Zipang (film)

Zipang
Theatrical release poster
Japanese name
KanjiZIPANG ジパング
Transcriptions
Revised HepburnJipangu
Directed byKaizo Hayashi
Written byKaizo Hayashi, Arata Tendo
Produced byKoji Tsutsumi
StarringMasahiro Takashima
Narumi Yasuda
Shiro Sano
Kenya Sawada
Mikio Narita
Mikijirō Hira
CinematographyMasaki Tamura
Edited byOsamu Inoue
Music byYōko Kumagai, Hidehiko Urayama
Production
companies
TBS, EXE
Distributed byToho
Release date
  • January 27, 1990 (1990-01-27) (Japan)
Running time
119 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Zipang (Japanese: ZIPANG ジパング, Hepburn: Jipangu), also known as The Legend of Zipang[1] is a 1990 Japanese tokusatsu fantasy film directed by Kaizo Hayashi.[2] The film stars Masahiro Takashima as Jigoku Gokuraku Maru.

Cast

Release

Theatrical

Zipang was released in Japan on January 27, 1990 where it was distributed by Toho.[3] The film was released at the Stockholm International Film Festival in November 1990 in Sweden.

Home media

Video TBS released the film on VHS in 1990 and Art Port released the film on DVD in 2001.

Remarks

In scenes that transcend time and space, a time-consuming expression method is adopted in which photographs are copied and modified, and effects such as zooming and rotation are added to take each photograph one-by-one.[4]

Reception

The Austin Chronicle said "if, however, you're looking to switch off your brain and simply have a good time, then don't miss out on this kinetic roller coaster of a movie... it's a real hoot."[1]

Other media

The video game Jigoku Gokuraku Maru (地獄極楽丸) for the Famicom is a tie-in for this movie. It was retitled Kabuki: Quantum Fighter for its Western release, and the plot was changed to remove the connection to the movie.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b O'Bryan, Joey. "The Legend of Zipang". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  2. ^ Shiraishi, Masahiko; 白石雅彦 (2003). Heisei gojira taizen : 1984-1995. Shogo Tomiyama, 富山省吾. Tōkyō: Futabasha. ISBN 4-575-29505-1. OCLC 167377489.
  3. ^ "『ZIPANG』". シネマ係長の秘密基地 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  4. ^ Nihon tokusatsu gensō eiga zenshū. Keibunsha, 勁文社. (Shohan ed.). Tōkyō: Keibunsha. 5 June 1997. ISBN 978-4-7669-2706-1. OCLC 39959591.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. ^ Greenwood, Garrett. "Kabuki Quantum Fighter". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved 17 April 2022.