Kaoru Mabuchi (馬淵 薫, Mabuchi Kaoru, February 4, 1912[1] – May 3, 1988), known by the pen name Takeshi Kimura (木村 武, Kimura Takeshi), was a Japanese screenwriter who wrote many films for Toho studios. Mabuchi scripted several films for director Ishirō Honda, including Rodan, The Mysterians, Matango, Frankenstein Conquers the World, The War of the Gargantuas, King Kong Escapes, and Destroy All Monsters. He was a member of the Japanese Communist Party whose screenplays often included political themes. His scripts are frequently contrasted with those written by Shinichi Sekizawa, whose scripts for kaiju films typically had a more lightweight, "fun" tone.
Mabuchi considered the screenplay for Ishirō Honda's Matango to be his best work, and he considered all of his scripts from Frankenstein Conquers the World onward to be merely work for hire.
Mabuchi was known for having a dark and gloomy personality, and he was reportedly never very close to any of his fellow Toho employees. He died from a throat obstruction in his Tokyo apartment in 1988.
