Takehiro Murata Q&A Now Live on Vantage Point Interviews!

Takehiro Murata in July 2023. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Is there still a little Godzilla in all of us? Only one man has the answer, and Vantage Point Interviews has the scoop! Check out my interview with Godzilla 2000 (1999) star Takehiro Murata!

But that's not all. Mr. Murata's first appearance was in Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992) as Kenji Ando, which he followed up with cameos in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995) as Soichiro Hayami, GMK: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001) as an F-7J pilot who does battle with Godzilla, and Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002) as a convenience store clerk who gets an unexpected surprise. All these roles and much more are covered in the interview.

 Even in 2024, content is king at Vantage Point Interviews. Don't miss it, be there!

A Former Toho SFX Director Is in the House!

Yuichi Kikuchi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

 Earlier today (Wednesday, April 19), I spent a fun afternoon with former Toho special effects director Yuichi Kikuchi. It was great to hear so many stories about Toho, Tsuburaya Pro, and beyond!

Yuichi Kikuchi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The meeting lasted in excess of four hours, which surprised even me. But Kikuchi-san said that, after being busy for much of the year so far, he finally has some down time, so he was able to hang out for quite a bit. Well, it certainly works for me!

I was floored by Kikuchi-san's generosity and kindness. What a day it was -- and definitely informational! I really look forward to seeing him again!

Of Mermaids. Time Slips, and Godzilla!

Jun Eto. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Saturday evening, November 19, I attended a special event centered around the ATG production Mermaid Legend (1984). The movie looks quite intriguing, but, due to my work schedule, I had to miss it. But I got to spend the evening with the guests, which pretty cool itself! On hand were actor Jun Eto and screenwriter Takuya Nishioka.

Eto-san appears in G.I. Samurai (a.k.a. Time Slip, 1979) as Nobuhiko Ken and Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002) as a special executive. On TV, he can be seen in episode 23 of Ultraman Cosmos (2001-02). He also plays Keisuke Saeki in Mermaid Legend.

I met Eto-san once in 2019, and he was just as friendly as I remember him. He was surprised when I mentioned Mechagodzilla as one of his credits, but he pointed out that it was just a small role. But, coolest of all, when Eto-san was leaving, he fist-bumped me. It's always fun to get one from a Japanese actor!

Takuya Nishioka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Takuya Nishioka, who wrote Mermaid Legend, was also on hand. I didn't have a chance to interact with him the way I did with Eto-san, and admittedly I'm very unfamiliar with most of his work, but hopefully that can be remedied in the future.

And that's a wrap! See you next time!

A Late Birthday Celebration for Godzilla!

Yuichi Kikuchi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Godzilla's birthday is celebrated on November 3, but, for me, the festivities really took place on Saturday, November 5, during which I was able to spend a fun evening with three legends of tokusatsu. As you can imagine, it was a lot of fun, and it was the perfect way to celebrate Godzilla's big anniversary.

The guest of honor was tokusatsu director Yuichi Kikuchi. Kikuchi-san is best known for serving as SFX director on Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002), as well as working as assistant SFX director on such movies as Gamera 3 (1999) and Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000). He was also SFX director on Ultraman: The Next (2004), Ultraman Nexus (2004-05), Ultraman Max (2005-06), Ultraman Mebius (2006-07), as well as other works. When I arrived, I was seated right next to Kikuchi-san, with whom I had a nice chat. I asked him when his next stage production would be held, but he said it hasn't been decided yet. It will be sometime next year. We also talked about some of his favorite tokusatsu productions.

Kazuya Konaka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Also on hand was Kazuya Konaka. Konaka-san helmed episodes of Ultraman Dyna (1997-98), Ultraman Cosmos (2001-02), Ultraman Nexus, Ultraman Mebius, Ultraseven X (2007), Ultraman Ginga S (2014), and Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga (2016-17). Konaka-san also directed the feature films: Ultraman Zearth 2 (1997), Ultraman Tiga and Ultraman Dyna (1998), Ultraman Gaia: The Battle in Hyperspace (1999), Ultraman: The Next, Mirrorman Reflex (2006), and Ultraman Mebius and Ultra Brothers (2006).

Admittedly, Konaka-san was the guest I interacted with the least, largely due to the seating arrangement, so I don't have very much to say about our discussions. Oh, well. Maybe next time! 

Kenji Suzuki. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The final guest was Kenji Suzuki. Before joining Toho, Suzuki-san was a freelance SFX director who did some work at Tsuburaya Productions, most notably Ultraman 80 (1980-81). At Toho, he served as an assistant SFX director on The Imperial Navy (1981) and Sayonara Jupiter (1984). On Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994), Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), Rebirth of Mothra (1996), and Rebirth of Mothra 2 (1997), he served as the chief assistant SFX director under Koichi Kawakita. On Rebirth of Mothra 3 (1998), Godzilla 2000 (1999), and Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, he was the SFX director. In the 2000s, Suzuki-san returned to Tsuburaya Productions and lent his talents to various Ultra-projects.

Suzuki-san is a bona fide tokusatsu legend, and it's always great to see him. My discussion with him was a bit similar to one I had with Kikuchi-san. Suzuki-san is a soft-spoken gentleman and is about as nice as they come.

And that's all! This is truly my idea of celebrating Godzilla's big day. It was a wonderful evening with several wonderful people. 

AN EVENING WITH COLONEL ASO! Reflecting on That Time I Met Akira Nakao in 2018!

The movie screen at the Ikebukuro Humax Cinemas just before the kickoff of the November 2018 Godzilla all-nighter. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On November 2, 2018, an all-night Godzilla film festival was held at the Ikebukuro Humax Cinemas, the special guest of which was actor Akira Nakao, best known among Godzilla fans for portraying Colonel (later Commander) Aso in some of the '90s Godzilla films, as well as Prime Minister Igarashi in a couple of the Masaaki Tezuka-directed Millennium-era movies. This was a rare public appearance for Mr. Nakao, so I was rather excited for it. 

The poster for Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002), one of the films screened that evening. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I really shouldn't have been, as his appearance was mostly a disappointment for me. Don't get me wrong -- Mr. Nakao was full of energy at the event and clearly enjoyed himself. But the bromide card set given out during the event didn't even have his actual autograph on any of the cards (aside from a couple with his signature obviously printed on them), not to mention that (as expected) attendees' face time with him was minimal, to put it mildly.

The poster for Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994), which was also screened that evening. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I remember telling him in the moment I had to speak with him that I enjoyed his work in The Vampire Doll (1970), in which he starred as Hiroshi Takagi. As I recall, he just laughed and was generally surprised that I even knew about that film. So, while I enjoyed meeting Mr. Nakao (as fleeting as it was), there wasn't much else I enjoyed about it. 

The poster for Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), another movie screened that evening. Photo by Brett Homenick.

It was an all-night event, which I'm usually never enthused about in the first place, but I believe I had to work the next day, so I couldn't stay through the whole thing even if I wanted to. I'm pretty sure I stayed for Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002), and then left after the film and meeting Mr. Nakao. 

I apparently was so underwhelmed by my experience at this event that I never even bothered to post about it here! In retrospect, I can see why I felt that way, but, given that some irresponsible fake news was recently shared about the actor by some self-professed tokusatsu "expert" (let's just say that reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated), now is as good an opportunity as any to record my recollections of that evening, as few as they are.

'Godzilla against Mechagodzilla' Returns to Japan?!

Could this mean a Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002) re-release?! Photo by Brett Homenick.

While changing trains in Yokohama Station on Saturday night, I spotted this amusing poster near the JR Lines ticket gate. While it may look like a re-release for Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002), it's just a poster for the Disaster Prevention and Crisis Management Committee, which is an effort of nine local prefectural and city governments in the Kanto area to hold joint drills and other countermeasures to -- you guessed it -- prevent disasters and crises. A previous committee poster featured Shin Godzilla (2016), which I used to see quite often in train stations. According to its website, there was even one with Ultraman, though I don't believe I ever saw that one. 

Anyway, it was certainly something surprising (and amusing) to see while changing trains.

Attending a Special 'Godzilla against Mechagodzilla' Event!

In between Yuichi Kikuchi and Akinori Noma.

On Sunday, July 17, I attended a screening of Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002), a movie that, suffice it to say, I haven't seen very many times. The last time was more than 10 years ago when it was screened in November 2011 as part of a special "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla" triple feature in Ginza. 

Yuichi Kikuchi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The movie itself is just as I remember -- mostly bland. The tokusatsu surprisingly holds up quite well, but the CGI has aged poorly. The story isn't engaging, the lead actors are mostly forgettable, and it just feels like more of the same from this era. It's competently made, there are no glaring mistakes, but nothing stands out. It's just kind of there, which is how I feel about the majority of the Millennium-era films.

Yoshiaki Kondo. Photo by Brett Homenick.

While he didn't work on this Mechagodzilla film, Heisei-era assistant SFX director Yoshiaki Kondo showed up as a surprise. Having worked on Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), Orochi the Eight-Headed Dragon (1994), Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994), Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), Rebirth of Mothra (1996), and Godzilla 2000 (1999), he was a key member of Toho's SFX staff during the 1990s.

It was fun watching Kondo-san interact and laughing with the other tokusatsu staff on hand. He spent most of the evening reminiscing with his fellow tokusatsu assistant director, Akinori Noma.

Akinori Noma. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Akinori Noma is a tokusatsu assistant director who worked on Godzilla against Mechagodzilla and Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) in that capacity. His credits also touch various Ultraman projects.

He was a friendly guy and seemed surprised that I'd want to take his photo. Of course, I love meeting these unsung heroes of tokusatsu and spreading the word about their contributions.

Yuichi Kikuchi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The guest of honor was tokusatsu director Yuichi Kikuchi. Kikuchi-san is best known for serving as SFX director on Godzilla against Mechagodzilla, as well as working as assistant SFX director on such movies as Gamera 3 (1999) and Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000). He was also SFX director on Ultraman (2004), Ultraman Nexus (2004-05), Ultraman Max (2005-06), Ultraman Mebius (2006-07), as well as other works.

I was pleasantly surprised that he recognized me from attending his stage dramas from a few years ago. It was very enjoyable to see him again.

I had a great time at the event. Seeing a Godzilla movie in 35mm is always fun, and hanging out with top-notch tokusatsu guests doesn't hurt, either. Bring on the next one!

Godzilla Series Screenwriter Wataru Mimura Passes Away at Age 67

Wataru Mimura poses with a poster for Sampo Shojo in May 2015. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Screenwriter Wataru Mimura, who contributed several scripts to the Heisei and Millennium Godzilla series, passed away on August 26, according to a friend and colleague of his. He was 67. 

Born in Mie Prefecture in May 1954, Mimura-san graduated from Nihon University College of Art's Department of Cinema. In 1982, he won the Sanrio Screenplay Award and made his screenwriting debut with Freeter (1987).

Aside from his screenwriting duties, he was the chairman of Plan-net Labo (a.k.a. P-Labo), a network of professional and amateur screenwriters. In this capacity, Mimura-san would host an annual film festival of independent short films called the P-Labo Film Festival. 

Mimura-san poses with his Godzilla series co-screenwriter Hiroshi Kashiwabara in July 2013. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Mimura-san wrote or co-wrote the screenplays or Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), Orochi the Eight-Headed Dragon (1994), Godzilla 2000 (1999), Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000), Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002), and Godzilla: Final Wars (2004). Suffice it to say, the Millennium series relied heavily on Mimura-san's input. My 2008 interview with Mimura-san can be read here. 

Mimura-san with director Yoshimitsu Banno in February 2013. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I first met Mimura-san in the summer of 2011, just a few months after I first moved to Japan. We'd been corresponding for a few years up to that point, and he turned out to be one of the nicest people I've ever met. We would hang out every so often, which was great in and of itself, but he also introduced to quite a few luminaries, most notably Shigeo Kato. 

With Mimura-san on Halloween 2014.

A few years ago, Mimura-san's health took a turn for the worse, and he stopped becoming so active. Shortly thereafter, he moved backto Mie Prefecture. In 2019, as I was preparing to visit Mie Prefecture to visit Godzilla (1954) filming locations, I messaged Mimura-san and asked if he would be able to meet up. He replied that it would not be possible. 

Sadly, despite my other attempts to reach out, I would never hear from Mimura-san again. The news of his passing is devastating, but not totally unexpected. He was one of my favorite people to visit in Japan, and I'll always be grateful for his kindness. Wataru Mimura was a major talent and an incredible individual.

Rest in peace, Mimura-san.

UPDATE (9/4): Mimura-san suffered from multiple system atrophy.

Bringing Godzilla into Focus!

 Masahiro Kishimoto. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Saturday, October 5, I was pleased to meet veteran Toho cinemtopgrapher Masahiro Kishimoto, whose credits date back to the 1960s, including the Crazy Cats vehicle Operation Crazy (1966) as an assistant cameraman. He went on to be the (drama side) cinematographer on Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992), Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla (1994), Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000), GMK: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001), and Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002). 

I found Kishimoto-san to be very friendly, and he was interested in Western movies, too. He also seemed fascinated by my interest in Japanese films and expressed his desire for me to spread the word about them in English. Well, I'm certainly doing my best in that regard.

A Former Toho SFX Director Brings a New Hero to the Stage!

Yuichi Kikuchi. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

After work on Friday, June 28, I headed out to catch the latest stage play directed by Yuichi Kikuchi. I blogged about him a few months ago, but to recap, Kikuchi-san is best known for serving as SFX director on Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002), as well as working as assistant SFX director on such movies as Gamera 3 (1999) and Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000). He was also SFX director on Ultraman (2004), Ultraman Nexus (2004-05), Ultraman Max (2005-06), Ultraman Mebius (2006-07), as well as other works.

The stage play was quite interesting, as it centered around the making of a superhero movie. The "movie within a play" sequences were a lot of fun to watch, as a suit actor battled several baddies onstage in scenes reminiscent of most Toei TV programs.

After the show, the inevitable photo ops took place. Kikuchi-san signed my mini poster of the show, and I took a photo of the play's superhero in all his glory, Not too shabby, eh?

Entering the Time Slip!

From left to right: Jun Eto, Kyohei Nakaoka, yours truly, and Toshiyuki Nagashima.

This evening, I attended a fun dinner event with a big surprise. I knew that actor Jun Eto and screenwriter Kyohei Nakaoka would be on hand for the festivities, but what I didn't know until I showed up was that there'd be an additional guest -- and a big one, at that.

Jun Eto, Kyohei Nakaoka, and Toshiyuki Nagashima. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The surprise guest was actor Toshiyuki Nagashima, who has more than his share of genre and tokusatsu credits under his belt.

His film appearances include: Virus (1980) as Akimasa Matsuo, Deathquake (1980) as reporter Masayuki Hashizume, The Imperial Navy (1981) as Eiichi Hongo, Station (1981) as Michio, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985) as Isao Iinuma, Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) as Seiichi Yamamoto, Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996) as Yusuke Watarase, Cross Fire (2000) as Yoshihiro Hasegawa, Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000) as Takuya Miyagawa, and Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002) as Lieutenant Miyagawa. Whew!

Had I known he would be there, I would have come prepared. Oh, well. Let's hope for a next time!

Actor Jun Eto. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On the other hand, I was prepared for Jun Eto. Eto-san appeared in G.I. Samurai (a.k.a. Time Slip, 1979) as Nobuhiko Ken and Godzilla against Mechagodzilla as a special executive. He also appeared in episode 23 of Ultraman Cosmos (2001-02).

Aside from his genre credits, Eto-san starred in Preparation for the Festival (1975) and co-starred in Tora-san's Tropical Fever (1980).

Screenwriter Kyohei Nakaoka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Last (but not least) was screenwriter Kyohei Nakaoka. Nakaoka-san co-wrote the screenplays for Eizo Sugawa's River of Fireflies (1987) and the Shintaro Katsu-directed feature Zatoichi (1989).

Overall, it was a great evening with three luminaries from the world of Japanese cinema. Not bad for just one night!

Meeting Godzilla's Millennium SFX Director!

Yuichi Kikuchi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

As soon as I finished work, I made a beeline to Suginami to attend a stage play directed by Yuichi Kikuchi. Kikuchi-san is best known for serving as SFX director on Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002), as well as working as assistant SFX director on such movies as Gamera 3 (1999) and Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000). 

The Tokusatsu DNA staff sent its congratulations to Kikuchi-san. Photo by Brett Homenick

Following his work on the kaiju genre, Kikuchi-san returned to the Ultra-series, working as SFX director on Ultraman (2004), Ultraman Nexus (2004-05), Ultraman Max (2005-06), Ultraman Mebius (2006-07), among others.

Following the performance, Kikuchi-san greeted attendees in the lobby. Kikuchi-san knew who I was based on the message I wrote him, and I guess I'm pretty easy to spot in a Japanese crowd, anyway. We had a nice chat and talked a bit tokusatsu.

FLASHBACK! Meeting a Godzilla Series Composer!

Millennium series composer Michiru Oshima enjoys coffee and conversation in June 2012. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Going through my archives recently reminded me that I never shared my photos from meeting Godzilla series composer Michiru Oshima in June 2012. I was privileged to spend a late morning with her, discussing her musical career. It was certainly an enjoyable day.

Many thanks to Oshima-san for her kindness and friendliness. It was an excellent way to start the day!

MASAAKI TEZUKA TALKS FILMS IN KOENJI! Unmade Movies in the East and West Are Discussed!

Director Masaaki Tezuka speaks to the audience at a special event in Koenji, Tokyo. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On October 24, I was invited to join a special event in Koenji, Tokyo, highlighting some famous unmade films in movie history. The event ran for almost four hours, and most of the films discussed were American or European. However, some unmade kaiju films were discussed, and some rare screenplays for some of these movies were on display. It was a treat to see them in person.

The guest of honor was director Masaaki Tezuka, who directed Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000), Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002), and Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003). Among other titles, he served as assistant director on Virus, (1980), Princess from the Moon (1987), Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992), and the last two entries in the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy.

Yoshikazu Ishii promotes his new film Sakurabana at the event. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Yoshikazu Ishii was also on hand, and many Godzilla fans are quite familiar with his credits. He was chief assistant special effects director on Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) and served in a similar position on Ultraman Saga (2012). Ishii-san promoted his latest film project, Sakurabana. The official site can be found here.

Yours truly posing with Toho power player Yoshikazu Ishii after the event wrapped.

When the event finished, my friend Yasushi and I were invited by the organizers to join a special dinner with Tezuka-san. I sat next to Tezuka-san for the meal, and I enjoyed spending the evening with him.

It had been quite a weekend up to this point, but even after all of this, it was far from over!