Daido Moriyama DVD in stores Jan. 26th!

Happy New Years to all Japanese cinema lovers! VIZ Pictures has now entered our fifth year in operation and we are still going strong, thanks to all of your support. We are looking forward to bringing over more exciting movies to our US fans again this year! Stay tuned!

Our first news of the year is from the NEW PEOPLE ARTIST SERIES. Volume 3 is Photographer Daido Moriyama: Stray Dog of Tokyo coming out on January 26th! Order now!

The third volume of the New People Artist Series follows the charismatic photographer Daido Moriyama with a single camcorder as he wanders around Shinjuku with his camera in hand as he takes quick snapshots without looking in the finder. Since the late 60’s, Moriyama has had a fascinating presence in the world of photography but has continued to avoid the media and therefore parts of his persona still remain covered under a veil of mystery. This film is justly an invaluable documentary that captures his true state of being that has never been revealed before. The film even captures the moment when he takes his first digital photo. His stark, high contrast black and white images symbolize his fervent lifestyle.

DVD release event at VIZ Cinema. Get your DVD, small goodies and watch the movie on the big screen for only $25! The event is on 1/26 at 7:30pm.

January 17, 2010

20th Century Boys First DVD Out Today!

We have been ranting and raving about these films ever since we teamed up with Nippon Television to license the trilogy, and since we hosted the red carpet premier event with actress Takako Tokiwa at the grand opening of NEW PEOPLE this August 15th (see pictures).

20TH CENTURY BOYS is not only one of the greatest epic masterpieces of Naoki Urasawa, but also has been our key film series since Death Note! We do recommend all fans to pick up the manga that VIZ Media is putting out and see how the characters are translating. Mr. Urasawa had a lot of say in the film script, so it should be visually quite similar!

20th CENTURY BOYS 1: BEGINNING OF THE END on DVD is $24.92 US / $35.99 CAN. Order now!

December 15, 2009

First 20th Century Boys DVD out on Dec. 15th!

Who is the face behind the mask of Tomodachi? You are far from finding out in the very first DVD of the 20th Century Boys Trilogy! But nonetheless, the suspense builds and the story unfolds. The very first DVD will hit the stores on December 15th, and we will hold a special DVD release event at VIZ Cinema on December 10th for a movie + DVD combo pack and fan gathering, so stay tuned!

20th CENTURY BOYS 1: BEGINNING OF THE END on DVD is $24.92 US / $35.99 CAN.

Check out the official website for more info!

November 9, 2009

Yayoi Kusama DVD release celebration

Who is not in love with the polka-dotted world of Yayoi Kusama? Our brand new DVD Yayoi Kusama: I Love ME hits the stores today ...finally! To celebrate these releases, we are going to screen the first (Yoshitomo Nara at 6:30pm) and second (Yayoi Kusama at 8:30pm) NEW PEOPLE ARTIST SERIES in one night, $25 (Just $25 to view one of the movies, get a DVD, and NEW PEOPLE goodies!) at VIZ Cinema at NEW PEOPLE in San Francisco ! You can enjoy one screening, a fresh DVD, and NP goodies. DVD is available online at the VIZ Pictures online store, and at NEW PEOPLE the Store in SF! To get tickets for the screening tonight click here and watch this fabulously up close documentary on the big screen and take a copy home with you.

October 27, 2009

HORUMO at VIZ Cinema and Yokai Exhibit!

Get into the Halloween spirit with Battle League HORUMO and the Yokai (Japanese Monsters and mischievous spirits) Exhibition at VIZ Cinema in San Francisco. What a combination of 'kawaii' and 'kowai'!

Based on a novel by Manabu Makime, this film is a combat action comedy that will take you into a world with the breathtaking backdrop of Kyoto and bizarre legend of “Horumo.” DVD will be available early next year too!

On the way down to the theatre, you also can enjoy the special exhibition of Yokai University San Francisco Campus! Yokai are legendary creatures of Japanese folklore and we are displaying rare artworks of Shigeru Mizuki (Gegege no Kitaro) and Hokusai Katsushika's artworks. Come learn about Japanese yokais this Halloween!

Battle League HORUMO is playing at VIZ Cinema, 10/23-11/5. Get tickets!

October 26, 2009

Meet Director IShii: One of Many VIZ Pictures Events

Now that VIZ Cinema is open, VIZ Pictures is hosting many evets for Japanese film fans. On September 25th, director Katsuhito Ishii (The Taste of Tea) and other directors and actors from the movie Sorasoi will be joining us at VIZ Cinema of NEW PEOPLE. Watch his brand new movie Sorasoi and enjoy meeting and gettingt his autograph! (Buy Ishii's DVD (The Taste of Tea or Funky Forest: The First Contact) to get his autograph.) As a licensor of FUNKY FOREST: The First Contact and The Taste of Tea here in the US, we are very excited to host Mr. Ishii at our own cinemai! To secure your seat for this exclusive event get your ticket here. (The director will attend both screenings)

More VIZ Pictures related film events at VIZ Cinema this month.

9/16 : Shojo Beat Anime Parties Part I: NANA (5pm~) & NANA2 (8pm~)
Special Giveaway! Get your tickets here.

9/17: Yayoi Kusama: I Love ME (6pm, 8pm) Get your tickets here.

9/22: Shojo Beat Anime Parties Part II: Honey and Clover (5pm, 8pm)
Special Giveaway! Get your tickets here.

9/25 - 10/1: Soraroi by Katsuhito Ishii
9/25: Director Ishii's special appearance at VIZ Cinema & autograph session.
Buy Ishii's DVDs (Taste of Tea or FUNKY FOREST) to get his autograph! Get your tickets here.

September 9, 2009

Nara DVD kicking off the ARTIST SERIES

It has been a long time in planning. The NEW PEOPLE ARTIST SERIES, an original product of our new NEW PEOPLE the Store, is launching next month.

Top batter is Traveling with Yoshitomo Nara. DVDs will hit stores on September 15th, starting a line of six documentaries featuring Japanese pop artists.

Yoshitomo Nara has always worked alone. But when he decided to bring in the outside, and work in collabration, something new and incredible happened.
DVD available September 15th!

August 26, 2009

20th Century Boys Premiere with Takako!

August 15th was the grand opening of our NEW PEOPLE building. A multiplex here in San Francisco dedicated to Japanese pop culture. Everything and anything kawaii, fun, fabulous, and bizarre.

For the celebration, we aslo hosted the first J-POP SUMMIT Festival, in which artists, musicians, vendors, designers, and a movie company from Japan joined us to deliver the freshest content brought over.

In the movie premiere segment that took place on the stage in front of the building, actress Takako Tokiwa and Tomodachi joined us on the red carpet to
promote our 20th Century Boys trilogy. As VIZ Pictures, a Japanese movie licensor in the U.S., this was quite an exciting event!!!

If you are in the Bay Area, please visit our very own VIZ CINEMA. We are currently playing all three of the 20th Century Boys trilogy, leading up to the WORLD PREMIERE of the third movie on August 28th!

August 25, 2009

L DVD in Stores Aug. 25! Reserve Your Copy!

Hey L fans! Death Note: L, change the WorLd DVD will hit the stores on August 25th! You can go to our Amazon Store and reserve it now!

In celebration, VIZ Pictures will host a DVD release event in our very own VIZ CINEMA on August 25th, 2009. This is such an amazing mark in our company history to be able to present our product to our fans in our brand new movie house! August is the very first of the VIZ CINEMA programming, and we have decided to celebrate it with "MANGA ATTACK".

Tickets to this event will go on sale starting August 7th, 2009. Please visit the VIZ CINEMA homepage for more information!

July 31, 2009

NEW PEOPLE ARTIST SERIES: New!

There is so much more to VIZ Pictures! This coming August 15th, we will celebrate the grand opening of our new bulding NEW PEOPLE. Inside this building, we have a store produced by VIZ Pictures called NEW PEOPLE the Store. As one of the first group of original products we are planning to put out, NEW PEOPLE ARTIST SERIES is a solid set of documentaries that have captured in film some of the most intriguiing Japanese artists of our time. The documentaries will be release starting this fall and into 2010.

Yoshitomo Nara: Traveling with Yoshitomo Nara
Featuring world-renowned Japanese modern artist Yoshitomo Nara. The film follows the artist’s life journey and his latest attempt at creating a “collaboration”that leads to a surprising outcome for both his artwork and himself.

Yayoi Kusama: I Love ME
The avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama is the queen of polka dots. Become a witness to a genius at work as she diligently completes her series of 50 large monochrome drawings and enter her world with never a dull moment.

Daido Moriyama: Stray Dog of Tokyo
Follow the charismatic photographer Daido Moriyama as he takes his first digital photos and observe his style of quick snapshots without looking in the finder. His stark and contrasting B & W images symbolize his fervent lifestyle.

Hisashi Tenmyouya: Samurai Nouveau
A graphic designer turned contemporary artist, Hisashi Tenmyouya brings his own style of NEO-Traditional Japanese Painting to the art world. Tenmyouya reveals his soul through melding of modern urban subjects with traditional methods of painting.

Makoto Aida: Cynic in the Playground
Known for his diverse and controversial works in various media, Makoto Aida shares his work and private life as he creates his "Human Project" and "Shinjuku Castle." Through his creative process his unique character surfaces.

Katsura Funakoshi: Whispering Gaze
Witness the visionary sculptor Katsura Funakoshi as he breaths life into camphor wood. His human-like sculptures are known for their distant gaze as if pondering philosophical thoughts and projecting subtle yet bold emotions.

As part of NEW PEOPLE, VIZ CINEMA plans to host a film series around these documentaries. Stay tuned!

July 20, 2009

HORUMO: Play The Game For Gods' Sake!

One after another! We have been blessed with fun titles for our 2009 VIZ Pictures collection. Battle League HORUMO is definitely one of our silliest movie, right up there with Maiko Haaaan!!! and Funky Forest: The First Contact.

What if you joined a club in college that is a mystic battle league? What if you were the commander of your own little Oni* army? What if your poor performance could lead to angering the gods in heaven?? All of that wrapped up in youthful daily struggles of an ordinary college student. Sounds like a fun movie? Or are you still wondering what in the world is "HORUMO"?

*Japanese demons. In this film they are portrayed very small

July 13, 2009

Cell Phone Novels

Akemashite Omedetougozaimasu. That means "Congratulations, a new year has dawned" in Japanese..i.e. Happy New Year.

Our movie Train Man was recently mentioned in an article in the New Yorker. The Article introduces the Japanese cell phone novels called Keitai Shosetsu. In short, people are writing stories into their cell phones at home and in trains during their commute and publishing them online. A huge phenomenon! Train Man was also created by numbers of anonymous online writers. Did you know?
Check out the article!

January 09, 2009