Category Archives: Japanese

Review: Big Man Japan

Posted on Sunday, February 8, 2009 by Robert Hood

Big Man Japan (2007) Dir: Hitoshi Matsumoto [aka Dai-Nipponjin] Even straight-down-the-line daikaiju eiga, or Japanese giant monster films, are imaginatively left-field – but they don’t get much weirder than this. In Big Man Japan an unseen interviewer follows the mundane … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Giant Monsters, Japanese, Review, Trailers, Weird stuff | 5 Comments

Review: Guilala’s Boyish Grin

Posted on Monday, December 8, 2008 by Robert Hood

Girara-no Gyakushuu Touyaku Samitto Kiki Ippatsu [lit. Guilala’s Counter Attack: the Touyaku Summit One-Shot Crisis; aka Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit!] (2008; dir. Minoru Kawasaki) Though the Japanese daikaiju eiga subgenre of giant monster films was arguably … Continue reading →

Posted in Daikaiju, Film, Giant Monsters, Japanese, Review, Update | 4 Comments

Computer-Generated Astro Boy

Posted on Sunday, December 7, 2008 by Robert Hood

Machines re-producing machines? Isn’t that the beginning of the End of Mankind As We Know It? Here is a teaser trailer for the new Astro Boy movie, a computer-generated feature made in the US under the auspices of Imagi Animation … Continue reading →

Posted in Animation, Film, Japanese, Robots, Trailers | Leave a comment

Kaiju, Giant Robots and Blind Swordspersons

Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2008 by Robert Hood

The American Film Market 2008 features a slew of Japanese films, many of which are definite Backbrain material. Apart from Monster X Strikes Back — Attack the G8 Summit (aka Guilala no Gyakushu / Toyako Summit Kiki Ippatsu; directed by … Continue reading →

Posted in Daikaiju, Film, Giant Monsters, Japanese, News, Posters | 2 Comments

Eiji Tsuburaya and Orochi

Posted on Friday, July 11, 2008 by Robert Hood

Seen here is famed Japanese SFX creator, Eiji Tsuburaya (Gojira, Ultraman and lots more), with Yamata-no-Orochi from the film Nippon Tanjo [lit. The Birth of Japan; aka The Three Treasures] (Japan-1959; dir. Hiroshi Inagaki). The eight-headed dragon was obviously a … Continue reading →

Posted in Curiosity, Daikaiju, Film, Giant Monsters, Japanese | Leave a comment

Update: G

Posted on Monday, July 7, 2008 by Robert Hood

The juggernaut that is the daikaiju eiga genre rolls on with G — a great-looking new independent Japanese film that Backbrain queried a while back. Then, information on the film was scarce. Now, a cornucopia of detail has come in, … Continue reading →

Posted in Daikaiju, Film, Giant Monsters, Japanese, Update | 5 Comments

Update: 20th Century Boys

Posted on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 by Robert Hood

Remember we first caught a hint of 20-seiki shônen [aka 20th Century Boys] (Japan-2008; dir. Yukihiko Tsutsumi) back in April? Well, a new trailer has appeared in the blogsphere and it’s nearly 4 minutes long. The giant robot is still … Continue reading →

Posted in Apocalypse, Film, Japanese, Robots, Update | Leave a comment

Update: Guilala vs “Beat” Takeshi

Posted on Monday, April 28, 2008 by Robert Hood

Ryuganji.net reports that Kitano Takeshi, the iconic actor/director/media personality, will be playing a costumed kaiju role in the now-in-production Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit [aka Girara no Gyakushu: Towako Samitto Kiki Ippatsu]. In fact, he will look … Continue reading →

Posted in Daikaiju, Film, Giant Monsters, Japanese, Update | 4 Comments

Vehicular Cuteness

Posted on Tuesday, April 1, 2008 by Robert Hood

Check out this Nissan concept car — an all-directional electrical vehicle complete with cute Japanese robot computer system. It just not much use for escaping from giant monsters … Nissan unveiled the electric-powered Pivo 2 concept car in the lead-up … Continue reading →

Posted in Curiosity, Japanese, Technology | Leave a comment

New: Onechanbara

Posted on Saturday, February 23, 2008 by Robert Hood

How about a bikini-clad Japanese cowgirl using her phenomenal skills with the katana blade to deal with a horde of flesh-eating zombies? Would that scenario have legs at the box-office? Oh, yes. It’s apparent based on an understandably popular video … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Japanese, News, Zombies | 3 Comments