“Again” (アゲイン), Original Japanese First-Release Movie Poster 1984, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) ZA919

This is an original Japanese B2 poster produced for the 1984 first theatrical release of Again, written and directed by Toshihiko Yahagi. Created to commemorate Nikkatsu’s 70th anniversary, the film celebrates the studio’s golden age of action cinema. This striking portrait design places Keiichiro Akagi, one of Nikkatsu’s most charismatic stars, at its centre.

Film background
Released in Japan on 18 February 1984, Again brings together excerpts from 37 Nikkatsu films, connected by newly filmed sequences featuring Joe Shishido as an ageing hitman searching for a former rival.

The anthology revisits a world of waterfront encounters, gunfighters, rebellious youth, and hardboiled romance. Its celebrated cast includes Yujiro Ishihara, Akira Kobayashi, Keiichiro Akagi, Ruriko Asaoka, and Sayuri Yoshinaga, with scenes drawn from classics including Crazed Fruit, I Am Waiting, and A Colt Is My Passport. Yahagi’s affection for these films gives the compilation the character of a cinematic homecoming.

Poster design
A monumental, grainy sepia-toned portrait of Keiichiro Akagi fills most of the sheet, set against a warm, pale peach background. The textured photographic treatment gives his expression an atmospheric, almost printed-illustration quality.

The English title AGAIN descends vertically in enormous blue letters with pink and purple gradients, accompanied by the red Japanese title near the top. A narrow column along the right lists the film’s credits and all 37 featured titles.

At the lower right, a woman stands beside a harbour scene with moored ships. The vertical Japanese tagline, 「霧笛よ、男たちを呼びもどせ。」, translates as “Foghorn, call the men back.” Together, the portrait, waterfront imagery, and nostalgic copy create a beautifully restrained tribute to Nikkatsu’s screen legends.

Condition
Excellent. 

Please review the photographs—they show the exact poster for sale.

It is over 42 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.