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Episode 7: ‘Half Human’ (Mini-Analysis)

Published December 25, 2019

Merry Christmas, kaiju lovers!

As part of Nathan’s continuing series on films covered in his absence on Kaijuvision Radio, this mini-sode examines Ishiro Honda’s 1955 film Half Human, which is infamous for being banned by Toho. Heck, it was stashed so far back in the Island’s film vault, it took Goji-kun and Bro Kong (the podcast mascots and possibly Godzilla and Kong’s “little” brothers) a long time to find it for Nathan to watch. Strange as it may sound, it’s serendipitous that this episode was released on Christmas Day because the film takes place partly on New Year’s Day. It follows a group of scientists and students investigating the appearance of the Abominable Snowman in the Japanese Alps, where they encounter a savage tribe who worships the Snowman. Nathan’s analysis focuses on the natives, their parallels to the Ainu (Japan’s indigenous people), and how this portrayal got the film banned. He argues that, despite possible insensitivities, Half Human is unfairly censored and deserves to be viewed by a wider audience.

All this plus our first listener feedback letters and the Monster Island Christmas party—wherein Nathan learns that kaiju can sing Christmas carols (or so his intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA, tells him even though he hasn’t fixed the ORCA yet).

Here’s the Kaijuvision Radio episode on the film: Episode 38: Half Human (1955) (Genetic Origin of the Ainu People).

Here’s the blog with the rules for the Destroyer novella giveaway.

This episode featured “We Three Kings” by Jay Man (OurMusicBox on YouTube).

See you in 2020, listeners!

#JimmyFromNASALives

© 2019 Nathan Marchand & Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading

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Episode 6: Nick Hayden vs. ‘King Kong Escapes’

Published December 11, 2019

Hello, kaiju lovers!

In the latest episode of the “Kong Quest” (which is finally mentioned by name on the air!), Nathan is joined once again by author and “Golden Ticket Tourist” Nick Hayden of the Derailed Trains of Thought podcast to discuss the wacky but fun King Kong Escapes. Like with the 1933 film, this is Nick’s first time seeing this 1967 Toho classic, which was the second (and sadly last) of Toho’s Kong films, as it was made in the last year they held the rights to the Eighth Wonder. This is a first for the show as it’s the first tokusatsu film directed by the great Ishiro Honda covered on the podcast. It’s a crazy nexus of ideas borrowed from other productions and some that seemed to anticipate others. For one thing, its villain, Dr. Who, is both a derivation and a precursor to the famous British TV series! Nathan and Nick also note some funny connections to Rankin-Bass’ classic holiday special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer given that they collaborated with Toho on this live-action cartoon.

The Toku Topic is how Toho’s Japanese-American co-productions paralleled Japan-America relations.

Stay tuned after the credits for a Marvel-style stinger and an important announcement.

Timestamps:
Intro: 0:00-3:25
Entertaining Info Dump: 3:25-11:25
Toku Talk: 11:25-52:57
Toku Topic: 52:57-1:19:25
Outro: 1:19:25-1:24:50
Stinger:  1:24:50-end

© 2019 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

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Episode 5: John LeMay Presents ‘King Kong vs. Frankenstein’ & ‘Continuation: King Kong vs. Godzilla’

Published November 27, 2019

(FYI: This was recorded before the news that 2020’s Godzilla vs. Kong would be delayed).

Hello, kaiju lovers!

In this special “side Kong Quest” ( 😛 ), Nathan is joined by author John LeMay (who is a gentleman and a scholar) to talk about two unmade King Kong films with connections to King Kong vs. Godzilla. The first was “King Kong vs. Frankenstein,” a project that special effects legend Willis O’Brien tried to get made in the late 1950s before it ended up at Toho. Then Godzilla and Kong almost had their rematch in the 1960s with Shinichi Sekizawa’s “Continuation: King Kong vs. Godzilla,” where the Eighth Wonder becomes a surrogate parent to a Japanese baby! Hear all about them in this episode! These and many other lost Kong films are covered in great detail in John’s book Kong Unmade: The Lost Films of Skull Island, which is part of Monster Island’s library and one of Nathan’s go-to resources for the podcast.

Jimmy From NASA is absent for most of this episode because Kong and Godzilla were upset that Nathan skipped their 1962 monster mash movie, so Jimmy left to calm them down with the ORCA. The thing is, Nathan covered that film on his previous podcast, Kaijuvision Radio. Here’s a link if you want to listen to it before the next episode:

Episode 8: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) (The Japanese Economic Miracle (The Golden 60s))

Also, Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here on Monster Island!

Read Jimmy’s Notes for corrections, riffs, and more info on this episode!

© 2019 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

#JimmyFromNASALives

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Episode 4: Timothy Deal vs. ‘Son of Kong’

Published November 13, 2019

Hello, kaiju lovers!

After Jimmy From NASA flies him back to Indiana to get his microphone, Timothy Deal of the Derailed Trains of Thought podcast returns to Monster Island to continue the “Kong Quest” with Son of Kong, the almost forgotten sequel to King Kong. If the 1933 masterpiece is a grand myth, the sequel is a pleasant bedtime story. Screenwriter Ruth Rose, when talking about writing this film, said, “If you can’t go bigger, go funnier,” which is an apt statement about this film and sequels in general. Nathan and Tim’s lively discussion connects Son of Kong to the Russian film Battleship Potemkin, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day—and gives Jimmy a lot of work for “Jimmy’s Notes.” They also theorize about what happened to “Mrs. Kong”/Kiko’s mother, which actually puts this and the first film into perspective…sorta. The Toku Topic builds off of the previous one with a philosophical discussion of how 1930s filmmakers addressed the Depression in their movies, touching on themes like escapism and collective rage.

Here’s the Kaijuvision Radio episode on King Kong vs. Godzilla for you to listen to as part of MIFV’s Kong coverage: Episode 8: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) (The Japanese Economic Miracle (The Golden 60s))

Read Jimmy’s Notes on this episode here.

Timestamps:
Intro: 0:00-3:49
Entertaining Info Dump: 3:49-9:43
Toku Talk: 9:43-56:24
Toku Topic: 56:24-1:19:44
Outro: 1:19:44-end

© 2019 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading
“Culture and Politics in the Great Depression” by Alan Brinkley

“Escapism” (Wikipedia)

“Escapism and Leisure Time 1929-1941” (Enclopedia.com)

“How the Great Depression inspired Hollywood’s golden age” by Paul Whitington

Kaijuvision Radio, Episode 2: Godzilla Origins – King Kong (1933) and The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

King Kong: History of a Movie Icon from Fay Wray to Peter Jackson by Ray Morton

Kong Unbound: The Cultural Impact, Pop Mythos, and Scientific Plausibility of a Cinematic Legend (edited by Karen Haber)

Kong Unmade: The Lost Films of Skull Island by John LeMay

Son of Kong Wiki Articles
–Gojipedia
–Wikizilla
–Wikipedia

Son Of Kong (1933) Review – Kong-A-Thon Episode 2 (DMan1954)

Tracking King Kong: A Hollywood Icon in World Culture (2nd edition) by Cynthia Erb

The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales by Bruno Bettelheim (pg. 45-60)

“Why Fantasy Matters Too Much” by Jack Zipes

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Episode 3: The Godzilla Anime Trilogy (Mini-Analysis)

Published October 23, 2019

Hello, kaiju lovers!

Welcome to our first minisode! (Well, our second, according to my intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA). This is the first of a series of episodes where I’ll be analyzing films I was unable to cover on my previous podcast. In this one, I’m discussing the divisive Godzilla Anime Trilogy. Fans either love it or hate it. Me? I like it—a lot. I debunk some of the unfair criticisms of the trilogy, but the meat of my analysis is focused on how each of the four races in the trilogy—the Humans, the Bilusaludo, the Exif, and the Houtua—each exemplify different philosophies and how most of them take their worldviews to the extreme.

There’s a lot of material here—so much that Monster Island’s Board of Directors calls to say I violated my contract! Listen as Jimmy acts as my agent to keep me from being shot into space (he deserves a bonus for practically being my agent).

Here are the podcast episodes I mentioned in the episode. I recommend listening to them—especially the Redeemed Otaku episodes—if you want to hear a review of this trilogy from me.

Read Jimmy’s Notes for corrections, riffs, and more info on this episode!

#JimmyFromNASALives

(c) 2019 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Kaijuvision Radio Episodes

Episode 47 (1/3): Godzilla Anime Trilogy (2017-18) – General Reflections
Episode 47 (2/3): Godzilla Anime Trilogy (2017-18) – Main Discussion
Episode 47 (3/3): Godzilla Anime Trilogy (2017-18) – Bigger Than Human Existence

Redeemed Otaku Episodes

Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters
Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle
Godzilla: The Planet Eater

Bibliography/Further Reading

American Humanist Association: “Definitions of Humanism”

“Godzilla back as anime has human drama, fewer monsters” by Associated Press

Humanity +: “Philosophy”
–“Max More – Transhumanism and the Singularity” (YouTube)

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: “Nihilism”

“There is no sharp distinction between cult and regular religion” by Tara Isabella Burton (Aeon Magazine)

“Transhumanist Values” by Nick Bostrom

“Updated Charts: Screen Time, First Appearance, Attendance” by Joker Cluster

“What is a Cult?” by James M. Rochford

“What is Transhumanism?”

Wikipedia Articles:
–Aum Shinrikyo
–Clarke’s three laws
–Humanism
–Jonestown
–Mass suicide
–Transhumanism

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Episode 2: The Tourists vs. ‘King Kong’ (1933)

Published October 9, 2019

Hello, kaiju lovers!

Our “Kong Quest” begins! 😛 Nathan is joined by his core group of Monster Island Tourists—Nick Hayden & Timothy Deal of the Derailed Trains of Thought podcast and Joe & Joy Metter—to discuss one of the greatest movies ever made: 1933’s King Kong. What’s interesting is none of these Tourists had seen this classic film before coming to the Island, so you’ll hear their fresh reactions, opinions, and analyses to the Eighth Wonder’s first and greatest outing. Listen as each of them compete for best (or worst?) joke of the podcast (“No monkeying around!” says Nick). Along the way Jimmy From NASA gets sassy with the Tourists and has to corral a dog dubbed “Teddy Kong,” who keeps trying to make a cameo during the Toku Talk. The Toku Topic for this episode is the Great Depression since the film was made and released at the height of that period and indirectly mentions it several times.

Be sure to check out the latest episode of Nick and Tim’s podcast, Derailed Trains of Thought, where they visited Monster Island to discuss destruction as a story element with Nathan as a guest host. Their podcast is marvelous, and Nathan has appeared on multiple episodes.

Timestamps
Intro: 0:00-4:42
Entertaining Info Dump: 4:42-12:06
Toku Talk: 12:06-1:21:27
Toku Topic: 1:21:27-1:54:52
Outro: 1:54:52-end

Read Jimmy’s Notes for corrections, riffs, and more info on this episode!

#JimmyFromNASALives

© 2019 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading

“Depression, You Say? Check Those Safety Nets” by Charles Duhigg (The New York Times)

King Kong Wiki Articles:
            –Wikipedia
            –Gojipedia
            –Wikizilla

Kaijuvision Radio, Episode 2: Godzilla Origins – King Kong (1933) and The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

King Kong (1933) Review – Kong-A-Thon Episode 1 (D Man1954)

King Kong: History of a Movie Icon from Fay Wray to Peter Jackson by Ray Morton

Kong Unbound: The Cultural Impact, Pop Mythos, and Scientific Plausibility of a Cinematic Legend (edited by Karen Haber)

Kong Unmade: The Lost Films of Skull Island by John LeMay

“Prostitution – The Great Depression”

Tracking King Kong: A Hollywood Icon in World Culture (2nd edition) by Cynthia Erb

Wikipedia Articles:
            –Great Depression
            –Gold Standard
            –Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act
            –New Deal
            –Reflation
            –Roaring Twenties
            –Timeline of the Great Depression

“What Sex was Like During the Great Depression” by Melissa Sartone

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Episode 1: Welcome…to Monster Island!

Published September 25, 2019

Hello, kaiju lovers!

Listen as Nathan Marchand, co-creator and season one co-host of the Kaijuvision Radio, regales you with the origin story of his new podcast. It includes a vacation to a resort on the fabled Monster Island (formerly Monsterland), where he met his intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA (who miraculously survived the infamous War in Space), and got a new job as the curator of the Island’s film vault. Between bantering sessions with his detail-obsessed, fact-checking interrupter of a producer, Nathan explains the podcast’s philosophy of film appreciation and lays the groundwork for the upcoming episodes.

And what will Nathan, Jimmy, and their many guests be discussing first? The filmography of Monster Island’s other most famous resident: KING KONG!

Hold onto your butts!

The Monster Island Film Vault: A podcast seeking entertainment and enlightenment through tokusatsu.

Check out the epic three-hour KVR episode on Shin Godzilla:
Episode 37: Shin Godzilla (2016) (Great East Japan Earthquake/Tsunami/Fukushima Meltdowns)

Check out Jimmy’s Notes, the companion blog series to each episode of The Monster Island Film vault!

#JimmyFromNASALives

© 2019 Nathan Marchand/Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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Episode 0 – Promo Trailer

Published July 12, 2019
Artwork by Tyler Sowles.

A podcast seeking entertainment and enlightenment through tokusatsu.

Join host/curator Nathan Marchand and his intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA (who miraculously survived the infamous War in Space), as they and a rotating roster of Monster Island’s best and brightest Tourists dive deep into the films starring the Island’s most famous kaiju residents!

This is a film appreciation podcast that chronologically and critically examines films from the kaiju and tokusatsu genres. Episodes rotate between round table discussions that feature the film’s production info and an explanation of its historical and cultural contexts; and “mini-sodes” that will include interviews, comedy sketches, and audio essays, among other things. Episodes will drop the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, starting in September 2019. Listeners have a fun and fascinating journey ahead of them.

First up: The Eighth Wonder of the World!

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