News
California's Royal/t Shows Chocolate Underground Tonight
posted on by Egan Loo
The Japan Film Society will screen the anime version of Alex Shearer's Bootleg novel on Wednesday, July 27 at the Royal/t café and gallery in Culver City, California. The film opened in Japan in January 2009 under the satirical novel's Japanese name, Chocolate Underground.
The dinner from the café's "special chocolate menu" will start at 6:00 p.m., followed by a "Bittersweet Decadence: A Political History of Chocolate" lecture by Japanology Series host Jordan A. Yamaji Smith at 7:00 p.m. and the anime showing itself at 7:30 p.m. The fundraiser will benefit the Japan Film Society and the Tohoku Earthquake Relief fund.
Like the novel, the film and the earlier net-streamed version follow two English boys who create a bootleg chocolate factory after their country bans chocolate. Production I.G (Ghost in the Shell, Kimi ni Todoke) and Trance Arts (The Prince of Tennis) had premiered their anime version on Japanese mobile phones on Valentine's Day 2008. The theatrical release added 20 minutes of new footage. Takayuki Hamana (The Prince of Tennis, Library War) directed the project.
The film held its American premiere in Washington, D.C. last year.
Thanks to santokki for the news tip.
Image © 2009 Chocolate Underground Production Committee
Update: Link fixed.
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