Koichi Takano is a Japanese special effects director who worked as a special effects director on the Ultraman Series during both the Showa and Heisei eras.
Career[]
In 1955, Koichi Takano signed with Toho Studios and joined the production of Godzilla Raids Again, marking his entry into the film industry as a special effects assistant in the Tsuburaya team. In the 1960s, he became a freelance cameraman and worked as a news videographer for Kyodo News before joining Fuji Television to work on TV dramas.
In 1963, with the establishment of Tsuburaya Productions, Takano was personally invited by Eiji Tsuburaya, who encouraged him to “come back and join the production.” Takano then joined Tsuburaya Productions as a cinematographer, becoming one of its founding members. In 1966, he officially became involved in the Ultraman series, working as a special effects cameraman on Ultra Q.
In 1970, Takano left Tsuburaya Productions to join Japan Modern Planning, and two years later, he co-founded Den Film Effects with optical effects technicians Minoru Nakano and Sadao Iizuka. After leaving Den Film Effects in 1978, he returned to Tsuburaya Productions as a freelance special effects director for numerous films and television series.
In 1981, Takano was appointed as a director at Tsuburaya Productions. From the 1990s onward, he supervised and directed for the Heisei Ultraman series. In 2003, due to financial struggles and internal conflicts within the company, he resigned from his position as senior managing director, along with six other board members.
Death[]
On January 30, 2008, Takano passed away from lung disease at the age of 73.[1][2]
Works[]
- Ultra Q (1966) - Special effects filming
- Ultraman (1966-1967) - - Special effects, 30 episodes
- Episode 1 "Ultra Operation No.1"
- Episode 4 "Five Seconds Before the Explosion"
- Episode 8 "The Lawless Monster Zone"
- Episode 9 "Lightning Operation"
- Episode 10 "The Mysterious Dinosaur Base"
- Episode 11 "The Rascal from Outer Space"
- Episode 13 "Oil S.O.S."
- Episode 14 "The Pearl Defense Directive"
- Episode 15 "Terrifying Cosmic Rays"
- Episode 16 "Science Patrol Into Space"
- Episode 17 "Passport to Infinity"
- Episode 18 "Brother from Another Planet"
- Episode 19 "Demons Rise Again"
- Episode 20 "Terror on Route 87"
- Episode 21 "Breach the Wall of Smoke"
- Episode 22 "Overthrow the Surface"
- Episode 23 "My Home Is Earth"
- Episode 24 "The Undersea Science Center"
- Episode 25 "Mystery Comet Tsuifon"
- Episode 26 "The Prince of Monsters: Part 1"
- Episode 27 "The Prince of Monsters: Part 2"
- Episode 28 "Human Specimens 5 & 6"
- Episode 29 "The Challenge Into Subterra"
- Episode 30 "Phantom of the Snow Mountains"
- Episode 31 "Who Goes There?"
- Episode 32 "The Endless Counterattack"
- Episode 33 "The Forbidden Words"
- Episode 34 "Present from the Sky"
- Episode 35 "The Monster Graveyard"
- Episode 36 "Don't Shoot, Arashi!"
- Episode 39 "Farewell, Ultraman"
- Ultraman: Monster Movie Feature (1967) - Special effects
- Ultraseven (1967-1968) - Special effects, 24 episodes
- Episode 1 "The Invisible Challenger"
- Episode 2 "The Green Terror"
- Episode 3 "The Secret of the Lake"
- Episode 5 "Vanished Time"
- Episode 13 "The Man Who Came From V3"
- Episode 14 "The Ultra Guard Goes West: Part 1"
- Episode 15 "The Ultra Guard Goes West: Part 2"
- Episode 16 "The Eye That Shines in the Darkness"
- Episode 24 "Return to the North!"
- Episode 25 "Showdown at 140 Degrees Below Zero"
- Episode 32 "The Strolling Planet"
- Episode 33 "The Invading Dead"
- Episode 34 "The Vanishing City"
- Episode 35 "Terror on the Moon"
- Episode 36 "A Lethal 0.1 Seconds"
- Episode 37 "The Stolen Ultra Eye"
- Episode 38 "The Courageous Battle"
- Episode 39 "The Seven Assassination Plan Part 1"
- Episode 40 "The Seven Assassination Plan Part 2"
- Episode 41 "Challenge from Underwater"
- Episode 42 "Ambassador of the Nonmalt"
- Episode 43 "Nightmare of Planet No. 4"
- Episode 45 "The Saucers Have Come"
- Episode 48 "The Biggest Invasion in History: Part 1"
- Episode 49 "The Biggest Invasion in History: Part 2"
- Operation: Mystery (1968-1969) - Special effects
- Return of Ultraman (1971-1972) - Special effects, 23 episodes
- Episode 1 "All Monsters Attack"
- Episode 2 "Takkong's Big Counterattack"
- Episode 3 "Evil Monster Realm of Terror"
- Episode 4 "Definite Kill! Comet Kick"
- Episode 5 "Two Giant Monsters Attack Tokyo"
- Episode 6 "Battle! Monsters vs. MAT"
- Episode 7 "Operation Rainbow Monster!"
- Episode 8 "Monster Time Bomb"
- Episode 9 "Monster Island S.O.S"
- Episode 10 "Dinosaur Explosion Directive"
- Episode 11 "Poison Gas Monster Appears"
- Episode 12 "Revenge of the Monster Shugaron"
- Episode 15 "Revenge of the Monster Lad"
- Episode 16 "Mystery of the Big Bird Monster Terochilus"
- Episode 17 "Monster Bird Terochilus - Tokyo's Big Aerial Bombing"
- Episode 20 "The Monster Is a Giant Shooting Star in Space"
- Episode 21 "Monster Channel"
- Episode 22 "I'll Kill This Monster!"
- Episode 23 "Dark Monster Spit out the Stars!"
- Episode 26 "Mystery Homicide Beetle Incident"
- Episode 27 "Go to Hell with This One Blow!"
- Episode 30 "The Curse of the Bone God Oxter"
- Episode 31 "In Between a Devil & Angel"
- Mirrorman (1971-1972) - Special effects
- Ultraman Ace (1972-1973) - Special effects, 12 episodes
- Episode 17 "Summer Horror Series - Scary Story: The Demon Woman of Hotarugahara"
- Episode 18 "Give the Pigeon Back!"
- Episode 23 "A Game Changer! Here Comes Zoffy"
- Episode 24 "Behold! Midnight Transformation"
- Episode 34 "A Terrible-Monster Dances on a Rainbow Over the Sea"
- Episode 35 "A Gift from Zoffy"
- Episode 38 "Resurrection! Father of Ultra"
- Episode 39 "Seven's Life! Ace's Life!"
- Episode 42 "Winter Horror Series - Mystery! Monster Woo Rises Again"
- Episode 43 "Winter Horror Series - Scary Story: Yeti's Cry!"
- Episode 51 "The Life-Sucking Sound"
- Episode 52 "You Are the Ace of Tomorrow!"
- Ultraman Taro (1973) - Special effects, 2 episodes
- Episode 29 "Bemstar Returns! Taro's in a Desperate Pinch!"
- Episode 30 "Revenge of the Monster Army!"
- Jumborg Ace (1973) - Special Effects
- Ultraman Leo (1974-1975) - Special effects director, 8 episodes
- Episode 1 "The Day When Ultraseven Dies, is the Day when Tokyo Sinks!"
- Episode 2 "The Great Sinking! Twilight of the Japanese Archipelago"
- Episode 9 "The Bridge of Friendship across Space"
- Episode 10 "The Monster That Wanders in Sorrow"
- Episode 22 "The Leo Brothers vs the Monster Brothers"
- Episode 23 "The Mischievous Alien Who Fell Out of His Bed"
- Episode 30 "Japanese Folklore Series! - Monster's Return of a Favor"
- Episode 31 "Japanese Folklore Series - The White Flower That Protects the Earth"
- Dinosaur Expedition Born Free (1976-1977) - Director
- Ultraman (1979)
- Ultraman 80 (1980-1981) - Special effects director, 26 episodes
- Episode 1 "Ultraman Teacher"
- Episode 2 "The Teacher's Secret"
- Episode 3 "First-Love Monster"
- Episode 4 "For the Love of the Sky"
- Episode 5 "Streets of Illusion"
- Episode 6 "Boy from the Stars"
- Episode 7 "Operation Silent Tokyo"
- Episode 8 "Revival of a Legend"
- Episode 11 "Gas Panic Horror"
- Episode 12 "The Beautiful Transfer Student"
- Episode 15 "The Laboratory of Doctor Demon"
- Episode 16 "The Mysterious Snow Art from Space"
- Episode 19 "Directive: Destroy the Planet"
- Episode 20 "The Army of Bloodsucking Balls"
- Episode 23 "SOS! Invasion of the Space Amoeba"
- Episode 24 "Star of the Traitorous Android"
- Episode 27 "White Demon of Fear"
- Episode 28 "Lullaby of the Migrating Monster"
- Episode 31 "The Monster Seed Flies"
- Episode 32 "Ship on the Sea of Darkness"
- Episode 35 "The 99th Year Dragon Festival"
- Episode 36 "Let's Go! Stag Beetle Wintering Team"
- Episode 39 "I Am the Monster"
- Episode 40 "The Mountain Sumo Boy"
- Episode 45 "The Never-Ending Challenge of the Baltan"
- Episode 48 "The Speed Runner from Death Mountain"
- Episode 49 "80's Greatest Peril! Transform! Lady Ultraman"
- Andro Melos (1983) - Special effects supervisor
- Ultraman ZOFFY: Ultra Warriors vs. the Giant Monster Army (1984) - Director
- Ultraman Story (1984) - Director
- Ultraman: Towards the Future (1990) - SFX consultant
- Ultraman vs. Kamen Rider (1993) - special effects supervision
- Gridman the Hyper Agent (1993) - Special effects supervision
- Ultraman Neos Pilot (1995) - Director
- Ultraman Zearth (1996) - Supervisor
- Ultraman Tiga (1996-1997) - Supervisor and special effects director, 6 episodes
- Episode 1 "Inheritance of Light" (special effects director)
- Episode 2 "Legend of the Stone" (special effects director)
- Episode 7 "The Man Who Came Down to Earth" (special effects director)
- Episode 15 "The Phantom Dash" (special effects director)
- Episode 16 "Resurrected Friend" (special effects director)
- Episode 49 "The Ultra Star" (special effects director)
- Ultraman Dyna (1997-1998) - Supervisor
- Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna: Warriors of the Star of Light (1998) - Supervisor
- Cyber Beauties Telomere (1998) - Visual supervisor
- Ultraman Gaia (1998-1999) - Supervisor
- Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman Dyna, & Ultraman Gaia: The Decisive Battle in Hyperspace (1999) - Supervisor
- Ultraman Tiga: The Final Odyssey (2000) - Supervisor
- Ultraman Tiga Side Story: Revival of the Ancient Giant (2001) - Supervisor
- Ultraman Dyna: The Return of Hanejiro (2001) - Supervisor
- Ultraman Gaia: Gaia Again (2001) - Supervisor
- Ultraman Cosmos: The First Contact (2001) - Supervisor
- Ultraman Cosmos (2001-2002) - Supervisor
- Ultraman Cosmos 2: The Blue Planet (2002) - Supervisor
Others[]
- Godzilla Raids Again (1955) - Assistant special effects cinematographer
- Iron King (1972-1973) - Special effects director
- Submersion of Japan (1973) - Special effects director
- War God (1976)[3]
Roles[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Ultraman | Fisherman at Lake Kitayama | Episode 10 "The Mysterious Dinosaur Base" |
| Ski Lodge Guests | Episode 30 "Phantom of the Snow Mountains" | ||
| 1968 | Operation: Mystery | Police Department Assistant Coroner | Episode 13 "Gallows of Ice" |
| Takeshi Kawabe | |||
| 1997 | Ultraman Tiga | Professor | Episode 32 "Zelda Point's Defenses" |
References[]