THE FINAL WARS CONTINUE! Looking Back on GFW!

Tsuomu Kitagawa. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Saturday, August 25, I attended a special event regarding Godzilla: Final Wars (2004), Toho's controversial 50th anniversary celebration of Godzilla. In attendance were two very notable special guests.

Tsutomu "Tom" Kitagawa was one of the guests, and he was the "man in the Godzilla suit" for all the Millennium series films between Godzilla 2000 (1999) and Godzilla: Final Wars (minus GMK). It had been just under four years since I'd last seen Kitagawa-san, and I was surprised that he recognized me.

Eiichi Asada. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Also on hand was Eiichi Asada. Asada-san served as an assistant director on numerous Toho movies, including: Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), Submersion of Japan (1973), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974), Espy (1974), Conflagration (1975), Zero Pilot (1976), The War in Space (1977), Deathquake (1980), The Imperial Navy (1981), Sayonara Jupiter (1984), and Godzilla 1985, among others. During the Millennium series, he was the special effects director on Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003) and Godzilla: Final Wars. 

Asada-san is a lot of fun to hang out with, and whenever he's a guest, I always make an effort to see him. It was a fun, low-key affair with nothing but great people all around.

DINNER WITH GODZILLA'S SCRIBE! Dining on Japanese Cuisine with Wataru Mimura!

Yours truly with Wataru Mimura, the screenwriter for many Toho kaiju movies in the Heisei and Millennium series. 

I just returned from having a great Japanese dinner with screenwriter Wataru Mimura (Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, Godzilla 2000, Godzilla: Final Wars). While munching on udon noodles, we talked about some of the latest goings-on in the world of Godzilla and swapped stories about some of our mutual friends.

Wataru Mimura strikes a thoughtful pose after finishing his Japanese dinner. Photo by Brett Homenick.

It's great, as always, to catch up with Mimura-san. I hope we have a chance to get together again soon!

UPDATE (7/9/2017): Hm. This is strange. I'm editing some old blog posts, and for some reason, this one from September 8, 2015, seems not to have been published until now. Anyhow, here it is, almost two years later!

CHICAGO COMES TO TOKYO! Director Masaaki Tezuka Hosts a Talk Show Event in Kawasaki!

 Meillennium series director Masaaki Tezuka remembers the late Hiroshi Koizumi during a Q&A event. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Yesterday, an event was held in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, in which director Masaaki Tezuka offered his memories of the great Toho actor Hiroshi Koizumi, who recently passed away. Tezuka-san worked with Koizumi-san on Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003) and had much to say about the beloved actor. Tezuka-san also spoke at length about his career and signed autographs for those in attendance.

Tezuka-san shares a laugh with the audience as the photographer gets a little too artistic. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Despite the lack of self-promoting picture book authors, the event was another success. Tokyo is the undisputed king of the mountain when it comes to movie-related events, and no other place in the world can begin to compare. (Not that that should stop others from trying!)

Tezuka-san signs my DVD sleeve of Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000), which was previously signed by screenwriter Wataru Mimura. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Quite a number of other events are planned for the month of July, so keep it here for photos and reports.