MAIKO HAAAAN!!! DVD Now in Stores!

Hey, Maiko fans!
The fun and colorful Maiko Haaaan!!! DVD has finally hit stores!
It is available at the VIZ Pictures ONLINE STORE!

Thanks to all of the Maiko-understudies that signed up for the chance to win the Maiko Deluxe Box. We have picked our winners and will notify them today via email. You should see your prize arrive in a week or two! Lucky you!

Wanna see the movie before you buy it? Well, if you are lucky enough to be in hot and muggy Dallas between August 14-21, you will be able to catch it at the city's Asian Film Festival. We're sure the theaters are air conditioned!

June 24, 2008

Thank you, AnimeNEXT 2008!

We just got back from AnimeNEXT at the Harmon Meadows Convention Center in New Jersey. They heavily featured Death Note live-action this year! Half of the CON-badge designs were the design we were able to provide. It was great to see the fans wearing the live-action Ryuk badges!

Before the Saturday main stage screening of Death Note, we were able to give away our new Death Note posters to fans that came as Light, L, Ryuk, and Misa Misa cosplay. I also saw a girl that had a pink death note. So creative.

There was rain and stickiness, but the convention was a huge success and all the fans seemed very content.

Thank you, AnimeNEXT. It was great to work with you this year!

June 23, 2008

RightStuf.com Hosting a Contest!

We are teaming up with RightStuf.com to give away two gift packages featuring the movie posters and the DVDs for Honey and Clover and LOVE☆COM THE MOVIE. Please go to www.rightstuf.com and submit your entries!

Each of the two gift packages will contain:

* A copy of the Honey and Clover DVD, plus movie poster
* A copy of the Love*Com DVD, plus mini-poster
* A copy of Shojo Beat July Issue

Hurry! Entries are accepted up until June 19th. Make sure to listen to the June 20th , 2008 podcast of ANIME TODAY to find out if you are a winner!

Thank you, RightStuf.com for hosting this contest!

June 9, 2008

Maiko Haaaan!!! Deluxe Box Give Away!

We are 3 weeks away from the remarkably loud and fun film Maiko Haaaan!!!'s DVD release. For fan appreciation, we are holding a Maiko Haaaan!!! Deluxe Box Give Away campaign until the DVD hits the stores on June 24.

This box filled with florecent pink includes Maiko Haaaan!!! DVD, Maiko poster, Maiko fan, Maiko keychain-purse and Maiko candy.

Inside of the DVD is a Maiko educational material that gives you a better idea of the Maiko ways. Wouldn't you like to know! We have 2 saved here for our devout movie fans! Email us your name, mailing address, and tell us why you have to have this Deluxe Maiko set! Looking forward to hearing from you. ;-)

June 3, 2008

SAKURA-CON 2008 in the snow!

This was our first year attending Sakura-Con. Altough it was snowing (the locals told us that this was very odd), the cherry blossoms were still blooming in full force. We got to enjoy a rare Seattle experience last weekend.

At the convention, we screened five of our movies with the theme "Because Japanese Girls Simply Rock!" We were so pleased to see the turnout at LOVE?COM THE MOVIE and Honey and Clover. We really appreciated our enthusiastic fans that giggled throughout our screenings.

Our friends at Scarecrow Video had a booth and advertised heavily for us this year. Most of our DVDs sold out!

Thank you Sakura-Con for putting together an awesome gathering for loyal anime fans and the new otaku generation!

April. 03, 2008

Thank You For Coming to Death Note!

Dear friends and Death Note fans! We have been blown away by the support and attendance our 2 nights only nation-wide release got! We got news from NYC that the place was packed! We got news from Denver that there were fans dressed up! Here in the Bay Area, we heard a lot of cheering when Ryuk and L entered the scene! The 20 minutes added content at the end of the show introduced Death Note 2 (Death Note: The Last Name). You know its coming soon!

Thank you NCM Fathom for working with us to deliver a Japanese film hosted in over 300 theatres in the US!

THANK YOU DEATH NOTE FANS! We can't do any of this without you!

May 22, 2008

Going to the show tonight??

The time has finally come! We have been working closely together with NCM Fathom for over 5 months to get our Death Note movie out to over 300 theatres nation-wide. We are blown away by how much feedback we have received! We also have news that our theaters are filling up pretty fast.

Are you going to the show? We are! We will be at the Century 9 in San Francisco tonight. Maybe we will see you there! Please let us know what you think about the overdub and the movie in general. We will also love it if you guys send us pictures of your cosplay..if you are dressing up tonight!

See you at the show!

May 20, 2008

Honey and Clover DVD now in stores!

Honey and Clover DVD is out on the store front today.
If you are collecting our manga-originated live-actions, here is another
one to line up on your DVD shelf.

As a licensor of Japanese live-action films, we are very touched when the manga and anime fans are enthusiastic about their favorite characters acted out by actors. We were able to see how much our Honey and Clover fans enjoy this movie at the Sakura-CON screening this spring.

Watch Hagu and Takemoto come to life!
Honey and Clover DVD is available at our online store.

May 13, 2008

L Ringtone and more!

So, your cell phone now speaks to you with the voice of Shinigami Ryuk.
Well, we got more!! Are you ready for the L ringtone? Death Note wallpaper?
Downloads are available on our official Death Note Live-action site at
www.DeathNoteFilms.com.

But wait, that is not all. Light rintone is coming on June 24th, and more will
follow on a monthly basis. So stay tuned.

If you are planning on going to the Death Note showing on the 20th or the 21st,
make sure you brag about your ringtones..but please turn it off before the show!

May 13, 2008

FREE TICKETS GIVEAWAY to Death Note!

Are you a Death Note fan? Still haven't got your ticket to the show on May 20th or the 21st? Well, here is a perfect opportunity for you to get your tickets for FREE! Some lucky fans who sign up to our Email Newsletter will be picked to go to the movie event. We are going to pick the winner after 5pm (PDT) on Friday the 9th, so make sure you sign up by then. Winners will get a ticket to the May 21st 7:30pm show at a theatre near them.

For theatre listings near you, go to FathomEvents.com and enter your zipcode.
We are certain that Death Note is playing somewhere near you!

May 5, 2008

Ryuk Ringtone for Death Note Fans!

Do you want Ryuk the rogue "Shinigami*" death-god to start calling out to you from your pocket? "So, what are you going to do now?". If you are a Death Note fan, this creepy voice repeating from your cell phone may sound oddly delightful! As if you have the Death Note in your hand and you are about to change the fate of the New World. Today, the Ryuk ringtone is available to our friends in the USA and Canada on our official Death Note site! Go to GOODIES and download away!

Next to come on May 13th is L's voice. Keep visiting DeathNoteFilms.com for more Death Note wallpapers and ringtones to come! Customize your phone...make it a Death Note cell phone his summer!

*Japanese word for the god of death; similar concept to the Grim Reaper.

April. 25, 2008

DEATH NOTE Tickets Now On Sale!

Important! Death Note movie tickets are now available for the public to purchase. You can go directly to FathomEvents.com's Death Note page to find out which cinema near you is hosting the live-action Death Note movie on May 20th and 21st. Hurry, there is a limited number of tickets, so get them ASAP.

We've had many inquiries about the theatre list. On the FathomEvents.com page, you can find a theatre near you by simply typing in your zip code.

If you are interested in finding out more about the DVD release, Death Note 2 and more, get on our newsletter list and be the first to know!

April. 21, 2008

DEATH NOTE Official Website Launched!

We had a very short period to construct it, but we beat the odds and the Death Note site is up and running. Please visit www.deathnotefilms.com to check out hot deals at HOT TOPIC, pre-sale tickets with the SHONEN JUMP Newsletter, and a direct link to the Death Note Anime site.

Tickets go on sale for our two-night only event on May 20-21st. If you are worried that tickets will sell out, sign up and get the secret link that gets you your ticket tomorrow!

We also have a myspace page where you can meet the /Death Note/ fan community. Please join at http://www.myspace.com/deathnotethemovie and keep us informed of what you're up to!

April. 17, 2008

DEATH NOTE Nation-Wide Theatrical Release!

This May 20th and 21st marks the nation-wide release of Death Note Live-Action! At this limited theatrical event, fans will also enjoy a 20-minute pre-show with special previews and interview with diretor Shunichi Kaneko.

For theatre listings and ticket information, visit FathomEvents.com after April 16th. If you want to get tickets before they go on sale, SHONEN JUMP subscribers get three days to purchase pre-sale tickets. Join the SHONEN JUMP Newsletter to get information about when and how to get them!

Our official Death Note site www.deathnotefilms.com will be launched tomorrow, April 16th. You will be able to keep track of movie details, DVD releases, Death Note: The Last Name, and much more here. Ringtone and wallpaper downloads will be available very soon. Stay tuned!

April. 15, 2008

NANA DVD in stores!

Our beloved NANA is in stores tomorrow, April 8, 2008. This is a much-anticipated release for us, as we've gotten a lot of feedback from our friends at Scarecrow Video, The ImaginAsian and all over the web. NANA, the manga turned live-action movie, features two hot stars: J-pop icon Mika Nakashima and Japan's sweetheart Aoi Miyazaki. The boys in the cast are quite the heart-throb crew as well. Check out the story of two girls who try to survive Tokyo together and with their friends.

NANA is currently playing at The ImaginAsian Theater in NY until the 10th.
If you enjoyed NANA, then watch for NANA 2 this summer! Stay tuned to this space.

The NANA DVD is available at our online store tomorrow.

April. 07, 2008

Death Note hosted by SFIAAFF at the Castro!

We had a crazy night last weekend at the Castro Theater, San Francisco. The line to Death Note wrapped around the corner all the way up to Orphan Andy's passed Hot Cookie and the Twin Peaks Bar. This was the first glance for us to see our audience and fans who came to see the live-action Death Note. We were so impressed by the turn out. What about Death Note 2? Well, we did license it...and we will disclose more about it in the near future. Please stay tuned!

Thank you SFIAAFF for a wonderful festival and screening two of our films.
Our other feature is Traveling with Yoshitomo Nara, a documentary about the famous Japanese modern artist.

We also want to thank our friends from VIZ MEDIA, LLC. for showing up to show us their support. Thank you!

Mar. 20, 2008

Double ISHII feature at the ImaginAsian Theatre

This Friday at the ImaginAsian Theater in NYC we're opening a huge double feature -- Katsuhito Ishii's Funky Forest: The First Contact and The Taste of Tea. When we licensed Funky Forest, we were hoping such an event would come about. If you are an Ishii fan and will be in NYC, this is your week to go watch both films on the big screen. Thanks to the ImaginAsian for being great supporters of our movies!

We also have NANA and Maiko Haaaan!!! scheduled to screen at the ImaginAsian Theater in NY and the ImaginAsian Center in LA, so stay tuned...

Mar. 5, 2008

We Love JERO!

Have you heard of JERO? He's the newest craze in Japan's Enka scene!
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, Jero is an African American who is one-quarter Japanese, with a voice and attitude of a career Enka singer! His late grandmother from Japan turned him onto Japanese Enka.

We heard rumors of him recently and checked him out on Youtube. His debut single "Umiyuki" (Ocean Snow) is ranked No. 4 on Japan's Oricon Charts, and he appears to be unstoppable. Click here to see his latest video. As promoters of Japanese pop culture, we're excited for Jero's future success.

Feb. 29, 2008

LOVE☆COM THE MOVIE in Stores!

We are happy to announce the DVD release of LOVE☆COM THE MOVIE! Some of you Shojo Beat readers may already know about this high school romantic-comedy based on the manga Lovely Complex.

LOVE☆COM THE MOVIE will be one of the "Because Japanese Girls Simply Rock" features in the upcoming Sakura-Con 2008 in Seattle (March 28-30, 2008) along with our three other "girl" films: HULA GIRLS, Honey and Clover, and Linda Linda Linda. If you are going to Sakura-Con, you will be able to experience LOVE☆COM THE MOVIE firsthand!

Check out the DVD page to read more about this colorful bubblegum comedy! We love it!

Feb. 19, 2008

Happy New Year! Our third year...a great year!

We are gearing up for another year of licensing and distribution of great J-POP films. With a tight schedule of eight DVD releases and many theatrical campaigns, our New Year resolution is to stay in good health. ;-) The definite HOT picks of this year are DEATH NOTE and DEATH NOTE: The Last Name. We are hoping to introduce this huge movie to new audiences. If you are already a /Death Note/ fan, you know what we are talking about!! Also, no one should miss the abstract and somewhat disturbing journey of Funky Forest: The First Contact by Ishii + Miki + Aniki. Ask no more. You just need to see it...

Outside of movie licensing, we will be launching two websites this year for both The J-POP Center and VIZ Cinema. The J-POP Center, which will house the VIZ Cinema, is scheduled to open in 2009. (That will be next year's news.) For more information about our 2008 releases and other projects, please keep coming back to www.viz-pictures.com. We will continue to bring you the hottest news!

Jan. 16, 2008

New York Anime Festival: 3 premiers and more!

The New York Anime Festival took place at the Javitz Center this year (12/07-12/09) bringing in anime fans from all over. We were lucky to have six of our films featured in this event, and got to meet many die-hard anime fans that also love the live-action films that we bring to them.

NANA, Honey and Clover, LOVE☆COM THE MOVIE were all premieres and Kamikaze Girls, Ping Pong, and Gackt: The Greatest Filmography RED also played as all-time favorites. We'd like to thank many people for singning up for our e-mail newsletter. If you missed out on this opportuniy, please give us your information here. We should be coming out with one very soon!

Thank you New York Anime Festival for having us. Thank you all the fans for being so involved! While it was rainy and grey outside, we felt very warm at our booth.

Dec. 7 - 9, 2007

Shinto purification at the J-POP Center site

As our symbolic first step in the J-POP Center construction plan, we held a traditional Shinto purification ceremony to offer closure to a historical building and an old tree that is standing on the future J-Pop Center site in the heart of Japantown, San Francisco. In this ceremony, we thanked the spirit of the land, offered the building and the tree an apology for its termination, and prayed for safety of the demolition workers.

The formal ceremony was conducted by Reverend Koichi Barrish from the Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America in Seattle, WA, the only Shinto priest to ever be ordained outside of Japan. We would like to thank Reverend Barrish and all of those who gathered to pay respect to the former Hokebei Mainichi Newspaper Building and bring proper closure to its history.

Once the demolition is complete and the new foundation is set, we will have another purification ceremony for the new construction of the J-Pop Center.
For more information about the Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America and the fabulous Reverend Barrish, please visit www.tsubakishrine.com.

Nov. 16, 2007

DVD DEBUT OF HULA GIRLS at Yoshi's in Oakland

Aloha! We had quite the exciting Hula Girls DVD release celebration at Yoshi's
on the 7th of November. On tour on the mainland soil, Jake Shimabukuro was in town to play a two set show at the world-renown Jazz club.

One of the world’s top ukulele musicians, and the composer and performer for the soundtrack to HULA GIRLS (available in the US from Hitchhike Records), Jake Shimabukuro is known for his revolutionary playing techniques and category defying music; you name it, he has incorporated it in his style.

Thanks to Jake's generosity and his loyal fan-base, we were able to kick off our
DVD release on a very good note. If you are interested in hearing this phenomenal musician play, please visit www.jakeshimabukuro.com to catch him on his tour.

Nov. 7, 2007

VIZ Pictures licenses four live action films based on popular Shojo Beat Manga titles

VIZ Pictures has licensed the live action versions of four films based on popular titles released under VIZ Media’s SHOJO BEAT imprint. These include HONEY AND CLOVER, LOVE*COM THE MOVIE, NANA and NANA 2.

All films except NANA 2 will have special premiere screenings at the upcoming New York Anime Festival December 7-9, 2007. HONEY AND CLOVER will be released theatrically in select cities beginning in December. LOVE*COM THE MOVIE will be released straight to DVD in February 2008 and distributed by VIZ Media. NANA will be released theatrically in early 2008 and NANA 2 will have a theatrical release in the spring of 2008."

Nov.1, 2007

Destination: Tokyo Int'l Film Festival

Towards the end of this month VIZ Pictures will fly to Tokyo to visit the 20th Tokyo International Film Festival to scope out new talent in the industry. We are looking forward to viewing Japanese festival entries for possible licensing and future distribution in North America.

As the TIFF (Tokyo International Film Festival) is ranked 11th on the list of top film festivals, competition should be spirited. This year marks the festival's 20th anniversary; as the title trailer states, "The child of cinema has turned twenty," signifying the festival's coming of age. Make sure you visit here to check out all of the film entries sent to Tokyo from around the world!

Oct. 20-28, 2007

Gackt's North American Debut on DVD!

Unlike our usual features, Gackt's Filmography is a compilation of music videos featuring one of the biggest Japanese Visual Kei star. Outside of Japan, Gackt has a huge following for his affiliations with anime and games. As a cutting edge specimen of J-pop, VIZ Pictures is very excited to announce the release of the 2 DVDs; RED / BLUE on October 9th of 2007!

"The genre of J-rock and Visual Kei has become increasingly popular with anime fans across North America and we are honored to release these two DVD editions by one of the genre's most notable artist," says Seiji Horibuchi, President and CEO of VIZ Pictures. "The popularity of music drawn from anime and video game titles continues to grow and is an ideal vehicle to bridge cultural and language gaps. The delivery of an even wider range of J-pop culture through visual entertainment is our new challenge."

Oct. 9, 2007

Interview with Kaiju Shakedown

VIZ Pictures had the pleasure of engaging in an email interview with Grady Hendrix for Kaiju Shakedown, Variety Magazine's Asian film blog.

In this interview, we were able to speak of our motivations and goals as a film distributor in the U.S. Grady asked Manami Iiboshi, VIZ Pictures Director of Marketing, and Brian Ige, Director of Sales for VIZ Media, how we choose and distribute our films to theatres in North America, and how we aim to stand out from others in this competitive industry.

"We know the popular Japanese movie genres here are horror and violent or samurai/ninja action movies, and there are so many of those available in the market already, which is really great. But we want to explore something new, so we carefully choose movies which represent 'J-Pop' from our point of view, and that's our difference."
- Manami Iiboshi, Director of Marketing, VIZ Pictures

To read the whole blog, please visit here.

Death Note Live Action Licensed!

VIZ Pictures is proud to announce the licensing of DEATH NOTE and its sequel, DEATH NOTE: THE LAST NAME, from Nippon Television (NTV) for North American theatrical and DVD distribution. DEATH NOTE is based on the popular anime and manga series which have gained a massive following in Japan and North America. "Both films were smash hits in Japan upon their initial release, and the established popularity of the manga in the United States, combined with the highly anticipated debut of the anime series, will prime audiences for the excitement and tension that the live feature films bring to the story," said VIZ Pictures President and CEO Seiji Horibuchi. VIZ Pictures is looking forward to bringing you DEATH NOTE in theatres and on DVD as soon as possible. Stay tuned!

Future viewings:
*DEATH NOTE will screen at:
Nov. 1-4: Vancouver, BC, Vancouver Asian Film Festival
For show times and tickets, go to http://www.vaff.org/
*Note: This will only be a screening of DEATH NOTE

Sept. 18, 2007