Hong Kong’s streaming platform Viu is set to captivate audiences with two vastly different but highly anticipated releases launching Tuesday: a Mandarin-language horror series authorized by Japanese manga master Junji Ito, and the first chapter of the record-shattering “Demon Slayer” film trilogy, both available exclusively in Cantonese-dubbed and original-language versions.
The dual premiere underscores Viu’s strategy of blending niche genre storytelling with blockbuster anime, catering to a wide spectrum of viewers. The two titles arrive amid growing demand for Asian content that combines cultural specificity with global appeal.
‘Smart Town’ Reimagines Academic Pressure as Nightmare
The ten-episode series “Smart Town,” debuting July 28 on Viu, follows Zhao Jiaqi (played by Chen Yen-fei), a repeat exam taker who moves with her mother, Ho Lifen (Gigi Leung), into the mysterious Chongming Town. The community boasts a 100% university admission rate but is shrouded in gray fog and governed by a brutal rule: “Only excellent grades earn the right to survive.”
Jiaqi enrolls in the town’s pivotal Chongming Cram School, where classmates begin to disappear without a trace. She discovers the town’s secret may hinge on a plant called “Blood Jade Fruit.” More chillingly, residents willingly overlook the disappearances to secure their children’s academic futures.
Director Hsieh Chun-yi noted the biggest challenge was ensuring that Ito’s iconic characters—drawn from works such as “Tomie,” “Soichi’s Cursed Chronicles,” and “The Slug Girl”—felt organic rather than mere easter eggs. “We wanted them to live in the real world, not just pop up as references,” he said.
The cast also includes Gigi Leung in her first Taiwanese drama and debut horror role, alongside actress Tien Hsin as a schizophrenic parent-teacher association head who dotes on her daughter at home but is ruthless outside. Leung admitted the role unnerved her even off set. “I couldn’t recognize myself in the mirror during filming,” she said. “Reading the script in quarantine left me genuinely panicked.”
Hsu Hsi-wen, daughter of celebrity Dee Hsu, credited her aunt Barbie Hsu’s performance in “Summer’s Desire” as her acting inspiration and said her mother helped rehearse lines at home.
Production challenges included shooting in sweltering heat without air conditioning. Chen Yen-fei said dust filled her nostrils daily, while actor Sung Bo-wei endured five plates of pink “Blood Jade Leaf eggs” and described them as “visually revolting.” Liu Hsiu-fu, playing “Soichi,” found the plant-based prop inedible. “It tasted terrible and left my mouth numb,” he recalled.
Junji Ito has endorsed the adaptation, noting it captures his signature themes of bodily transformation, unhinged desire, and the slow decay of normality.
‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’ Breaks Box Office Records
The first chapter of the “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” trilogy picks up after the “Hashira Training” arc. Protagonist Tanjiro Kamado and his fellow Demon Slayers train for a final battle against Muzan Kibutsuji, only to be pulled into the demon’s stronghold—the ever-shifting Infinity Castle. The story follows Tanjiro’s quest to turn his demon-turned-sister Nezuko back into a human.
Released in Japan in July 2025, the film earned ¥1.7 billion ($11.8 million) on its opening day and crossed ¥10 billion ($66.9 million) in just eight days—beating the record set by the previous “Mugen Train” film. By September 16, its cumulative domestic gross surpassed ¥33 billion ($221 million), overtaking Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” to become the second-highest-grossing film in Japanese history.
Hong Kong viewers can stream the Cantonese-dubbed version beginning July 28 on Viu. The platform also offers the complete “Hashira Training” arc in Cantonese as a refresher before the new film.
What This Means for Streaming in Asia
Viu’s dual launch highlights the platform’s bet on genre diversity and local-language adaptations of globally recognized IP. While Ito’s horror may draw cult audiences, the “Demon Slayer” franchise’s mainstream pull—bolstered by a record-breaking theatrical run—could drive subscriber growth and set a benchmark for anime localization in Cantonese-speaking markets.
For fans eager to catch up, Viu recommends binge-watching the “Hashira Training” arc. Newcomers to Ito’s world can start with “Smart Town” as an entry point into his unsettling universe.
