Japanese Special Effects Cinema: Godfathers of Tokusatsu - Vol. 1
by ThatSaradianAgent | created - 21 Dec 2021 | updated - 28 Dec 2021 | PublicAll the films and television shows covered in the book Japanese Special Effects Cinema: Godfathers of Tokusatsu Vol. 1 (2022).
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1. A Trip to the Moon (1902)
TV-G | 13 min | Short, Action, Adventure
A group of astronomers go on an expedition to the Moon.
Director: Georges Méliès | Stars: Georges Méliès, Victor André, Bleuette Bernon, Brunnet
Votes: 55,766
2. The Great Train Robbery (1903)
TV-G | 11 min | Short, Action, Adventure
A group of bandits stage a brazen train hold-up, only to find a determined posse hot on their heels.
Director: Edwin S. Porter | Stars: Gilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' Anderson, A.C. Abadie, George Barnes, Justus D. Barnes
Votes: 20,993
4. Saiyûki (1917)
50 min
Director: Jirô Yoshino | Stars: Shirôgorô Sawamura, Enjuro Ichikawa, Eigorô Onoe, Shigesaburo Nakamura
5. Awaremi no kyoku (1919)
Director: Yoshirô Edamasa | Stars: Jun'ichirô Aoshima, Gakusui Ego, Suketarô Inokai, Kimiko Kawada
6. Gôketsu Jiraiya (1921)
21 min | Short, Action
The story of Jiraiya, a legendary ninja with great powers who set off on a adventure.
Director: Shôzô Makino | Stars: Matsunosuke Onoe, Suminojo Ichikawa, Kijaku Ôtani, Chosei Kataoka
Votes: 198
7. The Lost World (1925)
Passed | 110 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Horror
The first film adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic novel about a land where prehistoric creatures still roam.
Director: Harry O. Hoyt | Stars: Wallace Beery, Bessie Love, Lloyd Hughes, Lewis Stone
Votes: 5,820 | Gross: $1.19M
8. Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Not Rated | 66 min | Drama, History, Thriller
In the midst of the Russian Revolution of 1905, the crew of the battleship Potemkin mutiny against the brutal, tyrannical regime of the vessel's officers. The resulting street demonstration in Odessa brings on a police massacre.
Director: Sergei Eisenstein | Stars: Aleksandr Antonov, Vladimir Barskiy, Grigoriy Aleksandrov, Ivan Bobrov
Votes: 61,440 | Gross: $0.05M
9. A Page of Madness (1926)
Not Rated | 70 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A man takes a job at an asylum with hopes of freeing his imprisoned wife.
Director: Teinosuke Kinugasa | Stars: Masuo Inoue, Ayako Iijima, Yoshie Nakagawa, Hiroshi Nemoto
Votes: 4,571
10. Metropolis (1927)
Not Rated | 153 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
In a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city's mastermind falls in love with a working-class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich, Rudolf Klein-Rogge
Votes: 185,520 | Gross: $1.24M
11. Chîgo no kênhô (1927)
Director: Minoru Inuzuka | Stars: Kazuo Hasegawa, Tsuyako Okajima, Misao Seki, Ippei Sôma
12. Crossroads (1928)
81 min | Drama
After falling in love with a courtesan, Rikiya is blinded by ash during a fight in a brothel. Believing the blindness permanent and his opponent dead, Rikiya goes back home to his sister. ... See full summary »
Director: Teinosuke Kinugasa | Stars: Akiko Chihaya, Junosuke Bandô, Yukiko Ogawa, Ippei Sôma
Votes: 460
13. Reimei izen (1931)
100 min | Drama
In the age of priests and warriors which the film denounces, a woman revolts after she is sold as a prostitute.
Director: Teinosuke Kinugasa | Stars: Kazuo Hasegawa, Ryûnosuke Tsukigata, Akiko Chihaya, Kôkichi Takada
14. King Kong (1933)
Passed | 100 min | Adventure, Horror
A film crew goes to a tropical island for a location shoot, where they capture a colossal ape who takes a shine to their blonde starlet, and bring him back to New York City.
Directors: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack | Stars: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot, Frank Reicher
Votes: 90,959 | Gross: $10.00M
15. Wasei Kingu Kongu (1933)
30 min | Short, Adventure, Horror
The character "Santa" is a vagabond whose main source of income is locating lost coins on the streets of Tokyo. He is dating the pretty girl Omitsu, but her father Seizo does not consider ... See full summary »
Director: Torajirô Saitô | Stars: Yasuko Koizumi, Isamu Yamaguchi, Kotarô Sekiguchi, Chosei Yamada
Votes: 39
16. Daibutsu kaikoku (1934)
The plot focuses on a giant Buddha statue (known in Japan as a "Daibutsu") 33 meters in height. It comes to life and tours the country, mainly seeing tourist sights,
Director: Yoshirô Edamasa | Stars: Hidemichi Ishikawa, Kazuyo Kojima, Tankai Soganoya
17. Hyakuman-nin no gasshô (1935)
62 min
Director: Atsuo Tomioka | Stars: Nobuko Fushimi, Shizue Natsukawa, Tamaki Tokuyama, Shin Date
18. Princess Kaguya (1935)
75 min | Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Directors: Nobuo Aoyagi, Yoshitsugu Tanaka | Stars: Ichirô Fujiyama, Hideko Higashi, Fujiwa Kinji, Hyô Kitazawa
Votes: 16
20. Atarashiki tsuchi (1937)
120 min | Drama, Romance
Teruo is an adopted son of an old samurai family that returns to Japan after living in Germany and is expected to marry Mitsuko. But he's struggling to readjust to Japan and intends to marry an Aryan woman.
Directors: Arnold Fanck, Mansaku Itami | Stars: Sessue Hayakawa, Isamu Kosugi, Setsuko Hara, Yuriko Hanabusa
Votes: 146
21. Abe ichizoku (1938)
105 min | Drama
Jidai-geki surprisingly critical of bushido codes and practice of seppuku (aka hara-kiri). Yaichiemon Abe, denied permission to commit ritual suicide with more than a dozen vassals to Lord ... See full summary »
Director: Hisatora Kumagai | Stars: Chôjûrô Kawarasaki, Kan'emon Nakamura, Shizue Yamagishi, Masako Tsutsumi
Votes: 26
22. The King Kong That Appeared in Edo (1938)
50 min | Adventure, Drama, Horror
In part one of this silent two-part film, an ape nicknamed King Kong by its master kidnaps the daughter of a wealthy man as part of a revenge plot by one of his lackeys. The story concludes in King Kong Appears in Edo: The Episode of Gold (1938).
Director: Sôya Kumagai | Stars: Eizaburô Matsumoto, Fuminori Ôhashi, Reizaburo Ichikawa, Reiko Mishima
Votes: 65
23. King Kong Appears in Edo: The Episode of Gold (1938)
Adventure, Drama, Horror
In part two of this silent two-part film, an ape nicknamed King Kong by its master has kidnapped the daughter of a wealthy man as part of a revenge plot by one of his lackeys. The conclusion of the story from The King Kong That Appeared in Edo (1938).
Director: Sôya Kumagai | Stars: Eizaburô Matsumoto, Fuminori Ôhashi, Reizaburo Ichikawa, Reiko Mishima
Votes: 22
24. Mutekî sankenshî: zenpen (1938)
Drama
Director: Masao Yonezawa | Stars: Genzaburô Ayanokôji, Ryûnosuke Kumoi, Yôko Morino, Miyoko Kohama
25. Kai-denpa no senritsu - Dai ippen: Ningen tank shutsugen hen (1939)
Drama
Director: Toshihide Yamanouchi | Stars: Naoyoswhi Akutsu, Tadashi Date, Rintarô Fujima, Tatsuo Izuhisa
26. Kai-denpa no senritsu - Dai nihen: Tômei ningen hen (1939)
Drama
Director: Toshihide Yamanouchi | Stars: Naoyoswhi Akutsu, Tadashi Date, Rintarô Fujima, Tatsuo Izuhisa
28. Kaigun bakugekitai (1940)
79 min | War
Director: Sotoji Kimura | Stars: Ichirô Chiba, Susumu Fujita, Kaku Hamada, Toru Kashiwabara
29. Moyuru ôzora (1940)
War
Director: Yutaka Abe | Stars: Susumu Fujita, Taizô Fukami, Katsuhiko Haida, Seishirô Hara
Votes: 12
30. Enoken's Sun Wukong (1940)
136 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Director: Kajirô Yamamoto | Stars: Ken'ichi Enomoto, Akira Kishii, Toshio Kanai, Sadaichi Yanagida
Votes: 39
31. Shanghai Moon (1941)
114 min | Drama
Director: Mikio Naruse | Stars: Isuzu Yamada, Wang Yang, Aiko Satomi, Heihachirô Ôkawa
Votes: 16
32. Nankai no hanataba (1942)
106 min
Director: Yutaka Abe | Stars: Den Ôhinata, Seizaburô Kawazu, Heihachirô Ôkawa, Jun Maki
33. The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malay (1942)
116 min | Drama, History, War
When a boy who is in the navy college returns home for vacation he meets his young cousin who also wants to join in order to become a pilot. However, the younger man's mother is ... See full summary »
Director: Kajirô Yamamoto | Stars: Denjirô Ôkôchi, Yatarô Kurokawa, Setsuko Hara, Kaoru Itô
Votes: 131
34. The Opium War (1943)
115 min | Drama, Musical, War
Two British brothers who are making money for their homeland are meeting buyers for opium in China. There is a police force to counter the dealers, but is not only ineffectual, but also ... See full summary »
Director: Masahiro Makino | Stars: Ennosuke Ichikawa, Seizaburô Kawazu, Setsuko Hara, Hideko Takamine
Votes: 17
35. Tekki kûshû (1943)
88 min | Drama, War
Directors: Hiromasa Nomura, Minoru Shibuya, Kôzaburô Yoshimura | Stars: Reikichi Kawamura, Mieko Takamine, Kinuyo Tanaka, Ken Uehara
Votes: 8
36. Kessen no ôzora e (1943)
89 min | Action, Adventure, War
A local family' house also serves as a gathering place for air force cadets. The family's boy is weak and often unhealthy. The boy wants to become a pilot as well given how he is exposed to... See full summary »
Director: Kunio Watanabe | Stars: Minoru Takada, Setsuko Hara, Yuriko Hanabusa, Masaru Kodaka
Votes: 26
37. Ano hata o ute (1944)
108 min | Action, Drama, War
Directors: Yutaka Abe, Gerardo de Leon | Stars: Denjirô Ôkôchi, Seizaburô Kawazu, Ichirô Tsukida, Haruo Tanaka
Votes: 15
38. Kato hayabusa sento-tai (1944)
110 min | Action, War
Biographical movie about Colonel Kato, an officer serving with the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in Southeast Asia, he was highly respected by his pilots for his fairness and excellent flying ability.
Director: Kajirô Yamamoto | Stars: Susumu Fujita, Minoru Takada, Denjirô Ôkôchi, Takashi Shimura
Votes: 75
39. Raigekitai Shutsudô (1944)
95 min | Drama, War
Wartime film dealing with a Japanese torpedo bomber squadron at war.
The film opens with the Battle of Midway, The enemy carriers and ships are sunk with the IJN suffering minimal losses. ... See full synopsis »
Director: Kajirô Yamamoto | Stars: Denjirô Ôkôchi, Susumu Fujita, Katsuhiko Haida, Akitake Kôno
Votes: 45
40. Kita no san-nin (1945)
72 min | Drama
The story of an airport and its air-traffic control crew in a remote northern-Japanese town. Three of the air-traffic controllers are female; one of them (Setsuko Hara) works alongside the ... See full summary »
Director: Kiyoshi Saeki | Stars: Setsuko Hara, Hideko Takamine, Hisako Yamane, Susumu Fujita
Votes: 54
41. The Descendants of Taro Urashima (1946)
83 min | Drama
Repatriated soldier becomes populist politician in the Japanese Happiness Party.
Director: Mikio Naruse | Stars: Susumu Fujita, Nobuo Nakamura, Haruko Sugimura, Hideko Takamine
Votes: 48
42. Nijiotoko (1949)
81 min | Action, Fantasy, Horror
When a young woman is named as the prime suspect in a murder, her girlfriend and her girlfriend's boyfriend set out to prove her innocence. Their investigation leads them to an isolated, ... See full summary »
Director: Kiyohiko Ushihara | Stars: Keiju Kobayashi, Teruko Akatsuki, Katsuko Wakasugi, Susumu Atsumi
Votes: 105
43. Enoken no Tobisuke bôken ryokô (1949)
81 min | Adventure, Comedy
Tobisuke, puppeteer in Kyôtô, saves O-fuku's life. Wounded in the head, it can now count to three. O-fuku invited him to meet her mother so she can heals him with a golden fruit. But O-fuku... See full summary »
Director: Nobuo Nakagawa | Stars: Ken'ichi Enomoto, Yukie Daigo, Kiyoko Hanashima, Teruko Asahi
Votes: 20
44. The Invisible Man Appears (1949)
Not Rated | 82 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
Jewel thieves become interested in an invisibility formula invented by Professor Nakazato and want to use his invention to acquire a diamond necklace called the "Tears of Amour"..
Director: Nobuo Adachi | Stars: Chizuru Kitagawa, Takiko Mizunoe, Daijirô Natsukawa, Mitsusaburô Ramon
Votes: 295
45. Tetsu no tsume (1951)
82 min | Horror
A war veteran turns into an ape like beast every time he drinks alcohol
Director: Nobuo Adachi | Stars: Jôji Oka, Sumiko Hidaka, Ryôsuke Kagawa, Shirô Kanemitsu
Votes: 18
46. Nangoku no hada (1952)
95 min
The conflict of Ishiro Honda's second narrative feature lies at the crossroads of science, faith, and economic prosperity. When a group of young geologists declares a mountainside marked ... See full summary »
Director: Ishirô Honda | Stars: Hajime Izu, Yôko Fujita, Takashi Shimura, Kamatari Fujiwara
Votes: 21
47. The Man Who Came to Port (1952)
88 min | Drama
Director: Ishirô Honda | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Hiroshi Koizumi, Asami Kuji
Votes: 28
48. Himeyuri no tô (1953)
130 min | Drama, War
High school girls, impressed to provide nursing care for the soldiers on Okinawa, find themselves on the front line during fierce onslaughts by American forces and are left to fend for themselves when the Japanese army dissolves.
Director: Tadashi Imai | Stars: Kyôko Kagawa, Susumu Fujita, Keiko Tsushima, Eiji Okada
Votes: 114
49. Runaway Sunday (1953)
10 min | Short
A young couple, Osuke and Kyoko, go on a bike hike on Sunday and have fun playing with moving green trees, airplanes, swings, flying trains and high-speed airliners at the amusement park.
Director: Takeo Murata | Stars: Kyôko Aoyama, Daisuke Inoue, Takeshi Ueda, Kazuyo Mochida
50. Senkan Yamato (1953)
104 min | War
Director: Yutaka Abe | Stars: Tôru Abe, Minoru Arita, Hiroshi Ayukawa, Miyuki Chigira
Votes: 12
51. The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
Approved | 80 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A ferocious dinosaur awakened by an Arctic atomic test terrorizes the North Atlantic and, ultimately, New York City.
Director: Eugène Lourié | Stars: Paul Hubschmid, Paula Raymond, Cecil Kellaway, Kenneth Tobey
Votes: 8,725 | Gross: $5.00M
52. Taiheiyô no washi (1953)
119 min | Drama, History, War
Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, a brilliant tactician, is a loyal subject of the emperor, despite his grave misgivings about leading Japan's navy into war with the United States. He ... See full summary »
Director: Ishirô Honda | Stars: Denjirô Ôkôchi, Hiroshi Nihon'yanagi, Masao Shimizu, Eijirô Yanagi
Votes: 124
53. Saraba Rabauru (1954)
106 min | War, Romance
A squadron of Japanese fighter pilots at a lonely Rabaul airbase realises that they are never going to win the war when they understand that Japanese military tactics have little regard for... See full summary »
Director: Ishirô Honda | Stars: Ryô Ikebe, Mariko Okada, Rentarô Mikuni, Chieko Nakakita
Votes: 63
54. Godzilla (1954)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
American nuclear weapons testing results in the creation of a seemingly unstoppable dinosaur-like beast.
Director: Ishirô Honda | Stars: Takashi Shimura, Akihiko Hirata, Akira Takarada, Momoko Kôchi
Votes: 39,645 | Gross: $2.42M
55. The Invisible Avenger (1954)
70 min | Crime, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A car strikes an unseen object. Blood spreads from an invisible source, which becomes visible as the bleeding man dies. He carries with him a suicide note dedicated to his only friend, who ... See full summary »
Director: Motoyoshi Oda | Stars: Seizaburô Kawazu, Miki Sanjô, Minoru Takada, Yoshio Tsuchiya
Votes: 165
56. Ningen gyorai kaiten (1955)
87 min | War
Director: Shûe Matsubayashi | Stars: Eiji Okada, Isao Kimura, Keiko Tsushima, Ken Utsui
Votes: 10
57. Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
Approved | 78 min | Action, Sci-Fi
Scout pilots for a fishing fleet are startled to discover a new monster named Anguirus alongside a second Godzilla. The monsters make their way toward Osaka as Japan can only brace for tragedy and relive the horror of Godzilla once more.
Directors: Motoyoshi Oda, Ishirô Honda | Stars: Hiroshi Koizumi, Setsuko Wakayama, Minoru Chiaki, Takashi Shimura
Votes: 8,321
58. Jû jin yuki otoko (1955)
94 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A yeti terrorizes people on top of Mount Fuji.
Director: Ishirô Honda | Stars: Akira Takarada, Akemi Negishi, Momoko Kôchi, Nobuo Nakamura
Votes: 307
59. Warning from Space (1956)
Unrated | 87 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
UFOs are seen around Tokyo. Because they look like giant starfish the aliens cannot approach us without creating panic. Hence one of them sacrifices itself and takes the form of a popular ... See full summary »
Director: Kôji Shima | Stars: Keizô Kawasaki, Toyomi Karita, Bin Yagisawa, Shôzô Nanbu
Votes: 1,269
60. Madame White Snake (1956)
103 min | Fantasy, Romance
Lavish Japanese-Chinese coproduction based on an ancient Chinese legend about a man who falls in love with a snake goddess in human form.
Director: Shirô Toyoda | Stars: Ryô Ikebe, Shirley Yamaguchi, Kaoru Yachigusa, Kichijirô Ueda
Votes: 129
61. Sora tobu enban: Kyôfu no shûgeki (1956)
80 min | Sci-Fi
Director: Shin'ichi Sekizawa | Stars: Tadao Takashima, Junko Ebata, Shigeru Amachi, Junji Masuda
Votes: 21
62. Rodan (1956)
Approved | 74 min | Action, Sci-Fi
A mining engineer investigates the death of his fellow coworkers and discovers prehistoric nymphs emerging from the mines. As he heads deeper into the mines, he makes a more horrifying discovery in the form a prehistoric flying creature.
Director: Ishirô Honda | Stars: Kenji Sahara, Yumi Shirakawa, Akihiko Hirata, Akio Kobori
Votes: 5,983 | Gross: $0.50M
63. Typhoon Over Nagasaki (1956)
115 min | Drama
Pierre Marsac, a French engineer working for the Nagasaki shipbuilding yards, has fallen in love both with Japan and a charming Japanese girl named Noriko. But Françoise Fabre, a French ... See full summary »
Director: Yves Ciampi | Stars: Keiko Kishi, Danielle Darrieux, Jean Marais, Hitomi Nozoe
Votes: 125
64. Gokurakuto monogatari (1957)
98 min | Comedy, Musical
Musical-comedy about nine soldiers deserted on an island in South Pacific.
Director: Kôzô Saeki | Stars: Akira Takarada, Kiiton Masuda, Hanshirô Iwai, Ichirô Arishima
65. Emperor Meiji and the Great Russo-Japanese War (1957)
113 min | Drama, History, War
Meiji Tenno portrayed the ramp up to the Russo-Japan War. In addition to showing the political events that led to war, it also showed the era from the story of a farm family in rural Japan ... See full summary »
Director: Kunio Watanabe | Stars: Kanjûrô Arashi, Kusuo Abe, Minoru Takada, Shin Takemura
Votes: 39
66. The Boy Detectives Club - The Iron Fiend (1957)
113 min | Drama, Action, Thriller
Director: Hideo Sekigawa | Stars: Eiji Okada, Jun Usami, Takashi Kanda, Masako Nakamura
Votes: 18
67. Shonen tanteidan: Kabutomushi no yoki (1957)
113 min | Action, Thriller
A man with many disguises uses robotic beetles, man-made monsters and other devices to try and steal atomic power.
Director: Hideo Sekigawa | Stars: Eiji Okada, Jun Usami, Takashi Kanda, Masako Nakamura
Votes: 11
68. Sûpâ jaiantsu (1957)
49 min | Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure
The 1st film in the Super Giant movie series, in which the title hero saves the world from foreign terrorsts threatening Japan with a nuclear attack (Part 1 of 2)
Director: Teruo Ishii | Stars: Ken Utsui, Junko Ikeuchi, Minoru Takada, Shôji Nakayama
Votes: 52
69. Zoku sûpâ jaiantsu (1957)
52 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Super Giant (Starman in USA films) continues his battle against the foreign terrorists from Merapolia who are trying to destroy Earth with nuclear weapons. They retaliate by framing him for murder among his allies.
Director: Teruo Ishii | Stars: Ken Utsui, Junko Ikeuchi, Minoru Takada, Shôji Nakayama
Votes: 40
70. The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly (1957)
Not Rated | 96 min | Crime, Fantasy, Horror
A ruthless serial killer with a peculiar method of stalking and killing his victims comes face to face with a police officer turned invisible by a scientific experiment. Who will emerge triumphant?
Director: Mitsuo Murayama | Stars: Yoshirô Kitahara, Ryûji Shinagawa, Junko Kanô, Ikuko Môri
Votes: 246
71. Sûpâ jaiantsu - Kaiseijin no majô (1957)
51 min | Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure
The 3rd Super Giant film, in which he saves Earth from the threat of the reptile-like Kapia Aliens. (Part 1 of 2)
Directors: Koreyoshi Akasaka, Teruo Ishii, Akira Mitsuwa | Stars: Ken Utsui, Minako Yamada, Masao Takamatsu, Ryo Iwashita
Votes: 50
72. Sûpâ jaiantsu - Chikyû metsubô sunzen (1957)
42 min | Sci-Fi, Short, Action
The 4th Super Giant film, in which he continues his fight against the Kapia Aliens (Part 2 of 2)
Director: Teruo Ishii | Stars: Ken Utsui, Minako Yamada, Junko Ikeuchi, Masao Takamatsu
Votes: 22
73. Sûpâ jaiantsu - Jinkô eisei to jinrui no hametsu (1957)
40 min | Short, Sci-Fi, Action
The 5th Super Giant film, in which he seeks to save hostages from a nazi-like group operating from a satellite in space. (Part 1 of 2)
Director: Teruo Ishii | Stars: Ken Utsui, Utako Mitsuya, Hiroshi Hayashi, Teruhisa Ikeda
Votes: 32
74. The Mysterians (1957)
Approved | 85 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Shortly after a giant robot destroys a village, aliens from outer space arrive offering friendship. Will the people of Earth tie these two events together?
Director: Ishirô Honda | Stars: Kenji Sahara, Yumi Shirakawa, Momoko Kôchi, Akihiko Hirata
Votes: 1,899 | Gross: $0.98M
75. Gekkô kamen (1958– )
30 min | Adventure, Action, Mystery
Japan's first superhero TV show, in which a caped/masked avenger fights assorted evil in modern-day Tokyo.
Stars: Kôichi Ôse, Mike Danning
Votes: 28
76. Sûpâ jaiantsu - Uchûtei to jinkô eisei gekitotsu (1958)
39 min | Sci-Fi, Short, Action
The 6th Super Giant film, in which he continues his battle against the nazi-like satellite group. (Part 2 of 2)
Director: Teruo Ishii | Stars: Ken Utsui, Utako Mitsuya, Hiroshi Hayashi, Teruhisa Ikeda
Votes: 31
77. Sûpâ jaiantsu - Uchû kaijin shutsugen (1958)
45 min | Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure
The 7th Super Giant film, in which he fights a brain-like alien creature, created by a mad scientist with the help of an alien army.
Director: Akira Miwa | Stars: Ken Utsui, Chisako Hara, Akira Nakamura, Makoto Abe
Votes: 29
78. The H-Man (1958)
Approved | 79 min | Crime, Horror, Sci-Fi
When a narcotics deal goes sour and a suspect disappears, leaving only his clothes, Tokyo police question his wife and stake out the nightclub where she works. His disappearance stumps the ... See full summary »
Director: Ishirô Honda | Stars: Yumi Shirakawa, Kenji Sahara, Akihiko Hirata, Eitarô Ozawa
Votes: 1,643
79. Nichiren to moko daishurai (1958)
145 min | Drama
Legendary Buddhist monk Nichiren (Kazuo Hasegawa) returns from his studies to lead Japan out of moral crisis and prepare to fight the Mongol invaders during the 1200's by creating a new ... See full synopsis »
Director: Kunio Watanabe | Stars: Kazuo Hasegawa, Takashi Shimura, Shintarô Katsu, Raizô Ichikawa
Votes: 68
80. Varan (1958)
87 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
Original Japanese version. Research in the Tohoku region comes across a monster known to the locals as the mountain god Baradagi.
Directors: Ishirô Honda, Motoyoshi Oda | Stars: Kôzô Nomura, Ayumi Sonoda, Koreya Senda, Akihiko Hirata
Votes: 903
81. Zoku sûpâ jaiantsu - Akuma no keshin (1959)
57 min | Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure
The 8th Super Giant film, in which he copes with a disfigured mad scientist, who turns his own daughter into an evil witch.
Director: Nagayoshi Akasaka | Stars: Ken Utsui, Reiko Seto, Minoru Asuka, Mitsuhiko Ôe
Votes: 22
82. The Adventures of Sun Wukong (1959)
98 min | Fantasy
The mythical adventures of the legendary Chinese trickster Monkey, who must outwit a variety of wily demons who stand in the way of him and his fellow Buddhist travelers. Though portrayed ... See full summary »
Director: Kajirô Yamamoto | Stars: Norihei Miki, Fukutarô Ichikawa, Nobuo Chiba, Reiko Dan
Votes: 32
83. Zoku Sûpâ jaiantsu - Dokuga ôkoku (1959)
56 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
The 9th and final Super Giant film, in which he fights a group plotting to assassinate a Middle-Eastern prince for his country's treasure.
Director: Nagayoshi Akasaka | Stars: Ken Utsui, Terumi Hoshi, Shinsuke Mikimoto, Jôji Ôhara
Votes: 22
84. Prince of Space (1959)
57 min | Action, Adventure, Family
When an alien force tries to invade Earth to steal a powerful new rocket fuel, a mysterious hero intervenes.
Director: Eijirô Wakabayashi | Stars: Tatsuo Umemiya, Hiroko Mine, Takashi Kanda, Ushio Akashi
Votes: 3,122
85. Nana-iro kamen (1959– )
30 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery
Young detective Kotarô Ran, able to change into seven different personalities (including the masked avenger, Spectrum Mask) fights assorted evil.
Stars: Susumu Wajima, Shin'ichi Chiba, Rikiya Iwaki, Ranfan Ou
Votes: 11
86. Sensuikan I-57 kôfuku sezu (1959)
104 min | War
A story set in the time of WWII about one of the most famous Japansese submarines fighting through hardships to achieve its final goal
Director: Shûe Matsubayashi | Stars: Ryô Ikebe, Tatsuya Mihashi, Akihiko Hirata, Akira Kubo
Votes: 25
87. Kôdo nanasen metoru: kyôfu no yojikan (1959)
76 min | Action, Thriller
Passengers on an airliner in flight are startled to discover that a killer, who is fleeing from the police after having murdered three people, has managed to come on board with a gun and is... See full summary »
Director: Tsuneo Kobayashi | Stars: Ken Takakura, Kenji Imai, Naoko Kubo, Hitomi Nakahara
Votes: 28
88. The Three Treasures (1959)
112 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
A prince, framed for murder and starved for affection from his father, is sent on a quest.
Director: Hiroshi Inagaki | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Yôko Tsukasa, Akihiko Hirata, Kyôko Kagawa
Votes: 368
89. Battle in Outer Space (1959)
Approved | 90 min | Action, Sci-Fi
The nations of the Earth unite in a common cause to fight off an invader from outer space.
Director: Ishirô Honda | Stars: Ryô Ikebe, Kyôko Anzai, Minoru Takada, Koreya Senda
Votes: 1,543
91. Tomei-tengu (1960)
73 min | Horror
An Invisible Demon invades a castle where a group of people are spending the night there.
Director: Mitsuo Hirotsu | Stars: Yutaka Nakamura, Chitose Maki, Ryûzô Shimada, Eigorô Onoe
92. Densô ningen (1960)
85 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
Men are being murdered by a psycho called "The Telegian," who uses a matter-transmitting device to locate his victims.
Director: Jun Fukuda | Stars: Kôji Tsuruta, Yumi Shirakawa, Seizaburô Kawazu, Yoshio Tsuchiya
Votes: 269
93. Taiheiyô no arashi (1960)
118 min | Drama, History, War
Lt. Koji Kitami is a navigator-bombardier in Japan's Naval Air Force. He participates in the Japanese raid on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in 1941 and is welcomed with pride in his ... See full summary »
Directors: Shûe Matsubayashi, Hugo Grimaldi | Stars: Yôsuke Natsuki, Toshirô Mifune, Kôji Tsuruta, Makoto Satô
Votes: 227
94. The Demon of Mount Oe (1960)
114 min | Fantasy, Horror
A team of samurai warriors team up to defeat a shape-changing, supernatural creature.
Director: Tokuzô Tanaka | Stars: Kazuo Hasegawa, Raizô Ichikawa, Shintarô Katsu, Kôjirô Hongô
Votes: 169
96. World War III Breaks Out (1960)
77 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
USA and the communist countries start a war, later Japan becomes a tragic victim. A plot similar to "the Last War" by Toho.
Directors: Shigeaki Hidaka, William Ross | Stars: Tatsuo Umemiya, Yoshiko Mita, Yayoi Furusato, Noribumi Fujishima
Votes: 56
97. The Human Vapor (1960)
Not Rated | 81 min | Crime, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A librarian is subject to a scientific experiment which goes wrong and transforms him into 'The Human Vapour'. He uses his new ability to rob banks to fund the career of his girlfriend, a ... See full summary »
Director: Ishirô Honda | Stars: Tatsuya Mihashi, Kaoru Yachigusa, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Keiko Sata
Votes: 506
98. Daredevil in the Castle (1961)
95 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Mohei is a wandering swordsman. He arrives in the city of Osaka, where the Toyotomi clan accepts him and comes to depend upon his courage and his battlefield skills. Those skills are sorely... See full summary »
Director: Hiroshi Inagaki | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Kyôko Kagawa, Yuriko Hoshi, Yoshiko Kuga
Votes: 213
99. Invasion of the Neptune Men (1961)
74 min | Action, Sci-Fi
Clumsy invaders from Neptune are thwarted by hero Space Chief and a nondescript group of microshort-wearing Japanese kids.
Director: Kôji Ohta | Stars: Shin'ichi Chiba, Ryûko Minakami, Mitsue Komiya, Seiichirô Kameishi
Votes: 2,851
100. Mothra (1961)
Passed | 101 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
An expedition to Infant Island discovers a native population and tiny twin fairy priestesses of the island's mythical deity. Named Mothra, she sets out to rescue her fairies after they are kidnapped by an exploitative businessman.
Director: Ishirô Honda | Stars: Furankî Sakai, Hiroshi Koizumi, Kyôko Kagawa, Yumi Itô
Votes: 5,293
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