Tokusatsu—the Japanese genre of effects-heavy live-action—owes much of its success to the TV shows Ultra Q and Ultraman. The shows established the formula of inspiring heroes taking on a wide variety of Kaiju (giant monsters) in complex stories that couldn’t be reduced to concepts of good versus evil. Thanks to the passions of the creators and actors involved, the genre continues to be popular with kids and adults alike.
Striking a chord by making viewers suspend just enough of their disbelief
Tsuburaya Productions’ Ultra Q (1966) was groundbreaking in the history of tokusatsu. For the first time, the Kaiju that until then could only be seen at the cinema had been transported onto the TV screen. And since every episode was self-contained, a new Kaiju appeared every week. No wonder it was such a hit with children around Japan. One of these kids was Fuyuki Shinada, who now crafts Kaiju for Tsuburaya Productions. “I loved Garamon,” he says. “He was lovable and really felt alive. I also liked the idea of a robot monster created by aliens. But it did take a while to craft all the creases in his body for the remake!” After 28 episodes, Ultra Q ended; its slot was immediately filled by Ultraman. The show begins with Ultraman of the Inter Galactic Defense Force arriving on Earth to hunt down a Kaiju that escaped while being transported to prison. The protagonist may have changed, but the concept of introducing a new Kaiju every week remained the same.
Eiji Tsuburaya, founder of Tsuburaya Productions, and Ultraman.
“The care that goes into the Kaiju is the reason Tsuburaya’s shows continue to be popular,” says Shinada. “The Kaiju in Ultraman are cool, lovable, full of personality, and create real drama.” Shinada grew up without Kaiju figures and models. He had to settle for crafting Kaiju out of modeling clay. In middle school, his interests shifted to Bruce Lee and horror movies like The Exorcist, and after graduating high school, he began a typical job—just as anime was entering a golden age. These anime inspired Shinada to return to art, and he quit his job to attend art school. Then, he attended a 25th anniversary screening of the original Godzilla (1954), which rekindled his love for tokusatsu. “I immediately started carving an Ultraman mask from wood—like it was a Noh mask,” he laughs. “There weren’t any behind-the-scenes videos back then, so I had to figure everything out for myself.” Shinada joined a crafting company and started working on tokusatsu, beginning with the Space Sheriff TV shows. In 1986, he went freelance, and in 1989, he crafted Biollante—the genetically-modified Kaiju in the movie Godzilla vs. Biollante. In 2009, he joined Tsuburaya, finally achieving his wish to craft for Ultraman. Of all the Kaiju he has created, Shinada is most fond of Maga-Orochi, the antagonist in Ultraman Orb
This is the Maga-Orochi fromUltraman Orb that Shinada considers to be his finest work.
“He was just so destructive,” Shinada says.“He was unstoppable in the first half, and then Ultraman gets him in the second half—but he goes down dramatically with a flip. Viewers loved it—it was like the apex of Kaiju wrestling. In general, I think the best Kaiju make you suspend just the right amount of disbelief. Children are balls of curiosity. They love
PROFILE
Ultraman | This 1966 tokusatsu TV show was followed by sequels such as Ultraseven and Return of Ultraman, as well as anime adaptations. In the 90s, the “TDG” trilogy consisting of Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman Dyna, and Ultraman Gaia was a hit. The latest iteration is Ultraman Z (Zett). A retrospective, Ultraman Chronicle Z: Heroes’ Odyssey, is currently airing in Japan.
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