Archive
SADO Tempest UK Screening At Sci-Fi London Festival 2013
A haunting Japanese cinematic rendition of the Shakespeare play “The Tempest”!
Date: 6 May 2013
Time: 16.15
Venue: Stratford East Picturehouse, Salway Road, E15 1BX London
Includes a Q&A with Producer Paul Smith after screening. Read more…
London Anime Convention 20-21 July 2013
An event that includes J-pop, cosplay, special guests, and lots of fun!
Anime League kicks off with their Summer London Anime Convention 20-21 July at the London Rocket Complex, Holloway Road. Over a thousand people are expected to attend this weekend which is jammed pack full of anime, gaming, Japanese culture and Read more…
Hibiki Ichikawa and Guests: An Evening Of Tsugaru Shamisen And Japanese Folk Songs
An entertaining evening of Japanese folk music!
Date: Tuesday, 14 May 2013 7:00 – 8:00 pm, preceded by a drinks reception from 6:00pm
Venue: Daiwa Foundation Japan House 13/14 Cornwall Terrace London NW1 4QP MAP Nearest Station: Baker Street
Admission Free, booking essential Read more…
DVD Review: Nura – Rise of The Yokai Clan Season 1 Part 1
Based on the manga by Hiroshi Shibashi
Japan is reputedly one of the most haunted countries in the world and the TV anime Nura – Rise of the Yokai clan makes use of a wide selection of demons (yokai) from Japanese folklore and places them in modern day Tokyo.
Life can be tough for most humans but spare a thought for good-natured twelve-year-old Rikuo Nura who has to deal with being a quarter demon. Rikuo may seem like a normal schoolboy but he lives amongst yokai who belong to the Nura clan which is led by his grandfather, the Supreme Commander of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. With Rikuo’s Read more…
Music Review: Raychell “L>R”
The eagerly anticipated debut album from Japan’s hottest new singing sensation!
Release date: 24 April 2013
This dazzling assortment of songs which consists of a mixture of styles from rock to dance confirms that Raychell is a singer – songwriter of immense talent who is equally comfortable performing ballads as she is up-tempo songs. Her vocal skills are outstanding. She can make a simple tune sound full of meaning and an intricate melody sound easy on the Read more…
Oblivion Island: Haruka And The Magic Mirror DVD Competition Now Closed! And The Winner Is…
Competition is now closed and a winner has been chosen.
Thanks to everyone who entered the competition to win a copy of Oblivion Island: Haruka And The Magic Mirror DVD. Sadly, there can only be one winner.
And the winner is… Read more…
‘Terracotta Film Club’ Presents Samurai Masterpiece Lady Snowblood
Venue: Prince Charles Cinema London
Date: Wednesday 24 April
‘Terracotta Film Club’ will present a Japanese classic from legendary director Toshiya Fujita for its 4th edition.
This blood-splattered Samurai masterpiece from the golden age of Japanese cult cinema is credited as the main inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s KILL BILL series. LADY SNOWBLOOD is a 1973 Japanese film based on a manga and set in Read more…
WIN Oblivion Island: Haruka And The Magic Mirror DVD
Hooray! It’s competition time again!
Made by Production I.G, Oblivion Island: Haruka And The Magic Mirror is an action-packed fantasy adventure that sees high school girl Haruka magically transported to the titular island, whose colourful inhabitants collect humanity’s forgotten belongings.
A heart-warming fairytale packed with high-octane adventure and set in a lush fantasy world, Oblivion Island is a family-friendly film that evokes the works of Pixar and Studio Ghibli.
Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror comes to DVD and DVD & Blu-ray Combo pack on Read more…
DVD Review: Blue Exorcist Part 2 – Episodes 14 – 25
Rin defies his Hellish heritage and enrols at the True Cross Academy, determined to become the world’s strongest exorcist.!
Blue Exorcist Part 2 is the final collection of Manga Entertainment’s release of the popular shounen anime title. It covers episodes 14 to 25 and it features an increase in macabre monsters, creepy characters and awesome action as the show reaches its climax.
At the end of the first collection 15-year-old Rin Okumura and his new-found friends at the True Cross Academy have advanced a level in their Exorcist training to the rank of Ex-Wires. Rin and his Read more…
Embrace The Dark With The Release Of Darkstalkers Resurrection
The two-for-one priced combo breathes new life into each game!
Capcom is thrilled to confirm that Darkstalkers Resurrection is now available to download in North America on PlayStation Network (PSN) for $14.99. On March 13th, the game will be released in Europe on PSN (€14.99 / £11.99) and across all territories on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Read more…
HYPER JAPAN 2013 Tickets Now On Sale!
Date: Friday 26 – Sunday 28 July 2013
Venue: Earls Court Two, Earls Court, London
HYPER JAPAN, the UK’s biggest celebration of Japanese culture, cuisine and cool, is back for 2013. Diverse exhibitors, stores, performers and fans will once again come together to bring the very best of contemporary and traditional Japan to the heart of London. Since the first HYPER JAPAN in 2010, there have three subsequent events, each one more popular than the Read more…
Koichi Sakamoto Directs Nao Nagasawa And Ayumi Kinoshita In Travelers: Dimension Police
Sexy Nagasawa and Kinoshita kick ass in new action-packed sci-fi drama!
You may recall in February 2012 when Diverse Japan interviewed Nao Nagasawa (Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger, GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka, Playgirls 2012) that she mentioned she was going to Taiwan the following month to begin shooting her next action movie. DJ can now reveal that the film she spoke of is a sci-fi action adventure called Travelers: Dimension Police directed by Read more…
2nd Installment From Okamoto Kido’s Talks On Meiji Era Theatre – Under The Lamp
Part 14: The scene at the opening of the new Kabukiza!
Kabuza Gossip – ‘Heart Warming Historical Tales of Kōmon’ (Zokusetsu Bidan Kōmon Ki) — Scholar, Amateur Kabuki Dramatist and Journalist Fukuchi Ōchi — The Appearance of Kabukiza Banzuke advertising posters – ‘The Fire Brigade Fight’ (Megumi no Kenka).
After the Great Earthquake disaster (of 1923) the appearance of the Kabukiza theatre building was once again anticipated. Also a large part of the Read more…
DVD Review: Needless Part 1 Episodes 1-12
An anime series about a group of post-holocaust survivors with extraordinary powers!
It is the year 2130, 50 years after the catastrophic events of World War III. Where Tokyo once stood, there is now a nuclear contaminated hole full of rubble and destruction, known as ‘The Black Spot’. Now populated by refugees and outcasts, many of The Black Spot’s inhabitants have developed special powers ranging from telekinesis to super strength, speed and even transmutation. These powers are known as ‘fragments’ and the people who wield them known as the ‘Needless’. Read more…
Luxury Holidays In The Land Of The Rising Sun
Castles, theme parks, breath-taking scenery… Japan has it all!
Japan is a fascinating country with a rich history and culture, a unique mix of old and new. It is a country definitely worth visiting in style. Here is what you need to know about spending a luxury holiday in this beautiful place. Read more…
1st Installment From Okamoto Kido’s Talks On Meiji Era Theatre – Under The Lamp
Part 14 The Scene at the opening of the new Kabukiza!
Kabuza Gossip – ‘Heart Warming Historical Tales of Kōmon’ (Zokusetsu Bidan Kōmon Ki) — Scholar, Amateur Kabuki Dramatist and Journalist Fukuchi Ōchi — The Appearance of Kabukiza Banzuke advertising posters – ‘The Fire Brigade Fight’ (Megumi no Kenka) Read more…
DVD Review: Chaos; Head Collection
From the mind that brought you Death Note comes a schizophrenic anime experience!
Based on a virtual novel developed for the PC (and later Playstation and XBox systems) by 5pb and Nitroplus and consequent Manga adaptation, Chaos Head (also known as the stylised ChäoS;HEAd) is a psychological thriller with sci-fi and fantasy elements.
The story follows Takumi Nishijō, an otaku with a love of action figures and dolls, specifically of his favourite anime heroine, Orgel Seira. He is reclusive and a self confessed ‘hermit’ with most of his social integration taking place Read more…
Theatre Review: Anjin: The Shogun And The English Samurai
A lavish three-hour stage production of the relationship between William Adams and Shogun to be Tokugawa Ieyasu!
On the 12th April 1600, some six months before the battle of Sekigahara took place on 20th October that same year, the first Englishman to step foot in Japan, William Adams (Stephen Boxer), arrived off the coast of the Japanese province of Bungo in the Dutch ship the Liefde. It was a combination of these events which, that year, brought together and changed the fortunes of two men; William Adams, a maritime pilot from Gillingham, and the Shōgun to be Tokugawa Ieyasu (Masachika Ichimura), a descendant of the Minamoto and the wealthiest Daimyō (Lord) in Japan at Read more…
Interview: Producer Thelma Holt – Anjin: The Shogun and the English Samurai
“The influence of Japanese theatre has been and is tremendous!” Thelma Holt
Thelma Holt CBE began a long and distinguished theatre career as an actress. She then founded the Open Space Theatre in Tottenham and has worked for the Roundhouse, the National Theatre and the Peter Hall Company. She went on to found her own theatre production company, Thelma Holt Limited. She works with the distinguished Japanese Director Yukio Ninagawa to bring Anglo-Japanese theatre to the Read more…
