Sixties City - Supergiant Films and Television

The Super Giant films . . .
were a compilation science-fiction product of the Japanese Shin Toho film and television studio series Kotetsu No Kyojin - 'Supah Jaianto' - which ran from 1956 to 1959. Nine wide screen format episodes (chapters) were definitely made which were subsequently combined to produce four definitive films that were issued in the U.S.A. in 1964 with the hero known as 'Starman' but, as always, there is confusion as to the exact number of original episodic films produced.

Super Giant was a costumed superhero (played by Ken Utsui) - a kind of Japanese equivalent to Superman. He successfully battled all manner of threats to the safety of the world from both Earth and Outer Space, usually with the assistance of children.

The scripts and story-lines were intended for the Japanese market and so, as is unfortunately the case with so many overdubbed Japanese productions, the English version can be quite (unintentionally) hilarious in places. n.b. The film 'Prince of Space' aka 'Yusei Oji' aka 'The Star Prince' which was released in 1959 (Japan) and 1964 (US) also under the title 'Invaders From Space' is not a 'Super Giant' film, although it is somewhat similar in content.

Super Giant Images The Films

The Television Episodes

Television Episodes

Episode 1 1956 - 49 mins

Supah Jaianto
aka
The Steel Man From Outer Space

Director:
Teruo Ishii
Producer: Mitsugi Okura

Cast includes:
Ken Utsui, Junko Ikeuchi, Minoru Takada
Ryo Iwashita Minako Yamada, Utako Mitsuya

Episode 2 1956 - 52 mins

Supah Jaianto
aka
Rescue From Outer Space

Director:
Teruo Ishii
Producer: Mitsugi Okura

Cast includes:
Ken Utsui, Junko Ikeuchi, Minoru Takada, Ryo Iwashita
Minako Yamada, Utako Mitsuya

Episode 3 1957 - 49 mins

Kaiseijin No Mayo
aka
Devils From The Planet, Invaders From The Planets

Directors:
Koreyoshi Akasaka, Teruo Ishii and Akira Mitsuwa
Producer: Mitsugi Okura

Cast includes:
Ken Utsui, Minako Yamada, Junko Ikeuchi, Minoru Takada
Ken Hayashi, Reiko Seto, Chisako Tahara, Akira Tamura

Episode 4 1957 - 40 mins

Chikyu Metzubo Sunzen
aka
The Earth In Danger

Directors:
Koreyoshi Akasaka, Teruo Ishii and Akira Mitsuwa
Producer: Mitsugi Okura

Cast includes:
Ken Utsui, Minako Yamada, Junko Ikeuchi, Minoru Takada
Ken Hayashi, Reiko Seto, Chisako Tahara, Akira Tamura

Episode 5 1958 - 40 mins

Jinko Eisen To Jinrui No Hametsu
aka
Spaceship Of Human Destruction

Director:
Teruo Ishii
Producer: Mitsugi Okura

Cast includes:
Ken Utsui, Utako Mitsuya, Ken Hayashi, Teruhisha Ikeda
Hiroshi Asami, Junko Ikeuchi, Minoru Takada

Episode 6 1958 - 39 mins

Uchutei To Jinko Eisen No Gekitotsu
aka
The Destruction Of The Space Fleet

Director:
Teruo Ishii
Producer: Mitsugi Okura

Cast includes:
Ken Utsui, Utako Mitsuya, Ken Hayashi, Teruhisha Ikeda
Hiroshi Asami, Junko Ikeuchi, Minoru Takada

Episode 7 1958 - 44 mins

Uchu Kaijin Shutsugen
aka
Spacemen Appear

Director:
Akira Miwa
Producer: Mitsugi Okura

Cast includes:
Ken Utsui, Chisako Tawara

Episode 8 1959 - 57 mins

Akuma No Keshiin
aka
The Devil Incarnate

Director: Chogi Akasaka
Producer: Mitsugi Okura (?)

Cast includes:
Ken Utsui, Reiko Seto

Episode 9 1959 - 56 mins

Dokuga Okoku
aka
Kingdom Of The Poison Moth

Director: Chogi Akasaka
Producer: Mitsugi Okura (?)

Cast includes:
Ken Utsui, Terumi Hoshi

It is possible that a further two episodes were made during 1959 but it cannot be
confirmed whether or not these were actually an official part of the Super Giant series:

Araumi No Oja

Director:
Tetsu Taguchi

Cast includes:
Ken Utsui, Naoko Kubo

Gonin No Hanzaisha

Director:
Teruo Ishii

Cast includes:
Ken Utsui, Yoko Mihara

Super Giant Films

Super Giant I
aka
The Appearance Of Super Giant

1964 - 85 mins
Black and White, dubbed in English

Director: Teruo Ishii
Producer: Mitsugi Okura

Cast includes:
Ken Utsui, Junko Ikeuchi, Minoru Takada
Ryo Iwashita, Minako Yamada, Utako Mitsuya

The evil leaders of the planet Sapphire send agents
to spy on Earth prior to attack. Alien forces friendly
towards Earth send Super Giant to save us.

This feature was an edited combination
of television series episodes 1 and 2

Supergiant II
aka
Atomic Rulers
Attack Of The Flying Saucers

1964 - 83 mins
Black and White, dubbed in English

Directors:
Koreyoshi Akasaka, Teruo Ishii and Akira Mitsuwa
Producer: Mitsugi Okura

Cast includes:
Ken Utsui, Minako Yamada, Junko Ikeuchi, Minoru Takada
Ken Hayashi, Reiko Seto, Chisako Tahara, Akira Tamura

American gangsters plan to hold Japan to ransom with an A-bomb but are foiled by the superhero.

This feature was an edited combination
of television series episodes 3 and 4

Super Giant Against The Satellites
aka
Attack From Space
Invaders From Space

1964 - 79 mins
Black and White, dubbed in English

Director: Teruo Ishii
Producer: Mitsugi Okura

Cast includes:
Ken Utsui, Utako Mitsuya, Ken Hayashi, Teruhisha Ikeda
Hiroshi Asami, Junko Ikeuchi, Minoru Takada

Super Giant defends the world against alien beings intending to conquer and destroy the planet.

This feature was an edited combination
of television series episodes 5 and 6

The Brain From Outer Space
aka
The Evil Brain From Outer Space

1964 - 146 mins
Black and White, dubbed in English

Directors: Chogi Akasaka and Akira Miwa
Producer: Mitsugi Okura and ?

Cast includes:
Ken Utsui, Terumi Hoshi, Chisako Tawara, Reiko Seto

The living brain of an evil dictator is brought to Earth by a bunch of criminals and mutants with the intention of setting up a base from which to conquer and rule the galaxy.

This feature was (apparently) an edited combination
of television series episodes 7, 8 and 9

An Assortment Of Images From the Super Giant Films Science Fiction Image Gallery