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Japan Goes to the Polls
Today’s election day in Japan. The more conservative of Japan’s two parties, ironically known as the Liberal Democratic Party, is expected to defeat the ruling Democratic Party of Japan. However, the...
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Scandals Hit Sumo Wrestling
Japan’s traditional sport, sumo wrestling, has been racked by scandals as it relaxes its tough standards for competitors and seeks to recapture fans lost to baseball and other modern entertainment...
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Vermilion Pleasure Night
Today’s Trillion Dollar Movie isn’t a movie per se, but a full one hour’s worth of highlights from the truly eccentric and original Japanese comedy and variety show called Vermilion Pleasure Night. We...
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Babes of Burlesque: 11
CHERRY TYPHOON An explosive dynamo, Cherry Typhoon brings an original, high-energy presence to the stage. She grew up in Tokyo, studying traditional Japanese dance forms, but her career really...
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Babes of Burlesque: 46
MISS CABARETTA When we think of Japan, we think of sushi and sumo wrestlers. But Miss Cabaretta — real name Deka Tamagi — has also made burlesque part of the social fabric in Japan. Known for her...
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City Paradise
A Japanese transplant to London has an unflattering view of her new environment, until she takes a deeper plunge and begins to see the beauty hidden by the grime and dreary weather. This work by...
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Know Your Monster: 1
ANGUIRUS Welcome to Know Your Monster. Every day through the month of March, we’ll introduce a different movie monster, mostly from Japan, although we’ve added a couple of ringers from Denmark and...
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Know Your Monster: 2
ATRAGON Atragon isn’t a living, breathing monster per se, but something even more invincible — the greatest warship ever created. A renegade sea captain fabricated this supersub to restore Japanese...
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Know Your Monster: 3
BARAGON Baragon looks cute, with big, floppy bat ears. But do not underestimate his powers! He apparently was spawned somewhere near a raging volcano, as he can fire a deadly heat ray from his mouth....
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Know Your Monster: 4
BIOLLANTE The largest of the Japanese movie monsters, Biollante also has the most in common with Godzilla. That’s because Biollante is a mutant created from Godzilla’s skin cells. A mad scientist...
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Know Your Monster: 5
DAIGORO Diagoro is one of the more obscure Japanese movie monsters. He appeared in only one film, which never received a theatrical release in the United States. But Daigoro belongs in this Kaiju...
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Electropia
Animator Noriko Okaku won best music video award at the 2011 Ottawa International Animation Festival for her vibrant, surreal imagery illustrating the song “Electropia” by the Japanese band Joyz. Okaku...
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Know Your Monster: 6
GAMERA After Toho Studios earned breakout success with Godzilla, the rival Daiei Motion Picture Co., fired back by introducing its own movie monster — the giant turtle Gamera. Actually, Gamera is like...
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Know Your Monster: 7
GAPPA The Gappa are beaked bird-lizards –seemingly from a monster genus close to Rodan’s — who inhabit the volcanic Obelisk Island in the South Seas. There, they are worshiped by a primitive tribe,...
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Know Your Monster: 8
GIGAN A cyborg from outer space, Gigan was the first robotic monster to square off against Godzilla. He’s also among the more fearsome looking and lethal of Godzilla’s opponents — the first ever to...
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Know Your Monster: 9
GODZILLA Godzilla was not only the first, but also the most enduring of all the Kaiju, or Japanese movie monsters. In truth, he wasn’t the first. The Japanese did create a King Kong knock-off way back...
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Know Your Monster: 10
GOROSAURUS Gorosaurus is probably the most straightforward of the Japanese movie monsters. He doesn’t shoot out atomic spitballs or fly using jet propulsion. He doesn’t have any fallback gimmicks. He’s...
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Know Your Monster: 11
GUILALA This monster from Outer Space is an energy hog. It will ingest any form of energy around — oil, coal and especially nuclear power. The more energy it ingests, the stronger it becomes. So do not...
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Know Your Monster: 12
GUIRON Guiron is named after the Japanese word for “guillotine.” It’s a reference to his most lethal weapon — a giant blade attached to his forehead that’s nearly as long as his body. The blade is...
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Know Your Monster: 13
GYAOS This monster is a ferocious flying fortress — part-bat and part-Pterodactyl. Much like the bat, the Gyaos (pronounced Gao-ess) is nocturnal and usually avoids daylight. But when forced to duel...
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