SciFi Japan » Godzilla / Toho http://www.scifijapan.com/articles Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:49:34 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Haruo Nakajima Attends Publishing Party for Autobiography Kaiju Jinsei http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/08/28/haruo-nakajima-attends-publishing-party-for-autobiography-kaiju-jinsei/ http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/08/28/haruo-nakajima-attends-publishing-party-for-autobiography-kaiju-jinsei/#comments Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:08:33 +0000 Keith Aiken http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/?p=16927 Haruo Nakajima sucker punches Gaira (the monster he played in WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS) during the publishing party for his autobiography Kaiju Jinsei. Photo courtesy of Daisuke Ishizuka. Godzilla Suit Actor Celebrates Launch of New Book Author: Daisuke Ishizuka Source: Yosensha Co., Ltd.
Cover art for Kaiju Jinsei, courtesy of Yosensha Co. © 2010 Yosensha Co., Ltd.

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Today a publishing party was held for the autobiography Kaiju Jinsei (Kaiju Life) by Mr. Haruo Nakajima. Mr. Haruo Nakajima is a pioneer of monster suit acting who is well known as the suit actor who played Godzilla and various Toho monsters. He has often been invited to conventions in America; Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, etc. and he is familiar with Tokusatsu fans in the U.S. I attended the G-Fest convention in Hollywood in 2000 and it was my first time to see him. I had chance to hear about his career at that time. In 2010, we now have a chance to know about him more deeply because his autobiography was published in July by Yosensha Co., Ltd. In Kaiju Jinsei, Mr. Nakajima details his life, from his youth to the present day. Needles to say, he focuses on his career as suit actor. In addition, he talks about Mr. Eiji Tsuburaya as well as the filmmakers and his friend and co-workers at Toho. The book is valuable resource for Tokusatsu fans. Continued...
]]> http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/08/28/haruo-nakajima-attends-publishing-party-for-autobiography-kaiju-jinsei/feed/ 0 September Region 4 DVD Releases from Madman http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/08/22/september-region-4-dvd-releases-from-madman/ http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/08/22/september-region-4-dvd-releases-from-madman/#comments Sun, 22 Aug 2010 15:04:02 +0000 Keith Aiken http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/?p=16636 Madman Entertainment Special Thanks to Ben Pollock and Philippa Lamb
DVD cover art for 20TH CENTURY BOYS Trilogy. Photo courtesy of Madman Entertainment. © 1999, 2006 Naoki Urasawa, Studio Nuts/ Shogakukan. © 2009 “20th Century Boys” Film Partners
The Australian distributor Madman Entertainment is releasing a mix of anime and Asian live action titles on Region 4 DVD in September, 2010. The selection includes: FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD Collection 2 ONE PIECE (Uncut) Collection MY BRIDE IS A MERMAID Collection 1 BAKUGAN: NEW VESTROIA Collection 2 NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Collection 3 JYU-OH-SEI (PLANET OF THE BEAST KING) Collection NANA Collection 2 INITIAL D FOURTH STAGE Collection 2 KUROKAMI Collection 1 BLEACH Vol 26 20TH CENTURY BOYS Trilogy and MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM 00 Second Season Vol 1 Read on for plot descriptions, DVD specs, cover art, and more. Continued...
]]> http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/08/22/september-region-4-dvd-releases-from-madman/feed/ 0 Akira Takarada Narrates Musical FREDDIE THE LEAF in New York http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/08/12/akira-takarada-narrates-musical-freddie-the-leaf-in-new-york/ http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/08/12/akira-takarada-narrates-musical-freddie-the-leaf-in-new-york/#comments Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:00:48 +0000 Keith Aiken http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/?p=16442 Akira Takarada, star of GODZILLA and several sequels, takes to the stage in New York this weekend for the Japanese musical FREDDIE THE LEAF. © Freddie Company U.S. Premiere Opens August 13, 2010 Source: TKO Entertainment press release Official Site: freddie.co.jp (Japanese)
Japanese advertisement for FREDDIE THE LEAF. © Freddie Company
FREDDIE THE LEAF An all ages Japanese musical about the importance of every life, narrated by legendary Godzilla film actor Akira Takarada. Fri 8/13 at 7pm, Sat 8/14 at 2pm and 7pm, Sun 8/15 at 2pm New York, NY – Freddie Company in association with TKO Entertainment proudly presents the U.S. Premiere of the Japanese musical FREDDIE THE LEAF, written and directed by Takashi Inuishi, conceived by Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara, with music and lyrics by Shoichi Tama and starring popular Japanese film actor, Akira Takarada, and a cast of 21 Japanese teens and children. FREDDIE THE LEAF runs from August 13 – 15, 2010 in a limited engagement at John Jay College’s Gerald W. Lynch Theater, located at 899 Tenth Avenue, between 58 and 59 Streets, in NYC. Continued...
]]> http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/08/12/akira-takarada-narrates-musical-freddie-the-leaf-in-new-york/feed/ 0 SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: RESURRECTION http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/08/10/space-battleship-yamato-resurrection/ http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/08/10/space-battleship-yamato-resurrection/#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 19:16:10 +0000 Keith Aiken http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/?p=16340 After numerous false starts, the YAMATO saga is successfully revived with the feature film SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: RESURRECTION. © 2009 Space Battleship Yamato Film Partners Author: Ed Godziszewski Official Site: yamato2009
English language sales flier for SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: RESURRECTION. © 2009 Space Battleship Yamato Film Partners
SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: RESURRECTION marks the return of the YAMATO saga to the big screen after nearly 30 years. Arguably the biggest animation franchise at the time that Japanese animation made its mark on the world, YAMATO has been conspicuous by its absence for all these years. Never mind that the ship was destroyed in FINAL YAMATO... Yamato has been rebuilt before, and besides, no one and no thing is ever REALLY dead in science fiction. The lack of new YAMATO stories during this time was probably for the best-- you just can't keep threatening earth with calamity, then destroying and reviving the ship every year-- not without eventually losing even the most devoted fans. After FINAL YAMATO, the series needed a break, and a long one. But with all the advancements in technology that have occurred since Yamato last flew a mission, the idea of bringing it back to the big screen had fans of the original intrigued about the possibilities. The original films and TV series were made when technique was limited and the animation almost primitive by today's standards. And, every bit as important, with the passing of series composer Hiroshi Miyagawa, what would the producers do for a musical score? Miyagawa's distinctive sounds are almost as completely entwined with YAMATO as Akira Ifukube has been with Godzilla. How would YAMATO make the transition to the 21st century? Continued...
]]> http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/08/10/space-battleship-yamato-resurrection/feed/ 0 MOTHRA (1961) 2 DISC SOUNDTRACK SET from Toho Music http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/08/03/mothra-1961-2-disc-soundtrack-set-from-toho-music/ http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/08/03/mothra-1961-2-disc-soundtrack-set-from-toho-music/#comments Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:38:22 +0000 Keith Aiken http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/?p=16083 Yuji Koseki's soundtrack to the original MOTHRA is being re-issued in a new 2 CD collection. © 1961 Toho Co., Ltd. Classic Toho Soundtrack Re-mastered in a Deluxe Edition Author: John “Dutch” DeSentis Source: Toho Music Store Special Thanks to Mike Temple and Ed Godziszewski Over the last two years, Toho Music has begun reissuing some of their non-Godzilla related special effects film scores in deluxe packaging with re-mastered sound. Joining the already re-released soundtracks to THE THREE TREAURES (Nippon Tanjo, 1959) and THE MYSTERIANS/BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE (Chikyu Boeigun, 1957/Uchu Daisenso, 1959) is Yuji Koseki’s score to MOTHRA (Mosura, 1961), released as a dual disc set at the end of July. Continued...
]]> http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/08/03/mothra-1961-2-disc-soundtrack-set-from-toho-music/feed/ 0 Toho’s HOUSE Coming to Criterion DVD and Blu-ray http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/07/28/tohos-house-coming-to-criterion-dvd-and-blu-ray/ http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/07/28/tohos-house-coming-to-criterion-dvd-and-blu-ray/#comments Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:46:59 +0000 Keith Aiken http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/?p=16278 DVD and Blu-ray cover art for The Criterion Collection's upcoming release of director Nobuhiko Obayashi's cult classic horror film HOUSE. Photo courtesy of Image Entertainment. © 1977 Toho Co., Ltd. Source: Image Entertainment Official Movie Site: janusfilms.com/house, criterion.com/house Special Thanks to Marsha Altmark The Criterion Collection is proud to present Toho's stunningly bizarre horror movie HOUSE (Hausu, 1977) on Region 1 DVD and Blu-ray. Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi, this is a must have for any Japanese cult horror film fan. HOUSE will be released on October 26th, 2010. Both the Criterion DVD and Blu-ray are now available for pre-order on Amazon.com. Continued...
]]> http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/07/28/tohos-house-coming-to-criterion-dvd-and-blu-ray/feed/ 0 Toho’s DETROIT METAL CITY Gets North American Release http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/07/25/tohos-detroit-metal-city-gets-north-american-release/ http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/07/25/tohos-detroit-metal-city-gets-north-american-release/#comments Sun, 25 Jul 2010 12:46:49 +0000 Keith Aiken http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/?p=16180 Innocent wannabe pop musician Soichi Negishi (Kenichi Matsuyama) becomes the death metal star Johannes Krauser II in DETROIT METAL CITY, Toho's live action movie based on the international best-selling manga series. © 2008 Toho Co., Ltd. /Horipro Inc. / Hakusensha, Inc. /Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. / Dentsu Inc. /d-rings Inc. /Parco Co., Ltd. /SDP, Inc. /Tokyo FM Broadcasting Co., Ltd. /Yahoo Japan Corporation /Nippon Shuppan Hanbai Inc. /Tsutaya Group. Source: VIZ Pictures, MediaLab press releases Official Site: go-to-dmc (Japan), DMCtheMovie.com (US) Special Thanks to Jane Lui and Erik Jansen VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced that it has licensed from Toho Company, Ltd the North American theatrical and DVD distribution rights to the heavy metal live-action comedy, DETROIT METAL CITY. The DVD is scheduled for release later in the fall of this year. DETROIT METAL CITY takes the zany rock antics inspired by films like THIS IS SPINAL TAP to hilarious new extremes in this film directed by Toshio Lee and based on the popular manga comic created by Kiminori Wakasugi. It features notable appearances by Gene Simmons from the legendary band, KISS, and Marty Friedman of Megadeth, and stars Kenichi Matsuyama, one of the most adored actors in Japan today and known widely for his role as 'L' in the DEATH NOTE films. Continued...
]]> http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/07/25/tohos-detroit-metal-city-gets-north-american-release/feed/ 0 SCI-FI REVOLTECH SERIES Waves 5 and 6 Plus HOBBY JAPAN EXCLUSIVE http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/07/23/sci-fi-revoltech-series-waves-5-and-6-plus-hobby-japan-exclusive/ http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/07/23/sci-fi-revoltech-series-waves-5-and-6-plus-hobby-japan-exclusive/#comments Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:00:17 +0000 Keith Aiken http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/?p=16093 Disney/Pixar and Toho characters are the focus of the next two waves of figures in Kayodo's Sci-Fi Revoltech line. Mogera and Mothra © Toho Co., Ltd. Buzz Lightyear and Woody © Disney/Pixar. © 2010 Kaiyodo Co., Ltd. The Latest Series Brings Two more Characters from Toho’s Tokusatsu Universe Plus an Exclusive Author: John “Dutch” DeSentis Official Site: kaiyodo.co.jp/revoltech The Kaiyodo Company's Sci-Fi Revoltech series continues to bring great, super-articulated figures of popular science fiction characters to the hands of collectors. Thus far, the only Toho character represented has been the monster Baragon from Wave 2. Thankfully, that will change on September 1st, as a figure based on Mothra (1961 style) will join Mogera (1957 style). The previous month sees Buzz Lightyear and Woody from the Disney/Pixar TOY STORY movies. Reportedly the Tyrannosaurus Rex from JURASSIC PARK, Jason Vorhees from the FRIDAY THE 13TH series, and a Type-1966 Maser Tank from WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS will follow in the next few months. Continued...
]]> http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/07/23/sci-fi-revoltech-series-waves-5-and-6-plus-hobby-japan-exclusive/feed/ 0 Peter Fernandez: Industry Loses an Unsung Hero http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/07/18/peter-fernandez-industry-loses-an-unsung-hero/ http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/07/18/peter-fernandez-industry-loses-an-unsung-hero/#comments Mon, 19 Jul 2010 02:30:40 +0000 Keith Aiken http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/?p=15888 Peter Fernandez at the 2008 premiere of SPEED RACER during the Tribeca Film Festival. On Thursday July 15, 2010, the television and movie industry lost one of its truly unsung heroes. Peter Fernandez passed away after a battle with cancer at the age of 83. Although fans of international films and TV know his name and his contributions, Hollywood as a whole has passed over a little-known industry that made it possible to import many foreign efforts that we would have never otherwise seen. The dubbing of international product was a thankless chore and an underpaid one in the 1960s and 1970s. However, Peter Fernandez was a tireless pioneer and turned out some of the most memorable and highest quality dub tracks of a generation. Continued...
]]> http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/07/18/peter-fernandez-industry-loses-an-unsung-hero/feed/ 0 Peter Fernandez (1927-2010) http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/07/15/peter-fernandez-1927-2010/ http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/07/15/peter-fernandez-1927-2010/#comments Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:05:28 +0000 Keith Aiken http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/?p=15855 Writer, director, and voice actor Peter Fernandez died today. SciFi Japan was just informed that Peter Fernandez passed away this morning from lung cancer. Long acknowledged as one of the best in the business, Fernandez was a voice actor and dubbing director for the American versions of dozens of films and television series... his long list of credits include such favorites as ULTRAMAN, ASTRO BOY, GODZILLA VS THE SEA MONSTER, THE SPACE GIANTS, SON OF GODZILLA, GIGANTOR, STAR BLAZERS, the Sergio Leone/Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns... and even a "clean version" of George Romero's DAY OF THE DEAD. He may be best known for his work on SPEED RACER, in which he voiced both Speed and Racer X and also wrote the English lyrics for the show's theme song. Our condolences to Peter's family and friends. SciFi Japan will be following with a full tribute soon, but in the meantime please see our 2009 interview with Peter in which he discusses his life and career, and our overview of Peter's work on SPEED RACER.
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