An Incredible Day with the King of the Monsters!

Mizuho Yoshida. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today (Wednesday, February 1), I had the distinct privilege of spending the afternoon with suit actor Mizuho Yoshida. It was a great opportunity to chat with him at length about his legendary career bringing monsters to life on the screen.

Mizuho Yoshida. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Yoshida-san portrays Zeiram in both Zeiram (1991) and Zeiram 2 (1994), Legion in Gamera 2 (1996), Death Ghidorah (a.k.a. Desghidorah) in Rebirth of Mothra (1996), Dagahra in Rebirth of Mothra 2 (1997), Godzilla in GMK: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001), and Zedus in Gamera the Brave (2006), among other suit-acting roles. 

The chat went a lot longer than I expected, which of course is a good thing! But Yoshida-san couldn't have been any more hospitable. If only more people could be as friendly as he is!

Godzilla may be a monster on the screen, but he's a heck of a nice guy in real life. Many thanks to Yoshida-san for making my afternoon something special!

Gamera Alums Gather!

Akira Ohashi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On December 5, I attended another fun event with a couple of Gamera series veterans. The first was Akira Ohashi, the suit actor who played Gamera in Gamera 2 (1996) and Irys in Gamera 3 (1999). 

I first met Ohashi-san just a month ago, so I was surprised that he was returning to another event so quickly. But it was too great an opportunity to pass up!

Himawari Ono. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The other guest on hand was Himawari Ono, a former child actress who appeared in Gamera the Brave (2006). Ono-san is quite fluent in English, so it was a joy to speak with her and to know more about her previous acting career and future ambitions.

 And that's a wrap! It was a wonderful evening with more wonderful people. 

TOKUSATSU DNA RETURNS! The Heisei Gamera Series Is Brought into Focus!

The entrance to Tokusatsu DNA's Heisei Gamera exhibit. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Earlier tonight, I visited the Tokusatsu DNA Heisei Gamera exhibit in Kamata, Tokyo. Naturally, I didn't enjoy it as much as last year's exhibit (the Heisei Gamera series is not my bag), but it was still quite cool to see props, suits, maquettes, and everything else from those films. There was a small section dedicated to the Showa Gamera and even Daimajin series, which was the highlight for me. I just wish there was a lot more to see. In any event, the exhibit was very well done, so let's check out some of the highlights.

MOTHRA REBORN! Toho SFX Alums Gather to Celebrate Mothra's 1990s Rebirth!

Suit actor Mizuho Yoshida (right) poses with Death Ghidorah (a.k.a. Desghidorah) next to assistant SFX director Yoshiaki Kondo. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today, I was pleased to take in a screening of a 35mm print of Rebirth of Mothra (1996). I was never that much a fan of the movie, and I don't believe I'd seen it in its entirety since the late '90s. Other than catching bits and pieces of it on the Sci-Fi Channel in the early 2000s, it'd probably been at least 15 years since I'd seen so much as a frame of it. 

Mizuho Yoshida. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Despite not having seen it in such a long time, there were a few specific scenes I remembered quite well (which surprised me). But after about the first 30 minutes, I pretty much had no memory of anything that happened. Overall, I can't say the movie was all that bad, but I found the action repetitive the story line (to the extent there is one) paper-thin. I've seen worse, but I've seen much, much better.

The guest of honor for the screening was suit actor Mizuho Yoshida. Yoshida-san portrays Zeiram in both Zeiram (1991) and Zeiram 2 (1994), Legion in Gamera 2 (1996), Death Ghidorah (a.k.a. Desghidorah) in Rebirth of Mothra, Dagahra in Rebirth of Mothra 2 (1997), and Godzilla in GMK: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001), among other suit-acting roles.

Yoshiaki Kondo worked as an assistant director on Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), Orochi the Eight-Headed Dragon (1994), Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla (1994), Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), Rebirth of Mothra, and Godzilla 2000 (1999).

It was nice to see Rebirth of Mothra again after so many years (even if the film itself isn't so hot), and it was a blast meeting Yoshida-san for the first time. He's incredibly friendly and loves mugging for the camera. His Godzilla might be among the meanest, but the suit actor is among the nicest!

BRING ME THE HEAD OF GAMERA! A Close-Up Look at Japan's Mightiest Turtle!

Gamera looks quite a bit different without the rest of his body! Photo by Brett Homenick.

Gamera the Brave (2006) featured an incredible-looking Gamera suit in the opening scenes, very reminiscent of the Heisei-era style. Here are a few close-up shots of the head used in the film. Enjoy!

MANY, MANY PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT! Gamera the Brave Feted in Yokohama!

Kazuaki Sekiyama talks Gamera the Brave (2006).

Tomoo Haraguchi reminisches about creating monsters for the movies.

Haraguchi-san poses with one of his creations.

Sekiyama-san and Haraguchi-san share a laugh.

Posing for pictures.

With Kazuaki Sekiyama.

With Tomoo Haraguchi.

TEN YEARS OF GAMERA THE BRAVE! Special Guests Help Celebrate a Decade of Destruction!

Special effects staff member Kazuaki Sekiyama and creature creator Tomoo Haraguchi pose with an actual suit head from Gamera the Brave (2006). Photo by Brett Homenick

Today I went to Yokohama to watch a screening of a 35mm print of Gamera the Brave (2006). I'd seen the film once before circa 2007, and at the time I didn't think much of it. This time my opinion improved, and I enjoyed it much more than before.

In attendance were SFX staff member Kazuaki Sekiyama and creature creator Tomoo Haraguchi. Haraguchi-san brought the actual suit head of the Gamera suit used early in the film when the Friend of All Children is battling several Gyaos.

With explosions expert Kazuaki Sekiyama. (Somehow our arms got all tangled up!) 

I enjoyed speaking with Sekiyama-san and getting to know more about his career. He started as a (very) young man working as a staff member on Ultraman Ace (1972-73) and ended up working on many Toho tokusatsu productions, starting with Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973). His specialty is explosions, so he fit right in with Teruyoshi Nakano's crew! Sekiyama-san continues to work in film to this day, and his work was featured in Gamera the Brave.

With Tomoo Haraguchi and what's left of Gamera after fighting a bunch of Gyaos!

While I've met Haraguchi-san before, this was my first chance to spend a great deal of time with him. Haraguchi-san is also a director in his own right, having helmed such titles as Mikadroid (1991), Sakuya: Slayer of Demons (2000), and Death Kappa (2010). He was very friendly as well, and the conversation went on so long that it continued on the train!

Thanks to everyone for a great evening!