Dai Kyojin (1994)

[Jinzo Ningen]

I can find NOTHING on this movie in any of my web searches, which I frankly find astounding considering how much pap is out there on the WWW.

I rented and made a copy of the film decades ago. It's a really interesting film that's part Romeo & Juliet, part gangster melodrama and part end of the world invasion flick ...with a dash of Majin at the very end.

Anyhow... I finally dug out the tape and had it professionally transferred onto DVD at my local Costco (YesVideo). As one can imagine, the picture quality isn't the greatest, but it's still very watchable. I wish it were subtitled, but I rented it at a little mom & pop Japanese video store in Honolulu when I lived there during my college years. Does anyone know if someone would be interested & able to sub this? The outfit made me 2 copies, so I'd be willing to let the person doing the subbing have/keep the 2nd disc.

Dai Kyojin is nothing to shake the pillars of kaju-dom, but it's a neat little footnote a deserving of wider recognition. I will attempt to get some screengrabs and post them, in the event that perhaps someone else has seen this unique, kaiju-tinged flick. I simply cannot be the ONLY one.

[Jinzo Ningen]

Here's a collage of some quick screengrabs I finally got around to snagging this afternoon.

Hopefully if the name didn't stir anyone's recollection then maybe some of these pics might...

[XvGojira]

Getting a 404 error

[Jinzo Ningen]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Y7huBaSG67TmNKgS9

Does this link work?? (I really HATE Google photos. I used to use TinyPic but they went belly up last September. )

[XvGojira]

Those are working.

[Benjamin Haines]

[UltramanGoji]

[lhb412]

I saw a gif of this a few months ago somewhere. The mind boggles at the amount of Kaiju stuff probably out there that we don't know because it was direct-to-video or a TV special or whatever.

[Jinzo Ningen]

Thank you so much for the information, Ben!!! You rock! I soon as I clicked on that Japan Wiki link and saw the VHS cover I knew it was the right film!


Despite what both sites report, the stone giant is referred as (or directly called) "Dai Kyojin" multiple times throughout the film by several different characters.

The movie's visual style hearkens to the other tribute films of that early 90's period, including the Hakaider and Kamen Rider (Zo & J) movies. I myself actually wondered, seeing it again as a 30 years older and more toke-knowledgeable fan, if Amemiya wasn't the director or somehow otherwise involved due to the similar look & feel of the film has; to Hakaider and KR 'J' in particular. It's interesting that you reported that it's supposed to be a 2-parter! I would love to see the other part. Having watched the film so many times it makes me wonder though if that info is correct, and I say that only because the film has a definite beginning, middle and conclusion. (But only seeing it 'raw', with no subtitles to more accurately inform me, I cannot say for certain.) The final shot has one of the film's secondary characters experiencing a Twilight Zone "did this really happen or was it all just a dream?" moment that I found cool and rather eerie when first watching it all those years ago. It also has a fantastic soundtrack, especially the main & end themes.

And it certainly does make me wonder how many other films we've missed over the years that never got a theatrical release, and thus are only known to Japanese fans.

[Benjamin Haines]

[H-Man]

The Wikipedia article says the title should be read as "Dai yogen fukkatsu no kyojin."

"神" can be read many ways, as is true of most kanji. According to the excellent Japanese language resource, , "神" (as "shin") is defined as:

1. spirit; psyche​
2. god; deity; divinity; kami​

It also notes another reading: "じん" (jin), which is the reading noted in Wikipedia's article for the film. "神" is the same character in the name "Daimajin."

The movie is directed by Yoshiaki Kobayashi, who likewise directed a lot of episodes of classic Toei shows (Spiderman, multiple Sentai, multiple Metal Hero, both Kamen Rider Black and Black RX, etc). His Wiki page only credits two theatrical films: the 1989 3D Kamen Rider short Run All Over the World and Ohranger: The Movie. In classic IMDb fashion, his (partial) credits are split up between an actor named Yoshiaki Kobayashi and "Toshiaki" Kobayashi.

Nobuo Yajima directed the special effects. He had an incredibly storied career and, while probably shouldn't be considered his definitive filmography, you can get a good idea of some of the tokusatsu he directed. According to Wikipedia, he passed away just a few months ago on Nov. 28, aged 91.

I've never heard of this but I'm gonna look for it. I'd be surprised if it hasn't already turned up online under some mistransliterated title. (It's also very expensively available .)

Low-quality video spot:

[Jinzo Ningen]

I haven't watched the whole movie yet. I've been so busy at work that when I picked it up and got back home I threw it into my blu-ray player just to make sure it would play and to quickly check to see what the video portion of the transfer looked like, post-conversion, then tossed it in my computer to snag some screenshots so I could upload them and get all of your skilled eyes working the problem for me. LOL. I really need to make time to sit down and re-watch the entire thing from beginning-to-end. Thinking about it supposedly being a 2-parter... I'm thinking that perhaps the bumpers and transitional bits connecting the two halves were simply edited out in order to make the film a more cohesive 'single story' viewing experience for its home video release??

Your link to a legit, authorized DVD(!) naturally got me surfing there for a peek! I would've pulled the trigger except that the shipping is damn near half the cost again of the flick itself! (Unless I want it sent uninsured w/no tracking info. Ummm, NO.) With that much $$$ required for such an oddball little film, I will regrettably pass (at least until such time that I can no longer control myself).

Lastly... regarding the screengrab showing the hooded knight in the composite pic I uploaded - now that I have the entire context of the film fresh in my mind, I believe that it's the same toku suit/costume that was Kaoru's 'dream knight' in Mechanical Violator Hakaider - just re-purposed!! They merely obscured it with a hooded robe and added horns to the helmet to further disguise their low budget slight-of-hand! Seeing as how (according to your linked wiki page) the movie was also supposed to feature Sharivan but didn't due to tight budget, the re-use of the Hakaider costume seems even more likely. A very cool little trivia tidbit.