Box cover art for a pair of the 80s Bandai “if” Series of wargames, Mothra vs. Godzilla and Ultraman. © Bandai Co., Ltd./Toho Co., Ltd./Tsuburaya Productions

A Look Back at the Bandai “if” Series of SF/F Board Games
Author: Robert Saint John

On the eve of the release of Atari’s Godzilla Unleashed videogame, it’s interesting to take a rare look back at the grandfather of daikaiju simulations. No, not 1989’s Godzilla – Monster of Monsters! for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Not even the first Godzilla videogame for the Commodore 64 from 1983. Before videogames, there were boardgames, and the King of the Monsters had his place among them as well.

Many are familiar with the vintage children’s Godzilla boardgames release in the U.S. in the 60s and 70s by Ideal and Mattel, respectively. During this period, though, another type of game was becoming increasingly popular — both here and in Japan — known as the conflict simulation or, simply, the wargame. In comparison to the more traditional family boardgame, wargames are generally much more complex as they try to accurately simulate aspects of command and control, weaponry, terrain effects, the fog of war and so on, and the most popular are historical in nature. Wargame scale can range from tactical man-to-man combat to global (or even interplanetary!) strategic conflict. The games are generally long — hours or even weeks — and the rulebooks often longer, all depending on the depth of complexity and simulation.
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Japanese poster art for the Toho horror film HOUSE.
© 1977 Toho Co., Ltd.

Official Site: Silent Movie Theatre
Special Thanks to Oki Miyano and Twitch

Beginning this week, the newly refurbished Silent Movie Theatre in West Hollywood is screening a number of films produced and/or released by Toho Studios. First up are ONIBABA and HOUSE this Sunday, while December features five weekends of Godzilla and monster movies… MATANGO: ATTACK OF THE MUSHROOM PEOPLE, THE H-MAN, GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH, KING KONG ESCAPES and DESTROY ALL MONSTERS.

Ticket prices are $10.00 per film. The Silent Movie Theatre is located at 611 North Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036. The theater phone number is (323) 655-2520.
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Author: Loomis (Kim Song-ho)

The packaging for Toho’s GODZILLA DVD COLLECTION I box
set features a beautiful GODZILLA (1954) painting by
Noriyoshi Ohrai. © Toho Co., Ltd.

Toho DVD will re-release their Godzilla DVDs in Japan beginning in January 2008. There will also be several collection box sets with exclusive bonus discs. While contents for the DVDs are identical to previous releases (including the lack of English subtitles), the discs will now be packaged in the standard size keep cases instead of the smaller jewel cases. The box sets will feature illustrations by Noriyoshi Ohrai, artist for many of the Godzilla movie theatrical posters.

GODZILLA DVD COLLECTION I
Release Date: January 25, 2008
Includes: GODZILLA (1954)
GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN
KING KONG VS. GODZILLA
MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA
Bonus Disc: International version of MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA (presumably the US edit, which has been previously released on home video in Japan)
Price: 16,800 yen (approximately $147.00 US)

On the same day, the four films in this box set will also be released separately at 4,725 yen per disc ($41.00 US).
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An Appreciation for an Unappreciated Film
Author: Aaron Cooper and John DeSentis
Special Thanks to Bob Johnson and Jim Ballard

The monster stars of SON OF GODZILLA. © 1967 Toho
Co., Ltd.

Certain films get very little respect, and not always for the correct reasons. Some of us at SciFi Japan decided to take a fresh approach at lesser appreciated films and at least argue the merits of why they deserve another glance.

Why is a film like SON OF GODZILLA so reviled by fans? Perhaps it is the introduction of an offspring for the monster, or how that offspring is portrayed? Or the wildly different Godzilla design used for the suit in this film? Perhaps the South Seas Island backdrop is disappointing for those wanting more urban destruction? Maybe it’s a foggy nostalgia mixing Saturday night creature features with Saturday morning cartoons? It seems many people don’t understand the difference between Minya and Godzooky!

Though SON OF GODZILLA may appear to be a silly little film that ‘jumps the shark’ so to speak, it can be argued that it actually is a contender for being one of the strongest films with good longevity even after some 40 years. Aaron Cooper and John “Dutch” DeSentis delve deeper into the film with a look at the cast, the story, the fx, the music and more.
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Concert Features Akira Ifukube’s Music for KING KONG VS GODZILLA
Source: The Austin Wind Symphony

Ad for the Austin Wind Symphony’s “Creature Features”
concert. Advertising art © 2007 Austin Wind Symphony

Just a reminder for all the Godzilla fans in Texas that The Austin Wind Symphony’s “Creature Features” concert will take place this Friday, October 19th. The show starts at 8:00 p.m. and will be held at the Bethany Lutheran Church in South Austin. For directions and a list of the pieces being performed visit the “Creature Features” website.

The concert will feature music from JAWS (1975), BATMAN (1989), GREMLINS (1984), PSYCHO (1960), BEETLEJUICE (1988), JURASSIC PARK (1993), plus a special tribute to STAR WARS. It will be of special interest to Godzilla fans as it includes a world premiere performance of a suite of music from KING KONG VS GODZILLA. Prepared specially for The Austin Wind Symphony, the suite will include some of the most recognizable pieces from the incredible 1962 score by Akira Ifukube. The pieces being performed are:
Seahawk SOS
Resurrection of Godzilla
Operation Kong
Main Titles

Admission is $8.00 for adults and free for children 12 and under. The special guest emcee for the evening is Fangoria TV’s horror host Professor Griffin. For a sampler of the music to be played at the concert, visit The Austin Wind Symphony Myspace site and take a listen. Additional information on the “Creature Features” concert is also available here on SciFi Japan.

Meet the heroic Autobot Bummblebee this week in Los Angeles!
Photo courtesy of DreamWorks LLC/Paramount. © 2007 DreamWorks
LLC and Paramount Pictures. TRANSFORMERS are © 2007 Hasbro.

Source: Paramount Home Entertainment

Paramount Home Entertainment celebrates the DVD debut of the worldwide smash hit TRANSFORMERS with a special guest appearance by one of the film’s biggest stars—Bumblebee,the brave Autobot who turns into a Camaro!

A full-size, 18-foot tall, 8,200 pound traffic-stopping robot will greet passers-by in the courtyard of the West Hollywood Gateway shopping center on the corner of La Brea and Santa Monica Blvd in Los Angeles. This actual prop from the blockbuster film requires a forklift and 10 ton crane to assemble and set up and he will make for an extraordinary visual.

Bumblebee will be on display from Tuesday, October 16th starting at 7:00 a.m., through Sunday, October 21st. Don’t miss an incredible photo opportunity with a life-size star of TRANSFORMERS.

DVD cover art for GUYVER: THE BIOBOOSTED ARMOR Vol 7-
ARMOR OF THE GODS. Photo courtesy of ADV Films. © 2005
Guyver The Bioboosted Armor Film Partners

Source: ADV Films

The hit series GUYVER: THE BIOBOOSTED ARMOR concludes November 6 with volume seven, ARMOR OF THE GODS.

The Guyver has been a cult-classic for over 20 years, spawning over 150 manga chapters, two live-action movies, an OVA, and a short series. Now, Director Katsuhito Akiyama (BUBBLEGUM CRISIS) breathes new life into the dark masterpiece, treating us to the most complete and captivating story to date.

GUYVER: THE BIOBOOSTED ARMOR– ARMOR OF THE GODS is an anamorphic DVD-only release including episodes 24 through 26, presented in both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. Extras include a manga to anime comparison of all three episodes, production sketches, commentary with Chris Patton (Sho), Lowell Bartholomee (Tetsuro) and Charles Campbell (ADR Director), plus clean opening animation, clean closing animation and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.
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Cover art for the new THE JUNGLE BOOK 2-Disc Platinum
Edition DVD. Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Home Ent.
© 2007 Disney

Author: Keith Aiken
Source: Walt Disney Home Entertainment

Walt Disney Home Entertainment celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the animated classic THE JUNGLE BOOK with a 2-Disc Platinum Edition DVD. The film has been restored with enhanced picture and sound, and comes with a wealth of bonus features.

Somewhat loosely based on the stories by Rudyard Kipling, THE JUNGLE BOOK was the last animated feature that Walt Disney was personally involved with. Following the box office failure of THE SWORD IN THE STONE Disney decided that THE JUNGLE BOOK should be fast paced and fun, and while the finished film may not match the beauty of some earlier Disney’s features it is certainly one of the most enjoyable movies ever produced by the studio.
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Front and back cover art for DreamWorks’ CASSHERN DVD. Photo courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment. © 2005 CASSHERN PARTNERS

Region 1 Disc Features Never-Before-Seen Director’s Cut
Source: Paramount Home Entertainment
Official Site: Casshern.Com

The 2004 Japanese science fiction film CASSHERN makes its long-awaited North American DVD debut on October 16, 2007 from Paramount/DreamWorks Home Entertainment. Based on the 1973 Tatsunoko Productions anime series, CASSHERN was written and directed by Kazuaki Kiriya and produced by Shochiku Co., Ltd. The live-action film was shot entirely on a digital backlot, using green screens much like the box office hits SIN CITY and 300 to achieve eye-popping, other-worldly images.
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Source: Los Angeles Toy, Doll, and Amusements Museum

BEYOND ULTRAMAN: SEVEN ARTISTS EXPLORE THE VINYL FRONTIER
Pasadena Museum of California Art (PMCA)
October 10, 2007 – January 6, 2008 (Wednesday – Sunday: 12:00 – 5:00 pm)
ADMISSION $6.00 for Adults, $4.00 for Seniors and Students

Beginning this week, the Pasadena Museum of California Art hosts an exhibition
of artist-designed vinyl toys. © 2007 Los Angeles Toy, Doll, and Amusements
Museum

The first museum show to examine the current wave of artist-designed vinyl toys and the Japanese toys that inspired them, BEYOND ULTRAMAN is a joint exhibition between the Pasadena Museum of California Art and the Los Angeles Toy, Doll, and Amusements Museum (LATDA).

Featuring the work of Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, David Gonzales, David Horvath, Sun-Min Kim, Brian McCarty, and Mark Nagata, the exhibit also includes a historic timeline of the vinyl toy movement, and a look at the process of vinyl toy creation from sketch to finished product. The accompanying full-color catalog published by Baby Tattoo features essays by writer Ivan Vartanian and Maria Kwong of LATDA.

Pasadena Museum of California Art (PMCA)
490 East Union Street
Pasadena, CA 91101
626-568-3665

For more information and artist biographies, please visit the BEYOND ULTRAMAN page on the LATDA website.

Kenichi Matsuyama steals the show as L, the brilliant young detective tracking down the unknown killer Kira in DEATH NOTE. The hit film will be screened in Vancouver Canada this month. Photo courtesy of VIZ Media. © 2006 “DEATH NOTE” FILM PARTNERS

Author: Stan Hyde

Tokyo based film makers Norman England and Shusuke Kaneko will visit the city for events on Saturday October 20th and Sunday October 21st. The visit is sponsored by Leonard Wong and the Vancouver Comicon, Stan Hyde and Monster Attack Team – Canada, and the Churchill Film Studies program.
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DVD cover art for the latest volume of GODZILLA: THE
ORIGINAL ANIMATED SERIES, now on sale. Photo courtesy of
Classic Media. © 1978 Toho Co., Ltd./2006 Classic Media, Inc.

Classic Media Completes Season 1 of the Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Show
Author: Keith Aiken
Source: Classic Media

In 1978, Hanna-Barbera Productions created the first cartoon series based on Toho Co., Ltd.’s character Godzilla. The GODZILLA show followed the adventures of the research vessel Calico; Captain Carl Majors (voiced by Jeff David), scientist Dr. Quinn Darian (Brenda Thompson), her young nephew Pete (Al Eisenmann), first mate Brock (Hilly Hicks), and Godzooky, the “comical, cowardly cousin” of Godzilla. Each week the crew of the Calico would find themselves in one predicament after another, only to be rescued in the nick of time by Godzilla, King of the Monsters.

GODZILLA premiered on the NBC television network on September 9, 1978. It ran for two seasons of 13 episodes each and a third season of reruns with the final NBC broadcast on September 5, 1981. Rights to the series reverted to Toho in 2003. Classic Media licensed the show from Toho in 2005 and released the first two DVD volumes on June 6, 2006. The previous DVDs featured four episodes apiece, but Volume 3 includes five episodes to complete the first season of GODZILLA.
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Source: ADV Films
Official Site: Newtype USA

© 2007 Newtype USA, Inc.

BLEACH blasts its way onto October’s Newtype USA with an exclusive cover and feature on the megahit anime franchise. Ichigo the soul reaper comes alive in two new games, and Newtype USA has the scoop, including details you won’t find anywhere else. This is an absolute must-have for anyone who loves BLEACH!

October is also packed with an exclusive 10-page first look at GUNDAM 00, the latest — and possibly greatest — Gundam yet. Other special features include an in-depth look at the lovable heroines of THE MELANCHOLY OF HARUHI SUZIMIYA, learn to draw from manga superstars Peach-Pit, features on TSUBASA, FATE/STAY NIGHT and VAMPIRE HUNTER D, a TEKKON KINKREET review and director interview, the official art of AIR, columns and commentary from anime insiders, and meet the cast of LUCKY STAR.

Extras in Newtype USA include a DVD packed with three full anime episodes; one each of PUMPKIN SCISSORS, PHOENIX and WELCOME TO THE N-H-K! The manga insert is the latest in the exclusive serialization of Clamp’s Kobato, and the centerfold poster features the ladies from the fan-favorite game-turned-anime XENOSAGA.

Newtype USA Vol. 6, Issue 10 is available October 1, 2007.