directed by Seiji Tanaka, whose debut film Melancholic won multiple awards, including Best Director at the 31st Tokyo International Film Festival. Tanaka’s ability to blend drama, suspense, comedy, and horror has made him a standout filmmaker.

Toma Ikuta stars as Shuhei Sakata, the hitman determined to take down a masked criminal group ruling Shinjo. Ikuta, known for his emotional performance in Netflix’s Beyond Goodbye, takes on a grittier, action-packed role in this film.

The cast also features Matsuya Onoe,...

The live-action movie adaptation of Demon City is set to premiere on Netflix on February 27. It’s based on the comic Oni Goroshi, which ran from 2020 to November 2024. The story takes place in the city of Shinjo and follows a hitman seeking revenge after losing his wife and daughter.

The comic, known for its raw and intense violence, gained a loyal following and is now being adapted for the screen.

The film is written and directed by Seiji Tanaka, whose debut feature, Melancholic, won several awards, including Best Director at the 31st Tokyo International Film Festival. Melancholic mixed drama, suspense, comedy, and horror, showcasing Tanaka’s unique style as a filmmaker.

Toma Ikuta takes the lead role as Shuhei Sakata, a hitman bent on revenge against a group of masked criminals controlling Shinjo. Ikuta, who gave a heartfelt performance in Netflix’s Beyond Goodbye, now brings a darker, action-packed character to life.

Netflix Japan's official X (formerly Twitter) announced today that a live-action movie adaptation of Masamichi Kawabe's manga Onigoroshi will stream worldwide on February 27, 2025, under the title Demon City Onigoroshi . "Onigoroshi" literally means Demon Killer in Japanese. Kawabe's original manga ran in Nihon Bungeisha's Weekly Manga Goraku magazine from 2020 to 2024, with the final 16th volume set to release in Japan on February 28, 2025 — one day after the film's worldwide stream begins. The story is set in the provincial city of Shinjo and follows Shuhei Sakata, a professional killer who vows to avenge his beloved wife and daughter. Actor Toma Ikuta (Reiji Kikukawa in the Mogura no Uta live-action film series) plays the protagonist, Shuhei Sakata. "I will be starring in the Netflix movie 'Demon City Onigoroshi,' with almost no dialogue," said Ikuta. "I was given a difficult role that required me to express all my emotions in action. It's aggressive, Netflix!

“I made one mistake!” Makoto Kashiba (Matsuya Onoe) laments upon arriving in the small, backwater village where absolutely everything is goldfish themed and he can barely stand upright in his apartment without hitting his head. That mistake, it will emerge, was trying to sell his boss on the idea of a robotic massage parlour. his boss thinks that sound like a collection of massage chairs, and doesn’t sound very inspiring, even though Makoto insists that the numbers show that it would be a good investment. “Numbers don’t lie,” he keeps repeating. if only he had realised that his boss wasn’t ready for the modern world.

Makoto thinks he has been sent away from Tokyo to work in this remote branch office as a punishment. It will be pretty obvious to viewers, even early on, that he has misinterpreted the situation. He has been sent there to learn how to connect with.

There are two types of people in this world: those who find a 90-minute romantic comedy musical with a 90-second song serving as an intermission break twee; and those who find it charming. Middle ground doesn’t exist in this equation and director Yukinori Makabe rightfully refuses to pretend otherwise. His film Love, Life and Goldfish (adapted by Atsumi Tsuchi from Noriko Otani’s manga of the same name) wears its idiosyncratic feel-good sentimentality on its sleeve to provide the dreamlike environment Makoto Kashiba (Matsuya Onoe) needs to break free from a repressed life precariously balanced atop a foundation of work. His bank clerk has never tapped into the emotional well filling within for almost thirty years, so it’s no surprise he’s springing volatile leaks everywhere he turns.

It’s why he finds himself in this foreign place he disparagingly dismisses as “the sticks” when he had a...

Based on the manga series “Sukutte Goran” by Noriko Otani and featuring Matsuya Onoe, one of the most popular young Japanese Kabuki actors, and Kanako Momota of Japan’s top idol “Momoiro cloverZ”, “Love, Life and Goldfish” is a rare musical coming from Japan, which also bolsters rather impressive visuals.

“Love, Life and Goldfish” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative

Makoto Kashiba was once an elite bank clerk, working for a big bank in Tokyo. Due to an error however, he is demoted to a small branch in the country, a fact that has left him completely devastated. However, upon arriving in the area, he meets beautiful Yoshino Ikoma, who owns a parlor hosting a game where people try to catch as many goldfish as possible in a set amount of time, and falls in love with her. She, however, is in love with master pianist and goldfish catcher Noboru Oji,...