Casshern (2004)

Director:

Kazuaki Kiriya

Writers:

Kazuaki Kiriya (screenplay)
Dai Sato (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

24 April 2004 (Japan)

Genre:

Adventure | Action | Sci-Fi | Drama

Tagline:

Reincarnated with an invincible body to fight an iron devil. If Casshern does not do it, who will?

Plot:

Live-action sci-fi movie based on a 1973 Japanese animé of the same name (Shinzo Ningen Casshân). Theme song by Utada Hikaru.

Plot Keywords:

Mutant | Loss Of Eyesight | Future War | Cyborg | Airplane

Cast

Yusuke Iseya	...	Tetsuya Azuma / Casshern
Kumiko Asô	...	Luna Kozuki
Akira Terao	...	Dr. Kotaro Azuma
Kanako Higuchi	...	Midori Azuma
Fumiyo Kohinata	...	Dr. Kozuki
Hiroyuki Miyasako	...	Akubon
Mayumi Sada	...	Sagurê
Jun Kaname	...	Barashin
Hidetoshi Nishijima	...	Lieutenant Colonel Kamijo
Mitsuhiro Oikawa	...	Kaoru Naito
Susumu Terajima	...	Sakamoto
Mayu Tsuruta	...	Burai's wife
Ryô	...	San Ikegami
Tetsuji Tamayama	...	Sekiguchi
Yôko Moriguchi	...	Luna's mother
Hideji Otaki	...	General Kamijo
Tatsuya Mihashi	...	Dr. Furoi
Toshiaki Karasawa	...	Burai
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kôhei Kitajima
Ei Morisako	...	Runa
Gorô Naya	...	Narrator

Directed by
Kazuaki Kiriya

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Kazuaki Kiriya		screenplay
Dai Sato		writer
Shotaro Suga		writer
Tatsuo Yoshida		characters

Produced by
Hideji Miyajima	....	producer
Chiaki Noji	....	associate producer
Toshiharu Ozawa	....	producer
Makoto Tanaka	....	associate producer
Toshiaki Wakabayashi	....	producer

Original Music by
Shirô Sagisu

Cinematography by
Kazuaki Kiriya		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Kazuaki Kiriya

Production Design by
Yuji Hayashida

Art Direction by
Yuji Hayashida

Set Decoration by
Yoshihito Akatsuka

Costume Design by
Michiko Kitamura

Makeup Department
Ryoji Inagaki	....	hair designer
Ryoji Inagaki	....	makeup designer

Art Department
D.K.	....	conceptual designer
Shinji Higuchi	....	storyboard artist: action scene

Sound Department
Masahito Yano	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Toshiyuki Kimura	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Toshiyuki Kimura	....	visual effects supervisor
Kôji Nozaki	....	visual effects supervisor
Haruhiko Shono	....	CGI supervisor

Editorial Department
Motoyuki Kawase	....	assistant editor (US video version)
Junya Sakino	....	post-production assistant (US video version)

Music Department
Hikaru Utada	....	composer: theme song "Dareka no negai ga kanau koro"

Other crew
Shinji Higuchi	....	action scenes supervisor
Yuta Morokaji	....	action director

Production Companies

• Casshern Film Partners
• Tatsunoko Productions Company
• Shochiku Company
• Progressive Pictures

Distributors

• Shochiku Company (2004) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Bright Angel Distribution (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2004) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Momentum Pictures (2005) (UK) (theatrical)
• DreamWorks SKG (2005) (USA) (all media)
• Go Fish Pictures (2005) (USA) (all media)
• I-On New Media (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Momentum Pictures (2005) (UK) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Paris Vídeo (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Paris Vídeo (2005) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Rialto Entertainment (2006) (Australia) (DVD)
• Total Film Home Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD) (rental)
• Total Film Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD) (retail)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2006) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Universe Laser & Video Co. Ltd. (2005) (Hong Kong) (DVD)

Special Effects

• EEN (motion capture)
• N Design
• VFX studio Loop Hole (matte painting)

Other Companies

• Continental Far East  Dolby consultant
• Dolby Laboratories  sound post-production
• Imagica  digital film recording
• Imagica  digital intermediate
• Kodak Japan  film stock supplied by
• Nihon Shomei Co.  lighting equipment supplied by
• Pivotal Post  Avid editing equipment provided by
• Sanwa Cine Equipment  camera equipment supplied by (as Panavision Digital Imaging)
• Toho Sound Studio  post-production sound studio

Also Known As:

Kasshân (Japan) (alternative transliteration)
Casshern (Finland) [fi]
Casshern - Reencarnado do Inferno (Brazil) [pt]
Kyashan - La rinascita (Italy) [it]

Runtime:

142 min | USA:117 min (cut version)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-15 | Italy:T | South Korea:15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Japan

Company:

Casshern Film Partners

Trivia:

This is considered a "live-action anime" and borrows heavily from standard anime techniques including camera angles, action backgrounds (i.e. lines indicating movement), acting styles, and plot elements.

Quotes:

Kotaro Azuma-hakase: You have no idea what war is like.

Movie Connections:

References "Mahha GoGoGo" (1967)

Soundtrack:

Requiem

speechless (almost)

My wife and I watched this movie last night. I love anime, for the most part, but realize that quite a bit of it is rehashing the same topics. Visuals are important, and I can look past some of the more trivial and view the entertainment. She likes some, but is more "willing" to see these movies than "eager".

Having said that. HOLY COW! this is one of the best movies we have seen. Visuals were stunning, the message real, the topics more than timely, the human story was touching. Even the non-special effect type shots were beautiful. You can tell that the filmmakers were not concerned about dumbing down the story for the audience. I fear for an American release (please quite assuming we are morons).

This was not "good anime" or "good superhero" or "good science fiction". This was a excellent movie and story that was told using all those as medium.

You can see aspects of "Blade Runner", "The Matrix", maybe "2001" even film noir but this movie does it right. Please give it a chance. The first thing we thought of after the viewing is that we want run out and tell everyone we see "see this movie".

See this movie.