Japan’s first onscreen superhero, Super Giant, had his sixth and final adventure this month 54 years ago in 1958. The black and white film was titled “Super Giant-The Spaceship and the Clash of the Artificial Satellite.” It was directed by Teruo Ishii and produced by Shintoho, the non-union branch of Toho Studios (the “Godzilla” films). It was the last two-part movie serial for the character.
Although Super Giant wasn’t officially Japan’s debut superhero, he was the first one to be featured on film. He served as the inspiration for several future Japanese superheroes, including Ultraman. Other names the hero went by were Giant of Steel in Japan, Starman in the United States, and Spaceman in France. He appeared as a humanoid dressed in white tights and a cowl. He had a cape, antenna, was made out of the strongest steel, and practically immortal. The Peace Council from the Emerald Planet built him to battle evil and keep peace throughout the universe.
Starman also wore a device on his wrist called a “Globe-Meter” that gave him the power of space flight, radiation detection, and the ability to speak and understand any language. The superhero disguised himself as what appeared to be a detective in an expensive suit and fedora. His identity wasn’t too secret, as he still used his name when helping Japanese authorities fight crime. Super Giant loved children and went to great lengths to protect them; he knew they were the future of the world. He always returned to the Emerald Planet after his job on Earth was complete.
Ishii helmed the first five “Super Giant” short films. This sixth entry was his last in the series. He exited after hearing about a child injuring himself by reenacting Super Giant’s adventures by putting on a cape, jumping out of a window, and landing in the street. Ishii was very upset by this news. This led producers of superhero shows to add a warning to each episode that children were not to attempt the dangerous exploits they witnessed onscreen.
Well-known Japanese actor Ken Utsui portrayed Super Giant. The film/TV star detested the role and refused to talk about it. He was embarrassed by the costume he was made to wear, which featured a ridiculously overstuffed crotch area. Cotton was used to make him appear to have a bigger anatomy, as it was thought this appealed to woman viewers more. He played the role in all nine films.
“The Spaceship and the Clash of the Artificial Satellite” was the second part of the final two-part installment of the series. It revolved around Super Giant breaking into a satellite and doing battle with an army that resembles the Nazis. It was released in the United States as part of a movie called “Attack From Space,” which was a combination of episodes five and six of the “Super Giant” series that ran 76 minutes.
“Attack From Space” was distributed in America through Walter Manley Enterprises and Medallion Films. The editing of the films together resulted in two minutes of the original versions being cut. However, it didn’t suffer much in its translation because of this. Most of Riichiro Manabe’s score for the film was replaced by library tracks for the U.S. version. You can purchase the American version of the movie here.
For more articles by Eric Shirey, check out:
How ‘Superman: The Movie’ Launched the Superhero Genre
December 22: ‘The Mummy’ Rises From His Tomb for the First Time
December 20: ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ 1978 Remake Unleashed
Eric Shirey is the founder and former editor of Rondo Award nominated movie news websites MovieGeekFeed.com and TheSpectralRealm.com. His work has been featured on Yahoo!, DC Comics, StarWars.com, and other entertainment websites. Eric has interviewed and worked with actors like Harrison Ford, Brooke Shields, Gerard Butler, Brendan Fraser, Selena Gomez, and many more.
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