Agon: Atomic Dragon
|
Agon (アゴン), also released under the titles Phantom Monster Agon (幻の怪獣アゴン and Giant Phantom Monster Agon Maboroshi no Kaijū Agon) (幻の大怪獣アゴン and known internationally as Agon: Atomic Dragon, is a Maboroshi no Daikaijū Agon)Japanese tokusatsu miniseries produced by Nippon Television that aired from January 2, 1968 to January 5, 1968 on Fuji TV. Created by prolific Toho screenwriter Shinichi Sekizawa, it featured a monster suit designed by legendary modeler Fuminori Ohashi. In the 1980's, Toho Video edited its four episodes into a 96-minute film, which it released on VHS.
Plot
When the monster, Agon's presence is first made known when Dr. Ukyo's Geiger counter begins detecting massive amounts of radiation nearby, the monster suddenly rears his ugly head from the surrounding waters, creating a spout of bubbling foam. He lets out multiple blood curdling roars as Goro begins snapping photos. He starts toward land, frightening the onlookers and urging them to duck under cover. Luckily, the supposed monster attack transitions to a mere sighting as Agon disappears into the foam once more. The encounter does not go unheard however, with Goro's pictures being published in the newspapers and making headlines everywhere. A short time later, Goro and Detective Yamato are summoned by Dr. Ukyo, in the hopes that he can better explain the monster's motives; not without interruption however from a certain stubborn canine. Once they finally arrive at the National Atomic Energy Center, Dr. Ukyo explains that according to a biology report, Agon was a kind of dinosaur which originally roamed the Earth during the Jurassic period and has become mutated. After further questioning from Goro, Ukyo also reveals that it is very possible Agon could have remained dormant underwater and became irradiated by nuclear bombs. But, their conversation is cut short by an urgent call which turns out to be notifying the lab of an abnormality shown on the Uranium storage checking meter. As the warning lights begin to flicker, Dr. Ukyo realizes what the anomaly really is, and immediately tells the others to follow him. He sprints toward the beach as fast as he can with his partner close behind, Geiger counter in hand. Just as they step foot on the sand, the Geiger begins to detect radiation once more. Sure enough, the ground begins to quake and the water begins to bubble as Agon appears. With a bellowing screech, Agon trudges to land, with the humans trying to escape his wrath. Ms. Shizukawa, who broke away earlier to call for the Defense Force, soon comes face-to-face with Agon who bursts through a patch of trees. She does her best to escape, but trips on a tree root and is trapped under a log which Agon knocks over. As he makes his way through the forest, he claims multiple victims, notably by more falling trees. Agon's appearance breaks out complete mayhem as surrounding town residents run for their lives. Meanwhile, Ms. Shizukawa is still in peril; but, the utter force at which Agon's gigantic feet pound the ground as he walks is enough to split the Earth wide open, trapping and instantly killing her.
Episodes
- "Agon Appears: Part One"
- "Agon Appears: Part Two"
- "Precarious Situation: Part One"
- "Precarious Situation: Part Two"
Staff
Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.
- Directed by Norio Mine (episodes 1-2), Fuminori Ohashi (episodes 3-4)
- Written by Shinichi Sekizawa (episodes 1-2), Kozo Uchida (episodes 3-4)
- Executive producing by Jo Shiragami
- Produced by Go Hiroshi
- Music by Wataru Saito
- Cinematography by Takao Kawarazaki
- Special effects by Fuminori Ohashi
Cast
Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.
- Shinji Hirota as Goro Sumoto
- Asao Matsumoto as Detective Yamato
- Yasuhiko Shima as Dr. Ukyo
- Akemi Sawa as Satsuki Shizukawa
- Yoshihiro Kobayashi as Monta
- Etsuji Azuma as Agon
Appearances
Monsters
Video releases
King Records DVD (2005)
- Region: 2
- Discs: 2
- Audio: Japanese
- Subtitles: None
- Special Features: Audio commentary, interviews
TC Entertainment Blu-Ray (2017)
- Region: A/1
- Discs: 1
- Audio: Japanese
- Subtitles: None
- Special Features: None
- Notes: Cropped to 1.78:1.
Trivia
- Although four episodes of Agon: Atomic Dragon were complete by 1964, Toho used the no-compete clause in creator Shinichi Sekizawa's contract to prevent them from being broadcast for four years, citing Agon's resemblance to Godzilla.[1]
References
This is a list of references for Agon (series). These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
|
Comments
Showing 8 comments. When commenting, please remain respectful of other users, stay on topic, and avoid role-playing and excessive punctuation. Comments which violate these guidelines may be removed by administrators.
<comments voting="Plus" />