Knock Off Week: Supaidaman

Welcome back all. The slight detour from this week's theme was a nice option via director Dustin Ferguson and his entertaining The Dummy 2. I thought of an excellent way to finish out the week however. In 1978, a year after CBS Americana Entertainment created The Amazing Spider-Man with Nicholas Hammond as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. TV Tokyo and Toei Video Company put together a series that is "LOOSELY" based on Spider-Man. A reworking of Spider-Man by introducing with the giant mecha craze from the Shogun Warriors, Kamen Rider and Ultraman prior to Transformers, Robotech and Voltron. This is Supaidaman a.k.a. Spider-Man.

Spidey Jazz Hands!!!

Found on Tokyo Channel 12 and lasting 41episodes being a half hour each. Takuya Yamashiro (Shinji Todo of Spider-Man, Megaloman, Electronic Squadron Denziman, Kyotaro Nishimura's Travel Mystery 51, Uniform SurviGirl I and Keishicho Shinri Sosakan Asuka 2) a daredevil cyclist (No, not actual Daredevil or Ghost Rider) transforms into a familiar red and blue Spidey suit with a race car and a giant mecha at the ready available to combat the Iron Cross Army led by the dark emperor Professor Monster (Mitsuo Ando of A Fugitive from the Past, Kikaida: Android of Justice, Himitsu Sentai Gorenger,Goranger: The Movie, Goranger: Movie 2- The Blue Fortress, Inazuman Furashu and Supaidaman). Takuya unlike Peter Parker has been given support by an alien from Planet Spider after landing on this world 400 years prior in hot pursuit of the Iron Cross Army for vengeance after they blew up his home planet, he injected Yamato with the Spider Extract giving him his abilities and Spider Bracelet that is a web shooter but also stored his outfit called the Spider Protector.

Spider Mecha!!!!

Garia feels he cannot expect to combat the Iron Cross Army with just his abilities so offers a spacecraft that turns mecha and a flying car outfitted with machine guns and missile launchers with hides in his ship/mecha. Handy, no? Takuya's girlfriend Hitomi (Rika Miura of Sachiko no sachi, Spider-Man, Hissatsu shigotonin, Kareinaru houmonsha, Soushitsu, Kyotaro Nishimura's Travel Mystery 9, Kyotaro Nishimura's Travel Mystery 15 and Uradeka), a freelance photographer who constantly mocks her daredevil boyfriend for disappearing at random and is nowhere near as brave as Supaidaman. NO WOMAN IS THIS STUPID.

Little 18 year old sister Shinko (Izumi Oyama of Spider-Man) and baby brother Takuji (Yoshiharu Yabuki of Spider-Man) are Takuya's legal concern as he is there only guardian after his father died at the hands of the Iron Cross Army of which only Takuya knows and must carry that burden himself encouraging to continue his crusade against Professor Monster and his brigade of monsters. His insanely hot second-in-command Amazoness (Yukie Kagawa of Snake Woman's Curse, East China Sea, Orgies of Edo, Horrors of Malformed Men, Tokyo Band Girls, Queen Bee Strikes Again, Spider-Man, Solar Squadron Sun Vulcan and Ronin-gai) who seems to have a love/hate relationship with Takuya/Spider-Man and seems like more could happen. Interpol investigator Juzo Mamiya (Noboru Naka of Younger Brother, Whirlpool of Woman, Lady Snowblood, Keiji monogatari, Wangan ni kieta onna, Onihei hankacho, Hikinige Family, If: Moshimo, The Abe Clan and Oishinbo 2) easily figures out with Takuya's secret identity cause that took a lot of work and they decide to work together. Actually I found this entertaining but I like mechas and flying cars. So if you like giant robot and kaiju fights and may have a hankering of Spidey. Give it a view.

Toei managed to snag a couple of addition links with a Japanese counterpart of Captain America as Battle Fever J, a Tomb of Dracula anime as well as Shogun Warriors action figures made to a comic book via Marvel interacting with the Fantastic Four, Godzilla, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.and Red Ronin with an agreement via Mattel. 

Hey kids, I'm...well I'm not Peter Parker but vastly cooler.

Godzilla Vs Week: Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla

Back again monster fans for Day 4 of Godzilla Vs Week.  We clearly have not witnessed enough devastation and radiation so let's find some worthy contenders.  In the red corner, 60 to almost 70 feet tall, the reigning champion of Japan weigh in at 30,000 tons, blechs atomic flame and can really whip a tail...  Godzilla!!!   And our challenger, a mass of titanium diamond coated alloy, bristling with laz weapons, flamethrower and missle barrage, tallying at 40,000 tons himself.  Mechagodzilla!   Okay folks let's get ready to rummmmmmmmbbbbbbbbblllllllleeeeeee!!!!!    This is Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla.

One shall stand...  One shall fall.

Professor Hideto Miyaajima: What's this? Who are you?
Alien Supreme Leader Kuronuma: Commander for conquest of Spoiler, from the third planet of the black hole, outer space.


Just when you thought all of Japan could not have enough damage from the continuous monster royale rumbles, they get aliens.   Yup invaders from space!   Strange goings on are occurring in Okinawa. A priestess claims horrible visions of a city being leveled and destroyed by a giant monster.  No kidding.  In a nearby series of caverns spelunker Masahiko Shimizu (Kazuya Aoyama of Ryusei Ningen Zone, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and Tokyo-wan enjo) brings it to Professor Miyura's successor Professor Miyajima (Akihiko Hirata of Mothra, Girl of Dark, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Ultraman, Godzilla Versus the Sea Monster and Son of Godzilla) a man's PHDs range from Paleontology, physics, reverse engineering...  oh the hell with it, he is Asian Tony Stark without the suit and swarm.  

No sooner do we fade out from that scene a familiar creature raises from the depths of Mt. Fuji and starts smashing the countryside, yes Godzilla seems to have spun back to his rampage days rather than the peaceful existence he has had with humans for some time now.  Out of nowhere Anguirus (a mutated dinosaur resembling an ankylosaurus only much larger. Godzilla's first foe and now ally) appears thought to be long lost in a chasm he and Rodan fell during the Ghidorah incident.    Anguirus proceeds to throw down with "Godzilla" only to get bashed about and seriously injured.  Before Anguirus passes out from pain, he sees the wounds he made in Godzilla and spies a gleam of metal where muscle and blood should be.  

Stay on target!!

Faux Godzilla proceeds to reign fire and anguish on the land when a second Godzilla appears and puts the hurt on the first.  Our challenger is of course the original and is pissed at the copy.  While these two start flogging each other, a contingent of military men acquired the Professor, the spelunker and the professor's daughter.  During the struggle with the spelunker his cheesy mask is torn to reveal an ape-like visage under the mask.  Our horrible soldiers are revealed to be Simians from the third planet from the black hole.   Yeah, even I could not have made up invading Apes from another world.  I guess it could have been the Cromagnons from Sliders dimension swapping.  Bleh.

Establishing a base under Okinawa the Simians do not seem that technologically advanced, with the exception of Mechagodzilla their weapons are chemically ignited projectiles and not some beam weapon.   With Interpol hot on the trail it is only a matter of time they will catch the Simians red butted... er red handed.
With the descendants of Azumi made to be the caretakers of YET ANOTHER slumbering Kaiju, Shisa (or Ceasar to the round eyed devils is based on a mythological creature a cross between dog and lion) raises the creature from the deep sleeps to aid Godzilla in his time of need.

Okay, just a few comments to make on our film.   This film was to honor the 20th Anniversary of Godzilla.  Funny thing is in the German release of the film they kept referring Mechagodzilla as King Kong.  Guess Mechagodzilla sounded too silly, menacing or possibly lost in translation.    The cavern around Okinawa is revered as a tourist attraction and apparently more than a few films including Ultraman and Fugitive Alien were shot there.  He trieeeeedd to kill me with a forklift!  Olay!

Lightning Bolt!  50 mega damage!!!

Godzilla Vs Week: King Kong Vs Godzilla

Howdy all and welcome to Day 2 of Godzilla Vs Week.  As you may have already surmised or were previously hip to, Godzilla has had more than his fair share of smackdown drag out fights with his fellow Kaiju.  Some speculate he doesn't like to share the spotlight, while others say he is the Omega Kaiju and culls the herd when it gets overcrowded.  However it is viewed, Godzilla has come up against a many of tough hombres and today's film is no exception.  Facing off with the first Kaiju ever it is none other than King Kong himself.  This is King Kong Vs Godzilla.

Oooh refreshingly minty!!!

Mr. Tako: You two are going to Farro Island and find me a genuine spoiler whether he exists or not!






Pacific Pharmaceuticals needs their sponsoring and ratings to go through the roof and when a loose lipped doctor approaches the head of the company Tako (Ichiro Arishima of Judo Champion, Two Hearts in the Rain, Bravo, Young Guy, Three Old Ladies and Love Is a Hunter) exclaiming this island has a giant Kaiju roaming about, Tako mounts an expedition and sends his corporate red shirts to do his bidding.  They must trap and transport the Kaiju for the sake of the company's marketing campaign and their TV program.  Boy I wonder if there were more mundane offers on the table, like get Cary Grant to plug the drug or possibly Liz Taylor to do a guest spot.

Denzel ain't got crap on me!!!

Tako's two toadies , Sakurai and Kinsaburo must head to Farro Island and shockingly enough there is some chop in the waters.   At that same time, an American submarine has current drafts and ends up smack right into an iceberg.  No DiCapiros were injured in the crash.  As luck or a convenient plot device would have it this is the exact iceberg the Japanese Self Defense Force trapped Godzilla in back in 1955 thus freeing the creature and he squashes the sub like a tube of Crest.   a helicopter rescue is underway when they spy Godzilla swimming away in the waters at speeds of...  well as fast as you could paddle in a shallow pool but at any rate he is trying to book in that heavy rubber.   No sooner is he out of the water and on a Arctic military base trashing it in true blue Godzilla fashion, roasting tanks like marshmallows and swatting planes like bugs,  Godzilla is all over the wire press and this makes Tako furious that he got bumped to page 6.

Meanwhile on the Farro Island of which Steve Buscemi was not starring in, a massive octopus is scaring the villagers when King Kong pops up and slaps Squiddley Diddly around, he has some red berry juice and just conks out.

King Kong: Kaiju Proctologist.

Our bumbling lackeys manage to wedge a raft under Kong and ratchet him out to the awaiting ship.  Yeah that must have been a trial in of itself.  News gets wind of Kong's capture but the JSDF are having none of it and demand he be taken back to the island.  In all of the commotion, Kong wakes up and frees himself from the raft.    Reaching the mainland he spies with his simian eyes a great big lizard and proceeds to throw cowboy with the reptile.  So yes our two headliners duke it out causing destruction in their wake and are not kind to one another.

Just a few comments about the movie at this time.

This of course is the third installment of the Showa series (period of Japanese timeline under the Showa Emperor Hirohito) and Ishiro Honda is in the director's chair nursing his creation and bringing all the special effects that his budget allows.   This film is the first time both King Kong and Godzilla appear together in both in color but the first of the Kaiju movies to be in widescreen and to this day is still one of the most successful Godzilla movies of all time.

Merian Cooper (creator of King Kong director of Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life, The Four Feathers, King Kong,  producer of She, Dancing Pirate, 3 Godfathers, Rio Grande and the Searchers) would have been smitten on the treatment of his monster and the love Japan gave him.  This wasn't Gamera vs that rubber creature he slays every frickin' time.   This film was two equals of mayhem wailing on each other in true Ali and Foreman fashion.

Tink is back and this time she has back up!

Godzilla Vs Week: Godzilla Vs Mothra

Hello and greetings to Day 1 of Godzilla Vs Week.  I apologize to the stateside readers in that I was a bit busy today just working out and living life.  Today's film starts us off with the third Kaiju in the series to be independent as much as King Kong and Godzilla and that rests on the wings of the one and only Mothra.  Yes, the plucky flying Kaiju befriended by forced perspective identical twins of fairy stature who live on a tropical island and worship the giant moth and it is only they who through the power of prayer or an irritating song can summon the mighty beast to call of battle.

"But Jake, what in the Sam Scratch has that got to do with Godzilla?!!"   Well, angry shouty person, I will tell you.  This time around in the fourth Godzilla film it is a smackdown between Mothra and Godzilla.  Apparently the King of the Monsters crown got a bit snug and it is up to Mothra to set Godzilla straight about a thing or two.  This is Godzilla Vs Mothra a.k.a. Godzilla vs The Thing, Mothra Vs Godzilla.

Think I need a breath mint?

Jiro Nakamura: "I'm not as afraid of Godzilla as I am of the spoiler...  he's meaner."







Reporter Ichiro Sakai (Akira Takarada of A Rainbow Plays in My Heart, On Wings of Love, A Holiday in Tokyo, The Flower and Half Human) and photographer Junko Nakanishi (Yuriko Hoshi of Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Kill!, Let's Go, Young Guy!, Judo Champion and Godzilla vs, Megaguirus) are taking snaps of the wanton destruction created by a massive typhoon when the uncover a giant reptile scale in the wreckage.  Further that same day an enormous egg was found on the shore.  the local fishermen and villagers claim salvage to it and soon scientists of various field come to study it.  
Professor Miura (Hiroshi Koizumi of Star of Hong Kong, Matango, Kon'nichiwa akachan, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Little Adventurer and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla) brings valid questions of the origin of the egg, whether the villagers have any stories or legends of a being of great size and might that could be reasoned where the egg hails from but a slick entrepreneur Kumayama, head of the Happy Enterprises appeals to the villagers' wallet, buys the egg outright for peanuts and invests a billion dollars in the potential tourism the egg will generate.  I always have given the Japanese more credit than something this foolish.  This ranks right up there with a fissure cracks up to Tartarus and you want to run a hotel and do photo ops with the random dead spewing out into the land of the living.

Last time I go drinking all night with Kong. Whew!

Our adorable twin girls of inch height plead with the slickster telling the great danger in keeping the egg as it belongs to Mothra and should be returned back toot sweet but Kumayama will hear nothing of this but offers to buy the twins as an addition to the tourism.  Yes he offers to buy sentient people for his ill-gotten gains.  Charming fellow.  I'll prep the waterboard and the bamboo for his fingers.  Moving along,  Godzilla rears his head at the arrival of a potential rival to his throne or domain.  He is very territorial and comes crashing into Nagayoya to find the egg and possibly squish it.  Mothra dives in to duke it out with Godzilla and then the buildings, streets and cars take a beating like no body's business.

Just a few comments about the film now.  This being the fourth of the Godzilla series this particular series is known as the Showa series reflecting the time in history of the reign of the Showa Emperor Hirohito being one of the longest of any previous Japanese emperor so Godzilla had a similar reign as King of the Monsters.
This time also brought about a myriad of creatures for the series with creatures like Mothra, Rodan, Ghidorah and the infamous Mechagodzilla.   This original inception of Godzilla and his universe hails from 1954 up to 1975 and had no more runs until the revamp in 1984.

Green Hornet??

Godzilla Vs Week

In honor of yesterday's highly enjoyable feature of the 2014's Godzilla (of which I thoroughly enjoyed)  I thought it only fitting and fair that we recapture some of the King of Monsters past glories.  The epic struggles, the fight for supremacy and the struggle that propelled our hero to the top of the heap.  In short, there is a lot of scale models destroyed, explosions and men in rubber suits drowning in their own sweat to the likes you have never seen nor wanted to.

Who says I look fat??!!!

As the Godzilla franchise ushered on, Toho Studios which has hailed Kurosawa samurai films, touchy feel good sports movies and yes rubber monster movies has kept the time honored creatures of the Godzilla Kaiju (strange creature for you Yankee imperialists) creatures and universe going since its beginning in 1954.


The popularity of these stories has made the Atomic Monsters a following rivaling Star Trek and Gunsmoke that these films are on going and it is only a matter of time before newer ones reach the mass media market.  Prior to the internet and DVD creation, most of these films remained overseas in Japan and were not distributed to the States or the UK.  Whether it was for reasons of needed English vocal dubbed or subtitles we do not know but we have almost a 20 year gap of Godzilla and company monster movies that have escaped our attention.

That in mind I will not be reviewing these latter movies until later down the road and this time around I will be focused on some of the heavy hitters to the title of King of the Monsters.  That being said, it's Showdown in Tokyo!

Made me look bad, Broderick, so I'm coming for ya!