Monster Island News: Shusuke Kaneko

by Armand Vaquer

Spanish producer and director Jonathan Bellés has unveiled a new trailer for his doctoral project documentary, Godzilla & Hiroshima: The Rise of Kaiju Eiga.

The trailer, with an original music score, features Godzilla suit-actors Haruo Nakajima and Kenpachiro Satsuma, actor Akira Takarada and directors Shusuke Kaneko and Masaaki Tezuka.

The trailer also features shots of the Lucky Dragon No. 5, the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima, the torii gate at Miyajima as well as the Godzilla statue and the Seven Samurai mural at the main entrance of Toho Studios in Setagaya, Tokyo.

Above, Jonathan Bellés at the Godzilla statue in Hibiya, Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I joined Bellés in Japan last February when he began his interviews, starting with special effects Eiichi Asada (Godzilla x Mechagodzilla, Godzilla x Mothra x Mechagodzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. and Godzilla Final Wars) and first assistant special effects director Yoshikazu Ishii (Godzilla Final Wars).

by Armand Vaquer

Above, Jonathan Bellés with Eiichi Asada at Toho Studios. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Jonathan Bellés, who is currently hard at work in Japan conducting interviews for his upcoming documentary, Godzilla and Hiroshima: The Rise of Kaiju Eiga, has already interviewed the following (whose names kaiju fans should be familiar with): Akira Takarada, Koichi Kawakita, Eiichi Asada, Kenpachiro Satsuma, Yoshikazu Ishii, Shusuke Kaneko and Teruyoshi Nakano.

Last week, I joined Bellés at Toho Studios when he conducted the first two interviews (Eiichi Asada and Yoshikazu Ishii) and was his guide around the Hibiya and Ginza sections of Tokyo. We found that the Lucky Dragon No. 5 exhibit was closed for the day when we arrived. Bellés said he would go back on another day.

Along with the interviews with the aforementioned (and more to come), Bellés plans to take a trip to Hiroshima to visit the Peace Memorial Park and Museum.