Skip to content

Tag: Japan

Jimmy’s Notes on Bonus Episode 13 – I Hate ‘Pacific Rim: Uprising,’ Change My Mind | Ft. Jack ‘GMan’ Hudgens

This bonus episode was an interesting one. Nate has been outspoken with his disdain for Uprising for a long time. He even trashed it on a GFEST panel before coming to the Island. Personally, I’m indifferent. I prefer the gloriously beautiful mecha from the first film (plus, Gipsy Danger is a better name than Gipsy Avenger), but I can’t deny the new technology in the film intrigued me. I’m amazed those kids passed piloting school, though. But I don’t have much room to talk because I couldn’t cut in Jaeger school. I guess surviving the infamous War in Space makes your brain drift incompatible.

Anyway, I jotted down a few notes from the “debate.” Here they are:

  • In my defense, Nate was certain in his wrongness about Amara and Newt. It was funny to watch him embarrass himself.
  • I did fight Jack once…I don’t want to talk about it.
  • The Bandai Mandates are a good band.
  • The Jaeger with the whip was Guardian Bravo.
  • The Mysterians perhaps makes Jimmy too happy…I’m not at liberty to say why.
  • Obsidian Fury’s original name, Black Mariah, is the name of a Marvel Comics character. Interesting, “Black Maria” is the name of a character in the popular manga One Piece.
  • I’m all for getting Nate stoned. It’d be our highest-rated and most downloaded episode ever of all time.

Nate didn’t have a bunch of research for this episode since he wanted Jack to carry most of it, but here’s what he had.

All right, I have a lunch date with my cellmate in the detention center. More blogs to come!

Social media:

#JimmyFromNASALives      #WeShallOvercome               #MonsterIslandFilmVault

Comments closed

Jimmy’s Notes on Episode 71: ‘Invasion of Astro-Monster’ | Ft. The Dapper Man

After dealing a crazy half-Scotsman for months, a crazy Irishman was easy. And a welcome change. All that to say, Kevin was the cherry on top of what was a favorite episode for me. No surprise, right? Invasion of Astro-Monster (aka the superior title, Monster Zero) features the man who trained me (Glen) played by my man-crush/spirit animal (Nick Adams). Not to mention my real crush (Kumi Mizuno). It’s why when I heard that a lost Xilien saucer was discovered, I requested that it be brought to my garage for examination. Let’s just say I found some…interesting things in it. I’m still preparing a report on my discoveries. At least I was before I was sent to jail!

Anyway, I wrote more notes for this episode (naturally) than I had for the last few. These were:

  • I do have a dirty mouth—I can out-cuss any Irishman!
  • I normally nitpick the guest’s speech flubs—but Kevin is Irish, so I lost track.
  • I approve of the long segment on my man-crush and real crush. I’d almost start a whole podcast about them…but I need a new microphone. I don’t want to repeat an infamous bonus episode.
  • I don’t appreciate Kevin’s tone—I’m not a robot! I just may love a robot…maybe…. She assures me she was just connected to a machine for a while.
  • I call everyone “stinkin’ rats.” Because man-crush.
  • I’ve built up an immunity to the Lady Guard noise. But that’s mostly because I’m an engineer by trade and human.
  • Fun fact: Tetsuo was able to sell the Lady Guard to Bandai, and I had one as a kid. And yes, I did use it to annoy my parents. Sadly, the toy didn’t catch on. No “Bandai mandate” could help that one.
  • I went to Nessie’s Brasserie once. I drank too much and did the shie dance on the bar top.
  • “Plan 9 from Planet X.” I like the sound of that.
  • Keiko Sawai wasn’t in the next Godzilla film (Ebirah, Horror of the Deep), but she did play alongside my man-crush the year before in Frankestein Conquers the World.
  • Good job catching that note about Robbie the Robot. I got an e-mail from him saying he appreciated that.
  • I loved Watangi and the Fabulous Empire of Monsters back in the ‘70s! They’re on a reunion tour right now. They should play a show on the Island—especially when Kaiju Kim visits. 😉
  • I’m still not sure you know how to do your job, Nate. Especially the new one.
  • I recorded a scream for a Lady Guard mark 2. Lost my voice for three days.

And now for Nate’s complete research document:

With this, I’m in the homestretch for catching up on my blogs! Stay tuned for more!

Social media:

#JimmyFromNASALives      #WeShallOvercome               #MonsterIslandFilmVault

Comments closed

Jimmy’s Notes on Episode 69: ‘Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster’ | Ft. Luke and Jason Jaconetti

“Sixty-nine, dudes!” That’s the first thing that comes to my mind reflecting back on this episode. I thought Nate’s personality was huge. Having the Jaconetti brothers on overwhelming. I was amused watching poor Nate try to keep up. That might explain why my notes are short for episode 69: I was too entertained to write as much. Regardless, let’s see what I have.

  • Nate was thinking of a Blue Hawaii, not a Blue Mountain. He doesn’t drink coffee. (This was pointed out by Luke).
  • Venus does trigger me…but I can’t complain about Wakabayashi. What (straight) man would? But obviously, I’m more partial to Kumi Mizuno…because reasons.
  • I used to watch Everyone Loves Mechani-Kong every week as a kid. His “brother,” Mechagodzilla, was always jealous of him because his father, Dr. Who, liked the robo-ape more. 😛
  • I knew I’d need the dump button (aka Jet) for this episode with them Jaconetti boys. Sometimes the muzzle slips off their mouths.
  • MY BROTHER IS DEAD!!! (I was PTSD-ing a bit at the time).
  • I’m definitely playing “Fazers” in the Monster Zero episode. (Except I didn’t. Oops).
  • My off-air language? SLANDER! No, it’s true. People think sailors are foul-mouthed. You should hear space sailors (that’s what “astronaut” literally means) like me. We’d make seamen blush.

Here’s Nate’s research. As you’ll see, the Jaconetti brothers dominated the conversation so much, he didn’t get to a lot of it.

Slowly but surely, I’m catching up! At least it’s faster than Nate with the episodes. 😛

Social media:

#JimmyFromNASALives      #WeShallOvercome               #MonsterIslandFilmVault

Comments closed

Jimmy’s Notes on Episode 68: Nick Hayden vs. ‘Cloverfield’

Cloverfield is a film that is gaining more of my interested because of the theories that Clover is a space monster. Or at the very least extraterrestrial. (Contrary to popular belief, those aren’t quite the same things). As for the episode itself, Nick needs to be on the show more often; he’s a pleasant guy. All that to say, I didn’t have many notes on this episode, and none of them pertained to Nick. But correcting the guests is secondary to me keeping Nate honest. Ha! So, here are my additions to episode 68.

  • Yes, Rob Hawkins was offered a job by Monster Island in 2008. The Island was in the early stages of rebuilding and reopening at the time, and Rob was hired as its first director of public relations. Obviously, that didn’t work out. (By the way, I got this directly from the Board, so take that with a kaiju-sized grain of salt).
  • I had a MySpace page once. And don’t let Nate fool you—so did he! (Believe it or not, the site still exists!)
  • Nate, you’re worrying me with that “Yes, quite.” I remember an old…adversary of ours saying it a lot.
  • Blue Harvest” was actually a fake working title for Return of the Jedi. And the title of a Family Guy Star Wars parody.
  • From what I can tell, the tie-in manga, Cloverfield/KISHIN, wasn’t officially translated and published outside Japan, but there is a fan translation available here (ch. 1-3) and here (ch. 4).
  • Oh, the senseless things Nate does every day. Don’t get me started on the infamous “cockroach” incident involving Elijah Thomas and Daniel DiManna. That audio will stay buried.
  • Sometimes I don’t want to be Nate’s “people.” Especially at this time with him climbing higher in the Monster Island corporate hierarchy. Just saying.

Speaking of Nate, here are his notes for the episode so you can see what he didn’t get to:

That’s all for now. I have a mecha in desperate need of a tune up. Later!

Social media:

#JimmyFromNASALives      #WeShallOvercome               #MonsterIslandFilmVault

Comments closed

BONUS – Kaiju Conversation LIVE! Episode 2: Into the Multiverse of Marchand (abridged, re-release)

Hey, Kaiju Lovers! To tide you over while I finalize the next few episodes, here’s an abridged version of the 4 ½ hour livestream I did with Elijah Thomas of the Kaiju Conversation podcast. In this excerpt, we talk with Mark Bailey, the editor of Giant Bug Cinema: A Monster Kid’s Guide. This was a collection of essays on B-movies featuring huge insects, to which both Elijah and I contributed. The three of us discuss what we wrote, the origins of the book, and why we wrote it. The most exciting part is the book was nominated for a Rondo Award! And you can help the book win using the link below!

Vote for Giant Bug Cinema on the Rondo Awards: https://rondoaward.com/rondoaward.com/blog/.

Buy Giant Bug Cinema on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/55hffdun.

Watch the full livestream here: https://www.youtube.com/live/r2FD6YLsaus?feature=share.

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip.

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Travis Alexander; Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Eli Harris (elizilla13); Chris Cooke (host of One Cross Radio); Bex from Redeemed Otaku; Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Ted Williams, Wynja the Ninja, Brad “Batman” Eddleman, Christopher Riner, and The Indiscrite One! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop)

Podcast Social Media:

  • Twitter (https://twitter.com/TheMonsterIsla1)
  • Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonsterIslandFilmVault/)
  • Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monsterislandfilmvault/)
  • Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @NasaJimmy (https://twitter.com/nasajimmy?lang=en)
  • Follow the Monster Island Board of Directors on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD (https://twitter.com/MonsterIslaBOD)
  • Follow the Raymund Martin and the MIFV Legal Team on Twitter: @MIFV_LegalTeam
  • Follow Crystal Lady Jessica on Twitter: @CystalLadyJes1 (https://twitter.com/CrystalLadyJes1)
  • Follow Dr. Dourif on Twitter: @DrDorif (https://twitter.com/DrDoriff)

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault      #KaijuConversation            #kaiju  #RondoAwards           #GiantBugCinema

Comments closed

Jimmy’s Notes on Episode 65: ‘Mothra vs. Godzilla’ | Ft. Daniel DiManna

Nate’s been calling these blogs my “prison epistles” because I wrote them while in the Island’s detention center. I’m no Apostle Paul nor am I religious, but it’s a funny comparison. I admit it’s hard to write when there’s a gorgeous Planet X lady in the cell next door. The problem is she sleeps a lot. A good kiss would fix that. Glen gave me some pointers on kissing. (No, he didn’t kiss me! Get your head out of the gutter!) Anyway, here are my notes from Episode 65: ‘Mothra vs. Godzilla.’

  • I can’t find a reason to be upset with Danny. It’s scientifically impossible to be angry at Pollyanne Danny.
  • “Big Willy 3.” Not bad. I doubt he can rap, though. I should know: I’m a connoisseur of gangsta rap. 
  • Hey, I thought that lost recording was funny. It’s not fit for public consumption like a lot of off-air conversations we have on this show, but still funny. If people knew…well, let’s just say Kaiju Kim won’t just be canceling Michael Hamilton.
  • Mocking Nate is definitely in my contract. It didn’t take much to convince the Board to add that clause. Even after I lost respect for my evil bosses, I insisted they keep it in. Again, it didn’t take much convincing.
  • The Mothra vs. Godzilla novelization was written by Takamasa Ueda and published by Kodansha in 1984 (yes, 20 years later).
  • The pamphlet has no fake news, despite stereotypes. I double- and triple-checked.
  • Typhoon Vera caused $5.82 billion in 2023 money. Insane!
  • Which Mothra is the biggest? That depends on what you look at.
    • Largest larva: Showa at 180 meters long (Mothra, 1961)
    • Largest imago: Showa at 80 meters long (Mothra, 1961)
    • Largest wingspan: Showa at 250 meters (Mothra, 1961) (MonsterVerse version is close at 244.8 meters)
    • Heaviest: Millennium at 25,000 metric tons (Godzilla: Final Wars)
  • Just doing my job…whatever that was when I wrote this….
  • Prequels?!
  • Can you blame me for loving Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machines?

If you want to know what Nate didn’t talk about during the episode (which was a lot), here are his leftover notes:

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an X-lady to wake up. No, not that kind of X-lady!

Social media:

#JimmyFromNASALives      #WeShallOvercome               #MonsterIslandFilmVault

Comments closed

Episode 75: ‘Ebirah, Horror of the Deep’ | Ft. Brendan Morley and the Metters | Godzilla Redux

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! The final “Godzilla Redux” episode of season three features three guests! Longtime staples Joe and Joy Metter and first-timer Brendan Morley join Nate to discuss Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (aka Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster). It’s Brendan’s favorite Godzilla film, so it was only natural he’d be here. Nate enticed Joe and Joy to return by having them watch the “banned” Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode that riffed the film. That means the entire gamut is run because Nate watched it subtitled while Brendan watched the international dub. The Metters, as the resident kaiju newbies, notice and appreciate some things hardcore fans take for granted—including what might be an Easter egg no one else has ever seen! It’s an MIFV exclusive, people! Listen to learn what it is!

Before the broadcast, Nate meets a new girl who brings him a press release that says Jimmy is in jail, requiring Jet Jaguar to fill in for him on the show. Then Jessica shows up to berate Nate about taking her job. Afterward, Jessica hears from Mimo that Mothra DNA is being stolen by a Bug Lady, so she intercedes as Crystal Lady. But this new foe proves too strong—until she’s helped by Whambat!

Check out Brendan’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/@AutisticLizardProductions.

The prologue and epilogue, “Severing Family Ties! Jessica Fights Nate and Daggermoth,” was written by Nathan Marchand.

This episode was edited by Kim Lacanilao of Nuclear Lizard Media (https://www.nuclearlizardmedia.com/) and Nathan Marchand.

Guest Cast:

  • Sarah Marchand as Jessica/Crystal Lady
  • Kyndra Chastain as Saskia Messer/Daggermoth
  • Becky “Bex” Smith as Herself/Narrator
  • Damon Noyes as Gary Steward/Whambat, Mimo, and the Nachfalter
  • Hoshiko as Luna

Additional music:

  • “Dramatic Tense Cinematic Music” by Argsound Background Music
  • “Goji Beat (Extended)” by AlyssaGojiGeek101 (Alyssa Charpentier)
  • “The X-Files Theme (Cover)” by Neon Frontier
  • “Chant My Name!” by Masaaki Endo
  • “Call My Name (And I’ll be There)” by Jennifer Cihi
  • “Sailor Moon Theme Song” by Nicole & Brynne Price
  • “Shredder (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV) – The Shredder” by Sixto Sounds
  • “She’s Got the Power” by Stan Bush
  • “A weird thing” by Chiro

Sound effects sourced from Freesound.org, including those by InspectorJ and AmeAngelofSin.

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip.

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Travis Alexander; Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Eli Harris (elizilla13); Chris Cooke (host of One Cross Radio); Bex from Redeemed Otaku; Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Ted Williams, Wynja the Ninja, Brad “Batman” Eddleman, Christopher Riner, and The Indiscrite One! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop)

This episode is approved by Cameron Winter and the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Timestamps:

  • Prologue: 0:00-7:01
  • Intro: 7:01-16:59
  • Main Discussion: 16:59-1:45:45
  • Housekeeping & Outro: 1:45:45-1:56:58
  • Epilogue: 1:56:58-end

Podcast Social Media:

  • Twitter (https://twitter.com/TheMonsterIsla1)
  • Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonsterIslandFilmVault/)
  • Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monsterislandfilmvault/)
  • Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @NasaJimmy (https://twitter.com/nasajimmy?lang=en)
  • Follow the Monster Island Board of Directors on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD (https://twitter.com/MonsterIslaBOD)
  • Follow the Raymund Martin and the MIFV Legal Team on Twitter: @MIFV_LegalTeam
  • Follow Crystal Lady Jessica on Twitter: @CystalLadyJes1 (https://twitter.com/CrystalLadyJes1)
  • Follow Dr. Dourif on Twitter: @DrDorif (https://twitter.com/DrDoriff)

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault      #Godzilla            #GodzillaRedux

© 2022 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

  • Bogue, Mike. Apocalypse Then: American and Japanese Atomic Cinema, 1951-1967. McFarland & Company. 2017.
  • Galbraith, Stuart IV. Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films: A Critical Analysis and Filmography of 103 Features Released in the United States 1950-1992.
  • Kaijuvision Radio, Episode 12: Ebirah – Horror of the Deep! (1966) (The Changing Kaiju Film Audience) (https://youtu.be/EiZOIOL2UYI).
  • Kalat, David. A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series, 2nd Edition.
  • LeMay, John. The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies Volume 1: 1954-1982.
  • LeMay, John. The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies: The Lost Films (Mutated Edition).
  • LeMay, John. Writing Giant Monsters.
Comments closed

One Monstrous Moment: Star of Ultra Edition – We are Dragon Caesar

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! As part of The Omni Viewer’s (https://www.youtube.com/@omniviewer2115) “One Monstrous Moment: Star of Ultra Edition” series, Nate waxes poetic about a mecha-kaiju—from Zyuranger! Yes, he kinda combines all of his podcasts into one short essay that discusses grief, vulnerability, legacy, and Jason David Frank. Have some tissues ready!

Additional music:

  • “Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger” by Kenta Satou
  • Zyosouken song

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Travis Alexander; Michael Hamilton; Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Eli Harris (elizilla13); Chris Cooke (host of One Cross Radio); Bex from Redeemed Otaku; Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Ted Williams, Wynja the Ninja, Brad “Batman” Eddleman, Christopher Riner, and The Indiscrite One! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop)

Sound effects sourced from Freesound.org, including those by InspectorJ.

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip.

Join the official Facebook fan page for this and The Monster Island Film Vault, The Markalite Lounge.

This episode is approved by Cameron Winter and the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Podcast Social Media:

  • Twitter (https://twitter.com/TheMonsterIsla1)
  • Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonsterIslandFilmVault/)
  • Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monsterislandfilmvault/)
  • Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @NasaJimmy (https://twitter.com/nasajimmy?lang=en)
  • Follow the Monster Island Board of Directors on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD (https://twitter.com/MonsterIslaBOD)
  • Follow the Raymund Martin and the MIFV Legal Team on Twitter: @MIFV_LegalTeam
  • Follow Crystal Lady Jessica on Twitter: @CystalLadyJes1 (https://twitter.com/CrystalLadyJes1)
  • Follow Dr. Dourif on Twitter: @DrDorif (https://twitter.com/DrDoriff)

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault      #OneMonstrousMoment

© 2023 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Comments closed

MIFV MAX #16: ‘Shin Ultraman’ Special Report (abridged) | Ft. Daniel DiManna, Damon Noyes, Michael Hamilton, and Guest of Honor Jeff Gomez

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! While production continues on the last quarter of MIFV season three, I’m sharing this excerpt from the latest MIFV MAX livestream, on which the subject was the finally-released Shin Ultraman. In this portion, we interview the producer of the Ultraman Connection website, Jeff Gomez, who shares why tokusatsu—and especially Ultraman—is important to him. We then move to the work he did to get Shin Ultraman released through Fathom Events, including who was commissioned to make its surprisingly good dub. You’re getting inside info no other podcast has!

If you’d like to hear the uncut version of the livestream where Danny, Damon, Michael, and Nathan discuss the film and their viewing experiences, join MIFV MAX on Patreon for as little as $3 a month!

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Travis Alexander; Michael Hamilton; Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Eli Harris (elizilla13); Chris Cooke (host of One Cross Radio); Bex from Redeemed Otaku; Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Ted Williams, Wynja the Ninja, and Brad “Batman” Eddleman! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop)

Sound effects sourced from Freesound.org, including those by InspectorJ.

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip.

Join the official Facebook fan page for this and The Monster Island Film Vault, The Markalite Lounge.

This episode is approved by Cameron Winter and the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Podcast Social Media:

  • Twitter (https://twitter.com/TheMonsterIsla1)
  • Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonsterIslandFilmVault/)
  • Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monsterislandfilmvault/)
  • Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @NasaJimmy (https://twitter.com/nasajimmy?lang=en)
  • Follow the Monster Island Board of Directors on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD (https://twitter.com/MonsterIslaBOD)
  • Follow the Raymund Martin and the MIFV Legal Team on Twitter: @MIFV_LegalTeam
  • Follow Crystal Lady Jessica on Twitter: @CystalLadyJes1 (https://twitter.com/CrystalLadyJes1)
  • Follow Dr. Dourif on Twitter: @DrDorif (https://twitter.com/DrDoriff)

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault      #ShinUltraman            #Ultraman

© 2023 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Comments closed