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Takao Okawara

Takao Okawara

Director and writer · Born December 20, 1949 (76) · Tokyo, Japan

Takao Okawara (born December 20, 1949, in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese film director, writer and producer. Most famous for his entries in the Heisei Godzilla series, Takao Okawara joined Tōhō in 1973, but would not get his first shot in the director's chair until 1980, when he joined Akira Kurosawa and Ishirō Honda on the film Kagemusha (1980). Four years later, he worked as an assistant director for the first Godzilla film of the Heisei series: The Return of Godzilla (1984). Okawara debuted as primary director seven years later on the film Reiko, the Psyche Resurrected (1991), which he also wrote. Okawara is the oldest living Godzilla film director. With Kazuki Omori's death in 2022, he also became the last living director of any pre-Millennium Godzilla movie.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 20, 1949 (76)
From
Tokyo, Japan
Works as
Director and writer
Titles
14 on MovieCove · 23 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Up 28% in 30 days

What are Takao Okawara's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Ideas.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
43%
Ideas
19%
Morality
17%
Society
16%
Power
4%
Survival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeNature2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Heightened: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their heightened movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 0 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 3

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 1 · Intense 6

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 6 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 6 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 7 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
6
Thrilling
6
Dread
2
Melancholic
1

How their films linger

Fun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet2
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Takao Okawara's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Takao Okawara's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

23 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.(2003)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Godzilla 2000(1999)

    Director · Original Story

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Yukai(1997)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Godzilla vs. Destoroyah(1995)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director

  • Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla(1994)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II(1993)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth(1992)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Reiko, the Psyche Resurrected (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Director · Visual Effects Director · Writer

  • The Goodbye Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Assistant Director

  • Godzilla 1985(1985)

    First Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Return of Godzilla(1984)

    First Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Kaikyô(1982)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Imperial Navy(1981)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The Last Days of Planet Earth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Assistant Director

  • Kagemusha: The Shadow Warrior(1980)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Gate of Youth Part 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Assistant Director

  • Zero Fighter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Assistant Director

  • Human Revolution II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Assistant Director

  • Tidal Wave (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Assistant Director

  • The Gate of Youth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Assistant Director

  • Prophecies of Nostradamus(1974)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Submersion of Japan(1973)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 21 titles from 1973 to 1999.

Biggest box office

Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth (1992)

$36M worldwide

Highest rated

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)

Midcredits 86th

Most popular right now

Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth (1992)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing7 of 21: 5 only directing, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score61stWriting2 of 21: 0 only writing, 2 with another roleOther crew15 of 21: 14 only other crew, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score55th

By decade

1970s7 · crew1980s7 · crew1990s7 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Takao Okawara's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 58th percentile, the median of all 14; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 63rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

89thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 14 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th5

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 14 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Mixed6

Most divisive · director

Yukai (1997)

58th percentile spread · 12% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)

Midcredits 86th · 70% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 54/100 and the pacing 44/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Takao Okawara's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 52 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 2 · minimalMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 30 · mildMedian of all films: 36
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 50 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Takao Okawara work with?

People who share at least 2 of Takao Okawara's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Shogo Tomiyama shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers