Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

I am happy with my Tokyo Shock titles:

Gappa
Atragon
Dogora
Frankenstein Conquers the World
Matango
Mysterians
Space Amoeba
Varan
Latitude Zero

But if a re-release were done which indluded:

Attack of the Mushroom People
Dagora, the Space Monster
Yog, Monster from Space

I'd double-dip!

Missing Latitude Zero

I don't think MB/TS have the rights to these anymore. However I'd think if some distributor were to go all out and get the AIP dubs, hopefully we could get an original AIP print of FCtW. I'm ok with what some fans call the *hack job*, but if they are going to get it right, go for it, also add on to it, the RKO dub of the Mysterians and the American Edit (similar to Godzilla KotM) for Varan: The Unbelievable. I have all these in some form, but would love to have them officially on a newer media format.

Yeah, other than LZ I used to see them all at the Drive-In!

I was born in 1976. *technically* old enough to have seen the last of the Showa films in US theaters, if my parents had taken me when I was 2 or 3...but they didn't.

Growing up I saw FCTW on TV often, and read about the others. I know Matango, Dagora, and Atragon played on TV where I lived (Creature Features etc)... but I probably just missed them. I did finally record Dagora from TV in 1991, and got bootleg VHS copes of Matango and Atragon in the early 90's long before MB DVD releases.

I also got Varan and Yog on VHS around 1991



...and rented The Mysterians from Blockbuster in 1991 as well



MB/TS release of Latitude Zero was the only Toho film that was entirely new to me when they released it on DVD

I must admit, (first-world problem here) being disappointed initially with "Yog" and "Mushroom Poeple" on DVD from MB. They did not seem connected to the versions I was used to.

Media Blasters commissioned only one new English dub for their Toho titles, and that was The Mysterians.

MB/TS used AIP for Matango and Dogora (though they just used the dub, not the title cards or credits), Atragon was Toho International, Not sure why MB didn't do with the AIP dub for Atragon.... but it is what it is, at least I have it in some form. Also...One wonders if there wasn't a plan at some pint to do a *dub* for Varan, but they pretty much blew their budget on the Mysterians. Also, one wonders if it wouldn't just have been more cost effective to negotiate with Toho and *whoever* owned the rights to the RKO dub in the early 2000's (I imagine it would be Warner now but...) , as opposed to creating their own

It could be worse....MB dubbed only half of the GaoGaiGar anime, and released the other half only subbed.....

^ Thanks for the info.

I wonder if Media Blasters still retains the licenses to movies like Atragon and Dogora or if they're just clearing out old DVD stock. Their website lists Godzilla vs. Megalon as discontinued so I wonder if they held onto the rights for those other movies for even longer.

^ I've also been wondering about whether they retain the rights to some of these films. All of them sure could use a Blu-ray release and there's currently a couple of boutique labels specializing in cult and genre films.

Unfortunately MB site is spurious at best. It seems they have been focused on Hentai lately, as the only couple releases they have had *pending* for years. It may just be old stock that is being clearanced out. But I would beware. Although its nice some fans are getting legit discs, I have seen straight up bootlegs of these. I wanted to get a dvd of the AIP dub of Yog Monster From Space, what the person sent me was a straight up dvd rip of the MB *Space Amoeba*, I called him out on it, and he refunded my money.

I love some of these titles, especially Matango and Space Amoeba. I got rid of my DVDs years ago since I wanted to cut down to just blu-rays, and I copied them to my PC beforehand anyways.

I know Japan has a Matango blu-ray, hopefully we get a release too... A lot of new Godzilla fans will start by only watching the main Godzilla movies, but these other flicks are really classics that I'd like to be easily available for new fans too. Some of these films are more enjoyable that many of the main Godzilla (or other readily-available) films out there, in my opinion of course.

Didn't Media Blasters burn bridges with Toho over the Megalon and DAM Blu-Rays? I don't think we're going to be seeing any Toho films from them any time soon. Wouldn't be surprised if they're on a Japanese media industry blacklist since they're only selling hentai at this point.

Yeah they got in huge trouble over that, and tax problems as well, and it pretty much ended them. I remember all the articles on anime websites in 2011/12 saying they had to "lay off 2/3 of their staff" (what was wild was that they only had 18 employees so they went down to 6)

They've had a few Hentai titles in "production" for years, with no sign of release. I thought they were DOA years ago, but they stay around somehow..

What's strange is the occasional resurgence of DVD copies of these OOP Toho films.