Spending an Afternoon with the Modern-Day Master of Monsters!

Fuyuki Shinada. Photo by Brett Homenick.

This afternoon (Sunday, January 7), I was privileged to spend a couple of hours in the company of Fuyuki Shinada, a legendary kaiju suitmaker who has made some of the most impressive monsters in Japanese film history.

Among many others, Shinada-san made Biollante in Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989), Godzillasaurus in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), Legion in Gamera 2 (1996), Irys in Gamera 3 (1999), and the title monsters in GMK: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001).

Shinada-san became particularly animated when discussing the kaiju productions he grew up watching. As you'd imagine, he's as much a Monster Kid as any you've ever read about in the pages of Famous Monsters.

One amusing moment came when Shinada-san asked if I was married, to which I replied that I wasn't. He seemed a bit surprised and commented that I was handsome but then reason that I'm probably single because I'm an otaku. In any case, I got a kick out of the fact that the maker of Biollante called me handsome! 

It was a fun afternoon with a true legend of the genre and an all-around nice guy. Couldn't have had a better Sunday if I tried!

Tokusatsu DNA!

The Tokusatsu DNA exhibit opened in Kamata, Tokyo, today, and I paid a visit. Honestly, I've never had more fun at any other exhibit. The sheer number of original, screen-used props on display was incredible, many of which I'd never seen before at similar exhibits. There was a Q&A event featuring Kazuki Omori, Megumi Odaka, and Kenpachiro Satsuma, which I attended. Suitmaker Fuyuki Shinada was also on hand for the festivities (having participated in a separate interview session earlier in the day). Pictures are truly worth a thousand words, so here are just a few.

ATTACK OF THE TOHO TITANS! A Trio of Toho Greats Converge for the Evening!

From left to right: Toshio Miike, Fuyuki Shinada, and Shinji Nishikawa. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight, I was privileged to spend the evening in the company of three Godzilla series alumni who work behind the camera.

Shinji Nishikawa shows off his amazing Biollante rendering. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Kaiju designer and illustrator Shinji Nishikawa was on hand, and I found myself the proud recipient of the above Biollante illustration. It is truly remarkable!

Toshio Miike. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Also there was SFX art director and production designer Toshio Miike, whose credits date back to the Heisei series of Godzilla (and Gamera) movies, though his most recent credit in the series is Shin Godzilla (2016).

I've run into Miike-san a few times this year at various events, and he is always a great guy to chat with me. It was enjoyable talking about our favorite Godzilla movies. (Miike-san is quite partial to Monster Zero and Destroy All Monsters).

Fuyuki Shinada. Photo by Brett Homenick.

In a bit of a suprise, Fuyuki Shinada returned and joined the festivities. I guess he must have enjoyed himself last week enough to come back!

As always, he (like the other guests) was a blast to hang out with.

I really enjoyed seeing Nisjikawa-san illustrate Biollane, but I was floored when he gave the illustration to me. If anything is too cool to have, that would have to be it.

Suffice it to say, tonight was a lot of fun!

GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE! Viewing This Heisei Classic with a Couple of VIPs!

In between director Kazuki Omori (left) and suitmaker Fuyuki Shinada.

Today, I braved a typhoon to see Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989). Well, the typhoon really hasn't hit Kanto yet, but it sure rained pretty hard today. Still, I didn't let that stop me. How often do you get a chance to see Biollante in 35mm? The was my first opportunity, and I was determined to take it.

 Fuyuki Shinada and Kazuki Omori study the new Godzilla design. Photo by Brett Homenick.

It'd been years since I last watched Biollante in its entirety, and I was surprised by a few things I'd forgotten over the years. It was a great experience, and Biollante still ranks as one of my favorite Godzilla movies in the last 30-plus years. 

In attendance were Kazuki Omori (Biollante's writer-director) and suitmaker Fuyuki Shinada. What are Shinada-san's credits? Funny you should ask.

Fuyuki Shinada built Biollante in Godzilla vs. Biollante, Godzillasaurus in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), Legion in Gamera 2 (1996), Irys in Gamera 3 (1999), as well as the monsters in GMK (2001), though these credits just scratch the surface of his entire body of work. Suffice it to say, if there's been a cool monster you've seen in a kaiju movie since the beginning of the Heisei era, there's a good chance Shinada-san made it.

And that's all! I'm back home now, waiting for the typhoon to hit Tokyo in full force. We'll see what happens. Stay dry, folks!

MORE SHOTS! The GMK Reunion Rocked the House!

Screenwriter Keiichi Hasegawa and suitmaker Fuyuki Shinada study the GMK Godzilla, built by Shinada-san.

Fuyuki Shinada recalls the process of making the Godzilla suit for GMK.

Actor Takashi Nishina smiles for the camera.

Yours truly poses with Takashi Nishina.

A happy moment: Having a blast with Keiichi Hasegawa and Fuyuki Shinada.

A great time with some great company!

Even Godzilla seems happy to be there, too!

GMK! Cast and Crew from the Millennium Godzilla Series Favorite Reunite!

Screenwriter Keiichi Hasegawa, suitmaker Fuyuki Shinada, and actor Takashi Nishina discuss their work on GMK. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today I attended a screening of the movie GMK: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001). It was the first time I'd seen the movie in many years. If I recall correctly, the last time I saw the film was at a screening at USC in January 2004. So it'd been over 13 years, and I'd imagine it was a good time to revisit it. Even though GMK was the source of a lot ridiculous and over-the-top fan wars in the early 2000s, I was finally able to watch the flick on its own merits and separate it from all the fan-generated nonsense of that era.

It has its pros and cons. Many scenes are well directed and show real flair. Some of the actors are quite good. It's certainly an ambitious film that tries its best to tell an intriguing story. To that extent, it undoubtedly has merit. On the other hand, however, there are still several glaring flaws. The SFX don't hold up very well, the story bogs down in too much spiritual mumbo jumbo, the monsters just don't look very good and aren't given much to do when they battle, etc. I won't go into all the problems I had with the picture because there really isn't much need, and I don't feel like nitpicking the film. To be honest, I enjoyed the movie more this time than I ever had in the past. I'm glad I saw it again with a fresh mindset. I can appreciate the positive while at the same time acknowledging the negative.

Now, on to the event itself. 

Fuyuki Shinada. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Three special guests joined the event to reminisce about their work on the film. First up is suitmaker Fuyuki Shinada. He built Biollante in Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989), Godzillasaurus in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), Legion in Gamera 2 (1996), Irys in Gamera 3 (1999), and the title monsters in GMK, among many other creatures for both film and television.

Keiichi Hasegawa. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Also on hand to discuss the film was co-screenwriter Keiichi Hasegawa. A veteran of Tsuburaya Productions, Hasegawa-san has written many episodes of Ultraman Tiga (1996-97), Ultraman Dyna (1997-98), Ultraman Gaia (1998-99), Ultraman Cosmos (2001-02), Ultraman Nexus (2004-05), Ultraman Mebius (2006-07), Ultraseven X (2007), Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle (2007-08), Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle: Never Ending Odyssey (2008-09), and Ultraman Ginga (2013). Hasegawa-san has also written for Toei programs, such as Kamen Rider W (2009-10), Kamen Rider Fourze (2011-12), Kamen Rider Drive (2014-15), and Kamen Rider Ghost (2015-16). 

Takashi Nishina. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Takashi Nishina was another featured guest. Nishina-san played BS Digital Q assistant director Aki Maruo. He was also an extra in Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995), a soldier in Gamera 3 (1999), as well as appearing in Ring 2 (1999). In terms of TV, he can be seen in the Tsuburaya Productions series Ultra Zone (2011-12) and Ultraman X (2015).

As I said above, I'm glad I gave GMK another go because I have a new appreciation for it. That doesn't mean it's a new favorite of the franchise, or even of the Millennium series. But I quite liked it this time around, which was a pleasant surprise.

FIFTY YEARS OF ULTRA Q! Japan's Groundbreaking SF Series Is Celebrated in Tokyo!

From left to right: Shozo Uehara, Sadao Iizuka, Hiroyasu Yamaura, Masahiko Shiraishi, Toshihiro Iijima, Eizo Yamagiwa, and Teruyoshi Nakano pose for pictures. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Among American fans, the TV series Ultra Q (1966) has never gotten very much exposure. Sure, it's been released on DVD, and it's better known these days than it was even just five years ago. However, aside from the likes of Kenji Sahara and Hiroko Sakurai (who are recognized by American fans from their other tokusatsu projects), the names of the cast and crew of the series are largely unknown. 

Shozo Uehara, Toshihiro Iijima, and Eizo Yamagiwa share a laugh prior to the start of festivities. Photo by Brett Homenick.

For this reason, it was especially interesting for me to attend a recent launch party for a brand-new book on Ultra Q written by Masahiko Shiraishi (who worked on the Heisei Godzilla series SFX staff under Koichi Kawakita). Held at Hotel Molino near Shin-Yurigaoka Station, the event brought together several giants of the Godzilla and  Ultra-series.

Yours truly meeting legendary sculptor and suitmaker Keizo Murase for the second time.

Some of the luminaries on hand rarely make personal appearances, and many of the attendees commented to me how excited they were to see them. These names, however, would be completely unrecognizable to most American fans.

Among the headliners was Toshihiro Iijima, who directed many classic episodes of Ultra Q, Ultraman (1966-67), Ultra Seven (1967-68), and other Tsuburaya Productions series. He also directed the feature film Daigoro vs. Goliath (1972).

Another celebrity guest was Shozo Uehara, a prolific writer who wrote episodes of Ultra Q, Ultraman, Ultra Seven, Return of Ultraman (1971-72), Ultraman Ace (1972-73), Zone Fighter (1973), and Ultraman Taro (1973-74) before penning many of the Super Sentai and Metal Hero series for Toei Studios.

Another honored guest was Eizo Yamagiwa, a director who worked as an assistant director under Teruo Ishii in the 1950s and '60s before helming episodes of Return of Ultraman, Ultraman Ace, and Ultraman Taro in the 1970s.

Toho SFX director Teruyoshi Nakano talks about Eiji Tsuburaya and his SFX legacy. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Some of the famous names in attendance were just there as fans themselves, such as suitmaker Fuyuki Shinada. But whether or not you were famous, we were all gathered for a common purpose, and it gave this event an extra-special vibe. We all knew we were seeing something rare, and that these particular legends of the genre seldom do public events. For me (and for many others), a lot of the fun was just in watching Iijima-san, Uehara-san, and Yamagiwa-san interact with one another.

Eizo Yamagiwa (left) and Shozo Uehara (right) speak about all things Ultra. Photo by Brett Homenick.

One particular highlight for me was when Yamagiwa-san walked up to me and handed me his business card. I was quite surprised! Murase-san also did the same thing. It's a very common practice in Japan, of course, but coming from these gentlemen, it truly was an honor.

Toshihiro Iijima, Sadao Iizuka, and Keizo Murase are all smiles all photographers snap away. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Attendees were free to walk around and mingle with the guests as they pleased. While other events have specific times allotted for photos and autographs, that was not the case here. If you wanted a photo or a signature, it was up to you to approach the guests directly. Given that all the guests were extremely friendly, this was not an issue at all. In fact, it was a lot of fun!

Sadao Iizuka and Keizo Murase, two SFX veterans, compare notes (and what notes they were!). Photo by Brett Homenick.

Overall, the event lasted about two hours, and there was an after-party attended by many of the event staff members. Sadao Iizuka joined the dinner, as well. By all accounts, it was a big success, and everyone seemed more than happy with the results.

I enjoyed meeting Toshihiro Iijima at this event. While he attended Bin Furuya's performance in December, I didn't have a chance to meet him. So I was pleased to have a few opportunities to speak with him this time.

This photo with Eizo Yamagiwa was taken shortly after he introduced himself to me and gave him his business card. He seemed surprised that an American would be so interested in his work.

It was great to have a chat with Fuyuki Shinada again after about three years since we first met. Hopefully it won't be so long till we meet again!

There are simply too many photos to share here, so they'll come in the next post. Stay tuned!