#New Daiei

[chernobog13]

The super heroic Spacewomen from Gamera: Super Monster (1980): Mitan, Kilara, and Marsha.

[newsintheshell]

🔴 GAMERA REBIRTH: UN ALTRO KAIJU STA PER SBARCARE SU NETFLIX! 

Kadokawa Anime ha annunciato a sorpresa il ritorno dell’iconica tartarugona di Daiei, anche se per ora non si sa come e quando. 

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Week in Review (June 25-July 8, 2023)

I picked a bad time to skip a week lol

Ultraman Blazar, the 35th entry in the Ultra Series, has made the scene. Episode 1 throws us right into a battle between humanity and a space monster. Blazar's the pushy type, all but forcing Gento to transform, but he doesn't speak Japanese—just yowls. For now, that makes him the show's central mystery. The show's defense team, SKaRD, won't actually form until the next episode, at which point we should have a better sense of it. But I'm intrigued so far.

Free streaming TV service Pluto TV has added a Godzilla channel. It boasts, or should soon boast, all of the Japanese Godzilla films minus King Kong vs. Godzilla and Shin Godzilla, plus Rodan, all the Mothra movies, The War of the Gargantuas, Godzilla (1998), and Godzilla: The Series. A Blu-ray.com user has composed a detailed rundown of the versions of the films used—short version, nothing we haven't seen before apart from a few small changes.

I got to see Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken before its official June 30 release date thanks to Regal's Monday Mystery Movie series. I guess I didn't retain much memory of the trailer, because it surprised me how early in the film the title character first grew into a kaiju. I can't give it an especially enthusiastic recommendation—comparisons to Luca and Turning Red are inevitable and don't flatter Ruby at all. But I get a kick out of seeing kaiju in such alien territory as a hyperactive animated kids' movie, and they continue to show off their flexibility as metaphors (Ruby is plainly neurodivergent). 7 outta 10.

Nimona dropped on Netflix the same day, and that's one anyone reading this column should sprint to watch. It saves its kaiju for the third act, and I've held off on posting much about that part of the story yet, but trust me, Ishiro Honda would be proud.

After years of lackluster Gorgo home video releases, Vinegar Syndrome seems poised to finally do it right in 4K Ultra HD. (If you're like me and don't have a way to watch such discs yet, don't worry, it comes with a Blu-ray.) New scan, new audio commentary, special features both new and old, and a killer cover. For those unfamiliar with the company, note that this release is "only available on [the Vinegar Syndrome] website and at select indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them."

Every episode of Chibi Godzilla Raids Again is now subtitled, a fine excuse to get acquainted with one of the Reiwa era's biggest surprises. No stakes, no budget, just a bunch of Toho's biggest stars acting like a bunch of fools.

There's always more Godzilla toy news than this column can hope to cover, but a few highlights:

Bandai's ever-expanding Movie Monster Series will release Gamera 1965, Gyaos 1967, and Battra larva later this month. The defunct Daiei Kaiju Series last offered a Showa Gamera in 2006, and never covered any of his foes from that era; here's hoping Gyaos is the first of many.

Hiya Toys now has the license to produce figures from the Toho Godzilla films, not just the Monsterverse.

Super7 will be selling ReAction figures of Godzilla chomping some helpless people on a subway train at San Diego Comic Con. They just get it (and hopefully the many of us who aren't going will have some way of getting it that doesn't involve scalpers).

The new unit in Godzilla Battle Line is Monster X/Keizer Ghidorah. The former evolves into the latter after his first death. Keizer is a heavy hitter with a twist: he regains 20% of his health with every defeated foe. Great against swarms, but you don't see too many of those these days.

Believe it or not (many are still in denial), but Pacific Rim turns 10 on Wednesday. Thankfully, per this Tweet from director Guillermo del Toro, the effective start of the Kaiju Renaissance (and one of my all-time favorite films) won't go unrecognized on its first big anniversary. I'm guessing a cast reunion?

More translations from Noah Oskow await on Toho Kingdom, these a collection of synopses of early versions of Godzilla vs. Mothra, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, and Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla from the Toho DVDs. Much of this has been translated in greater detail already, but the later drafts are interesting.

[monsterasia-zero]

The Cinema Movie Of The Week - Gamera: Super Monster

Directed By Noriaki Yuasa

Story By Niisan Takahashi

Starring Mach Fumiake, Yaeko Kojima, and Yoko Komatsu

Music By Shunsuke Kikuchi

Distributed By New Daiei

Release Date March 20, 1980

Country Japan

[thezanyarthropleura]

Film Ranking and Retrospective

So, after evaluating all twelve Gamera films based on purely objective metrics like turtle spin velocity, character development, how much I cried, number of potential sapphic relationships, and least amount of tapeworm, here they are from favorite to least favorite:

Gamera the Brave

Gamera: Guardian of the Universe

Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris

Gamera 2: Advent of Legion

Gamera: Super Monster

Gamera vs. Zigra

Gamera vs. Guiron

Gamera vs. Barugon

Giant Monster Gamera

Gamera vs. Gyaos

Gamera vs. Viras

Gamera vs. Jiger

Gamera the Brave takes the top spot for being so much more than it needed to be, perhaps taking a few steps outside what makes a typically good monster movie to just be an all-around great film. Of course, the Heisei trilogy still aren’t far behind, balancing the two a lot better than the Brave does and building an excellent cast of characters to the point that the hardest decision on this entire list, and the one I’m most likely to go back on at any moment, is ranking these three films against each other. Super Monster reaches for the stars just like the Brave does, daring to be something wholly unique despite its objective flaws, and is held back only by a gut punch ending after the likes of which I can’t actually make myself put it higher than the Heisei films. And of course, the rest of the Showa films are still going to end up ranked lower by being products of their time and having a relatively limited approach to in-depth storytelling, but there are still some I find exceptional for more unique reasons than I once thought I would. I even genuinely like most of Jiger, it’s just so much sensory hell it can be tricky to watch.

But my goals during this extended fixation weren’t really centered on pitting the films against each other - there was a lot of discovery, too. About halfway through March I did something I hadn’t expected I’d want to at the beginning, and bought myself the Arrow Video complete Showa era collection, mainly to get a physical copy of Super Monster but also with the bonus of getting to see Japanese versions of all eight films. In fact, I’ve now seen the Showa films probably just about any way one can see them, be that the subtitled original Japanese version, the AIP dub or first import English version, the Daiei pre-international dub (which I’ve learned is a more accurate term than “Sandy Frank”), the MST3K edition, the MST3K KTMA edition, the MST3K Fanmade edition, or specifically in Gamera: Super Monster’s case, the Elvira’s Movie Macabre edition or the Cinema Insomnia edition that’s missing a whole third of the movie.

That’s quite a lot of watching the Showa movies, and I think really a big theme for all of this was gaining a better appreciation of those films, specifically Noriaki Yuasa and his vision. He imagined Gamera as a hero for children, specifically because, as a child himself, living through the second World War and its aftermath, he came to believe adults were untrustworthy and too easily swayed by propaganda, and if that doesn’t make him the most relatable kaiju film directer of all time I don’t know what could possibly top it. Screw Gamera: Rebirth, the next one should be Gamera vs. Fox News.

Oh, right, speaking of which, I haven’t talked about that, either. And that’s because most of the major reasons I like the existing Gamera films so much tend to be more happenstance, and have little to do with how well they’ve followed the franchise formula. So far, nothing about Gamera: Rebirth has told me anything about how well it will handle its human characters, whether any of their stories will be relatable to me personally, whether it’ll have a strong environmental stance like Zigra, and actually with what we’ve seen of the cast, it seems like there aren’t going to be too many women in this series at all. Of course, that could always change, and there’s always a chance the one lady we’ve seen in the trailers could be compelling enough on her own to still make it a favorite, like with Mai in Gamera the Brave, but we won’t know anything for sure until release. But if, as seems most likely, Rebirth really is just a throwback to the early Showa era, I think now I can be a little more okay with that.

(I do actually quite like the monster designs revealed thus far. If I ever go back and write that possible Gamera vs. the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sequel, there’s a good chance of that magenta Neo-Jiger showing up in the Triceraton arena).

I think, if I were to put into words what makes Gamera unique among kaiju cinema, it’s that Gamera is most consistently a story about a giant monster interacting with humans, in most cases one or more specific humans. When I write for Toho kaiju (and by that I mean Battra), I’ll admit I’m basically just using yet another combination of the 37853590434 creative ways people have come up with to tell a story that’s still really about humans but using the monsters as the characters - and we do this because the monsters do have character. Unlike most giant creatures in the west, Japanese daikaiju represent things, they have emotions and personal values and life purposes, and often unique dynamics in interacting with one another. But you can’t really do much with just this side of things for the Gamera franchise, since there’s not a single monster in any of the full-length films whose relationship with Gamera is anything but antagonistic. But Gamera is already about the relationship between humans and monsters, and that was what I wanted to specifically take these couple of months to explore here, as it’s very similar to the stories I've already been straying farther from canon in order to tell with the friends and enemies of the other Big G.

As far as most of the western kaiju fandom is concerned, having such a focus on humans might appear to be the biggest risk the Gamera movies ever took, given how many fans I often see dismissing the human characters as unimportant at best, annoying at worst. Personally, I beg to differ, and the more I rewatch these films, the more I’ve begun to appreciate how remarkable it is that this one subset of historical foreign cinema, with the characters it portrays and the values it represents, became embedded in western culture all because there happened to be a market for imported special effects films. There are actually quite a lot of kaiju movies whose stories inspire me to want to write about the humans as well as the monsters. But the top of that list, if I wrote it out, would probably be stacked with more Gamera movies than anything else.

[kamenstranger]

Review: Japanese Special Effects Cinema:Godfathers of Tokusatsu Vol. 1

Over the past Holiday season I was gifted a book I had been wanting to read since its release in April; Japanese Special Effects Cinema:Godfathers of Tokusatsu Vol. 1 by J.L Carrozza.

As the book's title suggests, it's a comprehensive guide on the history of Tokusatsu. Vol. 1 spanning from the early 1900s to the end of the 1970s, progressing in a linear fashion with each major release while also providing context when needed. The start of the book gives a general overview of the special effects landscape in cinema from the earliest days, with works from international filmmakers laying the foundation that would eventually lead to Japan's own contributions and unique visual styling developed in the 30s.

The book truly picks up in the second chapter spanning from the late 30s to the end of WWII, when the concept of scale miniatures was truly crafted into an artform all its own and early suitmation was coming to fruition. The general presentation is to give historical context and background information on an upcoming project, followed by a particular film including its title, director, the film's release date, and the production history of the film itself.  Carrozza then delves into his own general analysis and thoughts on the film or series, with a particular focus  on (but not limited to) the special effects quality. Finally ending with more information about the film when applicable; contemporary reception, if it was a debut director, or if the film was seen by and noted as a big inspiration by a well known person. Anno of course comes up a lot, but he's far from the only one. These analytical segments carry themselves with both a professional earnestness in examining the works, while also being fairly casual. One may even get a sense that Carrozza’s sanity is being tested by some of the later Gamera Films, probably some of the funniest moments within the book and one I find incredibly relatable.

Unsurprisingly,  a great deal of the book deals with Eiji Tsuburaya. The man simply was incredibly prolific and damn near everyone in the industry was either directly taught or inspired by him until his death- which even then his many proteges would carry on the tradition and inspiring others in turn, which is one of the most intriguing parts of the book, particularly the aftershocks Tsuburaya’s death had across the entire industry.

However, I do want to point out that the book doesn't pay much service to Tsuburaya's personal life outside of providing context or important details, nor should it. After all, Master of Monsters is already a deep dive into the man's life overall. So while details such as his change in name and conversion to Catholicism are mentioned, they're not the focus point; the movies are. And of course, as major of a player as Tsuburaya was, he is not the only one given the spotlight in regards to their contributions. The Yagi brothers are regularly mentioned for all their monster creations, Noriaki Yuasa of Daiei is regularly talked about, even Tomio Sagisu and his weird Cat obsession. And the list continues to grow and change as new talent emerges, becoming famous in their own right.

By and large Screen Writers, Producers, DPs, pyrotechnics, prop and set builders, and various other units are brought up and given background information whenever possible and always a name to those behind the magic. The information is detailed, yet concise. The sheer dense nature of the book comes from how much is covered and the broad scope of covering every notable Tokusatsu production until the end of ‘79. (I generally can read a novel in about 4 days, this took two weeks)

Quite frankly, it's refreshing to see so much condensed into one space for so many seldom talked about figures in the industry, where they got their start, ended up, etc.

Equally refreshing is a wider focus on not just DaiKaiju films or just one studio, but a plethora of Toku from various genres, production teams, and how the industry shifted over time– to say nothing of the influence major Hollywood films would have on the medium. War films, historical films, disaster movies, even Yokai films, occult films, space films, psychedelic horror, all are covered. And because the book goes in chronological order, the topic is always changing. 1965 kicks off with None But the Brave, then it’s The Retreat from Kiska, followed by Frankenstein Conquers the World, Zero Ace, and then over to Spy Catcher 13 on Television. It's not just about Godzilla, Gamera, and Ultraman. It's also Watari The Ninja Boy, Goke, Wind Velocity 75 Meters, The Bullet Train, Zero Fighter, ESPY, and Japan Sinks-- the film that inspired Shinji Higuchi. 

We’re not just focusing on monsters and Super Heroes, even if that will always be the bread and butter of the medium, nor is it even just Japanese films. As long as a Japanese crew was involved in some capacity, however limited (i.e. Inframan) it’s covered. 

This is by far the most appealing part of the book for me personally. Not only is its information a goldmine, but it can perhaps serve as an even broader introduction to more than just your typical idea of what Tokusatsu is.

The comprehensiveness and thoroughness of the information contained makes this both a captivating history lesson, and valuable resource to rely upon to gain a better understanding of Japan’s film history– at least in regard to the medium in question… With one exception that I have to get into, and boy do I really hate that I have to do this because 99% of this book is really great.

As mentioned, a large amount of the book revolves around Tsuburaya and those around him, those who could carry on his teachings, and those who would go even further with what practical effects can do. I'm very pleased to say the book doesn't just stop being engaging with Tsuburaya's passing, it's very much interested in where and how the industry gets on without such a prominent figure. Carrozza clearly has a deep love of miniatures in particular, you can tell by the enthusiastic writing this is his favorite aspect of Tokusatsu as it is with most people, and it plays a part in how much information is present. Because of that Tsupro, Toho, and even Daiei have a lot more readily accessible information to their history, just in general. It's why something like Spectreman can have four and half pages of production information, but you're lucky to get one or two on Ninja Arashi. What is there to say about something like that?

That's not to imply any of this information is easy to get, by no means. It's very hard work, particularly to sift through and condense everything- not to mention filtering possible contradicting stories or dated sources. But some things are easier than others. I will say it's impressive the amount of info that's presented for other studios, particularly P Productions and even Toei. They're given adequate attention, even in the early days. The back of the book features a full bibliography of all the sources and citations for this information, and a vast number of books pertaining to Tsupro, Toho, Daiei, even a few on P productions. Given their long and vast histories, it's not too surprising that there would be dozens upon dozens of books on the subjects. However, Toei and more specifically Kamen Rider are the odd ones out with the least amount of books, which also isn't surprising.

But this does lead to what is quite possibly the most egregious part, which is Kamen Rider '71's segment.

Now, just to be clear, I don't wanna dunk on Carrozza. What he's done is truly magical and I am deeply appreciative of all that's here. But this part is flawed, and it's putting wrong information out there.

There are some good aspects. The book mentions early production concepts that are often glossed over, like how Tiger Mask was partially the inspiration, and even early concept names like Maskman K, Kamen Tenshi: Masked Angel, and Cross Fire. It covers Masaru Igami, Shinichi Ichikawa, and Shozo Uehara being brought on as writers. Although there's no mention that both Ichikawa and Uehara left to work on Return of Ultraman due to conflicts with Producer Toru Hirayama, while Masayuki Shimada and Hidetoshi Kitamura would take their place.

What is noted is that many of the concepts under Cross Fire were maintained, which is true. The Scars that show up when angered, Ruriko Midorikawa as the daughter of a dead professor, the Spiderman. All of that was under Crossfire-- Shocker as a villain organization goes back even further. A surprising amount of the concepts were attributed to Toei's creative department, even the scars which ended up only appearing in the manga.

Now the book doesn't get into all those fine details, it starts and stops at "Many concepts from Cross Fire were maintained" which is fine. Gotta keep things condensed and a lot of that information is superfluous for this type of book. We don't need to get into Crossmask: Kamen Rider or Hopper King. That's too much of a deep dive.

Where things take a turn is in regards to the design aspects. A popular and incorrect over-simplification of the story involves  Toei wanting a Skullman show or something like it, but then it was decided that would be too violent so Ishinomori came up with the Grasshopper look. Another is the inverse where Ishinomori wanted a Skullman show and Toei said no to the premise/design.

Both of these are wrong with an inkling of truth in them. But the book presents a tale I've never heard. The way it's told here is that Toei wanted a Skull motif to replace Crossfire, but Ishinomori felt it was redundant since he just worked on the Flying Phantom Ship in '69. He created over 50 designs and his son Joe picked the Grasshopper, which played well into some environmental themes Ishinomori was pushing for. There is ZERO mention of Skullman made just a year earlier, which is such a bizarre missing piece and the only version of Kamen Rider’s creation that I know of with no Skullman.

As with the others, there are true parts in there.

The actual tale is that Ishinomori wanted something downright grotesque and felt that Crossfire's design was limiting. Ishinomori proposed the Skull motif to Toru Hirayama, who in turn relayed it to fellow Producer Yoshinori Watanabe, who despised the proposal. Watanabe felt it was too derivative of Skullman and wanted something original, while the Broadcast Station, MBS, felt it was too scary for their family friendly time slot. Ishinomori made over 50 designs, liked a Grasshopper one best because it was still creepy and helped play into an environmental theme of nature fighting back that Ishinimori was fond of.

There was still doubt around the design, but Ishinomori's son, Joe, went through the designs and picked the Grasshopper, so it was sent for approval.

Now, this book mentions that Hirayama felt the insect design was weak as bugs are small, but eventually came around. Although it's claimed by Hirayama in his own book that it was MBS' Tetsu Shouno, who felt the insect design was weak, while Hirayama defended it. Hirayama did however have some reservations about the design possibly scaring children. When the helmet was finished, it was shown to a little girl, nearly driving her to tears, much to Hirayama’s horror. But it was too late to change. The rest of the book’s segment is largely what seems speculative, like The Hulk being an inspiration because...transformation? One part also mentions that they originally wanted the character to Grow a la Ultraman, but Ishinomori talked them out of it- I've not been able to find anything to support that. The closest I know of off hand was many years later in Kamen Rider J, which Ishinomori was supposedly against with exception to if it was treated like a one off miracle at the end of the movie. That doesn't mean it’s not true to ‘71, mind you, but I can't say that's an unheard of gem of information, given the flaws elsewhere.

What's weird is everything following is fine. The analytical section doesn't really get into the human themes of the series, but it rightly points out the grittier overall tone and appearance of the series, noting the first 13 episodes are among the best of the era. Specific designers at Equis are also mentioned, including Akira Takahashi, Tsutomu Yagi, and Masamitsu Sakuma. Information like that isn't often discussed, it's just a shame that so much the preceding info is garbled if not outright wrong.

But it's also not all too surprising as information on Kamen Rider has always been extremely muddled, and there aren't a ton of solid resources in comparison to other productions, despite how notable the franchise is. I think the best example of that might be that goddamn Zone Fighter has more detailed information on the production side than Kamen Rider does (Though it doesn't hurt that Zone Fighter is more effects focused than Rider to begin with).

In stark contrast with the rest of the book's well researched material, Rider feels like the information is half remembered and lacking the details of other productions. Even when we get into V3 which has much more readily available information thanks to airings in Hawaii and a DVD release, it has a fairly sparse section on the production end.

And there may be some truth to the half remembered details part. One of the books listed as a source is Fujioka's The Truth about Kamen Rider and Takeshi Hongo, published in 1999. And I would not be shocked if some of the information contributed to not only the odd information contained here, but the general murky history overall. There's a solid chance Fujioka's recollection may have forgotten some details, or gotten some wrong. I would've hoped that another book cited; Toei x Ishinomori would've corrected that, but there's no telling how detailed that book gets.

Regardless, other works like 2007's The Men Who Made Kamen Rider tell the story above, in addition to Toru Hirayama's 2012 bio: Crybaby Producer's Last Words - 50 Years of a TV Hero's Steps. Neither of course are in the bibliography. Even if we were to very generously assume that Hirayama's book was incorrect or embellished, I think it would be worth mentioning and getting into the varying scenarios instead of relying on a limited source when the information is out there, just not utilized.

It's a shame because I do truly feel this is an invaluable book with solid information, especially for lesser known productions, one that also gives a look at how trends would shape the industry. Hell, I finally have a name and photo for the damn machine Toei used for all its composite shots; the Totsu ECG system.

I still highly recommend the book to anyone interested in Japanese special effects, a ton of love was poured into this. But I also can't overlook that a major franchise has a mess of garbage information that only further clouds the murky waters. I hope this is corrected in a 2nd edition or at least updated info is mentioned in Vol 2 due in March. As is, do not cite or rely on this as a source for Rider history, it's the one spot I can definitively say is bad.

[divinespanking]

I love that because Daiei likely couldn't afford to make new Gamera suits, he retains his original design that was supposed to ne scary. I think about several scenes where kids will go "yay it's Gamera, friend to all children! " and it will cut to his bloodshot eyes as he makes a pained scream that sounds like they stabbed someone in the sound booth and slowed it down.

[docrotten]

THE SNAKE GIRL AND THE SILVER-HAIRED WITCH (1968) – Episode 175 – Decades Of Horror: The Classic Era

“She’s a snake! My sister’s a snake!” Hmmm, that makes for an interesting family tree. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, and Jeff Mohr along with guest host Bryan Clark – as they discuss The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch (1968, Hebi musume to hakuhatsuma) from the studio (Daiei) and director (Noriaki Yuasa) that brought you the Gamera films.

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 175 – The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch (1968)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era! Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website. Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop. https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

After years in an orphanage, a young girl named Sayuri is reunited with her estranged family. Her new home includes an amnesiac mother, a sister confined to the attic, and an absent father who experiments with poisonous snakes. Sayuri receives a less than cordial reception from her sister, Tamami. Still, when a witch attacks Sayuri, the two sisters must overlook their differences and join forces to battle her.

  Directed by: Noriaki Yuasa

Writing Credits: Kimiyuki Hasegawa (writer); Kazuo Kozu (story “Hebimusune to Hakuhatsuki”); Kazuo Umezu (manga)

Music by: Shunsuke Kikuchi

Cinematography by: Akira Uehara

Selected Cast:

Yûko Hamada as Yuko Nanjo (as Yuko Hamada)

Sachiko Meguro as Shige Kito

Yachie Matsui as Sayuri Nanjo

Mayumi Takahashi as Tamami Nanjo

Sei Hiraizumi as Tatsuya Hayashi

Yoshirô Kitahara as Goro Nanjo

Kuniko Miyake as Sister Yamakawa – The Director of Orphan asylum

Osamu Maruyama as Doctor

Saburô Ishiguro as Teacher Sasaki

Tadashi Date as School Servant

Mariko Fukuhara as Doll

Kazuo Umezu as Taxi Driver

Join the Grue Crew and guest host Bryan Clark to explore Daphne’s choice for this episode, The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch (1968). This Japanese release involves venomous snakes, creepy spiders, a hideous witch, detachable limbs, a snake girl, and atmospheric visuals in a creepy “Scooby-doo” mystery. What will the Grue Crew think?

At the time of this writing, The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch is available for streaming from the Shudder, AMC+, and Arrow. The film is also available on physical media in the Blu-ray format from Arrow Video.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Up next in their very flexible schedule, as chosen by Chad is At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul (1964). Yup. They’re going to Brazil to meet up with Zé do Caixão, also known as Coffin Joe! 

[NOTE: The crew switched from Tonight I’ll Possess Your Corpse (1967) (as announced on the podcast) to At Midnight I’ll Take Your Corpse (1964).]

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com

To each of you from each of them, “Thank you so much for watching and listening!”

Check out this episode!

[foreveranonymousfa]

I just want y'all to know I found this in my drafts from like... 9 or 10 years ago and I have in fact succeeded in buying all of these (and more) :)

Mario Party 2 in English, Japanese, and German (boxed)

Majora's Mask and Wind Waker Nendoroid and.... a lot more. Like too much ft. my moms urn (the collection is for her)

Japanese Clear Blue N64 w/ two controllers and Japanese Daiei Hawks N64 w/ four controllers ft. the Australian Pokemanic N64 (that one is my actual Holy Grail)

Cubone bootleg from Amazon (what I originally wanted) and the new Pokemon Sleep Cubone (I have more Cubone but in a different place)

[wahwealth]

Attack Of The Monsters (1969) | Gamera vs. Guiron | Full Movie English ...

Aliens kidnap two children and take them to another planet for the purpose of getting knowledge from their brains, but Gamera follows and tries to rescue them. Also known as "Gamera vs. Guiron", the movie is a 1969 Japanese kaiju film directed by Noriaki Yuasa, written by Niisan Takahashi, and produced by Daiei Film. It is the fifth entry in the Gamera film series, following Gamera vs. Viras, which was released the previous year. Gamera vs. Guiron stars Nobuhiro Kajima, Miyuki Akiyama, Christopher Murphy, Yuko Hamada, and Eiji Funakoshi. The film was released theatrically in Japan on March 21, 1969. It did not receive a theatrical release in the United States but was released directly to American television that year by American International Television under the title Attack of the Monsters. You are invited to join the channel so that Mr. P can notify you when new videos are uploaded, https://www.youtube.com/@nrpsmovieclassics

[chernobog13]

Zatoichi showing a bunch of yakuza the error of their ways in The New Tale of Zatoichi (1963).

This is the third film in the 26-film series, and the first filmed in color.

[animecentralinfo]

"GAMERA -Rebirth-," the new film starring Matsuka Ayumu, Kimura Sho, Toyosaki Aki, and Kanemoto Hisako, will feature appearances by all four actors! They will also be making a stage appearance at AJ2023.

The new film "GAMERA -Rebirth-" has announced its main cast including Juko Kanematsu, Atsumu Matsui, Aoi Toyosaki, and Masashi Kimura. In addition, the main staff led by director Hironobu Seta was announced and the visuals for "GAMERA vs 5KAIJU" were also revealed.

GAMERA, first introduced in the 1965 special effects film "Daikaiju Gamera" released by Daiei (now KADOKAWA), is a beloved giant monster that has captured the hearts of monster fans worldwide from the Showa era to the Heisei era. This justice-seeking defender of Earth, with its humorous design modeled after a turtle and unique abilities like rotary flight, is known for its courage to face any enemy. With its unique style, including spinning disk-like flight, and fearless personality, Gamera gained popularity and went on to feature in a total of eight films in the Showa Gamera series, including "Uchuu Kaiju Gamera." The Heisei Gamera trilogy and "Little Brave Ones: Gamera" are among the series that followed. The first cast and staff members for the new film, "GAMERA -Rebirth-," have now been announced. The voice actors include Kanemoto Hisako as Boco, Matsuoka Yoshitsugu as Joe, Toyosaki Aki as Junichi, and Kimura Subaru as Brody.

Further details, including character introductions, are yet to be revealed. The film will be directed by Seshita Hiroyuki, known for "Lupin III vs. Cat's Eye" and "Godzilla," and produced by ENGI with state-of-the-art 3DCG animation technology. In addition, the visuals for "GAMERA vs 5KAIJU" were also revealed, with updates to be made each time a new monster is announced.

Fans can look forward to the next monster to follow "Gyaos." A talk event titled "GAMERA -Rebirth- New Information Release" will be held on the main stage of "AnimeJapan2023." Stay tuned for further updates on this highly anticipated film. Read the full article

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Week in Review (May 21-27, 2023)

When Arrow Video rifled through Daiei's tokusatsu catalog a few years ago, The Whale God was one of the big omissions. I've heard that Kadokawa wouldn't let them have it for whatever reason. Sort of a Japanese Moby Dick, it's not really a kaiju movie, but between the Akira Ifukube score and a bunch of familiar faces (Takashi Shimura, Kojiro Hongo, Kyoko Enami, Koji Fujiyama) everyone just gives it a pass. Oh, and Shintaro Katsu—Zatoichi himself—plays the human villain.

Anyway, SRS Cinema got their hands on it. They wouldn't have been my first choice, or even my fifth, but it'll be nice to finally see the flick in HD.

After months of silence, Netflix busted out a Skull Island teaser. I'm not really sure what the hook for this one is, other than it being the first Monsterverse show and not subjecting us all to substandard 3DCG, but the new monsters look neat and the voice cast is stacked.

Biollante's Flower Beast Form has won Bandai's third You Choose! Toho Kaiju Sovfi Figure!, beating Desghidorah and Zilla in the final round. Hilariously, the results were revealed a couple days after the 25th anniversary of the TriStar Godzilla film. Expect the rose's Movie Monster Series figure on November 3... and at the rate Bandai is making new sculpts, I doubt the other two will be far behind.

[greysstickers]

Big in japan sale

BIG IN JAPAN SALE FULL

BIG IN JAPAN SALE CODE

BIG IN JAPAN SALE PLUS

That’s more than the number of 7-Eleven locations (10,000) in the United States and Canada combined. Of the more than 55,000 convenience stores that dot the country, some 14,000 carry the Lawson name. This sale will be on until July 19 in all EU regions. While Lawson may have ceased to exist in the United States, Daiei has turned it into a juggernaut in Japan.

BIG IN JAPAN SALE PLUS

The Atelier Arsland Trilogy Plus (PSV) – £14.99 Clothing colors and materials change according to the season, and to clear their inventory, shops. Persona 4 Dancing All Night (PSV) – £6.99ĭark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin (PS4) – £8.99ĭark Souls III Deluxe Edition (PS4) – £29.99ĭanganronpa (PSV) – £6.99, Dangnaronpa 2 (PSV) – £9.79 The biggest sales in Japan are the winter and summer sales. Here are some of my recommendations from the sale:ĭragon Quest Builders (PS4) – £19.99, (PSV) – £11.99 There are some recent games and other classics that haven’t seen big discounts before all featured here. That of course includes games like Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, Resident Evil 3, Tekken 7, as well as Persona and Sakura Wars. If you’ve had some games (specifically Japanese ones), on your wishlist and have been waiting for a price drop, your time may have finally come. The promotion arrives today, September 23rd, on the PlayStation Store, and includes some of the most amazing video games that are huge in Japan. Players interested in experiencing one of Lara Croft's finest moments should remember that the discounted price on the game will only be available this week.Check out a massive Japanese games sale for PS4, PS3, and PS Vita on the PlayStation Network. (2) Nisshin plant at Isoko, showing big storage elevators. The game's Definitive Edition includes the base game, all seven DLC challenge tombs, together with downloadable weapons, outfits, and skills. Soft drink sales in Hong Kong are very seasonal, with 80 of the volume during the 6 summer. Shadow of the Tomb Raider serves as the final entry in the new Tomb Raider trilogy that explores Lara Croft's origin story before becoming the well-renowned tomb raider that she is today. The Big in Japan sale is currently active and I was looking for some recommendations. It expands upon the story quite a bit, adding new content and even a new. Jap eng+ Summary: The first shop of its type in Japan, it is linked to.

BIG IN JAPAN SALE CODE

The sale runs through March 6 and offers up to 70 off a huge range of titles, including Kingdom Hearts: All in One Package, NieR: Automata, Code Vein, and so much more. The PlayStation Store is also offering Square Enix's Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition for $17.99 as part of the store's weekly deal. Persona 5 Royal only adds to the extensive wealth of content that the base Persona 5 game has to offer. Soyfoods first became popular in urban centers in the 1960s, Kauffman said. This year is no different, and the 2020 Big in Japan PlayStation Store sale is now live. Book flights & vacations to Tokyo, Osaka & more destinations in Japan & Asia with Japan Airlines (JAL).

BIG IN JAPAN SALE FULL

Players can check out the full list of games available here.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience - $9.99.

Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition - $17.49.

Clicking the Buy button will take you to the official store page. Homes listings include vacation homes, apartments, penthouses, luxury retreats, lake homes, ski chalets, villas, and many more lifestyle options. We have 349 luxury homes for sale in Japan. On our PlayStation Sales page, you can filter, sort and manage your Price Alerts. Search for Japan luxury homes with the Sotheby’s International Realty network, your premier resource for Japan homes. Please click on the appropriate flag to see prices in your region. Other games in Sony's Big in Japan Sale include: PlayStation Big in Japan sale round-up for North America: February 23rd, 2022.

[thezanyarthropleura]

The Not-March Ones (1 of 5)

It’s St. Patrick’s Day, or so I’ve heard, and what better way to celebrate than with the Gamera film about a monster crocodile(?) that shoots rainbows? Enjoy this, the first of the reviews for the five Gamera films not released in the month of March.

Gamera vs. Barugon actually was released on the 17th of the month, just in April of 1966, so its actual 57-year anniversary is next month. It’s the second film in the Showa era, and the only Showa film not directed by Noriaki Yuasa. It’s also one of the scant few mainline Showa films (i.e. the seven original Daiei films produced from 1965-1971) to have a female protagonist of any real plot importance, so let’s talk about her—

…Wait wait wait wait wait, hold up, her name’s Karen? All this time and I’ve never picked up on that? She doesn’t even get a last name? A classic Japanese kaiju film and I have to talk about a character who’s just named Karen? *sighs* Fine, here we go…

Karen, a woman living in 1966 blackface New Guinea, who positively radiates step on me energy in every scene she’s in and may or may not be a vampire, joins the film relatively early on and is easily distinguished among the islanders by her seductive death glare and lack of racist makeup. She tells the three treasure hunters not to go into the cursed cave, but when they, of course, do it anyway only for one of their number to betray the other two, she helps nurse the surviving man back to health. She then agrees to accompany him back to Japan to help track down his attempted killer and retrieve the stolen giant monster egg.

She fills a stereotype fairly common for women in these films, an island native who serves as an exposition character, but she has a far more commanding, rational presence than most examples. Throughout the film, she relays the legends told in her village about how they’ve defeated the enemy monster, Barugon, in the past, which get put to use as the standard slew of soldiers and scientists work on various (ultimately ineffective) plans to stop the one that’s now hatched from the stolen egg and has been set loose on Japan.

There’s a background romance arc between her and the redeemed treasure hunt survivor, which like most relationships in these kinds of films, is conveyed more subtly than overtly. I’ll admit it’s kind of cute at points, especially in a scene cut out of one, and possibly both of the English dubs, in which Karen expresses her frustration and distress at being taken less seriously by the military than the 10-year-old boys in the other movies. The hero is slow and careful in offering her comfort, which she takes to like a lifeline, then boldly and firmly defends her expertise on the problem to all the old men in the room. I don’t really like het romance in my movies but this one doesn’t bother me too much.

Also, the scene where she rushes to drink the blood from his bleeding injury after a fight with the villain is… weird, and kinky, but is presented entirely as a sweet and genuine act of affection. The technicality of her drinking blood feels like it definitely has some unfortunate, probably racist connotations, but the film seems to see it as a positive way to acknowledge the different culture she was raised in while establishing her feelings of love and care.

Unfortunately, despite looking like she could carry all the human fights in this film by herself, Karen is relegated to the stereotypical “breaks one bottle over the bad guy’s head while the man does the actual fighting.” It’s a scene in blatant contrast to how her character is presented otherwise, to the point of being completely ridiculous when she just… stands there confusedly in an extended wide shot while the two dudes are beating the shit out of each other. She does look a bit like she’s looking on in disbelief and silently judging them, so there’s at least that.

For comedy’s sake I’ll also mention that one guy on the boat trip back from New Guinea, who keeps unknowingly complicating the villain’s plan to pretend he went to the island to exhume a relative’s bones by latching onto him as a fellow war orphan and making grand, genuine gestures of respect and comradery for the made-up relative – up to and including saving the fake bones as the ship is sinking and finding the villain afterward to return them. You can’t help but feel a little bad for him when the villain brushes off his sympathies and finally yells the truth at him in frustration.

Barugon himself is probably the closest thing to a crocodile/alligator kaiju ever depicted in a classic kaiju movie. He doesn’t exactly look it when he’s walking around like a cross between a lizard and a dog, but the resemblance really shows in the fight scenes, whenever his huge jaws are opening and snapping shut next to Gamera’s much smaller head. Unfortunately, there aren’t many fight scenes. The first one is a bit longer than you think it is if you’ve only watched the MST3K cut, but still consists mostly of the two monsters sizing each other up with few actual hits exchanged. The ending fight at least has the good heroic vibes going for it, as it’s the first time Gamera is shown to hunt down and kill a monster that threatens humans where it can’t be explained away as being done for personal gain.

The warnings here will mostly concern the death toll, which I believe is the second-highest of any Gamera film in terms of major characters. First, we have the third member of the treasure hunting expedition, who is left to die from a fatal scorpion sting moments after mentioning he has a wife. Then, the two human fight scenes of the film concern the main character and his brother, both individually confronting the villain because they believe he’s killed the other brother. Only one of them ends up being right, and the other is tragically killed before he can learn the lead brother survived the attempt on his life (thus leading into the second fight). Also, the brother who dies is disabled and uses a crutch, and both he and his wife are left either beaten to death or to the point of immobility while their home is destroyed from Barugon’s attack on the city. You know, in case you were still convinced there was a chance for this film to have a good look after the New Guinea scene. Aside from that, a closeup of Barugon’s tongue when it captures and draws in the villain may be a mildly uncomfortable visual.

Yes, when all is said and done, the villain is eaten by Barugon, after a long spree of murder and world-endangerment done all for the sake of greed. He specifically dies thwarting a plan that almost manages to kill Barugon, stealing Karen’s diamond right before it can be used to lure Barugon to drown in the depths of the lake and instead, getting it swallowed along with himself. When I bring up this film’s and Gamera vs. Gyaos’s similarities to Ishiro Honda films, it’s these larger moral themes that complete the comparison – just about all the evil of this film, including Barugon being set loose in the first place, is squarely the fault of the villain’s greed and disregard for others. And all the while, through his actions, the heroes continue to suffer and have their efforts undone, ultimately requiring an unforeseen assist from Gamera to save the day (after the most long, grueling, drawn-out, preemptive literal justification for Gamera’s title of “the last hope” that’s ever been put to cinema).

Does this film have flaws? Yes. Is it generally considered the absolute best the Gamera Showa series has to offer? Also yes. Is it my favorite Gamera Showa series film? Definitely not, but it’s one of very few that I appreciate for its themes and characters instead of lmao look Gamera’s doing gymnastics! Still, it remains to be seen whether that will give this film an edge over several close competitors in the middle-tier bracket.

Enjoy this movie with skittles and grape Kool-aid.