Ending the Year with an Explosion!

Teruyoshi Nakano. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight, I attended an end-of-the-year party with several Toho luminaries. It was quite a surprise to see SFX director Eiichi Asada among the revelers. 

Takashi Naganuma. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The event was very similar to previous ones, with a lot of high spirits and good humor. Despite that, everyone kept safe with mask-wearing and social distancing.

Eiichi Asada. Photo by Brett Homenick.

As usual, I shared several laughs with Naganuma-san and got to ask Nakano-san several tokusatsu questions. Suffice it to say, I had a great time.

I think we can all agree that 2020 was a lousy year, so here's hoping things will (eventually) improve in 2021. It certainly won't happen overnight, but we're in it for the long haul.

And that's (probably) a wrap for this year! See you on the other side.

Toho Director Tsugunobu 'Tom' Kotani Passes Away at 84

Tom Kotani in May 2018. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Japanese director Tsugunobu "Tom" Kotani died of heart failure at his home in Komae, Tokyo, at 10:48 p.m. on December 13, 2020. He was 84 years old. A private funeral was held in his honor, for which his eldest son Hidenobu served as chief mourner.

Mr. Kotani was born on December 21, 1935, in Tokyo’s Suginami Ward. He majored in French literature at the University of Tokyo. Upon graduation, Mr. Kotani took the Toho entrance exam in 1960 and joined the studio along with seven other newcomers, including future Godzilla 1985 (1984) director Koji Hashimoto. His first job as an assistant director was on the Hiroshi Inagaki fantasy Gen and Acala (a.k.a. The Youth and His Amulet, 1961), co-starring Toshiro Mifune and Yosuke Natsuki (and with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya).

Teruyoshi Nakano (left) with Tom Kotani in July 2019. Photo by Brett Homenick.

After becoming a director in his own right in 1970, Mr. Kotani helmed the Yuzo Kayama vehicle It’s My Sky! Young Guy (1970) and the Tetsuya Watari actioner Cockroach Cop (1973). His best known credits would be the Rankin/Bass productions The Last Dinosaur (1977), The Bermuda Depths (1978), and The Ivory Ape (1980). He also directed The Bushido Blade (1981), with Toshiro Mifune, Richard Boone, and a variety of Western and Japanese talent in front of the camera.

Tom Kotani with The Last Dinosaur actress Masumi Sekiya in November 2016. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Mr. Kotani was formerly married to Toho actress Wakako Tanabe, who played Gaira’s Haneda Airport victim in War of the Gargantuas (1966).

I was fortunate to meet Mr. Kotani on several occasions. He took interest in me as an American when we first met at a public event in November 2016 and exchanged contact information. Due to his poor hearing, he preferred to communicate via text messages instead of phone calls. We met a couple of times near home (which was still close to Toho Studios) for lunch. I certainly enjoyed learning about his life and career from those meetings. While we never did a formal interview (he declined the one time I asked), I did take notes on our conversations.

I wanted to see him again, but due to COVID concerns, I put off reaching out to him for about the last year. But I’ll also remember his kindness and appreciate the time we were able to spend together.

Rest in peace, director Kotani.

A Fun (But Cold!) Afternoon!

With Sadao Iizuka.

On December 16, I spent an enjoyable afternoon with Sadao Iizuka. While it was great to hear more about his career, I can't say it was fun braving the cold to do it!

A Jazzy Christmastime in Asakusa!

Shinichi Yanagisawa sings jazz. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Shinichi Yanagisawa and His Swing All-Stars returned to the HUB Asakusa tonight for another performance. Just like two months ago, there were only two sets, but the show was still quite enjoyable. Unfortunately, I missed the first set due to work.

It was great to see Yanagisawa-san still in good health and spirits, and he was right at home (as usual) on the drums and the mike. 

After the performance, I said a few words to Yanagisawa-san before heading back home. I'm grateful to attend each of his shows, and I hope they continue for a long time to come.

New Updates at Vantage Point Interviews!

With Kenji Sahara in June 2012.

There's more new content at Vantage Point Interviews. For the first time ever, my second interview with Kenji Sahara from July 2009 has finally been published. (The first one was published on VPI a couple of years ago.) Check it out -- you'll be among the first!

Also new at VPI are my interviews with Ultraman: Towards the Future model maker Norman Yeend and Godzilla vs. Biollante actress Beth Blatt. Content is king at Vantage Point Interviews, and these new additions to the site more than live up to that motto!

'Machineman' Star Osamu Sakuta Passes Away at Age 62

Osamu Sakuta in May 2017. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Word has been circulating on Japanese social media that actor Osamu Sakuta has recently passed away at the age of 62. No further details are available at this time.

Osamu Sakuta was born on July 9, 1958, in Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, and began his professional acting career in 1971 after his family moved to Tokyo while he was in elementary school. He is best known for starring as Ken Takase, the titular character in Nebula Mask Machineman (1984), for Toei Studios. Prior to that, he could be seen in guest appearances on a variety of television tokusatsu programs as a child actor, such as episodes 38 and 39 of Spectreman (1971-72), episodes 31 and 48 of Kamen Rider (1971-73), episode 24 of Barom-1 (1972), and episode 7 of Kikaider (1972-73). He also appears as Lieutenant Oe in the Toho war epic The Imperial Navy (1981) and as Okada in the Ken Takakura drama Kaikyo (1982), directed by Shiro Moritani. In the 1990s, he became a voice actor for both TV anime shows as well as Japanese releases of American movies and TV programs.

I met Sakuta-san at an event held in May 2017. He was very friendly and approachable, and since we were connected on Facebook, I’d hoped that our paths would meet again someday. It’s a shame it was not to be.

Rest in peace, Sakuta-san.

UPDATE (12/8): Osamu Sakuta died of pancreatic cancer on December 4 at 11:59 p.m. 

An Ultra-Afternoon with an Ultra-Director!

Eizo Yamagiwa in his home. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I had the distinct privilege today of conducting a lengthy interview with Ultra-series director Eizo Yamagiwa in his home. We covered a variety of topics -- not just on his work on the '70s Ultra-series, but also going back to working at Shintoho in the 1950s. We covered all that and much more.

It was a very enlightening interview with one of the most accomplished directors in TV tokusatsu history.  I'm very excited to share it on Vantage Point Interviews in the near future.

Interviewing a Screenwriting Legend!

Fumio Ishimori. Photo by Brett Homenick.

This afternoon, I had a fun and enlightening time interviewing longtime screenwriter Fumio Ishimori, whose screenwriting career dates back to the early 1960s. I learned a lot about his experiences, and I can't wait to share them in the finished interview.

Ishimori-san has several tokusatsu credits to his name, including Kamen Rider (1971-73), Ultraman Ace (1972-73), Zone Fighter (1973), and the Toho action/horror flick Crest of the Wolf (1973). All these topics and much more were covered in the interview. When it's eventually published, I'll share the link here. Watch this space.

New Content at Vantage Point Interviews!

With Yoshinobu Kaneko in May 2013.

Three new interviews are now up on Vantage Point Interviews. The latest one is my May 2013 interview with former child actor Yoshinobu Kaneko, whom you probably know as the little boy eager to catch of glimpse of Godzilla in King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962). But he's done so much more than that -- even starring in several Taiwanese-made fantasy films!

With Nobuyuki Yasumaru in December 2018.

The next interview is with renowned kaiju suitmaker Nobuyuki Yasumaru. Yasumaru-san goes into great detail to describe the suitmaking process.

With Keizo Murase in April 2019.

And, while we're on the subject of kaiju suitmakers, here's another interview with the legendary Keizo Murase, who describes more of his suitmaking work over the years.

Now you know why content is king at Vantage Point Interviews!

Tokyo's King of Jazz Is Back!

Shinichi Yanagisawa on the drums. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tuesday, October 20, saw my first visit to the HUB Asakusa since February. It was long overdue. The April and June shows were cancelled due to COVID-19, but I was surprised to find out (after the fact) that the August actually happened. For a variety of reasons, I just assumed that performance would have been postponed, as well, so I didn't even bother to check to see if it would happen. Suffice it to say, I really regretted that.

As a result, I made it a point to attend the October performance of Shinichi Yanagisawa and His Swing All-Stars. Attendance was much smaller than usual (for obvious reasons), but the usual attendees were all there. It was also great to see Yanagisawa-san again for the first time since February. Yanagisawa-san, of course, is one of the stars of The X from Outer Space (1967).

Shinichi Yanagisawa after the show. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The performance ended a bit earlier than usual, which given the situation, isn't all that surprising. I'm just glad they're still happening at all. I certainly hope all goes well for the next concert in two months. If it's still on, I plan to be there.

Seeing Godzilla vs. Biollante!

Kazuki Omori and Megumi Odaka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today, I attended a screening of the Heisei Godzilla series classic Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) in 35mm, which is usually considered one of the best entries in the entire series. I was privileged to attend another screening of the film a while back, but I'm glad I got to see this one, too. Naturally, I enjoyed the film immensely, and I agree that it is certainly one of the very best after the Showa era.

But that wasn't all! Also in attendance for the event were writer-director Kazuki Omori and Miki Saegusa actress Megumi Odaka. Their presence at the event certainly added a great deal to what made it special.

Kazuki Omori. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Omori-san talked about watching tokusatsu as a youngster, including every episode of Ultra Q (1966) at the time it aired. A bit later, I enjoyed asking him about working with the Western cast members in both Biollante and Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah.

All in all, it was a great day seeing a great movie in the company of some great folks. October has already proven to be the busiest month in a long time, but it's not over yet! More to come.

An Evening with Mr. Director!

After work on Saturday, October 17, I attended a small event with director Kazuki Omori, who of course wrote and directed several entries in the Heisei Godzilla series. I arrived while the proceedings were already in progress, so I missed a good portion of it. It was a nice time, but it was really the next day that was the standout event. More on that in the next post. 

The Lost World of Rashomon!

Signage outside the National Film Archive of Japan. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today, I took in a screening of the Toho fantasy actioner The Lost World of Sinbad (1963) at the National Film Archive of Japan, which was shown as part of its current "Toshiro Mifune Retrospective at His Centenary" film program. I hadn't seen the film since the early 2000s, which is when I wrote a fanzine article on it. The Lost World of Sinbad has never been my favorite tokusatsu film, and I think writing that article made me permanently sick of it. Familiarity breeds contempt, as they say.

A replica of the flag from Seven Samurai. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I give the movie credit for its lavish production values and all-star cast, but it otherwise feels flat and uninspired. Still, it looked glorious in 35mm, and hearing Masaru Sato's masterful score was a treat.

 After watching the film, I visited the NFAJ's "Rashomon at the 70th Anniversary" exhibit, which had  a lot of interesting memorabilia from the film, including the scripts used by Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, and script supervisor Teruyo Nogami on display. I found this exhibit much more interesting than the Shochiku one I visited a couple of months ago. It was certainly a fascinating morning and afternoon spent with the works of Toshiro Mifune.

George Rohrs, One of the Last Veterans of 'Godzilla King of the Monsters,' Passes Away at 90

Film editor George Rohrs, who worked on the American version of Godzilla King of the Monsters (1956), passed away on August 30 of natural causes. He was 90 years old.

Mr. Rohrs was born on April 29, 1930, in Oak Park, IL, but moved with his family to Southern California during his teenage years. After serving in the Army for a couple of years, Mr. Rohrs joined the film industry in the 1950s, leading to a career in the entertainment world that lasted more than 30 years. More information about his life can be found in this obituary.

One of Mr. Rohrs' best-known credits internationally is Godzilla King of the Monsters. In a 2006 interview with Terry Morse, Jr., Morse would say, "Two other editors worked on the team. George Rohrs was the number-one assistant and sound effects editor." 

Godzilla fans around the world owe a debt of gratitude to George Rohrs for helping to make the Godzilla series a worldwide phenomenon. Rest in peace.

Sighted Nearby

Look what I found in my neck of the woods...

An Evening with a Legendary Monster Maker!

In between Keizo Murase (right) and Daisuke Sato.

Tonight, I was fortunate to attend a special event with legendary Toho suitmaker Keizo Murase. I had the distinct privilege of interviewing Murase-san about his career two years ago.

Keizo Murase. Photo by Brett Homenick.

It had been probably about a year since I last saw Murase-san, and given the pandemic, that's no surprise. It's certainly heartening to see Murase-san and Nakano-san still doing well and attending such public events.

Suffice it to say, it's been a busy weekend, but things will only get busier from here. October is going to feel very much like a pre-pandemic month for me. Let's see if I still have the stamina to keep up!

A Return to the Laputa Asagaya!

The Laputa Asagaya. Photo by Brett Homenick.

A few weeks ago, I received a letter from screenwriter Fumio Ishimori. He invited me to join him at a screening of his film Kyoko and Jiro (1973), produced by Shochiku Studios. Kyoko and Jiro is a romantic melodrama that follows the lives of the titular characters, including all the ups and downs. Kaoru Yumi and Yuriko Hishimi are two of the actresses that tokusatsu fans would likely recognize.

I went to the theater (the Laputa Asagaya) and met Ishimori-san there. Shortly thereafter, the movie started. I was surprised to see it was a packed house, but I guess there were quite a few people who wanted to see the film. And an enjoyable film it was. It was very stylishly directed and well acted by its cast members.

Fumio Ishimori. Photo by Brett Homenick.

After the movie, our group had lunch at a nearby restaurant. There, I was introduced to a female anime TV scriptwriter who was a student of Ishimori-san's. We all had a great conversation. Many thanks to Ishimori-san for inviting me!

Happy Birthday, Teruyoshi Nakano!

Teruyoshi Nakano. Photo by Brett Homenick.

October 9 marked the 85th birthday of the great Toho SFX director Teruyoshi Nakano, and Saturday, October 10 saw a celebration of his birthday.

Nakano-san's birthday cake. Photo by Brett Homenick.

It was another lively attended and quite well attended, which was a bit surprising, given the ongoing pandemic. But it was great to see so many turning out to honor Nakano-san for hitting such an incredible milestone.

Also on hand was Takashi Naganuma. His presence always adds to the experience, and this time was no exception.

That's all for another great evening. Happy birthday, Nakano-san!

Seeing Daimajin Strikes Again in Jimbocho!

On Tuesday, October 6, I went to the Jimbocho Theater to catch a rare screening of the Daiei classic Daimajin Strikes Again (1966). This, of course, is the third in the three-film series, and the one that focuses on children as the central characters.

The Jimbocho Theater. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The film looked great in 35mm, and it's probably been a good 15 to 20 years since I last saw it. So, in some ways, it was like seeing it for the first time. It was quite enjoyable, and while some fans consider it the weakest of the trilogy, I'm not sure I can agree. 

Interestingly, the film was not screened as part of any tokusatsu program but rather one that highlights movies that take place in the mountains! Suffice it to say, that's quite an unusual theme. Nevertheless, I immensely enjoyed seeing the film in 35mm.