To say 1977’s Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope was a game-changer in the movie world is a severe understatement. Ask anybody who was around back then. They’ll most likely tell you how blown away they were by the special effects and action scenes. Not since the original Star Trek show had space been captured in such a visceral manner.
So it was inevitable that film companies worldwide would hop on the fad and release their own space opera flicks. Some of them were blatant rip-offs of the Star Wars storyline.
Japan’s contribution to this craze was 1978’s 宇宙からのメッセージ (uchuu kara no messeiji), billed as Message from Space upon its US release. Costing between USD $10 and $15 million to make – by some accounts, more than Star Wars itself – Message from Space was Japan’s most expensive film at the time (it would later be surpassed by Kurosawa’s Ran). However, the film went on to be a flop in Japanese theaters. It only scraped its way into the black thanks to its international release.
Message from Space wasn’t Japan’s first space opera movie. But it’s the most well-known thanks to its heavy borrowing of Star Wars elements. There’s no doubt that part of the movie’s overseas results had to with the overwhelming success of Star Wars, a veritable feast for the eyes that the American public would never forget.
Regardless of how well Message from Space stands the test of time, there’s no question that its budget at the time made it an impressive example of Japan’s unique approach to special effects, or tokusatsu (特撮).
The Tokusatsu Genre (特撮) and Space SF
Tokusatsu is the abbreviated form of tokushu satsuei (特殊撮影) meaning “special filming” or “special/visual effects”. The tokusatsu term is used as a genre and a style, though it’s mostly associated with science fiction and action movies and shows.
Hikawa Ryūsuke, writing for Nippon.com, describes the core of tokusatsu as “creatively filming highly detailed real objects, such as miniature sets and actors dressed in monster suits.”[1] Special effects aficionado Tsuburaya Eiji single-handedly pioneered the usage of “suitmation” (スーツメーション) and miniature sets that became key features of tokusatsu production.
Tokusatsu’s poster boy — rather, monster — is of course Godzilla (ゴジラ). Ultraman is another contender. Ultraman had a new monster to battle every week on TV. Soon, the suitmation and miniature set aspects took on a whole new role in film. Tsuburaya Eiji’s death in 1970 marked the end of the prime era of tokusatsu.
What is the Kaiju Genre?
As with any medium, tokusatsu is divided into sub-genres based on thematic elements or character tropes. The kaiju (怪獣) or monster genre is arguably the most popular, with Godzilla the undisputed kaiju king. Space operas like Message from Space slip right in the average science-fiction genre and the パニック (panic) genre, Japan’s version of the American disaster movie.
Message from Space and The War in Space weren’t Japan’s first forays into the space sci-fi movie world. In 1961 Toei produced 宇宙快速船 (uchuu kaisokusen), which also starred Chiba Shinichi (“Sonny” Chiba). The movie appeared in an episode of the US show Mystery Science Theater 3000 under the name “Invasion of the Neptune Men,” but otherwise didn’t wow the American audiences. Critics poked fun at its plot and wonky effects.
Just two years prior in 1959, Toho Studios released 宇宙大戦争 (uchuu daisousenn), or Battle in Outer Space, which featured Tsuburaya Eiji’s signature special effects. This movie was a little more well-received overseas, with critic Howard Thompson admiring the ”clean, bright color and the fetching assortment of obvious, but effective, miniature settings and backgrounds”[2].
Message Lost in Space?
The plot of Message from Space is simple. The Jillucian people are perishing under the rule of ruthless Gavana emperor Rockseia and his empire. Desperate for help, the Jillucian leader sends out eight holy “Liabe seeds” into space. He charges his granddaughter to bring back the heroes bearing these seeds to help defeat the Gavanas . This, he says, will return the planet to peace.
The eight heroes are (spoiler alert!) two pilots, a robot, a general, a Jillucian bodyguard, a coward, an heiress, and an exiled Gavana leader.
Message from Space is hilariously bad. I watched it with my boyfriend (read, I forced my boyfriend to watch it with me). My reactions oscillated between cringing, notably during the “swimming in space catching space fireflies” scene, to humor. I particularly laughed at the perfunctory one-liners of General Garuda’s robot. Beba-2 is a quirky, slow-walking blend of R2D2 and C-3PO. The similarities to Star Wars are rampant, from action shots to enemy spaceship and costume designs.
The experience was further compounded by the English dubbing. I couldn’t find a subtitled version and had to make do with the dub. If, if you’re curious, you can watch on Amazon Prime Video. (Affiliate link: Unseen Japan Translation Services earns a commission from anything on Amazon purchased during your session.)
The movie copies the character tropes made popular by Star Wars: the beautiful princess willing to go to any lengths to save her people, the young cocky pilots who practice risky maneuvers for fun and later to save an oppressed people, the robot’s signature sarcastic humor. And yes, there’s an actual three-masted colonial-style spaceship with a wheel and sails and everything.
Cheesy Effects, Wasted Talent
In true classic tokusatsu form, most of the sets, like the wide shots of the Jillucian homeworld, are miniature sets. Special effects director Yajima Nobuo (矢島信男) got creative and developed a snorkel camera[3] that was used in some of the action scenes. Talk about ingenuity — but that’s what tokusatsu largely was.
Some notable names appear in Message from Space. Its director, Fukasaku Kinji, would later go on to direct the 2000 hit Battle Royale based off Takami Koushin’s dystopian cult classic of the same name. Chiba Shinichi, aka “Sonny” Chiba, plays Prins Hans (totally not a rip-off of Han Solo). Chiba is a martial arts cinema star with notable performances in Yagyu Clan Conspiracy and Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill duology. A very young Sanada Hiryuki plays the cocky pilot Shiro. Sanada is an action star protégé of Chiba Shinichi. He’s since become an acclaimed actor overseas, with roles in the American shows Lost and Helix.
The movie also features American actors in its main cast, notably Vic Morrow as the grizzled general. What’s more, there’s a rumor that members of the Star Wars production team visited the some of the setting sites of Message from Space — perhaps, as one writer jokes, for reconnaissance? It’s also ironic how heavily Toei borrowed from Star Wars, considering how heavily director George Lucas borrowed from such classics as Kurosawa Akira’s Hidden Fortress.
A Massive Flop
Despite such a huge investment, the movie was a flop in Japan. Click To TweetDespite such a huge investment, the movie was a flop in Japan. Japanese theatre-goers cooled to it almost immediately after release. Part of the reason, says writer Natsumi in Buzz Plus News, is that, despite having a budget equal to Star Wars, the film comes off looking cheap in comparison[4].
The film initially didn’t do much better in its US release, either. Critics panned it as an obvious Star Wars knock-off. Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert named it their “Dog of the Week.”
However, Message did manage to earn some moderate financial success, particularly in its second run as a double feature kids’ matinee movie. It even managed to net itself a Saturn Award nomination[5] in the award ceremony’s first-ever prize for Best Foreign Film. (It lost to the Czechoslovak film Dinner for Adele[6].)
Fortunately for Toei, in the end, Message from Space wasn’t a total disaster. A full overseas release – a 35-country release that was eventually expanded to 75 – was its saving grace.
A New Life On The Small Screen
Despite barely managing to scrape its way to profitability, Message from Space didn’t end there.
In an effort to eke out more from its massive investment in this piece of IP, Toei greenlit a spin-off series 宇宙からのメッセージ：銀河大戦 (uchuu kara no messeiji: ginka taisen – Message from Space: Galactic Wars) that aired from 1978-1979. Sanada Hiroyuki returned to play pilot Hayato Gen, with co-star Oda Akira as fellow pilot Ryu.
Surprisingly, the 27-episode series did exceptionally better than the movie. It currently has a 7.1/10 star rating on IMDB compared to the movie’s telling 4.9/10 rating. It also found overwhelming success in countries like France and Peru. The Star Wars similarities continue — there’s a non-human character called Ape-Man Ballou (猿人バルー ), the show’s version of Chewbacca. There’s an oppressive regime to rebel against, a pretty princess in white, and a robot.
Nowadays, Japanese space science-fiction tokusatsu movies aren’t as popular overseas, largely due to Godzilla and Ultraman garnering most of the attention. Yet we can’t ignore that they constitute a crucial aspect of the tokusatsu tradition.
Conclusion
Message from Space isn’t just an oddball Japanese science-fiction movie, much as like to assign it the “so bad it’s good” label. Sure, the effects and backgrounds aren’t the greatest — Toei didn’t have Toho’s magic ace Tsuburaya Eiji. However, they clearly show heart and attention to detail we would be remiss to ignore.
We laugh at them now as audiences did back then. But Message from Space merely rode the coattails of Star Wars while hailing the end of the genuine tokusatsu era.
I recommend people give it a watch, if not for the quality and Star Wars resemblances, then for a glimpse into the Japanese world of old-school special effects.
What to Read Next
Kwaidan: A Filmic Journey into Uncanny Japan
Sources
[1] Godzilla’s Analog Mayhem and the Japanese Special Effects Tradition. Link
[2] Screen: Moon Is Warned:Loses ‘Battle in Outer Space’ at the Forum. Link
[3] 君は『惑星大戦争』を憶えているか 『スター・ウォーズ』公開が1年遅れだった頃. Link
[4] 【衝撃】1978年にスターウォーズに影響されて日本が作った和製スターウォーズがいろんな意味で凄い件(笑). Link
[5] Saturn Awards. Link
[6] Dinner for Adele. Link
