Shusuke Kaneko

Kaneko Shusuke

  • Name: Kaneko Shusuke
  • Native name: 金子修介
  • Also Known as: かねこ しゅうすけ
  • Nationality: Japanese
  • Gender: Male
  • Born: June 8, 1955
  • Age: 69
Shusuke Kaneko was born in Tokyo, 8 June 1955. Drawn to film as a young boy, he filled his early years with science fiction and kaiju movies, giant monsters such as Godzilla and Gamera. Much of TV in Japan in the early and mid-60s was made up of imported shows from America, and Kaneko's imagination was captured by their seemingly endless supply of fantastic themes and far-reaching stories. Among Kaneko's favorites at this time were Star Trek, Lost in Space and The Outer Limits.

When not propped in front of the family TV or seated in local cinema houses, Kaneko drew pictures of his favorite monsters, going so far as to collect many of them in his own personal book detailing the history and abilities of the kaiju of the era. Kaneko also created his own manga series for his friends and himself.

During his late teens, a screening of the US film The Strawberry Statement perked his interest with its modern sensibility and attempt to express the turmoil the students of that day were experiencing. Armed with an 8-mm camera, Kaneko and some of his friends created their own version of the film. Discovering he enjoyed the filmmaking process, Kaneko felt he had found his calling. However, the Japanese cinema industry was in the midst of a severe crash and though wanting a career in film, Kaneko didn't believe it feasible. Instead, he majored in education at Tokyo Gakugei University with the goal of becoming an elementary school teacher.

Yet his desire to be a director never left. Upon graduating he applied for and took the entrance exam at Nikatsu Studios. To his surprise, out of the three-hundred applicants, only he and one other man passed. Kaneko was immediately hired as an assistant director.

At this time, Nikkatsu, one of Japan's oldest studios, had fallen upon difficult times. The once great studio, producers of some of the finest films in Japan, had seen ticket sales dwindle rapidly. Japanese sensibility had begun to experience a shift towards the more realistic and personal driven stories found in American cinema and the film industry in Japan was slow to keep up with this change. To stay afloat, Nikkatsu and several other studios took to producing exploitation roman-porno films (short for romance pornography). These movies were quickly made love tales spiced up with partial nudity and sexually provocative situations. Kaneko labored through thirty-five of these productions as an A.D. while at Nikkatsu. In addition, Kaneko also moonlighted as a writer of anime scripts, and penned several episodes of the then hugely popular Urusei Yatsura and Creamy Mami.

Kaneko directed his first film in 1984. The movie, Uno Koichiro no Nurete Utsu, was based on the works of erotic novelist Koichiro Uno. That year Kaneko also directed OL Yuri Zoku 19-Sai and Eve-chan no Hime, the latter netting him the "New Director Award" at the Yokohama Film Festival.

In 1985, Kaneko directed the film Minna Agechau (I'm All Yours). Though a sexual comedy about a young girl's quest to find true love and "lose it", it was the first mainstream attempt by Nikkatsu in five years. The story was derived from a popular manga of the time. While still considered a newcomer within the industry, Kaneko had become widely recognized for a visual style that reflected Japanese manga sensibility.

Kaneko left Nikkatsu and went freelance in 1985. His first film after leaving was the TV movie, The Samurai. This was a screwball comedy produced by Tsuburaya Productions, the creators of Ultraman, that featured several special effect sequences.

Two of Kaneko's most endearing films were shot in 1988: Summer Vacation: 1999 and Last Cabaret. Both films helped to cement Kaneko's reputation as a force in Japanese cinema. The two films also earned him the notoriety as a director with the ability to photograph women in rich and alluring ways. Kaneko's ability to bring out their personal beauty and character made him much in demand and to this day remains a staple of his work. Summer Vacation: 1999 was shown in New York City and became his first film released on video outside Japan. Last Cabaret was one of the final roman porno films made by Nikkatsu. The movie is considered an example of the best of the genre.

In 1993, Kaneko was invited to America to direct the sequence The Cold for the Brian Yuzna production Necronomicon. It was an experience that profoundly influenced Kaneko, as he has always revered the US style of filmmaking.

Kaneko continued directing for a variety of studios and quickly built an impressive resume.

When in 1993, Daiei Studios opted to revive their once popular Gamera series, Kaneko's name appeared on their short list of potential directors. Lobbying hard for the job, Daiei eventually awarded the directorial position to Kaneko. For this lifelong fan of kaiju, the task of creating his own film for the genre was the realization of a boyhood dream. Kaneko assembled a core creative staff consisting of then newcomer Shinji Higuchi, one of the cofounders of Studio Gainax, as effect director, and Kazunori Ito, writer of Ghost in the Shell, as scriptwriter.

Gamera: Guardian of the Universe, released in 1995, was hailed for its sharp direction, realistic sensibility and groundbreaking effects. Kaiju films had originally begun in Japan with the original Godzilla in 1954 and remained more or less popular through the years. By 1995, however, they had been displaying a lack of originality and had fallen on tired clichés. Gamera was different, and the film successfully laid to rest any claims that the kaiju genre had gone dry. Kaneko followed the film with two successful sequels, Gamera 2: Attack of Legion in 1996 and Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris in 1999. (wikipeda) Edit Biography
Screenwriter
Year Title Type Rating
1983 Madam Scandal - Final Scandal: Madam Likes It Hard
Movie
2.0
1982 Zoom Up: Seiko's Thigh
Movie
4.0
Director
Year Title Type Rating
2023 Gold Boy
Movie
7.2
2022 Yuri no Amaoto
Movie
6.8
2021 Nobutora
Movie
0.0
2016 Scanner
Movie
6.9
2014 Kono Mystery ga Sugoi! Bestseller Sakka kara no Chousenjou
Special
6.0
2014 Danger Dolls
Movie
7.2
2013 Jellyfish
Movie
5.8
2013 The Sacrifice Dilemma - Bottom
Movie
6.7
2013 The Sacrifice Dilemma - Middle
Movie
6.4
2013 The Sacrifice Dilemma - Above
Movie
6.4
2013 The Centenarian Clock
Movie
2.0
2011 Messiah
Movie
7.2
2011 Pole Dancing Boys
Movie
6.7
2010 Bakamono
Movie
7.4
2009 Pride
Movie
7.2
2008 Ketai Sosakan 7
Drama
7.8
2006 God's Left Hand, Devil's Right Hand
Movie
7.0
2006 Death Note
Movie
7.7
2005 Ultraman Max
Drama
7.3
2005 Holyland
Drama
7.6
2005 Azumi 2: Death or Love
Movie
7.2
2004 Sky High 2
Drama
7.0
2002 Toast to Love
Movie
5.0
1996 Gamera 2: Advent of Legion
Movie
7.8
1995 Gamera: Guardian of the Universe
Movie
7.5
1993 Graduation Trip From Japan
Movie
6.0
1988 The Last Cabaret
Movie
0.0
1988 Yamada Village Waltz
Movie
0.0
1987 Terrifying Ya-Chan
Movie
0.0
1986 Itazura Lolita: Ushiro kara Virgin
Movie
0.0
1985 Minna Agechau
Movie
2.0
1984 Office Ladies: Lesbians in Uniforms 3
Movie
6.4
1984 Koichiro Uno's Wet and Swinging
Movie
6.2
Screenwriter & Director
Year Title Type Rating
2017 Koinowa: Konkatsu Cruising
Movie
7.0
2017 Linking Love
Movie
7.2
2014 Osoroshi
Drama
7.0
2012 Aoi Sora Shiroi Kumo
Movie
8.0
2008 Hitmaker Aku Yu Monogatari
Special
7.0
2006 Death Note: The Last Name
Movie
7.8
2001 Godzilla, Mothra, & King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
Movie
7.4
2000 Pyrokinesis
Movie
7.0
1999 Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris
Movie
8.0
1998 F
Movie
7.0
1997 Gakkou no Kaidan 3
Movie
6.9
1994 It's a Summer Vacation Everyday
Movie
7.3
1991 No Worries on the Employment Front
Movie
7.8
1991 My Soul is Slashed
Movie
7.1
1990 Hong Kong Paradise
Movie
6.0
1989 Who Do I Choose?
Movie
7.0
Original Creator
Year Title Type Rating
2014 Natsuyasumi Nanka Iranai
Drama
6.7
Assistant Director
Year Title Type Rating
1983 Pink Cut: Futoku Itoshite Fukaku Itoshite
Movie
4.0
Movie
Year Title Role Rating
2017 Linking Love
Japanese Movie, 2017,
[Movie director] (Guest Role)
[Movie director]
Guest Role
7.2
1984 Main Theme
Japanese Movie, 1984,
[Ballroom boy] (Bit part)
[Ballroom boy]
Bit part
6.5
1983 Kazoku Game
Japanese Movie, 1983,
["Kubota Bookstore" clerk] (Bit part)
["Kubota Bookstore" clerk]
Bit part
7.1
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Kaneko Shusuke

Shusuke Kaneko
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Details

  • First Name: Shusuke
  • Family Name: Kaneko
  • Native name: 金子修介
  • Also Known as: かねこ しゅうすけ
  • Nationality: Japanese
  • Gender: Male
  • Born: June 8, 1955
  • Age: 69

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