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 ex Watch drama online for free.