If you’re looking for a cute little comedy to watch, check out FLY! Heibon na Kiseki coming out in theaters in Japan in March.

Fly is an adorable-looking rom-com about Mitsuo, an introverted factory worker who’s never had a real relationship with a girl. He carries a picture of Nanami, a girl in the office who he secretly has a crush on.

One day, Mitsuo discovers a spaceship and the green-skinned, white-haired alien inside. Shikata the alien, like Mitsuo, is a “loser” who similarly bares a crush on a girl he never has a chance with. Hilarity ensues as the two understand and find solace in each other.

Expect the typical plot twists and turns such as Shikata’s capture by the government and, of course, Mitsuo and Nanami’s deepening relationship.

The beauty and the beast cast is comprised of the pretty Aibu Saki, the oafish comedian Koyabu Kazutoyo, and thinly-haired Nukumizu Yoichi. The supporting cast is also pretty strong with notables including Nishida Toshiyuki who seems to be in every Japanese movie and Osugi Ren.

FLY! Heibon na Kiseki feels like a solid bet if you’re looking for a heartwarming, feel-good rom-com to get you through this cold March.

Check it out if you can when it hits theaters in Japan on March 10th. Don’t expect this film to make it abroad. Look for a t*rrent towards the end of the year when the DVD is released.

[Trailer Watch] FLY! Heibon na Kiseki is a cute comedy about aliens we never usually hear about: the losers is a post from: Japan Flix

Also check out our collection of Japanese films available to stream immediately on our site.

Our titles span all genres from horror to romance to exploitation. Some are extremely rare or even exclusive to Japan Flix. And many of our titles are available in full HD!

Popular titles include:

SHISEI
"What I appreciate the most with Shisei is [director] Sato's use of layered imaging and reflection. It was far more artistic and experimental than I was expecting." -Andrew Mack, Twitch

PERFECT EDUCATION
"Tonally, with its mish-mash of exploitative thrills and arthouse sensibilities, Perfect Education: 40 Days of Love is not unlike another film distributed by Art Port in its native Japan, Takashi Miike’s Audition (1999)." -Coffin Jon, V Cinema Show

THREE STRING SAMURAI
"Two things differentiate the film from the horde of familiar titles: the shamisen playing, which is legitimately amazing (and all performed by the actors onscreen), and the film’s freewheeling sense of stylistic and tonal whimsy." -Chris McGee, The Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow

Japan Flix is now streaming Pink Eiga!

SEXY TIMETRIP NINJAS
Directed by Academy Award winning director, Yojiro Takita, a sci-fi fantasy adventure about ninjas traveling to the future, to 1980s Japan!

TSUMUGI
World famous AV actress Sora Aoi in a high school romance film. She's very cute and boy, can she act!

So come check us out now at JapanFlix.com!

Financial Times recently published an article by Julian Williams about the film series “Whose Film Is It Anyway,” which is being held by the Japan Foundation throughout the UK till March 28th. The article does a rare, fantastic job of discussing issues about Japanese film and how they’re represented abroad. I’d like to feature some particularly noteworthy points and even respond to some of them here.

When I was in college in the U.S., I was an officer in my school’s Japan Club, as I’m sure many of you Japanophiles also were. The club members were always debating the issue of how to show the “real Japan” to Americans — not the fighting schoolgirls, the tentacle porn, and sushi. *shudder*

Japanese Americans felt shame and even anger that Sushi Typhoon was a representation of Japan abroad. Americans who had visited Japan before would try to assert their “Japanophile cred” by stating their love of traditional culture, not anime.

The issue of only a select portion of Japanese films and, more generally, culture making it abroad is a prevalent one.

Sharp makes a good point. To further elaborate on his point: deciding what film makes it abroad is largely a business decision.

If you try to sell Japanese films in the West, you’re confronted with the reality that Nobody Knows, a “traditional” Japanese film, made only $1.6M in box office sales. “Traditional” Japanese films are expensive to obtain rights for (oftentimes due to unrealistic expectations from Japanese rightsholders) and have unpredictable returns. A film like Robo Geisha is significantly cheaper and there’s plenty of data showing the expected returns.

Of course, there are always people who make decisions out of reasons other than business. Japan Flix certainly tries to do so, whenever possible. We aren’t a huge corporation with investors and shareholders breathing down our neck. We are a bunch of guys who are selling movies because we love doing so. We can afford to sell a movie that may not do so well financially, just because we really want to share it to audiences outside of Japan. But that’s probably why we’re such a small outfit still.

But with that “justification” out of the way, I must say this:

While it’s true that otaku subculture, which is predominantly (but not solely) the target of this hate, is only a portion of Japanese culture, it’s a very important part of Japanese identity. Not only should it not be a subject of shame, but Japanophiles should embrace and be proud of it.

Japan is often accused of being a country of mimics. I strongly disagree. Japan is one of the most unique and creative countries in the world. What other country has created art like manga and anime that’s so strange, fascinating, and capable of instilling so much cult adulation and disgust? Not just manga and anime. Japan’s pop music, green technologies, public transportation system, haiku, sushi & tempura, gothic lolita fashion, geishas & ninjas & samurai, and video games all make Japan special.

So, instead of labeling one strand of Japanese film traditional and the others unrepresentative, lets be proud that any Japanese film is appreciated abroad! It doesn’t matter what kind of film — from splatter porn to Departures — it always makes me happy to have someone tell me how much they love Japanese film.

I thought it would be nice to end on this point: Good Japanese films are good not only because of their different settings, different customs, different styles of expression, but also because they tell the stories of characters and plots you can sympathize with.

Let us know your thoughts about Japanese film, Japanese culture, and how Japan is represented abroad in the comments below. We’re also looking forward to reading your replies on twitter, facebook, and Google+.

A big thanks to Julian Williams at the Financial Times for a fantastic read.

My appreciation of Japanese films or “Being proud of anime, sex, and horror” is a post from: Japan Flix

Also check out our collection of Japanese films available to stream immediately on our site.

Our titles span all genres from horror to romance to exploitation. Some are extremely rare or even exclusive to Japan Flix. And many of our titles are available in full HD!

Popular titles include:

SHISEI
"What I appreciate the most with Shisei is [director] Sato's use of layered imaging and reflection. It was far more artistic and experimental than I was expecting." -Andrew Mack, Twitch

PERFECT EDUCATION
"Tonally, with its mish-mash of exploitative thrills and arthouse sensibilities, Perfect Education: 40 Days of Love is not unlike another film distributed by Art Port in its native Japan, Takashi Miike’s Audition (1999)." -Coffin Jon, V Cinema Show

THREE STRING SAMURAI
"Two things differentiate the film from the horde of familiar titles: the shamisen playing, which is legitimately amazing (and all performed by the actors onscreen), and the film’s freewheeling sense of stylistic and tonal whimsy." -Chris McGee, The Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow

Japan Flix is now streaming Pink Eiga!

SEXY TIMETRIP NINJAS
Directed by Academy Award winning director, Yojiro Takita, a sci-fi fantasy adventure about ninjas traveling to the future, to 1980s Japan!

TSUMUGI
World famous AV actress Sora Aoi in a high school romance film. She's very cute and boy, can she act!

So come check us out now at JapanFlix.com!

If you’re in New York or will be in March, the Japan Society is celebrating Valentine’s Day a little later than usual with their spring program Love Will Tear Us Apart.

The program runs from March 2nd through the 18th and contains a variety of love stories from both Japan and Korea. The line-up features over 20 films including the U.S. premiere of Shinya Tsukamoto’s latest film, Kotoko, and the world premiere of Koji Wakamatsu’s, Petrel Hotel Blue. Judging by the chosen stills on the program’s home page, this looks to be a very scintillating and sultry series. We can’t wait.

The Japan Society is full of love this spring is a post from: Japan Flix

Also check out our collection of Japanese films available to stream immediately on our site.

Our titles span all genres from horror to romance to exploitation. Some are extremely rare or even exclusive to Japan Flix. And many of our titles are available in full HD!

Popular titles include:

SHISEI
"What I appreciate the most with Shisei is [director] Sato's use of layered imaging and reflection. It was far more artistic and experimental than I was expecting." -Andrew Mack, Twitch

PERFECT EDUCATION
"Tonally, with its mish-mash of exploitative thrills and arthouse sensibilities, Perfect Education: 40 Days of Love is not unlike another film distributed by Art Port in its native Japan, Takashi Miike’s Audition (1999)." -Coffin Jon, V Cinema Show

THREE STRING SAMURAI
"Two things differentiate the film from the horde of familiar titles: the shamisen playing, which is legitimately amazing (and all performed by the actors onscreen), and the film’s freewheeling sense of stylistic and tonal whimsy." -Chris McGee, The Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow

Japan Flix is now streaming Pink Eiga!

SEXY TIMETRIP NINJAS
Directed by Academy Award winning director, Yojiro Takita, a sci-fi fantasy adventure about ninjas traveling to the future, to 1980s Japan!

TSUMUGI
World famous AV actress Sora Aoi in a high school romance film. She's very cute and boy, can she act!

So come check us out now at JapanFlix.com!

Why not stay in tonight and enjoy a special Valentine’s Day gift from Japan Flix?

From romantic fun to anime and horror; from pink films to sci-fi and action! 50% off all items.

The sale runs from February 14th through Monday, February 20th!

Browse our wide selection of Asian cinema and you will find something to suit your entertainment needs. And for those of you outside of the US and Canada, all of our Pink Eiga titles are now available to stream worldwide (except Japan). Join Japan Flix today and become part of one of the fastest growing streaming sites online.

Valentine’s Day Special – 50% off is a post from: Japan Flix

Also check out our collection of Japanese films available to stream immediately on our site.

Our titles span all genres from horror to romance to exploitation. Some are extremely rare or even exclusive to Japan Flix. And many of our titles are available in full HD!

Popular titles include:

SHISEI
"What I appreciate the most with Shisei is [director] Sato's use of layered imaging and reflection. It was far more artistic and experimental than I was expecting." -Andrew Mack, Twitch

PERFECT EDUCATION
"Tonally, with its mish-mash of exploitative thrills and arthouse sensibilities, Perfect Education: 40 Days of Love is not unlike another film distributed by Art Port in its native Japan, Takashi Miike’s Audition (1999)." -Coffin Jon, V Cinema Show

THREE STRING SAMURAI
"Two things differentiate the film from the horde of familiar titles: the shamisen playing, which is legitimately amazing (and all performed by the actors onscreen), and the film’s freewheeling sense of stylistic and tonal whimsy." -Chris McGee, The Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow

Japan Flix is now streaming Pink Eiga!

SEXY TIMETRIP NINJAS
Directed by Academy Award winning director, Yojiro Takita, a sci-fi fantasy adventure about ninjas traveling to the future, to 1980s Japan!

TSUMUGI
World famous AV actress Sora Aoi in a high school romance film. She's very cute and boy, can she act!

So come check us out now at JapanFlix.com!

This Saturday, a new jhorror called POV Norowareta Film (or Haunted Film in English) starring Shida Mirai will hit theaters in Japan. Jhorror has been on a decline recently, but POV looks like it has the elements that made jhorror a global phenomenon, as well as the much needed updates in style and subject matter that will make it relevant today.

POV follows actresses Shida Mirai and Kawaguchi Haruna playing themselves, as they go to a school where they are filming a series for a Youtube-like mobile video-sharing site. This week, their show, which introduces popular videos online and investigates their background, is sharing a video of paranormal activity. But when they roll the camera, strange things begin to happen.

It’s been a while since I last saw a trailer for a jhorror and thought, “I want to see that.” POV has a believable enough plot and the acting looks solid, something that’s been lacking in the genre the past few years. It doesn’t rely on special effects, an area that Japan is weak in. The horror is more subdued and tasteful, something jhorror used to be renown for.

Most importantly, POV’s style reflects the changes that we’ve seen over the past decade in film. Other Japanese films, especially jhorrors, seem to have been left in the ’90s, ignoring the changes in technology such as smartphones and social media. In the last ten years, we’ve come to expect films to be more real. We’ve seen increases in lower budget, YouTube-influenced, found footage-style films like Paranormal Activity and The Devil Inside. With POV it feels like Japanese filmmakers have finally caught up with the times.

POV is directed by Tsuruta Norio, a regular in the jhorror genre. Most of his repertoire consists of straight-to-video horrors, but he has had a couple notable feature length films such as Ring prequel Ring 0 Birthday, Premonition, and manga adaptation Orochi. It stars the very cute Shida Mirai of jdrama Jyoou no Kyoushitsu and 14 sai no haha, who I must add is becoming a beautiful actress. Costarring is Kawaguchi Haruna of jdrama Ouran High School Host Club.

POV Norowareta Film comes out in theaters in Japan on February 18th. Hopefully, we’ll get a chance to see this film abroad sometime soon. Leave your thoughts and comments on the trailer and more below.

[Trailer Watch] Will jhorror make a come-back? With “POV,” there’s a good chance is a post from: Japan Flix

Also check out our collection of Japanese films available to stream immediately on our site.

Our titles span all genres from horror to romance to exploitation. Some are extremely rare or even exclusive to Japan Flix. And many of our titles are available in full HD!

Popular titles include:

SHISEI
"What I appreciate the most with Shisei is [director] Sato's use of layered imaging and reflection. It was far more artistic and experimental than I was expecting." -Andrew Mack, Twitch

PERFECT EDUCATION
"Tonally, with its mish-mash of exploitative thrills and arthouse sensibilities, Perfect Education: 40 Days of Love is not unlike another film distributed by Art Port in its native Japan, Takashi Miike’s Audition (1999)." -Coffin Jon, V Cinema Show

THREE STRING SAMURAI
"Two things differentiate the film from the horde of familiar titles: the shamisen playing, which is legitimately amazing (and all performed by the actors onscreen), and the film’s freewheeling sense of stylistic and tonal whimsy." -Chris McGee, The Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow

Japan Flix is now streaming Pink Eiga!

SEXY TIMETRIP NINJAS
Directed by Academy Award winning director, Yojiro Takita, a sci-fi fantasy adventure about ninjas traveling to the future, to 1980s Japan!

TSUMUGI
World famous AV actress Sora Aoi in a high school romance film. She's very cute and boy, can she act!

So come check us out now at JapanFlix.com!

Working for Japan Flix, I have quite a bit of experience with subtitling and it’s a complete pain in the ass. For those of you who think subtitling is just translating, you’re 100% wrong.

Often, those of use who can speak two languages look for accuracy when we see translations. That is not how subtitling works though, and it pisses me off to listen to people whine about how the Japanese was “butchered” or the “that’s not what they said” comments.

Christ! They’re different cultures! Of course it’s never going to be perfect.

It’s not supposed to be perfect; it’s supposed to be smooth. Whether that means the character’s subtitles read as how they would talk or the subtitles are short enough for the viewer to read and still be affected by the visual.

I subtitled stuff for NHK and was limited to 1 character (spaces count) per 1/10 of a second. For example, “What are you doing?” has to be on screen for 1.9 seconds even though it may have only taken the actor 1.5 seconds to say it in Japanese and now the scene has ended and the shot has changed. There is no flexibility.

So then I have to pay attention to the placement of the subtitle to try and make sure it doesn’t overlap a cut awkwardly or appears before the actor starts speaking but the priority is always the length. Every character and space gets 1/10 of a second.

In addition, I don’t subtitle shit for your Asiaphile ass. I subtitle it for people like my mom who hates subtitles. Many people find subtitles distracting and annoying.

Here’s a secret…

THEY’RE RIGHT!

Subtitles suck. Since film’s invention, it has been a visual medium and dialogue has always been secondary. Producers and directors don’t think about subtitles when they make the movie. Storyboard artists don’t put subtitles in the storyboards to make sure that they work with the image. Subtitles are the best thing we’ve got though because even more distracting is a live-action dub where the actor’s mouth doesn’t match the words we’re hearing them speak.

Subtitles can be great if we don’t get caught up in the translation. They allow us to experience films we would never have had the opportunity to otherwise. Not to mention, we want more people to be interested in foreign movies so we try and make the subtitles less of an impediment. We want to grow the audience don’t we?

So, next time you read a subtitle and it doesn’t match what’s being said, take it easy and think about the big picture.

Subtitles – Why I hate people who bitch about them is a post from: Japan Flix

Also check out our collection of Japanese films available to stream immediately on our site.

Our titles span all genres from horror to romance to exploitation. Some are extremely rare or even exclusive to Japan Flix. And many of our titles are available in full HD!

Popular titles include:

SHISEI
"What I appreciate the most with Shisei is [director] Sato's use of layered imaging and reflection. It was far more artistic and experimental than I was expecting." -Andrew Mack, Twitch

PERFECT EDUCATION
"Tonally, with its mish-mash of exploitative thrills and arthouse sensibilities, Perfect Education: 40 Days of Love is not unlike another film distributed by Art Port in its native Japan, Takashi Miike’s Audition (1999)." -Coffin Jon, V Cinema Show

THREE STRING SAMURAI
"Two things differentiate the film from the horde of familiar titles: the shamisen playing, which is legitimately amazing (and all performed by the actors onscreen), and the film’s freewheeling sense of stylistic and tonal whimsy." -Chris McGee, The Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow

Japan Flix is now streaming Pink Eiga!

SEXY TIMETRIP NINJAS
Directed by Academy Award winning director, Yojiro Takita, a sci-fi fantasy adventure about ninjas traveling to the future, to 1980s Japan!

TSUMUGI
World famous AV actress Sora Aoi in a high school romance film. She's very cute and boy, can she act!

So come check us out now at JapanFlix.com!

Originally penned by critically acclaimed author Minato Kanae and now directed for television by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Shokuzai tells the story of four students who witness the brutal murder of their classmate but cannot remember the killer’s face. “Shokuzai” is Kanae’s third book and the live-action adaptation is Kurosawa’s first work since his 2008 brilliant film, Tokyo Sonata.

The five-episode mini-series premiered on WOWOW recently and really grabbed an audience debuting to rave reviews. One reviewer wrote that Shokuzai “was just awesome in terms of acting, directing and emotion. Kept me glued to the screen and eating up every scene.”

Much of the praise surrounding the series has centered on the acting, muted color scheme, and lack of melodrama. Hopefully we’ll get something from Kurosawa of this quality in the theater soon!

[via Tokyo Hive]

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s jdrama, Shokuzai debuts to rave reviews is a post from: Japan Flix

Also check out our collection of Japanese films available to stream immediately on our site.

Our titles span all genres from horror to romance to exploitation. Some are extremely rare or even exclusive to Japan Flix. And many of our titles are available in full HD!

Popular titles include:

SHISEI
"What I appreciate the most with Shisei is [director] Sato's use of layered imaging and reflection. It was far more artistic and experimental than I was expecting." -Andrew Mack, Twitch

PERFECT EDUCATION
"Tonally, with its mish-mash of exploitative thrills and arthouse sensibilities, Perfect Education: 40 Days of Love is not unlike another film distributed by Art Port in its native Japan, Takashi Miike’s Audition (1999)." -Coffin Jon, V Cinema Show

THREE STRING SAMURAI
"Two things differentiate the film from the horde of familiar titles: the shamisen playing, which is legitimately amazing (and all performed by the actors onscreen), and the film’s freewheeling sense of stylistic and tonal whimsy." -Chris McGee, The Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow

Japan Flix is now streaming Pink Eiga!

SEXY TIMETRIP NINJAS
Directed by Academy Award winning director, Yojiro Takita, a sci-fi fantasy adventure about ninjas traveling to the future, to 1980s Japan!

TSUMUGI
World famous AV actress Sora Aoi in a high school romance film. She's very cute and boy, can she act!

So come check us out now at JapanFlix.com!

Out in theaters in May is another Oguri Shun movie called Uchu Kyodai or Space Brothers. Seems like I’ve been writing about Oguri Shun a lot lately, with Arakawa Under the Bridge, which hit theaters last weekend, and The Woodsman and the Rain, hitting theaters this weekend. But what can I say? He sure does seem to pick his projects well.

The plot begins with two young brothers making a promise. They will both one day become astronauts together. But come 2025, only one has fulfilled his end of the deal: the younger brother Hibito (Okada Masaki). The older brother Mutta (Oguri) is a failure, recently fired from his company. Things suddenly begin to change however, when Hibito gives Mutta a call with an offer to resume the pursuit of their dreams.

Uchu Kyodai is an adaptation of a tremendously popular manga by the same name. Over 5 million copies of the manga have been sold and it’s the first to ever simultaneously receive the Kodansha Manga Award and Shogakukan Manga Award.

Over ten companies competed for rights to the screen adaptation. Toho, Japan’s biggest studio won and they’re not holding back any punches to make this into a giant, successful blockbuster.

First, we have the cast. Of course, in the lead are established A-list actor, Oguri, and up-and-coming pretty-boy idol from Hana Kimi, Okada. In a supporting role is Tsutsumi Shin’ichi, another of my favorite Japanese actors most recently the lead in Always Sunset on Third Street. Some other names you may recognize include: Aso Kumiko (Moteki), Hamada Gaku (Robo-G), and Shiomi Sansei (Crows Zero).

Second, the special effects are impeccable (from what we see so far), which is not something you can usually say about Japanese films.

And thirdly, they’ve gotten Coldplay’s “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall” for their theme song.

If you’re the type of person to be caught watching films at your local art house cinema, you likely won’t be catching Uchu anytime soon. But, if you’re a fan of Japanese blockbusters, you might want to check this out towards the end of the year when the DVD pops up at your favorite t*rrent site.

Uchu Kyodai hits theaters in Japan on May 5th. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t count on a legal distribution of this film on our side of the pond. Leave us a comment about what you think of the trailer and more below. Or follow us on twitter or like us on facebook.

[via Tokyo Hive, Nippon Cinema]

[Trailer Watch] Sorry, another Oguri Shun movie, but this one looks so awesome too is a post from: Japan Flix

Also check out our collection of Japanese films available to stream immediately on our site.

Our titles span all genres from horror to romance to exploitation. Some are extremely rare or even exclusive to Japan Flix. And many of our titles are available in full HD!

Popular titles include:

SHISEI
"What I appreciate the most with Shisei is [director] Sato's use of layered imaging and reflection. It was far more artistic and experimental than I was expecting." -Andrew Mack, Twitch

PERFECT EDUCATION
"Tonally, with its mish-mash of exploitative thrills and arthouse sensibilities, Perfect Education: 40 Days of Love is not unlike another film distributed by Art Port in its native Japan, Takashi Miike’s Audition (1999)." -Coffin Jon, V Cinema Show

THREE STRING SAMURAI
"Two things differentiate the film from the horde of familiar titles: the shamisen playing, which is legitimately amazing (and all performed by the actors onscreen), and the film’s freewheeling sense of stylistic and tonal whimsy." -Chris McGee, The Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow

Japan Flix is now streaming Pink Eiga!

SEXY TIMETRIP NINJAS
Directed by Academy Award winning director, Yojiro Takita, a sci-fi fantasy adventure about ninjas traveling to the future, to 1980s Japan!

TSUMUGI
World famous AV actress Sora Aoi in a high school romance film. She's very cute and boy, can she act!

So come check us out now at JapanFlix.com!

Coming out very soon for streaming rental here on Japan Flix is action-comedy Yakuza Weapon. It’s the latest U.S. release of the infamous production company, Sushi Typhoon. Here’s a quick look into what’s in store for you if you rent this film.

There are all kinds of Japanese movies that make it overseas: from sappy j-dramas to samurai movies, NHK period pieces, and controversial independent cinema. Sushi Typhoon doesn’t do any of that. Their specialty is comically over-the-top special effects and gratuitous violence.

Sushi Typhoon’s films take Japanese stereotypes and push them to the extreme. Take a quick look at their filmography: Helldriver, about a chainsaw-katana wielding girl fighting a zombie infestation; Alien vs Ninja, exactly as the title reads; Mutant Girls Squad, about a group of schoolgirls who realize that they have mutant powers like growing tentacles from their fingertips; and Karate-Robo Zaborgar, about a crime-fighting robot who knows karate.

Yakuza Weapon is about Shozo (Tak Sakaguchi), the son of Japan’s meanest yakuza boss. While he’s overseas, he learns about the death of his father and returns to Japan, only to find that his father’s empire has been taken over by his father’s sneaky subordinate, Kurawaki. Not only has Kurawaki taken what’s rightfully Shozo’s, he doesn’t obey the chivalrous ways of true yakuza. However, when Shozo attempts to get his revenge, Shozo loses his arm and leg in battle. All is not lost, though, because Shozo wakes up in a secret military facility that resurrects Shozo as a yakuza weapon: a machine gun for his right arm and a rocket launcher for his left leg.

On the one hand, some Japanophiles may argue that what Sushi Typhoon does is morally disgusting. They promote a particular image of Japan that isn’t “real.” Violent ninjas and samurai, fetish-ized schoolgirls, excessive bloodshed, and the like aren’t actually the kinds of entertainment mainstream Japanese people consume, let alone accurate portrayals of Japan, past or present.

On the other hand, I argue that Sushi Typhoon is truly loyal to the Japanese spirit. The images of ninjas, samurai, schoolgirls and blood did indeed originate from Japanese artists, albeit from a small niche community. Perhaps Western audiences selected these images and enhanced them to a point where they dominated all other creative works from Japan. But, Japanese artists and creators, fed by these audiences, continued to develop these memes into a truly original, polished, and proud art-form.

Yakuza Weapon is actually a pretty funny, well-paced action film. The special effects and action sequences are not realistic, but that’s now become an intentional, stylistic choice for Sushi Typhoon. But even after all this rhetoric, not everyone is going to appreciate this film. However, I do hope that everyone can get behind the idea that these works are also a distinct product of Japanese culture not to be ashamed about.

You can rent Yakuza Weapon and stream it immediately on Japan Flix very soon. Release date was supposed to be February 7th, but unfortunately, due to problems with video encoding, there have been some slight delays. Keep checking this blog post and the Yakuza Weapon page for updates.

Yakuza Weapon coming to Japan Flix very soon – latest and greatest Sushi Typhoon yet is a post from: Japan Flix

Also check out our collection of Japanese films available to stream immediately on our site.

Our titles span all genres from horror to romance to exploitation. Some are extremely rare or even exclusive to Japan Flix. And many of our titles are available in full HD!

Popular titles include:

SHISEI
"What I appreciate the most with Shisei is [director] Sato's use of layered imaging and reflection. It was far more artistic and experimental than I was expecting." -Andrew Mack, Twitch

PERFECT EDUCATION
"Tonally, with its mish-mash of exploitative thrills and arthouse sensibilities, Perfect Education: 40 Days of Love is not unlike another film distributed by Art Port in its native Japan, Takashi Miike’s Audition (1999)." -Coffin Jon, V Cinema Show

THREE STRING SAMURAI
"Two things differentiate the film from the horde of familiar titles: the shamisen playing, which is legitimately amazing (and all performed by the actors onscreen), and the film’s freewheeling sense of stylistic and tonal whimsy." -Chris McGee, The Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow

Japan Flix is now streaming Pink Eiga!

SEXY TIMETRIP NINJAS
Directed by Academy Award winning director, Yojiro Takita, a sci-fi fantasy adventure about ninjas traveling to the future, to 1980s Japan!

TSUMUGI
World famous AV actress Sora Aoi in a high school romance film. She's very cute and boy, can she act!

So come check us out now at JapanFlix.com!

This Saturday, a drama-comedy starring Oguri Shun and Yakusho Koji about filmmaking called Kitsutsuki to ame, or The Woodsman and the Rain, will be hitting theaters in Japan.

Kitsutsuki tells the heartwarming story of an encounter between two people who were never meant to meet: Katsuhiko, an old-fashioned, 60 year old lumberjack (Yakusho Koji) and Koichi, a young, inexperienced film director (Oguri Shun). One day, Koichi and his film crew appear in Katsuhiko’s small mountain village to shoot a zombie film. One thing leads to another and Katsuhiko ends up having to help the crew around town and eventually even appear in the film as a zombie.

Katsuhiko is stubborn and quaint. He’s confident at what he does but since he’s spent his whole life doing one thing, he doesn’t know much else outside his domain. On the other hand, Koichi is fidgety, timid and unsure of himself even at his own job. His hair is unkempt and his crew doesn’t treat him like a director. When the two meet, their differences initially cause conflict. But, of course, through the course of the film, they interact re-conciliate, and even learn a thing or two from each other.

Yakusho Koji is most famous State-side for Shall We Dance?, the quirky drama about a timid Japanese salaryman who begins taking ballroom dance classes in secret, which was later remade by Hollywood with Richard Gere. You can also see him in Babel, 13 Assassins, Tokyo Sonata, The Uchoten Hotel, and many, many more.

Oguri Shun is, as you may know, a Japan Flix favorite. He made his break with his sweet face and heart-swoon roles in jdramas like Hana Yori Dango and Hana-Kimi. His talents go beyond just looking pretty, though, as Oguri has shown with his parts in Crows Zero and Neighbor No. Thirteen.

Directing the two is 35 year old Okita Shuichi, who made his filmmaking debut with Ryoichi and Kiyoshi, also about two unlikely people becoming friends. As a relatively inexperienced director, perhaps he could see a bit of himself in the Koichi character.

Kitsutsuki to Ame made its world premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival last October, where it won the Special Jury Prize. Kitsutsuki makes its wide release in theaters February 11th in Japan. Let us know what you think of the trailer or more in the comments below.

[Trailer watch] Oguri Shun, Yakusho Koji in a dramedy about making a zombie film is a post from: Japan Flix

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