SUPER FESTIVAL 95! Returning to Tokyo's Big Toy Show!

I wanted one of these back in the '80s. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Sunday, September 27, I returned to the Science Museum to wander around Super Festival 95. I was genuinely surprised the number has gotten that high, but it's probably been a few years since I was last there. If I'm being honest, I was done a lot sooner than I expected. It all just looked the same to me, and there wasn't much of interest going on. I did spend money, though -- I bought some vintage cards of movies like Monster from a Prehistoric Planet (1967), The X from Outer Space (1967), and Gamera vs. Monster X (1970). I also bought a few DVDs and Blu-rays -- all non-tokusatsu -- that caught my fancy. 

And that's about it. I even struggled to find interesting things to photograph, as it mostly seemed so old-hat, but I captured what I thought was most fun. I also snapped a few selfies in my WCW Nitro Grill polo that I bought from Sonny Onoo on eBay in 2024. I actually bought two, but the black version disintegrated when I put it in the wash. Oh, well. At least I still have the version Ole Anderson can be seen wearing in Black Saturday episode of Dark Side of the Ring.  

Pictures are below. Enjoy!

Setting the Stage for a Great Evening!

With Hiroyasu Yamaura.

 

On Sunday, September 20, I attended a performance of Antony and Cleopatra as written and adapted by screenwriter Hiroyasu Yamaura. The show was held at the usual venue in Kawasaki City, and it was another fun one.

I hadn't seen Yamaura-san in about two and a half years, so he was surprised to see me again. When I arrived, I only intended to see the show, spend a few minutes visiting Yamaura-san, and then move on to the next thing.

But I didn't realize that there would be post-show dinner, and I got invited to it. Well, it changed the rest of my plans for that night, but it was an offer I couldn't refuse.

The show attracted a packed house, despite having other performances during the weekend. It was a hit with the audience, but then it was time to break everything down before going dinner.

I pitched in with taking down curtains and helping to erase the whiteboard with some information about the show. That might not sound like a whole lot, but, trust me, it took endless amounts of elbow grease to get anywhere near finished.

I don't know what they used, but it did not come off easily. By the time we left, the job wasn't even finished. I sure hope they never use that stuff again!

We made our way to a nearby Japanese restaurant with the cast, crew, and just a few others. I was privileged that Yamaura-san sat next to me for the night, and we had a fun conversation for the remainder of the evening. It was as if no time had passed at all.

When I we were leaving and saying our goodbyes, one of the stars of the shows said to me, "I love ikemen." I thought that was kind of her. I'm just glad she didn't say "ike boys."

And that's a wrap! Let's do it again really soon.

PIGMON TURNS 70! Actor-Singer Hiroshi Chiba Celebrates His Birthday in Concert!

Hiroshi Chiba performs onstage. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Friday, September 18, I made my way to Yotsuya to attend a special birthday-themed concert held by Hiroshi Chiba. Of course, Chiba-san's actual birthday falls on September 19, but the big celebration took place the night before.

Mariko Matsuoka presents a birthday cake to Hiroshi Chiba. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Chiba-san (under the stage name Masahiro Oyake) played Pigmon as a suit actor in episode 37 of Ultraman (1966-67). He also appears in human form in episode 36 of the same series. In the movies, he played the main character Tetsugoro (who was performed by Hideki Takahashi) as a boy in the Nikkatsu actioner Family Crest: Man against Death (1969). Another role of his is in Tsugunobu Kotani's film F2 Grand Prix (1984), starring Ken Tanaka and Katsuhiko Sasaki.

Mariko Matsuoka and actress Nikki Morita (right) look on as Hiroshi Chiba blows out the candles on his birthday cake. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Chiba-san also played Yasohachi Yamagishi in a series of Nikkatsu films based on the risque Go Nagai manga called Harenchi Gakuen ("Shameless School"), namely: Harenchi Gakuen: Shintai Kensa no Maki (1970), Harenchi Gakuen: Tackle Kiss no Maki (1970), and Shin Harenchi Gakuen (1971).

With Mariko Matsuoka.

His best-known role (in Japan, at least) would have to be his appearances as a regular on the massively popular TV series G-Men '75 (1975-82), playing Detective Akio Taguchi from 1979 through 1981. In fact, about halfway through a concert, a salaryman who probably already had a bit too much to drink, entered the venue and shouted to Chiba-san, who was onstage, how much he loved Chiba-san on G-Men '75. Later on, when Chiba-san was singing, he started waving around several pieces of paper that, near as I could tell, were printouts that featured images from the show on them. Kinda amusing but reallllllly weird.

By far, the highlight of the evening for me was running into Mariko Matsuoka again. When she saw me, she exclaimed how surprised she was to see me and gave me a big hug. I came prepared and brought my Kamen Rider Amazon (1974-75) Blu-ray set, and an Ultraman Leo (1974-75) booklet, to get signed.

Of course, Matsuoka-san plays android girl Carolyn in episode 24 of Ultraman Leo, Ritsuko Okamura in Kamen Rider Amazon, Misaki Minekawa in episode 29 of Akumaizer 3 (1975-76), episode 32 of UFO Great War Fight! Red Tiger (1978), and Jun in episode 37 of Kyoryu Sentai Koseidon (1978-79). She also appears in the Fumio Ishimori-penned Shochiku film Frozen River (1976) as Harumi Hayata.

We live about a train station apart and discussed getting together in the future. Looking forward to that!

Congrats to Hiroshi "Pigmon" Chiba on turning the big 7-0!

Ultraman: Towards the Storage Unit!

Ultraman sez, "Keep it!" Photo by Brett Homenick.

 

While out and about today, I spied not one but two storage units (owned and operated by the same company, of course) that prominently use Ultraman to advertise their services. It was certainly unexpected -- maybe they'll bring in Ultraman to host Storage Wars!

An Ultra-Good Q&A on Vantage Point Interviews!

Photo © Todd Gilbert.

Screenwriter Bud Robertson gives us a rare look at Americanizing Ultraman in the 1990s for Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero (1995) in this brand-new interview with many never-before-seen images -- only on Vantage Point Interviews!

Fumio Ishimori, Writer of 'Kamen Rider,' 'Zone Fighter,' and 'Ultraman Ace,' Passes Away at 93

Fumio Ishmimori with a Zone Fighter DVD in April 2017. Photo by Brett Homenick.

According to his official Facebook page, screenwriter Fumio Ishimori (sometimes credited as Shiro Ishimori) passed away on June 9. He was 93.

Born on July 31, 1931, Mr. Ishimori began his screenwriting career in the early 1960s, primarily working for Nikkatsu Studios during most of the 1960s, before transitioning to Shochiku before the end of the decade.

With Fumio Ishimori in April 2017.

In total, Mr. Ishimori wrote more than 70 movie screenplays, penning the scripts for the films Fearless Comrades (1966), A Warm Misty Night (1967), Toshio Masuda’s Monument to the Girl’s Corps (1968), The Rendezvous (1972), Journey into Solitude (1972), Toho’s Horror of the Wolf (1973), Galaxy Express 999 (1979), and Nobuhiko Obayashi’s The Rocking Horsemen (1992).

Fumio Ishimori stands outside a theater in Asakusa where a play he had written was performed in September 2016. Photo by Brett Homenick.

In terms of TV tokusatsu, he wrote Kamen Rider (1971-73) episodes 47, 50, 76, 83, 89, and 90, Ultraman Ace (1972-73) episodes 37 and 44, and Zone Fighter (1973) episode 20 (under the pen name Shiro Ishimori).

But his tokusatsu connections run even deeper — his maternal cousin was famed manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. 

Fumio Ishimori in Asakusa after his play was performed in January 2020. Photo by Brett Homenick.

In November 2020, I had the distinct privilege of interviewing Mr. Ishimori about his prolific screenwriting career. I had come to respect and admire Mr. Ishimori since our first meeting in early 2016 that I was determined to share his story in English with the rest of the world. Mr. Ishimori was, without a doubt, one of the kindest gentlemen I met while I was in Japan. 

With Fumio Ishimori in October 2020.

As he got older, he became much less active, and I never met him again after we completed our interview. Mr. Ishimori stopped going out, although he continued to offer screenwriting lectures via Zoom. I wanted to meet him one last time before leaving Japan, but it was sadly not to be. I'm pleased that I was able to record Mr. Ishimori's screenwriting memories in my interview with him.

Rest in peace, Ishimori-sensei. Thank you for your kindness.

Kaiju Eiga Secrets Revealed in New Q&A on Vantage Point Interviews!

Yoshio Suzuki in March 2024. Photo by Brett Homenick.

A new vintage account is now available on Vantage Point Interviews -- this time with Yoshio Suzuki, one of the five original suitmakers for the original Godzilla (1954). For the first time in English, Mr. Suzuki recounts his career at both Toho and Tsuburaya Productions, covering everything from the first two Godzilla movies to the enigmatic North Korean kaiju epic Pulgasari (1985).

It's all here in this brand-new Q&A from Vantage Point Interviews!

Eizo Yamagiwa, Director of Various Ultra-Shows, Passes Away at 92

Eizo Yamagiwa in July 2022. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Longtime Ultra-series director Eizo Yamagiwa passed away on November 28 at a Tokyo hospital from sepsis due to old age. A private funeral has already been held. He was 92. 

Born on July 22, 1932, Eizo Yamagiwa began his career in the film industry at Shintoho in the mid-1950s as an assistant director. During his time at the studio, he worked on the seventh entry in the Starman film series, Super Giant: The Space Mutant Appears (1958), which was one of the three Starman features that was eventually edited into the American release Evil Brain from Outer Space. 

Ultra-series alumni Shozo Uehara (left), Toshihiro Iijima (center), and Eizo Yamagiwa enjoy a chat in March 2016. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Yamagiwa-san also worked as an assistant director under Teruo Ishii at Shintoho before launching his career as a director of film and television. At Tsuburaya Productions, Yamagiwa-san directed episodes 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 28, 29, 34, and 35 of Return of Ultraman (1971-72), episodes 3, 4, 9, 10, 15, 16, 21, 22, 28, 29, 38, and 39 of Ultraman Ace (1972-73), episodes 1, 2, 3, 10, 11, 14, 20, 21, 24, 25, 39, 40, 47, 48 (as well as episode 28 as special effects director) of Ultraman Taro (1973-74), and episodes 50 and 51 of Ultraman Leo (1974-75).

Mitsuhiro Sano, Keiji Takamine, Eizo Yamagiwa, and Shigemitsu Taguchi gather at an Ultraman Ace reunion in February 2019. Photo by Brett Homenick.

He also helmed episodes 3, 4, 14, and 15 of Silver Kamen (1971-72), episode 4 of Horror Theater Unbalance (1973), episodes 11 and 13 (as well as episode 11 as co-scriptwriter with Ei Ogawa) of Jekyll and Hyde (1973), and episodes 8, 9, 16, and 17 of the Submersion of Japan TV series (1974-75).

I first met Yamagiwa-san in March 2016 at a book-launch party for an Ultra Q (1966) tome. There were numerous luminaries in attendance from the world of tokusatsu, and Yamagiwa-san was among them. Even though I didn't know who he was at the time, Yamagiwa-san seemed surprised that an American was at the event, so he approached me. He gave me his business card, and, bowled over that he would come up and introduce himself to me, I asked that we take a picture together. Of course, it didn't take long for me to become familiar with Yamagiwa-san's work.

Eizo Yamagiwa in February 2019. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Over the years, we met several times at events and a couple of times on a personal level. In fact, a month after we first met, we went to a Chinese restaurant in Shibuya together and ate dinner. At that dinner, Yamagiwa-san signed and gave me a book about Return of Ultraman in which he participated as an interviewee. We also talked about various movies from around the world we enjoyed. One title I recall that Yamagiwa-san cited was 8 1/2 (1963). However, when I mentioned Ed Wood (1994), another movie about moviemaking, he wasn't familiar with it, which was to be expected.

Shigemitsu Taguchi (left), Eizo Yamagiwa (center), and Akihiko Iguchi gather to discuss their work on the '70s Ultra-series in November 2016. Photo by Brett Homenick.

As Yamagiwa-san got older, however, it became more and more difficult to meet up. I'd still catch him at an event here and there, but, when I would call him, we couldn't seem to get our schedules to match.

Eizo Yamagiwa interviewed at his home in November 2020. Photo by Brett Homenick.

In 2020, I began doing interviews again in a big way, and I was pleased that Yamagiwa-san agreed to do one with me. In fact, in the beginning, he wasn't sure he would participate at all. I guess he felt he'd given enough interviews on his work in the Ultra-series and wasn't too keen on doing any more. So he wanted to see a sample of the questions I wanted to ask before accepting.

With Eizo Yamagiwa in June 2018.

My translator mailed him the translated version of my questions, which covered a wide variety of topics, including his early life and his work at Shintoho, with the Starman series. It was apparently enough to get him to agree to the interview, as we conducted it just a few weeks later.

Eizo Yamagiwa next to his bookshelf in November 2020. Photo by Brett Homenick.

We did the interview at Yamagiwa-san's home in Eifuku. It was a fascinating history, and I'm very glad he shared it with me. I was especially interested in hearing about his work on the Starman series. In fact, after the interview, I told Yamagiwa-san how I first saw clips of the Starman movies on the old Muppet Babies cartoon show in America. I wanted to point out how the Starman movies became part of American pop culture in surprising ways. His reaction? I'll do my best at an exact quote from memory: "If that had been Japan, I would have tried to sue them." I guess my anecdote didn't go over very well.

Ultra-series veterans Susumu Kurobe (left), Mitsuko Hoshi (center), and Eizo Yamagiwa share the stage in June 2018. Photo by Brett Homenick.

My other memory from the interview is that Yamagiwa-san wanted his photo taken next to his bookshelf so that people could see his collection. I guess he was quite proud of it!

I last saw Yamagiwa-san at an event in July 2022. It was great to see him again there, and I finally was able to get him to sign something Starman-related. I had a DVD sleeve made from cardstock from an old Mill Creek 50-movie pack that included Evil Brain from Outer Space. I brought it for Yamagiwa-san to sign, and I told him it was the U.S. version of the Starman movie he worked on. I remember he did a great job of reading the U.S. title out loud from the DVD sleeve, which was fun to see.

After the event, I bumped into him again by chance as he was getting into a taxi as he was leaving. I said goodbye to him again as he entered the vehicle to go home. Little did I know I'd never see him in person again.

With Eizo Yamagiwa in November 2020.

To the best of my memory, I called him in May 2023, asking to meet up. He told me he was too old, so he had to decline my request. When I knew I was leaving Japan, I asked a mutual friend to try to arrange a meeting, hoping he would have better luck, but that didn't work, either. I wish I could have met him again before I left.

With Eizo Yamagiwa in July 2022.

Rest in peace, director. Your legacy in film lives on.