Rising Sun Movie Previews: The Legend Ends & Shin Godzilla

Noah Meyer, Blogger

Hello there! It’s time for a Rising Sun Movie Preview, where I will be talking about upcoming Japanese film releases in local theaters!

Today, I’ll be showing you two upcoming film releases from Funimation Productions, Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends & Shin Godzilla.

First comes Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends. This is the final installment of the trilogy based on Nobuhiro Watsuki’s legendary manga about a samurai in the Meiji Restoration. As readers already know, my opinions of the previous Rurouni Kenshin movies are strongly positive, with their powerful narratives, excellent acting and lightning-fast action choreography. Fans of films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or the Star Wars films will not want to miss out on the final chapter of this Meiji Swordsman’s Romantic Story!

Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends will screen at the Alamo Drafthouse in Kansas City, MO on Oct. 3 and 5. Advance tickets are now on sale at Fandango, so get ’em before they go.

In addition, Rurouni Kenshin: Origins will release on Blu-Ray, DVD and Ultraviolet on Nov. 1, and Funimation is now accepting pre-orders for the film.

Next is Shin Godzilla, the first Japanese-produced Godzilla in ten years. Directed by Neon Genesis Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno, the new film, while a bit on the chatty side according to reviewers at Kotaku, serves as a powerful criticism of the current state of Japanese-American relations, as well as having the tallest Godzilla yet. It seems that longtime fans will be getting a kick out of this film, especially after the most recent American take back in 2014.

Shin Godzilla will screen at the Alamo Drafthouse from Oct. 11 to 18. As is the case with Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends, advance tickets are on sale on Fandango. A perfect film for Halloween, wouldn’t you agree?

It would seem that when it comes to theatrical engagements, Funimation Productions has a big October planned. Arguably, this could be their biggest month in the theatrical business since last year’s release of Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’, so even bigger engagements could be coming down the road if these films are successful. So I’ll see you guys at the movies!