Netflix Unveils Huge Expansion of Japanese Content, Greater Emphasis on Feature Films

Naman Ramachandran A man who smuggled copies of smash hit South Korean Netflix series “Squid Game” into North Korea has been sentenced to death, after authorities caught high school students watching the show, according to Radio Free Asia (RFA).U.S.-headquartered independent news agency RFA reported, quoting sources, that the series was smuggled in from China on USB flash drives and that the smuggler faces death by firing squad.“A student who bought a drive received a life sentence, while six

Arcane and Korean supernatural series Hellbound have jumped to the top of Netflix’s new weekly top ten television list.

GKIDS, the producer and distributor of animation for adult and family audiences, announced that it has acquired the North American distribution rights for Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko (Gyoko no Nikuko-chan).

Alyssa Mora With the arrival of Netflix’s long-anticipated live-action “Cowboy Bebop,” renewed interest in the original 1998 series has once again highlighted the growing cultural permeation of Japanese anime in the mainstream.While the popularity of anime in the U.S. is not entirely new — other classics like “Naruto,” “Sailor Moon” and “Dragon Ball” serve as a handful of early examples — there’s no question the medium has strengthened its foothold.

The full list ranks a total of 100 records, with the top 20 – topped by ‘New Long Leg’ by Dry Cleaning, and rounded out with records like Japanese Breakfast’s ‘Jubilee’, ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’ by Little Simz and ‘Daddy’s Home’ by St. Vincent – all receiving new colourways exclusive to Rough Trade.In a statement shared alongside the news, Dry Cleaning said: “Rough Trade record shops have played a huge role in our musical lives.

TOKYO -- Emi Wada, the Japanese costume designer who won an Oscar for her work in Akira Kurosawa’s “Ran,” has died, Japanese media reports said Sunday. She was 84.Wada died Nov.

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic(This post contains no spoilers for the first season of “Cowboy Bebop,” now streaming on Netflix.)Netflix’s live-action remake of “Cowboy Bebop” tries to be so much all at once, and appeal to so many different potential audiences, that it ends up struggling to forge an identity of its own.For fans of the iconic, relatively solemn Japanese anime that inspired it, the show’s reliance on borderline whacky hijinks (think an R-rated “Scooby Doo”) will be nothing short

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorNetflix has released new data for its global smash hit “Squid Game” — showing it as No. 1 with a bullet.“Squid Game” pulled in a staggering 1.65 billion hours of viewing in 28 days following its Sept.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefNetflix aims to increase its appeal to Japanese filmmakers as the streaming giant engineers a pivot towards local production and feature movies, in particular.

Folks who are longtime readers of The Playlist will no doubt be familiar with our love of the work of filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda. And sadly, since the release of his 2019 film, “The Truth,” just a year after his Palme d’Or-winning “Shoplifters,” we have yet to see a new feature from the acclaimed director.

EXCLUSIVE: Move over Squid Games, it’s Time To Hunt. In an interesting development, we can reveal that Netflix is remaking its Korean-language movie Time To Hunt, marking the first time the streamer has adapted one of its local-language movies into English. The studio has come full circle, you might say.

Netflix Makes Deal With ‘Shoplifters’ Director

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe decision to make a second season of Netflix global hit “Squid Game” is a sound one, according to analysis firm Media Partners Asia which finds that Korean and Thai content have the strongest cross-border travel potential within the Asia-Pacific region.The company’s “Netflix in the Asia Pacific: The Scalability of Local Content” report is based on passive measurement of 30,000 streaming consumers in Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines,

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefKore-eda Hirokazu, the celebrated Japanese director of Palme d’Or winning film ‘Shoplifters,’ is developing multiple projects for Netflix.He is currently at work developing a big-budget film that he will direct and a series, where he will be the showrunner and direct some episodes.

Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has confirmed the hit show will be back for more after season one breaks streaming records.

Jordan Moreau Another season of “Squid Game” is on the way.Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk confirmed the plans to the Associated Press at a screening and Q&A in Los Angeles for the Korean drama, which became a global phenomenon for Netflix in the past couple months.“There’s been so much pressure, so much demand and so much love for a second season. So I almost feel like you leave us no choice!” Hwang told the Associated Press on the Monday night red carpet.

Netflix has unveiled a hefty list of upcoming Japanese titles, including both anime and live-action films and series. The company is hosting a two-day event this week – the Netflix Japan Festival 2021 – at which it will significantly expand its local slate in the country.

Sega has trademarked the words “Sonic Frontiers” in both English and Japanese, leading to the belief that this could be the name of the upcoming Sonic title.Both the English and Japanese trademarks can be found on Chizai Watch, a website that publishes different patents, designs and trademarks from the Japan Patent Office.

The brand new trailer for Korean thriller drama, Hellbound, will put a chill in your spine!