{"product_id":"the-viking-queen-虐殺の女王-original-first-release-japanese-movie-poster-1967-hammer-films-b2-size-51-73-cm-s157-copy","title":"“A Giant Monster Appears in Tokyo” (大怪獣東京に現わる), Original Japanese Movie Poster 1998, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) S158","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster produced for the \u003cstrong\u003efirst Japanese cinema release\u003c\/strong\u003e of \u003cstrong\u003eA Giant Monster Appears in Tokyo\u003c\/strong\u003e (大怪獣東京に現わる \/ \u003cem\u003eDaikaijū Tōkyō ni Arawaru\u003c\/em\u003e), released in Japan on \u003cstrong\u003e26 September 1998\u003c\/strong\u003e and distributed by \u003cstrong\u003eShochiku\u003c\/strong\u003e. Directed by \u003cstrong\u003eTakeshi Miyasaka\u003c\/strong\u003e in his feature-film directorial debut, the film stars \u003cstrong\u003eKaori Momoi, Hirotarō Honda, Hideyo Amamoto, Tomorowo Taguchi, Riki Takeuchi and Hideyuki Kikuchi\u003c\/strong\u003e, among an unusually large ensemble cast.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe film is one of the great curiosities of modern Japanese kaiju cinema: a \u003cstrong\u003egiant-monster movie in which the monster itself is essentially never shown\u003c\/strong\u003e. An unidentified creature lands in Tokyo Bay and begins devastating the capital, but rather than concentrating on the spectacle, the film follows the reactions of ordinary people in \u003cstrong\u003eMikuni, Fukui Prefecture\u003c\/strong\u003e, who initially experience the catastrophe through television reports and gossip before the apparent threat begins moving closer to them. The result is a highly self-aware mixture of \u003cstrong\u003emonster-film parody, black comedy and social satire\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePoster design\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA wonderfully inventive Japanese first-release design that deliberately recreates the bombastic visual language of \u003cstrong\u003e1950s and 1960s kaiju movie posters\u003c\/strong\u003e. The enormous vertical red title \u003cstrong\u003e大怪獣東京に現わる\u003c\/strong\u003e dominates the left side of the composition, rendered in thick block lettering with a bright white outline against a collage of fire, destruction and monster imagery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe upper section features a deliberately sensational monster image surrounded by flames, while the lower half assembles the film’s large human ensemble in a classic “floating-head” montage. Instead of heroic scientists and soldiers, however, the characters are primarily \u003cstrong\u003eordinary townspeople\u003c\/strong\u003e, reinforcing the film’s central comic idea that the great kaiju catastrophe is being experienced from far outside Tokyo.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe poster openly acknowledges its own joke with the vertical line:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e「『怪獣が出ない』という噂は本当か？」\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— \u003cstrong\u003e“Is the rumor that ‘the monster doesn’t appear’ true?”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the lower right, the colourful \u003cstrong\u003e総天然色\u003c\/strong\u003e wording—an old-fashioned phrase meaning roughly \u003cstrong\u003e“in full natural colour”\u003c\/strong\u003e—is another deliberate throwback to mid-century Japanese movie advertising. The retro typography, fiery montage and exaggerated promotional language make the poster feel almost like a lost Showa-era monster sheet despite being a 1998 release.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe combination of \u003cstrong\u003ekaiju imagery, deliberate vintage-poster pastiche and the film’s highly unusual monster-without-a-monster premise\u003c\/strong\u003e makes this an especially distinctive Japanese cult-film poster.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is nearly \u003cstrong\u003e28 years old\u003c\/strong\u003e!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eExcellent\u003c\/strong\u003e. The poster retains excellent colour saturation, with the deep reds, oranges, greens and blacks remaining vivid and highly attractive. There are only very minor signs of age and handling, with \u003cstrong\u003eno significant condition issues affecting the central artwork or typography\u003c\/strong\u003e. The verso is also clean and well preserved.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease review the photographs carefully—they show the exact poster for sale.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is not a reproduction or a reprint.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCertificate of Authenticity included.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Japan Poster Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57236349911418,"sku":null,"price":115.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/8859\/4591\/files\/wall-shelf-with-ornaments-2026-09-06T094250.040.jpg?v=1788655394","url":"https:\/\/japanposter.co.uk\/products\/the-viking-queen-%e8%99%90%e6%ae%ba%e3%81%ae%e5%a5%b3%e7%8e%8b-original-first-release-japanese-movie-poster-1967-hammer-films-b2-size-51-73-cm-s157-copy","provider":"Japan Poster Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}