Netflix marks the 10th anniversary of its launch in Japan this year with its “next bold step” into a film slate, including creating the first-of-its-kind visual experience in “Bullet Train Explosion”, the streamer’s director of live action content,  Shinichi Takahashi, said in Tokyo during this week’s APAC Film Showcase. 

“Bullet Train Explosion” premieres tomorrow (23 April). 

Takahashi described the film, directed by Shinji Higuchi and starring Tsuyoshi Kusanagi as the conductor of a bomb-laden high-speed train, as having “redefined industry standards by accomplishing what was once thought impossible”.

“Director Higuchi and his team have taken on the challenge of combining Japanese filmmaking technology with our global VFX expertise to create a spectacular visual experience never before seen in Japan,” he said.

Drawing a line from Netflix’s first original movie, "Asakusa Kid”, to “Bullet Train Explosion”, Takahashi said “we know that local authenticity is the key to engaging audiences”.

“The success of "Asakusa Kid” made me realise the potential for Japanese creators to reach a global stage.  I began exploring untapped areas in the film landscape, which led to "City Hunter," Netflix’s first globally recognised live-action manga adaptation film.  This film demonstrated how we can successfully revive a Japanese IP that is loved by the world,” he said. 

A reboot of the 50-year-old original, the primary focus of “Bullet Train Explosion” was to ensure “the audience could feel the authenticity and realism of the bullet train, which is an extension of their everyday lives”.

Takahashi highlighted the use of “tokusatsu” (spectacular visuals) technology to create a 1/6 scale model of the bullet train, “which we exploded to convey the real weight and impact of the train.  This was a significant evolution from the traditional 1/10 or 1/25 scale models”.  

In addition, two full-sized bullet train cars, equivalent to the length of a 50-meter swimming pool, were constructed using the exact same material as the real bullet train cars, for filming purposes.

The production team also rented an entire bullet train –  “thanks to JR East Railways' unprecedented cooperation,” Takahashi said – and to film it in motion seven times, travelling back and forth from Tokyo to Aomori. 

This was not possible in the original “The Bullet Train” and remains unparalleled in Japanese film production to this day, he added. “Typically, even if a train could be borrowed, filming would be limited to one or two times, making this an extraordinary level of cooperation in Japan”. 

Speaking about the rest of this year’s film slate, Takahashi said “we’re broadening the variety of our original storytelling with a range of genres”.

The 2025 slate ranges from combat action feature, “Demon City”, released earlier this year and ranked in the global top 10 for four consecutive weeks, to BL dance-competition title,  "10 Dance". 

“We are not choosing films based on the number of comics sold or seeking top-ranking IPs for commercial success,” Takahashi said, adding: “Instead, we choose films based on unique and distinctive stories, often taking chances on stories that others might consider too specific, quirky or local”.