JAGUMA in depth
The hit of last year’s Monsters and Masks Month was the aging collection of press stills from the 1961 Toei programmer Strike of the Jaguma (Kaiju Jaguma no Moshu). So this year I thought we’d take an in-depth look at the … Continued
Werewolves on Wires (Part 2)
A cheaper and more hastily produced sequel, Kibakichi 2 forgoes the wolf vs. samurai clan and whole village of monsters caliber of storyline in favor of a one-on-one conflict between the fanged hero and a female survivor of his same … Continued
Werewolves on Wires (Part 1)
A raggedy, reticent ronin meandering through the dusty Japanese wasteland letting his sword do the talking. Sounds all too familiar, but this particular bushido bum has a secret! Yep, he’s a mother fuckin’ werewolf!!! 2004 saw this promising follow-up to … Continued
KARASUTENGU KABUTO manga
Is there a more perfectly 80’s manga creator than Buichi Terasawa? His art – augmented by then fledgling computer graphics – oozes MTV, Nagel, neon, hair products. His samurai wore suit jackets with the sleeves pulled up; traditional garb filtered … Continued
More from DEAD RINGO
Many thanks to Eddie Mort for giving us some monster-ific shots from his in-development animated series Dead Ringo. This stuff is drawn from inspiration like The Samurai, Dororo and a huge stack of old ninja movies borrowed from yours truly, … Continued
Oni-masked villainess in EDO O KIRU V
Meet the “Demon Yasha” gang – a group of oni-themed, ninja-garbed, thieves and killers being chased down by one of feudal Edo’s many secret police forces in Edo O Kiru V. If you’re unfamiliar with 70’s and 80’s period cop … Continued
LION MARU knockoff?
About fifteen years ago now, I purchased a small collection of Bullmark Tiger Mask vinyl figures (like these) at a toy show in Ohio. Erroneously in that batch was this 13″ Kaiketsu Lion Maru figure, vintage early 70’s. It has … Continued
Sword girl and ninja pals vs. the monsters in SAKUYA YOKAIDEN
It’s ten years old, watches as good as the day it was made, and is arguably still the best yokai stuff ever filmed. Sakuya: Slayer of Demons (Sakuya Yokaiden) has its detractors, but I am FIRMLY in the lovers camp … Continued
Hear the voice behind the hoods…
Anyone with nothing better to do for an hour and a high endurance for geekery can listen to me guest-spot on Ted Seko‘s Idiot Engine podcast: Listen here. We talk origins of media obsessions, a bit of my creative history, … Continued
HENSHIN NINJA ARASHI manga monsters
While the legacy of Shotaro Ishinomori‘s Henshin Ninja Arashi (aka Transforming or Metamorphosis Ninja Arashi) lives mainly in tokusatsu TV nostalgia and vinyl collectibles of one decade or another, for me the manga holds the most charm. Packed with monsters, … Continued