Author: Tim Eldred

Maestro Hiroshi Miyagawa. ©2006 Voyager Entertainment.

Maestro Hiroshi Miyagawa, the award-winning pop music composer and creator of the score for Japan’s famous anime series SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO (Uchû Senkan Yamato, 1974) died on March 21, 2006 of heart failure. He was 75. Anyone who has ever listened to his work knows that those words barely scratch the surface.

Join STAR BLAZER’s Tim Eldred for a look at one of Japanese animation’s major musical influences and the man who provided the musical canvas for one of anime’s biggest animated hits!
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Media Blasters will be bringing the classic anime series VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE to DVD in North America this September. Full details can be found on the company’s VOLTRON press release.

Authors: Bob Johnson and Keith Aiken

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Family Entertainment. ©1998 Toho Co., Ltd./Adelaide Productions, Inc.

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

When Sony/TriStar picked up the franchise rights to Godzilla in 1992, it immediately set out to adapt the creature for America and ultimately the worldwide audience. Taking such a classic and well-known icon and completely changing the look and personality of the character proved to be a boon, as well as a curse. Though the 1998 GODZILLA movie, produced by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich of Centropolis Entertainment, did respectful box office worldwide, it did not live up to the enormous expectations industry insiders had predicted.

Godzilla follows in his namesake’s footsteps with some old-
fashioned city stomping. © 1998 Toho Co., Ltd./Adelaide Productions

Enter Sony Pictures Family Entertainment and the FOX Broadcasting Group. By adapting the TriStar Godzilla into a weekly animated television show, Sony was able to take the new design and add the Japanese monster’s characteristics and turn GODZILLA: THE SERIES into one of the hottest shows on Saturday morning television in 1998-99.

This week sees the release of two DVD collections of episodes from GODZILLA: THE SERIES (please see the review directly below this article for details), and this inspired SciFi Japan to take a look back at the show. We’ve put together a newly revised and expanded report on the making of GODZILLA: THE SERIES, a detailed look at the cast and characters of the show, and a complete guide of all 40 episodes. To top things off, we’ve included more than 130 photos and images provided by Sony Pictures Family Entertainment, including rarely-seen production art, publicity materials, unused concepts and designs, and pictures of every monster to appear on the show.
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The American Godzilla Is Featured On Three New DVDs
Author: Keith Aiken

Cover art for the three new Godzilla DVDs that will be hitting store shelves this Tuesday. Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Ent.
Godzilla © 1998 Toho Co., Ltd. GODZILLA: MONSTER EDITION © 1998 TriStar Pictures, Inc. GODZILLA: THE SERIES © 1998 Adelaide Productions, Inc.

On Tuesday, March 28, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment releases a new Special Edition DVD for their 1998 film GODZILLA and two more volumes of the popular animated program GODZILLA: THE SERIES. SciFi Japan presents an early review, and a look at the cartoon episodes included on the DVDs.
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And be sure to check back here next week for the ultimate guide to GODZILLA: THE SERIES… a detailed report covering the production of the show, complete with descriptions of all 40 episodes and more than 100 images of Godzilla, the main characters, all of the monsters, merchandising, publicity materials, and production art.

Author: Bob Johnson

The newest TPC series, ULTRAMAN MAX battles his way throughout the world!
Photo courtesy of Tsuburaya Pro. ©2006 Tsuburaya Productions Co., ltd.

2006 is the year of ULTRAMAN! This year Tsuburaya Productions will be celebrating 40 years of Ultraman! The first step in the yearlong celebration is an appearance at MIPTV in France next month. MIPTV is taking place on April 3-7 in Cannes, France. SciFi Japan previews that trip!
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Dustin Winslow and Matt Horwitz, student instructors for
KAIJU CINEMA: AN INTRODUCTION TO JAPANESE GIANT MONSTER MOVIES.

UC Berkeley Offers Class on Japanese Monster Cinema
Author: Bob Johnson

It was a cold and rainy night as I made my way to the UC Berkeley Campus to give a talk on Japanese superheroes. Who would have thought that in a place of higher learning, a prestigious California University, that a group of 55 students would be gathering to hear a talk about Ultraman, Kamen Rider or Kidaida?

How did it all come to be? How did it all start?

Two students at the school, Matthew Horwitz and Dustin Winslow, through a program that allows students to develop and coordinate semester-long courses, got together to offer KAIJU CINEMA: AN INTRODUCTION TO JAPANESE GIANT MONSTER MOVIES.
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Author: Sean Kotz

Gamera, the giant turtle from DAIKAIJU GAMERA ©1965 Kadokawa
Pictures, Inc.

Beginning with 1965’s GAMMERA THE INVINCIBLE, American audiences have had a hard time getting over the fact that, obviously, Gamera is a giant turtle. In fact, in the Harris Associates Incorporated/NTA release for American viewers, devotes no less than five minutes of film time to debating this “hallucination.” Every English speaking character who hears the story scoffs and dismisses the premise as silly. Where did the idea of giant turtles come from and why it is easier for Eastern audiences to accept?

Sean Kotz traces the origins of giant turtles in Asian mythology to try and find an answer.
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NEGADON: THE MONSTER FROM MARS goes back to school! Central Park Media presents a free preview screening of the new CG kaiju film next week at Ithaca College. Photo courtesy of Central Park Media. © 2005 Jun Awazu/CoMix Wave

Central Park Media and Ithaca College have announced a free preview screening of the new Japanese computer-generated kaiju film NEGADON: THE MONSTER FROM MARS. Full details can be found in CPM’s press release.

For more information and photos for NEGADON: THE MONSTER FROM MARS, please see the article directly below this announcement.

Author: Keith Aiken

NEGADON: THE MONSTER FROM MARS launches its all-out assault on Tokyo. Although an all-CG film, the techniques of director Jun Awazu create a look and feel reminiscent of the finest miniature SFX of the Showa-era kaiju films. Photo courtesy of Central Park Media. © 2005 Jun Awazu/CoMix Wave

Last October, writer/director Jun Awazu unveiled the world’s first completely computer generated kaiju movie at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Entitled NEGADON: THE MONSTER FROM MARS (Wakusei Daikaiju Negadon), the 26-minute long film is an affectionate homage to the classic Japanese monster movies of the 1950s and 60s.

In January 2006, Central Park Media acquired North American rights to NEGADON: MONSTER FROM MARS. Launched in 1990, New York-based CPM was one of the pioneer companies responsible for introducing a wide range of anime to America, and their catalog includes such popular titles as MD GEIST and Studio Ghibli’s acclaimed GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES. Central Park Media is planning to release NEGADON on R1 DVD this summer, and they are currently at work on a wealth of extra features that will include material not on the Japanese disc.
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Author: Keith Aiken
Source: Classic Media
Official site: Godzilla on DVD

Classic Media will release both the original Japanese GODZILLA and the Americanized GODZILLA KING OF THE MONSTERS on DVD this September.
©1954/1956 Toho Co., Ltd.

Classic Media has revealed plans to release a 2 disc DVD featuring both the original Japanese version of GODZILLA (Gojira, 1954) and the Americanized GODZILLA KING OF THE MONSTERS! (1956) starring Raymond Burr.

This marks the first ever US home video release of the Japanese GODZILLA. Toho has screened the film at a handful of festivals, but most fans’ first opportunity to see it came with 2004-2005 50th anniversary theatrical release from Rialto Pictures. GODZILLA KING OF THE MONSTERS! has been a home video staple in the US for decades, having been issued several times on VHS, DVD, and laserdisc. Both films have been remastered and will be released in high definition.
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Author: Robert Saint John

Cover art for THE DAY TOTO BECAME GAMERA,
the new promotional DVD for the film GAMERA
THE BRAVE. © 2006 Chiisaki Yusha-tachi
Gamera/Kadokawa Pictures, Inc

THE DAY TOTO BECAME GAMERA
Kadokawa Entertainment
DVD Region 2 (Japan)
Release date: April 21, 2006
Price: 1575 Yen (approx $13.50 US)

In connection with the latest Gamera movie, GAMERA THE BRAVE, Kadokawa Entertainment is releasing a new DVD devoted to the giant flying turtle. This 40 minute disc will cover the history of the Gamera series in the Showa and Heisei eras, and introduce the new film. THE DAY TOTO BECAME GAMERA will include trailers for GAMERA THE BRAVE, a “Making of” special, Gamera wallpapers, and a still image gallery with added narration and music.

SciFi Japan will have more information as it becomes available.

Author: Aaron Cooper

The British Film Institute has asserted itself in the United Kingdom as a force to be reckoned with in terms of film preservation and appreciation, much like Criterion or the American Film Institute. Now with the BFI Video imprint, Japanese science fiction and fantasy fans can appreciate two classic films on DVD with lots of special edition bells and whistles.
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GODZILLA

The original version of the 1954 GODZILLA (Gojira) finally gets the DVD treatment it deserves for an English speaking audience from the British Film Institute on Region 2 PAL DVD.

This forum will not be used for a story synopsis of this fine film. Chances are if you are visiting this site, you are a fan of such films and have already seen this one in some form. If not, then you really need to and you may as well make this edition the one as it just might possibly be the new standard by which to judge the film’s presentation. The British Film Institute acknowledges the import of this film in Japanese film history and has released this DVD accordingly in special edition box style packaging with nice artwork reprinting the UK re-release poster art by illustrator and fashion designer Phil Ashcroft.

The film print used for the transfer is the cleanest seen to date. Presented in its correct aspect ratio of 1:33:1, the black, white and grey shades are sharp in this digital transfer with minimal scratches and imperfections, looking even better then the Rialto print many US theatergoers saw in 2004. The sound is in a crisp Japanese language Dolby Digital 2.0 mix.

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THE MYSTERIANS

When alien invaders in colored capes and helmeted voice translators come to Earth looking for a spot of land and a few women to procreate with, it doesn’t sit well with the citizens of Japan. It comes to arms when they realize they keep getting attacked by the invader’s giant burrowing robot and forceful attitude! Thus, the story in a nutshell for THE MYSTERIANS (Chikyu Boeigun, 1957), another first for Toho Studios that the British Film Institute acknowledges with a decent DVD release.

THE MYSTERIANS was Toho’s first widescreen color science fiction film in their fantastic Tohoscope process that began a foray into a whole new genre. They had dabbled with science fantasy in GODZILLA (Gojira, 1954) and RODAN (Sora no Daikaiju Radon, 1956), now they were set to launch an onslaught of such films over the following two decades. The film is slightly weaker in some aspects then subsequent films such as BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE (Uchu Daisenso, 1959), GORATH (Yosei Gorasu, 1961) or the giant monster boom of the 1960’s in which the Toho formula becomes more finely honed; yet all the elements of what makes Toho films a notch above B-movie fare are presented here.

Author: Ed Godziszewski

Keith Aiken, Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski provide audio commentary for BFI’s GODZILLA 54 DVD. Photo courtesy of Caroline Millar.

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

I would always joke with my friends about how great it would be to have a job like a sportscaster or someone doing film analysis—to just talk about the subjects which you enjoy so much and get paid for it. But never would I have imagined that I would ever have the opportunity to do that very thing, especially when it came to a professionally produced product involving Godzilla, one of my passions. Being neither a professional nor a particularly accomplished public speaker, I figured my chances of ever contributing commentary to a DVD release were next to none. And Toho video releases outside of Japan have always been bare bones, whether it be due to Toho’s instructions or lack of interest on the part of releasing countries. So how in the world did the original GODZILLA ever get a DVD release outside of Japan with extras and commentary, much less with someone like me being involved?
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Gamera is back next month… and SciFi Japan is pleased to present an exclusive sneak peek at the fire-breathing turtle’s latest adventure, courtesy of Kadokawa Pictures! Large photo courtesy of Ed Godziszewski. © 2006 Chiisaki Yusha-tachi Gamera/Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

The Giant Flying Turtle Celebrates His 40th Anniversary with a New Film
Author: Keith Aiken
Source: Kadokawa Herald Pictures, Inc., Kadokawa Pictures USA

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

The advance poster art for GAMERA THE BRAVE. © 2006 Chiisaki
Yusha-tachi Gamera/Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

Over the past four decades, the giant monster Gamera has been called “Invincible”, “The Friend of All Children”, “Super Monster”, and “The Guardian of the Universe”. Now, the popular kaiju returns with a new title; “The Brave”.

Six years after Gamera’s last big screen appearance; Kadokawa Pictures announced that they would be bringing the monster back in an all-new motion picture. Shochiku is handling theatrical distribution in Japan, where the film will be released on April 29, 2006 as GAMERA: THE LITTLE BRAVES (Chiisaki Yusha-tachi Gamera). International sales are being handled by Kadokawa Herald Pictures, Inc., who is planning to market the movie worldwide with the English title GAMERA THE BRAVE.

The latest film is a slightly belated celebration of the 40th anniversary of the original GAMERA (Daikaiju Gamera, U.S. title GAMMERA THE INVINCIBLE, 1965). Directed by Noriaki Yuasa, GAMERA premiered during a time when Japanese audiences were flocking to giant monster movies. The film was box office blockbuster for the Daiei Motion Picture Company, and the studio quickly went into production on the first sequel, GAMERA VS BARUGON (Daikaiju Ketto-Gamera tai Barugon, a.k.a. WAR OF THE MONSTERS, 1966). Starting with the third movie in the series, GAMERA VS GAOS (Daikaiju Kuchusen- Gamera tai Gyaosu, a.k.a. RETURN OF THE GIANT MONSTERS, 1967), Yuasa and his crew directly targeted younger audiences by featuring children in lead roles, bizarre and colorful stories, outlandish monster villains, and over-the-top violent battles that contrasted sharply with the kaiju films from rival studio Toho Co., Ltd. Daiei’s formula was enormously successful, and at its peak the Gamera series was a strong contender for Godzilla’s crown as the box office “King of the Monsters”.
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Author: Richard Pusateri

Akira Ifukube, composer of some of the greatest scores
in film history, has passed away.

Akira Ifukube has joined Tomoyuki Tanaka, Ishiro Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya in the next world. On February 8, 2006, Mr. Ifukube died at age 91, in Tokyo.

Born May 31, 1914 in Kushiro, Hokkaido, Mr. Ifukube grew up in a small village with a large population of Ainu, the native people of Japan. This early exposure to the pristine nature of Northern Japan and the culture of indigenous people greatly influenced his music. The “ostinato” style Mr. Ifukube later used in his film scores recapitulated the percussive, repetitive nature of Ainu folk music and dancing.

Mr. Ifukube’s early occupation was forestry but he was always interested in music. He pursued an informal musical education while played the violin. His brother, Isao, and the music of Igor Stravinsky, especially “The Rite of Spring,” inspired Mr. Ifukube to pursue the composition of classical music.

At age 21, he wrote “Japanese Rhapsody,” and it won the Tcherepnine Prize in 1935. After this break, his musical career accelerated as he received personal instruction from Alexander Tcherepnine.
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SHOGO TOMIYAMA: REMEMBERING AKIRA IFUKUBE

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Toho Pictures President Shogo Tomiyama shares his thoughts on the
passing of his friend, Akira Ifukube. GODZILLA: FINAL WARS © 2004
Toho Co., Ltd.

Since 1989, Shogo Tomiyama has been directly involved with the making of each Godzilla film. Chosen as associate producer on GODZILLA VS BIOLLANTE by Godzilla co-creator Tomoyuki Tanaka, Tomiyama eventually became executive producer of the series. In 2004, he was promoted to President of Toho Pictures.

As the associate producer of GODZILLA VS KING GHIDORAH (1991), Tomiyama was thrilled to have Akira Ifukube return to score the film after 16 years away from the series. The two became good friends and would work together on three more Godzilla movies that included Ifukube’s final film soundtrack, GODZILLA VS DESTOROYAH (1995). Most of Tomiyama’s later Godzilla films would include at least one of Ifukube’s themes as a tribute to the maestro’s undeniable impact on the character and the franchise.

Mr. Tomiyama has graciously accepted SciFi Japan’s request for his thoughts on the passing of Mr Ifukube. The following is a direct translation of his words…