Atsushi Hagiwara during the making of Sayonara Jupiter. Photo © Atsushi Hagiwara. Atsushi Hagiwara got his start as a tokusatsu modelmaker working on the ambitious Toho production Sayonara Jupiter (1984), which features some of the best special effects in Japanese film history. That experience led to a variety of other film and television projects on … Continue reading MAKING MINIATURES IN JAPANESE SFX FILMS! Atsushi Hagiwara on Creating Tokusatsu Models in the 1980s and Beyond!
Daiei
GAMERA’S FIRST FRIEND! Former Child Actor Yoshiro Uchida Remembers Working with Daiei’s Remarkable Flying Turtle!
Yoshiro Uchida in March 2022. Photo © Brett Homenick. Born on December 14, 1953, Yoshiro Uchida appears in Gamera the Giant Monster (1965), released in the U.S. as Gammera the Invincible (1966), as the young boy Toshio Sakurai who befriends the giant turtle in the first film of Daiei's long-running Gamera series. Mr. Uchida also … Continue reading GAMERA’S FIRST FRIEND! Former Child Actor Yoshiro Uchida Remembers Working with Daiei’s Remarkable Flying Turtle!
OH, CONTRARE! Alan Oppenheimer on His Legendary Acting Career and ‘Gammera the Invincible’!
Alan Oppenheimer with several of the iconic characters he has voiced: Skeletor, Falkor, Man-At-Arms, and Mer-Man. Photo courtesy of Alan Oppenheimer. Alan Oppenheimer is one of the animation's most celebrated voice actors, having voiced Skeletor, Mer-Man, and Man-At-Arms on He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983-85), Vanity Smurf on The Smurfs (1981-89), Beachcomber and … Continue reading OH, CONTRARE! Alan Oppenheimer on His Legendary Acting Career and ‘Gammera the Invincible’!
REVISITING JAPAN’S MASTER MONSTER MAKER! Keizo Murase Answers More Questions About Creating Kaiju!
Keizo Murase (with King Ghidorah) in April 2019. Photo © Brett Homenick. Born on October 5, 1935, in Ikeda, Tokachi, Hokkaido (where his family home still is), Keizo Murase is a veteran kaiju suitmaker who began his career at Toho in 1958, leaving an indelible mark on the genre with his work on Varan the … Continue reading REVISITING JAPAN’S MASTER MONSTER MAKER! Keizo Murase Answers More Questions About Creating Kaiju!
THE MAN WHO MADE GAMERA ROAR! Screenwriter Niisan Takahashi on Creating Japan’s Remarkable Flying Turtle!
Niisan Takahashi (February 3, 1926 - May 5, 2015) , whose real name was Yukito Takahashi, was born in Tamamuracho, Sawa District, Gunma Prefecture. As a screenwriter who joined Daiei in the 1950s, Mr. Takahashi would essentially create the character of Gamera through his screenplays for the Showa-era Gamera series, running from 1965 through 1980. … Continue reading THE MAN WHO MADE GAMERA ROAR! Screenwriter Niisan Takahashi on Creating Japan’s Remarkable Flying Turtle!
HITTING THE RIGHT NOTES! Composer Chumei Watanabe on Scoring Japanese Films!
Chumei Watanabe is one of Japan's best known and most important film and television composers. His credits include such animated and live-action titles as Mazinger Z (1972-74), Kikaider (1972-73), Himitsu Sentai Goranger (1975-77), Toei's Spider-Man (1978), Space Sheriff Gavan (1982-83), and Kamen Rider Black (1987-88). Not only does Mr. Watanabe still compose music in 2019, … Continue reading HITTING THE RIGHT NOTES! Composer Chumei Watanabe on Scoring Japanese Films!
GAPPA ANGRY! Actor Masanori Machida Remembers Playing Saki in Nikkatsu’s Kaiju Classic!
Born on January 7, 1955, in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Masanori Machida was a child actor who began his career in the early 1960s. During his career as a child actor, Mr. Machida appeared in numerous movies during the 1960s, including (in order of production): Toho’s Aogeba Totoshi (1966), Daiei’s Zatoichi’s Vengeance (1966), Toei’s Abashiri Prison: Duel … Continue reading GAPPA ANGRY! Actor Masanori Machida Remembers Playing Saki in Nikkatsu’s Kaiju Classic!
ON DIRECTING GODZILLA AND GAMERA! Shusuke Kaneko on Filmmaking the Kaiju Way!
Shusuke Kaneko is an acclaimed Japanese director who rose to prominence internationally in 1995 with the release of Gamera: Guardian of the Universe, a landmark kaiju film that still enjoys tremendous popularity around the world. Mr. Kaneko built on that worldwide success with Gamera 2: Attack of the Legion (1996) and Gamera 3: Revenge of … Continue reading ON DIRECTING GODZILLA AND GAMERA! Shusuke Kaneko on Filmmaking the Kaiju Way!
MEMORIES OF JAPAN’S MASTER MONSTER MAKER! Keizo Murase Shares the Secrets of the World’s Greatest Kaiju!
Born on October 5, 1935, in Ikeda, Tokachi, Hokkaido (where his family home still is), Keizo Murase is a veteran kaiju suitmaker who began his career at Toho in 1958, leaving an indelible mark on the genre with his work on Varan the Unbelievable (1958). From there, Mr. Murase also worked on Mothra (1961), Gorath … Continue reading MEMORIES OF JAPAN’S MASTER MONSTER MAKER! Keizo Murase Shares the Secrets of the World’s Greatest Kaiju!
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL SAMURAI! Actor-Singer Mickey Curtis on His 60 Years in Japanese Entertainment!
For more than 50 years, Mickey Curtis has been one of Japan’s most influential celebrities, whose film and music careers have been equally revolutionary. Although he is best known to American fans for his work in later SFX films such as Gunhed (1989) and Reigo the Deep-Sea Monster vs. the Battleship Yamato (2008), Mr. Curtis … Continue reading ROCK ‘N’ ROLL SAMURAI! Actor-Singer Mickey Curtis on His 60 Years in Japanese Entertainment!
Vantage Point Interviews 