Koichi Takano

Koichi Takano Born August 28, 1935 Tokyo, Japan Died November 30, 2008 (aged 73) Occupation Special effects director First work Godzilla Raids Again (1955) Notable work Ultraman (1967)

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Koichi Takano (高野 宏一,   Takano Kōichi) was a Japanese special effects director. After graduating high school in 1953, Takano joined Toho as an assistant cinematographer, working on film such as 1955's Godzilla Raids Again and 1957's The Mysterians. Following his departure from Toho in 1963, Eiji Tsuburaya hired him as a special effects director for Tsuburaya Productions.

Selected filmography

Director of special effects

• Ultraman (TV 1966-1967) [episodes 1, 4, 6-11, 14-36, 39]
• Ultraman (1967) [compilation movie]
• Ultraseven (TV 1967-1968) [episodes 1-3, 5, 13-16, 24-25, 28-29, 32-43, 45, 48-49]
• Operation: Mystery! (TV 1968) [episodes 7, 13, 16]
• The Founding of Ming Dynasty (1971)
• Return of Ultraman (TV 1971-1972) [episodes 1-12, 15-17, 20-21, 26-27, 30-31]
• Return of Ultraman (1971) [compilation movie]
• Mirror Man (TV 1971-1972) [episodes 1-15, 18, 44-45, 48-49]
• Mirror Man (1972) [theatrical episode]
• Mirror Man: Dinosaur Aroza Rises from the Dead (1972) [theatrical episode]
• Ultraman Ace (TV 1972-1973) [episodes 17-18, 23-24, 34-35, 38-39, 42-43, 51-52]
• Iron King (TV 1972) [episodes 9, 19-20]
• Jumborg Ace (TV 1973) [episodes 3-4, 7-8, 11-13, 17, 19, 23-24, 31-32, 35-36]
• Ultraman Taro (TV 1973-1974) [episodes 29-30]
• Ultraman Leo (TV 1974-1975) [episodes 1-2, 9-10, 22-23, 30-31]
• Submersion of Japan: Television Series (TV 1974-1975) [episodes 8-9, 11-13, 16-18, 21-26]
• War God (1976)
• The Birth Goddess (1978)
• Director Akio Jissoji's Ultraman (1979)
• Megaloman (TV 1979) [episodes 16-17, 26-27]
• Ultraman: Great Monster Battle (1979) [compilation movie; with Toru Matoba]
• Ultraman 80 (TV 1980-1981) [episodes 1-8, 11-12, 15-16, 19-20, 23-24, 27-28, 31-32, 35-36, 39-40, 45, 48-49]
• Ultraman: Terror on Route 87 (1989) [theatrical episode]
• Ultraman Forever (1996)
• Ultraman Tiga (TV 1996) [episodes 1-2, 7, 15-16, 49]

Director

• Born Free (TV 1976-1977) [episodes 1-8, 11-13, 16-18, 22-25]
• Ultraman Zoffy (1984)
• Ultraman Story (1984)

Supervisor

• Ultraman Zearth (1996)
• Ultraman Tiga (TV 1996)
• Ultraman Dyna (TV 1997-1998)
• Ultraman Tiga and Ultraman Dyna (1998)
• Ultraman Gaia (TV 1998-1999)
• Ultraman Gaia: The Battle in Hyperspace (1999)
• Ultraman Tiga: The Final Odyssey (2000)
• Ultraman Tiga: Revival of the Ancient Giant (2001)
• Ultraman Dyna: Return of Hanejiro (2001)
• Ultraman Gaia: Once Again Gaia (2001)
• Ultraman Cosmos (TV 2001-2002)
• Ultraman Cosmos: The First Contact (2001)
• Ultraman Cosmos 2: The Blue Planet (2002)
• Ultraman Cosmos 2: The Blue Planet - 13 Year Old Musashi Version (2002)

Miscellaneous

• Godzilla Raids Again (1955) - Assistant special effects cinematographer [uncredited; with Sadamasa Arikawa, Motoyoshi Tomioka, Yoichi Manoda, Hajime Tsuburaya]
• The Mysterians (1957) - Assistant special effects cinematographer [uncredited]
• Ultra Q (TV 1966) - Special effects cinematographer
• King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) - Puppet animation [uncredited]
• Andromelos (TV 1983) - Special effects supervisor
• Ultra Monsters Encyclopedia (1983) - Organizer
• Ultra Monsters Encyclopedia (TV 1988) - Organizer
• Ultraman: Towards the Future (TV 1990-1992) - SFX consultant
• Gridman (TV 1993-1994) - Special effects supervisor
• Ultraman vs. Masked Rider (1993) - Special effects supervisor
• Cyberbeauties Telomere (TV 1998) - Visual supervisor

Actor

• Ultraman (TV 1966-1967) as fisherman at Lake Kitayama [episode 10] / man at ski lodge [episode 30]
• Operation: Mystery (TV 1968) as coroner's assistant [episode 13] / Takeshi Kawabe [episode 13]
• Ultraman Tiga (TV 1996) as professor [episode 32; uncredited]
• Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1998) as himself [interviewee]

Gallery

• 

  Koichi Takano (standing center) supervises filming the monster Gomora for Ultraman episode "The Monsters Highness"

• 

  Takano instructs Mitsuru Saijo as Mirror Man

• 

  Takano with Mariya Yamada

External links

• Koichi Takano tribute on SciFi Japan

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