Zipang (film)

Zipang
Theatrical release poster
Japanese name
Kanji	ZIPANG ジパング
Transcriptions Revised Hepburn Jipangu
Directed by	Kaizo Hayashi
Written by	Kaizo Hayashi, Arata Tendo
Produced by	Koji Tsutsumi
Starring	Masahiro Takashima Narumi Yasuda Shiro Sano Kenya Sawada Mikio Narita Mikijirō Hira
Cinematography	Masaki Tamura
Edited by	Osamu Inoue
Music by	Yōko Kumagai, Hidehiko Urayama
Production companies	TBS, EXE
Distributed by	Toho
Release date	January 27, 1990 (1990-01-27) (Japan)
Running time	119 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

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

• Masahiro Takashima as Jigoku Gokuraku Maru
• Narumi Yasuda as Yuri the Pistol
• Shirō Sano as Bunshichi the Puppetmaster
• Kenya Sawada as Tobatsu
• Mikio Narita as Hayashi Razan
• Mikijirō Hira as King of Zipang
• Haruko Wanibuchi as Queen
• Takuya Wada as Ashura
• Jian Xin as Tattoo Man

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. 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.
5. Greenwood, Garrett. "Kabuki Quantum Fighter". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved 17 April 2022.

External links

• Zipang at IMDb
• Zipang at Letterboxd