STARMAN FIGHTS THE INVADERS! Shintoho's Superhero Flies into Shibuya!

Poster art for Shintoho's Invaders from Space. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight, I returned to Shibuya Cinemavera to catch a screening of the two-part Starman movie known in the U.S. as Invaders from Space (1957). The two-parter was released to television in the U.S. in the mid-1960s, well after its theatrical run in Japan. 

Unfortunately, the screening was digital (i.e., not a film print). That said, the picture quality wasn't bad, and it exceeded my (admittedly low) expectations. I haven't watched a Starman movie in many years, so I'd forgotten much of the action.

All in all, it was fun stuff. Great to revisit Starman after so many years!

SO LONG, STARMAN! Ken Utsui: 1931-2014

Actor Ken Utsui goes where Superman never dared in Shintoho's Starman series.

Starman actor Ken Utsui passed away on March 14, 2014, of chronic respiratory failure. He was 82. Although Utsui was a prolific actor for many decades, he is best known in the United States as Starman (a.k.a. Super Giant), the Shintoho superhero who fought a bevy of outlandish creatures in the late 1950s.

Rest in peace, Utsui-san.