Founded | 1994 |
---|---|
Style | Professional wrestling parody of tokusatsu kaiju eiga films |
Headquarters | New York City, New York, United States |
Founder(s) | Rand Borden |
Website | Official website |
Kaiju Big Battel is a performance by the New York City based performance entertainment troupe created by Rand Borden. The performances are parodies of both professional wrestling and the tokusatsu kaiju eiga films of Japan. These Battels are presented in the style of professional wrestling events, with the costumed performers playing the roles of giant, city-crushing monsters similar to Godzilla and Gamera. The odd spelling of battel originates in a mistake Borden made on a T-shirt design, which became an inside joke. [1] The performances include many in-jokes aimed towards fans of professional wrestling (especially Mexican wrestling), superhero comic books and Japanese popular culture. Many of the names of the characters are in mock Spanish or mock Japanese, and Engrish is used liberally for comedic effect.
While a student at School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Rand Borden and peers who grew up watching Ultraman decided to make kaiju suits for a short film. [2] The first character created was Midori no Kaiju (Japanese for "Big Green Monster"), which Borden assembled from upholstery foam coated with latex. [1] After about a year, he finished this first kaiju suit. The other students did not make anything, but Borden enjoyed making the costume decided to make more. [2]
On Halloween night in 1994, the first live competition, or Big Battel, occurred at the Revolving Museum in Boston. The Battel featured Midori No Kaiju, as well as Atomic Cannon, Powa Ranjuru, Force Trooper Robo, Taro "The Mouth" Fuji's commentary, and Anthony Salbino's construction. The first full-scale Kaiju Big Battel event was held in March 1995 in Boston, Massachusetts at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. [3] The earliest performances in other cities included matches with other troupes of costumed wrestlers at venues such as Fort Thunder in Providence, Rhode Island. Borden has created more than 120 monster costumes, which he keeps in storage. [1]
In 2000, Borden formed Studio Kaiju and hired his brother, David, as manager. [1] Kaiju Big Battel: Terebi Sento was the studio's first DVD release, showcasing four matches from 2001 and several bonus features. [4] Kaiju Big Battel: A Practical Guide to Giant City-Crushing Monsters, a comedic history of the first 8 years of Kaiju Big Battel, was published in 2004 by Hyperion Press. [5]
Studio Kaiju was dissolved in 2011 and Rand Borden returned to producing Kaiju on his own. [6]
Kaiju Big Battel performed at TwitchCon 2017 in Long Beach, California at an event that was simultaneously broadcast on Twitch, [7] . On May 4, 2019 Kaiju Big Battel held their first European event at Alexandra Palace in London, England. [8]
Studio Kaiju has run two Kickstarter campaigns. The first, 20 Years of Kaiju Big Battel Posters, was launched in June 2016 and was to be a hardcover art book featuring posters from Kaiju shows. The campaign failed to meet its stated goal of $20,000. [10] A second Kickstarter for Kaiju Big Battel figurines was launched in August 2018 and successfully raised $21,396. [11]
On October 31, 2018 a Kaiju Big Battel video game was released on PC and mobile platforms. [12] The game was developed by Super Walrus Games and is a satire of Final Fantasy style RPGs from the '90s. [13]
Story lines for events are inspired by the American political atmosphere at the time. During the time when Obamacare was being legislated, the character of American Beetle switched from a Republican to a Democrat because he needed insurance for surgery. Quotes from former American President Donald Trump were sometimes used in speeches made by the main villain, Dr. Cube. [1]
Godzilla vs. Megalon is a 1973 Japanese kaiju film directed by Jun Fukuda, written by Fukuda and Shinichi Sekizawa, and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka, with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. Distributed by Toho and produced under their effects subsidiary Toho–Eizo, it is the 13th film in the Godzilla franchise, and features the fictional monster characters Godzilla, Megalon, and Gigan, along with the mecha character Jet Jaguar. The film stars Katsuhiko Sasaki, Hiroyuki Kawase, Yutaka Hayashi, and Robert Dunham, alongside Shinji Takagi as Godzilla, Hideto Date as Megalon, Kenpachiro Satsuma as Gigan, and Tsugutoshi Komada as Jet Jaguar.
Kaiju is a Japanese term that is commonly associated with media involving giant monsters. The kaiju film genre is credited to tokusatsu director Eiji Tsuburaya and filmmaker Ishirō Honda, who popularized it by creating the Godzilla franchise and its spin-offs. The term can also refer to the monsters themselves, which are usually depicted attacking major cities and battling either the military or other creatures.
King Ghidorah is a fictional monster, or alien, or kaiju, which first appeared in Ishirō Honda's 1964 film Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster. The creature was initially created by Tomoyuki Tanaka, Eiji Tsuburaya, and Shinichi Sekizawa as an homage to the eight-headed mythological Japanese dragon Yamata no Orochi. Although the name of the character is officially trademarked by Toho as "King Ghidorah", the character was originally referred to as Ghidorah, Ghidrah, or Monster Zero in some English markets.
All Monsters Attack is a 1969 Japanese kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda, written by Shinichi Sekizawa, and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka. The film, which was produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, is the tenth film in the Godzilla series, and features the fictional monster characters Godzilla, Minilla, and Gabara. The film stars Tomonori Yazaki, Kenji Sahara, and Hideyo Amamoto, with special effects by Honda and Teruyoshi Nakano, and features Haruo Nakajima as Godzilla, Marchan the Dwarf as Minilla, and Yasuhiko Kakuyuki as Gabara.
Tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live-action films or television programs that make heavy use of practical special effects. Credited to special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, tokusatsu mainly refers to science fiction, war, fantasy, or horror media featuring such technology but is also occasionally dubbed a genre itself. Its contemporary use originated in the Japanese mass media around 1958 to explain special effects in an easy-to-understand manner and was popularized during the "first monster boom" (1966-1968). Prior to the monster boom, it was known in Japan as Tokushu gijutsu or shortened Tokugi.
Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack is a 2001 Japanese kaiju film directed and co-written by Shusuke Kaneko. The 26th film in the Godzilla franchise and the third of the Millennium era, it serves as a direct sequel to Godzilla (1954), ignoring the events of every other installment in the series. Chiharu Niiyama stars as a reporter covering the story of Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Baragon defending Japan from Godzilla, a creature possessed by the souls of those killed during the Pacific War. The supporting cast includes Ryudo Uzaki, Masahiro Kobayashi, Hideyo Amamoto, and Shirō Sano, with Mizuho Yoshida as Godzilla, Akira Ohashi as Ghidorah, and Rie Ōta as Baragon.
Varan is a fictional monster, or kaiju, that first appeared in the 1958 film Varan the Unbelievable directed by Ishirō Honda and produced and distributed by Toho. The creature is depicted as a giant, dinosaurian, prehistoric reptile capable of gliding flight. It later appeared in the 1968 film Destroy All Monsters, the ninth film in the Godzilla franchise.
Baragon is a fictional monster, or kaiju, which first appeared in Ishirō Honda's 1965 film Frankenstein vs. Baragon, produced and distributed by Toho. Depicted as a burrowing, four-legged, horned dinosaur-like creature with large ears, Baragon appeared alongside Godzilla and other monster characters in films in the Godzilla franchise, also produced by Toho, including Destroy All Monsters (1968) and Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001).
Peelander-Z is a Japanese-American punk rock band formed in 1998 and based in Austin, Texas. They bill themselves as a "Japanese Action Comic Punk band hailing from the Z area of Planet Peelander". While the founding members of Peelander-Z were all born in Japan, they first met and formed their band while living in Buffalo, New York. The original three members of the band were billed as Peelander Yellow, Peelander Red, and Peelander Blue. Later members of the band have adopted the same naming structure, with mostly different colors, although one name, Peelander Green, has been used by two different drummers.
Godzilla is a Japanese monster, or kaiju, that has been featured in films, television series, novels, comic books, video games, and other merchandise. The films series are centered on the fictional kaiju Godzilla, a prehistoric reptilian monster awakened and powered by nuclear radiation. The films series are recognized by the Guinness World Records as the "longest continuously running film series", having been in ongoing production since 1954, with several hiatuses of varying lengths. There are 38 Godzilla films: 33 Japanese films produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., and five American films; one by TriStar Pictures and four films by Legendary Pictures.
Ultimate Girls is a Japanese anime television series produced by m.o.e. which parodies the genres of tokusatsu, kaiju, and superheroes; mainly themes from the Ultra Series and Kyodai Hero subgenre. It was broadcast in Japan from January 10, 2005, to March 28, 2005 and had a total of 12 episodes which ran for 13 minutes each. The series has been licensed in North America by Media Blasters and was released on September 2, 2014.
A monster movie, monster film, creature feature or giant monster film is a film that focuses on one or more characters struggling to survive attacks by one or more antagonistic monsters, often abnormally large ones. The film may also fall under the horror, comedy, fantasy, or science fiction genres. Monster movies originated with adaptations of horror folklore and literature.
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"Flux" is a song by English rock band Bloc Party. It was released as a single on 12 November 2007 and produced by Jacknife Lee, along with several other new songs, during the band's week in the studio after their performances at the Carling Weekend: Reading and Leeds Festivals. The song uses mostly electronic instruments and features vocalist Kele Okereke's voice manipulated through Auto-Tune. It was first performed live on 26 September 2007 at Covington's Madison Theater.
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The first full scale Kaiju Big Battel event occurred in February 1995 at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.