THE KRAKEN RELEASES "GODZILLA" ON BLU-RAY 3 Classics Being Readied for the Big G's 60th!

三大昭和ゴジラ映画は、2014年に米国のBDに来て！

Toho International poster for GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER.

Houston-based Section23 Films is on a roll... the aggressive company formed out of the ashes of ADV Films, with its various niche labels, including Sentai Filmworks (tackling classic anime titles such as GATCHAMAN and CASSHAN), are moving into the realm of live action films and tokusatsu eiga (Japanese Visual Effects films) with their newest label, Kraken Releasing — focusing on titles for mainstream audiences. Their first target: Godzilla. Just in time for the 60th Anniversary, Kraken has announced that they have licensed three very disparate Godzilla titles for DVD and BD (Blu-ray) release — their press release (dated January 21, 2014) only discusses the titles acquired: EBIRAH, HORROR OF THE DEEP, GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH and GODZILLA VS. GIGAN. No further details — print sources, special features, street dates, MSRP, etc. — were made available.

Classic collage still from GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER (1966).

Here's their press release: 1967 may have been the Summer of Love, but 2014 will be the Summer of Godzilla, and Kraken Releasing is spreading the kaiju (giant monster) goodness with the first US Blu-ray release of three classic films featuring the world's most famous giant reptile. Also available on DVD, and including both the English dubbed and original Japanese versions with English subtitles, these are three of the big G's wildest adventures ever and showcase why, sixty years after his atomic birth at Japan's Toho Studios, Godzilla is still one of the biggest names in the entertainment industry!


Original Polish release poster for GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH (1971).

The fun begins as 1971's GODZILLA VS. HEODRAH, released theatrically in the US in 1972 as GODZILLA VS. THE SMOG MONSTER, pits Godzilla against the forces of pollution in the form of a constantly mutating, acid-spewing behemoth from outer space. With eye-popping 1970's “mod” costumes, hairstyles and psychedelic visuals that include conventional cel animation alongside the special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano, GODZILLA VS. HEODRAH director Yoshimitsu Banno's ecologically focused take on the world's greatest monster is easily one of the most unique films in the series and required viewing for any giant monster fan or cult film enthusiast.


Keiko Mari and Toshio Shibamoto in GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH (1971).

What happens when three major movie monsters slam dance in the South Seas? The answer is 1966's EBIRAH, HORROR OF THE DEEP  originally released in the US in 1968 under the title GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER. Pairing Godzilla and another of Toho's most popular kaiju, the giant moth Mothra, against a wide variety of adversaries, including the titular sea monster, giant birds and a mysterious terrorist organization, the wet and wild widescreen spectacular was directed by Jun Fukuda.


Original Japanese release poster for GODZILLA VS. GIGAN (1972).

Finally, 1972's GODZILLA VS. GIGAN ups the giant monster ante once again with a series of tag team battles featuring four classic kaiju. Released theatrically in the United States in 1977 as GODZILLA ON MONSTER ISLAND and again directed by Jun Fukuda with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano, the film unites Godzilla and spiny ally Anguirus against two of the series' most popular opponents: the three headed monster King Ghidorah and the new alien cyborg Gigan.


The redoubtable Yuriko Hishimi in GODZILLA VS. GIGAN (1972).

At this time, all we can ascertain from their press release is the order the films will be released, with HEDORAH streeting first — that is, unless all three will street simultaneously. Looking at these titles begs the question, were these conscious picks by Kraken — or were the other films unavailable because they were already licensed? We do know that Classic Media still has all of theirs (and that they sub-licensed GODZILLA and GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS to the Criterion Collection). So, what's in store for the remaining Godzilla titles on DVD/BD during the 60th Anniversary, especially with the obvious opportunity to capitalize on the massive hype surrounding the upcoming Legendary Pictures-Warner Bros epic? For that, true believers, we must escape into the future; into that dimension we have never seen. Join me for more details as they develop!

"NEO-RIODER CASSHAN" (1973) DVD & BLU-RAY 35 Episode Box Set from Sentai Filmworks!

出た！『新造人間キャシャーン』米国DVD&BD発売 2014年3月！


Final package art for the long-awaited release of Tatsunoko's classic!

Hallelujah! It's a great time to be an American fan of classic Anime — after years of hoping for various titles would be picked up as they only went from a few years old to decades old, and the only resort seemed to be sticking with the Japanese releases, that weakening hope suddenly became a beacon over the last couple of years. Some labels, such as Discotek Media, and Japanese companies such as Toei Animation, have been looking back to find a different demographic. The younger American fan seems to exclusively want the latest productions out of Japan, but don't want to pay for it. But, there are older fans who aren't satisfied with the current output, but some younger fans are also curious about the roots of the genre. And they should be.


Dynamic 1973 promotional art designed by the great Tatsuo Yoshida.

Recently, we've had long-awaited premiere releases of PRINCESS KNIGHT (1967), the original LUPIN III (1971), GATCHAMAN (1972), CUTIE HONEY(1973), CAPTAIN HARLOCK: SPACE PIRATE (1978), THE ROSE OF VERSAILLES (1979), as well as English Dubbed, compilation films of GAIKING (1976), STARZINGER (1979), and DANGUARD ACE (1978), with complete series editions of MAZINGER Z (1972) and DEVILMAN (1972) waiting in the wings. And now, the original CASSHAN (1973)! As a diehard fan of '70s Anime, it's about time, and I'm loving every release that has been announced — all of them being must-buys in my book (although I'd prefer the complete series with Japanese language tracks).


1973 45rpm Single (music Shunsuke Kikuchi/vocals Isao Sasaki).

One of the biggest points I like to impart is that the during the '70s, the creators and producers were opening up new frontiers, so the originality was thriving, before the toy companies began to dictate content and style. The plotting and writing, while less complex than some today, was also less convoluted and contrived, and the writers were all veteran, professional scribes of feature films and television shows of numerous genres (while today's writers became such largely because they were Anime fans). And least we forget the music — such memorable, beloved music from the batons of such legends as Hiroshi Miyagawa, Takeo Watanabe, Shunsuke Kikuchi, Michiaki "Chumei" Watanabe, and featuring goosebump-inducing vocals by Isao Sasaki, Ichiro Mizuki, Mitsuko Horie, and Hide Yuki!


Preliminary package art from Tatsunoko's promotional portfolio.

Tatsunoko Productions' CASSHAN is one of those standout series of the '70s — spawning remakes and sequels, which made it to our shores, while the original 1973 series was left to flounder. Until now! Produced during the second year of GATCHAMAN (which was just going into overdrive), CASSHAN features a dark story story — set in their retro-future European-esque world typical of the time — with several concurrent subplots and a generally downbeat atmosphere, but with plenty of exciting superhero action! Like GATCHAMAN, the character designs bare some inspiration from the American comic books that creator Tatsuo Yoshida grew up on, with stylized art direction by Mitsuki Nakamura (SPEED RACER) and impressive character designs by Yoshida and Yoshitaka Amano (VAMPIRE HUNTER D).


Facing the legions of Buraiking: If Casshan won't do it, who will?

From the Sentai Filmworks press release: When lightning strikes the prototype android BK-1, a new horror is unleashed on the world as the resulting monster Buraiking begins taking over all other robots on Earth, setting them against their creators in a massive orgy of planet-wide destruction! With humanity helpless in the face of the new Neoroiders and their mechanical armies, mankind's only hope may lie in the hands of Tetsuya Azuma, son of the creator of BK1, who transfers his consciousness into an android body to become a Neoroider himself. the ultimate robot fighter: Casshan!


Back cover for the DVD of the upcoming Sentai Filmworks release.

At this past year's Anime Expo in Los Angeles, Sentai Filmworks announced that it had signed a deal with Tatsunoko Productions for the original GATCHAMAN, CASSHAN, and nine other titles — could we hope for GATCHAMAN II (1978), GATCHAMAN FIGHTER (1979), TEKKAMAN: THE SPACE KNIGHT (1975), HURRICANE POLIMAR (1974), TIME BOKAN (1975), and GORDIAN (1979) to be among them? In any case, their Blu-ray release of CASSHAN will feature all 35 episodes (approximately 875 mins.), 1080p HD (4x6), Japanese lossless audio (DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0) with English Subtitles on three discs for $59.98. The NTSC DVD release will come with six discs with 2.0 Dolby Digital audio with an MSRP of $49.98. Special features and bonus materials have not been listed. Street date was originally January, but has been pushed back to March 4, 2014.

"Abandoning his mortal life, he gained an immortal body. Allowing him to combat the iron fiends and crush them into the earth. If Casshan won't do it, who will?"