Koichi Kawakita, R.I.P.

by Armand Vaquer

Above, Koichi Kawakita and Armand in Hollywood in 2000.

Very sad news has arrived from Japan via the Anime News Network.

Special effects director Koichi Kawakita has passed away at age 72 from liver failure.

 They wrote:

Movie visual effects director Kōichi Kawakita passed away on December 5 due to liver failure. He was 72. A funeral service was held for close relatives, with his wife Toshiko as chief mourner. A memorial service is planned in the future.

I first met Mr. Kawakita in 2000 when G-Fest 2000 was held in Hollywood at the Roosevelt Hotel. A year later, Richard Pusateri and I met with him at his office in Toho Studios for a tour of the studio that was led by him and producer Shogo Tomiyama.

Above, pictured at Toho Studios in 2001 are (from left) Shogo Tomiyama, Armand, Richard
 Pusateri and Koichi Kawakita with a Godzilla event suit. Photo courtesy of Richard Pusateri.

He didn't exactly recognize us at first. While we were outside looking over the studio with Mr. Tomiyama and Shozo Watanabe, it suddenly dawned on Mr. Kawakita who we were and he ran down one of the studio roads towards us exclaiming, "I remember you!" with a big grin.

Above, Koichi Kawakita describing items in his collection to 
Richard Pusateri at Toho Studios. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I found Mr. Kawakita to be a very nice man and quite enthusiastic while he was showing us his collection of Godzilla-related props and figures. I think his best Godzilla special effects work was in Godzilla vs. Biollante.

My sincere condolences to the Kawakita family.

This is a big loss and he will be missed.

 To read more, go here.

Godzilla Celebration Screening In Little Tokyo With Koichi Kawakita

by Armand Vaquer

Above, special effects director Koichi Kawakita and Armand in 2000. 

A special Godzilla celebration will take place in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles on Saturday, May 3. Anime News Network reported:

Los Angeles, CA – April 16th, 2014 - In celebration of Godzilla's 60th anniversary, Anime Jungle presents two special screenings of GODZILLA at the Aratani Theater in Los Angeles on Saturday, May 3rd. The 3:00pm screening will be dubbed. And the 6:00pm screening will be with the original Japanese audio with English subtitle. The screenings are planned as a part of Fiesta Matsuri by JACCC (Japanese American Cultural and Community Center) in Little Tokyo. 

They will invite two guest, Mr. Koichi Kawakita, director of Special effects and Mr. Norihiko Iwasaki, Marbling Fine Arts Co. Before each screening, Mr. Kawakita and Mr. Iwasaki will give a live demonstration of Special Effect with miniatures “Model and Camera Demonstration.”

Reading further down the article, it appears that the Godzilla movie will be 1989's Godzilla vs. Biollante, not 1954's Godzilla.

To read the full article, go here.

"Godzilla vs. Biollante" Coming December 4

by Armand Vaquer

Since the late 1990s, whenever I wanted to watch Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989), my only recourse was to pop in the HBO VHS tape.  It has some of the silliest dialog in a modern Godzilla movie ("Godziller" and "Eggs is eggs").

That's about to change as Godzilla vs. Biollante is about to be released on DVD ($6.99) and Blu-ray ($14.99) by Echo Bridge on December 4.

Godzilla vs. Biollante is the follow-up to Return of Godzilla (1984) (a.k.a., Godzilla 1985 (1985)).  In the previous movie, our hero fell into the cauldron of Mt. Mihara on Oshima Island.  In Biollante, he is released from his confinement and goes on a rampage into Osaka, Japan.  Meanwhile, a grieving scientist mixes cells from a rose bush, his late daughter and Godzilla to create (unintentionally) a giant plant monster.

The movie also introduces psychic Miki Saegusa (Megumi Odaka) into the series.

Godzilla vs. Biollante contains the best special effects work done by Koichi Kawakita in the Godzilla series (in my humble opinion). It is one of the better Godzilla movies of the second (or Heisei) series, although the pacing is a bit plodding.

My grade:  B+.

Campaign To Get "Godzilla vs. Biollante" On Region 1 DVD

Campaign To Get "Godzilla vs. Biollante" On Region 1 DVD

by Armand Vaquer


A fan-generated effort is now underway to get Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment to release the 1989 feature, Godzilla vs. Biollante on DVD.

Godzilla vs. Biollante was the follow-up movie to 1984's Return of Godzilla (Godzilla 1985) in which Godzilla is released from the crater of Mt. Mihara on Oshima Island.

It is available on Regions 2 and 3, but not here in the United States (Region 1).

The idea is to saturate (as much as possible) the suits at Disney (who bought out Miramax and their film library) with cards and letters to get them to release Godzilla vs. Biollante on DVD. The movie was released on VHS video tape back in the 1990s, but it has not been released on DVD here. It is about like trying to listen to your favorite rock album on 8-track tape today.

So send your cards and letters to:

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521

Please be polite and business-like when writing. You will catch more flies by using honey instead of vinegar!