(28 September 1933 – 14 June 2004) was a Japanese director. Yuasa was the main director of the Japanese film series Gamera; he directed seven of the first eight films in the series while also providing special effects for one of them, and became known as the . The series was created by Daiei Film Studios after the box office success of the Toho Godzilla series. Yuasa's post-Daiei career for television dramas marks him as one of the best hitmakers among the domestic television industry during the 1970s.
Biography
Noriaki Yuasa was born 28 September 1933 in Tokyo, Japan. Yuasa was the son of a stage actor and a director . Additionally, his family members include actors and movie directors (Hikaru Hoshi and Koji Shima). Yuasa began work at a young age as a child actor, while some of his careers were cancelled due to the World War II. Yuasa, who was brought up within a showbiz community, decided not to become an actor for his disfavor of relationship issues and scandals by filmmakers, actors, and actresses, including his own family members. Harboring a dislike for such natures of the industry, Yuasa (in his assistant director era) once attempted to resign and wrote a letter to his father, and didn't direct romantic films throughout his career.
Yuasa was passionated about pleasing young audiences, and cherished friendships with children including Gamera fans, even after Daiei's demise. Yuasa's personal favorite of his Gamera films was Gamera vs. Viras. His childhood experiences to witness adults, including his own teachers, to manipulate children for war and political affairs influenced his direction to make Gamera as the faithful protector of children; Yuasa appeared as a child actor in his uncle Koji Shima's war propaganda films where all domestic film studios including Daiei were forced to produce propaganda films by the order of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces, and Masaichi Nagata and Eiji Tsuburaya were temporary purged after the World War II due to their involvements in producing propaganda films, that became the basis for the post-war tokusatsu genre in Japan. Regarding war issues, he was vocally critical of the 1954 film Godzilla for its depictions of war aftermaths, which he deemed incorrect.
After graduating university, he began to seek work on the production of films. Yuasa joined Daiei Studios in 1955 and became director in 1964 with the musical comedy film , whose commercial failure eventually led to his appointment for Gamera the Giant Monster. He also participated in the 1956 tokusatsu film Warning from Space by his uncle Koji Shima as an extra, where Yuasa in his youth appeared in Shima's drama , and Yuasa later studied under Shima.
Yuasa's next project was a film tentatively titled Giant Horde Beast Nezura which would involve real rats crawling over miniatures of cities. The rats received for the film had fleas, which halted production on Nezura. As the miniatures for the film were already built, Masaichi Nagata had to develop a giant monster to attack the city and had the idea for a giant flying turtle. Yuasa, with his screenwriter Niisan Takahashi, developed the idea into the 1965 film Gamera the Giant Monster.
Yuasa continued work directing films in the series except Gamera vs. Barugon, where he was only the special effects director. Following the collapse of Daiei in 1971, he predominantly directed work for television, such as Electroid Zaborger, Iron King, and Ultraman-related productions; Princess Comet, Ultraman 80, and where Ultraman 80 instead influenced the production of the Heisei Gamera trilogy by Tokuma Shoten although Yuasa was critical of the trilogy; he had highlighted the importance to differenciate from the Godzilla series, and had desired to revive the "Showa Gamera" in response to the trilogy.ASCII Media Works, 2014, Heisei Gamera Perfection, p.21-26, p.80, p.212, Kadokawa Shoten His last full film was Gamera, Super Monster, which included extensive stock footage from the previous seven Gamera films.
The success of the Gamera franchise temporary ameliorated the financial situation of Daiei Film, resulting in launching of subsequent tokusatsu productions most notably Daimajin and Yokai Monsters, and the Gamera franchise was practically the sole supporter of the company and its subcontractors until the actual bankruptcy in 1971; at the bankruptcy, either Yuasa or other employees allegedly destroyed suits and models of Gamera productions due to his (their) frustration(s) and distress. where the aforementioned Gamera, Super Monster exclusively relied on stock footages due to budgetary restrictions.OMEGA Flying Squadron, (issuer), Noriaki Yuasa (adviser), Niisan Takahashi (adviser), (adviser), 1995, Gamera is Strong!, pp.166-167, Tokuma Shoten
He later worked on smaller V-Cinema videos such as Kosupure senshi kyūtī naito 2 teikoku-ya no gyakushū () where he had appeared as the character "Dr. Yuasa", and also directed the acting of Gamera by Hurricane Ryu who has also written the 1994 comic Giant Monster Gamera.Hurricane Ryu, 14 June 2020, 本日は昭和ガメラでおなじみ湯浅憲明監督の御命日。, Twiiter (X) Yuasa had also been nominated to direct Daimajin revival attempts as a television series, though this never happened.
After the bankruptcy of Daiei Film, Yuasa devoted in productions of television dramas and advanced his career, and was eventually addressed as one of the best hitmakers of domestic television industries at that time.
Yuasa died of a stroke in Japan on 14 June 2004. Due to Yuasa's testament that he wants to "fade out" and to keep his death confidential, most of stakeholders of himself and Daiei Film were unaware of his condition and the death and knew the situation after an obituary was published.
Legacy Kiyoshi Kawamura published a novel titled The Flute of Gomera in 1971 after the bankruptcy of Daiei Film, which featured Daiei Film's tokusatsu crews facing hardships regards Gamera and other productions; its protagonist was based on Yonesaburo Tsukiji while characters based on Yuasa (with his name based on Yuasa's father ) and others also appeared. The 2020 biopic Nezura 1964 also featured a character based on Yuasa.
Select filmography Film Title Year Credited as NotesDirector Special effects director1961Assistant directorMusashino Art University, 湯浅 憲明Okoto and SasukeAssistant directorNational Film Archive of Japan, お琴と佐助The Temple of the Wild Geese1962Assistant directorThe Graceful BruteAssistant directorGiant Horde Beast Nezura1964Editor1964Gamera the Giant Monster1965Gamera vs. Barugon1966Gamera vs. Gyaos1967Gamera vs. Viras1968Gamera vs. Guiron1969Anata gonomi noGamera vs. Jiger1970Hadaka de dakkoGamera vs. Zigra1971SeijukuSnow Country ElegyGamera, Super Monster19801984
Television Investigative Prosecutor (1964-1965) The Guard-man (jp) (1965-1968) (1966) (1967) Anata nara Dousuru (1967)Koji Saito, November 1985, Television Drama, "The world of Daiei television dramas part 2", Hoso Eiga Shuppan Jun-ai Series (1967) Doremifa Nikki (1968) Okusama wa 18 sai (jp) (1970) Anata wa Inai (1970) Nantatte 18 sai (jp) (1971) Bijin wa ikaga? (jp) (1971) (1971) Onna no toki ga hoshiino (1971) Iron King (1972) (1972)TBS Television, ママはライバル Ai chan ga iku! (jp) (1972) (1973), 15 July 1995, みんな、いい人, Taiyo Kikaku (jp) (1973) Onmitsu Kenshi Tsuppashire! (jp) (1973)Books Kinokuniya, 隠密剣士 突っ走れ Vol.2 Magokoro (jp) (1973)Nihon Tarento Meikan, 30 December 1980, vol.1981, "Toshie Kobayashi", "Hideto Takeda", VIP Times Inc. Denjin Zaborger (1974) White Fang (jp) (1974) Homeless Child (jp) (1974) False Parents (jp) (1974) Adventure (jp) (1975)Himawari Theatre Group, 22 September 1981, 劇団ひまわり30周年史 (1975) Sore Yuke! Katchin (jp) (1975) Kofuku Yuki (jp) (1975)TBS Television, 幸福ゆき (1976) Keiji monogatari: Hoshizora ni ute! (jp) (1976)【テレビ作品】昭和51年2月20日（金） (1977) Jiken Maruhi Oryōrihō (jp) (1977) Princess Comet (1978) Inochi Haterumade (jp) (1978) Keppare! Dai-chan (jp) (1979) Ultraman 80 (1980) Uwasa no keiji: Tommy and Matsu (jp)（1980-1982）TBS Television, 噂の刑事トミーとマツ (1981) (1981) Dannasama wa 18 sai (jp) (1982) Dreadful family Geronimo (jp) (1983) Mandatory Retirement Friend (jp) (1986) Dreadful Residential Center (jp) (1986) (1990)
V-Cinema Cosplay Warrior Cutie (1.0 and 1.3) (1995) Cosplay Warrior Cutie ・ Night 2 Counterattack of Imperial Shop (1996)
Others Warning from Space (1956, as an extra)Steven Sloss, 2021, The Invincible Noriaki Yuasa, Arrow Films Flight from Ashiya (1964) promotion film for the 4th Nippon Jamboree (1966) Bright Town Gamera Special (1991) The Gamera That Never Was: Gamera vs. Garasharp (1991) Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1998) Videos for karaoke
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