Discover the hidden histories of your favorite Japanese Monster Movies! Learn how King Kong vs. Godzilla actually started out as King Kong vs. Frankenstein; how Gorgo was originally a Japanese monster movie called Kuru Island, and how Gamera was created when a movie mogul looked outside his airplane window and saw a cloud shaped like a turtle!
"This new edition is a thoroughly updated and revised critical account of the Godzilla movies focusing on how differences in American and Japanese culture underlie the discrepancies in the Japanese and American versions. For each film, there are exhaustive filmographic data for both the Japanese and American versions, including plot synopses, cast, credits, and detailed production notes"--Provided by publisher.
Nessie. Bride of Godzilla. Gamera vs. Wyvern. Mothra vs. Bagan. Batman Meets Godzilla. All fans have heard of these tantalizing lost films, but few know of their full histories...until now. With information straight from the Japanese sources learn how Gamera was made in 1965 to make use of miniature sets made for a disastrous movie about giant rats called Giant Horde Beast Nezura which was partially shot in 1963. Marvel at a blind Godzilla's battle with the invisible monster Chamelegon in Tokyo S.O.S.: Godzilla's Suicide Strategy! Watch in amazement as Godzilla and Kong battle in the flames of Mt. Aso in Continuation: King Kong vs. Godzilla! Explore the tortured history of the Toho/Hammer team-up Nessie about a kaiju-sized Loch Ness Monster. Recoil in horror at the sights of Great Prophecies of Nostradamus, a 1974 film so controversial that a self-imposed ban was placed on it by Toho. Baffle at Hanuman, the monkey monster of Thailand's Chaiyo Studios which teamed with Ultraman and his brethren in 6 Ultra Brothers vs. the Monster Army. Puzzle over a psychedelic Italian colorized version of Godzilla, King of the Monsters! code-named "Cozzilla." Then uncover the $100,000 fan made epic Legendary Beast Wolfman vs. Godzilla! But that's not all-this book also contains essays by kaiju fan experts such as Dr. Ayame Chiba, Stan Hyde, Mark Jaramillo and Ted Johnson on subjects as diverse as unmade Kong films to heretofore unknown independent films like Atragon 2 and Wanigon vs. Gamaron!
Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters is a collection of stories focused on strange creatures in the vein of Pacific Rim, Godzilla, Cloverfield, and more. Opening with a foreword by Jeremy Robinson--author of Project Nemesis, the highest selling Kaiju novel in the United States since the old Godzilla books--the collection features work from New York Times bestsellers to indie darlings.
Behind-the-scenes hero to anyone who's thrilled by giant monsters duking it out over Tokyo, Eiji Tsuburaya was the visual effects mastermind behind Godzilla, Ultraman, and numerous Japanese science fiction movies and TV showsbeloved around the world. The first book on this legendary film figure in English, this highly visual biography details his fascinating life and career, featuring hundreds of film stills, posters, concept art, and delightful on-set photos of Tsuburaya prompting monsters to crush landmark buildings. A must-have for fans, this towering tribute also features profiles of Tsuburaya's film collaborators, details on his key films and shows (most available on DVD), and features on the enduring popularity of the characters he helped create.
The Kaiju (strange monster or strange beast) film genre has a number of themes that go well beyond the "big monsters stomping on cities" motif. Since the seminal King Kong 1933) and the archetypal Godzilla (1954), kaiju has mined the subject matter of science run amok, militarism, capitalism, colonialism, consumerism and pollution. This critical examination of kaiju considers the entirety of the genre--the major franchises, along with less well known films like Kronos (1957), Monsters (2010) and Pacific Rim (2013). The author examines how kaiju has crossed cultures from its original folkloric inspirations in both the U.S. and Japan and how the genre continues to reflect national values to audiences.
Monsters are more than things that go bump in the night... Monsters are lurking in the woods, beneath the waves, and within our favorite books, films, and games--and there are good reasons why they appear so often. Monsters are manifestations of our fears and symbols of our society--not to mention they're a lot of fun--but each should serve a purpose and enhance the themes and tension in your fiction. In Writing Monsters, best-selling author Philip Athans uses classic examples from books, films, and the world around us to explore what makes monsters memorable--and terrifying. You'll learn what monsters can (and should) represent in your story and how to create monsters from the ground up. Writing Monsters includes: • In-depth discussions of where monsters come from, what they symbolize, and how to best portray them in fiction • Informative overviews of famous monsters, archetypes, and legendary creatures • A Monster Creation Form to help you create your monster from scratch • An annotated version of H.P. Lovecraft's chilling story "The Unnamable" Whether you write fantasy, science fiction, or horror, your vampires, ghouls, aliens, and trolls need to be both compelling and meaningful. With Writing Monsters, you can craft creatures that will wreak havoc in your stories and haunt your readers' imaginations--and nightmares.
Norman England's gutsy and insightful stories will do more than just entertain. This is the first and only book in English to take you on a deep dive into the Japanese film industry. You will join well-known directors, cast, and staff for tales of backroom set dealings. The author's own unlikely story starts with joining the Japanese crew on a George Romero-directed TV commercial shot in Los Angeles. Afterward, in Tokyo, Norman England learns to navigate the sets of giant monster icons Gamera and Godzilla. The book concludes with the premiere of Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. This diary from the front lines is essential reading for Japanese cinema enthusiasts and filmmakers everywhere.
"What's this?" you ask, "Another crudely fan produced book of reviews and boring synopses of Toho's Godzilla films?" Not quite, if you're a seasoned Godzilla fan like the author eager for new information on old classics, this is in fact the book for you. Not only does it cover Toho's dai kaiju eiga (even the rarely seen Daigoro vs. Goliath), but for the first time in America offers reviews, trivia and detailed production information on all of Daiei's classic Gamera films, Toei's Legend of Dinosaurs and Monster Birds, and even the Shaw Brother's Mighty Peking Man to name a few. Still think you already know it all about Japanese giant monster films? Did you know that King Seesar originally had antlers and was named King Barugan? Or that Tadao Takashima refused to fly to Guam for on location filming for Son of Godzilla? Or that Katsumi Nimiamoto, who played Titanosaurus in Terror of Mechagodzilla, was also the acrobatic hero of Ultraman Leo on TV? Don't know who Tadao Takashima or Katsumi Nimiamoto are, don't worry this book will tell you that too. If you think you've already read every good book on Japanese Giant Monsters think again. Wait there's more!!!! This book also offer bonus entries on non-kaiju films like Battle in Outer Space, Toho's Hammer horror inspired "Bloodthirsty Trilogy" and Agon the Atomic Dragon to name only a few. What other authors are saying about The Big Book of Japanese Monster Movies: "John LeMay's wonderful The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies Vol. 1 (1954-1980) is a love letter to all those great Showa Era sci-fi, fantasy, and horror movies from the Land of the Rising Sun. LeMay's enthusiasm is contagious, his prose pumped, his insights enjoyable. And besides all that, LeMay offers great trivia about these movies, some of which even an oldster like me didn't know! Highly recommended nostalgic fun for new and old fans alike. Now I can't wait for Volume 2!"-Mike Bogue, author of Atomic Drive-In "John LeMay has done it again! The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies is loaded with fun facts, well written reviews and loads of interesting historical footnotes and trivia. John has this informal yet formal writing style that makes the book a breeze to read and yet well layered as well. I kind of hate him for making it look so easy! I highly recommend this book, and hopefully it will come out in a non-digital edition for us old fogies that like to hold actual books when we read them!"-David McRobie, Editor of Xenorama Magazine
GIANT MONSTER is the ultimate giant monster story from the writer-creator of the smash-hit vampire epic 30 DAYS OF NIGHT. The year is 2013. Astronaut Don Maggert's first space flight swallows him alive in the grip of an intergalactic horror, transforming him into something that throws the entire planet into peril! Featuring oversized Kaiju action and giant monster throw-downs!
