Update: Imagining the Monster

As a quick update on The Man Who Summons Kaiju [aka Kaijû wo yobu otoko] (Japan-2010; dir. Daisuke Andô) -- the 25-minute kaiju short film made for NHK television in Japan and soon to be broadcast there -- we have some conceptual drawings of the monster itself... and this, the first released shot of the actual monster from the film, as he drags his tail through the sand on his way back out to sea:

One of the interesting things about these conceptual drawings is that they not only give us a view of the kaiju as it will appear in the film, but are actual props from the film -- drawings made by the young filmmaker whose obsession with making a giant monster film manages to awaken a long-dormant "sacred monster" from the Yayoi period of Japanese history (c. 300 BC–300 AD).

This following image looks like it may be part of the film's actual storyboard. At any rate, it's a scene I want to see in all its glorious live-action spectacle!

In related news, apparently the SFX for The Man Who Summons Kaiju are being handled by Kiyotaka Taguchi, who did assistant digital FX work on Gojira, Mosura, Kingu Gidora: Daikaiju soukougeki  [aka Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack] (Japan-2001; dir. Shusuke Kaneko), and built miniatures and set-dressed for Gojira tai Mosura tai Mekagojira: Tôkyô S.O.S. [aka Godzilla, Mothra, Mechagodzilla: Tokyo SOS] (Japan-2003, dir. Masaaki Tezuka) and Gojira: Fainaru uozu [aka Godzilla: Final Wars] (2004; dir. Ryuhei Kitamura). He also directed the short kaijiu films G (2008) and Chohatsu Daikaiju Gehara [Long-haired Giant Monster Gehara; Geharha, The Dark and Long-Haired Monster] (2009), as well as episodes of the kaiju TV series MM9. His 2D digital FX work appears in films as diverse as The Grudge 2, The iDol, Battle Royale II, the Sinking of Japan remake, Monkey Magic, the American remake of the Thai ghost film Shutter and the 20th Century Boys trilogy. Such an impressive resumé bodes well for The Man Who Summons Kaiju's monster!

Below Taguchi is at work on some very miniature miniatures for The Man Who Summons Kaiju -- with the monster artfully blocked from view:

Other new images from the film:

 

Director Andô (I think) and his two leads, Gen Hoshino and Nao Nagasawa

• Sources: NHK drama; NHK film blog; Norman England -- all via Avery Guerra; SciFi Japan on Kiyotaka Taguchi.
• Original Undead Backbrain article; Trailer and more images

Death Kappa Trailer

The English-language trailer for Tomoo Haraguchi's daikaiju eiga/giant monster film Death Kappa has just been loosed upon the blogsphere, with the DVD already available for pre-order on Amazon and other sites (due 27 July 2010). Its retro 1960s Japanese fantasy film qualities are very exciting for True Believers, given away in this trailer only by the occasional CGI enhancement.

Trailer:

If nothing else, Haraguchi's CV entries "Gamera daikaijû kuchu kessen (1995) (creature creator)", "Gamera 2: Region shurai (1996) (creature creator)" and director of "Sakuya: yôkaiden (2000)" are enough to interest me.

For more on Death Kappa, the background of the film and a video presentation on it by Haraguchi, go to Undead Backbrain. There are images from the film in an earlier article on this site.

• via Twitchfilm and Kaiju Search-Robot Avery

G on DVD

Short, traditionally imagined daikaiju eiga by independent filmmaker Taguchi Kiyotaka are suddenly appearing on DVD. First there was his Gehara. Now it has been announced that G (2008), a short [48 minute] film featuring a huge (and weird) rampaging monster, Garaemon, and a gigantic robot, is to be released to DVD on 23 October.

Unfortunately this one doesn't appear to have English subtitles.

• Sources: Amazon.co.jp; Geneon Universal Entertainment; hero-material.jp; via Kaiju Search-Robot Avery
• Previous Backbrain article
  

Gehara on DVD

At last Chohatsu Daikaiju Gehara [Long-haired Giant Monster Gehara; Geharha, The Dark and Long-Haired Monster] (2009; short; dir. Kiyotaka Taguchi) has been released to DVD.

DVD and Blu-Ray editions became available in Japan on 30 September. The version of the film offered is the "Director's Cut", running 21 minutes, rather than the 17-minute version that was aired on NHK’s late-night series “Play TV: Perform!” and was available on the web. Gehara was later screened at the 2009 Yubari Fantastic Film Festival where it came in 2nd place in the Yubari Fantaland grand-prix.

New Trailer:

Both DVD and Blu-Ray releases have English subtitles and include the following extras:

1. Monster Movie Special [49 minutes]
2. Making of the full version [63 minutes]
3. Promotional video [1 min]
4. Plus an audio commentary by Jun Miura (screenplay), Shinji Higuchi (Executive Producer) and Taguchi Kiyotaka (Director)

 

 

(more images available here and here)

Synopsis:

In Ishikawa prefecture, mysterious incidents occur frequently and there is always a tangle of long, creepy hair left behind. Newspaper reporter Hideo Akihara is so interested in the story on the news that he rushes to the hospital where a survivor of the incident is hospitalized. The survivor is hairless. . . Undertaking an investigation, Hideo stumbles upon a shrine and learns about the hairy monster Gehara. Meanwhile, the monster appears in Kanazawa city and is engaged in mortal combat with defense forces. . . (adapted from CDJapan)

• Sources: tenlives blog; Distributor; Amazon.co.jp. Much thanks to Kaiju Search-Robot Avery.

Images of Raiga

Kaiju Search-Robot Avery has gathered some great new pictures of the titular kaiju from Shinkaijû Raiga [aka Deep Sea Monster Raiga] (2009; dir. Shinpei Hayashiya). (See Undead Backbrain article)

Less monstrous are the three very popular pop starlets Enosawa Manami, Urata Mao and Oriyama Miyu, who sing a number of songs in the film, written by director Shinpei Hayashiya. At least two of their songs have already been released as CD singles and are hitting the charts big-time in Japan. Here they show off their Raiga t-shirts in a kaleidoscopic display of primary-coloured Japanese teenage cuteness.

• Sources: Raiga blog; Monster Island News; Kaiju Search-Robot Avery