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Haruo Nakajima – The man in Godzilla suit

Short English documentary about Haruo Nakajima, the man who portrayed Godzilla in the first 12 movies of the popular Japanese media franchise.

The costume was made of concrete in the first Godzilla film in 1954, that alone deserves respect LoL. Check the rest about his early career from the video.

Nakajima also played other giant creatures in various movies and in the Ultraman TV series. Hence, in some ways he’s the real king of monsters in Japan.

He retired from his suit acting roles in 1972. Fans still remember him fondly, and many people credited him as the greatest suit actor of all time.

Rest in peace

[Update] The legend passed away in August 2017, aged 88.

“In the end, the Godzilla I played remains on the film forever. It remains in people’s memory, and for that I feel really grateful.” ~ Haruo Nakajima

Godzilla size comparison 1954-2016

A picture comparing the height of the Godzilla from the first movie in 1954 to the most recent one. Apparently the giant has grown a lot in half a century.

Godzilla size and height comparison

It appears the tallest at 118.5 metres in the latest Shin Godzilla movie. Although the American one (2014) may weigh a bit more because of its bulky design

Not sure who made this, thank you regardless. You can also check an earlier post to compare the size of Godzilla with other monsters in Japanese pop culture.

Shin Godzilla (2016) Japanese movie trailer

Teaser for Japanese movie Shin Godzilla (シン・ゴジラ), in theatres in Japan this summer. The film is co-directed by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi. It’s the 31st instalment in the Godzilla franchise and the third reboot by Toho Pictures.

The Shin is a play of words which can mean a few things. Officially it’s RESURGENCE in English title, some Asian teasers go with TRUE, social media seems to like it as GOD, while I prefer the simpler NEW instead. It all seems to fit though.

[Read more…] about Shin Godzilla (2016) Japanese movie trailer

Size Comparison: Godzilla, Pacific Rim, Titan

Japanese blogger Ulaken [Jp] has created an interesting illustration comparing the size of the famous giants in Japanese pop culture.

Size comparison of Godzilla, Pacific Rim and Attack on Titan

The characters

The chart features the Godzilla from the upcoming Japanese film and the American one from 2014. The latest Godzilla is the tallest at 118.5 metres. [Update] You can check this post to compare the size of the Godzilla from early to modern days.

And then there’s the Jaeger robot and sea monster from the Pacific Rim in 2013. It’s a Hollywood film based on Japanese kaiju (monster) genre.

There’s also the gory giants from hit anime franchise Attack on Titan, including the normal and the extra-sized one. They are not really kaiju though.

And then there’s Ultraman, the old-school Japanese pop culture icon which is about the size of the giant monsters in the 1960’s. Poor little thing =)

Last but not least, the standard human being who is almost invisible in the picture.

Godzilla: High Grade figures collection

Video of a Japanese fan showing his huge collection of Godzilla related figures. Not everyone’s cup of tea, skip this if kaiju is not your interest =)

Godzilla: High Grade

Bandai produce the toy line in Japan since 1994. The plastic models are about two inches tall and may need some assembling. There are sold by Gashapon, aka capsule toy vending machines which are commonly seen in Japan.

Bandai usually release a new set when there’s a new Godzilla film in town. Besides the main character, the collection also includes other monsters in the franchise.

Unless things have changed, the Gashapon usually dispense an item by luck. Each machine usually has its specific theme but you cannot control what you get.

In addition, some items are very rare. It requires real dedication – either by sheer numbers or trading with other people – to get such a huge collection.