Godzilla On Adult Swim Bump

Adult Swim and it's programming are littered with diffrent omages to Godzilla himself, especialy with "Robot Chicken". Well, the trend has continued. In light of the Olympics, Adult Swim has placed a faux bet for Japan's 2020 Olympics (assuming that Japan will host the Olympics in 2020), and evidentry Adult Swim thinks that Gigantor (Tstsujin 28) and Godzilla are going to fight via burning down a Tori Gate. Warch the add here:

http://www.bumpworthy.com/bumps/2140

Notice the use of the Kawakita Masterpiece Godzilla statue.

Cool Pic

No news, just a really cool pick of the making of the Godzilla Tower from "Godzilla vs. Gigan" (1972).

You

Well, it seems like it is one of those times which the news is going slow. Sure, little details about the Revoltech figures are being released and the existance Audio Commentaries have been revealed by August Ragone for the Shout!Factory Showa Gamera releases, but nothing to write home about. Instead, I have recieved some fan mail and it made me want to do something in which readers of this blog can participate in: an improvement plan.

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So, what can you, the reasers, want to see more of in JournalismG2KM? Do you want to see new stuff? Be specific and just send out comment (perferable via commenting below). Make your voice heard!

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-G2KM

Satomi Hakken Den (1983)

My favorite sub-genre in all of tokusatsu eiga would have to be the films dealing with Japanese mythology. In this genre, I have two supreme favorites: "Gamera 3: Incomplete Struggle" (1999) and "Satomi Hakken Den" (1983). Here is a breakdown of the film's production. As a reminder to the reader, tokusatsu eiga does not only surround kaiju, but all Japanese special effects films.

Kinji Fukasaku. His name is one of the most popular in all of Nippon Eiga. He is almost up there with Akira Kurosawa. After going through the 1970’s doing mostly Yakuza films, Fukasaku turned his attention to tokusatsu eiga. This included films like "The Green Slime" and "Message In Space". The mentioning of the latter film is important for it is one of the things that is part of the Kinji Fukasaku image people have. It is that "Message In Space" is actually based on the same story that "Satomi Hakken Den" was based on: "The Hakken Den". Technically, while "Message From Space" is influenced from the real "Hakkenden" by Balkin, this film is actually a film adaptation of a modern adaptation, called "New Satomi Hakken Den" written by Toshiro Kamata. Fukasaku, who was given a rough copy of the book that was to be published by Kadokawa, used it as a scapegoat from having to adapt the gargantuan epic which is the original "Satomi Hakken Den". The novel was hastily finished for the film's released, so says Fukasaku. "I was really impressed that they had the novel ready to be turned into a movie that fast." This would be the second cinematic adaptation of "The Hakkenden" tale, and would be a continuation of Fukasaku's "New Jidai Geki" ("New Period Piece Film").

Producing the film would be mega producer (in the same vein as America's Harvey Weinstein) Haruki Kadokawa, who worked with Fukasaku on "Makai Tensho" and owned the Kadokawa film company until being caught with possession of cocaine in 1993. The use of Kadokawa would be something of a necessity, since "Satomi Hakken Den" is a film on similar scale to one of Haruki’s own films, "Heaven and Earth" (mentioned in the Chapter 1), therefore needed a large publicity stunt. The film was budgeted over a million US dollars, a rare feat at the time. The screenplay was written by both Kinji Fukasaku and Toshio Kamata.

The actors in the film included people Fukasaku already worked with. From the Japan Action Club came the famous Sonny Chiba (Kill Bill, Vol. 1; Street Fighter) and his partner, a young Hiroyuki Sanada (Onmyoji, Rush Hour 3, The Last Samurai). Both worked on Fukasaku’s 1981 film "Makai Tensho" (Samurai Reincarnation) and Chiba starred in an earlier Fukasaku film playing the same character of Jubei in "Shogun’s Samurai". However, unlike the previous films, Sonny Chiba would be more of a supporting actor with Haryuki Sanada being the lead actor and potential love interest in the film and top actor. Opposite of Sanada is Hiroko Yakushimaru, a film star and pop idol at the time of the film’s production and future actress in Toho’s first "ALWAYS" film. Her stardom came from not only this film but also another film released also in 1981, "Sailor Suit and Machine Gun" (which Kadokawa was behind). "She was 19 years old when we were filming Eight Samurai. She was studying for her college exam the whole time." Together, they had great on screen chemistry. "I knew if we put these two idols in a strange time period and setting, we'd end up with a really special kind of film."

The score of the film, though composed mainly by the band "Nobody" was produced in conjunction with American soft rock singer John O’Banion. O’Banion recorded accouple of songs for the film, including "White Light" and "I Don’t Want This Night To End" (which two different but very similar mixed appear in the film). His appeal came from the fact that O’Banion’s previous song, "I Don’t Want to Loose Your Love" was awarded at the Tokyo Music Festival. The usage of such scores became a regular thing in Japan, even effecting Toho's Godzilla reboot, "The Return of Godzilla". Two separate soundtracks to the film were released for the film, one with the film’s score and the other with O’Banion’s contributions to the film. The difference between the two was that O’Banion’s had at the bottom a painting of the Virgin Mary and Jesus overlapping the theatrical poster art for the film.

The film would be released in roadshow (this means that it played in sections of Japan, for example, it would play in the Kyoto region for some time before moving on to Osaka and then Tokyo) December 10, 1983. It’s publicity - with some snuck in claims of the film taking 10 years to make - was something of genius for it was one of the biggest box office hits of that year. Something done to increase sales was that after a section of Japan had the film played, the VHS was available for public consumption. These tapes had cost well over $100, but it wasn't a problem and over 50,000 people bought the tape.

However, English speaking territories like America were out of luck with the film receiving little to no attention, especially with the international trailer using two different names for the film, "Legend of the Eight Samurai" and "Legend of the Eight Ninjas". Like some films, the international version of the film fell into public domain and though now officially released in America is still largely bootlegged.

New Revoltech Figure

As if Gamera, Gyaos, and Baragon were enough, Revoltech has decided to also release an Angruirus figure. Take a look at the prototype/hard copy:

Thanks to KaijuCollector forums for mentioning this.

EXCLUSIVE: G2 - The Return of G

In 2008, Kiyotaka Taguchi made his first of so far two kaiju film. That film was "G". Now, young adult fan Logan is attempting to make his own sequel to the film entitled "Return of G" which a new Garemon mutation comes up and a new kaiju comes to defeat him. Here is an interview with "Godzilla 2000":

The beginings of a suit for the new Garemon mutation.

Photo Courtesy of Logan

1. How did you become a kaiju fan?

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My love of kaiju began at a very early age. My father, who passed on when I was 4, was a massive influence on my life in general. He bought me Godzilla films, mainly Showa, and a few Heisei. I was mesmerized by the concept of Godzilla ravaging cities, and fighting opposing kaiju. Like many youth, I took to the late Showa films the most, since they were targeted at a young age group. For a while, the only tokusatsu films I watched were Godzilla, but that changed with age, as I am now interested in all kaiju.

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2. How has your love for kaiju changed over the years?
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As I said, I loved Godzilla, and Godzilla alone (as far as kaiju films go) for a very long time. As I grew, so did my knowledge and love for tokusatsu, particularly kaiju. I have taken especially to independent films recently, although I am still an avid Goji viewer. I pop in 70's Goji and Showa Gamera for nostalgia, but I prefer early Showa (GvH being the exception) by far today. Independent films really have been great recently, works like G and Reigo are some of my favorite millennium films, beating out a couple of the Godzilla films in my opinion.

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3. Do you have a collection? If so, what is your most cherished possesion?
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Yes, I do have a collection. I have a few theatrical posters, tons of TM figures, and all of my VHSs and DVDs are on display, chronologically by year. My Godzilla films have their own rack, and the other films are on a shelf. I have somewhere around 50 kaiju films, getting more whenever I can. I couldn't honestly say I have one prized possession, but there are a few. One being my Cozzilla poster, for it's sheer rarity. The other being my 10" TM Godzilla, mainly for it's past.

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4. What did you think of Kiyotaka Taguchi’s film, "G"?
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I loved G so much, it just clicked with me. I like how it wasn't afraid to be violent, and the Cloverfield-esque filming gave me an intense vibe as I watched it. Garaemon is a great kaiju, unique, and not overly durable, like Heisei Gamera. Robo is such a classic design, and many of his scenes are absolutely epic. For instance, when Robo spins as he lands, it just gives you that "whoa" feeling. That very feeling returns when he launches his rocket fist, and once again later on in the film. I think Goro did a great job conveying emotion, and the other actors were a mixed bunch, some sub-par, others fantastic. The film is diverse, yet sticks to it's plot. Unlike most, I prefer G to Gehara. People who haven't seen this masterpiece (and are of appropriate age) must. -
5. How did pre-production on your film, "The Return of G" start?

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Well, I've had the internalized desire to create a kaiju film for a very long time, and tried many times with stop motion, needless to say I failed miserably each time. G was the film that pushed me over the edge and made me say "I need to make a sequel." I wrote up a script, which I am constantly editing (as of 2/6/10). We have 2 cameras, for different shots, and of course, we are working on the suits. I'm not going to lie, we're rookies, so don't be expecting G3.
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6. I understand that you contacted Kiyotaka Taguchi himself. What did he think of you making a sequel to his first kaiju film?

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Honestly, the conversation was short. I simply announced my love for his film, and explained my reasoning for the sequel, and apparently, the translating program did a good job. I was replied to in a very straight forward and short thanks, and I was overjoyed, so production is in overdrive as of now.

A gun which shall soon try to slay Garemon!

Photo Courtesy of Logan

7. Who is part of the production team and who is doing what?

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A good friend of mine, Jake, is helping me a lot. He is providing our major camera, and is helping me with plot points, aiding me in many ways. Some local TK members are being a huge help, Fairy Mothra is doing concept art, Godzilla 2000 is doing greenscreen effects, and you, Evan, are helping me get the word out. I am going to be doing some suit acting as well as directing. Actors are no one famous, just local friends, just like in G, where the actors were college students.
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8. I understand that you are making your own suit for this film. What is it being made of and how good will it look?

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Well, we are basing the top off of underarmor, plating it with cardboard, Styrofoam, and latex, depending on the segment we are working on. Remember, we are first timers, so this isn't going to be gold. It should look good, but it isn't going to hold up to Toho and Daiei suits. Our opposing kaiju is still being decided. I have King Joe as a major hopeful, but it will be hard to make him, so not much information on major kaiju except Garaemon returns, in a further mutated form.
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9. What has been some highlights of production so far?

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Well, finishing the script was a hell of a milestone. I'm not going to give away too much, except the Garaenizer Injection is perfected and main-streamed. The beginning of suit creation was another high point of production. It was also great when I first became aware of all of the TK members that are aiding in the project, that was a huge morale boost.
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1o. When was the script written?

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Mid to late January. The project is in early development, but the script hasn't changed too much. The plot remains the same. Really, the major changes are to accommodate for the budget. There are some scenes where it's like "Well, we can't do that, no matter how great it would be."
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11. What previous films will be major influences on you and this film? I understand there is going to be a little nod to G3 in the film…

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Obviously, we are going to be following the nature of the first film. Although, throwbacks to some of our personal favorite Godzilla films will be spliced throughout. As you mentioned, there is definitely going to be a homage to G3 in the film, which will be subtle, yet in your face the entire time you watch.
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13. Anything else you want people to know about this production?

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Yes, you can go to http://gojirakingdom.wordpress.com for more information on the film. The announcement will be on the site soon. Until then, there is some content about G, to get people to understand what this film will be about, all updates will be on that site, and will also be announced to you, Evan. I also want to thank Gokan, and Mr. Taguchi for being such an inspiration, they made one hell of a film. Thanks to everybody who is involved in this film as well.

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Remember to visit the official site for more details! http://gojirakingdom.wordpress.com/. And be expecting this film to get a DVD release!

Interview with AlienHulk2099

While relatively smaller than others, the Godzilla fandom has ballooned enough that there is a greater variety of fans out there who think diffrently than others, not over what's right and wrong, just matters of opinion. Often times, it is said that certain forums do not give respect to the ones who do not fallow the status quo of opinions. One of these people mentioned would be AlienHulk2099, who is known for his creativity and love for anime but also known for his contraversial opinions (well, contraversial to some). I got to sit down with him to do this interview which also includes upon request a list. Happy reading! AlienHulk is one of the more unique members of the tokusatsu fandom.


1. How did you become a kaiju fan?

When I was seven I watched the Hanna Barbera Godzilla cartoon on Cartoon Network and some time after that I discovered the actual movies. I started with Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and just fell in love with the genre ever since.

2. How has your love for the genre changed over the years?

First I was just a fan of Godzilla until I found out about Toho Kingdom in 2005 where I learned of so many other giant monster movies I haven't seen. From there it expanded to Toho kaiju, then Gamera, then Ultraman with some anime, and now I have a dual love for the super robot genre which I think originated from the kaiju genre.

3. When did you become a member of Tohokingdom?

May 2005 so I could know just what Baragon was because at the time he had no history on the site. In November 2007 I also became a member of Kaiju Phile.

4. Do you sport a collection of any tokusatsu memorabilia?

Aside from some of the movies a a few bits of Godzilla stuff, not much.

5. What would you say is your most controversial qualities?

My distaste for Armor Mothra. Way too many people just say "Transending Fate off the bat = win" when that is not the least bit true and thanks to some of the guys in left field I have horrid taste for the guy.

6. When it comes to you and movies, do you rate them critically and personally or do you just rate them by what you feel?

I rate them by feel, and not just with movies but for pretty much everything I watch. Some things just click and others simply do not.

6 part B: Do you get where the people who rate films criticaly/personaly are getting at?

I do and occasionally I use that, but for the most part I just wish to relax and enjoy the ride.

7. You seem to be one who debates a lot with fellow forum members. On what other forums are you on that you get into lots of debates on?

Aside from debating about what qualifies as adaption rape and how Cthulhu is defeatable at Kaiju Phile, nothing worth mentioning.

8. What is your take on you being thought of as an argumentative forumer?

Good question. I think that it is mostly some people that blow things out of proportion, although occasionally good points are brought up and I try to follow them.

9. What noteworthy things have you done on the forums you are a member of?

Here on TK I started the Bio-Writing revolution of 2005 which has given this site 85% of the donated stats it's had, I gave the members a chance to see the ultra rare series Ultra Q, I managed to determine the range of pornified posts when GotengoXGodzilla's account was jacked in 2007, I have introduced a variety of obscure kaiju that otherwise may have never been known, and I have created the site of Game Masters which to date has 4435 stats and counting. At World of Ultra I am the majority stat maker for the Ultra Q, Ultraseven, Ultraman Dyna, Ultraman Gaia, Ultraman Cosmos, Ultraman Nexus, Ultraman Max, and Ultraseven X and have worked on stats from every Ultra series. At Kaiju Phile I unintentionally got Lovecraftian characters (or at least the godly ones) banned from the FMs and am the only person to have more than 50 friends, let alone 144.

10. What do you plan to do in the future?

Finish the Ultraman Cosmos monster bios at World of Ultra so other people can acquire proper info on them. I'll also find uncover more rare monsters the world has forgotten and make them known to the fandom. In terms of what I intend to do with my life I have written an action packed book about giant monsters, my only problem is finding a publisher that won't steal it since it's only 100,000 words. When it does get published it will give the genre new meaning and I plan to franchise it. Maybe I'll give Avery an exclusive.

11. Any last words?

I am glad you took time out to give me this interview, I hope this has been informative to the fandom, and hopefully will help other generations of fans to come. Thank you, Evan.

LIST: Misconceptions people have with me:

1. AH is stupid.

I have a GPA of 3.2, not stupid.

2. AH says outrages things to get a rise out of people.

I do not, all I do is post my opinions in the topics that specifically ask for such. It's like someone becomes angry after you give them a glass of water after they asked for it. If someone cannot stand to read them why can't they either A) Ignore it or B) Accept people have different view points? If everyone was the same life would be boring.

3. AH hates *insert something people like here*.

Not true, although I have certain dislikes for certain things I don't have a hate on anything nor will I ever. The truth is I'm a softie, some much so that sometimes if I don't try something I feel bad for the person that recommended it. I'll give anything within reason a chance and despite my deepest dislikes for something, even my least favorites, I'll find at least one positive thing from them no matter how minute it is.

4. AH only likes the bad types of movies.

No, I'll enjoy any class of movies, the difference with me is that I'll actually look into subgenres of different eras and styles regardless of budget and compare them to other movies of it's kind instead of automatically calling something bad because of it not being popular or low budget. It kind of also tics me off when people say Syfy doesn't know about science fiction because of "name change and not showing the good stuff." Name change I can understand, but if a channel only shows the good stuff than it truly knows nothing about the genre, a real fan of any genre will see the deeper and more obscure and "inferior quality" ones. You may not enjoy them, but you have to at least give them a chance.

It also annoys me when everyone compares movies of different genres to just drama. I do not compare action movies to dramas, I compare action movies to action movies; I compare the amount of action in them because that is the genre it was supposed to accomplish and I rate it on THAT. The same is easily said for Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, Western, War, Adventure, Comedy, etc. Compare drama movies with drama movies, not something in a genre it was never meant to; it's like comparing steak to spinach.

5. AH only watches monster movies and action movies.

I'll watch any movies of any genre and have, it's just that those types of movies are my favorites.
6. AH needs to be more like other people and share more so we can get inside his head.

Sorry, but for your protection you're better off never knowing what goes on inside my head. There's a ton of stuff I think about I have never shared online nor will I ever. Besides, I kind of like the role of mystery man.