GMK and My Summer – P4

Norman England

P 32

神谷さんはフレンドリーな人だけど、僕も含め必要以上に馴れ馴れしくはしないで、みんなとは一線を引いているように感じた。この一定の距離間が、神谷さんの特撮ワーを冷静に見るのに役立った気がする。

Mr. Kamiya is a friendly person, yet I felt—and this applied to me as well—that he maintained a certain boundary with everyone, never becoming overly familiar. It seems to me that this specific sense of distance helped me view his work in the tokusatsu genre with a clear and objective perspective.

また神谷さんと言えば、パワフルなその声が耳に残っている。ノィープな声がスタジオ中に響く。声のボリュームは「大」だけどその中には優しさがこもっていて、常に「○○、いいかなあ」と確認を怠らない。この声を聞いて撮影を始めるという、彼らしい気づかいのある間が、僕は好きだった。

Speaking of Kamiya-san, his powerful voice is something that truly lingers in the ear. That booming voice echoes throughout the studio. While the sheer volume of his voice is immense, it is imbued with a deep kindness; he never fails to check in—constantly asking, “Is this okay, [Name]?” I have always loved that characteristic pause before filming begins—a moment filled with the kind of thoughtfulness that is uniquely his.

Monsters & Suit Actors

「GMK」には、4体の怪獣が登場している。モスラはミニチュア操演とCGで描かれ、人間が入らない怪獣なので、今回のスーツアクターは3人。

Four kaiju appear in “GMK.” Mothra—depicted through a combination of miniature puppetry and CGI—is a creature that does not require a human performer inside; consequently, there are three suit actors for this film.

ゴジラ役は吉田瑞穂さん。ゴジラに入るのは今回が始めてだそうだけど、ヴィ・ショップで彼に会ったとき、なんて朗らかでフレンドリーな人かと驚いた。経験も豊富で、『ガメラ2』のレギオン、「モスラ2』のダガーラ、『ゼイラム』などの、数多※の怪獣を演じている。今までやってきた仕事は、まさにゴジ「ラの準備だったんじゃないかな。スーツアクターの間では「ゴジラ」と言えば究極の怪獣、ドリームワーク。やっぱり演じる側にとっても王道のモンスターなんだね。

The role of Godzilla is played by Mizuho Yoshida. I hear this is his first time stepping into the Godzilla suit, but when I met him at the V-Shop, I was surprised by what a cheerful and friendly person he was. He is highly experienced, having portrayed a multitude of monsters—including Legion in “Gamera 2,” Dagahra in “Mothra 2,” and characters in “Zeiram”. I suspect that all the work he has done up to this point was, in a sense, preparation for Godzilla. Among suit actors, “Godzilla” is regarded as the ultimate monster—the dream role. It truly is the quintessential monster, even from the perspective of the performer.

「僕はスーツに入って怪獣を演じる事がどういうものか、まったく想像もつかなかったのだけど、東玉のお許しが出て、スーツに入り『ゴジラになる”ということを体験させてもらった。確かに重い。そして疲れる。なるほど、すごいスタミナが要る。力任せにスーツを動かすのではなく、感情をひとつにしてゴジラと一体にならないと、ちゃんとは動けないということが分かってきた。問題はスタミナ、これにつきるのです。ゴジラに入るのは確かに年季のいる仕事だなぁ。

I honestly couldn’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to step inside a suit and perform as a monster; however, thanks to permission granted by Toho Eiga, I was given the opportunity to don the suit and experience firsthand what it means to “become Godzilla.” It is, without a doubt, heavy. And it is exhausting. Indeed—it demands an incredible amount of stamina. I came to realize that you cannot move properly simply by trying to force the suit into motion through sheer physical strength; rather, you must channel your emotions and achieve a complete oneness with Godzilla. The bottom line is stamina—that is what it all comes down to. Stepping into the role of Godzilla is, truly, a craft that requires years of dedicated experience.

こんな機会はまたとないと、”ノーマンゴジラ』になって9スタ前をのしのしと歩きまわった。ところがその夜、家に帰ってからは何もする気になれず、9時には寝てしまった。

Thinking that such an opportunity would never come again, I transformed into “Norman-Godzilla” and lumbered around in front of Studio 9. However, that night—once I got home—I couldn’t bring myself to do anything at all, and ended up falling asleep by nine o’clock.

ゴジラのシーンはハイスピード(通常よりも高速でフィルムを回す)で撮影される。そのため、動きがスローモーションに見えないように、実際はとても早く歩かないといけない。場面に合わせてスピードがその都度決められるのだ。神谷さんが、「もう一回撮影するけど、今度は三倍でいくよ」とか「四倍でいくよ」という事がよくあった。そのスピードに合わせて、吉田さんのテンポが変わる。やっぱりこれも年季が必要だ、と思った僕でした。

The scenes featuring Godzilla are filmed at high speed—that is, with the camera running faster than usual. Consequently, to ensure his movements do not appear to be in slow motion, the performer must actually walk at a very rapid pace. The specific speed required is determined on a scene-by-scene basis. It was common to hear Mr. Kamiya say things like, “Let’s shoot that again—but this time, we’re going at triple speed,” or “We’re going at quadruple speed.” Mr. Yoshida would then adjust his tempo to match that specific speed. Watching this, I couldn’t help but think: this, too, is something that truly requires years of seasoned experience.

吉田さんのスーツ姿を最後に見たのは、缶コーヒー「WONDA」のCM撮影のとき。その前日が僕のゴジラスーツ初体験の日。吉田さんがスーツに入っていくのを見ながら、前日のことを思い出す。「あれは、タフな仕事だぜ」。撮影が終わり、スーツから出てくるのも一苦労。体をよじったり振ったりしながら出てくるのを見ていると、なんだか同情してしまう。

The last time I saw Mr. Yoshida in a suit was during the filming of a commercial for the canned coffee brand “WONDA.” The day before that had been my very first experience inside the Godzilla suit. As I watched Mr. Yoshida climb into his suit, I found myself recalling the events of the previous day. “That,” I thought, “is a tough job.” Once filming wrapped, even getting “out” of the suit proved to be quite a struggle. Watching him twist and shake his body just to extract himself, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of sympathy.

P 33

激しい疲労の後に、あんな風にしないと出られないなんて、僕ならパニックになってるよ。

To have to go through all that just to get out—right after enduring such grueling physical exhaustion—I know for a fact that if it were me, I would have completely panicked.

ランチの時、吉田さんが「スーツ、俺のにおいで臭かった?」とユーモアたっぷりに聞いてくる。「NO」って言ったけど、実はちょっと臭かった。3ヵ月もあのスーツの中に入って重労働してたんだから、臭って当たり前だよな。

At lunchtime, Yoshida asked me—with a healthy dose of humor—”Did the suit smell like me?” I said no, but truth be told, it did smell a little. After all, he’d spent three whole months inside that suit doing heavy manual labor, so it’s only natural that it would smell.

吉田さん同様、スーツアクターの大橋明さん、太田理愛さんのことも、とても心に残っている。

Just like Mr. Yoshida, the suit actors Akira Ohashi and Rie Ota also left a deep impression on me.

太田さんは経験は少ないけれど、そのぶん歳も若い。でも、それがマイナスになることはなかった。そして、忘れられないのは彼女の初日。特撮班サード助監督の吉田至次さんが太田さんを紹介したとき、彼女の表情は大きなクエスチョンマークだった。でもそれも初日だけ。太田さんはこれ以上ないスピードで仕事を把握し、掴んでいった。

Although Ms. Ota was short on experience, she was young—a fact that, far from being a drawback, never once worked against her. What remains truly unforgettable, however, is her very first day. When Mr. Yoshitsugu Yoshida—the Third Assistant Director for the Special Effects Unit—introduced her, the look on her face was one of utter bewilderment, as if she had a giant question mark hovering over her head. Yet, that lasted only for that first day. Ms. Ota grasped the work and mastered her duties with a speed that was nothing short of extraordinary.

吉田さんと太田さんが、箱根のゴジラバラゴンのバトルシーンを熱心に準備している。もうこの時から2人は本気。スーツを着ずに箱根セットで、吉田さんは崖の下に、太田さんはリフトのそばに四つ足で立ち、互いに「グゥオー」「ウォー」と相手を威嚇し合っている。これは強烈。大の大人がマジでこんなことをしてるのを見るのは正直いっておかしいけれど、2人の情熱が伝わってきて、笑ってなんていられない。映画でも、ものすごい見せ場になってるよね。

Mr. Yoshida and Mr. Ota are enthusiastically preparing for the battle scene between Godzilla and Baragon in Hakone. Even at this early stage, the two of them are dead serious. On the Hakone set—and without their suits on—Mr. Yoshida crouches at the foot of a cliff while Mr. Ota positions himself on all fours near the ski lift; they face each other, trading guttural roars of “Gwaaar!” and “Waaar!” to intimidate one another. It is an intense sight. To be honest, watching grown men earnestly engaging in such antics feels a bit absurd; yet, their sheer passion is so palpable that one simply cannot bring oneself to laugh. It truly stands out as a spectacular highlight in the film itself.

『ガメラ2』でガメラのスーツアクターだったベテランの大橋さんは、今回はキングギドラに入っている。子供の頃から敵怪獣の中では一番好きだったというギドラ役なので、本当に嬉しそう。いろんなスーツアクターの方に今まで会ってきたけど、中でも大橋さんはマイペースで、リラックスしてやっている。今回のギドラは両腕で首の動きを出すという、3体の怪獣の中では一番きつい動きにもかかわらず、大橋さんは文句も言わずにスマイルで演じていた。腕を絶えず空中高く上げ続けて芝居しなければならない、僕なら機嫌が悪くなってしまうような、きつい体勢のキングギドラだった。

Mr. Ohashi—a veteran suit actor who previously portrayed Gamera in “Gamera 2″—stepped inside the King Ghidorah suit for this production. He appeared genuinely delighted to take on the role of Ghidorah, a monster he has cherished as his favorite among all enemy kaiju since childhood. I have met many suit actors over the years, but Mr. Ohashi stands out for his unhurried, easygoing demeanor; he approaches his work with a remarkable sense of relaxation. Despite the fact that Ghidorah required the most physically demanding performance of the three monsters—specifically, using both arms to manipulate the movement of the heads—Mr. Ohashi performed with a smile, never once uttering a complaint. It was an arduous role that demanded he keep his arms raised high in the air continuously throughout the performance—a grueling physical posture that, were it me, would surely have left me in a foul mood.

Climax of SFX

8月4日の特撮の現場はとても思い出深い。ゴジラが爆破で吹き飛ばされ、埠頭から横浜ベイにつっこむ大爆発シーン。撮影はもちろん東宝の大プールで行なう。長時間かけての準備、埠頭は2日前からセットが組まれていた。

The special effects shoot on August 4th remains a deeply memorable experience. It involved a massive explosion sequence in which Godzilla is blown back by a blast and plunges from a pier into Yokohama Bay. The filming, naturally, took place at Toho’s large water tank facility. The preparations were extensive; the pier set, for instance, had been under construction for two days prior to the shoot.

準備段階から気になり、何度も様子を見に行ったけど、その度にうだるような暑さの中、ペイントしたり、セットを運んだりと忙しく動き回っているクルーの姿があった。プールの右側から中央にかけて、大掛かりなセットが運ばれている。三池さんは見取り図を持ち、スタッフに正しい位置にセッティングできるよう指示を出していた。

I had been curious about the project right from the preparatory stages, and although I went to check on its progress several times, on each visit I found the crew bustling about—painting, hauling set pieces, and working tirelessly amidst the sweltering heat. An elaborate set was being transported into place, spanning from the right side of the pool toward the center. Holding a layout diagram, Miike was issuing instructions to the staff to ensure everything was positioned in its exact, designated spot.

夕方になり、仕事を終えた東宝のスタッフたちも、大掛かりな爆破シーンを一目見ようと大勢やってきた。満月がプールの上で輝いている。

As evening fell, large numbers of Toho staff members—having finished their work—flocked to the site to catch a glimpse of the massive explosion scene. A full moon shone down upon the pool.

Source: Hobby Japan Extra 2002 Mook, pp 32-33