From Urusei Yatsura to Ghost in the Shell, Mamoru Oshii is widely celebrated as one of Japan’s finest auteur directors, still working to this day. While he is highly regarded for his efforts in animation, Oshii has dabbled into live-action from time to time. While these efforts have not seen the high acclaim of his animated outings, this is likely to change– one of these films, The Red Spectacles, has garnered a cult status that has only grown over the years since its 1987 debut.
The Red Spectacles is an independent “soft-tokusatsu” noir-comedy drama that follows the story of a former Panzer Cop, Koichi Todome (Shigeru Chiba), who fled Japan after a failed attempt to rebel against the disarmament of the Kerberos Unit, as he was left no choice but to leave his allies Soichiro “Ao” Toribe (Hideyuki Tanaka) and Midori Washio (Machiko Washio). Koichi, now a fugitive, returns to Japan three years later for his comrades, only to be in for a rude awakening. This is Mamoru Oshii’s first ever live-action feature film, and was made as a vehicle for Shigeru Chiba’s career due to their close working relationship. It is also the first movie in Oshii’s multimedia meta franchise, the Kerberos Saga, which is comprised of various radio dramas, manga, and feature films, such as Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade.
It is worth noting that a hefty number of the cast and crew of The Red Spectacles all worked with Oshii on Urusei Yatsura, notably the aforementioned Chiba and Washio, who voiced characters Megane and Sakura respectively. Additionally, the antagonist Bunmei Muroto is played by Tessho Genda, who voiced Rei in the same series, and is also known as the Japanese voice for Arnold Schwarzenegger, Optimus Prime, and Don Frye’s Captain Douglas Gordon in Godzilla: Final Wars. Yet, the film’s most prolific performer (next to Chiba) is none other than the legendary Hideyo Amamoto, who you may recall as Dr. Who in King Kong Escapes, Dr. Death in the original 1971 Kamen Rider TV series, and Hirotoshi Isayama the Prophet in Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack.
The film also includes screenwriter Kazunori Ito, who would later provide his talents for Shusuke Kaneko’s Gamera trilogy. And the iconic Protect Gear (or “Reinforcement Gear” depending on translation) was conceived by mechanical designer Yutaka Izubuchi.
On April 29th, 2024, Granate Co. Ltd. representative Mato Noda launched a fundraiser on Motion Gallery in an effort to remaster a 35mm print of the 1987 cult classic into 4K. The campaign has been a success, reaching its goal of 10,000,000 JPY within 24 hours thanks to over 350 backers. The deadline for this project is June 27th, 2024, and The Red Spectacles will receive a theatrical screening at Kineka Omori in Shinagawa, Tokyo near the end of the year in a brand new format.
The perks presented in this fundraiser (including currency conversion as of April 29th, 2024) are as follows:
-3,000 JPY ($19.23 USD) – Film pamphlet + 35mm bookmark
-10,000 JPY ($64.12 USD) – The Red Spectacles on 4K BD*
-15,000 JPY ($96.18 USD) – Contributor credit
-25,000 JPY ($160.30 USD) – Special case + booklet
-35,000 JPY ($224.36 USD) – ADR script + photo book
-40,000 JPY ($256.42 USD) – Autographed copy of The Red Spectacles by Mamoru Oshii or Shigeru Chiba (SOLD OUT)
-75,000 JPY ($480.54 USD) – Reservation for the Shinagawa premiere for The Red Spectacles a Kineka Omori + an invite to the after-party (SOLD OUT)
*Copies of The Red Spectacles on 4K BD are expected to ship out November 2024.
This campaign has proven to be a massive celebration for the film, as it has received official endorsement from Oshii and Chiba, who will both appear at the 4K screening, and had their own comments regarding this project:
“I’m grateful. As a director, there is no greater joy than this.” – Mamoru Oshii, director of The Red Spectacles
“Time flies, and before you know it, it’s been 38 years since those crazy days! … we were drunk and dancing in director Oshii’s ‘dream world.’ And ‘that dream’ continues even now….” – Shigeru Chiba, star of The Red Spectacles
You can support the 4K restoration campaign for The Red Spectacles on Motion Gallery before it closes on June 27th, 2024.
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