Live Action - Japanese

Cult director Takashi Miike (Ichi the Killer, Audition) delivers a bravado period action film set at the end of Japan's feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a wartorn future.

Cult director Takashi Miike (Ichi the Killer, Audition) delivers a bravado period action film set at the end of Japan's feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a wartorn future.

A sadistic Daimyo rapes a woman and murders both her and her husband, but the matter is quickly hushed up because the Daimyo is the Shogun's younger brother. He will soon be appointed to a high political position from which he could wreak even more havoc. Convinced that the fate of the Shogunate hangs in the balance, a plot is hatched to assassinate the Daimyo. The two most brilliant strategic minds of their generation find themselves pitted against each other; one is tasked to defend a man he despises; the other is given a suicide mission and 12 brave men.

It all begins in 1969 when a young boy named Kenji and his friends write "The Book of Prophecy." In their book, they write about a future where they fight against an evil organization trying to take over the world and bring about Doomsday. Years later in 1997, a mysterious cult led by a man only known as "Friend" has emerged and gained strong influence over society. A series of catastrophic events begin to occur, mirroring the prophecies made up by the young Kenji.

The surviving secret base members have spent the last 15 years in various activities opposing Friend and his regime, trying to find out the truth about Friend. Soon they discover the shocking existence of The New Book of Prophecy, the sequel to The Book of Prophecy, describing an event: In 2015, at a church in Shinjuku, a savior will rise to uphold justice but will be assassinated. Who is the savior? Once again, Doomsday looms near...

It is now 2017, and after the spread of the deadly virus in Tokyo, a wall was built around the city and people's lives have been restricted. As World President, Friend tells everyone that on August 20th, aliens will destroy mankind and only those who believe in him will be saved. Kanna is now the leader of a group much more radical than Yoshitune's, but both continue to fight against Friend. Along with Haru, Maruo finally finds Kenji's sister. Outside the wall, a man with a guitar who calls himself Joe Yabuki is on his way to see Kanna.

An Obsession: Aoyama explores the dark night of the human soul as a workaholic detective and a homicidal leukemia patient are both driven down the road to destruction. Em Embalming: When an apparent suicide's head is severed and stolen, it leads embalmer Miyako to believe that there may be more to this death than meets the eye. Wild Life: An ex-boxer gets caught up between the yakuza, the police, the hunt for a mysterious package, and his kidnapped boss' daughter.

Set against a background of gang violence and drug abuse, a yakuza enforcer falls for a shy waitress, and finds the only thing worth holding onto is love.

We all know who protects Metropolis and Gotham, but when Akihabara, the geek nexus of Tokyo, is threatened by alien Cyber Fairies, it will take more than just an average superhero to defend the world's single largest concentration of anime fans, model kits and maid cafes. Enter Akiballion: maid cafe hostesses who don super-powered electro-brain battlesuits to combat the ultra-grotesque monsters sent forth by the villainous Fairie Queen!

Because Akihabara caters to interests outside of mainstream Japanese society, it captivates an entire subculture of devotees. Join us as we peruse the shops, streets and Maid Cafes to present an engrossing day in the life view of Akihabara, and focus on the unique people who are passionately plugged into this town.

Years before Akira Kurosawa changed the face of cinema with such iconic works as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, and Yojimbo, he made his start in the Japanese film industry with four popular and exceptional works, created while World War II was raging. All gripping dramas, those rare early films - Sanshiro Sugata; The Most Beautiful; Sanshiro Sugata, Part Two; and The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail - are collected here. Containing a two-part martial arts saga, a portrait of female volunteers helping the war effort, and a kabuki-derived tale of deception, these captivating films are a glorious introduction to a peerless career.

The fiercest ninjas of the Iga clan face their toughest enemies - and they aren't from this planet! A fiery mass crashes in the forest and soon horrifyingly savage creatures reduce the warriors to tasty snacks. But these extraterrestrials have bitten off more than they can chew: swords and throwing stars may fail against unearthly goons, but ninja skills don't stop at sharp stuff.