Return of Izenborg is a Japanese-Arabic co-produced documentary released in 2017,[1] focusing on Tsuburaya Productions' 1978 anime series Dinosaur Great War Izenborg. The documentary features interviews with individuals and staff members who were involved in the original production of the series. It concludes with a special minisode showcasing the characters in a high-quality, modern visual style, directed by Kiyotaka Taguchi.
The documentary premiered on December 5, 2017, on the Middle Eastern TV channel Space Power TV and was later uploaded to YouTube on December 30, accompanied by Japanese and Arabic subtitles.[2][3]
Production[]
Jarrah Yousef Alfurieh, the planner of this documentary.[4]
Tsuburaya Productions' 1978 television series Dinosaur Great War Izenborg has enjoyed enduring popularity in the Middle East since its first broadcast there in 1981. This strong and lasting fan base set the foundation for the documentary project The Return of Izenborg, led by Saudi Arabian artist Jarrah Yousef Alfurieh, his brother Abdulaziz Alfurieh, Nagakawa from NLC's subsidiary Cultures Factory, and Tsuburaya Productions.[5]
The production of the documentary began to take shape in 2014 when Tsuburaya Productions participated in the IGN Convention held in Dubai. During the event, Jarrah Alfurieh’s extensive knowledge of Dinosaur Great War Izenborg left the Tsuburaya team deeply impressed. This encounter served as a catalyst for the project, which officially commenced in 2015.[6]
Alfurieh, through his brother Abdulaziz, reached out to Tsuburaya Productions to discuss the idea of reviving Dinosaur Great War Izenborg in a new way. At the time, Abdulaziz was working in Japan at Cultures Factory, a subsidiary of NLC, which facilitated the connection with Tsuburaya Productions. Although there were calls from fans to produce an entirely new TV series, budget constraints led to the decision to create a documentary instead. The documentary would not only introduce the original series but also explore Japanese tokusatsu culture.[5][7]
In 2016, the Japanese production team began filming the documentary to enhance the project. During the filming of the new scenes, Jarrah Alfurieh began managing the budget and crafting the creative vision for the documentary project. Initially, Tsuburaya Productions proposed a "modernized redesign" for the series.[5][7] This was largely due to the fact that, aside from the original models for Izen-I and Izen II, much of the behind-the-scenes props had been lost, necessitating a complete recreation. This realization initially disheartened Alfurieh. However, he shifted his focus to a new idea: producing an entirely new episode as a tribute to the original work and as a gift for the fans.[5]
Alfurieh, while understanding Tsuburaya's intent to appeal to a younger audience, emphasized that the documentary’s primary purpose was to revive the original series in a way that resonated with viewers of his generation who had grown up watching Dinosaur Great War Izenborg.[5] Recognizing Alfurieh's dedication, Tsuburaya Productions endeavored to remain as faithful to the original as possible in both design and production. They assembled a team comprising tokusatsu staff who had worked on the original series to oversee the project, while modern professionals handled the actual filming. For the action sequences, they brought in Tatsumi Nikamoto, who had originally portrayed Izenbo, as the action director. Flying scenes eschewed CGI, opting instead for practical effects that recreated the atmosphere of the original visuals. Additionally, the sizes and proportions of the models and props were meticulously crafted to align with the original designs.[5]
When Tsuburaya Productions sent the details and storyboards for the new special episode to Jarrah Alfurieh, he noticed that the original series had only depicted Izenborg battling alongside the "Izenborg-Go" vehicle. Alfurieh proposed a significant addition to the Japanese production team: a battle scene between Izenborg and Ururu. The team accepted his suggestion and expanded on it by incorporating additional details into the scene.[7]
Reflecting on the challenges faced during the production of the documentary project, Alfurieh noted that there were creative differences between him and Tsuburaya Productions, particularly regarding the filming style and music. He emphasized that the original Dinosaur Great War Izenborg had a distinctive approach to action and cinematography, setting it apart from the Ultraman Series. To him, preserving these unique characteristics in the new special episode was a critical goal.[5]
A group photo of Alfurieh, Ooka, Izenbo and others.[7]
That same year, Jarrah Alfurieh traveled to Japan to observe the production of the special episode and visit the studio where it was being made. During his visit, he met with Shinichi Ooka, the former president of Tsuburaya Productions, and the two held an interview discussing the popularity of Dinosaur Great War Izenborg in the Middle East. This interview was later incorporated into the documentary project. Additionally, for the Arabic narration, Alfurieh invited Falah Hashim, the voice actor who had portrayed Zen Tachibana, to record the voiceover. Hashim made a special trip from his current residence in the UK to Kuwait to complete the recording.[5]
Initially, Alfurieh hoped to release the documentary project in Japan as well, but Tsuburaya Productions declined his request, stating that the project was intended solely for the Middle Eastern market. Ultimately, Alfurieh agreed to their terms, while expressing his hope that the documentary would eventually be released on DVD and Blu-ray in Japan and other countries. As of now, only the "documentary" portion of the project remains publicly available on YouTube, while the new exclusive episode was aired only once during its 2017 premiere on Space Power TV. [7]
Characters[]
Heroes[]
Kaiju[]
Cast[]
Voice Actors[]
- Zen Tachibana , Narration : Kyonosuke Kami
- Ai Tachibana : Harumi Ichiryusai
- Gottes : Hajime Iijima
- Zobina : Chihiro Uno
- Ururu : Tetsuo Kishi
Arabic Dub[]
- Narration: Falah Hashim[8]
Interviewees[]
- Akira Tsuburaya
- Tsugumi Kitaura
- Ryu Noguchi [Note 1]
- Shigemitsu Taguchi
- Hiroyasu Yamaura [Note 2]
- Yasushi Hirano
- Shohei Tojo
- Toshihiko Nakajima
- Kazuho Mitsuta
- Eiji Shirakuma
- Shu Yamaguchi
- Tatsumi Nikamoto
- Ryusuke Hikawa
- Jarrah Yousef Alfurieh[Note 3]
- Shinichi Ooka
Suit Actors[]
- Izenbo : Akira Okabe
- Gottes : Hiroyuki Arai
- Zobina : Daiki Yazaki
- Ururu : Kazunori Yokoo
- Assistance:
- Fumihiko Nemoto
- Wataru Inaba
Staff[]
- Supervisor: Shinichi Ooka
- Planning: Tomohiro Igari, Koichiro Nakagawa, Akira Nagaoka
- Executive Producer: Takamasa Kitazawa
- Producer: Tsugumi Kitaura
- ocumentary Part Director: Yasuo Akihiro
- Drama Part Director: Kiyotaka Taguchi
- Screenplay: Junichiro Ashiki
- Director of Photography: Hajime Takahashi
- Lighting: Hiroshi Takeyama
- Art: Taro Kiba
- Editing: Yosuke Yabune
- Script Supervisor: Nanaka Konno
- Stunt Coordination: Izumi Negishi
- Assistant Director: Masayoshi Takesue
- Fight Choreography: Tatsumi Nikamoto
- Action Coordination: Hiroyuki Okano
- Visual Effects: Osamu Izumiya
- Special Effects Makeup: Takafumi Junen, Fuyuki Shinoda, Kazunori Yamanaga, Yasuhiko Kobayashi
- Izenborg-Go Production: Yoshirou Kameda, Mayu Seki
- Storyboard: Hina Nakano, Shinji Nishikawa
- Animation Director: Kazuhiro Ochi
- Animator: Hiromi Ochi
- Planning Concept: Jarrah Yousef Alfurieh
- Production and Copyright: Tsuburaya Productions
Gallery[]
Images[]
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- Based on an interview with Abdulaziz Alfurieh, the younger brother of Jarrah Yousef Alfurieh:[6]
- Voice actor Tomokazu Seki visited the filming location for Return of Izenborg and is himself a fan of the series. In fact, he has even crafted and showcased models inspired by Izenborg.[6]
- Regarding the Dinosaur Great War Izenborg's popularity in the Middle East and North Africa region, its reach can be attributed to the widespread availability of Arabic-language satellite television, which allows viewers to watch content across countries rather than relying on individual national broadcasts. The series was originally dubbed into Arabic in Kuwait and subsequently broadcast across borders, making it well-known throughout Arabic-speaking regions in the MENA area.[6]
- Despite Saudi Arabia being one of the strictest countries in terms of television regulations, Izenborg faced no significant issues when it aired there. This might be because children's programming at the time did not attract as much scrutiny and was subject to more relaxed standards compared to today.[6]
- Regarding the Arabic dubbing, the characters' names were adapted to better align with Middle Eastern culture and be more relatable to local audiences. Additionally, the term "Izen Cross" was modified because "Cross" carries Christian connotations, making it unsuitable for the region. Interestingly, the revised name became widely recognized and even turned into a parody reference within the show's dialogue.
References[]
- ↑ https://www.arabnews.jp/en/arts-culture/article_76373/
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/news/post-4707
- ↑ https://tsuburaya-prod.com/news/118
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/aizen_fleed/
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 https://www.arabnews.jp/en/arts-culture/article_76373/
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 https://news.mixi.jp/view_news.pl?media_id=50&id=4952656
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 https://mt7rk.me/blog/3277
- ↑ https://www.arabnews.jp/en/arts-culture/article_18495/