Netflix Leasing Toho Studio Space in Tokyo as Japanese Content Expands

Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentJapanese streaming platform U-Next will begin carrying a selection of HBO and HBO Max content from Thursday.HBO does not operate as a subscription service in Japan and for many years HBO content has instead been licensed to local players, including satellite channel Super! drama TV and pay-TV platform Wowow.

EXCLUSIVE: Writer-director Mark Gill (England is Mine, The Voorman Problem) is set to bring the life of legendary Japanese photographer Masahisa Fukase to the big screen with Ravens (The Many Deaths of Masahisa Fukase). Filming is set to begin in Japan in the spring of 2022.

Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentHara Masato, a producer and executive who worked with Kurosawa Akira, Oshima Nagisa and other leading Japanese filmmakers in a seven-decade career, died on March 17 at age 89 of heart failure, distributor Asmik Ace announced Monday.Hara was the company’s first president, starting in 1998.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefNetflix has revealed its involvement with an anime adaptation of hit Japanese manga “Record of Ragnarok.” The show, about an epic fight for the fate of humanity, will premiere in June this year, and join the streamer’s burgeoning slate of anime content.The company made the announcement at Tokyo’s AnimeJapan 2021 Expo, where it also provided local fans with cast news and updates on other shows.

BTS revealed via their official Japanese fan club that a new Japanese album is on the way and available for pre-order.The record, titled ‘BTS, The Best’, will be the group’s third Japanese compilation album. It is set to release on June 16.

Monster Hunter Rise releases worldwide on Nintendo Switch this Friday (March 26th), and one Japanese company has made the day an official holiday.As spotted by Twitter user Stealth, Masaki Hiyama, CEO of tech developer Mark-On Ltd., revealed that he received a high volume of requests from employees who wanted to take Friday off to play Monster Hunter Rise as soon as possible.This is amazing…… a Japanese Company is giving employees the day off for a new holiday "Monster Hunter Rise Launch Day"

personality traits and the specific colour that corresponds with your birthday. The chart, which was created in Japan, features a collection of 366 different shades, with each colour matching a day of the year, including the extra day added to February on leap years.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefRakuten Viki, a streaming platform specializing in Asian content and fan-generated sub-titles, is launching a transactional VOD function in North America. The new functionality kicks off with two recent Korean movies, “Josee” and “New Year Blues.”Backed by Japanese e-commerce and entertainment group Rakuten, Viki currently operates an ad-supported video service (AVOD) and two tiers of subscription video (SVOD).

Kevin Hart is celebrating a very special day as his first child, daughter Heaven, turned 16 this weekend.

Thom Yorke has remixed the solo acoustic version of ‘Creep’ to contribute to a high-profile Japanese fashion show.The 1992 Radiohead classic was reworked for Kiryū-born designer Jun Takahashi’s UNDERCOVER 2020-2021 autumn/winter collection ‘Creep Very’, which was showcased this week.Yorke has provided a variety of songs for fashion show soundtracks over the years.

Netflix is locking down production space in Japan, as the streamer continues to expand its footprint in the developed markets of East Asia. The company said Thursday that it has inked an agreement with Japan's legendary Toho Studios, home of Godzilla and Akira Kurosawa, for access to two soundstages and additional facilities in southwest Tokyo.

Netflix has struck a multi-year deal to lease two soundstages at iconic Japanese film studio Toho.

Japanese Breakfast‘s Michelle Zauner has spoken out against anti-Asian racism following yesterday’s shootings in Atlanta, Georgia in which eight people were killed.The attacks took place at two spas in the city, and at a massage parlour in the suburb of Acworth, which is located approximately 30 miles north of Atlanta (via the BBC).It has been confirmed that four of the victims were women of Korean descent, and there are concerns that the attack could have been racially-motivated.

Japanese Breakfast made her late-night TV debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last night (March 15) – you can watch it below.The first of two performances saw Michelle Zauner deliver a one-take performance of her new single ‘Be Sweet’, featuring some familiar extraterrestrial faces that appear in the song’s video.She also shared an online performance of her track ‘Jimmy Fallon Big!’ from her 2017 album ‘Soft Sounds From Another Planet’.Originally written after a bandmate from her old

subtitled trailer for “Demon Slayer – The Movie” above.Also Read: 'Avatar' Overtakes 'Avengers: Endgame' as Highest Grossing Movie Ever After China Re-ReleaseAniplex of America and Funimation are handling the North American distribution plans.“Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train” is directed by Haruo Sotozaki and features an original story by Koyoharu Gotoge with a screenplay and animation production by studio ufotable.

Japanese box office phenomenon Demon Slayer – Kimetsu No Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train has been set for a North American theatrical release on April 23. Aniplex of America and Funimation are distributing the anime adaptation which in December became the highest-grossing film in Japanese history, dethroning Spirited Away, which had held the title for 19 years. Check out a subtitled trailer below.