After the climactic battle to decide the fate of humanity, the hero Max, alongside his party, emerges victorious against the formidable Demon Lord. As he draws his last breath, the defeated Maou vows to return more powerful than ever to take his revenge. Ten years later, although Maou has resurrected, the process is incomplete, resulting in him taking on the form of a child. Nevertheless, not wanting to waste another second, Maou pays his nemesis a visit—but the hero who once gallantly protected humankind from the demon's clutches is now a pitiful slob bearing no resemblance to a man of his former caliber. Despite his disappointment, Maou moves in with Max in hope of building him back up into a worthy adversary. But as the demon learns more about the events that transpired in the decade of his absence, he realizes that there is a story behind Max's downfall that he knows nothing of.

Tricked into assassinating his own prospective father-in-law, righteous samurai Raizou Kurima is overwhelmed with guilt. In order to reclaim his honor, Raizou swears vengeance on the lord who gave him those misleading orders. In his pursuit, he is aided by self-proclaimed merchant-of-all-trades Yuuen Usui, who is actually one of the Revengers—assassins who seek justice for the wronged and dispense bloody revenge on their behalf. Tragedy seems destined to follow Raizou as he becomes increasingly intertwined with members of the Revengers. As he begins working as a vigilante alongside them, the complicated web between the corrupt Japanese political elite, the unscrupulous Europeans, and the Revengers gradually reveals itself. The more entangled he becomes in these affairs, the more Raizou realizes that justice is as deceptive as the honor that he sought to redeem.

Mamoru Oshii's first Ghost in the Shell cyberspace film will return to five Japanese theaters in an enhanced Ghost in the Shell 2.0 edition on July 12. The new edition will include new computer graphics and digital effects for some scenes and a reunion of most of the cast members for a new 6.1 surround sound recording. Academy-Award-winning sound mixer/editor Randy Thom (Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, The Incredibles, The Right Stuff) has overseen the new soundtrack with Kenji Kawai's original music and a final mix that has been produced at Thom and Lucas Digital's Skywalker Sound studio in California.

In the new edition, the enigmatic Puppet Master character will be played by Yoshiko Sakakibara (Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence's Harraway, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex's Prime Minister Yoko Kayabuki). Iemasa Kayumi (Giant Robo's Chief Chuujou Shizuo, RahXephon's Ernst Von Bähbem) played the role in the original edition.

The film will screen in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Sapporo. Not coincidentally, Oshii's latest film, The Sky Crawlers, will open one month after Ghost in the Shell 2.0 on August 2. 

(Source: ANN)

There is no such thing as an uneventful day in the life of kindergartener Shinnosuke "Shin-chan" Nohara. The five-year-old is a cut above the most troublesome, perverted, and shameless kid one can imagine. Shin-chan is almost always engaged in questionable activities such as forgetting about a friend during hide and seek, sumo wrestling for love, performing various gags including the notorious "elephant" in public, and flirting with college girls. The exemplary troublemaker has done it all and has no plans to stop anytime soon. Crayon Shin-chan follows the daily shenanigans of Shin-chan with his group of friends, parading around as the self-proclaimed "Kasukabe Defense Force." The adults witnessing these shenanigans unfold can't help but adore Shin-chan, as he keeps them entertained while unintentionally solving their daily troubles through his mindless antics—leaving himself as the only problem they do not know what to do with. [Written by MAL Rewrite]