Cult filmmaker Minoru Kawasaki (The Calamari Wrestler, Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit, and Kaiju Mono) has announced crowdfunding for his latest entry in the Den Ace [電エース] franchise. Titled Den Ace Red [電エースレッド], the movie follows the thirty-fifth-anniversary celebration film Den Ace Chaos [電エースカオス] from 2023. This film will be the twelfth production to utilize crowdfunding to secure the film’s budget.
The announcement comes weeks after SRS Cinema revealed at G-FEST during the SRS Cinema Kaiju Showcase Panel a slew of Den Ace acquisitions, including Den Ace Taro, Den Ace Dance, Den Ace 60, and more!
Filming is planned to begin in October and November of 2026 and release (tentatively) in April 2027. The runtime is set to be roughly fifty minutes. The synopsis for the film reads;
A series of inexplicable disappearances of middle-aged men have been occurring across Japan. The police are simply treating them as missing persons cases, unable to determine the cause. However, close friends of Den Gojusaburo (Sugi Noboru) and Den Gojushiro (Watanabe Shota) begin disappearing one after another, and the situation becomes increasingly serious. As Gojusaburo and Gojushiro conduct their own investigation, they become convinced that an “extraterrestrial entity” may be behind the disappearances. The shocking truth will soon be revealed. Gojusaburo and Gojushiro rise to save their friends and protect Earth. Can they stop the aliens’ plot? And what will become of Earth’s future?
The film stars the comedy duo Kurage (Sugi Noboru and Shota Watanabe), who gained attention as finalists in the M-1 Grand Prix 2023. The cast also includes the legendary Tomoko Ai (Ultraman Leo, Terror of Mechagodzilla, and Kaiju: Island of Fire), a special appearance by Kazuo Tsuburaya (former president and producer of Tsuburaya Productions), Tatsumi Nikamoto (Ultraman Leo, Terror of Mechagodzilla, Dinosaur War Izenborg, and Dinosaur Squadron Koseidon), Hitomi Ena, and returning are Nozomi Nagano as Nozomi Miyata, Reijiro Kato as Denjiro, and Hurricane Ryu as Hideumi Miyata.
The crowdfunding runs until August 25th and has a goal of 1,000,000 yen (6,341.94 USD) on the Japanese website Campfire. The rewards for backers start at 1,000 yen (6.34 USD) with a thank-you message from director Kawasaki and go up to 200,000 yen (126.83 USD). Some of the physical rewards backers can receive include acrylic stands of the characters, a B4-size poster for Den Ace Red, a DVD copy of the film, and postcards.
Currently, there are plans for a DVD release in Japan, followed by a streaming release on Japanese regional platforms such as Prime Video, U-Next, and others. Currently, there are no plans for an international release.
ABOUT RIVERTOP CO., LTD
Established in 1986, Rivertop has been the home production company of filmmaker Minoru Kawasaki. Director Kawasaki has been labeled “The Master of silly movies.” Kawasaki made his professional debut with “Earth Defense Girl Iko-chan” (1987). His original video series “Maicching Machiko Sensei” (2003-2005) was a huge hit. His films in the Absurd Animals series, including “The Calamari Wrestler” (2004), “Executive Koala” and “Crab Goalkeeper” (2006), were invited to numerous film festivals around the world. His works include “Earth Defense Girls P9” (2011), “Earth Defense Widow” (2014), “Outerman” (2015), “Kaiju Mono” (2016), “RobaMan” (2019), “Meg Lion”, “Monster Seafood Wars” (2020), “Planet Prince 2021” (2021), “Super Legend God Hikoza” (2022), “Charge! The UFO Next Door” (2023), “Den Ace Chaos” (2023), “Game of Shark” (2025), “Cyborg Isshin Tasuke” (2025),” and “Kaiju Heaven” (2026). He received an Honorary Award at the 2024 Nitz Asia Summer Film Festival in Spain.
