Pachinko is here!
07.03.2022 - 23:23 / variety.com
Wilson Chapman editorEven people who haven’t watched an episode of anime in their life probably recognize “Sailor Moon.” The pretty guardian is one of the most famous and beloved anime characters in the history of the medium, and in her home country of Japan she’s a veritable cultural icon on the level of Goku from “Dragon Ball Z.” And while the original manga by Naoko Takeuchi started it all, most fans of the character discovered her from the first anime adaptation, which premiered on March 7, 1992.The ’90s “Sailor Moon” anime is by no means perfect. Because it was created concurrently with the manga, premiering only three months after the first “Sailor Moon” chapter was published, it’s a very loose adaptation, with entire character backstories and personalities being altered and key arcs playing out in vastly different ways.
At an even 200 episodes across five seasons, it’s also much, much longer than the original manga, which ran for a mere 60 chapters, and a lot of that length is padded by superfluous and forgettable filler. And when it originally premiered in the English-speaking world, it was subject to a legendarily awful dub that chopped up episodes, changed the genders of whole characters in order to censor queer relationships and contained some truly woeful voice acting.And yet there’s a reason why the anime, currently streaming on Hulu, remains such a beloved touchstone.
Pachinko is here!
‘Fortnite’ is no stranger to crossovers and collaborations, and it all started with ‘Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War’ where you could play as Thanos, but since then we’ve seen Japanese Pro Tennis player Naomi Osaka, multiple Disney properties including Star Wars, and Ariana Grande holding concerts in-game.
John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentVery few The Mediapro Studio shows, indeed very few Spanish series in general, have lit a fire on the open market like “The Head,” an Antarctic-set thriller which lifts off as a murder mystery to constantly evolve into other realms. Starring Álvaro Morte, “Money Heist’s” Professor and Japanese pop idol Tomohisa Yamashita, written by Alex and David Pastor (“Hogar,” “Carriers”) and directed by Jorge Dorado (“The Department of Time,” “The Pier”), “The Head” broke viewership records on co-financiers Hulu Japan and HBO Asia and sold to over 90 countries including HBO in the U.S. The Mediapro Studio retained IP. “Sales opened doors to new markets and clients with whom we hadn’t worked before,” said Laura Fernández Espeso, CEO of The Mediapro Studio.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefSuperstar Korean actor and producer Gang Dong-won has signed up with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) for representation outside Korea.Gang joins a string of Korean on-screen talent securing international representation as the country’s creative sector is propelled to the fore by films such as “Parasite” and “Peninsula” and by TV shows such as “Squid Game.”He continues to be represented in Korea and Japan by Lee Gi Wook at YG Entertainment. Gang, who has a mechanical engineering degree and was initially scouted as a model, transitioned to acting in 2004 with “Too Beautiful to Lie” and “Temptation of Wolves,” the latter of which earned him the best new actor award at the 24th Korean Association Critics Choice Awards.
Sometimes your mum deserves spoiling, and luckily, there are plenty of places to do it in Manchester this weekend, from endless afternoon teas to unlimited amounts of gravy. Should that be her thing.
Frank Doelger, who was an executive producer on Game Of Thrones between 2011 and 2019, provided an update on his new company in Germany during a Series Mania panel today.
94th Annual Academy Awards are Sunday, and that means it's time to name the best of the best of the past year in film. While not quite as chaotic as last year's pandemic-altered releases, this year still offered an interesting mix of theatrical blockbusters, acclaimed streamers and some combination of the two (thanks, HBO Max!). The top films of the year span the cinematic spectrum as well, including a Western, a musical, a star-studded satire, a horror-noir, a Japanese road film and a handful of heartfelt family dramas, leaving voters with some big decisions to make when it comes to the Academy's biggest prizes. So, who will win? Here are ET's predictions for the 2022 Oscars, based on who's been winning with the guilds, the BAFTAs and other precursor awards shows, as well as the ebb and flow of recent film trends.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1.Among the upcoming lineup of nearly three dozen featured events include: The signature Blossom Kite Festival, offering a variety of competitions and demonstrations taking flight from the grounds of the Washington Monument as well as other area parks or virtually (3/26).Cherry Night, a one-night-only celebration of D.C.
Natalie Portman wears an all red ensemble as she arrives to support the cast at the premiere of Pachinko held at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Wednesday (March 16) in Los Angeles.
Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorCrunchyroll is inviting fans of the Dragon Ball anime franchise to hop on their Flying Nimbus cloud — and stream more than 500 episodes of the fan-favorite series that were previously available only on Funimation.For the first time, Toei Animation’s “Dragon Ball,” “Dragon Ball Z” and “Dragon Ball GT” are now available to watch on Sony’s Crunchyroll streaming service in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.The three series come to Crunchyroll as part of another wave of new content from Funimation, after Sony on March 1 announced that the two services would merge into a single unified Crunchyroll service. The trio of shows joins “Dragon Ball Super,” which has been available on Crunchyroll with English subtitles.
Ansel Elgort is ready to find out “what’s beneath the surface” of Tokyo.
We haven’t seen any directorial work from Michael Mann in a while. The filmmaker hasn’t returned to the director’s chair since 2015’s “Blackhat.” Well, that’s about to change thanks to the HBO Max limited series, “Tokyo Vice.” As seen in the trailer, “Tokyo Vice” follows the story of an American journalist, in the late ‘90s, trying to make a name for himself in Japan.
J. Kim Murphy HBO Max has released the trailer for “Tokyo Vice,” offering a first look at the upcoming crime series.
, and the Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway-led , which explores the rise and fall of the formerly $47 billion brand, WeWork, and the love story between two of the company’s co-founders.The streamer also recently announced that when baseball season begins, Apple TV+ will be the place fans will want to be (second only to the stands, of course). Apple and Major League Baseball are partnering to bring subscribers, a weekly double-header with pre- and post-game programming.
, and the Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway-led , which explores the rise and fall of the formerly $47 billion brand, WeWork, and the love story between two of the company’s co-founders.The streamer also recently announced that when baseball season begins, Apple TV+ will be the place fans will want to be (second only to the stands, of course). Apple and Major League Baseball are partnering to bring subscribers, a weekly double-header with pre- and post-game programming.
EXCLUSIVE: Japanese director Hikari is to helm Netflix’s dramedy Beef.