The Shinji Nishikawa and Yuji Kaida art gallery in Shibuya. Photo by Brett Homenick.
For a very limited time at Shibuya Parco, there was a gallery dedicated to the art of Shinji Nishikawa and Yuji Kaida, two veterans of the tokusatsu world. The art on display focused mainly on Shin Ultraman and SSSS.Dynazenon, and none of it featured Godzilla.
Yuji Kaida's rendition of Eleking. Photo by Brett Homenick.
I had a bit of time to visit earlier today, which was pretty good timing, given that it was the last day the gallery would be open. It was held in the same spot in Shibuya Parco that the Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) Hedorah suit was on display last year. When I entered, I was given a pack with four coasters. Not sure which characters are featured on them yet since I haven't opened it, but I hope the coasters come in handy one day.
Shinji Nishikawa brings the kaiju to life! Photo by Brett Homenick.
Photography was not allowed in the gallery, except for the above drawings, one done by each artist. It was a fun exhibit, but I was done pretty quickly. I'll admit that I thought the Hedorah exhibit last year was a lot more interesting, but I'm grateful for any kaiju-related events that come my way.
With Shinji Nishikawa, Hiroshi Kashiwabara, and Wataru Mimura.
On Saturday evening, May 5, I attended another special event, this time with three special guests. Screenwriters Wataru Mimura and Hiroshi Kashiwabara were in the house, as was kaiju designer and illustrator Shinji Nishikawa.
With Hiroshi Kashiwabara.
Of all the guests, I spent the most time speaking with Hiroshi Kashiwabara. Kashiwabara-san is a big fan of classic American action films, especially those with John Wayne and Steve McQueen. We spent quite a bit of time talking about those kinds of movies. Along the way, I managed to work in a reference to Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla (1994), which Kashiwabara-san wrote.
Shinji Nishikawa. Photo by Brett Homenick.
It was also great to see Shinji Nishikawa again, as it had been a while since I last saw him. A young film student is in the process of shooting a documentary about him, and she was filming a lot of the proceedings. She herself is a Godzilla fan and is well versed in the genre.
Hiroshi Kashiwabara mugs for the camera. Photo by Brett Homenick.
And so that concludes another fun evening with cool, laid-back guests. It probably goes without saying that I really enjoyed myself, and hope to see them all again very soon.
When thinking about the most talented artists in the world of Godzilla, one would be hard-pressed to come up with a name other than Noriyoshi Ohrai, Yuji Kaida, or Shinji Nishikawa. So, with the release of the first animated Godzilla movie less than a month away, a special exhibit on the 8th floor of Tower Records in Shibuya gives Godzilla fans the opportunity to study their original paintings up close.
And what excellent work it is. All sorts of kaiju are in display. Even Jet Jaguar gets his due! There are even some design sketches, most notably for Biollante. Shin Godzilla was also well represented among the artwork.
But the highlight for me by far was seeing Noriyoshi Ohrai's paintings for the Heisei- and Millennium-era movie posters. The detail was incredible, and I'm not sure I'd ever seen the paintings without the movie titles at the bottom. Suffice it to say, those paintings received the bulk of my attention.
As you buy your ticket (800 yen), you can choose from several Nishikawa-illustrated kaiju coasters free of charge. I chose the Space Godzilla one.
At the end of the gallery, of course, was a gift shop with lots of goodies for sale. I even picked up a couple of items. Nothing too expensive, natch. Just some postcards with Ohrai's Heisei-era poster art and a file folder with Ohrai's Godzilla 1985 poster art.
Godzilla Generation runs from October 27 until November 19. Be sure to check it out while you can!
From left to right: Toshio Miike, Fuyuki Shinada, and Shinji Nishikawa. Photo by Brett Homenick.
Tonight, I was privileged to spend the evening in the company of three Godzilla series alumni who work behind the camera.
Shinji Nishikawa shows off his amazing Biollante rendering. Photo by Brett Homenick.
Kaiju designer and illustrator Shinji Nishikawa was on hand, and I found myself the proud recipient of the above Biollante illustration. It is truly remarkable!
Toshio Miike. Photo by Brett Homenick.
Also there was SFX art director and production designer Toshio Miike, whose credits date back to the Heisei series of Godzilla (and Gamera) movies, though his most recent credit in the series is Shin Godzilla (2016).
I've run into Miike-san a few times this year at various events, and he is always a great guy to chat with me. It was enjoyable talking about our favorite Godzilla movies. (Miike-san is quite partial to Monster Zero and Destroy All Monsters).
Fuyuki Shinada. Photo by Brett Homenick.
In a bit of a suprise, Fuyuki Shinada returned and joined the festivities. I guess he must have enjoyed himself last week enough to come back!
As always, he (like the other guests) was a blast to hang out with.
I really enjoyed seeing Nisjikawa-san illustrate Biollane, but I was floored when he gave the illustration to me. If anything is too cool to have, that would have to be it.
The one and only Sadao Iizuka. Photo by Brett Homenick.
Sunday, November 27, saw another special event with Sadao Iizuka, the optical effects wizard who began his tokusatsu career with the original Godzilla (1954) and continued throughout much of the Showa era.
Due to a previous engagement, I had to miss the Q&A part of the evening, but I was able to join the dinner portion. It was a lot of fun hanging out with Iizuka-san, who always has new stories to tell.
Shinji Nishikawa and Sadao Iizuka. Photo by Brett Homenick.
A surprise guest at the event was kaiju designer and illustrator Shinji Nishikawa. Nishikawa-san has worked on countless tokusatsu films from the Heisei and Millennium eras, so all three timelines were well represented tonight.
It was great to see Iizuka-san and Nishikawa-san again, but I hope to be able to join the next event in its entirety. We'll see how it goes.
Sadao Iizuka poses with an old friend. Photo by Brett Homenick.
Many thanks to everyone who made my return to Sagamihara so much fun!
Manga artist and kaiju designer Shinji Nishikawa poses with a '93 Mechagodzilla toy. Photo by Brett Homenick.
Tonight I enjoyed a great evening with Godzilla series designer Shinji Nishikawa. Having worked on everything from Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) to Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) and just about everything in between, Nishikawa-san has certainly made an indelible impact on the series.
Yours truly with another fan's Mosugoji puppet.
The event was an informal dinner of Godzilla fans who gathered in a restaurant in Kichijoji. Many familiar faces were on hand, but I also got to meet new friends. Many cool items were passed around, ranging from kaiju puppets to obscure books. It was a veritable collectors' paradise!
Godzilla series composerAkira Ifukube enjoys a reunion with G-Force's Mechagodzilla. Photo by Brett Homenick.
Nishikawa-san was the guest of honor, and even though I've encountered him at other events over the years in Japan (dating as far back as 2011), this was my first time to get to know him. I found him to be extremely warm and welcoming. It was great to share a few laughs with him this evening.
Hanging out with Shinji Nishikawa -- a very nice and friendly gent!
Suffice it to say, a fun time was had by all. Afterward, most of our group headed to a local McDonald's to continue the conversation, but I had to pack it in. (Working on Saturdays has its drawbacks.) I'll just have to wait for the next event. Thanks to everyone who had this night one for the history books!
Producer Shogo Tomiyama (left) and director Masaaki Tezuka (right) pose for photos at Loft Plus One in Tokyo. Photo by Brett Homenick.
March 22 saw a talk show and autograph signing at Loft Plus One in Shinjuku, attended by Godzilla series producer Shogo Tomiyama, Godzilla series director Masaaki Tezuka, and illustrator Shinji Nishikawa. The event celebrated the launch of Tomiyama-san's new book, Godzilla's Management, which chronicles his experiences working as Godzilla's boss.
During the event, a special message from Megumi Odaka, who played Miki Saegusa throughout the Heisei series, was read on her behalf. She congratulated Tomiyama-san on the launch of his new book. Odaka-san is interviewed in Godzilla's Management.
While autographs were being signed, a raffle took place in which many coveted items were given away to audience members. One such prize was the actual newspaper headlines used in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), including the infamous headline which heralds the arrival of a "shinig" UFO in the "ski" of Tokyo. As luck would have it, my friend Yasushi ended up winning this unusual piece of G-history!
Overall, the event was enjoyable, but as is quite common with events hosted by Cast Co., fans are rushed through the autograph line, and there are no opportunities to pose for photos. Still, Cast Co. events are usually much cheaper than those that offer photo sessions, so I suppose it's a bit of a trade-off.
After the event, Yasushi and I were joined by other fans and professionals, and we had drinks at a local cafe. We talked about various subjects and had a great time. I'm already looking forward to the next event, whatever it may be!
Meeting Masaaki Tezuka, director of Godzilla x Megaguirus (2000), Godzilla x Mechagodzilla (2002), and Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003). My thanks to screenwriter Wataru Mimura to introducing us via the magic of e-mail prior to the event.
How did you celebrate Godzilla's birthday?
On November 3, 2011, an event was held at the Shinepatosu theater in Ginza, Tokyo, celebrating not only Godzilla's 57th birthday, but also the films of arguably The Big G's greatest foe: Mechagodzilla.
The event was built around the screening of three Mechagodzilla films, all of which had (basically) the same title. The 1974, 1993, and 2002 versions of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla were shown on the theater's big screen, making these the first (but hopefully not last) G-films I've seen theatrically in Japan.
Fans line up in anticipation of the event.
One of the coolest aspects of the event was a free souvenir each attendee received just for showing up. In this case, it was a toy replica of Professor Miyajima's "powerful pipe" from Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974).How long will this toy stay in its plastic? Forget "collectibility"; I want to play with it!
Finally, a toy I actually want! How about fewer vinyl figures and more stuff like this?
As great as it was to see Godzilla movies on the silver screen, celebrity guests are always the highlight of any such event for me. The first guest was Reiko Tajima, who played G vs. MG's heroine in the 1974 version.
Unfortunately, either she or her management stipulated that no photographs could be taken, which was a bit of a disappointment. Still, she gave out (pre-signed) autographs to attendees, and I had the pleasure of speaking with her in English. (She seems to speak it pretty well, but our conversation was rather brief.)
After Mechagodzilla '74 was screened, a surprise guest entered the room...
Straight from the Third Planet of the Black Hole, Kuronuma (and Mugar!) conquers Ginza with his alien technology!
The great Goro Mutsumi, who played the alien leader in both Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and Terror of Mechagodzilla,gave an interview onstage about his career. The interview touched on such subjects as The War in Space and Espy, making me really regret not understanding Japanese!
Although I didn't have a chance to meet him, something did happen that (almost) makes up for that. When Mr. Mutsumi took the stage, he shouted to the audience, "Alpha!" I was the first to yell back, "Centaurus!" (Mr. Mutsumi did the same thing at the end of his interview.) It doesn't get any cooler than that!
In case you still aren't satisfied with the amount of special guests on hand, here's SFX director Teruyoshi Nakano, along with G-series directors Takao Okawara and Masaaki Tezuka.
The parade of Godzilla celebrities continued with the arrival of Teruyoshi Nakano (SFX director from 1971-1984), Takao Okawara (director of Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla '93, Godzilla vs. Destroyah,and Godzilla 2000), and Masaaki Tezuka (Millennium series G-director).These three gentlemen discussed their respective Mechagodzilla movies to the enjoyment of those present.
But wait! There's more!
Shinji Nishikawa, Akihiko Iguchi, Teruyoshi Nakano, Takao Okawara, Masaaki Tezuka, Wataru Mimura, and Wataru Fukuda pose for audience photos.
Even more guests took the stage and signed autographs. Kiryu designer Shinji Nishikawa, Mechagodzilla '74's designer Akihiko Iguchi, MG '93 and '02 screenwriter Wataru Mimura, and MG '93 suit actor Wataru Fukuda joined the impressive roster of talent on hand and were happy to meet their fans.
Wataru Mimura, Shinji Nishikawa, and Akihiko Iguchi wait for the next batch of fans to come by.
More talk-show interviews followed, including an impressive look at the designs of '70s-era Toho kaiju, including Mechagodzilla, King Seesar, Megalon, and others!
How they made Mechagodzilla: The secrets were revealed by designer Akihiko Iguchi!
All in all, it was a very impressive event. The only downside was that the guests didn't mingle with the audience much at all (and, in some cases, not at all), which was disappointing. The autograph lines were cramped and rushed, and even then it was impossible to pose for photos with guests. Still, it was a great event, and, considering all the autographs and books I came home with, I'm very glad I went.
Making a new friend at Hibiya's Godzilla statue.
Following the event, I paid a visit to the nearby Godzilla statue in Hibiya. Two female G-fans from the MG event arrived shortly after I did. One of them spoke English fairly well, and we exchanged phone numbers. We can say we met at the Godzilla statue!
Oh, and if you'd like to see video of the event, you're in luck! I captured some of the highlights on my video camera, and they are linked below.
