Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part IV]

whitedove

1953 film 'Hiroshima' to be screened with English subtitles

Wednesday 26th January, 05:27 AM JST

HIROSHIMA —

A 1953 Japanese film titled ‘‘Hiroshima’’ that depicts the devastation inflicted on the city and its people by the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing will be screened with English subtitles at an international event in Barcelona in May, the group working to translate the film said Tuesday.

Yuka Takeshita, 22, a senior student at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, offered to help with the subtitles after a screening at the university last October.

‘‘I hope people around the world will watch this film and it will give them an opportunity to think about nuclear issues,’’ Takeshita said at a press conference held in the western Japan city.

Takeshita, along with other students from the university, plans to show the version with English subtitles at the International Conference of Museums for Peace in Barcelona in May and to release a DVD of it in July. They are also hoping to add subtitles in other languages to the film.

Ippei Kobayashi, a 64-year-old film producer and son of Taihei Kobayashi, who worked as assistant director on the film directed by Hideo Sekikawa, floated the idea of adding English subtitles.

A total of roughly 90,000 Hiroshima residents and victims of the Aug 6, 1945, atomic bombing took part in the film as extras, which is based on ‘‘Gembaku no ko’’ (Children of the A-Bomb), a compilation of notes on the victims’ experiences of the blast.

Source: www.japantoday.com

whitedove

Director Ikeda in Apparent Suicide       
January 26, 2011



The body of a man believed to be movie director Ikeda Toshiharu (59, photo right) was found in the Pacific Ocean at the end of last year, it was revealed yesterday. Mie Prefectural police have reported that the body, a short man in his 50s or 60s, was found floating near a lighthouse on the southern Shima Peninsula on December 26. The body was naked apart from a par of black sneakers and the man was believed to have drowned one or two days earlier. The area is remote, although its beaches are popular in summer.

Police are not assuming foul play and think it likely that the man jumped, or fell, from the 20m cliffs near the lighthouse. An associate of Ikeda who lives in the nearby small city of Shima heard about the death and suggested a possible identity to police. They are currently carrying out DNA testing, but the body has already been cremated.

Ikeda became an assistant director for Ishihara Promotions while studying at Waseda University and joined the Nikkatsu movie studio after graduation. He joined at the same time as Negishi Kichitaro (60), with whom he left Nikkatsu in 1984 to set up Director's Company. Their first project was "Ningyo Densetsu," and their approach of giving directors full creative control over movie projects shook up the industry. Ikeda left the company in 1991. His recent films include "Hasami Otoko" (2005) and "Akifukaki" (2008, photo).

Source: www.japan-zone.com

whitedove

LaSalle Ishii divorces after 32 years of marriage
Tue, January 25, 2011 (12:17pm EST)



Talento and actor LaSalle Ishii (55) is now divorced after 32 years of marriage, it was learned on Monday. The news was reported by the newest issue of weekly magazine Josei Jishin before being confirmed by his management agency. According to the magazine, Ishii was living separately from his wife for the past 15 years, and the couple officially divorced at the start of this year.

The two first met through the theater group that Ishii was involved in during his student days at Waseda University. They married in 1979 and had two daughters. In 1997, Ishii reportedly had an affair with an actress 12 years younger than him. Although he denied it, that seems to have been around the time that Ishii and his wife began living in separation.

Josei Jishin also reported that Ishii was seen on a date at a restaurant on Christmas Eve last year with a woman in her mid-twenties, and he even gave her a ring as a present. However, it appears that the woman broke off the relationship sometime after that.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

Marie Yanaka crowned 43rd Miss Nippon winner
Tue, January 25, 2011 (12:45pm EST)

The Sports Nippon newspaper held its 43rd Miss Nippon Contest on Monday in Shinjuku, Tokyo. A total of 3,169 entrants were narrowed down to 12 women for the final round, and the grand prize was awarded to 20-year-old Marie Yanaka, a student at Keio University who is said to have scored a perfect 990 points on the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) certification test.

This year's two Miss Nippon runner-ups were 15-year-olds Chika Ehara and Hiroka Akiya.

The other winners were:

Miss Kimono: Hisae Arai (24), the daughter of former baseball player Hiromasa Arai
Miss Marine Day: Ayano Higuchi (21)
Miss Sky Day: Rina Kuribayashi (22)
Miss Nature: Kaori Harada (22)
Sponichi Special Prize (publicly voted): Rina Kuribayashi

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

Magokoro Brothers, Tamio Okuda cover Bob Dylan for "My Back Page"
Tue, January 25, 2011 (8:06pm EST)



The duo Magokoro Brothers and singer Tamio Okuda have teamed up for a cover of the Bob Dylan song "My Back Pages," which will be used as the theme song of Nobuhiro Yamashita's upcoming film "My Back Page." The movie, set around the time of the 1969 student protests at Tokyo University, was first announced last May and stars Satoshi Tsumabuki and Kenichi Matsuyama.

Magokoro Brothers did a cover of "My Back Pages" before, but they re-recorded the song for the collaboration. Okuda was in charge of singing the original English lyrics, while Magokoro Brothers member YO-KING sang the translated lines in Japanese.

The movie opens in theaters on May 28.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

53rd Blue Ribbon Awards: Tetsuya Nakashima's "Kokuhaku" named Best Picture
Tue, January 25, 2011 (7:51pm EST)



The winners of the 53rd annual Blue Ribbon Awards were decided on Tuesday. Reporters from seven of Tokyo's major sports newspapers chose Tetsuya Nakashima's "Kokuhaku" ("Confessions") as Best Picture, earning the film yet another award. Yoshino Kimura (34) also won Best Supporting Actress for her role in that film.

Although this was good news for "Kokuhaku," it was also announced on Tuesday in the U.S. that the movie missed the final cut for Best Foreign Language Film nominations in the Academy Awards. "Kokuhaku" was one of nine contenders remaining for the five nominations.

The Blue Ribbon Awards will be presented in Ginza, Tokyo, on February 15. The winners are:

Best Picture: Kokuhaku (Confessions) - Tetsuya Nakashima
Best Director: Yuya Ishii - Kawa no Soko Kara Konnichiwa (Sawako Decides)
Best Actor: Satoshi Tsumabuki - Akunin (Villain)
Best Actress: Shinobu Terajima - Caterpillar
Best Supporting Actor: Renji Ishibashi - Outrage; Kondo wa Aisaika (A Good Husband)
Best Supporting Actress: Yoshino Kimura - Kokuhaku (Confessions)
Best Newcomer: Toma Ikuta - Ningen Shikkaku (No Longer Human); Hanamizuki
Best Newcomer: Nanami Sakuraba - Shodo Girls!! Watashitachi no Koshien

*Best Foreign Language Film has not been announced at the time of this writing.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

Hawaii has a winner in hula dancer Aureana Tseu

By Chris Betros



TOKYO —

Aureana Tseu jokes that she must have been hula dancing since she was in her mother’s womb. It’s actually a profound comment by the world-class dancer and Miss Hawaii USA 2009. When Aureana’s mother Iwalani was pregnant with her, she had cervical cancer and doctors recommended that she terminate the pregnancy. But Iwalani decided to have her baby.

“I first learned about it from mom when I was a teenager modeling in the Philippines,” said Aureana, 27, a hazel-eyed beauty with an ethnic background that includes Hawaiian, Chinese, Filipino and Caucasian heritage. “I think that knowing about it is why I cherish life so much. It takes too much energy to be negative and dwell on what could have happened, should have or maybe. If you take every experience – positive or negative – and realize that there is an opportunity to grow from it, you can stay cheerful. Life really is precious and short.”

Sitting down for chat with Aureana and her mother outside Nirvana in Tokyo Midtown, it’s a cold afternoon but that doesn’t faze the vivacious Hawaiian. Her cheerfulness exudes a natural warmth. She is a regular visitor to Japan, coming 5-6 times a year to perform hula dancing shows, teach Japanese students and generally promote the state of Hawaii.

Aureana got her dancing start in early in life at her mother’s school, the famed Iwalani School of Dance. She recalls not being very enthusiastic at first. “I cried every day when mom took me to practice. My two sisters and I had no choice. Whether we liked it not, we got packed up and taken to class. It wasn’t until I was 7 or 8 that I had my first experience of being on stage and I started to love it. Then I would play dress up at home and create my own costumes.”

Beauty pageants became a part of Aureana’s life early on. “When I was 11, my mom sent me to check the mail, and in there was a flyer for Miss Pre-Teen Asia. I had always watched the different pageants on TV, so I begged her to let me enter. She said absolutely not because she thought I didn’t have the stamina or skin for it. But she and dad eventually relented. I signed up for the contest and won it.” It was the first of many wins – Aureana went on to become Miss Hawaii Teen USA 1999, Miss Oahu Filipina 2003, Miss Hawaii Filipina 2003, as well as Miss Hawaii USA 2009.

She first came to Japan when she was 15 to take part in an Osaka fashion show organized by the wife of Hawaii’s then governor. In between her trips to Japan and beauty pageants, Aureana completed her education. She studied business management at college and has a company—Ka Nani A Hawai’i – which produces her many hula dance performances.

Her shows in Japan, held in various venues such as hotels, always draw enthusiastic fans. “Japanese audiences love hula dancing because Hawaii has a strong historical relationship with Japan. Hula is an interpretive dance, so I try to incorporate different styles and ideas into my dancing, such as belly dancing, jazz and Brazilian,” says Auerana who also choreographs her shows, does stage and costume design, as well as select her back-up dancers.

Passion and lots of training

Passion and lots of training are the key to success, she points out. “You need passion to be a great dancer, or with any profession, actually. You also have to be humble enough to know that you are constantly learning, no matter how great other people may tell you that you are.” To keep in shape, Aureana practices 6-8 hours a day, and longer – 9-12 hours—when she is getting ready for a competition. “You discover muscles you didn’t realize you have by doing a certain move,” she explains. “For the rest, lots of sleep and tons of water keep me in good shape.”

Many of the dancers for her shows in Japan come from the Yokohama branch of the Iwalani school that Aureana’s mother opened in 1996. Besides teaching Japanese students the ethnic dances of the South Pacific, South America and the Middle East, the school helps them to develop a positive attitude, confidence, self-esteem and respect for tradition and family values. “Dancing – any kind of dancing—can help a woman build self-esteem. The group becomes like a second family, your sisters,” says Aureana. “There is one Japanese girl at the Yokohama school, who is shy and introverted. But the second we put her in a costume with eyelashes, she comes alive.”

Aureana says she hopes her own experiences can help young women overcome such problems. “Women, especially young girls, have self-esteem problems. When they are young, so many social pressures are put on them about what is beautiful, smart and strong. They don’t truly believe in themselves and they submit to abuse, be it emotional or domestic violence because they don’t have inner strength or confidence. That’s a big problem now in Hawaii.

“And what is beauty anyway? Growing up, I had experiences of people making fun of me because of the way I looked. I had fair skin and green eyes and I was in an all-Hawaiian school. As long as you feel beautiful inside, who cares how others judge you? But that is a hard message for young women to instil in themselves.”

One thing that being in a beauty contest taught Aureana is that she can be a voice for various issues. “As an ambassador for Hawaii, it’s important to not only share everything that is special and unique about Hawaii but to also bring to the forefront specific issues that our state has to deal with as well.”

Her dancing takes her away from her sunny homeland quite a lot, including to some cold climates. “The coldest places I have performed in were England and New Zealand. Another time, my sister and I were head choreographers and directors for dancers at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade once. It was a freezing day. The hula dancers had to wear leotards.”

Aureana has put out a DVD that has her dancing and explaining about Hawaiian culture. “It shows the human side of me, not just what I do on stage,” she says. The “human” side of her includes a love for sweets, such as pumpkin ice cream pie and an affinity for karaoke. “You cannot get me off the microphone or I’ll be up there for at least 20 minutes,” she laughs.

In future, Aureana says she would like to be a creative director. “There will be a point where I hang up my hula panties. When I do, I want to continue to just create and produce all the elements that go into a show.”

That won’t be the end of her dancing, though. “I am sure there is hula in heaven,” she says with a sparkle in her voice.

Source: www.japantoday.com

whitedove

Singer Sachiko Kobayashi named Japan's rice ambassador

Thursday 27th January, 03:18 AM JST



TOKYO —

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has appointed singer Sachiko Kobayashi as its new rice ambassador as part of a campaign to boost flagging rice sales. The Niigata-born singer, who herself grows rice, told the press, “Japan’s rice is safe and it’s the most delicious in the world.”

Kobayashi is expected to perform around Japan and visit influential rice-buying neighbors such as China as part of her
ambassadorial duties.

The ambassador scheme, a first for the ministry, is part of a larger set of policy measures planned to resuscitate Japan’s ailing agriculture sector. Agriculture Minister Michihiko Kano said, “I’d like our our new ambassador to take this message to all media and I hope this campaign will bring encouragement and peace of mind to farmers across Japan.”

Source: www.japantoday.com

whitedove

Crystal Kay cancels tour for health reasons
Wed, January 26, 2011 (12:48pm EST)



Singer Crystal Kay has announced that she is canceling her upcoming tour, "Crystal Kay Live Tour 2011 Spin the Music," which was scheduled to start next month. She will be undergoing treatment for a health condition, suspected to be acute nephritis (inflammation in the kidneys).

Crystal Kay recently began feeling unwell, and her doctor diagnosed her with a possible case of nephritis. She will remain under medical observation while she rests, meaning that she will be unable to rehearse or perform on her tour. As a result, she and her staff decided to cancel the tour so that she can focus on receiving treatment.

The tour's schedule included 9 concerts across the country between February 5 and March 22.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

22nd Jewellery Best Dresser: Atsuko Maeda, Meisa Kuroki, Yoshino Kimura
Wed, January 26, 2011 (1:00pm EST)



The 22nd Jewellery Best Dresser awards were presented on Wednesday as part of the 22nd International Jewellery Tokyo exhibition, currently being held until January 28. As usual, the awards were divided into age brackets, plus a few additional awards.

The winners this year were:

Atsuko Maeda (teens)
Meisa Kuroki (20s)
Yoshino Kimura (30s)
Tamiyo Kusakari (40s)
Atsuko Takahata (50s)
Aki Yashiro (60s)
Hideaki Ito (men)
Won Bin (special award, men)
Renho (special award, women)

On Friday, the award ceremony for the 5th Bridal Jewelry Princess will be held. This year's winners include Yuko Oshima and Saki Fukuda.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

Charts: Tomohisa Yamashita, AKB48, Hatsune Miku, Tackey & Tsubasa
Wed, January 26, 2011 (1:27pm EST)



Tomohisa Yamashita's solo single "Hadakanbo" ranked #1 in sales this week with close to 68,000 copies, leading a wave of new releases. According to Oricon's sales data, he was only about 600 copies ahead of AKB48 sub-unit French Kiss, who set their personal record at #2 with their second single, "If."

Yuzu's new song ranked #3, while ViViD and Hideaki Tokunaga were #6 and #7. Three new "K-On!!" character singles also made the top ten, at #5, #8, and #9.

Meanwhile, AKB48's "Beginner" fell out of the top ten to #12, but it sold slightly under 6,000 copies to push the single past the million mark. Released in October of last year, the single has now sold approximately 1,001,000 copies so far. This is the 243rd single in Oricon history to reach 1 million, though the last one was Masafumi Akikawa's 2006 single "Sen no Kaze ni Natte," which topped 1 million in August 2007. The last female artist to achieve the feat was Miyuki Nakajima in 2000, and the last female group was Morning Musume earlier that same year.



On the album charts this week, the Hatsune Miku compilation "EXIT TUNES PRESENTS Vocalonexus feat. Hatsune Miku" was the top seller, with more than 31,000 copies sold. This is the second album featuring the virtual idol to reach #1.

Do As Infinity ranked #4 with their new album, while the bands Kegawa no Maries and GRAPEVINE were #6 and #7.



In DVDs, Tackey & Tsubasa's new concert tour DVD sold 23,000 units to top the overall charts. This is their fourth release to rank #1 in the music DVD category.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

Okinawan band 7!! goes major with "Koukou Debut" theme song
Wed, January 26, 2011 (7:17pm EST)

The four-member Okinawa-based band 7!! (read as "Seven Oops") will make their major label debut with a song titled "Fall In Love." The song will be used as the theme for the manga-to-movie adaptation "Koukou Debut" ("High School Debut"), which opens on April 1.

The members of 7!! met as classmates and formed the band in 2004. In 2005, they won the grand prize in the band category of a Mitsuya Cider commercial audition, resulting in a commercial tie-in in Okinawa. The group is now ready for a major label, so Epic Records Japan will be putting out their "Fall In Love" single on March 30, just before the "Koukou Debut" movie hits theaters.

In addition to singing the movie's theme song, 7!! is also covering Puffy's 1998 hit "Ai no Shirushi" as an insert song for the movie.

As revealed last September, "Koukou Debut" stars actor Junpei Mizobata and model Ito Ono, with a supporting cast that includes Masaki Suda, Rina Aizawa, Rei Okamoto, and AKB48 members Sae Miyazawa and Yuka Masuda.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

AKB48's Sayaka Akimoto trains for Tokyo Marathon
Wed, January 26, 2011 (8:29pm EST)



TOKIO's Taichi Kokubun (36) recently announced that he will be running the Tokyo Marathon on February 27, but he won't be the only celebrity participating. Several other names were reported on Thursday, including AKB48 member Sayaka Akimoto (22).

This will be Akimoto's first time attempting a full marathon. She said that her goal is to run the entire course. She also remarked that she wants to show her "feeling of restarting" to her supportive fans and friends, referencing the fact that she resigned as captain of Team K last October due to a potential scandal.

Akimoto apparently started training at Yoyogi Park earlier this month. Although she participated in basketball and track and field as a student, she admitted that she is not good at long-distance running. Because of that, she decided to run the marathon as a challenge for her "new self." However, she has experience with a half-marathon, which she ran two years ago for the graduation of former AKB48 member Mai Oshima (23).



Besides Kokubun and Akimoto, other celebrities participating in this year's Tokyo Marathon include former Morning Musume member Hitomi Yoshizawa (25), talento Papaya Suzuki (44), and talento Erika Okushi (30). Nippon Broadcasting System stated that announcers Hideo Matsumoto (49), Tadashi Kakihana (39), and Miki Gonohe (24) will be running.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

Hello! Project's Yuu Kikkawa launches solo career with debut single, movie
Wed, January 26, 2011 (1:50pm EST)



Former Hello! Pro Egg member Yuu Kikkawa (18) has officially scheduled her anticipated debut solo single. She will release "Kikkake wa YOU!" under the Universal J label on March 30, with her name romanized as You Kikkawa.

In addition to the single, Kikkawa will star in a movie, also titled "Kikkake wa YOU!" The movie is scheduled to open in early May during Golden Week.

Kikkawa has also been chosen to serve as an opening act for Universal Studios Japan's special event "UNIVERSAL DREAM LIVE 2011," which was revealed a few weeks ago. She will perform on March 19, the first day of the three-day event. BEAST and SDN48 are already scheduled to perform on that day as well.

Kikkawa first gained attention in 2006 when she was a finalist in Morning Musume's 8th generation audition. She became an Egg the following year, and she was later placed in the 3-member group Milky Way, tied in with the anime series "Kirarin Revolution."

Her official website is now open.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

Arashi aims for Guinness records with Android au campaign
Wed, January 26, 2011 (8:08pm EST)

http://www.88news.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Arashi’s-2010-promises.jpg

The Android mobile operating system is about to get another big push in Japan, backed by a new marketing campaign featuring popular boy band Arashi. Carrier au announced on Wednesday at a press event that Arashi will appear in 60 new commercials for its smartphones, enough to make them eligible for multiple Guinness World Records.

Arashi is specifically aiming to break three records:

Most versions of a commercial for the same product aired within 24 hours on terrestrial television
Most versions of a commercial for the same product aired within 8 hours on one pay-TV station
Most versions of a commercial for the same product aired during one 30-minute television program

The commercials will have the members of Arashi showing off various features included on Android phones, such as Voice Search and Google Translate. To demonstrate, Masaki Aiba used the voice translation feature to turn "??????" into "Ninomiya I love you." Kazunari Ninomiya responded in English with "I do not love," but Aiba invited laughter from the audience with his comment, "Being rejected in English doesn't leave a deep wound."

All 60 commercials begin airing today (January 27). They will aim to break the first two records today (the pay-TV station will be Space Shower TV), and they will attempt the third record on the January 30 broadcast of "Music Lovers."

According to Oricon, the campaign's website will make all of the commercials viewable online starting at 11:00am today.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

Maestro Ozawa cancels 5 Japan concerts in March

Friday 28th January, 05:44 AM JST



TOKYO —

Prominent conductor Seiji Ozawa has canceled five concerts slated to be held in Tokyo and four other Japanese cities in March, as he needs to continue his rehabilitation after recent surgery for back pain, his office said Thursday. Ozawa, 75, underwent endoscopic hernia surgery in mid-January and was instructed by his doctor to spend around half a year on rehabilitation, the office said.

In New York, Carnegie Hall announced the cancellation of his concerts scheduled there for April 1 and 2. Ozawa’s office said his concerts scheduled for April in Paris and Vienna are also currently being arranged for cancellation.

Ozawa underwent surgery for esophagus cancer in January last year and made a comeback last summer.

Source: www.japantoday.com

whitedove

NHK newscaster Yuko Aoyama to move to daytime TV

Friday 28th January, 03:54 AM JST



TOKYO —

Yuko Aoyama, 38, who co-anchors NHK’s program “News Watch 9,” which airs on NHK General TV Mon-Fri at 9 p.m., is to be moved to a daytime slot to host a live talk show called, “Hello from Studio Park.” The new chat show will air from 1:05 p.m. on weekdays.

The move is believed to be an attempt to give Aoyama’s public image a new start, following on from the announcement that she is set to marry her fiance, a 37-year-old employee of a medical welfare company, in the near future. In a bid to make a clean break with the past, “News Watch 9” producers are also replacing Aoyama’s co-presenter Goro Taguchi, 52, with 49-year-old Kensuke Okoshi.

Aoyama started her career on “News Watch 9” as a sports commentator in April of 2006 before sliding into the main presenter role when the show relaunched in March of 2008. She gained a big following for eloquent manner and sharp analytical skills, and she gradually became known as the face of “News Watch 9.”

Source: www.japantoday.com

whitedove

JapanFiles announces Berryz Koubou's U.S. debut album
Thu, January 27, 2011 (9:50am EST)



Digital music store JapanFiles has announced its plans to release the debut U.S. album from Hello! Project idol group Berryz Koubou. The album's release will coincide with the group's U.S. performance debut at the anime convention Sakura-Con 2011 in Seattle, Washington, on April 22-24.

The original Japanese version of the album, which is currently untitled, is scheduled for release on March 30. The U.S. edition will include the original Japanese booklet and artwork, as well as the photo card from the Japanese edition.

JapanFiles has also done U.S. CD releases for Morning Musume and Hangry & Angry. According to the company's press release, the Berryz Koubou album is already available for pre-order in North America on the JapanFiles website and on HelloStore USA, while international fans will be able to purchase the U.S. edition through Amazon and Right Stuf.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

Japan's movie industry reached record high in 2010
Thu, January 27, 2011 (10:49am EST)

The Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (Eiren) has published its annual report on the movie industry, based on data from 2010. The success of 3D films such as "Avatar" helped boost the industry's box office gross by 7.1% from last year, setting a new all-time record at ¥220.7 billion. The previous record was set in 2004 at ¥210.9 billion.

The total number of films released once again dropped, from 762 in 2009 to 716 in 2010. However, total theater attendance again increased, rising from 169 million tickets in 2009 to 174 million in 2010.

The top three films of the year all came from overseas: "Avatar," "Alice in Wonderland," and "Toy Story 3." However, Japanese films overall still managed to account for a majority (53.6%) of the industry's revenue for a third consecutive year, though that percentage has dropped from the 56.9% share in 2009.

It was previously reported that Toho was responsible for the top ten domestic films of 2010, but Toei's newest "One Piece" film actually ranked at #4.

Domestically, 29 films earned more than 1 billion yen. The highest grossing movies were:

Karigurashi no Arrietty (¥9.25 billion)
THE LAST MESSAGE: Umizaru (¥8.04 billion)
Odoru Daisousasen THE MOVIE 3 (¥7.31 billion)
One Piece Film: Strong World (¥4.80 billion)
Pocket Monster Diamond & Pearl: Genei no Hasha Zoroark (¥4.16 billion)
Nodame Cantabile: Saishuu Gakushou Zenpen (¥4.10 billion)
Kokuhaku (¥3.85 billion)
Nodame Cantabile: Saishuu Gakushou Kouhen (¥3.72 billion)
SP: Yabou-hen (¥3.63 billion)
Meitantei Conan: Tenkuu no Lost Ship (¥3.20 billion)
Doraemon: Nobita's Great Battle of the Mermaid King (¥3.16 billion)
Hanamizuki (¥2.83 billion)
LIAR GAME: The Final Stage (¥2.36 billion)
Ooku (¥2.32 billion)
Otouto (¥2.10 billion)
Akunin (¥1.98 billion)
TRICK: Reinoryokusha Battle Royale (¥1.86 billion)
BECK (¥1.76 billion)
13 Assassins (¥1.60 billion)
Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider Double & Decade (¥1.54 billion)
Kimi ni Todoke (¥1.53 billion)
Kamen Rider Double / Tensou Sentai Goseiger (¥1.47 billion)
Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider Cho-Den-O Trilogy (¥1.31 billion)
Crayon Shin-chan: Chou Jikuu! Arashi wo Yobu Ora no Hanayome (¥1.25 billion)
The Incite Mill (¥1.22 billion)
Golden Slumber (¥1.15 billion)
Precure All Stars DX2: Kibou no Hikari Rainbow Jewel wo Mamore (¥1.15 billion)
Gintama: Shinyaku Benizakura-Hen (¥1.07 billion)
Naruto Shippuden: The Lost Tower (¥1.03 billion)

Among foreign films, there were 19 that crossed the 1 billion yen mark. The top earners were:

Avatar (¥15.6 billion)
Alice in Wonderland (¥11.8 billion)
Toy Story 3 (¥10.8 billion)
Up (¥5.00 billion)
Resident Evil: Afterlife (¥4.70 billion)
Inception (¥3.50 billion)
Oceans (¥2.50 billion)
Knight and Day (¥2.31 billion)
Sherlock Holmes (¥2.16 billion)
Salt (¥2.05 billion)
Sex and the City 2 (¥1.74 billion)
Shutter Island (¥1.70 billion)
Clash of the Titans (¥1.58 billion)
The Karate Kid (¥1.52 billion)
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (¥1.42 billion)
Sayonara Itsuka (¥1.20 billion)
Iron Man 2 (¥1.20 billion)
Despicable Me (¥1.20 billion)
The Sorcerer's Apprentice (¥1.00 billion)

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

Osamu Tezuka's "Buddha" goes digital to celebrate first animated film
Thu, January 27, 2011 (11:33am EST)



To celebrate the upcoming release of the animated film "Tezuka Osamu no Buddha: Akai Sabaku yo! Utsukushiku," it has been announced that part of the original manga by Osamu Tezuka will be made available digitally for free for a limited time.

"Akai Sabaku yo! Utsukushiku" is the first film in a trilogy based on Tezuka's "Buddha." The portion of the manga adapted for the movie will be made available for smartphones and PCs through the "Weekly Tezuka Osamu Magazine" application, serialized over a span of 21 weeks. Out of the 21 chapters, which comprise a total of 744 pages, only 16 will come out before the film opens in theaters on May 28.

The iPad edition began distribution on January 27, while the PC version and the smartphone version will start on February 8. It is not clear whether the manga will be accessible outside Japan.

Source: www.tokyograph.com