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Takeshi Kimura

Takeshi Kimura

Writer · Died May 3, 1987, aged 76 · Osaka Prefecture, Japan

Kaoru Mabuchi (馬淵 薫 Mabuchi Kaoru), known by the pen name Takeshi Kimura (木村 武 Kimura Takeshi), was a Japanese screenwriter who wrote many of Toho's non-Godzilla tokusatsu films during the Showa era. Unlike his contemporary Shinichi Sekizawa, whose screenplays were noted for their lighthearted and "fun" tone, Mabuchi's screenplays were comparatively more gloomy and contained more political themes. Mabuchi considered his screenplay for Ishiro Honda's Matango to be his best work, and was considerably less enthusiastic about his later work. Kimura passed away on May 3, 1987, due to a throat obstruction. Wrote screenplays under his birth name Kaoru Mabuchi as well as under his pen name, Takeshi Kimura.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 4, 1911
Died
May 3, 1987 (aged 76)
From
Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Works as
Writer
Titles
13 on MovieCove · 33 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 63 days to Oct 26Up 27% in 30 days

What are Takeshi Kimura's films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Society.

Genres

Action7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 47th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 50th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Horror movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
54%
Society
15%
Ideas
12%
Bonds
11%
Morality
5%
Power
3%
Survival10 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeTechnology2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 3

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

Gentle 1 · Charged 2 · Intense 8

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

Steady 2 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 10 · 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 8 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 11 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
8
Thrilling
7
Dread
5
Joyful
2
Absurd
2
Other
2

How their films linger

Fun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet5
  • Tragic1

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 Takeshi Kimura's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 13 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Criterion Channel (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Takeshi Kimura'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

33 credits, 13 with a MovieCove page.

  • Human Vapor(2026)

    Show 8 episodes · Original Film Writer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows

  • Bloodthirsty Hawk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Screenplay

  • Katango's War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Screenplay

  • Godzilla vs. Megalon(1973)

    Original Story

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Satan's Creature (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Screenplay

  • Godzilla vs. Gigan(1972)

    Original Story

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Godzilla vs. Hedorah(1971)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Destroy All Monsters(1968)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • King Kong Escapes(1967)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The War of the Gargantuas(1966)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Adventure in Kigan Castle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Screenplay

  • Frankenstein vs. Baragon(1965)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Whirlwind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Screenplay

  • Samurai Pirate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Screenplay

  • Young Swordsman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Screenplay

  • Attack of the Mushroom People(1963)

    Adaptation · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Heso no taisho (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Screenplay

  • Gorath(1962)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • The Last War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Screenplay

  • Daredevil in the Castle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Writer

  • The Human Vapor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Screenplay

  • Reporters from the Sky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Screenplay

  • Submarine I-57 Will Not Surrender (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Screenplay

  • The Spell of the Hidden Gold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Screenplay

  • The H-Man(1958)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Mysterians(1957)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Faraway Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Adaptation

  • The Last Escape (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Screenplay

  • Yagyu Secret Scrolls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Screenplay

  • Rodan(1956)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Scoundrel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Writer

  • Farewell Rabaul (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Screenplay

  • The Red Light Military Base (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Screenplay

Career shape

A full career of 33 titles from 1953 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

$2.4M worldwide

Highest rated

Attack of the Mushroom People (1963)

Midcredits 63rd

Most popular right now

Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing33 of 33: 33 only writing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score41st

By decade

1950s11 · crew1960s15 · crew1970s6 · crew2020s1 · 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 Takeshi Kimura's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 44th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 49th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 13 titles, by percentile

  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 13 titles are Mixed.

  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · writer

Frankenstein vs. Baragon (1965)

66th percentile spread · 33% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Attack of the Mushroom People (1963)

Midcredits 63rd · 54% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 33/100 and the plot and story 41/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

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 Takeshi Kimura's work okay for kids?

Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore runs heavier than most films and sex & nudity lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles50–69 · median 57 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity5 titles0–29 · median 0 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 35 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 36 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense7 titles29–56 · median 44 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Takeshi Kimura work with?

People who share at least 2 of Takeshi Kimura's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ishirō Honda shares the most, 11.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers