GODZILLA IN FOCUS! Tokusatsu Cinematographer Keiichi Sakurai on Toho’s Biggest Kaiju Movies!

Keiichi Sakurai in April 2022. Photo © Brett Homenick. Born on May 9, 1950, Keiichi Sakurai grew up in Hokkaido and became enthralled by tokusatsu movies at a young age. He got his start in special effects as an assistant cameraman apprentice on the Toho TV series Zone Fighter (1973), which eventually led to numerous … Continue reading GODZILLA IN FOCUS! Tokusatsu Cinematographer Keiichi Sakurai on Toho’s Biggest Kaiju Movies!

A CANDID CONVERSATION WITH GODZILLA’S MAKER! Nobuyuki Yasumaru’s Second Interview on His Incredible Suitmaking Career!

Nobuyuki Yasumaru in September 2021. Photo © Brett Homenick. Born on January 24, 1935, in Toyama Prefecture, Nobuyuki Yasumaru is a creator of miniatures and monster suits who has worked on some of Toho’s most popular kaiju films. Beginning his career with Toho in the early 1960s, Mr. Yasumaru’s credits include Mothra (1961), King Kong … Continue reading A CANDID CONVERSATION WITH GODZILLA’S MAKER! Nobuyuki Yasumaru’s Second Interview on His Incredible Suitmaking Career!

RISING THROUGH THE TOKUSATSU RANKS! Eiichi Asada Reflects on His Career as an Assistant SFX Director in the 1970s and ’80s!

Eiichi Asada in June 2021. Photo © Brett Homenick. Born on March 13, 1949, Eiichi Asada got his start at Toho Studios in the early 1970s as an assistant director, working on such movies as Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975), The War in Space (1977), Deathquake (1980), Sayonara Jupiter (1984), and Godzilla 1985 (1984). In later … Continue reading RISING THROUGH THE TOKUSATSU RANKS! Eiichi Asada Reflects on His Career as an Assistant SFX Director in the 1970s and ’80s!

MEMORIES OF MECHAGODZILLA! SFX Director Teruyoshi Nakano Reflects on 35 Years of ‘Terror of Mechagodzilla’!

Teruyoshi Nakano in December 2015. Photo © Brett Homenick. Teruyoshi Nakano is one of Japan’s masters of special effects. Born in what is now Dandong, China, on October 9, 1935, Mr. Nakano joined Toho in 1959 and quickly moved up the ranks in special effects, becoming chief assistant director under Eiji Tsuburaya by 1963. In … Continue reading MEMORIES OF MECHAGODZILLA! SFX Director Teruyoshi Nakano Reflects on 35 Years of ‘Terror of Mechagodzilla’!

REVISITING GODZILLA FANDOM’S GLORY DAYS! David Milner on Writing for the Early Kaiju Fanzines and Interviewing Toho Icons!

David Milner poses with legendary film composer Akira Ifukube in his home. Photo © David Milner. Godzilla fandom in the U.S. began to take shape in the early 1970s, and David Milner was there to witness its growth. As a contributor to the various Japanese monster movie fanzines that existed at the time, Mr. Milner … Continue reading REVISITING GODZILLA FANDOM’S GLORY DAYS! David Milner on Writing for the Early Kaiju Fanzines and Interviewing Toho Icons!

TOKUSATSU BEGINNINGS! Eiichi Asada on Becoming an Assistant Director at Toho in the 1970s!

Eiichi Asada in March 2021. Photo © Brett Homenick. Born on March 13, 1949, Eiichi Asada got his start at Toho Studios in the early 1970s as an assistant director, working on such movies as Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), Submersion of Japan (1973), Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla (1974), and Espy (1974). In later years, Mr. Asada … Continue reading TOKUSATSU BEGINNINGS! Eiichi Asada on Becoming an Assistant Director at Toho in the 1970s!

TOKUSATSU THE TOHO WAY! Takashi Naganuma on Creating SFX for the Godzilla Series!

Born on July 20, 1947, in Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, Takashi Naganuma began his career in special effects in the early 1970s and lent his talents to many Toho tokusatsu productions through the early 1990s. In May 2019, Mr Naganuma was interviewed by Brett Homenick about his work on the Godzilla series and beyond. The … Continue reading TOKUSATSU THE TOHO WAY! Takashi Naganuma on Creating SFX for the Godzilla Series!

A LOOK BACK ON THE GODZILLA SERIES! Toho SFX Director Teruyoshi Nakano Reflects on His Godzilla Film Work!

Teruyoshi Nakano is one of Japan’s masters of special effects. Born in what is now Dandong, China, on October 9, 1935, Mr. Nakano joined Toho in 1959 and quickly moved up the ranks in special effects, becoming chief assistant director under Eiji Tsuburaya by 1963. In 1969, Mr. Nakano would serve as special effects director … Continue reading A LOOK BACK ON THE GODZILLA SERIES! Toho SFX Director Teruyoshi Nakano Reflects on His Godzilla Film Work!

AN EXPLOSIVE CAREER! Toho SFX Director Teruyoshi Nakano Reflects on Some of His Non-Godzilla Films!

Teruyoshi Nakano is one of Japan’s masters of special effects. Born in what is now Dandong, China, on October 9, 1935, Mr. Nakano joined Toho in 1959 and quickly moved up the ranks in special effects, becoming chief assistant director under Eiji Tsuburaya by 1963. In 1969, Mr. Nakano would serve as special effects director … Continue reading AN EXPLOSIVE CAREER! Toho SFX Director Teruyoshi Nakano Reflects on Some of His Non-Godzilla Films!

MAKING GODZILLA FLY! An Interview with Godzilla Director Yoshimitsu Banno!

Writer-director Yoshimitsu Banno helmed the controversial and environmentally aware Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster in 1971 and served as assistant director on the 1974 disaster film The Last Days of Planet Earth (a.k.a. Prophecies of Nostradamus). Oriental Cinema editor Damon Foster and Brett Homenick interviewed Mr. Banno in July 2005 about his work on both … Continue reading MAKING GODZILLA FLY! An Interview with Godzilla Director Yoshimitsu Banno!