“ESPY” (エスパイ), Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1974, Artwork by Seito, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) Q27

This is an original Japanese B2 poster printed in 1974 for the first theatrical release of ESPY (エスパイ), Toho’s psychic spy science-fiction feature directed by Jun Fukuda from Sakyo Komatsu’s novel. The painted artwork is attributed to Seito, the Japanese poster artist also associated with striking campaign art for films including Star Wars.

Film background
Released in Japan on 28 December 1974, ESPY was directed by Jun Fukuda, written by Ei Ogawa, and distributed by Toho. The film stars Hiroshi Fujioka, Kaoru Yumi, Masao Kusakari, Yuzo Kayama, and Tomisaburo Wakayama, and centres on an international organisation of psychics battling a murderous rival force threatening world peace. It is a vivid blend of spy thriller, science fiction, and 1970s Japanese special-effects filmmaking.

Poster design
This is a spectacular original release design, and a superb example of hand-painted Japanese science-fiction poster art of the 1970s. Seito fills the composition with pure kinetic drama: the ESPY team surges forward through a landscape of derailing trains, explosions, meteors, spacecraft, automobiles, and psychic chaos, while the immense orange title crashes across the centre in bold block lettering. The lower blue-green section, with submarine and underwater imagery, gives the sheet an additional sense of scale and mystery, while the cast portrait strip along the bottom grounds the fantasy in the film’s star power.

Condition
Very Good / Excellent. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.

It is over 50 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.