1 | [[quoteright:242:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tsuburaya_and_ultraman_9.jpg]] |
2 | [[caption-width-right:242:The Master of Monsters with [[Series/{{Ultraman}} one of his greatest creations]].]] |
3 | |
4 | ->''"My heart and mind are as they were when I was a child. Then I loved to play with toys and to read stories of magic. I still do. My wish is only to make life happier and more beautiful for those who will go and see my films of fantasy. "'' |
5 | -->-- '''Eiji Tsuburaya''' in a 1965 interview with ''Caper Magazine'' |
6 | |
7 | Eiji Tsuburaya (円谷 英二) was an influential special effects director considered by many to be the "God of {{Toku}}satsu". Born July 7, 1901 (as Eiichi Tsumuraya) and died January 11, 1970, Tsuburaya is famed in UsefulNotes/{{Japan}} for having effectively created the nation's special effects industry, as well as his involvement in the creation of two of its most iconic pop culture characters -- Franchise/{{Godzilla}} and Series/{{Ultraman}}. |
8 | |
9 | During his childhood, Tsuburaya was fascinated with aviation, which was a hobby he'd have all his life. In 1919, he took up his first job as a cameraman for Nikkatsu. In 1938 he became special effects director at Creator/{{Toho}} Studios. During UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, he worked on several propaganda films, one of which, ''The War At Sea From Hawaii To Malay'', featured a recreation of the Pearl Harbor bombings so well done the American censors during the post-war occupation became frightened and thought it was real footage of Pearl Harbor. This actually got him accused of involvement in espionage, resulting in a brief exile from Toho. |
10 | |
11 | After the war, he formed his own independent effects company until returning to Toho in 1951. In 1954 he was one of the team who made ''Film/Godzilla1954'', and he was head of the special effects team for all the ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' movies up through ''Film/AllMonstersAttack'', as well as many other fantasy, science-fiction, and war films of the period. However, due to work on at his own studio mentioned below, he only supervised visual effects for ''Film/EbirahHorrorOfTheDeep'', ''Film/SonOfGodzilla'', and ''Film/DestroyAllMonsters'', and received credit in ''Film/AllMonstersAttack'' out of respect for him despite no involvement due to serious illness. |
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13 | In 1963, Eiji Tsuburaya established his own studio called Creator/TsuburayaProductions to do special effects work for other companies, but in 1966, he and his crew became better known as the creator of another classic tokusatsu series, ''Series/{{Ultraman}}''. Alongside the equally acclaimed ''Series/UltraQ'' and ''Series/UltraSeven'', ''Ultraman'' would spawn the ''Franchise/UltraSeries'' whose heroes would become as popular in Japan as Godzilla himself and the most beloved of his studio's works. |
14 | |
15 | Raised a Buddhist, he became a [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseChristian Catholic]] after marriage as his wife was one, which influenced some of the imagery he used in his works (as seen in ''Film/{{Mothra}}'' and ''Series/UltraSeven''). |
16 | |
17 | During his 50-year career, he worked on approximately 250 films in total. Let's just cut down on films he's worked on that you'll recognize. |
18 | ---- |
19 | |
20 | !!Films and series he's worked on: |
21 | |
22 | * ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' |
23 | ** ''Film/Godzilla1954'' |
24 | ** ''Film/GodzillaRaidsAgain'' |
25 | ** ''Film/KingKongVsGodzilla'' |
26 | ** ''Film/MothraVsGodzilla'' |
27 | ** ''Film/GhidorahTheThreeHeadedMonster'' |
28 | ** ''Film/InvasionOfAstroMonster'' |
29 | ** ''Film/EbirahHorrorOfTheDeep'' |
30 | ** ''Film/SonOfGodzilla'' |
31 | ** ''Film/DestroyAllMonsters'' |
32 | ** ''Film/AllMonstersAttack'' |
33 | * ''Film/HalfHuman'' |
34 | * ''Film/{{Rodan}}'' |
35 | * ''Film/TheMysterians'' |
36 | * ''The H-Man'' |
37 | * ''Film/VaranTheUnbelievable'' |
38 | * ''Film/TheThreeTreasures'' |
39 | * ''Film/BattleInOuterSpace'' |
40 | * ''The Secret of the Telegian'' |
41 | * ''The Human Vapor'' |
42 | * ''Film/{{Mothra}}'' |
43 | * ''Film/{{Gorath}}'' |
44 | * ''Film/{{Matango}}'' |
45 | * ''Film/{{Atragon}}'' |
46 | * ''Film/{{Dogora}}'' |
47 | * ''Film/FrankensteinConquersTheWorld'' |
48 | ** ''Film/WarOfTheGargantuas'' |
49 | * ''Franchise/UltraSeries'' |
50 | ** ''Series/UltraQ'' |
51 | ** ''Series/{{Ultraman}}'' |
52 | ** ''Series/{{Ultraseven}}'' |
53 | * ''Series/KaijuBooska'' |
54 | * ''Film/KingKongEscapes'' |
55 | * ''Series/MightyJack'' |
56 | * ''Film/LatitudeZero'' |
57 | ---- |
58 | |
59 | !!Tropes applying to Eiji Tsuburaya and his work |
60 | |
61 | * AuthorAppeal: |
62 | ** Christian FauxSymbolism is common in a number of his works, which is not surprising given his religious background. |
63 | ** He had a fondness for comedic monster scenes to give his kaiju character and make audiences laugh. The infamous VictoryDance that Godzilla performs in ''Film/InvasionOfAstroMonster'' is an excellent example. Apparently, Creator/IshiroHonda and Creator/HaruoNakajima sternly objected to its inclusion, but Tsuburaya's insistence won out. |
64 | * CoolOldGuy: He was 54 when he started working on ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' movies and 66 by the time ''Series/{{Ultraman}}'' began, but was deeply respected by his comrades for his tirelessness. His crew often called him "Oyaji", or "The Old Man". |
65 | * FriendToAllChildren: Eiji Tsuburaya was very fond of kids and strongly believed in keeping his work child-friendly. He abhorred FamilyUnfriendlyViolence (he once became angry at a crewman for suggesting to make Godzilla bleed) and disliked depressing and cynical stories ("Don't destroy the dreams of children", he instructed to the ''Series/UltraQ'' writers). |
66 | * PeopleInRubberSuits: He popularized this trope for Japanese special effects, although he originally wanted to do stop-motion when developing ''Film/Godzilla1954'', but had to find another method due to the lack of time and resources available for such an undertaking. |
67 | * ThePerfectionist: Eiji was a stickler for perfection in his work. He would think nothing twice about having his crew completely rebuild a painstakingly constructed miniature that had taken months to make if a single shot went wrong. |
68 | * RuleOfFun: His philosophy towards special effects. He wanted audiences to exercise their imaginations and be filled with childlike wonder when watching his work. |
69 |
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