In the year 2029, the barriers of our world have been broken down by the net and by cybernetics, but this brings new vulnerability to humans in the form of brain-hacking. When a highly-wanted hacker known as 'The Puppetmaster' begins involving them in politics, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop the Puppetmaster. The pursuit will call into question what makes a human and what is the Puppetmaster in a world where the distinction between human and machine is increasingly blurry.
In the year 12090 ad the earth has fallen into the clutches of ruthless vampires and humans are enslaved by a corrupted feudal system prey to a mockery of freedom and justice. Only one being has dared to challenge the cruel authority of these vicious arrogant immortals the mysterious vampire hunter called d. Studio: Urban Vision Release Date: 02/16/2001 Run time: 80 minutes Rating: Nr
From one of the most celebrated filmmakers in the history of animated cinema comes the most acclaimed film of 2002. Hayao Miyazaki's latest triumph, filled with astonishing animation and epic adventure, is a dazzling masterpiece for the ages. It's a "wonderfully welcoming work of art that's as funny and entertaining as it is brilliant, beautiful, and deep" (Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal). SPIRITED AWAY is a wondrous fantasy about a young girl, Chihiro, trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free herself and return her family to the outside world. An unforgettable story brimming with creativity, SPIRITED AWAY will take you on a journey beyond your imagination. "To enter the world of Hayao Miyazaki is to experience a kind of lighthearted enchantment that is unique to the world of animation" (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times). It's a fantastic tale the whole family will want to experience over and over again.
Claire Danes (THE MOD SQUAD), Minnie Driver (GOOD WILL HUNTING), and Billy Bob Thornton (ARMAGEDDON, SLING BLADE) head a cast of hot Hollywood stars who lend their talents to this exquisitely animated, overwhelmingly acclaimed adventure epic! Inflicted with a deadly curse, a young warrior named Ashitaka (Billy Crudup -- WITHOUT LIMITS) sets out for the forests of the west in search of the cure that will save his life. Once there, he becomes inextricably entangled in a bitter battle that matches Lady Eboshi (Driver) and a proud clan of humans against the forest's animal gods, who are led by the brave Princess Mononoke (Danes), a young woman raised by wolves! Also starring Gillian Anderson (THE X-FILES) and Jada Pinkett Smith (SCREAM 2), this monumental struggle between man and nature will have you transfixed as stunning artistry blends with epic storytelling to create a uniquely entertaining motion picture!
In Hayao Miyazaki's latest animated masterpiece, journey beyond imagination and enter a "breathtaking fantasy world" (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times) filled with adventure, humor and heart. Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a spell on Sophie. In a life-changing adventure, Sophie climbs aboard Howl's magnificent flying castle and enters a magical world on a quest to break the spell. Featuring the voice talents of Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall, Blythe Danner, and Billy Crystal, Miyazaki's artistry comes to life in film with inventive characters, unique storytelling and richly detailed animation
Mars. Days before Halloween 2071. Villains blow up a tanker truck on Highway One releasing a deadly virus that kills hundreds. Fearing a bigger even more devastating biochemical attack an astronomical reward is offered for the arrest and capture of the person behind the destruction. On the space ship "Bebop" Spike Spiegel and his crew of bounty hunters (Jet Black Faye Valentine Ed and Ein) are bored and short of cash. But with the news of the reward everything changes. Based on the wildly popular TV series "Cowboy Bebop" the big screen smash COWBOY BEBOP: THE MOVIE pits Spike and Co. against their deadliest adversary ever. Featuring stunning state-of-the-art animation this action-packed sci-fi adventure builds to a breath-taking nail-biting climax guaranteed to keep you hanging on the edge of your seat
It is a time of chaos. Earth is no longer what it used to be. It has been infested with a bug like species called the Blue. Yuji Kaido, who has a mysterious disease is put into suspended animation untill a cure is found. When he wakes up Yuji learns that its been more than 20 years since he was put into suspended animation, and the world is now controled by these creatures. He then decides to join a group of soldiers fighting against the Blue for hope of a better future.
YuYu Hakusho: The Movie, also known as The Golden Seal, is a twenty-six minute film that was released theatrically in Japan on July 10, 1993 alongside one other short anime film, Ninku: The Movie.[2] Both movies were directed by Noriyuki Abe. The movie was English dubbed by AnimeWorks and released on VHS on June 9, 1998 and on a single DVD with Ninku: The Movie on January 30, 2001.[3][4] Like the television series, it features the songs "Smile Bomb" and "Sayonara Bye Bye" by Matsuko Mawatari for its opening and closing credits respectively.[2] [edit]Plot While vacationing, Koenma is kidnapped by a pair of demons known as Koashura and Garuga, who demand the possession of Lord Enma's coveted "Golden Seal." Botan finds Yusuke Urameshi and Kazuma Kuwabara on their summer vacation as well, and asks for their assistance in Koenma's rescue.
Akira (アキラ?) is a 1988 anime film written and directed by Katsuhiro Otomo based on his hit manga. The film is set in a futuristic and post-war city, Neo-Tokyo, in 2019. While most of the character designs and basic settings were adapted from the original 2182-page manga epic, the restructured plot of the movie differs considerably from the print version, pruning much of the last half of the manga.
Plot summary
On July 16, 1988, Tokyo is destroyed by an apparent nuclear explosion that leads to the start of World War III. Thirty-one years later, in 2019, Neo-Tokyo, a new megalopolis built on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay, is gripped by political strife, anti-government terrorism, and gang violence. Shotaro Kaneda leads his bosozoku gang, the Capsules, which find themselves in a gang war with another group called the Clowns. As Kaneda and his best friend, Tetsuo, battle a pair of Clowns on a highway, the latter almost runs into a child with wizened features and is injured when his bike suddenly explodes. Tetsuo and the child, Takashi, are taken away by armed soldiers. Kaneda and his gang are taken in for questioning, where Kaneda unsuccessfully flirts with a young woman named Kei, a member of the terrorist Resistance. Kaneda, Kei, and the remaining Capsules are later released. Colonel Shikishima and Doctor Onishi, two members of a secret government project, discover that Tetsuo possesses mental frequencies similar to Akira, a little boy with essentially god-like mental abilities who destroyed Tokyo decades before. Because Kiyoko, another one of the aged children called the Espers, has had visions of a similar destruction of Neo-Tokyo, the Colonel orders the Doctor to kill Tetsuo should he go out of control. Tetsuo escapes, meeting up with his girlfriend, Kaori, and stealing Kaneda's motorcycle. As they attempt to leave the city, they are attacked by Clowns, whom Kaneda and the gang defeat upon their arrival. As Kaneda helps the couple recover, Tetsuo begins to suffer a painful headache that causes him to fall down. On the Doctor's orders, a government van arrives and takes Tetsuo away. That night, Kaneda sees Kei at the scene of a terrorist attack, helps her avoid arrest, and accompanies her to the Resistance headquarters. Kaneda offers to help after the terrorists unintentionally reveal their plan to infiltrate a high-security hospital to rescue Tetsuo. That night, the Espers - Takashi, Kiyoko and Masaru - attempt to kill Tetsuo before he grows accustomed to his new powers. However, this only makes Tetsuo more powerful. He goes on a violent rampage through the hospital to the Espers' hospital room, where he learns that Akira is now in cryogenic storage below Neo-Tokyo's new Olympic Stadium. The Colonel, Kei, and Kaneda, arrive too late at the Espers' room, learning that Tetsuo is heading for the Stadium to meet Akira in the hopes he can give Tetsuo more information about his powers. Kei and Kaneda are detained, but Kiyoko - speaking through Kei as a medium - explains that Tetsuo must be stopped and helps them escape. Meanwhile, Tetsuo encounters Yamagata, Kaneda's right-hand man (who asks him "are you Tetsuo or someone else?"), and kills him. Another capsule named Kai is also there to witness Yamagata's death but is spared. Tetsuo travels to the Stadium, brutally dispatching soldiers who attack him. Arriving at the Stadium, Tetsuo battles and defeats Kei, who is voluntarily being used by the Espers. Tetsuo finally unearths Akira's cryogenic chamber, only to discover Akira's organs, stored inside glass jars. The Colonel - who by now has taken over Neo-Tokyo and declared martial law - tells Tetsuo that Akira's remains had been meticulously analyzed after Tokyo's destruction and that he's been dead the entire time. Kaneda, having learned of Yamagata's death from Kai, uses Tetsuo's moment of confusion to fire on him with a laser rifle, but Tetsuo is able to block almost all the attacks bar the initial one which manages to cut his arm badly. While Tetsuo is distracted by Kaneda, the Colonel tries to shoot Tetsuo using an orbital laser weapon but manages only to sever his right arm. Tetsuo takes off into orbit and destroys the weapon, then spends the night recovering at the Stadium, psychically forging himself a new arm from inorganic material while studying Akira's organs. His girlfriend Kaori arrives and tries to calm him down as his powers create immense physical pain. The Colonel pleads with Tetsuo to return to the lab, but Tetsuo attacks the Colonel. When the Colonel fires back, with Kaneda (protected by the Espers) joining the fray, Tetsuo is unable to keep control any longer, and his body begins to transform into a gigantic mass that crushes and kills Kaori. The Espers, watching from afar, realize the only way to stop Tetsuo is to call forth Akira, his life force contained in the body parts in the glass jars. Akira's manifestation causes another explosion, and the Espers teleport the Colonel to safety. In spite of Kiyoko and Masaru's insistence that trying to save Kaneda alone would be futile, Takashi jumps into the ever-expanding psychic field. Kiyoko and Masaru agree to join Takashi, aware they likely will not be able to return, and help save Kaneda. Kaneda experiences Tetsuo's and the Espers' memories, including how much Tetsuo trusted Kaneda as a friend and how the children obtained their powers. The Espers remove Kaneda from the field and tell him that Akira will be taking Tetsuo "away" and to find somewhere safe to ride out the explosion. The explosion engulfs much of Neo-Tokyo, and when it shrinks and, finally, vanishes, leaves a void that is quickly filled by the nearby ocean. Kaneda wakes up to find that Kei and Kai are safe, and they drive away from the ruined stadium into the city. The credits begin with a Big Bang and Tetsuo saying a last word, "I am Tetsuo". [edit]Characters
Akira (アキラ), codename #28) – The eponymous, principal subject of the story. Akira was a young boy who developed transcendent psionic, god-like abilities when serving as a test subject for secret government ESP experiments in the 1980s. He subsequently lost control of this power and was killed in the ensuing blast which completely annihilated Tokyo in a horrifying explosion in 1988. After the apocalyptic event, Akira's corpse was recovered and subjected to every test known to modern science, which proved unable to solve the mystery. His remains were placed within a cryonic chamber underneath the Neo-Tokyo Olympic Stadium, to be entrusted to the study of future generations. Shotaro Kaneda (金田 正太郎 Kaneda Shōtarō) – The anthology's main protagonist, Kaneda is a carefree gang-leader who boasts a custom-modified motorcycle. He and Tetsuo have been best friends since early childhood. He is brash and not above teasing Tetsuo despite feeling affection for him as a younger brother. Upon rescuing Kei, Kaneda becomes involved in the activities of her group of anti-government guerrillas in hopes of locating Tetsuo. Tetsuo Shima (島 鉄雄 Shima Tetsuo) – Kaneda's best friend since preschool and the second principal subject of the story's theme. Tetsuo is shown as a black sheep in the gang he and Kaneda are part of, and quietly suffers from a deeply rooted inferiority complex. He admires his friend yet at the same time strongly resents his own reliance upon him. After his psychokinetic abilities manifest, Tetsuo quickly becomes Kaneda's nemesis; he desires Kaneda's motorcycle (a symbol of status and power) and seeks to prove himself supremely powerful, without need of protection. Eventually, his power overwhelms him and the Espers are forced to awaken Akira to stop him. Kei (ケイ) – A young female revolutionary whom Kaneda meets and becomes enamoured with on his quest to find Tetsuo. She is a member of an anti-government faction that Ryu and Nezu are also involved in. Although she does not possess preternatural abilities, Kei is employed by the Espers as a type of medium on several occasions. Colonel Shikishima (敷島大佐), also known as simply The Colonel – The head of the ongoing government project which was responsible for inadvertently unleashing Akira's power thirty years earlier. Appearing tough and ruthless, he is nevertheless pragmatic enough to recognize the danger Tetsuo's fledging powers pose and cares for the three Espers under his supervision. Amongst the other government figures depicted in the film, he is shown to be the most principled, eschewing the corruption and hedonism that typifies Neo-Tokyo. The Espers – Masaru (マサル, codename #27), Takashi (タカシ, codename #26) and Kiyoko (キヨコ, codename #25) – Akira's fellow psychic test subjects kept in a perpetual yet aging childhood, with dead-white hair and green-grey skin, although Masaru's skin is actually a purplish shade. They exhibit a variety of paranormal powers which they use to influence the course of events to the best of their ability. While individually of lesser strength than Akira or Tetsuo, their combined effort proves decisive in the story's final confrontation. Nezu (根津) – A government mole responsible for Takashi's kidnapping. Yamagata (山形) – One of the most prominent members of Kaneda's gang. He often derides Tetsuo, which ultimately leads to his death at Tetsuo's hands. Kai (甲斐) – Another member of Kaneda's gang, Kai plays an important supporting role in the eventual battle against Tetsuo. He is close friends with Yamagata and they remain together when the gang breaks up. Kaori (カオリ) – Tetsuo's girlfriend. She stands by Tetsuo even though he treats her rather harshly sometimes, which ultimately leads to her death. [edit]
Ninja Scroll (獣兵衛忍風帖, Jūbei Ninpūchō?) is a Japanese action thriller anime set in feudal Japan, by critically acclaimed director/writer Yoshiaki Kawajiri who was best known for his previous thriller Wicked City (Yōjū Toshi). The character designs were done by Yutaka Minowa. The movie is a homage to the Ninpōchō series, ninja novels by Futaro Yamada. The main character, Kibagami Jubei, is an homage to the famed Japanese samurai folk hero Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi.
The movie was released on June 5, 1993, and received a Western release on December 6, 1995. The movie was also released in some regions as Jubei Ninpucho: The Wind Ninja Chronicles. It is licensed by Manga Entertainment in North America. Ninja Scroll won the Citizen's Award at the 1993 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival. Ninja Scroll is among the most popular anime movies outside of Japan, along with such movies as Akira and Ghost in the Shell. It was well-received in its depiction of the ninja and Japanese legendary creatures such as the Stone Golem and the Blind Assassin.
Plot
5 years before the start of the film, The Yamashiro Clan's chief retainers (Vassal lords) dig gold out of a secret mine behind their Lord's back. The Lord of the Yamashiro clan wants to have the gold for himself, but his forces aren't strong enough, so can't act alone. He also can't go to the government first, because they would take the gold if they knew about the mine. He orders his Ninja team, lead by Himuru Gemma, to assassinate the Chief Retainers, claiming he would then report the mine to the government. Jubei Kibagami and Shinkuro are members of this Ninja Team. After the Chief Retainers are murdered, the Yamashiro Lord doesn't report the mine to the government. Later, Gemma orders Shinkuro and others to kill Jubei, hoping they would all kill each other, thus eliminating everyone who knew about the mine. Reluctantly, Jubei kills Shinkuro and the others in self-defense. While Gemma is riding along a pass, Jubei springs from the snow and cuts off his head to avenge Shinkuro and the others. Jubei then becomes a wandering swordsman-for-hire.
Sometime later, Gemma reincarnates himself, and over the next five years, becomes leader of the Devils of Kimon, who in turn work for the Lord of the House of Toyotomi (The Shogun of the Dark). The House of Toyotomi holds a grudge against the current government, the Tokugawa Shogunate, and wants to overthrow it. Gemma tells the Shogun of the Dark the location of the secret mine. Meanwhile, Tokugawa Government spies are trying to determine where the mine is. The Shogun of the Dark sends the Devils of Kimon to protect the Yamashiro clan from the government spies and government intervention in return for gold from the mine.
The Yamashiro clan sends a large shipment of gold to the Shogun of the Dark, but the ship is wrecked in a storm on the coast near Shimoda Village, in Mochizuki Clan territory. Gemma and the Devils of Kimon are sent to recover the gold. They wipe out Shimoda Village by poisoning the wells to get rid of any witnesses. They make it look as if a plague has killed the villagers.
The next night, a team of Mochizuki Koga Ninja is sent to investigate the plague in Shimoda village, but on their way they are slaughtered. The only survivor is Kagero, who is captured and raped by her assailant, a huge stone golem called Tessai. Rescued by the wandering mercenary ninja Jubei Kibagami, Kagero escapes to continue her mission, while Tessai vengefully pursues Jubei. Tessai succeeds in ambushing Jubei but is killed.
Tokugawa shogunate spy Dakuan, who had been observing Jubei, reveals that Tessai belonged to a ninja group known as the Devils of Kimon, who will constantly attack him to avenge the death of their comrade. Calling his bluff, Jubei is fatally poisoned by Dakuan in an attempt to force Jubei into his employ, the reward for his service being 100 pieces of gold and the antidote to his poison, which will kill him in under a day. The two unite with Kagero to determine the Devils of Kimon agenda and how it relates to the mysterious plague in Shimoda village. Dakuan continues the main investigation on his own, using Jubei and Kagero as decoys, who must constantly fend off deadly attacks from the remaining members of the Devils of Kimon, the leader of whom is reputed to be Jubei's old nemesis Gemma, who was killed several years previously.
The Devils of Kimon and their ninjas recover the gold and move it by cart to nearby Kishima Harbor, to have it picked up by another ship and sent to the Shogun of the Dark. Jubei, Kagero, and Dakuan attempt to stop them, but Kagero is killed by Gemma, who was impersonating her lord the Mochizuki Clan Chamberlain, Sakaki Hiyobu. Jubei jumps from his hiding place and fights through hundreds of ninja to get to the ship as it is casting off. Dakuan has also sneaked on to the ship.
On the ship, a Toyotomi Retainer and Gemma discuss the Shogun of the Dark's plan for the gold. The Shogun of the Dark plans to use the gold to buy advanced guns from Spain, to overthrow the government. Gemma reveals that he had planned to steal the gold for himself all along, to use it to raise the largest army of ninja ever. He ultimately plans to rule the country from the shadows. Gemma kills the Toyotomi retainer, and takes over the ship. Meanwhile, Jubei and Dakuan sneak into the hold of the ship, and in a fight with Sakuro, one of the 8 devils, the ship is set on fire.
Gemma goes down to the hold, and in a final battle with Jubei amongst the flames, he falls into the molten gold. Jubei and Dakuan escape the burning ship while Gemma's golden body sinks with the rest of the gold to the bottom of the sea. [edit] Ratings and censorship
In 1995, the BBFC cut the UK version by approximately 52 seconds. This included a rape scene and images of imitable weaponry. The UK and Australian DVDs were affected by these cuts — it was not censored in Australia but the Australian DVD was an exact copy of the UK disc. In 2004 the footage was reinstated and the movie in both countries was released uncut.
The film was initially given an MA15+ rating by the OFLC in Australia. In 1996, following an uncut screening of the film on free-to-air television, the Federal Attorney General lodged an application to review the classification of the film. As a result of this, the film's classification was upgraded to an R18+ rating, meaning television airings must be censored as R18+ material cannot be screened. Confusion often occurs due to the re-rating as well as the BBFC cut — someone could purchase the BBFC-cut R18+ DVD thinking it contained more graphic material than an MA15+ VHS copy, only to discover it contained less.
In Canada the film was given an 18 rating, while it was released Unrated in the United States. [edit] Continuation Main article: Ninja Scroll: The Series
A Japanese animated television series was released in 2003 called, Jubei Ninpucho: Ryuhogyoku-hen and ran for 13 episodes. It was released in the west as Ninja Scroll: The Series. The series is partly written by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, but remains only a spiritual sequel to the film because the story stands alone; however, many references suggest that it is indeed a continuation from the movie. In the series, Jubei gets caught in the middle of a battle between the Kimon Clan and the Hiruko Clan. He meets up with the Light Maiden Shigure, a young lady whose village was destroyed by the Kimon Clan and whom Jubei was charged with delivering a Dragon Stone to. The duo are joined by Tsubute (a young thief) and Dakuan (Tokugawa shogunate spy) , and together they try to find out why both the Kimon and the Hiruko Clan are after her and why the Dragon Stone she carries is so important to them. The show was directed by Tatsuo Sato (Martian Successor Nadesico), with character design done by Takahiro Yoshimatsu (Trigun).
An official sequel, Jubei Ninpucho 2, is classed as in production with no specific release date. The film is scheduled to be written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, and will most likely be released in the west as Ninja Scroll 2.
In North America, the Ninja Resurrection anime films were marketed as sequels to Ninja Scroll, but were actually created by a separate animation studio. The only similarities they share is a lead character named Jubei. The Jubei in Ninja Resurrection was famed swordsman Yagyū Jūbei, not Jubei Kibagami from Ninja Scroll.
In September 2006, Wildstorm launched a twelve issue Ninja Scroll comic book series written by J. Torres, which follows the further adventures of Jubei.
In 2008 Alex Tse, co-writer of the movie adaptation of Alan Moore's Watchmen, was stated to be set to write the live-action adaptation of classic anime Ninja Scroll for Warner Bros., according to The Hollywood Reporter. Leonardo DiCaprio, meanwhile, is set to co-produce the project through his Appian Way production company. DiCaprio is also eyeing the five members of a Japanese pop group SMAP -- Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Goro Inagaki and Shingo Katori – to star in the film. Each member has previously acted in Japanese anime adaptations and fulfills DiCaprio's aim for authenticity in the film's casting. However as of 2010 there has been little to no info regarding the project. [edit] Original soundtrack Jubei Ninpucho Ninja Scroll Soundtrack by Kaoru Wada, Ryouhei Yamanashi Released 2000 Label ADV Films (North America)
A soundtrack was released titled Jubei Ninpucho (Ninja Scroll) with music composed by Kaoru Wada from the movie. Tracks 8 and 15 are composed and sung by Ryouhei Yamanashi with lyrics by Shou Jitsukawa.
Track listing:
1. "Prologue" 2. "Jubei" 3. "Eight Warriors of the Demon Clan" 4. "Blood Wind" 5. "Kagerou" 6. "Visions" 7. "Devil Shadow" 8. "To Those Who Face the Wind" 9. "Pursuit" 10. "Devil Swordsman" 11. "Strategy" 12. "Reincarnation" 13. "Struggle to the Death" 14. "Epilogue" 15. "Somewhere, Faraway, Everyone is Listening to a Ballad"
