Kaiju in AKAKAGE (part 2)
The Red Shadow kid’s TV series ran 52 episodes over two years. Six of those episodes were later cut together into movies released under titles like Ninjascope (The Magical World of the Ninjas) in Australia and Latin America. They were … Continued
Kaiju in AKAKAGE (part 1)
Seems Japan has been beset by giant monsters forever, and luckily for us today heroes like Ultraman are around to fend them off. But in the fuedal era, centuries before any space-faring monster fighters, laser-weilding science patrols or little kids … Continued
Coming soon: Watari and Watari…
Somehow, it’s the last week of October… Time flies when you’re running around in an Oni mask like a maniac. Actually, some mid-month travel put a dent in what I wanted to be a more prolific output for MONSTERS AND … Continued
Wizards in theatre masks (part 2)
Let’s see what becomes of this ‘ornery Oni, this clandestine kabuki killer, this… maniacal maladjusted masked magician… Gotta admit, at film’s end I’m kinda lost. They seem to switch villains, going after a daimyo instead of the evil wizard. Or maybe … Continued
Wizards in theatre masks (part 1)
I have a non-subbed copy of a movie called Ninjutsu Suikoden Inazuma Kotengu, and boy is this a nifty little flick! I know it’s from 1958, Toei Studios, directed by Masaharu Matsumura, starring Chiyonosuke Azuma and Yumiko Hasegawa… and NOTHING else. … Continued
Ninja vs. Yeti in STRIKE OF THE JAGUMA!!!
The 1961 Satomi Kotaro adventure vehichle Kaiju Jaguma no Moshu (aka “Strike of the Jaguma”) is an absolute miracle of bizarre villains and over-the-top costuming. This has become cliche around here, but if the picture above isn’t enough to get … Continued
MAGIC SERPENT (part 2)
The main-event of Kairyu Daikessen is an extended kaiju beatdown between dragon and toad, with a castle destroyed in the process. Kairyu Daikessen is actually more available now than it ever was back in the day. Beautiful widescreen subtitled editions … Continued
The unsung kaiju-ninja epic MAGIC SERPENT (part 1)
Kairyu Daikessen was a 1966 Toei fusion of ninja revenge and giant monster magic. It delivered in spades on both fronts and was a fantastic movie. Then it was picked up by American International Pictures for English-language distribution, and has … Continued
Creatures in SATOMI HAKKENDEN (part 2)
Last time we looked at a version of the much-adapted Satomi Hakkenden from the golden age of Japanese swashbucklers. But it is a newer version most of us are familiar with, Legend of the Eight Samurai (aka Legend of the … Continued
Creatures in SATOMI HAKKENDEN (part 1)
It’s one of Japan’s greatest literary works, has been turned into kabuki, manga, films, serials and TV series, and is essentially the origin of Japan’s preoccupation with the ‘assemble the team’ motif in cinema. It is Satomi Hakkenden, and it’s … Continued