Jun 4
Cover of "Akira" movie program, Toho Co., Ltd, July 1988. Scanned from my personal collection.
seen from Malaysia
seen from Australia
seen from Japan
seen from Germany
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Bulgaria
seen from South Korea
seen from Italy
seen from China
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from Maldives
Cover of "Akira" movie program, Toho Co., Ltd, July 1988. Scanned from my personal collection.
Artwork by Yutaka Izubuchi that appeared in the "Patlabor 2 the movie" movie program, Shochiku Co., Ltd, August 1993. Scanned from my personal collection.
Horror of Dracula (1958) - German program cover
This is a recent acquisition to my Phantom shelf, a program from the Japanese release of the 2004 film. It's beautifully put together with lots of images. There's also a lot of text, so I'm assuming there's information about the movie.
Going to the movies is pretty expensive in Japan, and it's made to be an experience. Before doing some research, I had heard of programs being handed out, but I had no idea what a big deal they are and that pretty much every movie gets a program. I learned this from this great blog post, The Wonders of Japanese Movie Programs. Please check it out, it's a cool read with lots of photos, and it also provides information about the Japanese movie going experience.
There’s something about Japanese movie programs that are absolutely stunning and beautiful.
Time and precision went into designing these. They are more than mere covers. They tell stories themselves.
I find them fascinating and intriguing and worthy of cherishing.
Up until a few months ago I didn’t know they existed. That was until I was looking for something special for a good friend’s birthday and I came across Sea of Love and Serpico (not pictured because I didn’t have a movie account when they were given).
I hope you enjoy and appreciate them like I do and thank you for the very talented artists who painstakingly took time to put these together in the days before digital editing.
Back cover of the movie program for the theatrical release of "Tobira wo Akete (Open the Door)", Toho Co., Ltd, October 1986. Scanned from my personal collection.
Cover of "Ultimate Teacher" movie program, Movic, March 1988. Scanned from my personal collection.
Cover of the movie program for "Science Ninja Team Gatchaman", Shochiku Business Division Co Ltd., May 1978. Scanned from my personal collection.