Daikaiju Enterprises

Issue #23

September/October, 1996

Reviewer:    C. L. Werner

Articles include:

• News - Shochiku studios in Japan has announced that they will revive their '60's kaiju Guilala and pit him against another revived kaiju, Gappa. Daiei shows more support of G-FAN than Toho, sending editor J. D. Lees stills from the new Gamera film. TriStar's deal with Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich looks certain, with the two men going to Mexico to draft an original script for the coming American 'Godzilla' film. Toho announces that they will be abandoning Laser-disc in favor of the new DVD format for all future G-film releases. Toho premiered their Rebirth of Mothra at a film festival September 29th; the film goes into general release in December. ADV films releases Toho's sci-fi film Gunhed to video in the US. Actor Shoji Kobayashi passes away. Godzilla vs Destoroyah opens in theaters in Malaysia. Disney's merger with the Tokuma Group may involve acquisition of the rights to Gamera 2.

• Mothra Returns - photos by Daisuke Ishizuka - Color pictures of the monsters from Rebirth of Mothra from the recent Hero Festival '96 in Tokyo.

• Gamera Rules! - by Ed Godziszewski - A retrospective on the amazing new Gamera series being produced by Daiei. It seems that the once laughable turtle is now an ultra-serious contender for Godzilla's crown as Japan's greatest monster.

• Gamera 2 ushers 'new era of kaiju' - by Norman England - A report on the astonishingly well-made Gamera film.

• Daiei's Dream Team - by Kyle Smith - Another impression of the new Gamera film, with emphasis on the craftsmanship and artistic style of the film.

• Godzilla Tails - Fanfiction by Godzilla fans. 'A Conversation with Zigra' by Skip Peel, in which Dr. Rex Summeral journeys to the distant planet Tera to speak with another member of the race of shark-aliens. 'Toho Goes Shojo! Godzilla gets Sailor Mooned!' by Todd Shields. 'The Global Kaiju Crisis' by John E. Allegretti. 'Will You Have the Chicken or the Fungus of Terror?' by Evan A. Baker.

• Kaiju-go -by Norman England - Lessons in Japanese language for the otaku.

• Up to Parr - A collection of artwork by G-FAN contributor Frank Parr.

• The Other Side of Toho - by John Rocco Roberto - Another look at Toho's non-kaiju sci-fi and horror films.

• Building Godzilla in Resin and Vinyl - by Stan G. Hyde - Modeling tips for constructing different types of Godzilla kits.

• Mini Product Report - Reviews of kaij-related merchandise. Included are Marc Cerasini's Godzilla Returns and ADV films' video release of the anime Super Atragon.

• G-Con '96 Report - News and pictures from the recent Chicago convention hosted by G-FAN, including some of the amazing model contest entrants.