SciFi Japan » Ultraman / Tsuburaya

SciFi Japan » Ultraman / Tsuburaya http://www.scifijapan.com/articles Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:05:24 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Soshigaya-Okura is still the Ultraman City http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2012/01/25/soshigaya-okura-is-still-the-ultraman-city/ http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2012/01/25/soshigaya-okura-is-still-the-ultraman-city/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:07:08 +0000 Keith Aiken http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/?p=28444

Zoffy flies over a street near the fomrer offices of Tsuburaya Productions. Photo by Daisuke Ishizuka. © 2012 Tsuburaya Productions Co., Ltd. Tsuburaya Productions' Characters on Display in Their Old Hometown Author: Daisuke Ishizuka

From 1963-2005, Tsuburaya Productions -- the television and film company behind the long-running Ultraman franchise -- had their headquarters in the residential Kinuta and Okura districts of Tokyo's Setagaya Ward. Tsuburaya Pro moved into their new offices in Hachimanyama, Setagaya, Tokyo after being purchased by the TYO Group in 2007. For a time, the Kinuta office was maintained as an editing and computer graphic imaging facility. The second floor of the building was also used as a warehouse to store the monster suits, masks and costumes from the various Ultraman movies and shows. But Tsuburaya eventually decided to to move these departments to Hachimanyama as well, and the Kinuta branch was shut down on February 6, 2008. The property was sold to developers who demolished the office and replaced it with an apartment building. The Soshigaya-Okura station on the Odakyu-line was the closest train station to the original Tsuburaya Productions offices. And even though Tsuburaya has moved to another city, the area around Soshigaya-Okura is still named "Ultra Town" because many Ultramen can still be seen there. Continued...
]]> http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2012/01/25/soshigaya-okura-is-still-the-ultraman-city/feed/ 0 Japan Celebrates ALIEN DAY http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2012/01/20/japan-celebrates-alien-day/ http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2012/01/20/japan-celebrates-alien-day/#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:16:59 +0000 Keith Aiken http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/?p=28420

Author Daisuke Ishizuke with Dada. Photo courtesy of Daisuke Ishizuka. © 2012 Tsuburaya Productions Co., Ltd. January 9, 2012 was a national holiday in Japan known as "Coming of Age Day" (成人の日, Seijin no Hi). The holiday is held each year on the second Monday of January, and celebrates those Japanese who -- over the past year -- turned 20 years old, the age one is considered an adult can legally vote, drink and smoke (and be tried as an adult in court). Throughout the day, special ceremonies honoring the new adults (新成人, Shin Seijin) were held at cities across Japan. Young women dress up in fancy, fur-lined silk kimonos called furisodes while men wear suits or traditional hakama. The Yomiuriland amusement park in Inagi City, Tokyo decided to celebrate Coming of Age Day in a unique and fun way. Just as the English language has words that have the same spelling or pronunciation but separate meanings, so does Japanese. So a 20 year-old Japanese person is called a "Seijin", but Seijin has another meaning in spoken Japanese... it also means "alien". Therefore, "Alien Day" was held instead of Coming of Age Day at Yomiuriland on January 9th. Popular alien characters from Tsuburaya Productions' Ultraman series spent the day at the amusement park; posing for photos, clowning around with attendees and having a good time. Continued...
]]> http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2012/01/20/japan-celebrates-alien-day/feed/ 0 Former Ultraman Director Discusses New Ultraman Book Aiding Children Of March 11th Disaster http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2011/09/29/former-ultraman-director-discusses-new-ultraman-book-aiding-children-of-march-11th-disaster/ http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2011/09/29/former-ultraman-director-discusses-new-ultraman-book-aiding-children-of-march-11th-disaster/#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2011 03:00:45 +0000 Jim M. Ballard http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/?p=25495

Former Ultraman director/producer Takeshi Yagi at an Ultraman event in Tokyo in 2009. Photo by Jim M. Ballard. Author: Jim M. Ballard Special Thanks to Takeshi Yagi IN ASSOCIATION WITH GAIJINCHANNEL.COM

Conceived by Tsuburaya Productions - the production company founded by Eiji Tsuburaya, the master of special effects on Toho’s Godzilla film series - the original ULTRAMAN (Urutoraman) first broadcast from July 17th 1966 until April 9th 1967 on TBS. Throughout 39 exciting episodes, audiences nationwide watched the superhero Ultraman defend the Earth from a plethora of giant monsters. ULTRAMAN proved so successful that after 45 years and over 30 spin-offs and feature films, Ultraman is continuing to thrive, ingraining itself in Japanese popular culture shoulder-to-shoulder with Godzilla and other famous icons. In March 2011, immediately following the earthquake disaster, Tsuburaya Productions established the Ultraman Foundation. Through the support of Tsuburaya's creative staff and their extensive back-catalog of famous heroes, the charity is helping to raise money for children directly affected by the events of March 11th, and spreading a message of hope to children throughout Japan in the midst of the Fukushima nuclear crisis. Continued...
]]> http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2011/09/29/former-ultraman-director-discusses-new-ultraman-book-aiding-children-of-march-11th-disaster/feed/ 0 MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: XXII in Stores December 6th http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2011/09/15/mystery-science-theater-3000-xxii-in-stores-december-6th/ http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2011/09/15/mystery-science-theater-3000-xxii-in-stores-december-6th/#comments Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:10:13 +0000 Keith Aiken http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/?p=25222

Apes rule a futuristic Japan in TIME OF THE APES, one of four fun movies from the upcoming DVD collection MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: XXII. © 1974 Tsuburaya Productions Co., Ltd. Featuring TIME OF THE APES, MIGHTY JACK, THE VIOLENT YEARS, and THE BRUTE MAN Source: Shout! Factory press release Special Thanks to Tom Chen

Our long cultural nightmare is over. On December 6, Shout! Factory, in association with Best Brains, Inc., will release MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: XXII, a 4-DVD set that includes TIME OF THE APES, MIGHTY JACK, THE VIOLENT YEARS, THE BRUTE MAN and a cornucopia of extras worthy of the holiday season. All four episodes are previously unreleased on DVD, and TIME OF THE APES and MIGHTY JACK are two of the most beloved and most requested episodes of the comedy phenomenon! The MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 series was created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Jim Mallon. The premise of the series features a hapless man who is trapped by mad scientists on a satellite in space and forced to watch old B-movies of questionable worth. To keep sane, he’s built two robot sidekicks, and together they do a running commentary on the films, affectionately mocking their flaws with inspired wisecracks and acting as a demented movie theater peanut gallery. During its 11-year run and 198 episodes (including one feature film), MST3K attained a loyal fan base and critical acclaim. The series won a Peabody Award in 1993, and was nominated for writing Emmys in 1994 and 1995. Passionate fans and collectors can pre-order this 4-DVD set now on ShoutFactoryStore.com, Amazon.com and other online retailers. Continued...
]]> http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2011/09/15/mystery-science-theater-3000-xxii-in-stores-december-6th/feed/ 0 Monster Attack Team Gets Newsstand Distribution http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2011/08/22/monster-attack-team-gets-newsstand-distribution/ http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2011/08/22/monster-attack-team-gets-newsstand-distribution/#comments Mon, 22 Aug 2011 19:26:18 +0000 Keith Aiken http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/?p=24830

Covers for Monster Attack Team issues M8 (illustration by Kevin Grays) and M9 (art by Matt Frank). Photos courtesy of MAT. © 2011 Monster Attack Team Japanese SF Movie Zine to be Distributed by Diamond Source: Monster Attack Team Special Thanks to Michael G Keller and Edward Holland In the 1990s, Monster Attack Team, a fanzine devoted to Japanese live action sci-fi and fantasy productions, ran for seven issues. After a fifteen year break, editors Edward Holland and Michael Keller revived MAT in 2010 with a massive, full-color 132 page eighth issue packed with informative articles covering a wide range of tokusatsu film and television programs. And now Monster Attack Team is back in a big way. Holland and Keller are currently working with a team of top writers on MAT #9, another 100+ page, full-color special. Monster Attack Team has also been picked up for distribution by Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc., North America's largest comic book distributor, making upcoming issues available to comic shops, book stores, and specialty shops across the country. Continued...
]]> http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2011/08/22/monster-attack-team-gets-newsstand-distribution/feed/ 0 Wonderfest 2011 Report http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2011/07/24/wonderfest-2011-report/ http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2011/07/24/wonderfest-2011-report/#comments Sun, 24 Jul 2011 16:31:45 +0000 Bob Johnson http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/?p=24096

The shoulder to shoulder crowds of Wonderfest. Photo courtesy of Clawmark Toys. Clawmark Does Wonderfest Author: Tom Dougherty, Clawmark Toys WONDERFEST! The name says it all! I have had the good fortune to experience many Japanese Toy and Model shows in both Osaka and Tokyo over the years, but nothing quite compares to Wonderfest. An enormous event like Wonderfest is of course held in the enormous complex called Makhuhari Messe. I only had to ride a train for about two and a half hours through Tokyo and past Disneyland to arrive at the station and begin the walk. Continued...
]]> http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2011/07/24/wonderfest-2011-report/feed/ 0 New Movie ULTRAMAN SAGA Announced for 2012! http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2011/07/17/new-movie-ultraman-saga-announced-for-2012/ http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2011/07/17/new-movie-ultraman-saga-announced-for-2012/#comments Sun, 17 Jul 2011 22:17:49 +0000 Keith Aiken http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/?p=24017 Tsuburaya Productions Official Movie Site: ultramansaga.com

Tagline: “We still have a shining hope with us!” Continuing their 45th anniversary celebration of the Ultra series, Tsuburaya Productions has announced the production of their next feature film ULTRAMAN SAGA (ウルトラマンサーガ, Urutoraman Saga), to be released in 2012 on both 2D and 3D screens in Japan. The new movie is a sequel to the recent films, MEGA MONSTER BATTLE ULTRA GALAXY: THE MOVIE (大怪獣バトルウルトラ銀河伝説 THE MOVIE, Daikaiju Batoru Urutora Ginga Densetsu THE MOVIE, 2009) and ULTRAMAN ZERO: THE REVENGE OF BELIAL (ウルトラマンゼロ THE MOVIE 　超決戦！ベリアル銀河帝国, Urutoraman Zero THE MOVIE Chou Kessen! Beriaru Ginga Teikoku, 2010). While few details have yet been revealed about the story, ULTRAMAN SAGA will continue the recent trend in the Ultraman movies of bringing together characters from several different series and timelines. The Ultra heroes will face off against an army of vicious monsters from all ends of the universe, including recognizable foes such as Earthtron (from the RETURN OF ULTRAMAN television series) and Gubila (from ULTRAMAN). ULTRAMAN SAGA will also introduce Hyper Zetton, a new version of the final villain from the original ULTRAMAN series. Continued...
]]> http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2011/07/17/new-movie-ultraman-saga-announced-for-2012/feed/ 0 THE LAST DINOSAUR on DVD from Warner Archive http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2011/03/19/the-last-dinosaur-on-dvd-from-warner-archive/ http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2011/03/19/the-last-dinosaur-on-dvd-from-warner-archive/#comments Sat, 19 Mar 2011 07:05:41 +0000 Keith Aiken http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/?p=21772 Warner Archive Collection Special Thanks to Gabriel Vicuna and Ed Godziszewski

“It eats meat! Us!!” It is a Tyrannosaurus, ruler of a lost world hidden within a dormant polar volcano. Us are members of expedition led by a big game hunter and überzillionaire (Richard Boone). And eats – well, you get the idea, tyrant lizard fans! Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass, who charmed families with THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS and more animated and stop-motion holiday heartwarmers, relied on dinomight for THE LAST DINOSAUR, the sort of thrill-a-minute popcorn-seller that gives bad movies a good name. Join the adventurers as they encounter a perilous array of prehistoric beasts, a tribe of savage cavemen and a T. rex who, despite its less-than-special effect appearance, can kick some serious Triceratops butt. -synopsis courtesy of Warner Archive The 1977 cult classic THE LAST DINOSAUR— one of three movies produced by the American studio Rankin/Bass in association with Tsuburaya Productions in Japan— is coming to DVD from the Warner Archive Collection. The Warner Archive Collection DVD of THE LAST DINOSAUR can be ordered from the Warner Bros online store WBShop.com. The title is currently $16.56, a 17% discount off the standard retail price of $19.95. Continued...
]]> http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2011/03/19/the-last-dinosaur-on-dvd-from-warner-archive/feed/ 0 Winter WonderFestival 2011 http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2011/03/08/winter-wonderfestival-2011/ http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2011/03/08/winter-wonderfestival-2011/#comments Tue, 08 Mar 2011 16:27:57 +0000 Keith Aiken http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/?p=21456

T-'s Facto presents the prototype Godzilla 54 sculpture, one of the the incredible kits sold at Winter WonderFest 2011. Photo by Ed Godziszewski. © 1954 Toho Co., Ltd. Godzilla, Ultraman, and More at Tokyo Model and Toy Collectors Show Author: Ed Godziszewski Official Site: Wonder Festival Once again, it's that time of year for the winter season orgy of model kits, toys, and cosplay otherwise known as Wonder Festival. Hosted once again by toy and kit maker Kaiyodo, this year's event again took place February 6, 2011 at the Makuhari Messe, just a few train stops down the Keio Line from Tokyo Disneyland. And as usual, this year's show had its share of surprises as well as the weird, wacky, and wonderful. Continued...
]]> http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2011/03/08/winter-wonderfestival-2011/feed/ 0 Review: ULTRAMAN ZERO: THE REVENGE OF BELIAL http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/12/23/review-ultraman-zero-the-revenge-of-belial/ http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2010/12/23/review-ultraman-zero-the-revenge-of-belial/#comments Thu, 23 Dec 2010 18:57:47 +0000 Jim M. Ballard http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/?p=19394

It's round two for Ultraman Zero and the evil Ultraman Belial! Photo courtesy of Shochiku. © 2010 Ultraman Zero- Revenge of Belial Film Partners Review Of The Latest Ultraman Movie Author: Jim M. Ballard Official Movie Site: ultramanzero.com SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details for a new movie.

Opening to theaters nationwide in Japan on December 23rd, ULTRAMAN ZERO: THE REVENGE OF BELIAL (Urutoraman Zero THE MOVIE Chou Kessen! Beriaru Ginga Teikoku) is the latest entry in the enduring Ultraman series, and serves as a direct sequel to last year's MEGA MONSTER BATTLE ULTRA GALAXY: THE MOVIE (Daikaiju Batoru Urutora Ginga Densetsu THE MOVIE) in which the evil Ultraman Belial was released from a millennia of imprisonment and resurrected an army of 100 monsters to defeat the Ultra warriors. The new film delves right into the action with a dramatic sweeping shot of Princess Emerana's home world of Esmeralda being ravaged by Ultraman Belial (now calling himself "Kaiser Belial") and his empire, and her protector Mirror Knight - one of the film's three new heroes - leaping forth to her defense. Continued...
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