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NY Festival Screens Both Gantz Films with Subtitles
posted on by Gia Manry
The July 1 to 14 New York Asian Film Festival event announced on Tuesday that it will host English-subtitled screenings of the live-action film Gantz and its sequel, Gantz: Perfect Answer during the event. The screenings will serve as the New York premiere of the first film with subtitles, and the North American premiere of Gantz: Perfect Answer.
The Gantz films adapt Hiroya Oku's manga of the same name. In it, actors Kazunari Ninomiya (Letters from Iwo Jima) and Ken'ichi Matsuyama (Death Note, Detroit Metal City) play two childhood friends who are killed in a subway accident. They are resurrected to take on violent missions under the instructions of a mysterious black orb known as Gantz.
The first Gantz film had its worldwide premiere with the two stars this past January when it debuted — with an English dub — in 334 theaters throughout the United States for one night only. The second of the planned films, Gantz: Perfect Answer, opened in Japan on April 23.
Other Japanese films screening at the festival include the animated film based on Osamu Tezuka's Buddha manga, Takashi Miike's Nintama Rantarō (Ninja Kids!!!), and the "anime-inspired" live-action film Love and Loathing and Lulu and Ayano.
Also screening are zombie film Versus, whose star and choreographer Tak Sakaguchi (Azumi, SHINOBI) will attend at the event, Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale and Miike's 13 Assassins.
Image © Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 “GANTZ” Film Partners
