The Japanese Monster-Starfish Collision!!
Perhaps one of my favoritest things in the world is giant monsters: Godzilla!, Ultraman!, giant robots, big massive things that destroy stuff! Threaten the world! etc.Japan, as one of the most creative countries in the world, has created a whole GENRE of films, TV and media that feature big monsters (called kaiju for 'mythical beast' in Japanese) and aliens (called seijin in Japanese) (and did I mention the guys in rubber foam suits??) as both antagonists and protagonists.
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So, it should come as no surprise that the two paths should cross....Here are some of the most prominent echinoderm-(mostly starfish) inspired creatures from Japanese science fiction!
1. The Starfish Aliens from "Warning From Space"
Oddly enough, I have never seen this movie the whole way through..but basically its about a bunch of starfish-seijin who try to warn the Earth about an impending disaster.
Starfish as the saviors of Earth.
I like it!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2tWxj8SZnvZOGFmU3T17MKVVkVpF4VTiXv94kkv2LiZNhWLDy42r4W3qLsfiuiiUv3AOZk5Ru9ELsdqjyIRlLecuHx2WLk-sm5P2UdOHBUST4nKpGUu7z6TW3E-mDgMBkOUXxHUnWMSY/s320/Warning+From+Space.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHe0KM-1VXuQwE9PwZL-aOlz1vH6Do-7fhNlYrFkmZJBcpl0Typw_kfZ68L_2bzpFnTIcoABnpAJ31OLLifoGV3kb-a8SUxbHDMkxOq73egRvAJj7aeDtuddmcbdJ7XlITo63iQIqstE/s320/starfish+people.jpg)
2. The Monstrous Pestar from Ultraman
From the 1960s classic Japanese show Ultraman (about a giant Silver giant alien who comes to Earth and fights monsters) is Pestar! The kaiju from the episode "Oil SOS" !!!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS20wfw2VD-AGG6HFM2_qv_kE3uJBAG8DDN1IqNBIRwBvsMqyFJQLv1wLbEodXtFIo1XiZeC7sVQgMtl3qyIZXQ22RH6cv4FT06qBMnoWHN0I8I8AgCt9tgyuZoYKcTUxSZm043cT7oTM/s320/Pestar.jpg)
Plus, it gets turned into a BUNCH of action figures:
![http://farm1.static.flickr.com/62/204566323_d3334fc1d4.jpg?v=0](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/62/204566323_d3334fc1d4.jpg?v=0)
3. The Bizarre Brittle Star Deimos from Ultraman Leo!
Now, WHERE will you ever find someone who can make a monster out of an ophiuroid?
Ultraman Leo was a later incarnation of the successful Ultraman show, which ran from 1974 to 1975. He fights a host of monsterous beasts, many of which take after marine life!
The six rays are perhaps inspired by the tropical six-rayed brittle stars Ophiactis savignyi or Ophiothela which would be found in the tropical regions of Japan??
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQnLwzJ-Wd0XpdntJEOo9U7tZ0yYpDw2phgHon9lT0fR9Due7EPargBIM0AnOXURG5jvapQPP6GL8_y4S7ov-oDKPsJWQhwAJyGbl7o-IrsEucWYl4HcpK8SgbrojWjZ2HDUZb3R3DDA/s320/deimos.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGHPbpDwsb9la5Ttk_3G7yt0z_3ou2qu_rWAh5NPbQXNhqR2og4vtLkcdc5iU5Iyn3hWgS5V0g0fezXlcPQDSEwEwt-6YC_9y9T4pJ9wV0x615SHg6t0_veRJdhxpvAgTHoFXwoBGqQ0/s320/deimos2.jpg)
4. Hitode murasaki (purple starfish) from the show "Kikaider" Kikaider=good guy with cool half blue/half red costume who fought evil monsters every week. These monsters typically had an animal theme and acted as the "boss" to a bunch of evil minions.. having some gimmick or power that made him the special menace of the week...
The sinister "Purple starfish" could apparently fly and leap over walls! Not a common adaptation seen in your garden variety echinoderm...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlLVJyY8PWyUQN6QDW-9ASH3yLya6E3KDdOHZAdMcpuMiFmK7QObBHed2aLL0CwrxRTwauAQz3ivcaxpKnc2RQzq7me5zPTxIrlQDCEktYY8rnq9p-s2GH2kkcXy0C7WaKhNu2KOYyf4/s320/purple.jpg)
5. And of course......
Starfish Hitler!!!
(I'm not kidding-that's what he's called!) from Kamen Rider X -a popular Japanese franchise about motorcylce-high kickin' cyborgs!!! In Japanese the name is more alliterative: Hitode HiteruI really don't know how to top Starfish Hitler.
7 comments:
oh this is just hands down a most awesome blog, Chris ! You know you need to make your own StarFish Kaiju ;-) , although I would stay away from any WW2 characters !
What? You don't think Hitode Hitler would make a good vinyl figure?? :-)
I think there are several characters from Mon-based anime shows & manga that are certainly inspired by echinoderms. Pokemon for example, has Staryu & Starmie (sea stars with large gems as central disc); Lileep & Cradily (obviously crinoids). I believe there are other (perhaps less-known) examples....
I find it interesting that the Japanese are much more in touch with marine life, even ones that happen to be overlooked by most people. Keep going :)
I could swear I recall a villain that had a starfish- or squid-like head where, at some point in the movie/show, the bad-guys head comes off and tentacles rise up and out and then spin to behead those who were near him. I wish I could recall enough to find out what this was.
I found it!
http://buncheness.blogspot.com/2009/10/destroy-all-planets-1968.html
Friggin' Gamera!
ah..good ol' Viras. I've been mulling over a sequel to this post and Japanese cephalopod monsters. We'll see....
:o
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