The War in Space
Encyclopedia
The War in Space, released in Japan as , is a tokusatsu
science fiction
film
produced and released by Toho Studios
in 1977
.
, the film is actually an outer space redressing of Toho's undersea adventure Atragon
and the groundbreaking anime
series Space Battleship Yamato
. The War in Space was originally announced as a sequel to Battle in Outer Space
. Design-wise, the UNSF Goten is a cross between the Space Battleship Yamato
and the Gotengo
.
. The only thing standing in the way of total conquest is the United Nations Space Forces' Goten Project - construction of the UNSF Goten, a powerful ion-drive space battleship with a gigantic, bow-mounted, drill missile. Discovering that the invaders have established a forward base on Venus
, the UNSF Goten casts off for a final confrontation.
A DVD
of the film was released in the United States on April 25, 2006 with both English and Japanese soundtracks. Included on the disc was an interview with special effects director for the film, Teruyoshi Nakano
.
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
produced and released by Toho Studios
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
in 1977
1977 in film
The year 1977 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*In the Academy Awards, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight win Best Actor and Actress and Supporting Actress awards for Network....
.
Background
While the concept and production of The War in Space was spurred by the explosive international success of Star WarsStar Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
, the film is actually an outer space redressing of Toho's undersea adventure Atragon
Atragon
Atragon, released in Japan as , is a 1963 Toho tokusatsu film based on a series of juvenile adventure novels under the banner Kaitei Gunkan by Shunrō Oshikawa and the illustrated story Kaitei Okoku by illustrator Shigeru Komatsuzaki, serialized in a monthly magazine for boys...
and the groundbreaking anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series Space Battleship Yamato
Space Battleship Yamato
is a Japanese science fiction anime series featuring an eponymous spacecraft. It is also known to English-speaking audiences as Space Cruiser Yamato; an English-dubbed and heavily edited version of the series was broadcast on North American and Australian television as Star Blazers...
. The War in Space was originally announced as a sequel to Battle in Outer Space
Battle in Outer Space
Battle in Outer Space, released in Japan as is a tokusatsu film produced and released by Toho Studios in Japan in 1959, and distributed worldwide in 1960 by Columbia Pictures...
. Design-wise, the UNSF Goten is a cross between the Space Battleship Yamato
Space Battleship Yamato
is a Japanese science fiction anime series featuring an eponymous spacecraft. It is also known to English-speaking audiences as Space Cruiser Yamato; an English-dubbed and heavily edited version of the series was broadcast on North American and Australian television as Star Blazers...
and the Gotengo
Gotengo
The , also known in the West as Atragon, is a submarine battleship that has appeared in several tokusatsu films of Toho Company, Ltd., beginning with Atragon in 1963. It was first conceived by author Shunrō Oshikawa in his 1899 novel Kaitei Gunkan , of which Atragon was an adaptation produced by...
.
Plot
In 1988, the Earth is attacked by invaders from the distant planet of Yomi in Messier 13Messier 13
Messier 13 or M13 is a globular cluster of about 300,000 stars in the constellation of Hercules....
. The only thing standing in the way of total conquest is the United Nations Space Forces' Goten Project - construction of the UNSF Goten, a powerful ion-drive space battleship with a gigantic, bow-mounted, drill missile. Discovering that the invaders have established a forward base on Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
, the UNSF Goten casts off for a final confrontation.
Cast
- Kensaku Morita as Koji Miyoshi, Duty Officer, United Nations Space Bureau
- Yuko Asano as Jun Takigawa, United Nations
- Masaya Oki as Reisuke Muroi, Flight Instructor, Japan Air Self Defense Forces
- Ryo Ikebe as Masato Takigawa, Doctor of Space Engineering, Commander of UNSF Goten
- Katsutoshi Atarashi as Tadashi Mikasa, Crewmember, Space Station Terra
- Hiroshi MiyauchiHiroshi Miyauchiis a prolific Japanese actor from Chiba Prefecture. He is best known for playing some of the most memorable roles in Tokusatsu history, such as Kazami Shiro in Kamen Rider V3 and Ken Hayakawa in Kaiketsu Zubat...
as Kazuo Fuyuki, Japan Air Self Defense Forces - David Perin as Jimmy, Space Fighter Pilot, United Nations Space Forces
- Takashi Kanematsu as Tetsuo Kusaka, Japan Air Self Defense Forces
- Futoshi Kikuchi as Goro Minato, Japan Air Self Defense Forces
- Hideji Otaki as Dr. Matsuzawa, Director of United Nations Space Bureau, Japan Branch
- Akihiko HirataAkihiko Hiratawas a Japanese film actor. While Hirata starred in many movies , he is most well known for his work in the kaiju genre, including such films as King Kong vs. Godzilla, The Mysterians, and his most famous role of Dr...
as Commander Oishi, Japan Defence Forces - William Ross as Dr. Schmitt/Commander Hell
- Toshikazu Moritagawa as Ishiyama, UNSF Goten Gunnery Group Leader
- Gorō MutsumiGoro Mutsumiis a Japanese actor with more than 25 films to his credit. He has also appeared in numerous television shows, especially jidaigeki, in which he specializes in villains, and in tokusatsu...
as Heru, Commander-in-Chief of Planet Yomi Expeditionary Forces - Isao Hashimoto as Scientist A, United Nations Space Forces, Japan Branch
- Go Endo as Scientist B, United Nations Space Forces, Japan Branch
- Shoji Nakayama as Staff Officer, Japan Self Defense Forces Headquarters
- Wataru Yamamoto as UNSF Goten Pilot
- Yu Naoki as UNSF Goten Co-pilot
- Yosuke Takemura as UNSF Goten Communications Officer A
- Shinichi Yoshimiya as UNSF Goten Communications Officer B
- Shinji Kawabata as UNSF Goten Bridge Officer A
- Koichi Yoshida as UNSF Goten Bridge Officer B
- Fumitsugu Hayata as UNSF Goten Bridge Officer C
- Junichi Eto as UNSF Goten Crew Member A
- Osamu Murashima as UNSF Goten Crew Member B
- Susumu Ootani as UNSF Goten Crew Member C
- Isao Setoyama as UNSF Goten Radar Officer
- Mammoth Suzuki as the Space Beast
DVD release
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
of the film was released in the United States on April 25, 2006 with both English and Japanese soundtracks. Included on the disc was an interview with special effects director for the film, Teruyoshi Nakano
Teruyoshi Nakano
, is a Japanese special effects director, most notable for his contributions to the Godzilla film series and other tokusatsu movies. Nakano was a special guest at G-Fest XI, where he was the recipient of the Mangled Skyscraper Award....
.
External links
- The War in Space (review) at tohokingdom.com