Netflix has revealed fresh details of its upcoming slate from Japan, including a three features and an epic samurai period drama.
At an event in Tokyo today (February 12), the streaming giant said it would release manga adaptation Demon City this month, action remake Bullet Train Explosion in April and “boys love” (BL) drama 10Dance in December. All have previously been announced.
Demon City, based on the manga Oni Goroshi and written and directed by Seiji Tanaka (Melancholic), is about a hitman played by Toma Ikuta who awakens from a long coma and embarks on a bloody, revenge-inspired killing spree. The film will be released on February 27. Tanaka’s Melancholic won the White Mulberry award at Udine in 2019.
Bullet Train Explosion, directed by Shinji Higuchi (Shin Godzilla), is a remake of a 1975 film about a bullet train that will explode if its speed drops below 80kph (100kph in the new film). Netflix revealed that the film, which stars Tsuyoshi Kusanagi of Midnight Swan and was produced in cooperation with the East Japan Railway Company using real bullet trains and facilities, will begin streaming on April 23.
Director Higuchi, who appeared at the event, detailed aspects of the film’s production, including the fact that JR East provided an exclusive Hayabusa Shinkansen bullet train for the production, which took multiple round trips between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori during filming, and that employees from the rail company provided detailed notes to the cast, including at exactly what angle JR employees bow to customers.
“While shooting scenes, the cast would often go to the JR employees rather than me for advice on how to perform their lines,” said Higuchi.
The director, who is known for his special effects work, also revealed that the production used a bullet train miniature built at 1:6 scale, larger than traditional models. “We thought that anything smaller wouldn’t be convincing to audiences,” Higuchi said.
The film marks the first time Higuchi has worked with lead actor Kusanagi since his 2006 film Sinking Of Japan. “I was both happy for him but jealous when I watched his subsequent films, because I wanted to direct him again,” said Higuchi. “The 20 years since have given his acting even more depth.”
Higuchi also promised that as the film’s title suggests, there will be explosions.
“The plot of the film is about preventing an explosion, but I know that the viewers want to see something explode, so I had long discussions with the screenwriters about how to pull it off,” said Higuchi.
10Dance, which is directed by Keishi Otomo (Rurouni Kenshin), is about two professional male dancers of latin dance and standard ballroom who team up to participate in a dance competition called 10-Dance, where they begin to fall for each other. The film stars Ryoma Takeuchi from Teiichi: Battle of Supreme High and Keita Machida of Netflix series Alice In Borderland, and will begin streaming in December.
Samurai epic
The lineup also included period drama series Last Samurai Standing from director Michihito Fujii and starring Junichi Okada, who also serves as producer and action choreographer.
Set in the late 19th century during the Meiji period, as the age of the samurai approached its end, the series takes place at the Tenryuji Temple in Kyoto. One night, 292 samurai warriors gather, lured by the promise of a grand prize of ¥100bn. Among them is Shujiro Saga (Okada), who enters the game to save his ailing wife and child.
It is based on the Ikusagami series of novels by Shogo Imamura, winner of the Naoki Prize in 2021, and is set for release in November.
Director Fujii revealed that the series marked his longest shoot yet and also involved the largest number of cast and crew members. The filmmaker is known for 2019 box office hit The Journalist, which won three prizes including best film at Japan’s Academy Awards and was spun-off into a Netflix series of the same name. He also made two films that were released in 2024: romantic drama 18x2 Beyond Youthful Days; and Faceless, which is nominated for best film at the upcoming Japan Academy Film Prize.
Further series on Netflix’s upcoming Japan slate include a third season of popular sci-fi thriller series Alice In Borderland; Glass Heart, an adaptation of the novel by Mio Wakagi about a rising rock band starring Takeru Satoh (Rurouni Kenshin); Soul Mate, which is about two men from Japan and South Korea who cross paths in Berlin; and romantic comedy Romantics Anonymous, which stars Shun Oguri of Godzilla vs. Kong.
Today’s event began with a recorded message from Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria, who noted that Japanese language content is the service’s second most-viewed non-English content worldwide.
Netflix Japan vice president of content Kaata Sakamoto added that 2025 marks 10 years since Netflix began streaming services in Japan, and that the company’s three pillars for the creation of Japanese content are putting local audiences first, working with best-in-class creators and providing a good creative environment, adding that he has seen “a significant transformation in Japan’s creative landscape” in recent years.
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