ULTRAMAN TARO COMES TO BLU-RAY! A Special Event in Shibuya Helps Promote the Release!

Writer Shigemitsu Taguchi (left) and actor Toyoyuki Kimura pal around with an old colleague onstage. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

In order to help promote the upcoming Blu-ray release of Tsuburaya Productions' Ultraman Taro (1973-74), a special event was hosted by Cast Co. in Shibuya that was all about the sixth Ultra-series.

Two episodes from the series were screened, and after that, Ultra-series scribe Shigemitsu Taguchi and actor Toyoyuki Kimura (who played ZAT member Tadao Nambara) took the stage to answer questions about their work on the program.

After that, audience members could pose for photos with Ultraman Taro and get autographs from the two guests. In particular, Kimura-san was surprised to see an American at this event, and even though the signings were a bit rushed by the staff, he made took the time to ask me some questions about myself. That gesture was truly appreciated.

Aside from his regular appearances on Ultraman Taro, Kimura-san acted in several Toho movies during the 1960s and '70s, especially ones directed by Kihachi Okamoto, namely Fort Graveyard (1965), Epoch of Murder Madness (1967), Red Lion (1969), and Battle of Okinawa (1971).He can also be seen in The Crazy Cats' Big Explosion (1969), which was Teruyoshi Nakano's first work as special effects director.

ALL-NIGHT FILM FEST IN KYOTO! Actor Teruo Yoshida Greets Fans in Kansai!

Actor Teruo Yoshida ponders a question about his career in Kyoto. Photo by Brett Homenick.

During the evening of August 15 (and the morning of August 16), the Kyoto Minami Kaikan hosted an all-night film festival devoted to Japanese horror movies. The three features on tap were Goke Body Snatcher from Hell (1968), House of Terrors (a.k.a. The Ghost of the Hunchback, 1965), and The Ring (1998).

The first feature of the evening was Goke, and while the print was a bit worn, it still was a sight to behold on the big screen. Following the movie, a Q&A session with the film's star, Teruo Yoshida, was held onstage. Yoshida-san also starred in the controversial Horrors of the Malformed Men (1969) and appears in Yasujiro Ozu's An Autumn Afternoon (1962).

Yoshida-san spoke for a while about his career, but after his interview was finished, he left the stage, and that was it. The staff then distributed pre-signed autographs from Yoshida-san to those who purchased them. Naturally, it was disappointing not to meet the guest of honor, but this seems to be the norm with events sponsored by Cast Co.

The next feature was the rarely seen Toei thriller House of Terrors, which can only be viewed these days via an Italian-dubbed release. The print screened at the festival was beautiful, and it was great to see the film on the big screen the way it was meant to be seen.

Following House of Terrors, I did my best to get some sleep, completely missing out on The Ring. I still had a full day ahead of me, so I had to try to get some shut-eye!

By the way, when I was browsing the merchandise tables, I saw some copies of Ifukube 100 CD for sale. Obviously, folks in Japan have taken notice! From what I understand, this year's Symphonic Fury concert was by far the coolest kaiju-related event in Chicago all summer. That's not hard to believe at all.

All-night film festivals are not my cup of tea, but once in a while they can be fun. The last time I attended one was in 2011 at the same venue. Akira Kubo was the guest of honor. While I'm not sure if I'd return to Kyoto for another such event, I'll keep my options open. If it's a good lineup, I may just hop on the shinkansen again!