New Photos And DVD Release Info For “Deep Sea Monster Raiga"

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Sources: J-Film2009 / JETRO-USA / Taito International Comedy Film Festival / Starchild /Raiga Blog / Avery Guerra

It has been almost a year since Shinpei Hayashiya's film, "Deep Sea Monster Raiga", made it's debut at the “Tokusatsu Kaiju Tengoku” (SFX Monster Heaven) film festival in Tokyo last June. Since that time, things have been very, very, quite, with no new reports coming out of the "Raiga" camp.

That is, until today.

Indeed, it has just been announced that the film will, finally, be released on DVD, in Japan, on August 25th.

Here is the scoop:

...... Global Warming is the catalyst for unleashing giant monsters on Japan. The melting of the southern polar ice causes a disruption in Earth's ecosystem that causes the migration of the monsters to the island nation.

The largest of the sea monsters is a beast called "Raiga", which unleashes it's "Inconvenient Truth" on Tokyo just like Godzilla, Gamera, Mothra and Rodan have numerous times.

Reportedly, there are four different monsters in the film, "Raiga", and three others. You can get a look at one of them in the photos below.

Here are the film's details from the DVD:

“SHINKAIJÛ RAIGA” (2009)
English Title: RAIGA, the Monster from the Deep Sea
Genre: Sci-fi
Format: Digital Betacam / 85min / Color
Year of Production: 2009
[Theatrical] Release Date (Japan): June 27, 2009
Production Company: Crossroad
Director: Shinpei Hayashiya
Producers: Atsuko Iwai
Screenplay: Shinpei Hayashiya
Director of Photography: Toshiharu Nakagawa
Music: Keiichiro Kitazono
Main Cast: Yukijiro Hotaru, Miyu Oriyama

Also in conjunction with this upcoming release of "Deep Sea Monster Raiga", now being called, "Raiga, The Monster From The Deep Sea", three new English language synopsis have surfaced, and several new photos have been released.

First, here are the synopsis:

Set 60 years after the events from the previous film “Deep Sea Monster Reigo”, the threat of global warming is causing the southern polar ice-cap to slowly melt. Because of this, the ecosystem is disturbed and sea monsters are heading to Japan. [As] if things couldn’t get any worse, a huge sea monster by the name of Raiga arrives at Asakusa and begins its path of destruction on the town. (J-Film2009)

A monster from the deep-sea attacks again! This time in Asakusa, where many temples attract visitors from not only Japan, but also all over the world, the sparkling thunder brings a gigantic monster from the deep-sea with deadly fangs. It will burn Asakusa to ground. (JETRO-USA)

The second theatrical film directed by Shinpei Hayashiya, a rakugo master (comic storyteller). Raiga, the evolved version of the deep-sea aquatic dinosaur “Reigo” from his first film Deep Sea Monster Reigo, runs rampant in the town of Asakusa! …

It has been over six decades since the battle of Deep Sea Monster Reigo and Battleship Yamato. As global warming worsens, throwing the ecosystem off balance, a disaster approaches Japan. A mysterious, massive creature emerges from the nearby ocean and a fishing boat encounters an ominous deep-sea creature in Tokyo Bay. Then a giant monster “Raiga” lands in Asakusa, Tokyo! The Taito Guard is called out at the request of the government, and a cut-throat battle beyond all imagination begins… (Taito International Comedy Film Festival)

Just like in Minoru Kawasaki's 2008 film, "Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit!", "Raiga" is part monster movie, part comedy, that lampoons the giant monster genre, while also paying a respectful homage to it.

I was actually half tempted to add, 'music video' to that description, due to the fact that director Shinpei Hayashiya spent almost as much time promoting the singing careers of his three young leading ladies, Enosawa Manami, Urata Mao and Oriyama Miyu, as he did for his monster movie.

For those of you who don't know, "Raiga, The Monster From The Deep Sea" is actually a sequel to Hayashiya's 2005 film, "Deep Sea Monster Reigo", which was set during World War II and told the story Japanese battleship Yamato and it's confrontation with a giant monster in the remote Pacific.

As you have probably gathered, the events in "Raiga" take place in modern times.

No word yet on any possible DVD release for "Raiga, The Monster From The Deep" here in America.

Here is the website for the Japanese DVD - http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/raiga/

Here are the photos, plus the films trailer, now with English subtitles:

See Also: In The Absence Of Godzilla, Japan Has Had A Real Giant Monster Boom!