VIZ Media, LLC, one of the leading licensors and distributors of Japanese anime and manga, will be releasing the action film K-20: The Fiend with Twenty Faces on April 20 2010 under their live-action film imprint VIZ Pictures. Based on the novel The Story of Nijyumenso by Soh Kitamura, the film is directed by Shimako Sato and features a them song by the British band Oasis. The movie will be released with an MSRP of $24.92 US / $35.99 CAN. The DVD release was previously announced by VIZ Media.
A review for K-20: The Fiend with Twenty Faces is now available.
The Plot of K-20
This film takes place in the 1940s in the city of Teito, in a world where World War II never occurred. The Meiji government is still in power, and 90% of the country's wealth is held by the upper class, creating a great divide. A phantom thief, called "The Fiend with Twenty Faces" or K-20, causes a great crisis. He tricks a circus acrobat named Heikichi Endo, framing the man for his crimes. In revenge Heikichi fights against K-20 in order to clear his name, and joins forces with the thief's next target, Duchess Yoko Hashiba and her fiancee, Detective Kogoro Akechi.
Seiji Horibuchi, the President and CEO of VIZ Pictures, has this to say about K-20: The Fiend with Twenty Faces: "The character of K-20 was originally born in the best-selling 26-volume Boy Detective series, written by Japanese literary master Rampo Edogawa, and over the years the stories have been enjoyed by more than 100 million people. The inspired film uses a potent mix of eye-catching visual effects and gravity-defying high wire stunts to bring the unique story to the screen with incredible results. We look forward to fans discovering this thrilling new action feature from VIZ Pictures."
The Film's Director, Actors, and Theme Song by Oasis
Director Shimako Sato has been working as a writer and director in Japan since the early 1990s, beginning with Tale of a Vampire in 1992. K-20, released in 2008 in Japan, is is last listed credit as a director, but he is also currently working as a writer on the film Space Battleship Yamato.
Takeshi Kaneshiro is laying the role of Heikichi Endo. Kaneshiro began as an actor in 1993 with Executioners. He has also starred in recent films such as House of Flying Daggers and The Battle of Red Cliff. Takaku Matsu (Hero) plays the part of Yoko Hashiba, and Toru Nakamura (Shaolin Girl) takes on the role of Kogoro Akechi.
The theme song for K-20 is Shock of the Lightning, by the band Oasis. The song is also featured on the band's album, Dig Out Your Soul. Oasis has also had one of their songs, Falling Down, featured in the anime Eden of the East, which has been released by FUNimation Entertainment.
K-20's Theatrical Screening
In celebration of the film's release, VIZ Pictures is holding a special screening of the film at VIZ Cinema in San Francisco on April 20, the day of the DVD's release. The screening will take place at 7:00 pm and tickets will be $25. Along with a ticket, the price covers a copy of the DVD, a K-20 poster and more. VIZ Cinema is located at the following address: 1746 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94115. Tickets are available for purchase directly at the box office, or at the cinema's website www.vizcinema.com.
VIZ Pictures has previously screened other films at VIZ Cinema, including the recent artist documentary Hisashi Tenmyouya: Samurai Nouveau.
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