Authors: Keith Aiken and Oki Miyano Official Site: kinejun.com Special Thanks to Yasuyuki Inoue On December 28th, Japanese publisher Kinema Junpo will release the book The World of Special Effects Art Design by Yasuyuki `Taiko` Inoue (?????????????). Born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1923, Yasuyuki Inoue got his start in the film industry in 1953 by designing models and props for Shintoho Studios productions such as SUBMARINE RO HASN`T SURFACED (????????????, Sensuikan Ro Gou Imada Fujou Sezu, 1954). In 1954, he was recruited to Toho to work for special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya on GODZILLA (???, Gojira). Inoue created blueprints and helped build the many of the miniature sets for the film, including the incredibly detailed Tokyo locations destroyed during Godzilla`s legendary nighttime rampage. Following GODZILLA, Inoue worked on nearly all of Toho’s science fiction and fantasy pictures for the next three decades, becoming the head of Toho`s Special Effects Art Department. He and his crew— which included Akinori Takagi, Mutsumi Toyoshima, Toshiro Aoki and Naoyuki Yoshimura— created the miniature cities and landscapes depicted in such films as RODAN (????? ???, Sora no Daikaijuu Radon, 1956) and MOTHRA (???, Mosura, 1961); the forests of FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD (???????????????????, Furankenshutain Tai Chitei Kaijuu Baragon, 1965) and WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS (????????????? ???????, Furankenshutain no Kaijuu: Sanda tai Gaira, 1966); and vehicles and spaceships like the Maser Cannons, the Moonlight SY-3 (from DESTROY ALL MONSTERS), the Alpha and the Black Shark (LATITUDE ZERO) and the Super-X (THE RETURN OF GODZILLA). Inoue would also design such monster favorites as Hedorah and Ebirah, and was even responsible for the famous "Big Pool", first constructed for the WWII film THE STORM OF THE PACIFIC (?????????????? ?????, Hawai Middouei Daikaikusen: Taiheiyo no Arashi, 1960) and used in countless Toho FX productions. In Japan this style of hands-on, practical effects work is known as "Tokubi". Despite their vast contributions to Japanese FX cinema, the role of the Special Effects Art Department was largely unknown and unheralded— both in Japan and the United States— for decades. This finally began to change in recent years as Yasuyuki Inoue and Akinori Takagi were special guests of the American Cinematheque`s week-long "Godzilla 50th Anniversary" film festival in Hollywood, and in 2008 the Special Effects Art Department was profiled in the English language documentary BRINGING GODZILLA DOWN TO SIZE. Now Yasuyuki Inoue has written about his life and the Special Effects Art Department`s work on the classic Japanese FX films. The World of Special Effects Art Design by Yasuyuki `Taiko` Inoue also includes contributions from members of Inoue`s crew as well as modern filmmakers whose own work was inspired and influenced by the older generation. While the text is Japanese, the book is sure to delight fans worldwide with 48 pages of color photos plus a selection of color production artwork from films created from the mid-1960s to the 1980s. The book`s cover was designed by Shinji Higuchi, the FX director of the 1990s Gamera trilogy and director of SINKING OF JAPAN (????, Nihon Chinbotsu, 2006) and HIDDEN FORTRESS: THE LAST PRINCESS (??????? THE LAST PRINCESS, Kakushi Toride no San-Akunin: The Last Princess, 2008). The cover photo shows the Toho Special Effects Art Department setting up a shot on the Big Pool for the 1969 Toshiro Mifune war film BATTLE OF THE JAPAN SEA (??????, Nihonkai Daikaisen). Eiji Tsuburaya can been seen in the lower left corner of the picture. The foreword was written by Hideaki Anno, creator of the hit anime NEON GENESIS EVANGELION (???????????, Shin Seiki Evangerion, 1995–1996) and the current "Rebuild of Evangelion" movies. The Introduction contains the memoirs of Yasuyuki Inoue, detailing his early days through to the end of World War II. The first section of the book goes into Mr Inoue`s film work and is broken down into four chapters... Chapter 1: Joining the Film Industry by Chance Chapter 2: Winning the Trust of Eiji Tsuburaya Chapter 3: Becoming a FX Production Designer/ Farewell to Eiji Tsuburaya Chapter 4: Leaving Toho and Going Freelance Chapter 5 is a "Tokubi Summit" featuring a round table discussion with Inoue and his former assistants Akinori Takagi, Naoyuki Yoshimura, Mutsumi Toyoshima and Toshiro Aoki. The next two chapters are a collection of interviews... Chapter 6: The Appeal of Tokubi Effects for American Fans Chapter 7: Special interview with Shogo Tomiyama (Toho executive, producer of the Godzilla series from 1989-2004) Chapter 8 is a round table discussion about the attraction of miniature effects. The participants are all modern filmmakers who grew up watching the classic Toho FX films: Shinji Higuchi, Hideaki Anno, Yutaka Izubuchi (creator and director of the anime RAHXEPHON) and Toshio Miike (production designer and FX supervisor on the recent Godzilla, Gamera and Ultraman movies). The Appendix contains Yasuyuki Inoue`s bibliography, both a professional and personal history and a Tokubi staff list. The World of Special Effects Art Design by Yasuyuki `Taiko` Inoue is now available for pre-order from amazon.co.jp and other retailers. Price: ¥3,780 (approximately $48.50 USD) Release Date: December 28, 2011 Format: B5 size horizontal type Pages: 256 Publisher: Kinema Junpo ISBN: 978-4-87376-368-2