Written By: Ken HulseySource: Deep Sea Monster Raiga Website
Wonder what the toys for "Deep Sea Monster Raiga" will look like. Well, probably like this little baby (above photo). Fans shouldn't start searching e-bay just yet. This little guy is a prop from the film created by the effects department.
Directer, Shinpei Hayashiya, was very hesitant to release this image of a Raiga toy, fearing that he would be bombarded by fans who wanted one.
In all honesty toys based on the film aren't even in the planning stages yet.
What lovely teeth you have! Looks like Raiga has the cleanest teeth of any monster I have ever seen.This photo comes from an upcoming feature in the latest issue of "Newtype" magazine which will hit the stands in Japan February 1st.
The article marks the first 'color' feature on the upcoming film. Last month "Newtype" did a black and white spread on the design of the monster.
Directer Hayashiya promises that some secrets about the film will be revealed in the article, so fans in Japan will be able to learn a lot more about the "mysteries" surrounding Raiga.
See Also: New Photos From The Set Of Deep Sea Monster Raiga / The First Trailer For Deep Sea Monster Raiga
As an old school fan of Japanese monster flicks, I'd like to preface this comment by saying that I'm all for intentional goofiness and humor in the genre. I grew up with the 70s Godzilla films and the original Gamera series, so I'm grateful for camp largely for camp's sake. That said, it troubles me a bit that almost all the major kaiju films coming out of Japan in the last 5 years have gone for laughs as often as (or more often than) thrills and chills. The new Guilala films was a spoof. It appears that Raiga will be similar in tone. As much as I love FINAL WARS, it was pure 70s hokum (with a new millennium spin) from beginning to end. Ironically, only Gamera has avoided this trend, and his latest outing was more poignant family drama than giant monster spectacle. What's most notable about all of this is that most of these films have been box office disappointments, while more serious fare like Korea's THE HOST, CLOVERFIELD, and recent Ultraman outings have been big hits. I'm very glad for the return of goofy fun to the genre, but I think it's time Toho and other Japanese studios realize that a large portion of the ticket-buying audience wants serious horror and spectacle in these pictures. As much as I hate to say it, they need to stop making movies for children of the 70s like myself, and start making them for today's audiences again, or else the genre is going to continue to suffer at the box office.
ReplyDeletePoint well stated!
ReplyDeleteI would love to see Toho, or one of the other Japanese studios, go back and look at the early days of the genre. Films like the original Godzilla, Rodan and Mothra were classics. I think that when Toho desides to "fire-up" their monster monster making machine again, that they try to recapture the essence of those films.
I was hoping that Final Wars would be a throw-back to that era, but Kitamura made it very clear when I interviewed him that he wanted to make a 70s style G film.
Like you said, for the most part, the Gamera films have been more in line with what the genre should have evolved into.
That being said, I am looking forward to Raiga and the camp that goes with it.