Stopping By for a Visit with Godzilla's Former Boss!

Shogo Tomiyama. Photo by Brett Homenick.

This morning (Friday, March 22), I had the distinct privilege of being invited to visit former Toho president and Godzilla series producer Shogo Tomiyama at his university office. I also came to Tomiyama-san's office three years ago to conduct our in-person interview, but this was my first time to meet him one-on-one there.

Shogo Tomiyama. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The appointment was scheduled for 11:00 a.m., but somehow I arrived quite earlier than I expected. (I guess I got lucky with the train schedule.) It's usually polite to arrive to an appointment about 10 minutes early, but I had to kill more time than I would have expected just to get to the 10-minute mark. But, once the time came, I made my way over to the office and asked for Tomiyama-san.

The university staff knew I was coming, so they immediately informed Tomiyama-san when I arrived. (I must say, they were very friendly.) After that, Tomiyama-san invited me into his office, which is where we talked for about the next 40 minutes. Most of our discussion centered around movies, both new and old, American and Japanese. Naturally, there was a lot of Godzilla talk, but we also discussed some real-world issues. It was all rather enlightening.

After our meeting, we took the photos seen in this blog post. I must thank Tomiyama-san for making time to see me today. He's a true legend of Japanese films, and his steady guidance of the Godzilla series is sorely missed. What a day!

Heisei Godzilla Series Director Kazuki Omori Passes Away at Age 70

Kazuki Omori in July 2019. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The Japan News has just reported the shocking news that film director Kazuki Omori has passed away:

Film director Kazuki Omori, who worked on several Godzilla movies, died of acute myeloid leukemia at a hospital in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on Saturday at age 70.

Mr. Omori was scheduled to appear at a special event in the Tokyo area on Sunday, November 27, making the news of his passing all the more surprising. 

Kazuki Omori poses for a photo with SFX director Teruyoshi Nakano in October 2017. We lost both directors within months of each other. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I was privileged to have met Mr. Omori on several occasions, including being able to interview him on two occasions. He was always approachable and open-minded when it came to such things, which I couldn't always say about others in his profession.

Kazuki Omori with actress Megumi Odaka, who played Miki Saegusa in six Godzilla films, in October 2020. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Mr. Omori, of course, became a part of the Godzilla series when he wrote and directed Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989), which he followed up by performing the same duties on Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991). He also turned in the screenplays for Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992) and Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995). The Heisei Godzilla series was largely written in his voice, and it's no exaggeration to say that the Heisei series was largely driven by Mr. Omori's creative decisions.

Rest in peace, Omori-san. Thank you very much for your kindness.

A Heisei-Style Evening!

Kazuki Omori. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Saturday evening, I was privileged to see director Kazuki Omori again. Given the pandemic, it'd been quite a while since I last met him, but that statement can apply to a lot of people! 

It was a fun evening, and it was also great to see Omori-san's friend Go Ueda again. He is also very nice and fun to talk to.

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.

A Cool Event on a Hot July Day!

Hiroshi Kashiwabara. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Last night, I attended an event that was virtually identical to one from several weeks ago. The headliners were screenwriter Hiroshi Kashiwabara and actress Kanae Hasebe. 

I was particularly excited to hang out with Kashiwabara-san again, as he is just an all-around great guy. Besides, I think the month of July is a great time to hang out with him, as I'm sure the fine folks of Itasca, IL, would certainly agree. Kashiwabara-san wrote (or co-wrote) three Godzilla films from the Heisei and Millennium series, but it's just as much fun to talk to him about a number of other topics.

Kanae Hasebe. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Also on hand was the lovely Kanae Hasebe, the daughter of film and television director Yasuharu Hasebe (Horror Theater Unbalance, Spectreman, Assault! Jack the Ripper). In terms of tokusatsu, she appears in episodes 18 and 19 of Kamen Rider 555 (2003-04) as Sachiko Kurata, as well as episode 5 of Kamen Rider Kiva (2008-09) as a housewife.

I met Hasebe-san a few weeks ago and had a great time in her company. When I found out that Kashiwabara-san and Hasebe-san would be returning for another appearance, it was an opporunity I couldn't pass up. Many thanks for the great evening!

Seeing Godzilla vs. Biollante!

Kazuki Omori and Megumi Odaka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today, I attended a screening of the Heisei Godzilla series classic Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) in 35mm, which is usually considered one of the best entries in the entire series. I was privileged to attend another screening of the film a while back, but I'm glad I got to see this one, too. Naturally, I enjoyed the film immensely, and I agree that it is certainly one of the very best after the Showa era.

But that wasn't all! Also in attendance for the event were writer-director Kazuki Omori and Miki Saegusa actress Megumi Odaka. Their presence at the event certainly added a great deal to what made it special.

Kazuki Omori. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Omori-san talked about watching tokusatsu as a youngster, including every episode of Ultra Q (1966) at the time it aired. A bit later, I enjoyed asking him about working with the Western cast members in both Biollante and Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah.

All in all, it was a great day seeing a great movie in the company of some great folks. October has already proven to be the busiest month in a long time, but it's not over yet! More to come.

An Evening with Mr. Director!

After work on Saturday, October 17, I attended a small event with director Kazuki Omori, who of course wrote and directed several entries in the Heisei Godzilla series. I arrived while the proceedings were already in progress, so I missed a good portion of it. It was a nice time, but it was really the next day that was the standout event. More on that in the next post. 

A Great Day with a Former Toho SFX AD!

Yosuke Nakano. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today, despite heavy rains and winds, I took a long train ride out to the Nerima area to have a visit with former Toho SFX assistant director Yosuke Nakano. Nakano-san began working in that capacity on Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993) an continued on through Rebirth of Mothra II (1997). But he continues to be involved in tokusatsu and animation to this day.

It was great to hear many stories from his career. I'll have more to say about Nakano-san in the near future. Keep your eyes peeled on my other website!

Riding the Orange Road Express!

In between actor Ichiro Ogura (left) and director Kazuki Omori.

Today, I attended a screening of director Kazuki Omori's first studio film, Orange Road Express (1978), produced by Shochiku. Going into the screening, I knew very little about the film, so I had no idea what to expect.

Kazuki Omori. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The film was quite amusing. It's a comedic (and highly stylized) road picture that centers on an elderly couple that steals cars from random people who try to be Good Samaritans. I didn't know until after the screening that Omori-san drew upon the social upheavals happening in Japan in the late 1960s and early '70s for this movie. Even though the content seems rather tame by contemporary standards, it seems that Orange Road Express was quite revolutionary in its day.

I also found out for the first time that Omori-san directed a commercial for the Lawson chain of convenience stores sometime in the 1990s. I wonder if the commercial dealt with time travel and/or bioengineering.

Ichiro Ogura. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Another guest at the event was actor Ichiro Ogura. Born on October 29, 1951, Ogura-san began his acting career in 1964 as a child actor. His film credits include: Nikkatsu's The Black Sheep (1967) as Takeshi Egawa, Ultraman Tiga: The Final Odyssey (2000) as Dr. Yao Naban, and Kamen Rider Hibiki & the Seven Senki (2005) as Suzu's father.

On the small screen, Ogura-san appears in episode 14 of Captain Ultra (1967) as Susumu, and episode 22 of Submersion of Japan (1974-75) as Junichi Ishiguro, among other tokusatsu credits.

It was great to meet Ogura-san for the first time, and I hope to have a chance to do so again in the future.

New Kazuki Omori Interview on Vantage Point Interviews

Kazuki Omori in May 2019. Photo by Brett Homenick.

When I visited Osaka at the end of May, I had the privilege of interviewing Heisei Godzilla series director Kazuki Omori for the second time. Unfortunately, there was only enough time to cover Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) and Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), but there's plenty of great information.

The interview can be found here. Enjoy!

Movie Night, Japanese-Style!

Yoshinobu Kaneko. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Saturday, July 6, I attended a special event with guests Kazuki Omori and Yoshinobu Kaneko.

Kaneko-san would be best known in the U.S. as the young boy in King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) who begs his mother to go see Godzilla, only to be told that they're not going to the zoo. He stars in the title role of the Toei fantasy/action film Watari, Ninja Boy (1966) and co-stars as Blue Shadow in the Toei TV series Red Shadow (1967-68) and the movie spin-off Ninja Scope (1969). He also can be seen in episode 15 of Ultraman (1966-67), among numerous other TV and film appearances.

I had a fun time talking about King Kong vs. Godzilla with Kaneko, especially about the differences between the his mother's line in the U.S. and Japanese versions. He was interested to learn that his mother says "zoo" in the American version. Of course, given that he was a young boy at the time, he has few memories of the shoot. But it was fun chatting with him about his acting career when he was a child.

Kazuki Omori. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The other guest on hand was none other than Heisei Godzilla series screenwriter and director Kazuki Omori. Most folks around Omori-san seemed more interested in discussing various American films instead of Godzilla movies. The discussion of The Godfather Part III was especially amusing, given Omori-san's reactions to Al Pacino's scenery-chewing in the film. 

Overall, it was a very fun night with friendly people. I didn't expect to stay around as long as I did, but it was so much fun that I was in no hurry to leave. Let's do it again soon!

TAKURO TATSUMI: From Destoroyah to Governor?

With actor Takuro Tatsumi in June 2018.

I came across a very interesting bit of news today. Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) attempted recruiting Osaka-born actor Takuro Tatsumi to run for Osaka governor next month, but it was just announced a few hours ago that Mr. Tatsumi has decided against running. 

What makes this news particularly noteworthy is that Takuro Tatsumi was the star of Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995). Having a Godzilla movie star as Osaka governor would have been quite amusing, to say the least, but, given his decision not to run, it appears it will remain just a fun thought experiment. 

Revisiting the Heisei Godzilla Series!

With Megumi Odaka. 

On Saturday, March 9, I attended a special dinner event with two key players from the Heisei Godzilla series. The first of whom was actress Megumi Odaka, who portrayed Miki Saegusa from 1989 until 1995. It certainly wasn't my first time meeting Odaka-san, and even though she had to leave shortly after I arrived, it was great to see her again.

With Shogo Tomiyama.

The other special guest was none other than producer Shogo Tomiyama. Likewise, it was great to see him again, even though things were a bit brief (due to my work schedule).

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah Screened!

In between director Takao Okawara (left) and actor Yasufumi Hayashi. 

Today, I attended a screening of Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995) in 35mm. The film looked better than ever, but I was still underwhelmed by it. Once again, I got bored to distraction during the climactic battle and lost track of what was going on. This never happens to me while watching a Showa-era filn, but it seems to be the norm among the later Heisei films.

One of the guests of honor for the event was actor Yasufumi Hayashi. Hayashi-san is certainly best known in the West for his role as the young wiz kid Kenkichi Yamane in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. He also appears in Nobuhiko Obayashi's The Drifting Classroom (1987) and Ultraman Cosmos 2: The Blue Planet (2002). Hayashi-san had to leave the event rather early due to filming commitments, but I enjoyed meeting him for the brief time I was able to.

Takao Okawara. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Returning as another special guest was director Takao Okawara, who not only helmed this film, but also Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), and Godzilla 2000 (1999). One interesting bit of trivia was that the filmmakers sough out Toyoaki Suzuki, who played Shinkichi in Godzilla (1954), for a cameo. But they were unable to find him. To this day, nobody seems to know what happened to him.

Overall, it was a fun event, and I was especially glad to have the opportunity to see Destoroyah in 35mm for the first time. As a result, I've seen every Heisei Godzilla film on the big screen in 35mm. Not too shabby.

SUKAPIN WALK, DON'T RUN! Director Omori Discusses His Mid-'80s Opus!

Producer Shiro Sasaki (left) and director Kazuki Omori. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today, I attended a screening of one of director Kazuki Omori's pre-Godzilla films. The film was Sukanpin Walk (1984), a sort of Japanese A Star Is Born, headlined by Koji Kikkawa. The movie was enjoyable, though I prefer You Gotta Chance (1985), which is a much more fun and energetic movie, with the same director and star.

Kazuki Omori. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On hand for the event was director Kazuki Omori, best known in the West for his directing Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) and Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991). Naturally, I'm quite familiar with his Heisei Godzilla films, but I've long been interested in his other works. So today was an opportunity I was eager to seize.

With producer Shiro Sasaki.

The other guest of honor was producer Shiro Sasaki. He not only produced today's film but You Gotta Chance, as well. For genre fans, his biggest credit is producing the final film of director Nobuo Nakagawa, The Living Koheji (1982). 

All in all, it was another enjoyable evening. I spent a great deal of the time speaking with Sasaki-san's daughter, who assisted him at the event. Otherwise, it was great to see so many other familiar faces. Can't wait to do it all over again!

Celebrating Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II for Its 25th Anniversary!

 Makoto Kamiya. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Last night, I attended a special gathering of SFX alums from Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993) in Shibuya. In previous years, there were similar gatherings devoted to Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) and Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992), but due to my schedule at the time, I was not able to attend those events.

Several members of GvsMG II's SFX crew were on hand, but the evening's VIP had to be Makoto Kamiya.

Kamiya-san was an assistant director of SFX from Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) through Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, then served in the same capacity on Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995) through Gamera 3 (1999). After that, he became SFX director on GMK (2001) and Shinji Higuchi's Sinking of Japan (2006). Suffice it to say, he's enjoyed plenty of success during his SFX career.

The event was enjoyable, if a bit cramped at times. I made some new friends and rekindled a few old friendships. The event marked the end of a particularly busy week for me, so now I can finally get some rest!

Idol Business!

Kazuki Omori. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today, I saw the movie Shoot! (1994) for the first time, and what better way to see it than in 35mm? The film is an idol drama that focuses on the trials and tribulations of a high school soccer team. It wasn't bad, but I'm afraid this type of movie isn't really my bag. Still, it was interesting to see the film in a screening room full of idol worshipers who cheered at everything their idols did.

The main reason for me to attend was to see the film's director, Kazuki Omori, again. He had quite a few interesting things to say about the film, but lacking a frame of reference for these idols, I wasn't interested enough to keep up. Still, I enjoyed seeing Omori-san again.

WEVE GOT A CHANCE! Taking in an '80s Toho Flick!

Director Omori (left) with his former assistant director Akira Ogata. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today, I had the good fortune to see the Toho release of You Gotta Chance (1985), directed by Kazuki (Heisei Godzilla series) Omori. The movie was quite amusing and contained quite a few parodies and references to other films (most notably the James Bond series). The story chronicles the over-the-top adventures experienced by a popular male idol. Toshio (Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster) Shiba has a featured role, and director Omori himself has a Hitchcock-style cameo as a painter.  

The movie was surprisingly funny, and I quite enjoyed it. It was also cool to see Omori-san again.