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I read that Shochiku was starting on online service for watching their films for a monthly fee, but I can't find it. Has anybody used this service, and knows where to find it?

Mark Metcalf wrote:I read that Shochiku was starting on online service for watching their films for a monthly fee, but I can't find it. Has anybody used this service, and knows where to find it?

The site is here and the "getting started" page is here, but I don't have the first clue as to how to use it. Good luck and post back if you can figure it out.

They offer two services. The standard service is free and you just choose a movie pay-per-view. For example Hiroshi Shimizu's Lady and Masseuse is 367 yen. The Premium service is 1050 yen per month.

For that you get a discount on the regular pay per view movies. Then Shochiku have a 'recommended selection' every month ("more than 12 titles") which you can watch for free and you can watch original interviews for free too. You also get a 300 yen discount at Movix cinemas.

You can also apply to attend previews and location visits which are selected in a lottery. Not available to people living outside of Japan even those with Japanese nationality. Apparently.

All said I think you're better off with a subscription to the Nihon Eiga Senmon Channel if you live in Japan and want to see Japanese movies. Plenty of Shochiku movies on there and all in "Utsukushii Hi-Vision".