BiS’ “IDOL is DEAD” Re-opens Nippon Nights at San Francisco’s Roxie Theater

| Idol | Posted by Kai Okudara on Oct.16.2014

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On October 23rd, the second season of Nippon Nights kicks off at San Francisco’s historic Roxie Theater with “IDOL is DEAD” (2012), the horror-comedy starring recently disbanded “anti-idol” group BiS.

The second oldest continually run cinema in the world, San Francisco’s Roxie Theater, is once again screening a selection of films on the fringe of Japanese cinema. This time around, the focus is on representations of present-day Japan through the lens of music and experimental animation.

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The world is still reeling from the aftershocks left by “anti-idol” group BiS (Brand-new Idol Society) and their 4-year assault on the typically sweet and cute world of Japanese idols. “IDOL is DEAD” stars Pour Lui, Nozomi Hirano, and Yufu Terashima as they struggle to become countryside idols after killing their rivals. As if learning how to sing and dance wasn’t difficult enough, one of the girls they killed returns from the grave as a cyborg-zombie. Don’t miss director Yukihiro Kato’s take on the current Japanese idol boom, which has been dubbed “the warring states period of idols” (Idol Sengoku Jidai)!

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“Save the Club Noon” (2013) is a documentary about the problematic Japanese law, which prohibits “unauthorized dancing” in nightclubs. With Osaka’s club Noon as the epicenter, filmmaker Moriro Miyamoto explores the contradiction of Japan having the second-largest music market in the world yet criminalizing the act of dancing. Covering the event held in protest of Noon’s raid by police in 2012, “Save the Club Noon” features the more than 90 artists who participated with many of them weighing in on the issue.

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Internationally acclaimed animator Mirai Mizue’s “WONDER FULL!!” is a compilation of his brightly colored abstract short films, including the crowd funded “WONDER”, which features 365 seconds of painstakingly hand drawn frames completed over the course of a year. This is a rare opportunity to see that there is a lot more to Japanese animation than just wide-eyed magical schoolgirls and spiky-haired ninjas in orange jumpsuits (not that there’s anything wrong with that either). Prepare your eyes and ears for an experience that you will not soon forget!

Seating is limited so make sure to get your tickets early for Nippon Nights at Roxie Theater as soon as possible!

Event website: http://www.roxie.com/programs/nippon-nights/
Location: Roxie Theater, 3117 16th Street, San Francisco, California
Admission: $10.00 General, $7.50 Seniors

Nippon Nights #4: “IDOL is Dead” – October 23, 2014 (Thursday) 7:00pm Little Roxie (49 seats)

Nippon Nights #5: “Save the Club Noon” – November 11, 2014 (Tuesday) 7:00pm Little Roxie (49 seats)

Nippon Nights #5: “Wonder Full!!” – December 16, 2014 (Tuesday) 7:00pm Big Roxie (238 seats)