27th G-Fest Remembers Takarada, Longtime Hero in Godzilla Films

For the first time in three years, Godzilla fans across the nation gathered in person to celebrate the beloved monster movie franchise at the 27th G-FEST near Chicago. The three-day event was held July 15 – 17 at Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont.

The annual festival for Godzilla fans recorded the highest number of attendees in 2019 at 3,500. It was canceled for the following two years due to concerns about COVID-19. This year, it seemed to break the 2019 attendance record.

This year, the event was dedicated to the memory of Akira Takarada, the veteran actor known for his appearances in the Godzilla franchise, starting with the very first Godzilla in 1954.  He died on March 14 at the age of 87.

A special panel presentation traced Takarada’s long career, exploring the actor’s contributions to the film industry and G-FEST.

Special guests from Japan were Tomoko Ai, who appeared in the 1975 Terror of Mechagodzilla as heroine Katsura Mafune, and Hiroyuki Kawase, former child actor who appeared in some of the Godzilla films as well as a variety of TV productions.

Don Frye, actor and martial arts fighter who played the role of Captain Douglas Gordon in Godzilla: Final Wars (2004), was also invited as a special guest.

Excited fans gathered for interviews with the three special guests, while enjoying panel discussions, monster movie screenings, video games, costume parades, special effect workshops, monster art exhibits, and more.

G-FEST was initiated by Canadian high school teacher J.D. Lees, who first published a Godzilla fan newsletter G-FAN for his peers in 1993. The publication caught fire among like-minded fans across the world. The first face-to-face meeting of G-FAN friends was held outside Chicago in 1994, and about 20 people attended.

Since the first G-FEST in 1995, the event has been held annually near the O’Hare International Airport for the convenience of attending fans from all over the world. (The only exceptions were 1999 and 2000, when the event was held in California).

Lees, who was unable to attend this year’s G-FEST, commented in the G-FEST official program book: “[As] the societal divisions … have become more pronounced in recent years, … remember that you are at G-FEST because of what UNITES us: our love of sci-fi and fantasy in general and our love for Godzilla in particular.”

“Godzilla fandom has grown bigger and stronger than it’s ever been,” Lee added in the comments. “Keep our tradition of unity and camaraderie in mind at all times.”

Special Memorial Presentation to salute Great Actor Akira Takarada brought by Martin Arlt

Remembering Akira Takarada: Special Presentation

 Akira Takarada in 2012 G-FEST

As a representative of the history and philosophy of Godzilla, Akira Takarada joined G-FEST multiple times. Each time, he enjoyed mingling with enthusiastic fans, many of whom were connoisseurs of Godzilla and other monster movies. During his last G-FEST appearance in 2019, Takarada talked about the atrocity of war and repeated the strong anti-nuclear warfare message that’s said to be behind the original Godzilla film. His words reverberate today as more relevant than ever, as we witness the devastation in Ukraine.

The Takarada memorial presentation was hosted by Martin Arlt, the sessions organizer, on July 16. Over 500 fans attended. “While we all know Takarada-san from our favorite kaiju films, his life and career was much more than that,” Arlt said as he began the visual presentation.

Born on April 29, 1934 in Japan-occupied Korea, Takarada spent his childhood in Manchuria during World War II. His father, a railroad engineer, took his family to Harbin, Manchuria when he took a job with the South Manchuria Railway. He learned Japanese, Chinese, and English at a Japanese school there.

Just before the end of WWII, the Russian army occupied Harbin. As the Japanese families in Manchuria fell into hardship, Takarada worked to help his family survive. He sold cigarettes to Russian soldiers. Other times he polished their shoes.

One day, he was shot by a Russian soldier in the stomach. A former Japanese army doctor took out the lead bullet (which had been condemned internationally). There was no anesthetic. His wound remained infected and didn’t stop bleeding for a long time. It kept bothering him well into the later days of his life.        

The Takarada family returned to Japan two years after the war ended. Their hardship continued. Takarada sold fish to help his family.

He was a high schooler when he and his family moved to Tokyo. He joined the school drama club, and appeared on stage in a school festival. He received a standing ovation. That was when he discovered his love for acting.

Tall and good looking, young Takarada went to Toho studio for a New Face audition. The long line of applicants intimidated him; he almost turned around and went home. But a security guard ushered him in. A hesitant Takarada went ahead with the audition and passed it. He was hired as one of Toho’s 1953 new hopefuls. Toho is the creator and owner of the Godzilla franchise.

“Without this security guard, we wouldn’t have had Akira Takarada, the great movie star. We must thank the guy,” Arlt joked. 

A Wide Scope of Talent

Takarada’s big screen debut is And Then the Liberty Bell Rang (1954). The same year, he was cast in the starring role of Hideto Ogata in the original Godzilla movie. The film was a record-breaking hit in the country.

Throughout his life, Takarada appeared in more than 200 films, ranging from monster movies and horrors to comedies to period dramas.

Takarada remained active as a film actor until he passed away. In Dance with Me, a movie slated for August 2019 release, he played the character of Martin Ueda, a quick-witted sham hypnotist. The film was released this year after delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He actively promoted the film just before his death.

His last film is Life in Bloom (“Yononakani taete sakusano nakariseba), released posthumously on April 1. Co-starring with young Renka Iwamoto, he played the role of an end-of-life planning coach.

Takarada was also an accomplished voice actor, musical player, singer, and dancer. Arlt presented photos and videos of Takarada to demonstrate.

As a voice-over, Takarada played Disney movie characters including Professor Ratigan in The Great Mouse Detective (1986), Jafar in Aladdin (1992), and Bendu in Star Wars Rebels Season 3 (2016-17).

On stage, Takarada established a reputation as a musical star, appearing in leading roles in numerous productions such as Annie Get Your Gun, South Pacific, My Fair Lady, and Red Beard (“Akahige”). In 2010, he brought the Japanese musical Freddie the Leaf to the New York theater scene. Many Godzilla fans came to see Takarada’s performance in the production.

There are many Japanese TV commercials that feature Takarada. A video was shown of Takarada in a computer game commercial, where he dances with light steps and hums a song at the same time.

Takarada: Ambassador of G-FEST

Takarada first attended G-FEST in 2010. To the enthusiastic fans, he sent an urgent anti-war/nuclear weapon message.

“Unfortunately, the American version of the original Godzilla [Godzilla, King of the Monsters released in 1956] was a watered-down version for the American audience, in which the anti-nuclear message in the original has been removed,” he said. “The original Godzilla is an alarm, a warning to mankind. We all must wake up and build a peaceful world; I feel this way as a person who grew up during the war.”

The unchanged original version was shown in 2004 in 20 U.S. cities.  

During the 2010 G-FEST, fans responded to Takarada’s strong message just as strongly.

Interviewed by The Chicago Shimpo, a man said he was named after Philip and Daniel Berrigan, who both played an important role in the anti-war and anti-nuclear movement in the 1960s. They declared to use, make or possess nuclear weapons was against the entire human race. Godzilla carries much the same message, he said.

Another fan said the Japanese original is much darker than the American version with serious anti-nuclear message. He said he hoped there were good comprehensive treaties to control nuclear weapons across the world.

Arlt took care of Takarada when he came to Chicago for G-FEST in 2010, 2012, 2016 and 2019. He recalled Takarada was always courteous and considerate.

When G-FEST organizers visited Tokyo on an annual “G-Tour” from 2011 to 2015, Takarada arranged the schedule for them each time. He set up a Toho studio tour, where they could see Godzilla props and monster costumes. He coordinated a meeting for them with monster movie directors and actors. There, Arlt and his friends had a chance to meet stars like Godzilla actor Haruo Nakajima and Bin Furuya, best known as the first “Ultraman” player.

Arlt said Takarada always tried to let people know about G-FEST when he was in Japan. “He was always an ambassador, a godfather of G-FEST,” Arlt said.

Fans Remember Takarada

Mike Boyle, a Godzilla fan for 60 years, said he met Takarada in 2010 at that year’s G-FEST. He said the actor was one of the loveliest people he has ever met.

“He made us fans feel like we were special when he came here,” he recalled. “He appreciated everything we had to say. It was wonderful to meet him.”

Boyle began watching Godzilla movies on TV in the 1960s. He could see only three or four of them, even after 1965. Then, during the 1980s, HBO began airing new Godzilla movies. He returned to his old favorite, this time with his young son Mark. Mark is so well versed with the Godzilla franchise. He can recite all the names of the guests from Japan in the past G-FESTs. “When I was five, I came home and found my dad watching the video of Godzilla 2000. I wasn’t much into dinosaurs then, but I thought [the movie] was so cool,” Mark said.

As his son’s interest in Godzilla grew and his own revived, Boyle began collecting Godzilla videos.  He borrowed and watched an entire collection of Godzilla VHS tapes that his colleague owned. Then he and his son found out about G-FEST. They have attended G-FEST “six or seven times” so far, each time driving from Cincinnati, OH.

Hiroyuki Kawase Interview

Hiroyuki Kawase, child actor in Godzilla movies in the 1970s

Kawase is a former child actor who appeared in Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) and Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), among others. His TV appearances include Return of Ultraman (1971-72), Mirror Man (1971-72) and Zone Fighter (1973). His film debut is Akira Kurosawa’s first color film Dodes’ka-den (1970).

Q: What do you remember about the great Kurosawa?

Kawase: People said they were scared of him, but he was pretty nice to kids. For example, when I yawned during a take, he would make it part of the film, instead of getting angry at me. He also told his assistant directors to instruct child actors in words that are easy to understand.

Q: What was it like to play the role of a marine biologist’s son in Godzilla vs. Hedorah?

Kawase: Most of the filming was done in the wintertime. I had to skip school during that time. We filmed the last scene first, near Mt. Fuji. It took three days, and I can’t forget how cold it was. I think the entire filming was completed in a month or two. I saw Godzilla and other monsters (costumes) in the studio only once. In the filming, I was just instructed to pretend the monsters were there, where the position was marked. This was a difficult story for a small kid to understand. It deals with pollution problems created by humans, with no easy solutions. I think it’s amazing that they made a story like this 50 years ago; it’s totally relevant today. This movie is an excellent forerunner of what was to come.

Q: We understand you were asked to stay in the TV series Zone Fighter as a regular.

Kawase: Yes. I was becoming a fifth grader at that time, and a regular TV appearance would interfere with my school work. So I had to turn it down.

Q: And you grew up and became an airline pilot.

Kawase: I went on to college and looked for a job before graduation, just like everybody else. Japan Airlines was one of the companies I applied for, and I happened to be accepted. That’s all.  I used to fly to Chicago pretty often, maybe 10 or 20 times.

Q: How wonderful. Thank you very much.

Interview with Tomoko Ai

Before she was cast as Katsura Mafune in the 1975 movie Terror of Mechagodzilla, Ai played the semi-regular role of Haruko Matsuki in the TV series Ultraman Leo (1974-75). She had an audition for Mechagodzilla immediately after she completed her TV role.

Q: Talk about the Mechagodzilla audition. Did you go to the audition in the costume you were wearing in Ultraman Leo?

Tomoko Ai, heroine in the 1975 movie Terror of Mechagodzilla

Ai: Yes, it was right after the “explosion.” The Toho studio [where the Mechagodzilla audition was to be held] was pretty close to the location where we were filming Ultraman Leo. As soon as I finished my scene, my manager grabbed me and we ran to the audition. There was no time to change. It was my last appearance in Ultraman Leo, which ends with an explosion that occurs during my birthday party – my character’s birthday party. She is killed in it. I didn’t appear in every episode of that series, but people still remember me because of this shocking ending. I feel lucky about that.

Q: About Terror of Mechagodzilla. You played Katsura Mafune, a charming android. Was it difficult to play an android?

Ai: It was. Mr. Honda [Director Ishiro Honda] told me don’t smile, don’t show any emotions. But it’s a love story. How can you act in a love story without emotions? I just had to follow what I was told by the director.

When I see myself in Mechagodzilla or other monster movies today, I often feel embarrassed because I seem to be overacting. Then, someone told me it’s okay, you should express yourself so as not to be overwhelmed by the monsters. That’s a good way of looking at it, I thought.

Q: What did you think when you worked for Toei studios after Toho?

Ai: It was wonderful working for Toho. They made me feel like a princess.

When my next appearance in a Toho movie [after Mechagodzilla ] didn’t pan out, Toei made me an offer, and I took it. It felt very different at Toei – kind of scary.

Q: Why did you turn down the role of the heroine in Toei’s special-effect TV drama The Kagestar (1976), as you were already positioned for the role?

Ai: To tell the truth, at that time I was married [to a fellow actor husband] and had a regular TV series appearance with Toei. Plus, the offer for The Kagestar wasn’t finalized. I didn’t think it was going to work for me, if I had two regular TV programs – I wouldn’t have time to spend with my husband. That’s why I didn’t do it. They had made a promotion poster for The Kagestar with me in it, and kept on using it after I turned down the offer.

Q: Can you share with us any memorable episodes in your career?

Ai: When I appeared as a guest in the TV series Himitsu Sentai Gorenger [in 1977], I slept over for the first time in my life. It was a long way to get to the filming location, and I had an excruciating time [until I got there]. It’s an indelible experience for me, and since then, I make it a rule to always arrive for an appointment early.

Q: Can you give us an update on your career?

Ai: Now that I’m older, I want to pursue what I like to do. I’m now involved in audio theater. I have a long hiatus in my acting career, and don’t have a big name or a long list of movies I starred in. But people still invite me to events like this. I’m truly grateful, and want to thank you all for this occasion.

The interview ended with a roaring applause from the audience.