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Marine Kong
is a 26-episode 1960 Japanese television series (told in two thirteen episode chapters) produced by Nisan Productions. It aired on the Fuji Television network every Sunday from April 3 to September 25. The series was about a giant dinosaurian robot created by the Z-Gang to conquer Japan. The show is notable in that it was the first Japanese television series about a ''kaiju''.Spacecraft Magazine.VOL.10, Asahi Sonorama, 1982, page 19. Overview The series was broken into 2 episode arcs that ran 13 half hour episodes each and aired every Sunday morning from 9:30 AM to 10:00 AM. The first arc was titled ''Monster Marine Kong'' (かいじゅうマリンコング) while the second arc was titled ''Marine Kong Strikes Back'' (「マリンコングの大逆襲」). In the series a huge reptilian monster dubbed "Marine Kong", standing tall, rises out of the Ocean and attacks Hiratsuka. When Dr. Yada a renowned scientist, does research, he realizes the creature is giving off radio waves t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, War film, war, fantasy, or Horror film, horror media featuring such technology but is sometimes dubbed a genre itself. The most popular subgenres of include ''kaiju'' such as the ''Godzilla (film series), Godzilla'' and ''Gamera'' series; superhero such as the ''Kamen Rider Series, Kamen Rider'' and ''Metal Hero Series, Metal Hero'' series; and mecha like ''Giant Robo (tokusatsu), Giant Robo'' and ''Super Robot Red Baron''. Some television programs combine several of these subgenres, for example the ''Ultra Series, Ultraman'' and ''Super Sentai'' series. is one of the most popular forms of Japanese entertainment, but only a small proportion of films and television programs are widely known outside of Japan. Nevertheless, certain properties have attained popularity outside of Japan; ''Godzilla'' is featu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tetsujin 28-go
, known as simply ''Tetsujin 28'' in international releases, is a 1956 manga written and illustrated by Mitsuteru Yokoyama, who also created ''Giant Robo''. The series centers on the adventures of a young boy named Shotaro Kaneda, who controls a giant robot named Tetsujin 28, built by his late father. The manga was later adapted into four anime television series, a Japanese television drama and two films, one live action and one animated. Released in 1963, the first series was among the first Japanese anime series to feature a giant robot. It was later released in the United States as ''Gigantor''. A live-action movie with heavy use of CGI was produced in Japan in 2005. The series is credited with featuring the first humanoid giant robot controlled externally via remote control by an operator. Plot In the final phase of the Pacific War, the Imperial Japanese Army were developing a gigantic robot "Tetsujin 28-go" as the secret weapon to fight against the Allies. How ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shinpei Takagi (actor, Born 1902)
was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from 1923 to 1961. Career Takagi joined the acting school at Nikkatsu in 1920 but made his mark first at Makino Film Productions as a samurai film action star known for his speed and ability to do stunts. He started his own company, Takagi Shinpei Productions, in 1927 and directed one of his own films. He later moved from one company to the next before settling down as a supporting actor in the postwar years. He is most known outside Japan for playing the bandit chief in Akira Kurosawa's ''Seven Samurai''. Filmography References External links * * Allcinema database entry 1902 births 1967 deaths Japanese male film actors Actors from Nagano Prefecture 20th-century Japanese male actors {{Japan-film-actor-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shōnen Gahōsha
is a Japanese publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ... named for ''Shōnen Gaho'' ("Boy's Illustrated News Magazine"), one of its first magazines. Founded in 1945, it previously published driving manuals and English conversation guides. Now it is known for magazines such as biweekly ''seinen'' manga '' Young King'', the monthly manga serials '' Young King OURs'' and ''Monthly Young King''. Its longtime flagship manga weekly for boys, (1963–1988), is now defunct. Its current president is Isao Imai. External links * Book publishing companies in Tokyo Publishing companies established in 1945 Comic book publishing companies in Tokyo Magazine publishing companies in Tokyo Japanese companies established in 1945 {{publish-corp-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Varan The Unbelievable
is a 1958 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, it stars Kōzō Nomura, Ayumi Sonoda, and Koreya Senda, with Haruo Nakajima as Varan. In the film, authorities contend with the appearance of a giant reptilian monster as it attempts to reach civilization. In 1957, Toho was approached by American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres (AB-PT) to co-produce a new ''kaiju'' film for television. It was intended to be a three-part film, each 30 minutes with fade-in/outs for commercial breaks. However, AB-PT collapsed during production and Toho altered the film's status from a television film to a theatrical feature. As a result, the crew faced difficulties and filming lasted 28 days. The film was theatrically released in Japan on October 14, 1958. A heavily localized version, with new footage starring Myron Healey in the lead, was released in the United States on December 12, 1962 by Crown Intern ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rodan (film)
is a 1956 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Studios, it was Toho's first kaiju film to be shot in color, and is one of several giant monster films that found an audience outside Japan. The film stars Kenji Sahara and Yumi Shirakawa. In the United States, it was released in 1957 as ''Rodan! The Flying Monster!''. Plot In the small mining village of Kitamatsu, near the foothills of Mount Aso on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, two miners have gone missing. The two men, Goro and Yoshi, had brawled earlier that day (the film implies that the two have violently quarreled for some time) and after they entered the mine to start their shift, the shaft had flooded. Shigeru Kawamura, a tunneling and safety engineer at the mine, heads below to investigate and discovers Yoshi's lacerated corpse. Above ground, a doctor examines Yoshi, and discovers the cause of death to be a series of deep gashes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Godzilla Raids Again
is a 1955 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Motoyoshi Oda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., it is the second film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise. The film stars Hiroshi Koizumi, Setsuko Wakayama, Minoru Chiaki, and Takashi Shimura, with Haruo Nakajima as Godzilla and Katsumi Tezuka as Anguirus. In the film, Japan struggles to survive Godzilla's return, as well as its destructive battle against its ancient foe Anguirus. Executive producer Iwao Mori instructed producer Tomoyuki Tanaka to immediately commence production on a second ''Godzilla'' film, fearing to lose the momentum of the first film's success. Oda was chosen to direct the film as Ishirō Honda was busy directing '' Lovetide''. ''Godzilla Raids Again'' was released theatrically in Japan on April 24, 1955. A re-edited, English dubbed version was released theatrically in the United States on June 2, 1959, by Warner Bros. Pictures, under the title ''Gigantis, the Fir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Godzilla (1954 Film)
is a 1954 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., it is the first film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata, and Takashi Shimura, with Haruo Nakajima and Katsumi Tezuka as Godzilla. In the film, Japan's authorities deal with the sudden appearance of a giant monster, whose attacks trigger fears of nuclear holocaust during post-war Japan. ''Godzilla'' entered production after a Japanese-Indonesian co-production collapsed. Tsuburaya originally proposed for a giant octopus before the filmmakers decided on a dinosaur-inspired creature. ''Godzilla'' pioneered a form of special effects called suitmation, in which a stunt performer wearing a suit interacts with miniature sets. Principal photography ran 51 days, and special effects photography ran 71 days. ''Godzilla'' was theatrically released in Japan on November 3, 1954, and ear ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moonlight Mask
(a.k.a. ''The Moonbeam Man'') is a superhero appearing in Japanese tokusatsu and anime television shows and movies since his TV debut in 1958. The six theatrical films were made (between 1958-1959) in black and white/ToeiScope format. Created by writer Kōhan Kawauchi, Moonlight Mask is best described as Japan's answer to The Lone Ranger, Batman and Zorro. Moonlight Mask's popularity resulted in the appearance of several other Japanese superhero characters soon thereafter, including ''Iron Sharp'' a.k.a. ''Space Chief'' (from 1961's '' Invasion of the Neptune Men''). and the ''Planet Prince'' TV series (1958) Kawauchi followed-up the success of ''Moonlight Mask'' with the tokusatsu superhero shows ''Seven Color Mask'' (1959) and '' Messenger of Allah'' (1960), both starring a young Sonny Chiba. Japan's first TV superhero Whereas Super Giant (Starman) is Japan's first celluloid superhero, debuting in movies in 1957,Galbraith, Stuart (1994). ''Japanese Fantasy, Science Fiction a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kaiju
is a Japanese media genre that focuses on stories involving giant monsters. The word ''kaiju'' can also refer to the giant monsters themselves, which are usually depicted attacking major cities and battling either the military or other monsters. The ''kaiju'' genre is a subgenre of ''tokusatsu'' entertainment. The 1954 film ''Godzilla'' is commonly regarded as the first ''kaiju'' film. ''Kaiju'' characters are often somewhat metaphorical in nature; Godzilla, for example, serves as a metaphor for nuclear weapons, reflecting the fears of post-war Japan following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the '' Lucky Dragon 5'' incident. Other notable examples of ''kaiju'' characters include Rodan, Mothra, King Ghidorah and Gamera. Etymology The Japanese word ''kaijū'' originally referred to monsters and creatures from ancient Japanese legends; it earlier appeared in the Chinese ''Classic of Mountains and Seas''. After ''sakoku'' had ended and Japan was opened to for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelization of the 1933 film ''King Kong (1933 film), King Kong'' from RKO Pictures, with the film premiering a little over two months later. Upon its initial release and subsequent re-releases, the film received universal acclaim. A sequel quickly followed that same year with ''Son of Kong, The Son of Kong'', featuring Little Kong. Toho produced ''King Kong vs. Godzilla'' (1962) featuring a giant Kong battling Toho's Godzilla and ''King Kong Escapes'' (1967), a film loosely based on Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment, Rankin/Bass' ''The King Kong Show'' (1966-1969). In 1976, Dino De Laurentiis produced a King Kong (1976 film), modern remake of the original film directed by John Guillermin. A sequel, ''King Kong Lives'', followed a decade later fea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
