Masato Harada, Director of 'GUNHED,' Passes Away at 76

Masato Harada. Source: Nikkei.

The Japanese media are reporting that Masato Harada, who directed the futuristic Toho actioner GUNHED (1989), passed away on December 8. He was 76.

While tokusatsu fans may know him best as the director of GUNHED, international audiences are most likely to remember him from his turn as an actor, playing Omura, in the Tom Cruise vehicle The Last Samurai (2003).

In 2008, Japanese film scholar Kenju Shimomura wrote an exhaustive article on Toho SFX director Koichi Kawakita's career, which I helped edit. Included below are two excerpts from the article, focusing on the making of GUNHED and director Harada's involvement:

The preproduction of GUNHED started without a story. Sunrise Production only had a vague idea and image. Although they did not have a solid story, Sunrise Production already made huge amounts of image boards for the design of the giant robot which was named “Gun-Head.” [Koichi] Kawakita’s first work was to check whether it was possible to film these designs. From a realistic point of view (including the budget and technical limit), Kawakita concluded that it was only possible to film with only one giant robot in the movie. Based on Kawakita’s decision, director Masato Harada made a story about one giant robot breaking through enemy territory. Harada’s intention was to make a science fiction remake of classic Hollywood war movies such as Zoltan Korda’s Sahara in 1943.

In 1973, Harada moved to Los Angeles after failing his university entrance exams three times. But there he gained some connections in the film industry that would, many years later, have an impact on Toho tokusatsu:

He [Masato Harada] decided that the movie should have an international taste and started to consult his friends in Hollywood. At this stage, his friends in Hollywood pointed out a problem with the title. They told Harada that the word “Gun-Head” sounds like “blockhead” and gives the impression of a comedy movie. This problem was cleared when Harada asked for the opinion of Todd McCarthy, the chief movie critic for Variety. McCarthy proposed that the title should be “GUNHED,” which stands for “GUN unit of Heavy Elimination Device.”  Thus, the GUNHED story was completed and its filming started.

Rest in peace, Director.

Notes on the New 'Gunhed Completion' Compendium by Hobby Japan!

 

The day before I left Japan, my friend Yasushi gave me a copy of the updated edition of the Gunhed Completion book released by Hobby Japan that had literally just been published, just in time for the movie's 35th anniversary. My 2005 interview with the film's female lead Brenda Bakke was translated into Japanese by Yasushi and included in the book. Suffice it to say, this one's a keeper!

Naturally, I received credit as one of the book's staff members. Not too shabby! Of course, you have to be able to read katakana in order to see the credit, but, if that's not something you're able to do, I guess you'll just have to take my word for it.

It's a great tome with plenty of illustrations, photos, and lots of other things to hold your interest, even if you can't read a lick of Japanese. It comes highly recommended and not just because I contributed to it, though that certainly doesn't hurt.

Hiroshi Kashiwabara Interview on Vantage Point Interviews!

Hiroshi Kashiwabara (and friends) in March 2019. Photo by Brett Homenick.

My interview with Godzilla series screenwriter Hiroshi Kashiwabara (Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla, Godzilla 2000, and Godzilla vs. Megaguirus) has been posted on Vantage Point Interviews. I could tell you what's in it, but why don't you check it out for yourself? Enjoy!

Koichi Kawakita: Giant Among Giants

Special effects director Koichi Kawakita poses with some friends at the Godzilla tokusatsu exhibition in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, in August. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

On December 5 (which, as it turns out, was his birthday), longtime Toho SFX director Koichi Kawakita suddenly passed away at the age of 72. A ubiquitous presence at various fan gatherings in Japan, Mr. Kawakita was a special guest at G-FEST this July in Chicago. Suffice it to say, Mr. Kawakita was a beloved figure on both sides of the Pacific.

Mr. Kawakita flashes his familiar smile while addressing fans in Tokyo. Photo by Brett Homenick.

As most Godzilla fans know, Mr. Kawakita directed the SFX scenes for every Godzilla movie from Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) through Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995).

Mr. Kawakita joined Toho in the early 1960s, working on the lavish sci-fi epic Gorath (1962), among many other films. In the 1970s, he worked on a variety of films and television programs, such as Ultraman Ace (1972-73), Zone Fighter (1973), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974), The Last Days of Planet Earth (1974), Zero Pilot (1976), The War in Space (1977), and the Shaw Brothers' Mighty Peking Man (1977). In the 1980s, Mr. Kawakita directed the dazzling effects in Sayonara Jupiter (1984) and Gunhed (1989). Following his retirement from Toho, Mr. Kawakita founded his own production company, Dream Planet Japan.

Akira Takarada and Yuriko Hoshi join Koichi Kawakita onstage at a signing event in celebration of Godzilla's 60th anniversary. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I've been fortunate to meet Mr. Kawakita at several events in Japan. We even rode together on the same flights to and from Chicago last summer for G-FEST. (On the way to Chicago, Mr. Kawakita and his family sat just a row or two behind Katsuhiko Sasaki, Tomoko Ai, and me. Because I was busy with the other guests at G-FEST, I didn't have a chance to talk with Mr. Kawakita at the show until the Sunday night convention staff dinner. With my friend Yasushi's assistance, I was able to ask Mr. Kawakita many questions about his career.

Thank you for the wonderful memories, Mr. Kawakita. May you rest in peace.

GUNHED: Toho's High-Concept SFX Film Is Feted in Tokyo

Open your wallets, folks, there's plenty of opportunities to buy, buy, buy!

November 3 may have been Godzilla's birthday, but the festivities were shared with another Big G from Toho Studios. Following the events of Godzilla's birthday celebration (which -- I promise! -- I will eventually get to), a bonus event celebrating Koichi Kawakita's upcoming Gunhed book (due out in January) took place at the Cine Pathos Theater in Ginza.

I had to resist my immediate urge to buy this Gunhed shirt. Say what you will about the movie, but that's one cool shirt!

Prior to the screening of the film, a talk show featuring SFX director Makoto Kamiya, Gunhed composer Toshiyuki Honda, and Koichi Kawakita (who directed the special effects for Gunhed) was held. One thing I noticed that I certainly wasn't expecting was that the crowd for the Gunhed event was a bit larger than the one for Godzilla! The Big Guy just can't catch a break in Japan.

Makoto Kamiya, Toshiyuki Honda, and Koichi Kawakita talk about all things Gunhed.

An interesting bit of Gunhed history was briefly on display. Honda-san brought with him the master tape of the Gunhed soundtrack, a picture of which is below.

The talk show lasted quite a while, which was followed by an autograph signing. By this time, I had already gone over-budget, so I didn't purchase any autographs. During this time, I went with my friend Yasushi to an Italian restaurant for some food before the film started.

Ultimately, I arrived back a bit late, so I missed the first few minutes. Overall, I was impressed by the SFX (they've held up very well over the years), I enjoyed the soundtrack, and Brenda Bakke did an excellent job as Sgt. Nim. That said, I still have no idea what the heck is going on in this movie! Granted, I did miss the beginning, but I've never been able to follow the story in any of the times I've seen it. If I'm not mistaken, I think this is the first time I've watched the movie in its entirety (more or less) since the late '90s. It's a very flawed film, but there is interesting stuff in there.