Welcome to the corner of my blog, A Look Beyond Godzilla and Into Indie Tokusatsu. Here, I explore the world of independent tokusatsu films, talking about stories and filmmakers in the genre. Links to the films will always be at the bottom of the page.

Tokusatsu, a genre known for its special effects that bring gigantic kaiju and heroes to life, has been thriving lately with big-budgeted, CGI-saturated movies like Godzilla X Kong.

However, the indie scene in Japan, which produces some of the most innovative work, is keeping the true art style of suitmation (スーツメーション), miniature models, and hand-crafted sets alive.

In this series, I’ll talk about various independent tokusatsu films and their creators. Looking at how the new generation of toku films maintains traditional effects techniques while telling new innovative stories.

I also believe many of these young filmmakers will be the directors of the Godzilla, Gamera, Ultraman, and Kamen Rider series of tomorrow.

On a Lost Night

Today, we're focusing on "On a Lost Night," a project that was featured on Camp-Fire, Japan's equivalent to Kickstarter. The project not only met its funding goal but promised much more as it continued to gather support.

*Disclaimer*

Remember, if you go watch one of these indie kaiju films I cover, most are made by non-English speakers, so if you do leave a comment for them, make sure you say something short and nice. Also, please don’t say anything like, “Show more kaiju” or “Need English subtitles.” Independent films are almost always shot on a tight budget, and they do their best, given the constraints of time and the previously mentioned budget. That said, I hope you learn something new and enjoy the blog.

About the Film and Its Creator

[失われた夜に] or "On a Lost Night" (Google translated) is the creation of Kousei Sato, who has previously won the top spot at the 18th National Independent Monster Film Championship in Atami with [海鳴りのとき] or “When the Sea Rumbles.”

Atami, a city with a history of being the filming location of many tokusatsu films and TV series, strives to be the Cannes of tokusatsu. It’s being fueled by a dedicated movement of famous directors and enthusiasts, such as Shinji Higuchi and Kiyotaka Taguchi.

They hold yearly festivals dedicated to the technique of Tokusatsu filmmaking and honor the people who make these movies.

On a Lost Night’s Plot

I used Google Translate to get the plot. The story centers around Seiji, a runaway student who encounters an older girl claiming to be an alien. She allows Seiji to join her on an adventure that quickly escalates when they discover a box containing the heart of a giant monster. Upon opening it, the monster's heart escapes, and chaos ensues, only to be confronted by a mysterious giant determined to stop the destruction.

New and Old Techniques

The film features great kaiju designs that remind me of the aesthetics of classic Ultraman monsters but with the designer’s own individuality. Something I liked is the suit's lighted chest; it reminds me of cicada wings.

Director Sato uses the traditional tokusatsu technique of suitmation combined with miniature models while also integrating modern CGI to blend old and new styles. An anecdote from a previous movie revealed that sometimes they only had one chance to nail some scenes.

The Kiyotaka Taguchi Connection!

Something I’ve noticed in many of the indie kaiju films I’ve watched is a recurring name that pops up: Kiyotaka Taguchi. So, how is he connected to this film?

He appears as a special assistant director in the credits of “On a Lost Night.” If you aren’t familiar with him, after he directed the Ultraman series Blazar, he has also directed individual episodes of other Ultraman series like Trigger, Z, Geed, Orb, and Neo Ultra Q. There is also an original IP online series he has that I’ll be covering soon as well.

On a Lost Night’s Trailer

Final Thoughts

Now that “On a Lost Night” has been completed, it is being showcased at indie events and theaters in Japan. The film has fulfilled its creative goals and is an example of the potential within the old school suitmation tokusatsu genre and independent filmmaking. The developments I’m observing in the Japanese indie scene can be described as a ‘Great Revival’ of classic tokusatsu methods. It’s exciting to witness this resurgence, which I think will be talked about a lot more in the future.

Well, I hope you’ve learned something new, and until next time, later!