A Much-Needed Catchup

Hey everybody!

...wait, it's been 2 years?

Wow, shame on me.

Anyways, I'm not sure how many people actually check this site anymore, but I figured I'd try and keep it alive, since... well in all honesty, I kinda forgot it existed for a while (as if the 2 year silence on here wasn't a gigantic indicator). I am the person that made it, after all.

Since the last post, there haven't been too many updates... at least, not any super big ones. So, I'll give a brief rundown of everything that I can think of that's happened:

• I managed to finally hear back from Klockworx, the distributors of the film. They said that they no longer have any authority over the film due to licensing issues, and claim that it is now impossible to view it at this stage.

• I reached out to Japan's Agency of Cultural Affairs (I know, probably didn't see that one coming). I inquired if I could acquire a compulsory license for the film - essentially thinking that if I had a license to distribute the film outside of Japan, I'd be able to obtain a copy. However, They replied saying that compulsory licenses only apply for Japan-only cases, so international distribution is a no-go. They followed that by saying that they don't archive/handle individual works, so even if I had a license, the film wouldn't just magically appear in my hands. Finally, they also said that if we wanted to use the film outside of Japan, there'd be no way for us to be accommodated (which is fine).

• There was a lead involving the peer-to-peer file sharing program WinMX, claiming that the film was circulating around servers on WinMX for approximately 48 hours before suddenly vanishing. After inquiring to various servers around WinMX, I was not able to find any proof that the film was on WinMX at all. If anyone else is able to prove otherwise, please contact us either through here or through the Discord server, so that we can put the matter to rest.

• There was at least one lead that ended up proving to be a practical joke. To avoid giving the culprit more attention than they had/have already gotten, I will say no more. Just goes to show how far some people will go for their own amusement.

• I attempted to send a physical letter to Shueisha, since phone calls, faxes, and emails haven't worked. No dice.

• We had heard back from one more theater that we had not heard back from previously (I unfortunately do not remember the name), though they simply said that they had screened the film and referred me back to Klockworx.

• I managed to learn that Kazafumi Nomura, the now former president of A.P.P.P. (the production company), passed away in 2023 - this likely was a major factor in why A.P.P.P. is now defunct.

...and that's about it. My memory isn't the best and 2 years is quite a bit to keep track of, so if I missed anything, someone from the Discord server please let me know and help fill in the blanks.

Anyways, I must address the most recent development we have. I am collaborating with LSuperSonicQ (https://www.youtube.com/@LSuperSonicQ) and communicating with an anonymous source that claims that they have a couple of routes they could go down to find the movie. Due to the source wishing to remain anonymous, we all wish to keep our developments under wraps so that we don't get people's hopes up in the event that the leads turn out to be duds. Please respect our privacy on the matter until we say otherwise.

I do have a few more ideas on my end - not necessarily to directly obtain a copy, but to get some more insight from the people involved:

• Getting in contact with Shinnosuke and the other members of SOUL'd OUT (creators of the theme song, "Voodoo Kingdom") to ask about their experience in creating the song, and inquiring on if they ended up watching the final film and, if they did, ask for their thoughts on it.

• Trying to contact any of the voice actors involved with the film to ask about their experience with working on the film, and gain their insight on the film, if any.

• Trying to contact any of the former A.P.P.P. staff (if I can even find them) to ask for their insight, if any.

• Trying to contact any of the other staff involved in the film to ask for their insight, if any.

As stated, these are just ideas - I cannot guarantee any results. Are these ideas kind of obvious? Probably. But, they haven't been done yet as far as I'm aware. No better time than the present, right?

I think that just about covers all the bases as of writing this. Like I said, I don't know how many people actually visit this blog anymore due to the 2 year silence here, but for the people that still do, thank you! Due to the infrequency of big leads, posts here will likewise probably be just as infrequent. I hope you understand.

Until next time, my personal thanks to everyone that's stuck around the search for this long. Stay positive my friends!