Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis

Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis
Theatrical poster
Directed byAkio Jissoji
Screenplay byKaizo Hayashi
Based onTeito Monogatari
by Hiroshi Aramata
Produced byTakashige Ichise
Akio Jissoji
StarringShintaro Katsu
Kyūsaku Shimada
Mieko Harada
Junichi Ishida
CinematographyMasao Nakabori
Edited byKeniichi Uraoka
Music byMaki Ishii
Production
company
Exe
Distributed byToho
Release date
  • January 30, 1988 (1988-01-30)
Running time
135 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Budget¥1,000,000,000
($8,000,000)
Box office¥1,790,000,000

Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis (Japanese: 帝都物語, Hepburn: Teito Monogatari) is a 1988 Japanese epic tokusatsu historical dark fantasy/science fiction film[1] directed by Akio Jissoji, produced by "Exe" studios and distributed by Toho Studios. It is the first cinematic adaptation of the award-winning historical fantasy novel Teito Monogatari by Hiroshi Aramata. The film stars Kyūsaku Shimada, Shintaro Katsu, Kōji Takahashi, Jo Shishido, Junichi Ishida, Mieko Harada, Kō Nishimura, and Shirō Sano among others. With a budget of around 1 billion yen (roughly $8 million), the movie was one of the most expensive live action Japanese special effects films to have been produced during that decade (by contrast, the internationally released 1984 film The Return of Godzilla was only budgeted at $6.25 million).

The movie went on to become a notable success in Japan. It was one of the top ten highest grossing domestic motion pictures of 1988.[2] It continues to be regarded in the country as a respected cult film.[3] A sequel, Tokyo: The Last War, was released the following year.

  1. ^ Review Lee Broughton, DVD Savant, June 30, 2003
  2. ^ John A. Lent. The Asian Film Industry, pg. 41, Christopher Helm Publishers Ltd, February 22, 1990
  3. ^ [1] "今は亡き天才漫画家が「世紀末のおもちゃ箱」と批評!原作者が伝説のカルト映画『帝都物語』の裏話を明か" May, 2015