Here at Cinapse we’re in love with Japanese cinema, and with our Tales Of Zatoichi column in full swing and a new Godzilla film imminent, this seems like a perfect time to visit a lesser known but incredibly cool kaiju series. Though it isn’t particularly obvious, the Daimajin trilogy actually has very close ties to our beloved Zatoichi. It was produced by the same studio, Daiei Film (also responsible for the Gamera films). More importantly, all three Daimajin directors, Kimiyoshi Yasuda, Kenji Misumi, and Kazuo Mori, directed multiple Zatoichi titles each, the sum of which make up more than half of that series.
Dai-majin, literally “Great Demon”, is unique among kaiju. Unlike your typical monsters which tend to be giant rubber animals and relatively neutral like forces of nature, he’s human-like in appearance with piercing eyes (those of a real actor rather than the lifeless components of a costume) and has deliberate actions and motivations which are reflected in his facial expressions.
Normally dormant, he appears to be a massive, samurai-like stone statue. But when he hears the cries of innocents who beg him for assistance, he awakens from his slumber. His serene countenance changes to one of grim and terrible judgment, and with his great stone fists he inflicts vengeance upon those who’ve dealt injustice… which is a fancy way of saying he will smash your shit UP.
The films do suffer a bit from basically sharing the same structure and predictable third act, which may explain why Daiei didn’t continue to develop the series as they did with the Gamera and Zatoichi franchises. It’s too bad, really. By changing things up a bit, Daimajin might have enjoyed the same long-running success of its contemporaries. That said, this remains a very solid trilogy that’s well worth checking out.
Daimajin (1966)
Director: Kimiyoshi Yasuda
Interestingly, Daimajin spends a lot of time setting up a human story of a political coup that sends two child heirs and their guardians fleeing into the mountains to hide in the shadow of Daimajin (who at this point simply appears to be a huge statue). The tale picks up a decade later when the exiles try to return to their village, but find it under the cruel reign of the warlord who deposed them.
Theoretically, if you went into this movie blind you could watch the first hour or so as a totally engrossing political drama and never realize it’s going to turn into a giant kaiju beatdown — which it does, gloriously, when the downtrodden heroes call upon their vengeful mountain spirit and he responds in spectacular fashion.
There’s a really wonderful, series-defining shot where the reawakened Daimajin passes his hand over his statuesque face, instantaneously transforming from his peaceful expression to his demon-like “rage face”, and you know that the time of reckoning is at hand. It does not disappoint. As awesome as it is strange, Daimajin is an exceptional debut for the series.
Return Of Daimajin (1966)
Director: Kenji Misumi
The second Daimajin feature is not as good as the first, but brings some new ideas to the table including a major curveball which floored me even though the film isn’t that great as a whole. It’s pretty uneven, but once it takes off it really goes for broke.
Unfortunately things get bogged down early with an exhausting plot which overstays its welcome. Unlike the straightforward story from Daimajin, the sequel’s conflict is a confusing and wearisome war amongst various feudal clans for… whatever the hell reason. With too many character threads to reasonably follow, I grew impatient with all the samurai posturing. Save the drama for Yokohama.
But midway through, something really, and I mean really interesting happens. A group of bad guys locate Daimajin slumbering on a remote island, rig him with explosives, and blow him to pieces. Bizarre as it is for a 1966 Japanese feature, a very deliberate Christ allegory is drawn. The giant’s demise is immediately followed by strange phenomena including an earthquake and darkness — much like the death of Christ, and a nearby gatepost is damaged into the shape of a cross. The Daimajin, of course, resurrects a while later to dole out salvation to his believers and wrath on his enemies. In doing so, he parts the waters in Moses-like fashion to return to the mainland, again drawing inspiration from a Biblical deliverer. And just in case the symbolism was too subtle, he rescues one of his believers from being burned at the stake…
…a stake which also happens to be a cross.
Half boring chanbara drama, half unbelievable Jesus-kaiju awesomeness.
Daimajin Strikes Again (1966)
Director: Kazuo Mori
The story of the third and final Daimajin film involves men being kidnapped and forced into involuntarily servitude in a labor camp. Four young boys set out on a journey to try to find their abducted fathers and are tracked by ruthless swordsmen as they make their trek. After the second film’s unnecessarily convoluted backdrop, this one is refreshingly accessible. It’s easy to empathize with the kids as they make their impossible journey, and for the first time when the mighty Daimajin answers a mortal’s prayer, it feels like they’ve actually earned it.
By this point in the series, the whole deus ex machina arc is wearing thin — especially keeping in mind that all three films released in rapid succession, but that’s not to say that the final Daimajin tale doesn’t add anything new. The violence is turned up a bit, subtly raising the stakes, and the younger protagonists are faced with some challenges unique to their age. Daimajin himself sports a previously unseen ability that comes into play for a particularly memorable scene.
Taken on its own, this is far and away the best film in the series, but as the third entry it feels a bit too familiar. Bottom line? A totally respectable finish to a unique and entertaining franchise.
The entire trilogy was released as a very nice Blu-Ray triple feature from Mill Creek Entertainment in 2012. Don’t be dissuaded by Mill Creek’s reputation as a budget brand — this is a tremendous package, including original Japanese and English dub audio, original trailers, and even some BTS extras. If any of this sounds even remotely appealing, just buy it already. As of this writing, this is ten bucks very well spent.
A/V Out.
Get it at Amazon:
Daimajin Trilogy — [Blu-ray]