About Toho Kingdom

Toho Kingdom is committed to covering all aspects of the film company Toho Eiga. This includes all movies that they have produced, feature their copyrighted characters, fall under their ownership, or have been created in Japan and distributed theatrically by the company. Furthermore, this also incorporates all varieties of productions, from special effect cinema to documentaries, along with both theatrical and OV (Original Video) releases. Productions handled by their subsidiaries and affiliates, such as Toho-Towa and Takarazuka Eiga, are also incorporated. Coverage will also be given to films within Legendary Productions' "MonsterVerse" as it features Toho copyrighted characters.

Toho Kingdom is also focused on television shows and video games for which the company was involved with. Other mediums are also covered that concern their films or copyrighted characters, including DVDs, CDs, Books and Comics.

The site is dedicated to the people who have made these movies possible, while also to the family and loved ones of the staff who tolerate their weakness for working on updates.


Current Staff - Credits and Copyright - Site History - Legend - Former Staff Members

Current Staff

 

Anthony RomeroAnthony Romero

CEO / Founder E-mail

Creator and current owner, Anthony Romero (Arbok on the forums) has seen the site through its various stages of development since 1999. Romero will coordinate content to try and achieve the near daily update schedule that the site deploys, as well working across the entire site on content ranging from bios to reviews. He also used to act as the full editor-in-chief before splitting the duty.

First Toho Film: King Kong vs. Godzilla
Favorite Toho Film: Godzilla vs. Biollante


 

Joshua SudomerskiJoshua Sudomerski

President

Joshua Sudomerski (GigaBowserG on the forums) was initially hired in February of 2013, brought on after doing a massive and thorough update of the Super Godzilla content. Sudomerski focused on beefing up the site's video game section, greatly expanding coverage. In 2016, he was promoted to president, taking over coding duties and expanding focus to other sections such as the Cutting Room. Sudomerski also runs the SuperGodzillaGaming YouTube channel.

First Toho Film: Godzilla Raids Again
Favorite Toho Film: Godzilla 2000: Millennium


 

Chris MirjahangirChris Mirjahangir

Director / Media Relations E-mail

Chris Mirjahangir joined the staff in 2004. He is the primary contact for media companies licensing Toho's products. This includes Legendary Pictures, Warner Bros., Atari, IDW Publishing, Bandai, Jakks Pacific , Playmates Toys and more. Mirjahangir has also developed deep relationships with key figures in the fandom, including Godzilla: Unleashed developer Simon Strange and Godzilla: Rulers of Earth artist Matt Frank.

First Toho Film: Godzilla vs. Gigan
Favorite Toho Film: Godzilla vs. Gigan


 

Patrick GalvanPatrick Galvan

Lead Editor E-mail

Patrick Galvan was hired in May of 2014, exhibiting a desire to contribute further to the site's movie reviews. To date, he has compiled a large number of film reviews for the site, along with providing film details for the many movies on Toho Kingdom. In addition he has published many articles on the industry and those who work in it. His passion continues to offer details for a wide range of movies as well, such as the landmark films by Mikio Naruse.

First Toho Film: Godzilla 2000: Millennium
Favorite Toho Film: Seven Samurai


 

Nicholas DriscollNicholas Driscoll

Senior Editor E-mail

Nicholas Driscoll joined the site's staff in April of 2007, during a period in which he was teaching English in Japan before later moving back to the country. An experienced writer, Driscoll was hired due to his enormous talent in reviewing films and his eagerness to tackle other areas. Those other areas have blossomed into covering numerous books, both targeting those with a strong tie to Toho and examining those with loose ties, and showing amble creativity in coverage, such as reviewing Godzilla related food items. In addition to his work on Toho Kingdom, Driscoll also runs his own blog.

First Toho Film: The Adventures of Chatran
Favorite Toho Film: Spirited Away


 

Andrew SudomerskiAndrew Sudomerski

K.W.C. Co-Operations Manager / Content Editor

Andrew Sudomerski joined the site staff in May of 2017 to assist with the K.W.C. and various functions related to it. Since that time, Andrew has increased his involvement in the K.W.C. such as efforts to revamp older matches to reflect the new format. He has also been instrumental in updating a large number of monster bios on the site. As a result, he was promoted first to content editor and then to K.W.C. co-operations manager.

First Toho Film: Godzilla (1954)
Favorite Toho Film: Godzilla (1954)


 

Thomas FairchildThomas Fairchild

Videographer / Writer E-mail

Thomas Fairchild (Tomzilla on the forums) joined the staff of Toho Kingdom in November of 2003. He was hired due to his eagerness to do work on the K.W.C. section and his expertise in that field. His employment had actually been pending since 2002, when the request was first made in consideration if Thomas' own site happened to shut down. Since then he has been committed to doing entries in the Monster Sightings series, which capture day-to-day life being interrupted by kaiju.

First Toho Film: The Return of Godzilla
Favorite Toho Film: The Return of Godzilla


 

Matthew FreeseMatthew Freese

K.W.C. Co-Operations Manager

Matthew Freese joined the site's staff in May of 2022. Although already heavily involved in the K.W.C. section of the site, Freese was brought on to take an even more active role. This meant taking on a K.W.C. co-operations manager role that is shared with Andrew Sudomerski.

First Toho Film: GODZILLA (1998)
Favorite Toho Film: Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)


 

Tyler TrieschockTyler Trieschock

Writer E-mail

Tyler Trieschock (Greyshot151 on the forums) was brought onto the site's staff in January of 2015. Having a huge vision to rekindle Toho Kingdom's K.W.C., Trieschock was hired to create a process to add more matches to this section of the site. Trieschock exceeded all expectations, resulting in the K.W.C. becoming one of the most popular areas of the website. After taking taking a year long hiatus in 2022, he is now overseeing the Multimedia section of the K.W.C. to expand the section's visual and audio potential.

First Toho Film: Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
Favorite Toho Film: Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.


 

François CoulombeFrançois Coulombe

Movie Bio Editor

François Coulombe (KaijusHunter on the forums) joined the site's staff in January of 2020. Coulombe had been a long time contributor, providing details for many of the movies covered on the site, from those well known to those that could be considered "obscure" outside Japan. While his contributions are many, one aspect that stands out is Coulombe's impeccable eye to spot stock footage from other Toho films.

First Toho Film: Godzilla 2000: Millennium
Favorite Toho Film: Samurai Saga


Christian Salabert

Joining the staff in October of 2007, after being a long time contributor, Christian Salabert has been a driving force in developing the K.W.C. section with Thomas Fairchild. Salabert, on top of writing numerous matches for the section, is also responsible for crafting all of the individual images for each match.

Christian Salabert E-mailE-mail: titangojira@yahoo.com
Username: TitanoGoji16 Top 6 Toho Films:  
Location: California, US 1. Godzilla vs. Biollante 4. Godzilla 2000: Millennium
First Toho Film: 2. Invasion of Astro-Monster 5. Rodan
Godzilla (1954) 3. Mothra vs. Godzilla 6. The War of the Gargantuas

Matthew Mikell

Matthew Mikell was the second hire brought onto the site from an application process that occurred in January of 2008. Mikell was hired as a "back up" translator so to speak, after showing extreme proficiency in the area. He ultimately proved to be a valuable asset to the site, though, and is now Toho Kingdom's primary translator.

Matthew Mikell E-mailE-mail: Withheld
Username: - Top 6 Toho Films:  
Location: California, US 1. GMK 4. Godzilla (1954)
First Toho Film: 2. Yojimbo 5. Mothra
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 3. Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla 6. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla

Dillon Fisher was brought on in May 2011 due to his tenacity for pushing the Toho Kingdom podcast, which he does with Noah Percival and others, to actually be hosted on the site. Fisher has also shown a dedication for making connections and interviews, such as one done with Bobby Curnow, editor at IDW Publishing.

Dillon Fisher E-mailE-mail: Metallica1031@comcast.net
Username: Zilla103192
Top 6 Toho Films:  
Location: Pennsylvania, US 1. GMK 4. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II
First Toho Film: 2. Godzilla 5. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
Godzilla 3. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah 6. Godzilla: Final Wars

Noah Percival

Noah Percival was brought on in March 2014, joining Toho Kingdom to manage the podcasts that he has previously contributed to. Beyond podcasts, Percival has also helped with the filming of artist Matt Frank's interview with Gareth Edwards, the director of Godzilla (2014).

Noah Percival E-mailE-mail: Withheld
Username: Cloverfan98
Top 6 Toho Films:  
Location: US 1. Godzilla (1954) 4. GMK
First Toho Film: 2. Invasion of Astro-Monster 5. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
Invasion of Astro-Monster 3. Godzilla 2000: Millennium 6. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II

 

Mathew WebberMathew Webber

Forum Sub Manager E-mail

Mathew Webber (SpaceG92 on the forums) was hired to the main site's staff in February of 2017, after serving as a forum administrator for some time. Webber was brought on to help manage the site's forums in a more involved roll, including the development and execution of modifications and exploring maintenance of the forum's code.

First Toho Film: Godzilla (1954)
Favorite Toho Film: Shin Godzilla


Credits and Copyright

Although our staff has helped to shape the content of Toho Kingdom, we also rely and thank our many contributors. Furthermore, this site could not have been possible without a legion of sources, from media material to other websites, that have helped fuel the content on this site.

All movies here in and here out were produced or distributed by Toho Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.

Godzilla®, all related characters and properties: TM & © 1954-2018 Toho Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.


Site History

Toho Kingdom was the third website by creator Anthony Romero. It had it's humble beginning in 1999, using Homestead Technologies' free hosting service. The primary inspiration for the site was Mark Lockwood's in-depth, online resource called "Godzilla Tohotopia", which unfortunately slipped off the web early in 2000.

The site's owner and Shogo Tomiyama, the president of Toho

While in it's infancy, updates to the site were very slow as Toho Kingdom was constantly moving between free services to meet the steadily increasing bandwidth demand. In fact, it wasn't until 2002 that updates became regular. The site also caught a lucky break that year with it's coverage of Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee, which netted Toho Kingdom some brief interviews with producer Kirby Fong. The added attention called for the site to shift to it's own domain name as bandwidth consumption leaped. Old habits die hard, though, as the site continued to change hosts frequently, this time with paid service providers. However, this also included some periods of free hosting from other sites, such as the generous offer from Kaijukits.com at one point.

During this time, Toho Kingdom also expanded its employment, changing from a single-person operation to functioning under an ever-expanding staff. Some of the earliest staff members include "Musukogoji", James Webster and Forrest Freund.

While content and staff size continued to increase, Toho Kingdom also established its forums in 2003, which would expand tremendously in the years that followed.

One of the larger events of 2003, though, was when the site became known to Toho. This resulted in a large number of changes as the site had to meet Toho's criteria. Some of these changes included the restructuring of sections, name changes to portions of the site and expanding copyright notices. The largest change, and the most controversial amongst the site's staff, was that the Toho logo must not appear on Toho Kingdom in any unlicensed manner. This proposed a huge hurdle to the staff, as the logo was abundant on the old design and content.

The original logo as designed by "Son Goharotto"

Thankfully, the site found a savior in the form of webmaster "Son Goharotto", who submitted a self-designed logo that was quickly adapted into the site's layout and has become a staple of Toho Kingdom today. As one might guess, the text inside simply says "Toho Kingdom". However, to avoid any conflict over the design, the spelling of Toho is done in simple hiragana (とほ) as opposed to the way Toho spells their company name in kanji (東宝), although both are pronounced the same way. “Kingdom” is written in standard kanji (王国) and can be read as ookoku. (Japanese has three writing systems, so to speak—two syllabaries, which are katakana and hiragana, and the kanji ideographs, which are mostly directly derived from Chinese. There are thousands of kanji, which are used in conjunction with hiragana for the bulk of Japanese writing, whereas katakana is often used for unusual words, such as foreign words and sound effects.)

Following this, the site then enjoyed several, fairly uneventful, years that allowed the staff to focus primarily on improving content. During this time, Toho Kingdom's personnel also continued to expand. The most notable addition being from long time contributor Miles Imhoff in 2005. This hiring represented a large change for the site, as Imhoff took on HTML and FTP responsibilities, splitting a task which had previously been done exclusively by the owner. This allowed for a more continuous stream of content, as updates could now be conducted even in the absence of Anthony Romero. Imhoff has also taken on coding aspects of the site, including getting the badly needed search function up and running that same year.


Site Legend

A guide to explain certain aspects of Toho Kingdom

Names:

All names, movie titles or the names of monsters/aliens/SDF, are Toho's preferred English spelling when possible. In terms of movie titles, Toho's preferred English spelling tends to simply be the International titles, but this isn't always the case. Below is a brief list of some exceptions to this rule:

International Title Toho's Preferred English Title
The Echo Sound of the Mountain
Snowman Half Human
The Throne of Blood Throne of Blood
Atoragon Atragon
Zatoichi Breaks Jail Zatoichi the Outlaw
Attack All Monsters All Monsters Attack
Godzila vs. King Ghidora Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
Reiko, the Supergirl Reiko, the Psyche Resurrected
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II
Godzilla Resurgence Shin Godzilla

It should also be noted that in sections besides the film's particular movie bios, such as the DVD section or the Release Dates, the film's preferred English spelling will replace the film's International title when there is a discrepancy between the two. Also, it should be noted that for many films the international title is not known, or one was never given by Toho, and that a "temp" title will takes its place outside of the movie bios.

Film Review Scores:

Movies are reviewed critically based on their merits when considering: plot, character development, acting, musical score and other aspects of the production (at the discretion of the reviewer). A score is then donated by this criteria and how the film stakes up compared to other movies from Toho. It's also expected that the reviewer will try to gauge how the production might play with a broader audience when picking a score; consequently, a movie could achieve a middle to low score, but still be thoroughly enjoyable to the reviewer despite obvious flaws: a "guilty pleasure." Below is the general scale for the scores, which favors few at the highest and lowest marks and the majority to fall in the middle, as it should be:

: Exemplary One of the Shining examples of cinema.
: Excellent Amazing film, generally just shy of being one of the greatest.
: Great Sure to please most, superb production.
: Good Some problems, but a film that could be generally recommended.
: Satisfactory Has some noticeable faults, but will be more liked then not by most.
: Mediocre Not particularly good or bad, will have as many detractors as fans.
: Lacking Will have its fan, but sure to disinterest a majority.
: Poor Obviously flawed, although not totally unlikable.
: Bad Not unwatchable at least.
: Awful Someone open a window quick...

TV Episode Listings:

A notation that should be made in reference to the individual TV episode listings is that stock footage is only counted outside of the show itself. For example, if a shot of someone kicking in midair is reused from a earlier episode this will not be counted in the stock footage section. Furthermore, appearances will not be counted for characters shown during the program's opening title sequence, sponsor announcements, and last time/next time segments.

TV Character Listings:

For easier viewing, movies which originated from Toho television shows, such as Super Fleet Sazer-X the Movie (2005), will have their characters organized with the regular listing for their particular program. Also, if stock footage from a film version of the character is used as a place holder on the TV show, as is the case with Godzilla Island (1997), the show character will be attributed with the appearance instead to avoid confusion.


Former Staff Members

James joined Toho Kingdom in September of 2002, being brought on due to his access to resources that would become valuable in further development of both the "Monster Bios", and "Aliens & SDF" sections. He is also the creator of the "Cut Scenes" portion of the site, and had contributed greatly to the "Video Games" section.

James Webster E-mailE-mail: Mothragal@hotmail.com
Username: - Top 6 Toho Films:  
Location: Virginia, US 1. Mothra vs. Godzilla 4. The Return of Godzilla
First Toho Film: 2. Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris 5. Rebirth of Mothra III
Rodan 3. Godzilla vs. Biollante 6. Terror of Mechagodzilla

Forrest Freund was one of the site's earliest contributors, writing several of the K.W.C. matches for Toho Kingdom. Freund also spearheaded the D20 Section of the site, which adapted the Dungeons & Dragons game for use with Toho characters and themes.

Forrest Freund E-mailE-mail: Void313@aol.com
Username: - Top 6 Toho Films: Reviews Reviews  
Location: California, US 1. Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris 4. Godzilla vs. Megaguirus
First Toho Film: 2. Gamera 2: Advent of Legion 5. Godzilla vs. Biollante
Mothra vs. Godzilla 3. Parasite Eve 6. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah

Guy Mariner Tucker joined the staff in June of 2004. The longtime Japanese film editor of Cult Movies magazine and author of 'Age of the Gods: A History of the Japanese Fantasy Film' was unsurpassed in his knowledge of the field and contributed greatly to the site with movie identifications, staff listings and box office data. Regrettably, Guy passed away on November 17th, 2006. A memorial page has been setup in his behalf, and he will be deeply missed by the staff.

Guy Mariner Tucker E-mailE-mail: Withheld
Username: - Top 6 Toho Films: Reviews Reviews  
Location: Withheld 1. Matango 4. Human Vapour
First Toho Film: 2. Godzilla 5. Godzilla vs. Hedorah
King Kong Escapes 3. Seven Samurai 6. Dodes'kaden

Miles Imhoff joined the staff in May of 2005 and has quickly become one of the largest driving forces behind Toho Kingdom, with contributions including reviews, games and submission editing, just to skim the surface. The site's popular toon section, found in the media area, was also his brainchild. Imhoff's contributes extend past the front office as well, as he does much of the coding work on Toho Kingdom.

Former Vice President
Miles Imhoff E-mailE-mail: Withheld
Username: - Top 6 Toho Films: Reviews Reviews  
Location: US 1. Godzilla vs. Hedorah 4. My Neighbor Totoro
First Toho Film: 2. Prophecies of Nostradamus 5. Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro
Godzilla vs. Biollante 3. Madadayo 6. One Wonderful Sunday

J.L. Carrozza joined Toho Kingdom in February of 2006 after beating out a number of other hopeful applicants. He was selected due to his extraordinary qualifications and his expertise in writing. For his tenure, Carrozza filled in gaps in the DVD reviews while also taking on region 2 releases. He also maintains his own site at jlcarrozza.com.

J.L. Carrozza E-mailE-mail: Sspacejesus@aol.com
Username: - Top 6 Toho Films: Reviews Reviews  
Location: Massachusetts, US 1. Onibaba 4. Kwaidan
First Toho Film: 2. Matango 5. My Neighbor Totoro
The Adventures of Chatran 3. Under the Flag of the Rising Sun 6. Face of Another

Ray Hardwick joined the staff in early of 2008, following a pretty competitive application process for a full time translator. Hardwick was hired for his general expertise in the field, his amazing turn around speed and shown interest in the work and Toho's properties. He contributed alongside Matthew Mikell in doing much of the earlier manga translations.

Ray Hardwick E-mailE-mail: rayhardwick99@yahoo.com
Username: - Top 6 Toho Films:  
Location: Wyoming, US 1. Godzilla vs. Biollante 4. Atragon
First Toho Film: 2. Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris 5. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
Godzilla vs. Biollante 3. The Bad Sleep Well 6. Ebirah, Horror of the Deep

Steve Johnson

Steve Johnson came onboard Toho Kingdom mid-2008. Johnson was hired for his tenacious approach that led him to not only successfully pitch the idea for expanding into Toys and Collectibles, but also construct and design how entries in the section would play out. He currently maintains this portion of the site.

Steve Johnson EmailE-mail: GodzIsYourHero@comcast.net
Username: Godz Top 6 Toho Films:  
Location: Georgia, US 1. Godzilla vs. Gigan 4. Invasion of Astro-Monster
First Toho Film: 2. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 5. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
King Kong vs. Godzilla 3. King Kong vs. Godzilla 6. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah

"The H-Man"

One of the longest time contributors to the site, "The H-Man" was hired in December of 2011 based on past work and his writing experience. His greatest asset, though, is his deep interest for going beyond the normal information and researching extra details, in particular in regards to the many US releases of Toho films both theatrically and on home video.

"The H-Man" E-mailE-mail: Withheld
Username: -
Top 6 Toho Films: Reviews Reviews  
Location: Indiana, US 1. Godzilla 4. Matango
First Toho Film: 2. Invasion of Astro-Monster 5. House
All Monsters Attack 3. Mothra 6. Seven Samurai

Alexander Smith

Alexander Smith has been submitting reviews to Toho Kingdom since 2006 before joining the staff in December of 2011. Demonstrating both a good critical mind and a flair for writing, Smith was brought on board when the decision was handed to move away from user movie reviews to ensure both volume and quality in reviews provided on the site. In addition, Smith has been working on adding staff entries and also movie synopsizes to the site.

Alexander Smith E-mailE-mail: darthsmythe@mail.com
Username: Dash 7
Top 6 Toho Films: Reviews Reviews  
Location: Colorado, US 1. The Last War 4. Godzilla
First Toho Film: 2. Yojimbo 5. Godzilla vs. Hedorah
Godzilla vs. Mothra 3. Battle of Okinawa 6. Son of Godzilla

Marcus Gwin

Marcus Gwin joined the staff in December of 2015. A long time fan of Toho Kingdom, Gwin's primary role is managing the Facebook account for the site. However, he also writes for the main site on occasion as well, such as with his review of Kong: Skull Island (2017).

Marcus Gwin E-mailE-mail: Withheld
Username: StirrupLeather
Top 6 Toho Films: Reviews Reviews    
Location: Withheld 1. GMK 4. Godzilla: Final Wars
First Toho Film: 2. Godzilla (1954) 5. Pokémon: Revelation Lugia
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep 3. Seven Samurai 6. The Hidden Fortress

Jack Jordan

Jack Jordan, a long time fan of the site's D20 section, joined Toho Kingdom in May of 2016. He was brought due to his desire to resurrect that portion of the site and further content there, and is acted as the head of the D20 section.

Jack Jordan E-mailE-mail: jackcjordan90@gmail.com
Username: Kaiju Claws
Top 6 Toho Films:   
Location: Illinois, US 1. Godzilla (2014) 4. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
First Toho Film: 2. The Return of Godzilla 5. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
Godzilla (1954) 3. GMK 6. Godzilla vs. Biollante