Normally, my notes on mini-sodes—even extended ones—tend to be short.
Not today!
This week I earn my paycheck (and the ire of Marchand and “Mr. Groupie”) with a list of notes that would make Glen and the rest of my NASA trainers quite proud.
Five, four, three, two, one…
Liftoff!
My Notes
- It’s “mark 3” not “mach 3,” Mr. Groupie. Do you have Kilara on the brain?
- Regardless, I tried to ask the Board which “friend” I was building the Serpentera Mk. 3 for, and they wouldn’t tell me. I admit I’m a little concerned given that the previous models were used by alien invaders, and I have a history with extraterrestrial invasions.
- Mr. Groupie got me swearin’ on the air! I went back to my New York roots!
- Yes, the beginning of this film reminds me of being at NASA. And let me tell you, their space monster procedures were abysmal! I blame the bureaucracy.
- Mr. Groupie, I’m as nostalgic as the next NASA engineer. We’re by definition geeks, and nostalgia runs deep in geek culture. You know this.
- “Space junk”? You realize how often that joke came up while I was in NASA? Pshaw!
- Yeah. That so-called “podcast.” 🙄
- Oh, come on! You can’t put the word “space” in anything and make me like it. (Okay, maybe “space dog.”)
- The scientific name given the giant bees (besides “Dogora deterrent”) by the Japanese scientists here is Kyodai Mitsubachi. Security Chief Douglas Gordon, on the other hand, nicknamed one the “Queen B—ch’ (although, I think he stole that from Tab Murphy).
- Yes, I met Cthulhu. I’ve read the right pages of the Necronomicon to know how to deal with him.
- Nathan, I’m surprised you didn’t compare Dogora’s weakness to the Martians dying from the common cold in War of the Worlds.
- Yes. I’m an unabashed fanboy for Kumi Mizuno and Nick Adams.
- I think Nathan and Mr. Groupie were a bit confused. I’d sent feedback for 20 Million Miles to Earth not Monster Zero at the time of this broadcast. I tried to correct them, but they didn’t catch it. (Speaking of which, I did write that Monster Zero e-mail for Kaiju Weekly).
- Yes, Carl Craig and I can both speak Japanese. I’m proud of that. Perhaps I should use it more often.
- Yeah, Marchand, I’m going to have to give you some laser pistol safety training before I take you to my range again. And yes, you shoot like a Stormtrooper. But sure, Mr. Groupie, I’ll take you to my range next time you’re here.
- Oh, I’m serious about that duel, Mr. Groupie. I’ll get it approved with the Board. Perhaps they’ll allow it if our weapons are set to stun. Too bad you backed down
- I think you mean “west coast” not “west side,” Nathan. Or do you have Russ Tamblyn on the brain?
- Yeah…Yakuza friend. I used to know him back in my scouting days. It’s not Masao. Gamera kids would never become Yakuza. Mostly because I think he might eat them if they did.
- You called it “Daimajin Strikes Back” again, Marchand!
- Yes, the Board likes 100 Grand bars. I tried Reese’s Pieces at first because of a movie I saw in the early ‘80s, but it didn’t work.
- It wasn’t easy getting that clause added to your contract, Nathan. That’s how I discovered the Board liked 100 Grand bars.
- Nathan eats super-spicy Jelly Belly jellybeans to put up with me.
- “Like somebody I know”? Oh yeah. I know all about him. That was the last time I let him near my armed drones.
Now for Nathan’s leftover notes.
The Film:
- Jimmy has a soft spot for this one because he’s a sucker for space monsters. (And I feel no shame. –Jimmy)
- The opening and credits do remind me a bit of Battle in Outer Space.
- Komai: Who’s almost the same character in Ghidorah.
- (Typo in subtitles: “big jib.”) (They should’ve had me edit it. –Jimmy)
- They were very trusting that the truck drivers would see her and not run her over.
- Mark Jackson is Herbie’s new driver. (Only because he stole that Love Bug. –Jimmy)
- The references to monsters as if they’re normal lends credence toward this being in the Showa-verse like Danny and I said. (See video and bonus episode. –Jimmy)
- “Wine delivery”? When was that a thing before InstaCart?
- This is the only time I can think of in a Showa Toho film that references ninjas—and it’s by an American! (Of course! Because they’re awesome! –Jimmy)
- The big metal box—is that how you get some of your figures shipped, Michael?
- The goon eating the rock candy that isn’t a diamond is trademark Sekizawa.
- Oh crap! Dogora sounds like a Matango! Dr. Douriff might try to summon him! (Uh…someone keep every Lovecraft book away from him! –Jimmy)
- I love how Komai casually climbs down the building to the next room.
- The old “crystallographer” is a typical scientist who somehow knows all sciences.
- This could almost be an Ultra Q episode.
- The Ifukube music during the venom manufacturing montage sounds like what he’d compose for destroying the control device in Destroy All Monsters.
- Labs around the world work to study and manufacture the wasp venom. Honda’s “brotherhood of man” theme.
- Now we have the Mission: Impossible! scene with fuse and trying to get the gun. (A Walther PPK, to boot). Thank God Komai is a decent shot! (Where’s Tom Cruise when you need him? Oh yeah, in the gif above. 😛 –Jimmy)
- There is some real military stock footage in this.
- This guy’s obsession with dynamite and throwing sticks of it is hilarious!
- And of course, the woman dies clutching a fistful of diamonds. (You sexist! Just kidding, of course. –Jimmy)
- Ever seen ThunderCats? There was an episode where it rained rocks like in this.
- Spin on Sekizawa’s formula: kaiju doesn’t solve human problem, but solving kaiju problem does solve human problem.
- And all the diamonds are fake!
- “Peaceful applications” of the tech developed to kill Dogora? Very idealistic. Very Honda.
Honda Biography
- Japanese criminologists call the early 1950s-early 1960s the “period of gang wars.” Economic growth led to red light districts where crime thrived. This accounts for the popularity of gangster (yakuza) films during this time and why such elements were added to this film and Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster.
- The authors argue that one could interpret Dogora’s destruction of a TV satellite at the beginning of the film as a commentary on the banality of television or the monster’s appetite for coal a concern over industrial pollution. Even the specter of radioactive isotopes left over from the nuclear bombings. But they say the film doesn’t think much of these.
- Jojiro Okami wrote the treatment, which was changed by Honda and Sekizawa, who added cops and robbers. He wasn’t consulted, which was usual.
- Robert Dunham’s phrase, “Oh, Kami-sama” (“Oh, God!”) is a very western use of Japanese.
- The original script was much more ambitious, with several ‘luminous monsters attacking New York and space stations while consuming diamonds and carbon. The Japanese authorities capture one and learn it can be killed with beta rays. Sadly, the film suffered from budget cuts.
- It left so little of an impression, actor Natsuki didn’t recall being in it in 1996.
LeMay
- TV Guide description read on Sanford and Son: “A giant coal-sucking jellyfish from space runs afoul of gangsters and is defeated wasp venom.”
- “Uchu kaiju” = “space monster” (We knew all about those at NASA. –Jimmy)
Brothers
- Influenced by the James Bond series (particularly Goldfinger)
- Fewer deaths, more laughs in these films now.
- Argues that the characters are overshadowed by the monsters. Honda’s characters are a “side-element” to the monsters.
- The film’s poor box office made Tanaka take this formula further.
Notes on the Yakuza:
- “Boryokudan, another word for Yakuza, is considered an insult. It refers to degenerate, violent gangsters with no sense of tradition or honor. This is how the Japanese police refer to the Yakuza.” (https://people.howstuffworks.com/yakuza.htm)
- “Members are meant to observe strict codes of loyalty, silence, obedience, and the like.” (https://allthatsinteresting.com/yakuza-history/2)
- Unlike in the film, women are marginalized in the Yakuza. Even wives and daughters are mostly servants. Sometimes they’re even used as prostitutes. However, Fumiko Taoka filled the power vacuum left by her husband for several months after he died, making one of the few women to be a boss (and it was for one of the largest gangs in Japan).
- The Japanese government has employed them, but details are hazy. When President Eisenhower visited Japan in 1960, he was flanked by Yakuza bodyguards.
- The drug trade is quite profitable for them. They run most of the drug traffic in the country, particularly meth. One member said, “One sure way of making money is drugs: that’s the one thing you can’t get hold of without an underworld connection.”
- They also got involved in white-collar crime. “Early on, the Yakuza’s role in white-collar crime was mostly through something call Sōkaiya – their system for extorting businesses. They would buy enough stock in a company to be able to send their men into stockholder meetings, and there they would terrify and blackmail the companies into doing whatever they wanted.” … “At their peak, there were 50 registered companies listed on the Osaka Security Exchange that had deep ties to organized crime.” (https://allthatsinteresting.com/yakuza-history/4)
- They now prefer using these legitimate businesses to make money rather than commit crimes.
That wraps things up.
Mr. Groupie insisted on driving Serpentera Mk. 3 back to West Virginia. Despite my hesitation, I let him. Thankfully, he didn’t wreck it (although we did have a close call with the Gateway Arch. Stop flying that low, Groupie!)
Tune in next week when Nathan is joined by Joe and Joy Metter to wrap up the “Daimajin Days” with Daimajin Strikes Again. I’m still recovering from injuries I suffered in that episode—but not from Joy!
Then Mr. Groupie’s partner in crime at Kaiju Weekly, Travis Alexander, joins us for an MIFV Halloween with Frankenstein Conquers the World (#Justice4Baragon).
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