So the tagline for the new Gamera Rebirth anime is “Gamera vs. 5 Kaiju”, with a poster showing countless Gyaos flying around, certainly more than five. The latest poster also showed Jiger. This most likely means that A) Gyaos doesn’t count as one of the five kaiju (already got plenty of appearences anyway) and B) the 5 are going to be reimaginings of the other Showa foes (Barugon, Viras, Guiron, Jiger and Zigra).

Jiger is my favorite but I think I’m the most exited to see Guiron. While the Gyaos have been portrayed as Gamera’s archnemesis in a “gotta get rid of them or we are all doomed” kind of way (like Ellen Ripley vs. the aliens), Guiron imo is the foe that feels the most like Gamera’s equal. Many have interpreted him as “the” Gamera equivalent of his own planet (he even fights his own species of Gyaos!).

Will Guiron finally live up to his potential as Gamera’s rival? Does Barugon get first-foe-privileges? Only time will tell.

Gamera Rebirth

Six episodes

Gamera vs 5 Kaiju

I watched Godzilla vs. Gigan again last night

Since it was the movie's 52nd anniversary, I figured it was a good time to revisit it. As I was watching it though, something started to jump out at me. If Godzilla vs. Gigan were to have a message, I'd argue it's this: "not everything that claims to be innocent, peaceful, and child-friendly is as safe as it seems. In fact, many times things that seem that way on the surface are really predatory and sinister underneath." This is interesting to me because kaiju media had more or less entirely become kids stuff by the early 70's. Between the Gamera franchise and the last two Godzilla films prominently featuring child characters, not to mention the success of Ultraman and the like on TV, it had long since become evident who the primary demographic was.

It's because of this landscape that Godzilla vs. Gigan strikes me as almost confused. There are no actual children in the film, however the main human character, Gengo does have numerous childish tendencies (to the point where his girlfriend has taken a practically maternal role in parts of his life). The film is infamous for being the one where Godzilla talks, but it's also the first film where he bleeds. The sets look tremendous, but the several of the suits and VFX are looking rough and cheap. Allegedly the director wanted to try new things while also maintaining what he knew worked (hence why Ghidorah is in the film).

And yet... there's a cohesiveness. For how much the film seems at odds with itself on some level, it all does come together into something that works. I think that largely comes down to 1. having one of the most entertaining casts of any Showa-era Godzilla film and 2. embracing the janky, goofy nature of things. While not being an outright comedy, it is arguably the most comedic film of the franchise (the "corncob mugging" scene still makes me laugh). It embraces its limitations without being too in your face about them and honestly I think it works better than people give it credit for.

I feel like I need to give it a rating... uh... let's say 3.5 out of 5.

Kaiju Week in Review (February 5-11, 2023)

Ted Thomas, the father of English dubbing in Hong Kong, passed away on November 26 last year at 93. A Briton who hopped from Naval intelligence to radio and television in the former colony, he founded Axis International in the 1960s and brought alone some of his coworkers for the ride. (The name was informal; as government employees, they weren't supposed to have side gigs.) The Axis troupe included Ron Oliphant (who also refined the scripts), Michael Kaye, Barry Haigh, Warren Rooke, Chris Hilton, Nick Kendall, John Wallace, Ian Wilson, Linda Masson, Mandy Cooke, and Angel Chapman.

Listing all their works would be nigh-impossible—so many have fallen through the cracks of history—but you can hear Thomas in The Secret of the Telegian (Police Inspector Kobayashi), Matango (Naoyuki Sakuta), Atragon (Captain Hachiro Jinguji and the High Priest of Mu), Dogora (Dr. Munakata), Gamera vs. Barugon (Kawajiri), Return of Daimajin (Genba Onikojima), Gamera vs. Gyaos (Tatsuemon Kanemaru), Godzilla vs. Gigan (Kubota and Godzilla himself), Godzilla vs. Megalon (Emperor Antonio), and Gamera Super Monster (the policeman and the narrator). If you're a fan of Shaw Brothers films, you've probably heard him in even more than that. He even went in front of the camera for Shaw's The Mighty Peking Man (above), playing a government official. With a resume like that, I can't help but associate his authoritative voice with toku dubs more than just about anyone else; I'd say Rik Thomas (no relation) and Andrea Kwan are the only ones in his weight class. Rest in peace.

Godzilla: Monster and Protectors - All Hail the King! concluded this week, with King Caesar giving Godzilla a helping hand against King Ghidorah, then briefly coming to blows with him as the tension between the kids psychically linked to them comes to a head. The pacing on these comics continues to be wonky, but artist Dan Schoening continues to show true Showa ambition with the fights. It ends on another sequel hook, which it had better get. (Maybe they'll tack on a third subtitle.) IDW's plans for Godzilla are mysterious right now; nothing is on the schedule except the next two Rivals issues. With the film series firing on all cylinders, I couldn't tell you what the holdup is.

Cleopatra Entertainment will be releasing Shin Ultraman to Blu-ray and DVD on June 13, while fellow MVD Entertainment label Epic Pictures will do the same with The Lake. The Shin Blu-ray will include the English dub, but no special features of note—disappointing but not surprising given how the U.S. home video releases for the live-action Attack on Titan films and Shin Godzilla went. The Lake is a Thai/Chinese giant monster flick with some seriously impressive practical effects. I've heard it's terrible aside from that, but whatever.

“Incredible, unstoppable titan of terror! It's alive! An enraged monster wipes out an entire city! CIVILIZATION CRUMBLES as its death rays blast a city of 6 million from the face of the earth! Raging through the world on a rampage of destruction! The Spectacle That Created World Sensation - The monster of the century awakened to life by the H-Bomb, Godzilla! A weapon of science! a great battle of wonder and terror! A violent giant monster exhaling radioactivity plunges Japan into the depths of fear!"

Plot: “in 1954, the Tokyo hellfire incident occurred, an event that lasted up until 1956, where during the course of those two years. an giant monster that is known in ancient Odo island folklore as a god of death and destruction, gojira. Rose from the depths, and laid waste to Tokyo over and over, fighting against another of his kind, and then fighting against an trio of giant Mutated ankylosauruses. Over the course. Tokyo was left an radiation filled barren wasteland engulfed in nuclear fire. Very few survived. Over many years. Godzilla would continue to reign as the unstoppable king of monsters. Where more rose in his wake. An female, a child. An god monster, and so much more. Some were on our side, others were not. But over the years. Dagon has grown soft… “

“that all changed when an gigantic beast known only as Yamato no Orochi arose, and Dagon was suddenly back to his old ways, only far more powerful… and on the verge of a nuclear meltdown. The Godzilla exterminator squad and MONARCH made a joint operation to use serizawa’s weapon, the oxygen destroyer, to bring the Menace down and it worked, at the cost of daisuke serizawa’s life… but it was hard to believe that Godzilla was the last of his kind. Should nuclear tests continue. Another shall appear… and this is where my story begins. My name is William Byers, and Ive unintentionally become friends and the surrogate father to the literal king of monsters. The third generation Godzilla. Whom I’ve called Rex. And after my incident in the upside down, both of our lives were gonna change… it was gonna change a whole lot. And I feel like that this… is only just the beginning.”

Series Planned So Far: 4, maybe 5, who knows (Series 1 Is Ruler Of Monsters, Series 2 is Monster Of Justice, Series 3 Is Fallen Kingdom, And Series 4 is Reign Of Godzilla, Series 5 aka The Epilogue, may be called Monster Planet)

Planned Stories for Series 1, Ruler Of Monsters: -King Of The Monsters -Return Of Godzilla -Pretender To The Throne -Godzilla Raids Again -Godzilla Vs Kong -Angel Of Life  -Three Headed Monster -Godzilla Against the Space Monsters -Frankenstein Vs Godzilla -Horrific Garbage Day -The Unknown Invasion -Godzilla Vs The Legendary Wolfman -The Atomic Nightmare -Three Godzillas?! -Mirrored Reflection -Battle For The Earth

Kaijus Appearing: (subjected to change) Gojira Gyottos Dagon Black Rodan Mothra Molsa Gigantis Gamera Gyaos Zigra Zedus Salunga Parasyte Muto Prime Krystalak Obsidius Yamato-No-Orochi Rokmutul Pterodactyl Quartz Godzilla Shocklirious Fairy Mothra Gorosaurus Radon Giant Sea Serpent RoboMusume Gryphon Godzuki Dart San Ichi Ni Zilla Jirass Zone Fighter The-Runt Baragon Varan Anguirus Gaw Death-Runners SkullCrawlers Elasmosaurus Meat-Eater King Kong Berserk Mothra Battra Rodan Ghidorah Gorath Maguma Mogu Gigan Moguera  Frankenstein The Human Vapor Oodako Ginko Sanda Gaira Hedorah Shinomura Shadzilla Makadaiju Hokmuto Femuto Barb Echo Godwilla Dadzilla Cyber-Godzilla Madzilla RokuGoji Ahthrae Rhedosaurus Dust Sunodoragon Legendary-Wolfman Richi-Gostu Projira Kurushimi Legendary-Godzilla Maguro Evolved Shadzilla Elzilla Cybersaur MechaniKong Mirror!Godzilla Flayed Molsa Trauma Gamera Megalon Jet Jaguar Maguro-San Mind Flayer

New Gamera Rebirth Trailer

Seeing that it's only 6 episodes with the major selling point here being "Gamera vs 5 Kaiju", this is essentially saying that this is probably an experimental project to gauge just how profitable Gamera would be at this point after such a long hiatus with merch to decide whether or not they should create more Gamera content in the future

April 29 (2006)

AKA The Not-March Ones (5 of 5)

Happy 17 years to Gamera the Brave, the final Gamera film to date and technically the last film of the Heisei era (but if you call it Millennium I won’t tell anyone). This movie is its own standalone story, not intended as part of either the Showa era or the Heisei trilogy before it – however, it strongly invokes both continuities in its world-building, implying that some equivalent of the 1965-1971 mainline run of Showa films exists in its timeline and that Gamera’s origin is more-or-less identical to the one established in the Heisei trilogy. The film opens in 1973, with an older, battle-weary take on Showa Gamera sacrificing himself against a Heisei-style Gyaos swarm, leaving behind a series of gemstone-like artifacts marked with the traditional ammonite-shell symbol associated in the Heisei trilogy with the continent of Atlantis.

It’s not only in its setting, but also in its main characters that Gamera the Brave splits itself almost neatly down the middle in being a tribute to both eras of the franchise’s past, so let’s talk about those – and yes, I’ll go into detail for both protagonists this time, because I like the film that much!

With a slight leading edge in being the film’s advertised main character, we have Aizawa Toru, a throwback to many of the young boy protagonists prevalent throughout the Showa era – although in this case, Gamera spends a lot of time being held in his hand, rather than the other way around. While it unambiguously really is a young Gamera here, unlike the past examples, Toru still easily brings to mind Toshio from Giant Monster Gamera or Keiichi from Gamera: Super Monster because of the relationship he has with his pet turtle. On a darker note, we also get some harsher-in-hindsight echoes of Akio from Gamera vs. Guiron, as when we meet Toru, he has recently lost his mother in one of those traffic accidents that apparently no one in 37 years has been able to make Earth into a world without. Yes, Toru’s story is a much more serious and emotional tale than probably any Showa protagonist besides possibly Toshio, and his bond with the young Gamera, whom he calls Toto after the nickname his mother used to call him, is deeply entrenched in his sense of loss and the longing for people in his life that won’t leave him.

Our other protagonist is Nishio Mai, a young girl who brings to mind Asagi and Ayana from the Heisei trilogy. She’s strongly associated with the Atlantis artifacts, including one that glows when held in her hands, and like Ayana, her hospitalization is the reason her family is in a major city during a kaiju attack. She’s introduced as simply a friend of Toru’s who lives next door, jokes around with him, and lets him borrow manga volumes to cheer him up when he gets lost in memories, but once Gamera is introduced, we see a more definitive protective side to her. She first tries to convince Toru to let Gamera go, then shows him articles about Gamera, concerned that his new pet is soon going to grow to a dangerous size and start breathing fire – something Toru insistently denies, because, as he eventually snaps and reveals, Toto can’t be Gamera because Gameras fight and die, and Toru can’t lose anyone else.

This scene is particularly chilling because of its timing with another slow reveal throughout the film – at first, unknown to both Toru and the audience, and later only unknown to Toru, Mai has a heart complication and is scheduled for a high-risk surgery the following week. As days pass, we realize Mai has been living them as if they may be her last, all while being scolded and berated by her mother, who is in a state of denial and refuses to hear a word from either Mai or her father about any possibility other than things turning out perfectly fine. Mai has to fight with her mother about being able to live those days the way she wants, and the urgency of her worry over Toru is founded upon a belief she, too, snaps and reveals – that if something bad happens later on, she might not be there to help him.

All these themes of loss and death become interwoven as the plot goes on. Toru overhears an argument between Mai and her mother, discovering the truth that someone else he cares for deeply might soon disappear, and gives her the Atlantean stone that held Toto’s egg as a good luck charm. Toru’s father tells the story of the 1973 Gamera’s sacrifice, and it makes Toru hesitate in his quest to power up Toto, wondering if this Gamera will also just use the stone’s power to sacrifice himself. Despite representing similar demographics, Toru and Mai never feel like they’re directly repeating the stories of the characters they’re referencing, but telling unique, deeper emotional tales in a film that gives its characters more space to feel.

I’ll also note here that a potential plot point where Toru develops a crush on Mai was dropped completely from the final film, making it a surprisingly earnest, romance-free story about friendship and comradery, especially highlighted when Mai seamlessly works together with Toru and his other two friends to sneak Toto out at night after the turtle has grown too large to be inconspicuous.

This film is one fraught with potential for emotional heartbreak, but as one discovers upon getting to the end, it simply isn’t the type of movie to play the cards in its hand toward shock or tragedy. We’re presented with a scenario where both Mai and Toto need the energy of the Atlantean stone, and other stories might use a similar setup to teach the audience a cruel lesson in choices and loss, but nope. Gamera the Brave may be more serious than the whimsical Showa entries for most of the running time, but when it counts, this movie is still a Gamera movie, priding itself on hope and prevailing over circumstances. The stone is enough to save Mai and then the only issue from that point is how to get it from her to Toto. This is one of two Gamera films that make me genuinely cry every time, but the scene where it happens isn’t sad, just beautiful.

And really, the whole film is just that. The cinematography is incredible, with shot composition and lighting and color worthy of the most critically-acclaimed arthouse film. The scenery and establishing shots breathe magic into the homey seaside setting, and uses of slow motion, creative lighting, and internal monologue give the movie just the right amount of campiness without sacrificing tone. The music here is always on-point, whether the scene is serious or bordering on comedic, and there’s something unique and experimental about it that’s unlike any other soundtrack in the genre.

Most of this film’s common complaints have to do with the monster action, so to be fair, yes, Toto’s design is a bit of a cutesy take on Gamera, and no, they didn’t use the exact same sound file for Gamera’s roar as in the other films. But the former is fitting for the movie and the latter, I didn’t even notice while watching it. And all of this can be solved by acknowledging that Toto is a juvenile Gamera that doesn’t quite exhibit all the qualities or fulfill all the fandom expectations of a fully-grown Gamera. There are a few instances of the ‘stock roar’ that gets mentioned often, which could be compared to an undeveloped growl, but Toto’s other vocalizations are pitched right to foreshadow a more Gamera-like roar when he’s an adult.

One genuine flaw I will point out is that it’s hard to believe the Toto that fights Zedus in the first battle can be carried away on a flatbed truck when he was shown with his just his head filling up the inside of a tool shed a few scenes before, but that is also a scene I would point to that exhibits the amazing detail in the special effects, keeping the franchise consistent in at least one respect with the Heisei trilogy. And the monster battles here are just as bloody and brutal as has been a theme with all the films prior, with Gamera repeatedly getting grazed and impaled by Zedus’s sharp tongue.

Zedus himself is an interesting opponent for this film, because at every turn he seems to be referencing Gamera’s first ever foe Barugon, being a reptile with long back protrusions, a weaponized tongue, and a reflective rainbow pattern on his frill. All of these are, however, done in distinct enough ways that he can’t properly be called a redesign, just a most-likely intentional homage. And that’s kind of fitting, because the film isn’t about Zedus, he could’ve looked like just about anything without changing much, all he needs to do is be a real and convincing threat (which he does, brutally, by eating a bloody mouthful of people). He neatly avoids being either an underdeveloped new, interesting creature or an underutilized returning favorite, he’s just ‘the monster Gamera fights that isn’t Gyaos again’ and honestly that’s good enough.

For some, it may feel anticlimactic when the final powerup here is just Gamera gaining abilities he’s had from the start in all his other depictions, and has exhibited weaker versions of already in his smaller stages, but for me, the film’s characters and musical score do more than enough to sell it. This is effectively Gamera: Year One, the story of a rise to power that the other films all skip over, and in being that, it most certainly excels. Honestly, I think the worst way you can look at this film is comparing it to other Gamera movies, and not because it’s worse than they are, but because it was never aiming to replicate those same exact things.

Abuse warning for a scene early in the final battle where Toru’s father slaps him. This is probably a case of a different time and culture, as Toru’s father isn’t really portrayed as a bad guy, just a single father having reached his breaking point after his child has run off into a disaster zone. Like Asagi’s father before him, he isn’t quite ready to accept Toru’s necessary role in powering up Gamera so that he can save everyone, but to perhaps a greater extent than his predecessor, he ultimately realizes how important this is to Toru, if not to the world, and even assists his son for much of the final leg of his journey up the tower to deliver the stone.

If you’re looking for yet another giant monster smackdown of epic proportions… that’s not what this film is. It’s a human story with creative and endearing cinematography, real and compelling emotional weight, and also giant monsters. It’s Gamera meets Life is Strange or Moonrise Kingdom. It’s a story where Gamera doesn’t only represent hope against fictional despair, but also real despair, where his game-changing presence as a giant flying firebreathing pseudo-mystical hero turtle is brought to a more meaningful and engaging world than it ever has before, and that’s what makes Gamera the Brave my favorite Gamera film.

I forget if you've been asked this question before, but a friend of mine is trying to write a kaiju story for kaijune, but she doesn't have much experience writing kaiju or with kaiju media, and she asked me a question I figured you'd be better at answering: What is it that makes a kaiju story truly feel like a kaiju story other than the focus on a giant monster?

That's a very difficult question to answer, so I can see why she's having problems with it. It all depends on how you define the kaiju genre, and that's a highly contentious subject. I mean, defining things always is - every definition will have people who say it's too loose for including x and other people saying it's too narrow for excluding y, and definitions of the "kaiju genre" are no exception.

I guess let's start by setting up the to extreme ends of this definition.

The most liberal definition: A Kaiju Story is any story where a giant monster/kaiju rampaging around is the central conflict of the story.

The most(?) conservative definition: A Kaiju Story is any Japanese story where a kaiju rampaging is the central conflict of the story.

Our first big takeaway here, and the thing all kaiju genre fans can agree on, is that a kaiju needs to be integral to the plot of your kaiju story. Lord of the Rings isn't a kaiju story, because while it has a big monster in it, that big monster is an incidental encounter rather than the core focus of the conflict. That's our minimum requirement for a kaiju story.

Now, I lean towards the liberal side of this issue (which is unusual for me when it comes to defining literary shit), but I'm gonna explore on the conservative side here first, because I think there's some important points to consider there. The term "kaiju" doesn't just conjure up images of any giant monster when you hear it - it brings to mind Godzilla, Power Rangers, Gamera, Ultraman, men in rubber suits, bad dubbing, etc. And what those franchises have in common that other giant monster media doesn't is a shared background in Japanese culture and history.

When I think about why I love kaiju stories even more than most other monster-focused fiction, a lot of the things that come to mind have their roots in Japanese culture. The complex characterization of the monsters has its roots in Shintoism and various folk religious that treat all things, be they human, animal, plant, or even inanimate objects, as having souls. The emphasis on living in harmony with nature comes from those same beliefs, from Buddhism, and from the mercurial nature of Japan's environment and weather. The firm themes of opposing warfare and breaking cycles of violence are born from the pioneers of the genre despising the horrors they witnessed in World War II and wanting future generations to never repeat that great mistake. Et cetera et cetera.

I think it would be mostly accurate to say there are a great many details that make Japanese giant monster stories feel more alike to each other than to non-Japanese giant monster movies. ...mostly.

But not entirely.

Because defining "the kaiju genre" as solely being a product of Japanese culture ignores the unignorable fact that Japanese kaiju movies, from the very beginning, took some inspiration from American giant monster films. There are elements of King Kong (1933) in Godzilla (1954), and the film-makers have acknowledged that much. Rodan has this great twist at the end of the first act that depends on the audience expecting it to work like an American giant bug movie, which most of the first act functions almost identical to. The movie that cemented the "Monster vs. Monster" formula at Toho was King Kong vs. Godzilla. It goes on!

And it also goes both ways - Gorgo, a film made by the creators of The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and The Giant Behemoth, has more in common with the Godzilla franchise in tone, themes, and its approach to its monstrous stars than it does to its Western predecessors, and the creators were open about it. Hell, they even work in explicit nods to it in the film - the island Gorgo is discovered on is called Nara Island, a Japanese name despite the island itself being off the coast of Ireland. Pacific Rim, Colossal, and Cloverfield, some of the most prominent modern American giant monster movies, were likewise explicitly inspired by Japanese giant monster films. Video games like Rampage and War of the Monsters draw influence from and make homages to monster films of both the East and West.

There's also a sort of inherent fallacy to assume all kaiju stories from Japan end up having the same themes and motifs. I don't think the Showa Godzilla films would agree with how, say, Attack on Titan portrays war. Japanese giant monster stories aren't a monolith.

If a Japanese giant monster story has content that unilaterally contradicts the content of a classic kaiju work like Godzilla, but an American giant monster movie hews to that content very closely, which is the true kaiju story? Is being made by Japanese people all that matters? Or is it the content - the themes, the tone, the approach to the monster, etc.? Where do we draw the line?

...I don't know, dude, and I don't think it's my place to be the arbiter of that.

But, in an attempt to give you something that could be vaguely helpful, here is my short list of criteria for a kaiju story that I personally would like, which isn't quite the same thing as "what makes a kaiju story a kaiju story," but is as close as you're gonna get to that when asking me:

1. The monster(s) is a character and has at least one moment of sympathy in the narrative.

2. The dichotomy of nature and civilization is at the crux of the narrative. Neither is presented as uniformly good or evil - civilization has started the conflict by causing wanton and unnecessary destruction, and nature strikes back at civilization unilaterally without distinguishing the guilty from the innocent.

3. The rampaging monster(s) is a direct consequence of civilization fucking things up - bombs waking up prehistoric monsters, greedy CEOs steal a monster's egg to make a profit without a care for what the parent may do to get it back, genetic engineering creating deadly mutants, aliens who represent the dark potential future of humanity if we keep going down a selfish, warlike path set loose monsters as their personal soldiers, etc.

4. The story is explicitly anti-war, anti-capitalist, and pro-environmentalism.

5. Conventional weaponry is incapable of defeating the monsters.

6. No matter how things shake out, humanity is humbled by their encounter with the monsters, and either learns to do better or suffers for their hubris and arrogant desire to dominate the world.

Yongary

Image by Dope Pope, accessed at their ArtStation here

[I usually do my run of “monsters from movies” conversions in October, to coincide with Halloween. But I did Furtober last year instead. So I’m going to slot them into February, as a Valentines present to monster-loving folks. First up, a Korean kaiju! Yongary: Monster of the Deep is a weird movie in a number of ways. First, the original language version is lost, so you can only see it in its English dub--which is very strange in this day and age where every minor property gets super respectful treatment and 4K restorations (although there is a lovely Blu-Ray). As a ripoff primarily of Gamera, itself a ripoff of Godzilla and The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, it steals ideas and even shots in a somewhat haphazard way. It feels like cargo cult filmmaking. But it was a colossal hit in South Korea, and even got an official remake/reboot to cash in on the Matthew Broderick Godzilla, so clearly it struck a nerve in its home country.]

Yongary CR 20 N Magical Beast This creature looks roughly like an oversized dinosaur, bipedal with a reptilian snout, a few rows of short ridges along the back, and spikes on the tail. A single glowing horn grows from its nose.

A yongary is an immense burrowing creature, a relic from the ancient past. Some scholars believe they are related to behemoths, or perhaps kaiju, but they are decidedly more fragile than either. Although a yongary is difficult, if not impossible, to kill with conventional weapons, they are especially sensitive to poisonous substances, particularly organic toxins and venoms. As such, they eschew consuming organic matter for minerals and pure energy. They can eat fire, lightning and even magical force, and may come to the surface to bask in forest fires or lightning strikes.  They are also fond of music.

Yongaries are of animalistic intelligence, but occasionally will make bonds with small children, vulnerable-looking animals, and other creatures that rouse a parental instinct in the beast. These are likely to be oases of calm around its rampages, and yongaries are especially good at destroying standing structures. They seek to provoke firepower from other creatures in order to absorb its energy, and use their breath weapons to set large fires they can gain healing from. A yongary has a powerful ray that can cut between atoms, and they typically save this for targets able to actually injure them.

Yongary               CR 20 XP 307,200 N Colossal magical beast (earth) Init +5; Senses darkvision 120 ft., low-light vision, Perception +30, tremorsense 60 ft. Aura frightful presence (180 ft., Will DC 26) Defense AC 35, touch 4, flat-footed 33 (-8 size, +1 Dex, +31 natural) hp 387 (25d10+250) Fort +17, Ref +15, Will +21 DR 15/epic; Immune electricity, fire, force damage; SR 31 Defensive Abilities absorb energy, sensitive; Weakness vulnerable to poison Offense Speed 60 ft., burrow 40 ft. Melee bite +32 (4d6+15/19-20), 2 claws +32 (2d8+15), tail slap +30 (4d10+7) Ranged slice ray +18 touch (30d8 slashing) Space 30 ft.; Reach 30 ft. (20 ft. with claws) Special Attacks breath weapon (120 ft. line, 20d8 fire, Ref DC 31 half, 1d4 rounds), ruinous, trample (4d8+22, Ref DC 37) Statistics Str 41, Dex 13, Con 29, Int 2, Wis 25, Cha 19 Base Atk +25; CMB +48 (+50 bull rush, +52 sunder); CMD 60 (62 vs. bull rush, sunder) Feats Blind-fight, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Greater Sunder, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Improved Sunder, Iron Will, Multiattack, Power Attack, Stand Still, Toughness Skills Perception +30, Swim +23 Ecology Environment any hills and underground Organization solitary Treasure none Special Abilities Absorb Energy (Su) A yongary is immune to fire, electricity and force damage. Whenever it would take damage from one of these energy types, it instead heals 1 hit point per 3 hit points of damage that would otherwise be dealt. Hit points in excess of its max hp are gained as temporary hit points that last for 1 minute or until expended. Ruinous (Su) A yongary’s natural attacks penetrate damage reduction as if they were epic and magic, and ignore up to 20 points of hardness on objects struck. As a swift action, whenever it strikes a creature or object with a spell effect in place, it can attempt to dispel one randomly determined spell effect on that creature as if with a greater dispel magic (CL 20th). Sensitive (Ex) A yongary’s good saving throws are Reflex and Will. Its poor save is Fortitude. Slice Ray (Su) As a standard action, a yongary can fire a ray of slashing energy. Treat this as a ranged touch attack with a range of 500 feet and no range increment. A creature or object struck takes 30d8 points of slashing damage that ignores all hardness and damage reduction. A successful DC 26 Fortitude save halves the damage. A yongary can use this ability once per day, but it recharges whenever it uses its absorb energy ability. The save DC is Charisma based. Vulnerable to Poison (Ex) A yongary suffers 150% damage from any poison effects that deal hit point or ability score damage, or ability score drain.

On this day in 1954 the groundbreaking movie Gojira was released and began his 67 year journey of being King of the Monsters and one of the LONGEST running franchises to withstand the test of time.

Godzilla may not have been the very first Giant Monster movie (1933s King Kong & Son of Kong and 1953s The Beast from 20000 Fathoms), but he revolutionized an industry. In 1954 Haruo Nakajima, rest his soul, became the very first actor to wear not only the Godzilla suit, but the very first monster suit ever because it would have been too expensive and long to make a stop motion movie. 

King Kong and the Rhedosaurus from The Beast from 20000 Fathoms may have inspired Godzilla, but Godzilla has been the inspiration for every monster that came after him whether they were Toho Cinema spinoff movies or other studios.

And as I have said before on my facebook page, Godzilla may not be as popular as Doctor Who, Star Trek, Star Wars, or select others who have withstood the test of time, but to this day remains the strongest when fans of said series are literally at one another’s throats over the “new stuff.”

Some accomplishments accredited to the Godzilla franchise as a whole:

Appeared in 37 movies including cave paintings in Kong Skull Island. 3 of which were CG-Animated movies

Has a Hanna-Barbara series when there were no movies between 1975 and 1984 and a Tri-Star tie-in series to the 1998 movie

Has officially crossed over the threshold into anime with Godzilla Singular Point.

Been SUCCESSFULLY rebooted 5 or 6 times (many argue whether MonsterVerse is part of the Reiwa Era or not)

Inspired many in-house and competitor spinoffs such as Gamera, Mothra, Rodan, Varan, Gappa, Zarkorr, Gorgo, Pulgasari, Yonggary and many many others.

Original Gojira still remains the Golden Standard for kaiju/giant monster movies to live up to and seldom do.

Has influences and in referenced in almost everything in media

So here is to 67 years of his glorious reign as King of the Monsters, and hoping for another STRONG 33 more for his 100th Anniversary!

Here is how I am celebrating with a 15 and a half hour marathon with the following movies- 

Gojira

Godzilla vs Mothra

Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster - Now playing as I type this

Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla

Godzilla 1985

Godzilla vs SpaceGodzilla

Godzilla Final Wars

Godzilla - 2014

and last but not least Shin Godzilla

*credit to artist of Godzilla and Little-G eating cake. I found it on a website in 2012/2013

Chris: Gamera vs. Viras remastered, hd, US extended theatrical version which seems to include about 15 minutes of battle scenes from previous Gamera films, and I remember the bee hive UFO when I first saw this at age 5, but I had no recollection of the monster, and the film I saw as a kid must have been edited massively, I certainly don’t remember the gory attack on Gamera, and the scenes with Gamera attacking the UFO are great, saw this on the remastered bluray set, Watch: Buy for kaiju fans, otherwise Watch: When Free.

Richie: I thought the decapitation transformation scene was amazing, and I have no memory of it, it must have been edited when I first saw it, Watch: Buy.

The Trials Of Ultraman #5 (of 5) It’s man-made Kaiju vs. real-deal Kaiju vs. Ultraman — on a shifting battlefield of ice and fire, with thousands of lives at stake! When the smoke clears, will Ultraman be left standing? And if not, will it be because of the Kaiju battle… or the unexpected betrayal of a trusted friend? Marvel Written by Mat Groom, Kyle Higgins Art by Francesco Manna Cover by Arthur Adams https://www.comixology.com/The-Trials-Of-Ultraman-5-of-5/digital-comic/944593 The Trials Of Ultraman (2021-) Ultraman narrowly averted a catastrophe decades in the making. The world was saved – but, also, forever changed. Now…come the consequences.Much of the populace regard their defenders with suspicion. Enemies hide in plain sight, and even those closest to Shin Hayata don’t necessarily have faith in the Giant of Light. But at last, a long-thought-lost comrade has mysteriously returned! That’s a good thing…right? The RISE is over. The training wheels are off, and the stakes have never been higher. THE TRIALS OF ULTRAMAN begin here! #ultraman #thetrialsofultraman #trialsofultraman #matgroom #kylehiggins #FrancescoManna #ArthurAdams #artadams #kaiju #giantoflight #kaijubattle #toku #tokusatsu #usp #teamultraman #ultraseries #TsuburayaProductions #Tsuburaya #japanese #comics #newcomics #newcomicbookday #ultramancomics #marvel #marvelcomics #therise #godzilla #gamera #kamenrider (at Portland, Oregon) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSL7n4vrSEk/?utm_medium=tumblr

Kaijuly 2021

1. Favorite Pacific Rim series kaiju\ Otachi 2. Favorite kaiju roar\ Godzilla 1984 3. Least liked Godzilla film\ Godzilla (1998) 4. Favorite Gamera film\ Gamera Super Monster 5. Favorite zord\mecha from “Power Rangers”\ Daizyuzin (”original” Megazord) 6. Favorite Gridman\Dynazenon kaiju\ Hmm, can’t seem to find the one I’m looking for online to name it 7. Favorite Legendary redesign of a Toho kaiju\ Rodan 8. Favorite Godzilla battle\ Godzilla’s 2nd battle with Mechagodzilla in the original Godzilla VS Mechagodzilla 9. Ugliest kaiju (or seijin)\ Godzilla ‘67 10. Favorite Showa era Gamera kaiju\ Jiger 11. Favorite movie case\cover art from a kaiju film\ New World’s Godzilla VS Gigan VHS cover 12. Crossover film you want to see made\ Godzilla VS Gamera 13. Favorite Gamera suit\ Gamera 1995 14. First kaiju film\ Godzilla VS Gigan 15. Favorite Ultraman series\ Ultraman 16. Favorite Toho kaiju that isn’t Godzilla\ Varan 17. Favorite kaiju battle that doesn’t involve Godzilla\ King Kong VS Mechanikong from King Kong Escapes 18. Favorite kaiju beam\attack\weapon\ Mechagodzilla 1974′s beam medley 19. Favorite Ultra kaiju\seijin\ Gigasaurus 20. Favorite Godzilla toy you own\ The memorial box Godzilla 1984 figure 21. Favorite kaiju arrival in a daikaiju film\ Godzilla’s full reveal in The Return of Godzilla 22. Favorite song from a kaiju film\ Myth by Bakufu Slump from Gamera: Guardian of the Universe 23. Worst kaiju film you’ve ever seen\ Deep Sea Monster Reigo 24. Favorite mecha unit from all media\ Mechagodzilla 1974 25. Favorite kaiju cameo\ Godzilla on the Simpsons go to Japan episode 26. Favorite non-Japanese kaiju\ King Kong 1976 27. Favorite Ultraman series opening song\ Ultraman Great 28. A kaiju toy you really want\ Bandai’s 8 inch Baragon 29. Favorite kaiju video game\ Godzilla: Monster of Monsters 30. Favorite non-Ultraman giant hero\ Jet Jaguar 31. Godzilla Ultima design opinion\ It’s the one design I’m really indifferent with

Kaiju Stats Rewrite: Barugon

Neutral Mutated Mystical Reptile

Length: 130 meters (half of length is tail)

Tongue length: 26 meters

Mass: 22,000 metric tons

Film Appearances: Gamera vs Barugon

Powers:

Long Range Danger Sense - Barugon can sometimes detect enemies from miles away, even awakening from a sound sleep if he senses suspicious activity.

Projectile Tongue - Barugon's tongue is like that of a chameleon,, able to shoot forward to a distance roughly that of his own length to batter his enemy. 

Freezing Mist - The tip of Barugon's tongue emits a fast-acting ice mist that can quick-freeze just about anything. So intense is this cold that solid objects can crumble to powder after being blasted by it.

Rainbow Beam - The spines along Barugon's back can generate a powerful mystical HEAT beam, so intense that even steel is vaporized by it. This beam can be projected at targets miles away. It does have a weakness in being unable to penetrate reflective surfaces. It can also be reflected back into Barugon himself who is not immune to his own beam

Weaknesses: Barugon cannot stand WATER. In rain or mist, he becomes sluggish. Large bodies of water are hostile to him, making him clumsy and disoriented.

Hostile Terrain- Lakes, oceans, rivers. Barugon's reaction water is extreme. If in a battle that takes place near any large body of water, roll a d4 BEFORE THE BATTLE BEGINS. Barugon will suffer a PENALTY to his POWER NUMBER that is the result of the roll multiplied by 5. (For Example, if the d4 rolls a 1, Barugon suffers a -5 penalty to OPN and DPN, down to a possible minimum of 15, and not counting Cover Bonuses). AN EXCEPTION is if Barugon is fighting an AQUATIC or AMPHIBIOUS or one with noted SWIMMING ability on a battlefield with Water in which case he AUTOMATICALLY gets the full -20 penalty. 

Shiny Rocks- Barugon is attracted to irradiated gemstones, and his unmutated kin were known to pursue normal gems thrown deep water despite the risk of drowning.

Personal Primal Number: - 66 - Freeze Attack - If Barugon rolls 66, he successfully freezes his opponent. This does not deal any damage but his enemy is frozen in ice and CAN NOT attack until after rolling a successful attack to break free of the ice. WHILE FROZEN, all foes gains a BONUS +20 to his OPN.

Special Rule: Long Range Attack - Barugon has a sort of danger sense, being able to instinctually notice. Even before an enemy lays eyes on him, he knows they are coming and will attack

BEFORE ANY PRE-BATTLE ATTACK on Barugon (military, wildlife, alien or an ambush by his opponent):

Roll for Barugon's Rainbow Beam which has a Power Number of 40. If the Beam hits, Barugon's enemy will take 1 wound OR ,if not normally targetable (such as a rocket base), will be destroyed and harm neither Barugon or his foe. There is no Defense Roll for this attack UNLESS the target has capability to REFLECT beams (though they are so far away they will be unable to reflect it back towards Barugon, they can still negate the attack) This does not affect kaiju that ABSORB heat such as Gamera (Showa), Guilala, and Mechagodzilla (Heisei).

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Notable Stomping Grounds Veteran of: Osaka, Tokyo, 

Notes: There is a strange discrepancy with Barugons Rainbow. Strangely, it does not appear to affect plants, perhaps a mystical feature meant to prevent Barugon from burning down his native jungle habitat.

Barugon’s mutations are only known to have affected his growth rate, causing him to reach an adult size in hours rather than years, and made him uninterested in normal gems

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Unsure whether or not Barugon should have cold resistance. While they have freezing powers, they are also a tropical creature and his freezing everything may be a mechanism of feeding on heat around him like Gamera.

Redid the weaknesses so not always a flat -20 penalty (reflecting his luck and drive at doing everything he can to stay out of the water), and changed the special rule to reflect the relevant scenes that inspired it.

Special Rule: Long Range Attack - Barugon is the sniper of the kaiju world. Even before an enemy lays eyes on him, he knows they are coming and will attack. BEFORE THE BATTLE BEGINS, roll for Barugon's Rainbow Beam which has a Power Number of 40. If the Beam hits, Barugon's enemy will start the fight with 1 wound. There is no Defense Roll for this attack.

The Order I Saw the Godzilla Movies In (Revised)

I recently revised my personal timeline of when and how I became a Godzilla fan when I realized that my “obviously wrong” memory of starting in January 1994 was, in fact, 100% correct.  So, considering that, here’s the (rough) order I saw the Godzilla movies, how, and briefly my initial reaction:

1. Godzilla vs. Megalon - Circa 1990. This was the first Godzilla movie I remember seeing, a VHS copy my aunt bought for my younger cousin in the bargain bin someplace (wild guess: a Bradlees department store in Saddle Brook, NJ) . She'd put it on TV while my cousin and I were playing, but I never gave much thought to it. 2. Godzilla 1985 - January 9, 1994.  My family was over at my grandmother's house for a family party on the day of the NFC Wild Card game between the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings.  I happened to catch a commercial for the 5 P.M. movie on WPIX-11 out of New York, which that day happened to be Godzilla 1985. I was going through a Dinosaur and Monster craze at the time (thanks to Jurassic Park and Power Rangers) and made a point of watching it because it looked like the COOLEST THING EVER.  It blew my mind!  I wouldn't shut up about it for weeks! 3. Terror of Mechagodzilla - January 15?, 1994.  Since I was talking nonstop about Godzilla everyday since seeing G85, my Dad took me to the local videostore a week or so later and rented this, the only Godzilla movie they had, for me to watch. I remember being confused by this movie and didn't care much for it. 4. - 7. Godzilla, King of the Monsters, Mothra vs. Godzilla, Godzilla vs. Monster Zero, and Godzilla's Revenge - January 29 and 30, 1994. Shortly after watching ToMG, I found out that TNT’s MonsterVision was having a Godzilla night on January 29. I was SUPER-excited for it, and the marathon is really what cemented my fandom. I remember recognizing immediately that GKOTM was the original movie (and, for some reason, thought Goji's ears were horns).  The marathon started at 8 PM and I stayed up to watch that one, falling asleep some time during Mothra vs. Godzilla.  I watched the rest the next day on tape. That video was one of my most prized possessions as a kid, right up until I got the Simitar VHS set in 1998!  Interesting to note: this broadcast of Godzilla vs. Monster Zero cut the entire second Planet X sequence.  The characters leaving Earth with Godzilla and Rodan is cut off by a commercial break, and when the movie resumes is when Fuji and Glenn leave Planet X with the tape.  While I saw screenshots of the sequence in G-Fan, from 1994 until some time in 1999 when I finally sat to watch the Simitar release of the movie, I was completely unaware the Godzilla/Rodan v. Ghidorah fight, the Godzilla dancing scene, or the scene with Glenn and the multiple Kumi Mizunos were actually real scenes and not just promotional shots. 8. King Kong vs. Godzilla - April 3, 1994.  My family often merges my birthday party with Easter because the two fall so close to each other most years, and this was one of them.  I received the movie as a birthday gift from, I believe, one of my aunts. I remember being surprised the movie existed at all, the idea that King Kong and Godzilla COULD fight each other hadn't hit me yet. After this point my recollection is vague.  I'll give this in what I think is rough order. 9. Ebirah, Horror of the Deep - Spring/Summer 1994??? We got the 1992 Goodtimes release from a bargain bin, either in Kmart or Bradlees. I remember being disappointed by this one.

10. Destroy All Monsters - Summer 1994. My parents bought it from a shortlived kaiju/sentai/henshin stand my family discovered on the Boardwalk in Seaside Heights, NJ. It was by the Funtime Pier, nearish the Sawmill. The owner saw I was a wide-eyed kid who'd just discovered the fandom, and talked up the movie (I didn't need much convincing). 11. Godzilla vs. Mothra - Summer 1994. I don't remember buying this movie, but I know I saw it well before I saw Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla ‘93 because the tape had the early teaser trailer for it that mostly was showing off the poster, making the movie look way darker and more badass than it turned out to be. I’m certain I bought it from the same stand in Seaside Heights, and in fact it may have been the same day as DAM. I don't remember, though.  I'm only certain I saw it before the end of Summer 1994.

12. Godzilla vs. Gigan - 1994/1995??? Our family's favorite videostore was this place on Main Ave. in Lodi, NJ, across from the Kmart. It was AWESOME. It had EVERYTHING. It had a huge Sci-Fi/Horror section and was single-handedly the biggest reason why I was able to see as many Godzilla movies as I did as a kid (as well as many Gamera movies, plus a bunch of other genre films, PLUS the classic Universal Horror films).  The VHS was the the New World Video or '92 StarMaker release, I'm not entirely sure. The picture of Godzilla on the ground, appearing bloody and dead, was what caught my attention and made me rent it. I remember being surprised by how dark this one was.

13. Godzilla Raids Again - 1994/1995??? I spotted this one while browsing the videos in Lodi and was intrigued by the box art (it was the Video Treasures release). I've always liked this one a lot because it was a direct sequel to the first movie, because I liked both monsters' designs, and thought they had a really cool fight. 14. Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster - 1994/1995??? Honestly? I don't remember. Either I rented it from the store in Lodi or recorded it off the TV. I don't remember how I felt after seeing it, it didn't leave much of an impression on me at the time.  Now, it's one of my favorite Godzilla movies!

15 .Godzilla vs. Hedorah - Summer 1995. Rented the Orion Pictures VHS from the videostore in Lodi. I don't recall my initial reaction.

16. Godzilla vs. Biollante - Summer 1995. I went with my Dad to a supermarket in East Rutherford for groceries one afternoon, and while there we visited the videstore across the street. As had become my SOP by that point, I went to the Sci-Fi section and looked for Godzilla movies and I discovered it there. The cover caught me immediately, like GvMG2's cover it was SO COOL. We rented it, and I was doubly surprised to discover that this was a direct sequel to Godzilla 1985! AWESOME! Then, triply surprised by the violent opening sequence - so surprised that I actually ejected the tape to double-check that this was a Godzilla movie. By the time I finished watching it the first time, I had been permanently fixed as my favorite Godzilla movie. ^___^

17. Son of Godzilla - Summer 1995. Fairly certain we rented it from the videostore in Lodi. I liked this one and actually used to watch it a lot. 18. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla - Summer 1995.  Rented the '92 StarMaker VHS from the videostore in Lodi. This quickly became one of my favorites! I later bought the GoodTimes "Godzilla vs. Cosmic Monster" version from a bargain bin in Kmart, thinking it was a different movie, only to discover that it was an edited down version of GvMG (I could tell since the StarMaker version had the opening scene with Anguirus, the Cosmic Monster version did not). 19. - 20. Godzilla vs. Super-Mechagodzilla and Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla - Summer 1995.  While on a day trip to Sandy Hook in South Jersey I convinced my parents to drive all the way down to Seaside Heights so I could buy these, as I’d spotted them when we were in Seaside Heights last time. I watched Space Godzilla that night - this would be the first Godzilla movie I ever watched in Japanese without subs (it was a theatrical camcorder bootleg, I remember hearing the audience and seeing people getting up and walking around), I ate it up anyway. ^_^ I watched GvMG2 the next day while at a family party in Pennsylvania and loved it. ^_^ From this point forward the order is accurate. 21. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah - Possibly 1996. I became aware of this movie when I walked into the Garden State Plaza's Starlog store in Summer 1994, I think, (long since closed) and spotted stills of Mecha King Ghidorah and Godzillasaurus. I ended up buying a subbed bootleg from The Outer Limits in Clifton, NJ in either late 1995 or some time in 1996. 22. Godzilla vs. Destroyah - Summer 1996 or 1997. I also bought this, subbed, from The Outer Limits in Clifton, NJ. I remember buying this one in the summer, and it having been a very long time after it came out, so I'm leaning toward it having been Summer of 1997. This was one of the last movies I saw before Zilla'98 came out. I remember liking it quite a lot, and eventually it became one of the most-watched Heisei films for me. 23. Godzilla (1998) - May 1998. Saw it at the Highway Theater in Fair Lawn, NJ. I remember liking it after walking out of the theater. I didn't "decide" that I "hated" it until I read the next issue of G-Fan and realized all the other fans had hated it, so I switched gears and claimed to hate it too. I didn't change my mind about it until I gave it a second chance in 2002. Today I'm mostly neutral toward it, my biggest criticism being that it’s really dull. 24. Godzilla 2000 - August 2000. Saw it at the Clifton Commons theater in Clifton, NJ. For some reason, I wasn't excited about seeing this one and ended up waiting a week before going. I remember walking away happy I saw it, but not crazy about it. It left little impression on me for years after, although more recently I’ve come around and nowadays like it quite a lot. :) 25. Godzilla vs. Megaguirus - Summer 2001. Bought this, subbed, from The Outer Limits in Clifton, NJ. I didn't care much for it (I also didn't find out about the after-credits sequence until it came out on video in the U.S. officially). 26. GMK - Summer 2002 or 2003. Bought this, subbed, from The Outer Limits in Clifton, NJ. Being a fan of the Heisei Gamera films by this point, I was pretty disappointed by this movie. I remember not liking much of anything about it. Since then, I've 100% reversed and its now one of my favorite Post-'80s Godzilla films. 27. Godzilla against Mechagodzilla - 2004 or 2005. Don't recall how I got this one, it might've been Christmas 2004. I liked it quite a lot at the time, and thus far has held up on repeat viewings. 28. Godzilla (1954) - Fall 2004. One of the last things I bought from the Outer Limits before the store closed. I watched it in my dorm room during my first semester of college and remember being amazed, it was like seeing the movie again for the first time. ^_^ 29. Godzilla: Tokyo SOS - 2005. Bought it from the FYE in the Paramus Park Mall, I think. I didn't like it at all. I thought it was a serious let down after GxMG, and felt that movie deserved better than a bad remake of Mothra vs. Godzilla.   I've since revised my opinion and like it more, but still think it should have been better. 30. Godzilla: Final Wars - 2005. Bought it from the FYE in the Paramus Park Mall, I think.  At the time I liked it and for years thought other fans were being too hard on it.   After rewatching it again around 2013 or so, though, it plummeted through the floor to me and my opinion wasn’t nearly so high.  I slowly warmed back up to it, eventually deciding to make my own fan edit which is now my preferred version to watch.

31. Godzilla (2014) - May 2014.  Saw it at the Garden State Plaza in Paramus, NJ on opening night.   Loved it!  One of the rare movies I went back and saw again in theaters, and has only gotten better after the many repeat viewings since.  ^_^

32. The Return of Godzilla - 2015???  Considering this was only a few years ago, I’m really sort of baffled that I can’t figure out when I bought this??  After years of waiting, I got impatient for an official U.S. release and imported a copy from Japan.  It was wonderful to see the movie that made me a fan again after so long, even if it wasn’t the G’85 version, but I found the Japanese version surprisingly lacking compared to the Americanized version (which I soon after found a bootleg to compare).  The lack of music and many of what I feel were poorer editing choices really hurt the Japanese cut for me, and to this day the pure Japanese cut of this film is my lead favorite version (my preferred, these days, is the Godzilla: Resurrection fan edit).

33. Shin Godzilla - October 2016.  Saw this in, I believe, Fort Lee, NJ when it was having its theatrical run.  Loved it!  Second Godzilla movie I’d gotten my now brother-in-law to come see (I brought him to a screening of G’54 in New York City in 2014).

34. Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters - 2018.  I saw this as soon as it hit Netflix and while I enjoyed it, my feelings have been mixed.  I love the creativity of it, but it’s a pretty slow movie and not one I see myself returning to much.  One of the only ones I don’t own a copy of.

35. Godzilla: Mechagodzilla City - 2018. Yeah, screw the official title of this, it’s Mechagodzilla City for me.  I liked this one MUCH more than PotM, a truly inspired take on the Godzilla and Mechagodzilla rivalry.  Very much enjoyed!  Also don’t own a copy, since Netflix has yet to give it a physical release.

36. Godzilla: King of the Monsters - May 2019.  Saw this one in theaters at least twice, once in I believe Secaucus and again in Holmdel.  I think I saw it once more in Paramus, too.  Unbelievably enjoyable movie, and easily one of my absolute favorites of this year.  ^_^

39. King Kong vs. Godzilla (Japanese Version) - December 2019.  Finally got a chance to sit and watch this recently thanks to the Criterion set.  Loved it!

38. Godzilla: The Planet Eater - 2019???  Okay, time to come clean: I technically haven’t actually seen this one yet.  ^^()

DOGORA and MOTHRA movie posters - GODZILLA & KAIJU MONSTERS’ MOVIE POSTERS (Part 5/10)

After to the massive success of the first GODZILLA movie in 1954, Director Ishiro Honda expanded the KAIJU genre in 1961 with the introduction of Mothra (Mosura), the giant flying moth, one of the 4 Daikaju (Giant great beasts) along with Godzilla, Gamera and Rodan then in 1964, Dagora (called Dogora on all prints) the giant space jellyfish turned monster upon its arrival on eart

Above are the rare Italian poster designed for the 1968 rerelease (with a German speaking snipe - most likely for the Northern German speaking portion of the country).

All our GODZILLA and KAIJU movie posters are here

If you like this entry, check the other 9 parts of this week’s Blog as well as our Blog Archives and all our NEW POSTERSAll our ON SALE posters are here

The posters above courtesy of ILLUSTRACTION GALLERY