Minoru Kawasaki

Minoru Kawasaki ( Japanese 河 崎 実 , Kawasaki Minoru ; born August 15, 1958 in Setagaya , Tokyo ) is a Japanese director , screenwriter and producer .

Life

Kawasaki began his career in the early 1990s with the production of self-produced B-movies such as the series Chikyū Bōei Shōjo Iko-chan ( 地球 防衛 少女 イ コ ち ゃ ん ) and the real- life adaptation of mangas. From 1996 he worked for the Japanese television show Ultraman Tiga , one of numerous adaptations of the Ultraman figure popular in Japan . Various productions followed. He gained more recent international fame primarily through a series of grotesques and trash films . Here are The Calamari Wrestler and Koara-Kacho (literally "Head of Koala") to name. In the former, a wrestler fights a giant calamari . After the calamari quarrels his girlfriend, he seeks the strength of the squid himself in the mountains of Pakistan until the rematch occurs. In the second film, which is based on the slasher and thriller genre , a koala who works in a large office complex fights to prove his innocence while searching for the murderers on his girlfriend. Some of Kawasaki's works are primarily characterized by involuntary comedy, which is expressed by the fact that in basically serious stories it is understood by all actors as perfectly normal that some characters are animals in bad costumes. In this sense, the film Kani gōrukīpā (literally: "crab goalkeeper"), in which a mentally retarded crab fights to get into Japanese professional football, should also be emphasized . The film is also reminiscent of the Hollywood film Forrest Gump . Kawasaki's works stand out positively from other productions of this genre and can only be described as absurd.

In 2006 he joined Nihon Igai Zembu Chimbotsu (literally: "Everyone but Japan is sinking") a parody of disaster films , the title alluding to the work Nippon Chimbotsu ("Japan is sinking").

In one of Kawasaki's most recent productions, the film Monster X Against the G8 Summit , the Japanese Dai kaijū Girara (often also Guilala or Guila ) returns. The location of the film is 2008 Tōyako Samitto , the G8 summit 2008 in Japan. There are also allusions to Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy in the film.

Filmography (selection)

• 1985: Esuparaizā ( エ ス パ レ イ ザ ー ; independent film) (short film)
• 1985: Ikinari wakadaishō ( イ キ ナ リ 若 大将 ; independent film)
• 1986: Kiriyama ( キ リ ヤ マ ; independent film)
• 1987: Chikyū Bōei Shōjo Iko-chan ( 地球 防衛 少女 イ コ ち ゃ ん )
• 1988: Chikyū Bōei Shōjo Iko-chan 2 ( 地球 防衛 少女 イ コ ち ゃ ん 2 )
• 1989: Den Ace ( 電 エ ー ス , Den Ēsu ) (TV series, Bandai video magazine in the Den'ei Teikoku ( 電影帝国 ) series)
• 1990: Chikyū Bōei Shōjo Iko-chan: Ōedo Daisakusen ( 地球 防衛 少女 イ コ ち ゃ ん 大江 戸 大作 戦 )
• 1992: Yo ni mo Kimyō na Monogatari ( 世 に も 奇妙 な 物語 )
• 1993: Silent Möbius Gaiden: Bakumatsu Anbu Shimatsuki ( サ イ レ ン ト メ ビ ウ ス 外 伝 幕末 闇 婦 始末 記 , Sairento mebiusu gaiden: ~ ) (anime series, participation & assistant director)
• 1995: Tobidase! Zenragakuen ( 飛 び 出 せ！ 全裸 学園 )
• 1995: Zenra Onna Ryōrinin vs Hadaka no Onna Dragon ( 全裸 女 料理 人 VS 裸 の お ん な ド ラ ゴ ン , Zenra onna ryōrinin VS. Hadaka no onna doragon )
• from 1996: Ultraman Tiga ( ウ ル ト ラ マ ン タ イ ガ , Urutoraman taiga ) (TV series)
• 1997: Binyū Daisakusen: Mesupai ( 美乳 大作 戦 メ ス パ イ )
• 2000: Koimi Joshi Kōsei Party ( 恋 身 女子 校 生 パ ー テ ィ , Koimi joshi kōsei pāti )
• 2002: Koimi Joshi Sentai Parties ( 恋 身 女子 戦 隊 パ テ ィ ー ズ , Koimi joshi sentai pātizu )
• 2003: Maicchingu Makiko-sensei ( ま い っ ち ん ぐ マ チ コ 先生 ) (Video Production)
• 2004: The Calamari Wrestler ( い か レ ス ラ ー , Ika resurā )
• 2004: Maboroshi Panty vs Henchin Pokoidā ( ま ぼ ろ し パ ン テ ィ VS へ ん ち ん ポ コ イ ダ ー , Maboroshi panti VS. Henchin pokoidā )
• 2005: Kabutoō Beetle ( 兜 王 ビ ー ト ル , Kabutoō bītoru )
• 2005: Kairaku no Chōjin: Honke Den Ace ( 快 楽 の 超人 本 家電 エ ー ス , Kairaku no chōjin: honke Den Ēsu )
• 2006: Koala-kachō ( コ ア ラ 課 長 , Koara-kachō )
• 2006: Kani Goalkeeper ( か に ゴ ー ル キ ー パ ー , Kani gōrukīpā )
• 2006: The World Sinks… Except Japan ( 日本 以外 全部 沈没 , Nihon Igai Zembu Chimbotsu )
• 2006: Zura Deka ( ヅ ラ 刑事 )
• 2007: Den Ace: Hankechi Ōji no Chimitsu ( 電 エ ー ス ハ ン ケ チ 王子 の 秘密 , Den Ēsu: Hankechi ōji no chimitsu )
• 2007: Zettai Yaseru: Den Ace ( 絶 対 や せ る 電 エ ー ス , Zettai yaseru Den Ēsu )
• 2007: Tondemo Horror Series ( ト ン デ モ ホ ラ ー シ リ ー ズ , Tondemo horā shirīzu )
• 2007: Zura Keiji: Zujō Saidai no Kessen ( ヅ ラ 刑事 頭上 最大 の 決 戦 )
• 2007: Ocha no Ma Transformation ( お 茶 の 間 ト ラ ン ス フ ォ ー メ ー シ ョ ン , Ocha no Ma Toransufōmēshon ) (short film)
• 2008: Monster X against the G8 summit ( ギ ラ ラ の 逆襲 / 洞 爺 湖 サ ミ ッ ト 危機 一 発 , Girara no Gyakushū: Tōyako Samitto Kiki Ippatsu )
• 2008: Kamigakari ( 髪 が か り )
• 2008: Neko Rāmen Taishō ( 猫 ラ ー メ ン 大将 , Neko rāmen taishō )
• 2011: Chikyū Bōei Girls: P9 ( 地球 防衛 ガ ー ル ズ P9 , Chikyū Bōei Gāruzu: P9 )
• 2012: Sore Ike! Den Ace: Kids Station ( そ れ い け！ 電 エ ー ス キ ッ ズ ス テ ー シ ョ ン , Sore ike! Den Ēsu Kizzu Sutēshon )

Web links

• Minoru Kawasaki in the Internet Movie Database (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Article in the film magazine: Manifest (accessed on March 27, 2010)