The Invisible Man Appears

The Invisible Man Appears (透明人間現わる) is a 1949 Japanese science fiction tokusatsu film directed by Nobuo Adachi, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film was loosely based on H. G. Wells' 1897 The Invisible Man and produced by Daiei Film, the film stars Kanji Koshiba, Chizuru Kitagawa, Takiko Mizunoe, Daijirō Natsukawa, Ryūnosuke Tsukigata, and Kichijiro Ueda.

Plot
A gang of thugs intend to use an invisibility formula created by Professor Nakazato to rob a priceless jewel necklace "The Tears of Amour."

Cast

 * Kanji Koshiba as Shunji Kurokawa, the Invisible Man
 * Chizuru Kitagawa as Machiko Nakazato
 * Takiko Mizunoe as Ryuko Mizuki
 * Ryūnosuke Tsukigata as Kenzo Nakazato
 * Daijirō Natsukawa as Kyosuke Segi
 * Kichijiro Ueda as Otoharu Sugimoto
 * Shosaku Sugiyama as Ichiro Kawabe
 * Mitsusaburo Ramon as Matsubara, lead investigator

Themes
The Invisible Man Appears was influenced by exposure to American films during the Allied Occupation of Japan following World War II.

Production
The film was initially tentatively titled Invisible Demon by Hisashi Okuda. According to Okuda, When he showed the plan to Eiji Tsuburaya, who had just been expelled from public office, Tsuburaya promised, "I am willing to cooperate because I believe this is worth considering."

Release
The Invisible Man Appears was released in Japan in 1949. The film and its follow-up were never released outside of Japan until Arrow Video released the film on Blu-ray March 15, 2021.

Follow-up
Daiei produced a second film inspired by H. G. Wells' The Invisible Man novel, titled The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly (透明人間と蝿男), which was released to Japanese theaters on August 25, 1957.