The cast of “Godzilla Minus Zero” brought Hollywood glam to a standing ovation to the 39th Tokyo International Film Festival on Sunday, two days before Yamazaki Takashi’s sequel to the Oscar-winning “Godzilla Minus One” opens in Japan.
Kamiki Ryunosuke, who returns as the title character Shikishima Koichi, and Hamabe Minami, who reprises her role as his wife Noriko, had returned to Japan just two days before the film’s premiere at Los Angeles’ TCL Chinese Theatre.
“The energy was just phenomenal,” Kamiki said. “Feeling this pure enthusiasm firsthand made me realize once again how deeply loved Godzilla is around the world. It was an invaluable experience.”
It was reported that the applause continued uninterruptedly in the hall of 900 people. Hamabe said the cast later met with premiere attendees at an after-party, where many approached them with big smiles and shared their reactions. Some wore Godzilla-themed clothing or Godzilla badges.
Kamiki remembered that the red carpet was open to passersby. The crowd chanted the director’s name as some fans held large posters and asked for autographs. “This wasn’t just a polite ‘Takashi’,” he said. “It was like: ‘TAKASHI! HEY, TAKASHI!’ “He was roaring.” When Yamazaki went there to sign autographs, the crowd erupted again, convincing Kamiki, “The Takashi of the world is truly great.”
The Tokyo event also marked the debut of child actress Nagatani Sae, who returns as Shikishima Akiko. Kamiki took him on stage.
In “Minus One,” which aired Friday on Japanese television’s “Friday Roadshow,” Akiko’s segment consisted mostly of crying or asking “Where is she?” It consisted of single words like. This time the script gave him full dialogue. “‘Really? Can he do this?'” Kamiki said. “We thought,” he said. “But when we got to the set, he had memorized all his lines perfectly and delivered them flawlessly.”
Hamabe said that Nagatani had just started walking during the initial filming and was easily frightened by many adults on the set. “When we reunited on this movie, I was blown away by what an amazing young girl she had become,” he said. “He chatted with us a lot, taught me various things, and was very reliable in his acting.”
Nagatani said he was not nervous during filming. He recalled that during a scene where Akiko was crying, Kamiki continued to rub her back even after the cut was called. He then asked his co-stars how he could become a good actor when he was in primary school. Kamiki told him that he had already eclipsed them both, and said that being in both “Minus One” and “Minus Zero” at his age was “an incredible achievement in itself.”
According to Kamiki, the new film takes place two years after the events of “Minus One”. “I hope viewers can imagine what these two years have been like for them and see how the family holds together to face what comes next,” he said. Hamabe put the gap at two to three years. He said the family was adjusting to daily life together before Godzilla reappeared and threatened them.
When asked why the franchise has survived, Kamiki reiterated the director’s and his castmates’ views that every Godzilla movie reflects the era in which it was made. “But personally, when I think about it, let’s take Godzilla’s presence or his theme music: I don’t even remember the first time I heard that or realized, ‘Oh, that’s Godzilla’s theme song,'” he said. “He was always there for us, which is why I personally think he was loved for so long.”
Hamabe said that from a human perspective, Godzilla is very strong and impossible to defeat. “But when Godzilla appears, people come together and stand together to confront him,” he said. “I think seeing people’s determination is the first thing that moves people’s hearts.”
“Minus One,” the 30th Japanese live-action film in the Godzilla franchise, grossed more than JPY7.65 billion ($50 million) at the domestic box office. It became the first Asian production to receive the visual effects award at the 96th Oscars and collected more than 50 awards at home and abroad.
“Minus Zero” is the first Japanese film to receive Filmed for Imax certification.