BOOK ON GODZILLA'S HEROIC YEARS: 1969-1975"Godzilla 'Toho Champion Matsuri' Perfection"

ゴジラが「ぼくらのヒーロー」だった時代！


Spectacular cover for "the" book on the Godzilla films of the '70s!

Finally, the release of a new photo-filled publication, spotlighting the Big G's heroic exploits from 1969-1975, will hit the shelves of Japanese booksellers on November 18th. After months of waiting, the juggernaut imprint, Kadokawa Publishing, has just released the cover and samples from this eagerly-awaited, 176-page tome on the oft glossed-over period of Godzilla's cinematic history.


Sample page of GODZILLA'S REVENGE (Oru Kaiju Daishingeki, 1969).

The "Toho Champion Matsuri" (or festival) were a series of kiddie matinee packages, comprising a feature film and short subjects (episodes of live action and animated teleseries), answering rival Toei's seasonal "Cartoon Festivals." The inaugural program featured Ishiro Honda's MARCH OF THE MONSTERS (released in the US as Godzilla's Revenge and All Monsters Attack) on December 10, 1969.


Sample page of GODZILLA VS. GIGAN (Gojira tai Gaigan, 1972).

The following Champion Festivals included digest versions of the 1960s Godzilla films, with one all-new production per year, geared squarely at children. The exception to this rule was Ishiro Honda's GIANT MONSTERS OF THE SOUTH SEAS (known in the US as Yog, Monster from Space and Space Amoeba), a tribute to the late Eiji Tsuburaya recalling Toho's glory days, released on August 1, 1970.


GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA (Gojira tai Mekagojira, 1974).

The new series, depicting the Big G as a decidedly heroic defender of the Earth, began in earnest on July 24, 1971, with Yoshimitsu Banno's trippy GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH (released in the US as Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster). The next original feature was Jun Fukuda's far more conventional GODZILLA VS. GIGAN (released in the US as Godzilla on Monster Island), on March 12, 1972.


Sections on each of the festivals including promotional materials.

Jun Fukuda's next creature feature, unleashed on March 17, 1973, solidified the Big G's mantle as a kaiju superhero in GODZILLA VS. MEGALO (released in the US as Godzilla vs. Megalon), teaming up in this outlandish, live action cartoon adventure, with an Ultraman-like automaton: Jet Jaguar (or should his name be romanized as "Jet Jaeger"?). Then, our hero faced his bionic double — from space!


Over seven interviews with cast members including Tomoko Ai.

Arguably one of the best rivals created during this period was the centerpiece of Toho's 20th Anniversary Big G actioner, GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA (released in the US as Godzilla vs. Bionic Monster and Godzilla vs. Cosmic Monster) on March 21, 1974. While a more straight-faced production than MEGALO, the space titanium terror would return for a rematch staged by Ishiro Honda.


Special interviews with staff personnel including Teruyoshi Nakano.

Honda's MECHAGODZILLA STRIKES BACK (released in the US as Terror of Godzilla and Terror of Mechagodzilla) on March 15, 1975 was a fitting swan song for the flagging series, stymied by stiff television competition, which was deluged in free kaiju programming. Even though Honda's film harkened back to the glory days of the 1960s, it was too little, too late. The Big G went on vacation.


Archival interviews with late staff personnel including Ishiro Honda.

By 1975, the Champion Festivals had gone from seasonal to annual programs which only showcased revivals of the classic films through 1978 (including one Disney line-up featuring Peter Pan in 1976 and a double feature of Latitude Zero and Mothra in 1977), ending with an uncut reissue of Honda's 1957 classic, THE EARTH DEFENSE FORCE (released in the US as The Mysterians) on March 18, 1978.


Detailed overviews of four unmade Champion Festival Godzilla films.

While there have been several in-depth, historical overviews of the Big G's cinematic history, most revere the early, and more favored, films of Honda and Tsuburaya, with cursory coverage of the '70s entries. Now, we've got an entire book devoted to them in minutia; a veritable, "Everything You Wanted to Know About the '70s Godzilla, But Were Afraid to Ask" (well, if you can read Japanese, that is)!

So, if you've seen or own Kadokawa's previous publications of "Heisei Godzilla Perfection" or "Heisei Gamera Perfection", you know how good this one is going to be (jammed with amazing photographs and measuring 11.3"x 8.3"). Fortunately, you don't need to live in Tokyo to get one — pre-order your own copy of "Godzilla 'Toho Champion Matsuri' Perfection" direct from Amazon Japan for only $36.08!

You'll thank me later. You're welcome.

2013 IS 1973: ZONE, THE SHOOTING STAR MAN April 2, 1973 - September 24, 1973

ゾーンファイト・ パワー!


Eye-bleeding cover of a ZONE children's book (Shogakukan, 1973).

During the height of the Henshin Boom of the early 1970s, every network wanted their own superhero television series, and a number of studios were busy offering them proposals. One of the more conservative was Toho Co., Ltd., who had produced the popular RAINBOWMAN, THE WARRIOR OF PIETY the previous year, they also planned to capitalize on the phenomenon with the conception of GODZILLA VS. MEGALON (1973), which opened in cinemas on March 17th — featuring the very superheroic sidekick, Jet Jaguar.

Hot on it's heels, Toho and Mannensha Co. Ltd. unleashed ZONE, THE SHOOTING STAR MAN (shortened to ZONE FIGHTER for overseas sales) for the NTV (Nippon Television) network, with feature film monsters Godzilla, King Ghidorah, and Gigan appearing as guest stars (the Big G appears in five episodes). For 26 colorful and exciting episodes, Zone Fighter and his siblings sally forth against the vile alien forces of Garoga to protect their adopted home from destruction and bring peace to all mankind — with the help of Godzilla, of course!

2013 IS 1973: "GODZILLA VS. MEGALON" Toho Champion Festival, March 17, 1973

ゴジラとジャガーでパンチ！パンチ！パンチ！


Media Blasters' jacket for the first legit North American DVD release.

The 13th entry in the Godzilla film series is probably the most maligned and lambasted, even more than the infamous GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH (1971), and is also the most misunderstood of them all. Directed by Jun Fukuda, GODZILLA VS. MEGALON was looked upon by film critics in the US as a joke, "Is this what the Japanese are passing off as science fiction these days?" (Cinefantastique), and not realizing that the film was intended, from its inception, as a Kiddie Matinee presentation — part of Toho's Champion Festival programs, packaged with several short subjects: Isao Takahata's animated featurette, PANDA! GO, PANDA! THE RAINY DAY CIRCUS, Masahiro Takase's GO ON, YOUTH!, and a television episode of the Fujio Fujiko animated series KUROBEI OF THE JUNGLE.

Additionally, MEGALON was also cashing in on the Henshin Boom taking television by storm, by throwing a superheroic android into the mix: Jet Jaguar. Meanwhile, Toho launched a spin-off production of its own, ZONE FIGHTER, which premiered on Nippon Television a mere sixteen days later. So, the proceedings in MEGALON aped the wild and bombastic flavor of the pop culture currents — including a song by Guinness World Record recording artist, Masato Shimon. While MEGALON sold the least tickets of the previous entries, it also saw a limited release, but was a hit in the US three years later. For all of its childish histrionics, which are generally mortifying to grownups, MEGALON indeed strikes a cord in youngsters — the film's intended audience — and who's going to argue with that?

OWN IT TODAY: Last August, the Media Blasters label finally issued GODZILLA VS. MEGALON on R1 DVD with both the original Japanese audio (w/English Subtitles) and the English Dubbing, which can be obtained through retailers and online services such as Amazon.com.

"GODZILLA VS. MEGALON" COMING TO R1 DVD! First Official Home Video Release In The Works

GODZILLA VS. MEGALON ©1973 Toho Co,, Ltd.

Right off of the bat, I have to begin by stating that this is not some April Fool's post. Now, after more than three decades of questionable cropped and dupey public domain copies of Jun Fukuda's ultimate kids monster movie, GODZILLA VS. MEGALON (1973) is finally getting the deluxe, anamorphic release that it deserves, according to some sources. Sure, most serious Godzilla fans seem to revile its mere existence, because of its singular attempt at imitating the colorful, kinetic, and psychotronic Terebi Manga and Henshin Hero programs which had taken over the Japanese airwaves and seized the minds of tens of millions of viewers, at that time. Hence the faux Ultraman stand-in, Jet Jaguar. While it was a far cry from the original GODZILLA (1954), MEGALON was emblematic of trends in Japanese pop culture in the early-to-mid 1970s.

After the release of DESTROY ALL MONSTERS in 1968, Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka thought that if Godzilla were to continue, the films would be specifically made and marketed to children. Starting in 1969, with the release of Honda's GODZILLA'S REVENGE the subsequent films were issued as part of Toho's "Champion Festivals", a package of cartoons and re-edited kaiju eiga to keep kiddies occupied for hours, while their mothers shopped in peace. While it is far more polished than its predecessor, GODZILLA VS. GIGAN (1972), MEGALON is far more juvenile — like a kid's daydream — right in step with Tanaka's dictum. While the battlefields are sparse, and the city-destruction relegated to stock footage, there are some nice miniature effects (the destruction of the dam), with impressive photography by Yuzuru Aizawa (DESTROY ALL MONSTERS).

As for the proposed upcoming release, according to a relative of one of the people who worked on MEGALON, a licensed Special Edition is being prepped, and will be replete with special features — including an audio commentary — which are underway or being negotiated for this proposed anamorphic release for the US market. It is not known whether MEGALON will be issued on DVD and/or Blu-ray at this writing, but we have been told that the film has is being licensed by Media Blasters. The New Jersey-based label made a mark issuing a number of classic Toho Fantasy Films, including THE MYSTERIANS (1957), MATANGO (1963), and ATRAGON (1963). Previously, MEGALON was offered to Sony, when they picked up a number of Godzilla titles for release in 2004/05, but passed due to a glut of public domain releases.

In any case, will GODZILLA VS. MEGALON finally be released in all of its scrumtrulescent glory for American fans to rejoice? Toho is notorious for being difficult to work with and Media Blasters' recent stability has been in question, so let's hope that they both can come to a quick agreement and get the wheels on this running as soon as possible. Personally, I can't wait to see a visibly embarrassed Robert Dunham wearing a silky toga and silver tiara in glorious HD, and turn up the volume on legendary vocalist Masato Shimon singing "Godzilla & Jaguar, Punch! Punch! Punch!" — and let myself be transported back to 1976, when things were more simpler and sweeter for children, and Godzilla was our undefeatable King of the Monsters!

Note: Please read this important update!