Agon (tokusatsu)
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Agon (アゴン?) is the titular giant monster of a tokusatsu kaiju TV series, Giant Phantom Monster Agon (幻の大怪獣アゴン Maboroshi no Daikaijū Agon?). The international series title is Atomic Dragon (as the monster's name, "Agon" is actually short for "Atomic Dragon"). It is known to American tokusatsu fans as Agon the Atomic Dragon.
The 4-part sepiatone TV miniseries, originally produced in 1964 by Nippon Denpa Eiga (Japan Radio Pictures), was broadcast on Fuji TV from January 2 to January 8, 1968. (The 4-year long delay involved a struggle with the show's sponsor) Toho Company, Ltd. later released a condensed feature-length film version on video in the mid-1990s.
The miniseries was clearly inspired by the popular Godzilla film series, so much that the title dinosaur-like monster Agon bore a superficial resemblance to Godzilla himself. This series was produced just as the first "Kaiju Boom" began to escalate in Japan. Ironically, it premiered towards the end of the Boom.
The series has recently become available on DVD in Japan as of June 8, 2005.
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[edit] Opening Narration
The opening for each episode begins with the following narration:
我々は第三の火を手にいれたことによって、 Wareware wa dai-san no hi wo te ni ireta koto ni yotte, (Because we obtained the third fire,)
輝かしき未来の繁栄を約束された・・・ Kagayakashiki mirai no hanei wo yakusoku sareta . . . (A bright future in prosperity had been promised . . . )
然しそのために、 Shikashi, sono tame ni, (However, for that reason,)
もう一ツの扉をノックしたことを忘れてはならない Mou hitotsu no chibira wo nokku shita koto wo wasurete wa nara nai. (We must not forget the events that have knocked on something else's door.)
This is suddenly followed by the show's bilingual title (アゴン AGON), which suddenly shatters apart like glass, followed by brief footage of Agon destroying cities and breathing radioactive fire.
[edit] Episode List
1.) Agon Appears - Part 1 アゴン出現 前編 (Agon Shutsugen - Zenpen) Aired: 1/2/1968 Director: Norio Mine Screenplay: Shinichi Sekizawa
2.) Agon Appears - Part 2 アゴン出現 后編 (Agon Shutsugen - Kouhen) Aired: 1/3/1968 Director: Norio Mine Screenplay: Shinichi Sekizawa
3.) A Dangerous Situation - Part 1 風前の灯 前編 (Fûzen no Tomoshibi - Zenpen) Aired: 1/4/1968 Director: Fuminori Ohashi Screenplay: Kôzô Uchida
3.) A Dangerous Situation - Part 2 風前の灯 后編 (Fûzen no Tomoshibi - Kouhen) Aired: 1/5/1968 Director: Fuminori Ohashi Screenplay: Kôzô Uchida
[edit] Trivia
- In 1964, as the series was complete, Toho Company, Ltd. was about to sue Japan Radio Pictures as they thought Agon looked too much like Godzilla. But when they found that Fuminori Ohashi (who helped out with making the first Godzilla suit) was making the series, Toho simply said, "Oh, it's you! Well, it's okay then!" Toho thus dropped the lawsuit.
- The Agon suit was later used as the dinosaur monster Aron in the first episode of P Productions' Ambassador Magma (known in the US as The Space Giants).