The King of the Monsters Begins His Purple Reign

Image courtesy of Kaiju No. 14.

If a man is considered guilty

For [putting fake director quotes in official Godzilla books]

Then gimme the electric chair

For all my future crimes, oh

Electric chair

-- Prince, "Batdance"

I firmly believe the Internet should talk about Hideaki Anno less (not more), but this bit of goony nonsense was too amusing to pass up. Last year, an "official" Godzilla book was released, which to this day I've never seen. Until recently, all I knew about it is that one of the authors promised some never-before-seen storyboards (or whatever), upon which a Twitter user pointed out that these would-be exclusives had already been published for years. Other than that, I didn't know much else.

That was until yesterday when I discovered that this "official" tome published an all-time howler, which you can see in the image above. Although I wasn't aware of it at the time, a fake quote attributed to Shin Godzilla (2016) director Hideaki Anno was making the rounds online at the time of the film's release, in which the auteur supposedly named Prince as an inspiration for his movie.

An example can be found here, but, as you can very easily see, the alleged quote was quickly debunked in the comments. So how did it get past our "masterclass" authors and into an official history of the Godzilla series?

That's a great question, but, if past is prologue, I'm afraid we won't get any satisfactory answers. Had this blunder occurred in some other book, either the aforementioned authors themselves or their social-media mouthpieces would be flogging it for years, using it as a cudgel to discredit the poor, duped, disgraced journalist and as proof that only a select few self-appointed experts should cover the genre.

To illustrate this point, another writer who tackled Ishiro Honda in his own biography got put through the ringer for a string of silly typos ("eye-pooping" being the most eye-popping example), which have been used ever since to discredit him and his research. The first Honda book does contain its share of flaws, but I'm pretty sure it didn't contain any fake quotes about how the director got the idea for the film while spinning some Paul Anka records.

Will the stench of this "Purple Rain" gag follow our heroic book authors and DVD commentators the same way that "eye-pooping" has followed the embattled first Honda biographer? Pfft! Who are we kidding? The reaction to the revelation of this gaffe on social media was mostly muted, and folks have already moved on to more pressing topics, like how Rental Family (2025) is pure cinema. 

Happily, this is something we can correct ourselves. Remember the laziness and sloppiness on display here, and make future book-purchasing decisions accordingly.

Evangelion x Shin Kamen Rider Sakaba Opens in Shinjuku for a Limited Time!

A Shin Kamen Rider advertisement near the new toku tavern. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

While walking in between train stations earlier tonight (Sunday, March 26), I happened upon the newly-opened Evangelion x Shin Kamen Rider Sakaba in Kabukicho, Shinjuku. Don't get your hopes up about this new establishment, though. It will only be open from March 10 until May 28. 

I didn't enter it, however, because 1) I had no time, and 2) I wasn't that interested. But I thought it was worth blogging about, so here you go.

'Shin Kamen Rider' (2023)

Shin Kamen Rider at Toho Cinemas Roppongi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

To be perfectly honest, I didn't think I'd even see Shin Kamen Rider (2023). There didn't seem to be much buzz around it -- certainly not among the circle of Toho/Tsuburaya fans I know. The ones I've talked to expressed virtually no interest in it, whether it was due to a lack of familiarity with the Kamen Rider franchise, a lack of interest in the director's work, or a combination thereof. Seemed like a bad sign, but, given all the hype for director Hideaki Anno and his passion project, there had to be something there, right?

The main thing that jumped out at me was how small the production felt. You rarely see more than four characters onscreen at a time. There are barely any extras. There's a lot of location shooting, and what tokusatsu sets we do get are hardly elaborate or memorable. It's minimalist filmmaking. I get that it was shot during the pandemic, and there were (and, in some ways, still continue to be) strict COVID rules in Japan, but plenty of other Japanese films are coming out that don't look like they were shot with a cast you could fit in a phonebooth.

The CGI is bad. SHOCKER member Koumori Augment-01 (an evil human-bat hybrid who moonlights as a scientist) looks downright embarrassing when he flaps around by way of the most unconvincing computer graphics this side of Xena: Warrior Princess. It was so bad that it reminded me of a gif I saw about a year ago from the Mel Brooks flop Dracula: Dead and Loving It, in which Leslie Nielsen's head is poorly superimposed onto a flying bat (before it crashes into a window, to much comedic effect). But at least the Brooks film was trying to go for comedy.

I'm not exactly sure what Shin Kamen Rider or Hideaki Anno were trying to do. It's faithful to the source material -- almost to a fault, much like last year's Shin Ultraman. But it doesn't bring anything new to table. There are a couple of government agents in dark suits, but none of the political commentary of Shin Godzilla (whatever you thought of that film's commentary).

Free Shin Kamen Rider swag given out by the theater staff. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Even as a copy -- or a "love letter" -- it misses the mark. The action is dull and lacks energy. It looked to my eye that Anno was more concerned with how to shoot the fights rather than their choreography. To the extent we see Kamen Rider battle SHOCKER agents, there just isn't anything particularly special here. As usual, they politely wait their turn to get vanquished by the titular hero.

The hero himself leaves a lot to be desired. When I first saw photos of Sosuke Ikematsu as Takeshi Hongo, I couldn't understand why he was cast. I just didn't see it. He didn't seem equipped to fill even a single shoe left by Hiroshi Fujioka, let alone two. And -- wouldn't you know it -- there are no surprises there, either. Ikematsu simply lacks any charisma or screen presence. Toward the end of the movie, Ikematsu has to convey extreme heartbreak and sadness, but it just doesn't work. His acting left me cold. In fact, he gets overshadowed at times by his co-star, actress Minami Hamabe (playing Ruriko Midorikawa), who sometimes seems to be driving the story more than our actual hero. 

As with the other entries in the Shin series, this film is talky. Lots of dialogue and exposition. All the wide-angle lenses in the world can't make that interesting. Show, don't tell. Film is a visual medium. 

That's about all. Speaking anecdotally, it's interesting to me how little impact this movie seems to be having. You couldn't get away from Shin Godzilla or even Shin Ultraman for weeks (if not months) when they were released. It's only been days since this one has been out, and it feels like everyone has already moved on. It's only been hours since I've watched it, and I already have.

Hideaki Anno Exhibition in Roppongi!

Today, I ventured out to Roppongi's National Art Center to take in its Hideaki Anno Exhibition, which runs until December 19. When I first heard about the gallery, I have to admit that I had no interest in it, as I'm not particularly fond of Anno's work. That all changed when I saw that a good portion of the exhibit focused on Showa-era tokusatsu. In fact, it's almost like a small version of the Tokusatsu DNA exhibitions. That settled everything -- I was going.

I'll admit that my interest waned when the exhibition began focusing on Anno's career instead of the tokusatsu that inspired him. That said, the exhibition covers just about everything you'd ever want to know about him. If you were planning to write his biography, I'd even go so far as to say that this exhibition would be a requirement. It's extremely detailed! Anyway, let's get to the highlights.

The Mechagodzilla 2 suit from Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975).

The Moonlight SY-3 from Destroy All Monsters (1968). 

Capsule-1 from Gorath (1962).

The JX-1 Hayabusa from Gorath.

The Gohten from The War in Space (1977).

Another view of the Gohten.

Suits from Return of Ultraman (1971-72).

Flying props from Ultraman (1966-67), Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), and Ultraseven (1967-68).

The rocket from The Space Giants (1966-67). 

Another view of the Jet Jaguar flying prop.

Spectreman, Mirrorman, Ultraseven, Jumborg Ace, and Jumborg 9 masks.

Shin Ultraman, Shin Godzilla, and Shin Kamen Rider.

Smile!

GODZILLA RESURGENCE: "This Is Bad. This IS Bad!"

In October 1995, following the main-event match at WWF In Your House 4: Great White North between WWF champion Big Daddy Cool Diesel and The British Bulldog, company owner Vince McMahon reportedly threw down his headset and declared, "Horrible!" Completely disappointed with the quality of the match, Diesel's title reign would come to an end the following month.

That was my immediate reaction to seeing Godzilla Resurgence (a.k.a. Shin Godzilla), though I think my exact quote was more along the lines of, "Stupid!"

Some spoilers will be contained herein, but really, this movie is so devoid of surprises or excitement that I'm not sure it's even possible to spoil this thing.

Where to begin? Well, for starters, I suppose if you like government bureaucrats with no backstory, no character development, and very little to set them apart from each other aside from their taste in neckties, you might find some enjoyment here. Because that's what the movie is: When Godzilla is not onscreen, the bureaucrats talk to each other. Then they walk down a corridor to resume their talking elsewhere. To spice things up, director Hideaki Anno puts his wide-angle lens to work in order to film extreme closeups of the bureaucrats as they talk -- in case we wanted to see the worried looks on the bureaucrats' pores.

But I really must touch on the absolute worst moment in not just this movie but the entire series. (That is no exaggeration, by the way.)

When Godzilla is attacking Kamata (the site of the first teaser trailer that was released late last year), it's revealed to be an early form of Godzilla. This form of Godzilla looks like a googly-eyed Muppet that got kidnapped from the Sesame Street prop department. It hurriedly crawls around on all fours (!) like a demented hamster in search of a wheel big enough to handle its girth. My jaw literally dropped when I first saw it, but not in the way the filmmakers intended. Of course, given the folks who worked on the film, it too looks like it went to the same plastic surgeon Jack Napier visited in Batman (1989). Suffice it to say, it was hideously stupid and laughably ridiculous. Later on, it transforms into the version we're all now familiar with from the trailers.

If it weren't for his legs or tail, Godzilla would almost never move. He just plods around Tokyo, looking like he had nothing better to do with himself. There's no sense of wonder or awe. There's no sense of what people on the ground must be dealing with. Godzilla's victims are all faceless extras. Everyone we get to know is some bureaucrat who's doing his or her best to look stoic. Trust me, it gets old real quick.

The movie further degenerates from there. Godzilla has the ability to fire lasers from pretty much all parts of his body, and after our first light show, Shin G suddenly decides to go into hibernation until the climax. The military defeats Godzilla in a preposterous way (which even involves the use of commuter trains!), and then it ends.

That's it. There's no story. There's no beginning, middle, or end. It just happens, and then it's done. To say the very least, it's not a satisfying movie-going experience.

To make matters worse, there's constant use of old-school, Tsuburaya-era sound effects throughout the film. So, even though the visuals we're seeing onscreen are meant to recall the real-life horror and devastation of the 3/11 tsunami, the sounds we hear recall the imagination and joy of the Showa Godzilla series. Way to mix your message, guys.

My verdict? It's the worst of the series. Yes, worse than Godzilla '98. But, even more surprisingly, worse than Godzilla (2014), whose biggest crime was simply being bland and boring. This was completely misguided from start to finish, and the lack of a strong producer (like Tomoyuki Tanaka or Shogo Tomiyama), who guided the series for years between different directors and screenwriters, was felt in a big way.

I had a feeling this would be the outcome. I hoped against hope I'd like it, but in the end, my fears that this "visionary filmmaker" (i.e., cartoon director) would end up delivering a stinker were unfortunately confirmed. Let's hope Shin Goji is the last of its kind.

SHIN GODZILLA ATTACKS MUSASHI-KOSUGI! A New Promotional Statue Takes Over the Grand Tree Shopping Mall!

Musashi-Kosugi serves as a filming location in the upcoming Godzilla Resurgence (a.k.a. Shin Godzilla, 2016), and today the Grand Tree Musashi-Kosugi shopping mall unveiled a new promotional statue that gives shoppers an early, up-close look at the revamped King of the Monsters. Enjoy!

TOKUSATSU: Tokyo's Museum of Contemporary Art's SFX Exhibit

Ulf Otsuki and I ravage Tokyo at the city's (temporary) tokusatsu museum.

Much has been written online about Tokyo's Museum of Contemporary Art's tokusatsu exhibit. For some more info, go here. I'm not going to regurgitate the details already posted elsewhere; I'm just going to share my photos! Ulf Otsuki (Godzilla vs. Megalon, Rainbowman, Daitetsujin 17, etc.) attended with me. Most of the museum is off-limits to shutterbugs like yours truly, but there is one area in which pictures are allowed. Here are the highlights.