
Production
Akira Tsuburaya
Born 1944-02-12 · Tokyo, Japan
Akira Tsuburaya (円谷 粲, Tsuburaya Akira) is a Japanese former film and television producer under Tsuburaya Productions. He is the third son of Eiji Tsuburaya, with his older brothers including Hajime Tsuburaya and Noboru Tsuburaya. In 1966, after graduating from Tamagawa University, Akira Tsuburaya joined Tsuburaya Productions. During that time, he worked as an assistant director on projects such as "Ultra Q" (1966), "Ultraman" (1966-1967), "Ultraseven" (1967-1968), and "Operation: Mystery" (1968-1969). In 1970, he began his career as a producer for visual production, starting with Chibira-kun. After leaving Tsuburaya Productions in 1989, he founded the production company Tsuburaya Eizo. He returned to Tsuburaya Productions in 2002 as Vice President, primarily overseeing the production department. He left once again in 2005, and from that year, he has served as a director for Tsuburaya Yume Kobo.
Acting credits
8.5A look at the unrecognized work of the talented artists and craftsmen who've maintained the tradition of Japanese special-effects. Highlighted is Yasuyuki Inoue along with various crew members who crafted meticulously detailed miniatures and risked life and limb as suit actors. All done to bring to life some of film's most iconic monsters through a distinct Japanese artform.
Bringing Godzilla Down to Size: The Art of Japanese Special Effects
2008
NRA Japanese-Arabic-produced documentary about Tsuburaya Productions' 1978 tokusatsu/anime series Dinosaur Great War Izenborg. It consists of interviews with staff members involved in the series and concludes with a special 10-minute minisode, which showcases the characters in a high-quality, modern visual style.
The Return of Izenborg
2017
NRDirect-to-video documentary special about the 1967 series Ultraseven, mainly focusing on the series' heroine, Anne Yuri, and her actress Yuriko Hishimi, as she and staff and cast members share behind-the-scenes stories from the series.
Ultra Heroine Legend: From Anne to Seven
2004
Behind the camera
5.7During World War II, the Japanese military established a secret underground laboratory in Tokyo. Three Olympic-level athletes were selected to undergo a process that would turn them into Jinra-go, superhuman armored soldiers. By March 1945, one of the soldiers had been completely transformed into the half man/half machine ultimate soldier called Mikadroid. But American B-29s firebomb the city and, while the two super soldiers manage to escape, Mikadroid and the lab are apparently destroyed. 45 years pass, Tokyo is rebuilt, and old secrets are forgotten. The site is now home to a complex that includes the Discoclub Layla. The disco’s patrons dance late into the night, unaware that a faulty basement generator has reactivated Mikadroid and the cyborg now prowls the basement levels, killing anyone in its path...
Mikadroid
1991
4.0When the aliens steal the Suriyatras diamond and combine it with the power of the sun to make a beam that can destroy the Earth. A robot and an ancient god must join forces to fight the alien invaders to get the diamond back. This film was the first collaboration between Tsuburaya Productions of Japan and Chaiyo Productions of Thailand. Based on the final episode of the Jumborg Ace TV series
Jumborg Ace and Giant
1974
3.9An alien is pursued as a traitor by his own race because he refuses to kill humans.
Fugitive Alien
1987
8.0A series of serial murders occurred in a historic ruins where a TV crew is shooting a documentary.
Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars
1990
NRThe Special Edition edit of the Thai and Japanese Coproduction Jumborg Ace and Giant from 2001. This edit removes the comedy scenes from the 1974 film and substitutes the comedy with footage from the Jumborg Ace TV show. This version of the film is redubbed.
Jumborg Ace and Giant (2001 Special Edition)
2001
NRIn The Year 2056 in Xinghai City, a strange red aurora had appeared in the sky. The red aurora-attracted evil forces was released and turns into Monsters. In the heaven realm, a Wizard(仙翁)gives the fairy Meimei(美美)four different Crystal Bangles, told that she must find four talented people to transform them into Kaisers, a type of giant warriors to stop the monster.
Metal Kaiser
2007
4.7In this second film compiled from episodes of a Japanese TV serial, Captain Joe, reformed interstellar marauder Ken and the rest of the crew of the Bacchus-III set off to destroy an alien race's super-weapon.
Star Force: Fugitive Alien II
1987
NRDirect-to-video movie based on Rosetta: The Masked Angel series.
Rosetta The Masked Angel: Rosetta Vs. Freia
1999