Customer Reviews

Monsters Are Attacking Tokyo!: The Incredible World of Japanese Fantasy Films

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book has many, many good points, but the best by far is the sheer volume of interviews with classic Toho stars like Akira Takarada, Kumi Mizuno, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Mie Hama, Akira Kubo, Momoko Kochii, and directors like the great Ishiro Honda, as well as his life-long friend and colleague, the immortal Akira Kurosawa, who nearly breaks down remembering the long years of friendship that he shared with Honda. On another (but no less interesting) note, the book also features interviews with the many American expatriots who served as actors in classic films like "Latitude Zero", "King Kong Escapes" and "War Of The Gargantuas". Without naming names, in general the coarseness and downright crudeness of many of the American "actors" (a term used liberally much of the time in these gaijin's cases) is downright embarrassing, when viewed alongside the dignity and politeness of their Japanese counterparts.

This book also has the unusual distinction of being a good book of source material on the subject, and yet the numerous delightful pictures and engaging interviews make it a good coffee table book as well! A fun addition to the sci-fi bookshelf.

An excellent and unmissable book, filled with interesting interviews and insights into an unfairly undervalued genre. The reviews are critical and as such are mostly more accurate than more sycophantic works (this author recognizes 'Godzilla Vs Megalon' for the trash it is, but I don't know how he can rate 'Son of Godzilla'.)

But reviews are just a matter of opinion anyway and don't detract from this highly entertaining read.

This is a five star effort in terms of providing all the insider details about the Japanese monster movies I loved as a kid, shunned as a young adult and am now rediscovering again. For the first time, some context into what those Japanese filmmakers were doing and on top of that, clear coherent explanations of the FX and why to them what American audiences think of as cheap looking was state of the art for its day in Japan (we even learn such gems why the dubbing we hear in English is always so bad, and why the current versions of the original Gamera film no longer contain any of the footage with Brian Donlevy and Albert Dekker).

About the only quibble might be some of the author's reviews of the films in one section ("King Kong Escapes" is really a bad film no matter how you cut it) but that's a minor thing compared to the treasure trove of intellectual junk food this book provides. If you enjoyed watching these movies in your innocent youth, then get it!

This is amazing book.The author's extensive research and inteviews are formidable.I wish I could find this in Japanese language. But I would like people in U.S. to know not only Kurosawa's film but also about Japanese films like the ones the author reseaches, becuase there films are also hidden Japanese cultural treasure.

Ignore those reviewers who harp on the author for dissing their favorite Godzilla movie. Yes, the new 1990s Godzilla movies are inferior to the older, more imaginative movies of the 1950s and 60s in every way except SFX. But so what? If you buy this book for the film reviews, then you've missed the point entirely. This book is a landmark achievement, a look inside the weird world of Japanese monster movies, told in the words of the people WHO WERE THERE. The author has conducted several dozen interviews with the stars, writers and directors of a wide array of Japanese classics, not just the Godzilla films but also stuff like "Monster From a Prehistoric Planet" and the original "Gamera." There are many self-anointed kingpins of Japanese monster fandom in North America, but none of them has even come close to writing something of this magnitude. This book is a great read, a great look (it's loaded with eye-catching photos and art) and it should be around for a long time to come.

Monsters are Attacking Tokyo is a must for anyone who grew up with Godzilla and his many friends from Toho Studios. It is a book that is filled full of hard to find information on Japan's greatest film export. The behind the scenes information on Americans who starred in some of these films, like Nick Adams and Russ Tamblyn, is quite enjoyable. Jamey Moore

This look at the addictive, wild and wonderfully whacky (and, at times, tacky) imported delight that is the Japanese fantasy movie. Most mainstream audiences only know of Godzilla, the true King of the Monsters, and, maybe, Gamera, the flying turtle and Guardian of the Universe. But there was much, much more than that to Japanese fantasy and Stuart Galbraith's predominantly oral history of the genre covers it all. The masters and witnesses speak for themselves, sharing memories and personal insights. The only sour note is one interviewee who takes delight in badmouthing and/or insulting every cult icon he had the priviledge to work with. Also Galbraith's review section treats just about everything made after the 'Golden Age' (50s to mid to late 60s) as dreck and I disagree with him almost completely. But neither of those commentaries ruins the book or casts a shadow over the contribution to Pop Culture these individuals made. A must have for fans, highly recommended.

For pure reference on Japanese monster movie, this is great..but for information on how the movies were made and in-depth discussions on the movies themselves, its not. I was hoping to read more about how the movies were created from idea to celluloid. This book, however, gives an overview of what was going on from many of the top players in the Japanese movie industry. As other people have written, it is pretty embarrassing to read the comments from the American actors who were in one or two movies, they rudeness and crass pomposity is rather pathetic. Especially when compared to the heartfelt emotions of thier Japanese counterparts. However, the synopsis' of the actors and movies is wonderful reference.

A great thing about this book is how it lets you know about lesser known movies (Gappa,Attack of the mushroom people,The X from Outer Space,War of the Gargantuas,The Magic Serpant, etc.).However,it is too critical of some movies(how coul he not like Godzilla vs. Destroyer is beyond me).Still,a good book.

Beginning 25 years when I was 5, like many others I was exposed to these wonderful films via 4 o'clock movies or late night creature features. They gave pleasure then as now looking back on them. Most of the explanatory works I later searched for on these movies were limited to Japanese language fan compendiums. I was thrilled when I saw this and the Godzilla Compendium online, and purchased them immediately. Divided into sections of intros, interviews, plot synopses, primary people involved this read like a scholarly dissertation on the unlikely subject of the monster / fantasy genre of Japan. I enjoyed the interviews the most, especially the overwhelming sense of humour that pervaded the discussions as these actors, directors, and producers chatted about the camaraderie and stories of working together. I was also very pleased to read that Kumi Mizuno [the sultry and beguiling Maemi `everybody wants me'] enjoyed Attack of the Mushroom People so much, as it along w/ Destroy All Monsters is a favorite of mine. After reading the interviews, and the evenness that the questions were posed, it was sort of a shift of gears to read the reviews, which were often not very complimentary and sometimes scathing. I found it interesting to see the other production houses besides Toho discussed, as well as the other genres that the actors and directors dealt with. A welcome addition to the collection of Japanese fantasy film lovers. Recommended.