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Jimmy’s Notes on Episode 47: ‘Godzilla, King of the Monsters!’ (1956) (feat. Elijah Thomas)

Published September 3, 2021

I’ve gotten into a bad habit of not blogging on time, haven’t I? That’s mostly because I’ve been fielding multiple phone calls for the bad PR last week’s episode on Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956) got me after Elijah Thomas alleged that I had an OnlyFans account. I ended up consulting with Miss Perkins about how to handle it, which wasn’t easy for me to do. The only reason she didn’t charge me was because I’m a space war veteran. That was nice of her, at least.

Anyway, here are my notes from the episode:

  • Why are there microphones styled after…human nipples? Or are they yeti nipples? You know what, don’t answer either of those questions. I don’t need more OnlyFans accusations.
  • The line, “Makes King Kong look like a midget,” was from an article in the Daily News, which is based in New York City, so I’d know.
  • I love Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster almost as much as Monster Zero. I saw it at the Champion Film Festival as a kid with Masao. That was a magical experience. Almost as magical as helping Gamera save the world from a space squid.
  • I had Goji-kun fetch me Godzilla (1954) from the Vault, and there is no reference to “cursed waters” in it. Good catch, Elijah!
  • Invasion of the Body Snatchers came out in 1956, the same year as this film.
  • For the record, I said, “You got a problem with droids?” when Nate said only he and Elijah could understand me.
  • “Dubbed” = you meant “subbed” when asking about ’54, Nate.
  • So, about the White Heron. I…basically have it on loan from the Anti-Megalosaurus Force. Or rather, they loaned it to Ozaki and his EDF Mutants…but only because Captain Gordon pulled some strings. I don’t feel like saying more.
  • More love than Marchand. Indeed. Except I don’t get much fanmail. Send me fanmail, folks.

And now for the overabundance of leftover notes from Nate’s research that I have to edit down. It’s a good thing I like my job. A lot of these were from Nate’s “previous podcast life.”

Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956) Notes

  • The reporter character from the original cut still appears in a few shots and scenes, but he’s mostly supplanted by Martin.
  • Emiko and Ogata, who were the primary characters in the original, aren’t properly introduced until 24 minutes into the film. They are supplanted by Martin as the main character(s). This is unfortunate considering how compelling they were in the original cut. (In my most recent re-watch, I found myself wanting more of them and less of Martin). It spells out the love triangle more clearly than in the original. (Nate says he doesn’t feel this way anymore. –Nate)
  • There are several long shots of just Burr observing things or minding his own business while other characters talk or he narrates.
  • After Serizawa shows Emiko the Oxygen Destroyer, the original dialogue is there when he says her name, but then the dubbing kicks in. They’re clearly different.
  • The closest Martin ever comes to meeting his college friend Serizawa is talking to him on the phone.
  • Martin says Osaka might be attacked by Godzilla next. He was right—see Godzilla Raids Again. (I wonder how he felt about being right? I’d ask Raymund Martin, but…he’s in mourning. –Jimmy)
  • Still has the huge scientific error of saying the Jurassic Period as 2 million years ago. You’d think American filmmakers would catch that. Worse yet, they grossly exaggerate Godzilla height from 50 meters (approximately 160 feet) to 400 feet (he’s never been that tall). This misnomer is still believed by some on pop culture. (J.D. Lees, editor of G-Fan, once posited a fan theory to account for this discrepancy by saying Yamane was too frightened to make an accurate assessment. I doubt it). (I call BS on that! –Jimmy)
  • Serizawa appears 33 minutes in. He, too, is given a lesser role in this film, which also tragic given how compelling a character he is in the original. (Again, Nate doesn’t feel this way anymore. –Jimmy)
  • The oxygen destroyer is introduced sooner in this cut than in the original Japanese version. It’s done as set-up as opposed being something that might potentially be used against an existing problem (i.e. Godzilla after he comes ashore once). This is a more western-style of storytelling. Either way is legitimate, but I did find myself feeling like the device was introduced too soon in my re-watch.
  • This cut also has a brisker pace than the original, which isn’t surprising given that it is about 10 minutes shorter.
  • Unnecessary scream when Godzilla attacks a car. Almost comical. (It’s no Wilhelm scream, though. –Jimmy)
  • The mother and children are still in this cut of the film, but they are neither dubbed nor subbed, leaving her words a mystery to those who don’t understand Japanese. It’s been a point of contention among critics and fans. While it does help to know what she says, which makes the scene better, I, for one, am grateful it was left in. The effect is changed. This version seems intended to show the death of innocents (i.e. women and children) in Godzilla’s massacre.

Japan’s Green Monsters

  • Toho sold the distribution rights to Embassy Pictures for $25,000 (which is about $251,000 now).
  • They say this version makes the American have superior insight and omniscient knowledge, making the audience not empathize with the Japanese characters. (I call BS on this, too. –Jimmy)

Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men

  • Brothers argues that this version isn’t true to the letter of Honda’s original but is true to its overall spirit.

Honda Biography

  • Premiered at Times Square in April 1956. Earned $2 million.
  • During the Occupation, Hollywood set up an office in Tokyo to distribute American films.

LeMay

  • The dubbing was recorded in five hours.
  • Terry Morse directed small films for WB and was given $10,000 (about $100,000 now) to do all of this.

Galbraith

  • He’s surprisingly cold toward the movie (either version), saying Godzilla lacks personality and isn’t as distinctive as Toho’s later work.

Kalat

  • Burr had just co-starred in Rear Window (1954).

Noriega

  • “The Hollywood re-edited film plays on an American sense of guilt toward the Japanese in the early fifties, saying in effect, “look at what we’ve done/are doing to Japan.” As with other American radioactive-monster films, this guilt is then projected onto the monster, who is revealed to be the true cause within the movie. Godzilla’s death represses American guilt and anxieties about nuclear weapons: both history and Japan’s own filmic rendition are retextualized to erase the bomb and thereby relieve anxieties about the American occupation and H- bomb tests.”

Glownia

  • “In the American version he is not afraid that if publicized his invention would initiate a new arms race, rather that it could fall into the wrong hands. Thus Godzilla, King of the Monsters! tends to legitimize the possession of weapons of mass destruction by the “good guys”, and at the same time deny this right to the ‘bad guys’”

Ryfle and Godzisewski Commentary and “Godzilla’s Footprint” (and Hoberman)

  • Burr’s presence elevates it.
  • Edmund Goldman, the head of Manson Productions, is the man who can prove that he discovered Godzilla. He purchased the rights from Toho.
  • Martin teats the Japanese well and doesn’t look down on them. Also, the extras are Asian.
  • The cinematography is different The new footage uses close-ups and medium shots while Honda preferred wide shot followed by close-ups.
  • Ryfle compares this to the Donner Cut of Superman II, which he said may not see the light of day. Ha! It did! (This was out-of-date when the Classic Media DVD was released! –Jimmy)
  • This gets lumped in with B-movies largely because of the hyperbolic ad campaign.
  • The dialogue was recorded without visuals. That made looping difficult.

Kalat Commentary

  • The atomic monster genre played to the contradictory Cold War fears of Americans at the time: “Science is bad, and we need more of it.” (Speaking as a science guy, I disagree. Science is good…if used properly. An improper use is time travel. Stop it with time travel, people! –Jimmy)
  • The average foreign rights price was $3,000 (just for perspective).

War Crimes Tribunal

  • The chief prosecutor was Joseph B. Keenan, Assistant Attorney General of the United States and Director of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice of the United States. He was appointed by President Truman. (Wikipedia)
  • Keenan: “War and treaty-breakers should be stripped of the glamour of national heroes and exposed as what they really are—plain, ordinary murderers”. (Wikipdia)
  • Prosecution presented its case from May 3, 1945, to January 24, 1947.
    • The Charter provided that evidence against the accused could include any document “without proof of its issuance or signature” as well as diaries, letters, press reports, and sworn or unsworn out-of-court statements relating to the charges. (Brackman, Arnold C. (1987). The Other Nuremberg: The Untold Story of the Tokyo War Crimes Trial. New York: William Morrow and Company. P. 60).
    • Article 13 of the Charter read, in part: “The tribunal shall not be bound by technical rules of evidence…and shall admit any evidence which it deems to have probative value”. This included such things as: wartime press releases of the Allies, the recollections of a conversation with a long-dead man, and letetrs allegedly written by Japanese citizens that had no authenticity and weren’t cross-examined by the defense (Minear, Richard H. (1971). Victor’s Justice: The Tokyo War Crimes Trial. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. P. 120)
    • When the prosecution rested, the Tribunal implemented the “best evidence rules,” a legal term that said the most authentic evidence was original documents (as opposed to descriptions of said evidence, for example). Justice Pal, one of two justices who voted for acquittal on all counts, observed, “In a proceeding where we had to allow the prosecution to bring in any amount of hearsay evidence, it was somewhat misplaced caution to introduce this best evidence rule particularly when it operated practically against the defense only” (Minear, Richard H. (1971). Victor’s Justice: The Tokyo War Crimes Trial. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. Pp. 122-123)
  • The Defense presented its case January 27, 1947, to September 9, 1947.
    • George Furness, a Defense Counsel, stated, “[w]e say that regardless of the known integrity of the individual members of this tribunal they cannot, under the circumstances of their appointment, be impartial; that under the circumstances this trial, both in the present day and in history, will never be free from substantial doubt as to its legality, fairness and impartiality”.
    • Former Foreign Minister Shigenori Tōgō asserted that “[because of the Hull Note] we felt at the time that Japan was being driven either to war or suicide”. (Wikipedia)
  • There was contention over Emperor Hirohito’s legal status and the legitimacy of the Tribunal itself.
    • Justice William Webb of Australia, in his concurring opinion, wrote of Hirohito’s legal status, “The suggestion that the Emperor was bound to act on advice is contrary to the evidence”. While he didn’t indict the Emperor, Webb said Hirohito was responsible as a constitutional monarch who accepted “ministerial and other advice for war” and that “no ruler can commit the crime of launching aggressive war and then validly claim to be excused for doing so because his life would otherwise have been in danger…It will remain that the men who advised the commission of a crime, if it be one, are in no worse position than the man who directs the crime be committed”. (Röling, B. V. A.; Rüter, C. F. (1977). The Tokyo Judgment: The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (I.M.T.F.E), 29 April 1946-12 November 1948. 1. Amsterdam: APA-University Press. ISBN 978-90-6042-041-6. P. 478)
    • Justice Henri Bernard of France argued that excluding Hirohito called the entire Tribunal into question.  He concluded that Japan’s declaration of war “had a principal author who escaped all prosecution and of whom in any case the present Defendants could only be considered as accomplices”, and that a “verdict reached by a Tribunal after a defective procedure cannot be a valid one”. (Röling, B. V. A.; Rüter, C. F. (1977). The Tokyo Judgment: The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (I.M.T.F.E), 29 April 1946-12 November 1948. 1. Amsterdam: APA-University Press. ISBN 978-90-6042-041-6. P. 496) (Wikipedia)
    • Justice Bert Röling of the Netherlands wrote in his dissent, “It is well-nigh impossible to define the concept of initiating or waging a war of aggression both accurately and comprehensively.” He added, “I think that not only should there have been neutrals in the court, but there should have been Japanese also.” While he argued they would’ve been a minority and not swayed the balance of the trial, he said, “they could have convincingly argued issues of government policy which were unfamiliar to the Allied justices”. Citing difficulties and limitations in holding individuals responsible for acts of state and making omissions of responsibility crimes, Röling called for several defendants to be acquitted (including Hirota). (Wikipedia)
    • Justice Radhabinod Pal of India wrote a 1,235-page judgment that dismissed the Tribunal as victor’s justice: “I would hold that each and every one of the accused must be found not guilty of each and every one of the charges in the indictment and should be acquitted on all those charges”. While accounting for the influence of wartime propaganda, exaggerations, distortions of facts in the evidence, and “over-zealous” and “hostile” witnesses, Pal concluded, “The evidence is still overwhelming that atrocities were perpetrated by the members of the Japanese armed forces against the civilian population of some of the territories occupied by them as also against the prisoners of war”. (Wikpedia)
    • Justice Delfin Jaranilla of the Philippines, interestingly, dissented for different reasons. He thought the penalties imposed by the tribunal were “too lenient, not exemplary and deterrent, and not commensurate with the gravity of the offence or offences committed”.

Criticisms

  • Justice Röling went further, saying, “[o]f course, in Japan we were all aware of the bombings and the burnings of Tokyo and Yokohama and other big cities. It was horrible that we went there for the purpose of vindicating the laws of war, and yet saw every day how the Allies had violated them dreadfully”. (Wikipedia)
  • Complicating matters, there was no international law pertaining to aerial combat at the time. Ben Bruce Blakeney, an American defense consul for Japanese defendants, argued that “[i]f the killing of Admiral Kidd by the bombing of Pearl Harbor is murder, we know the name of the very man who[se] hands loosed the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.” However, the Pearl Harbor attack was classified as a war crime under the 1907 Hague Convention because it happened with no declaration of war and with no just cause for self-defense. Likewise, Japan’s bombings of Chinese cities was never brought up because it was feared this would mean incriminating the Allies for their fire bombings of Japanese cities. This meant no Japanese fighter pilots escaped prosecution for their actions. (Terror from the Sky: The Bombing of German Cities in World War II. Berghahn Books. 2010. p. 167. ISBN 1-8454-5844-3.)
  • Justice Pal published a dissenting opinion where he said he found the prosecution’s case that the Japanese government conspired to engage in aggressive war and subjugate other nations to be weak. While he acknowledged the brutality of the infamous Nanking Massacre, he saw nothing to indicate the Japanese officials were responsible.  There is “no evidence, testimonial or circumstantial, concomitant, prospectant, restrospectant, that would in any way lead to the inference that the government in any way permitted the commission of such offenses”, he said. He also added that conspiracy to wage aggressive war wasn’t illegal in 1937 or made illegal since then (“The Tokyo Judgment and the Rape of Nanking”, by Timothy Brook, The Journal of Asian Studies, August 2001.)

Have fun reading all of that.

As for next week, Nate has finally reached the “promised land,” as he calls it: the Heisei Gamera Trilogy. We start with 1995’s Gamera: Guardian of the Universe, which features the return of his favorite people, the Tourists. I’m not sure how many of them will make it, but they were all invited. Also, Nate has to finish his interview with Spacewoman Kilara or be shot into space. Then we have another Patreon-sponsored episode. This time it’s from MIFV MAX member, Damon Noyes, who selected The Magic Serpent for us. That should be interesting.

See you then!

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#JimmyFromNASALives       #WeShallOvercome

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Episode 47: ‘Godzilla, King of the Monsters’ (1956) (feat. Elijah Thomas)

Published August 25, 2021

Hello, kaiju lovers! “Godzilla Redux” continues with Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (the original and not the 2019 film covered on MIFV a few months ago). Elijah Thomas (aka “The Littlest Gatekeeper”) from the Kaiju Conversation podcast joins Nate to discuss this Americanized version of the original 1954 kaiju classic. While it’s often been derided by both fans and critics alike, Nate and Elijah argue that it’s not only an important time capsule commenting on American-Japanese relations in the mid-1950s, but it just might be more culturally significant than Ishiro Honda’s original film! You read that right! If it wasn’t for Raymond Burr playing reporter (not comedian) Steve Martin in this version, the Godzilla franchise may have stalled and faded into the arthouse ether. That’s just a taste of these boys’ defense of the film!

Before the broadcast, Nate gets a call from Legal Action Team paralegal Gary, who says he’s meeting with a private investigator concerning their case against the Board—just when William H. George III, the Board’s special envoy, pays Nate a visit to make some veiled threats. After the broadcast, which includes several reports about an escaped Gyaos, Raymund Martin comes demanding to know if Nate has seen Gary that day—and tells Nate and Jimmy about a tragedy on the Island.

Listen to Nate and Travis’s spinoff podcast, The Henshin Men Podcast, on Redcircle.

This episode’s prologue and epilogue, “Gary and the Gyaos,” was written by Nathan Marchand with Michael Hamilton and Damon Noyes. 

Guest stars:

  • Michael Hamilton as William H. George III
  • Damon Noyes as Gary & Raymund Martin

Additional music:

Sound effects sourced from Freesound.org.

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Travis Alexander and Michael Hamilton (co-hosts of Kaiju Weekly); 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, and today’s guest host, Elijah Thomas! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month!

Check out MIFV MAX #4 to learn how you can help make Episode 50—MIFV’s second anniversary special—possible!

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic!

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

Timestamps:

  • Prologue: 0:00-4:37
  • Intro: 4:37-16:30
  • Main Discussion: 16:30-1:28:59
  • Listener Feedback, Housekeeping & Outro: 1:28:59-1:39:13
  • Epilogue: 1:39:13-end

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault       #Godzilla        #GodzillaKingoftheMonsters

© 2021 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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Jimmy’s Notes on Episode 46: Daniel DiManna vs. ‘Gamera Super Monster’

Published August 19, 2021

Looks like Episode 46 should’ve been called, “Jimmy From NASA: Silent but Deadly.” Except the “deadly” part was before the broadcast and the “silent” part was during it.

I spent many hours filling out paperwork with Raymund Martin at the office of the Monster Island Legal Action Team because of this. Thankfully, with the help of Mr. Martin’s paralegal, Gary Steward, I’m happy to say that a court case won’t happen. Danny was too happy with his new toy to press charges or file lawsuits, anyway.

So…Gamera: Super Monster. I think Nate needed my banter to keep him from losing more of his mind, but Danny deprived him (and you, listeners) of it. That was easily the most unhinged he’s ever gotten on the air. I should’ve brought him some Jack Daniels.

Now for the part you came to read: my notes on the episode. I had plenty of time to jot them down since I was under Danny’s vow of silence.

  • In my defense, I figured Danny would love riding the pteronadon-bot again, and he’s surprisingly resilient given he survived the fall into the ocean. Maybe Nate was unintentionally right about him being Superman with a Beta Capsule?
  • Should my job feel threatened that Nate handled himself remarkably well without my help? No, because he needs someone to push his figurative and literal buttons. Plus, our viewership would drop because sometimes I get more love than him. 😛
  • I can’t find what karate level Mach Fumiake achieved (story has it she got a blackbelt, but that was after she made this movie), but she did become a champion pro-wrestler in AJW. I even found one of her matches on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp59WwS1IbA
  • That RX7 was beautiful. Mazdas are gorgeous. I had a 1980 Mazda RX7 back in the day. That’s why I was pissed when Zanon destroyed the one in the movie.
  • What can I say? I’m a sucker for women who know martial arts and can kick my @$$.
  • If you were any other man, Danny, I would’ve killed you for mocking Nick Adams! My laser pistol is kept in a secret drawer in my producer booth.
  • Exploiting my past trauma…how very Sun Tzu of you, Marchand.
  • It’s “Gamera: Super Monster,” Marchand, not “Super Monster Gamera.” (But I doubt anyone cares).
  • I let Danny win. I knew he was faking. I just enjoyed taking a mini-vacation. 😉 Besides, like I said, I have giant robots I built myself in my garage.

Here are Nate’s leftover notes:

The Movie

  • Nine planets: eight now, apparently. (There are NINE planets. You can’t convince me otherwise. –Jimmy)
  • “Resistance is futile.” Good grief, I hope TNG didn’t get that from this! (At least the Borg did it better than Zanon. Small comfort? –Jimmy)
  • I thought about splicing in clips of all the previous episodes I’d done for the Year of Gamera, but I decided not to because it was easier—maybe?—to just broadcast about it. (I could’ve done it if I wasn’t so busy in my garage off the clock. –Jimmy)
  • Oh my gosh, Kenny! You play better than you sing!
  • How is it that only one guy saw the Spacewoman transform and teleport? (I got nothing. –Jimmy)
  • This “Gamera March” gets old quick. (That’s because it’s not from my movie. 😛 –Jimmy)
  • The time of day transforms with the Spacewomen. (Beautiful women can do that, especially when they’re henshin heroines. –Jimmy)
  • Don’t you hate it when your henshin attack gets interrupted by villains too smart to let you do it? (All the time. 😛 –Jimmy)
  • I don’t feel any stakes in this stock footage. I barely feel any stakes in the new footage!
  • When your ringtone sounds like an oily spring. (It might’ve been recorded in my garage…. –Jimmy)
  • Keiichi is stupidly trusting of strangers.
  • Giruge, high heels on a beach doesn’t sound like a good idea. (For once, I have to agree with you, Nate. –Jimmy)
  • If this is actually in the same universe as the previous movies, Gamera is having a lot of déjà vu. “History repeating.” And Zanon can resurrect and control kaiju. How is he having this much trouble conquering Earth?! (You’re complaining, why? –Jimmy)
  • Kilara conveniently opens a portal to Keiichi.
  • “One more chance” is never “one more chance” with Zanon—because he doesn’t understand the concept of numbers. (He went to the “gooder” schools. –Jimmy)
  • This movie is basically several episodes of a henshin hero show spliced together with spit and glue into a compilation movie with Gamera stock footage. (You might want to have it on Henshin Men, Nate. 😛 –Jimmy)
  • This movie just does whatever it wants without explanation. (Like me. 😛 –Jimmy)
  • So. Much. Padding!
  • Gamera jazz hands.

Commentary by Richard Pusateri

  • Says he likes Gamera more because of studying this movie?! (Some universities offer degrees in it. –Jimmy)
  • Likens tokusatsu to bonsai gardening: they know it isn’t real but appreciate the artistry of it and don’t see it as deceptive or trickery.
  • Argues that a movie doesn’t have to be good as long as it’s entertaining. (paraphrase)
  • “Space Macarana.” 😛
  • Toho = MGM, Toei = Warner Bros. Daiei = Universal
  • Could see this as a coda in a symphony or as a greatest hits album.
  • The wormhole recalls Godzilla’s Revenge.
  • The music in the “Dodzilla” scene might be emulating the theme from Son of Godzilla.
  • Jokes that Jackie Chan was Giruge’s stunt double.
  • Gamera vs. Barugon to the Shaft theme.
  • Jokes that Keiichi begging Gamera not to go to Shane.

Intro by August Ragone

  • “Previously on Gamera…”
  • A musical?

Galbraith

  • Claims the Dozilla clip was cut from the US version.

LeMay

  • Yuasa went on to direct episodes of Ultraman 80 after this.
  • This was sort of the inspiration for the 1995 Playdia video game Gamera: The Time Adventure.

Toku Topic: The Rise and Fall of Daiei Film (aka the Japanese Film Crash of 1970)

  • The Japanese Film Crash of 1970:
    • Films had to be leaner and more commercial, appealing to broader audiences. Genres like yakuza and “youth pictures” died. By 1970-1971, franchises like The Crazy Cats, Young Guy, Station Front, and the Boss were gone.
    • Genre films were being screened more at drive-ins and lowbrow theaters. Toho went from dealing with studios like Columbia and AIP to struggling “fly-by-night” companies.
    • There were several other trends that contributed to this:
      • People moved from the cities to the suburbs. This brought theater attendance down. Industrialization. Many theaters were closed because of this.
      • Foreign films started eating up ticket sales, and by 1975, they outsold domestic releases. It was hard to compete with big-budget Hollywood productions.

We did it! It’s uphill from here!

Since Nate survived (barely), Godzilla Redux continues next week with 1956’s Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, We’ll be joined by “the littlest gatekeeper,” Elijah Thomas of the Kaiju Conversation podcast. He’ll tell you who the “tru phans” are. Then, much to Nate’s excitement, he’s having the original Tourists return to start their journey through the Heisei Gamera trilogy with 1995’s Gamera: Guardian of the Universe.

Huzzah!

Social media:

#JimmyFromNASALives       #WeShallOvercome

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Episode 46: Daniel DiManna vs. ‘Gamera: Super Monster’

Published August 11, 2021

Hello…kaiju…lovers…. The only reason this episode is long as it is because Nate’s guest, Daniel DiManna (creator/author of the Godzilla Novelization Project) is the most talkative introvert ever of all time. But even if “Danny Boy” was Superman with a Beta Capsule, he couldn’t save this week’s Year of Gamera movie, the infamous Gamera: Super Monster. This 1980 cash-grab from a barely-alive Daiei Film is easily the Guardian of the Universe’s lowest point. On paper, Nate should love this movie because it has three of his favorite things—spaceships, superheroes, and kaiju—but he doesn’t. From public access channel special effects to a nonsensical plot with everything but the kitchen sink to the truckloads of stock footage—this must’ve been a plot by the Board of Directors to break Nate. Meanwhile, Danny keeps MIFV’s intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA, quiet by getting him to bet his Pteranodon-bot that he can’t interrupt them during the broadcast. The Toku Topic, fittingly, is the rise and fall of Daiei Film, the studio that introduced the world to Akira Kurosawa and Gamera but dug itself into a financial hole it couldn’t escape. It’s a crazy story, to say the least.

Before the broadcast, Nate and Jimmy are visited by the Board’s executive assistant, Ms. Perkins. She tells Nate that she made arrangements for him to interview Spacewoman Kilara from Gamera: Super Monster on MIFV, much to his chagrin, and then fangirls over her. But the more Nate asks Ms. Perkins questions about her past, the stranger she acts.

Listen to Nate and Travis’s spinoff podcast, The Henshin Men Podcast, on Redcircle.

This episode’s epilogue, “Interviewing a Superheroine,” was written by Nathan Marchand. 

Guest stars:

Additional music:

Sound effects, including some by InspectorJ and klankbeeld, sourced from Freesound.org.

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Travis Alexander and Michael Hamilton (co-hosts of Kaiju Weekly); 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, and TofuFury! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month!

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic!

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

Timestamps:

  • Prologue: 0:00-7:47
  • Intro: 7:47-19:26
  • Entertaining Info Dump: 19:26-26:43
  • Toku Talk: 26:43-1:37:52
  • Henshin Men Promo: 1:37:52-1:41:08
  • Toku Topic: 1:41:08-2:13:12
  • Listener Feedback, Housekeeping & Outro: 2:13:12-end

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault       #GameravsZigra          #YearofGamera

© 2021 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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THE HENSHIN MEN | Podcast Promo

Published July 19, 2021

I (Nathan) am the “kaiju guy” now, but I used to be the “superhero guy.” Now thanks to Travis from Kaiju Weekly, I’ve combined both! This is a promo for our new spinoff podcast, The Henshin Men, a tokusatsu superhero appreciation podcast dedicated to high-flying and high-kicking adventures of Japan’s transforming, kaiju-fighting heroes!

New episodes drop every Monday.

Henshin Men on RedCircle.

Henshin Men on Twitter: @HenshinMenPod

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Episode 44: The MSTies vs. ‘Gamera vs. Zigra’ (feat. Travis Alexander and Neil Riebe)

Published July 14, 2021

Hello, kaiju lovers! After calling in a favor at the last second to get a replacement guest, Nate sits down with Kaiju Weekly’s Travis Alexander and kaiju author Neil Riebe to discuss one of Gamera’s lowest points: Gamera vs. Zigra. Yes, before Jaws, the Friend to All Children battled a giant alien shark who couldn’t decide if he wanted to enslave humanity or eat them. Ziggy also has a bad habit of recruiting beautiful ladies as hench-people (your new PC term of the day), but they forget everything they knew before being mind-controlled—like that parading around in nothing but a bikini might not be the most inconspicuous disguise unless you’re in an exploitation film for kids. Let’s just say, Nate almost loses his mind in this episode. The Toku Topic is Kamogawa Sea World, because this movie is a terrible, overgrown commercial for the resort.

Afterward, Nate has to pull some Board-mandated overtime and is contacted in secret by Gary, Raymund Martin’s paralegal. Nate thinks he’s found a new friend in Gary in his quest to out the Board.

Listen to Nate and Travis’s spinoff podcast, The Henshin Men Podcast, on Redcircle.

Check out Neil’s books, I Shall Not Mate and Vistakill.

This episode’s epilogue, “A Secret Ally,” was written by Nathan Marchand with Michael Hamilton. 

Guest stars:

  • Damon Noyes as Gary

Additional music:

Sound effects sourced from Freesound.org.

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Travis Alexander and Michael Hamilton (co-hosts of Kaiju Weekly); 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, and The Cel Cast! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month!

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic!

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

Timestamps:

  • Intro: 0:00-12:40
  • Entertaining Info Dump: 12:40-19:22
  • Toku Talk: 19:22-57:45
  • Advertisement: 57:45-58:24
  • Toku Topic: 58:24-1:15:05
  • Listener Feedback, Housekeeping & Outro: 1:15:05-1:32:26
  • Epilogue: 1:32:26-end

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault       #GameravsZigra          #YearofGamera

© 2021 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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BONUS Jimmy’s Notes on ‘Bonus Episode 8 – Godzilla: Singular Point (feat. Kaiju Weekly)’

Published July 9, 2021

You may recall that I shared Nate’s research on quantum mechanics in a bonus Jimmy’s Notes since he wasn’t able to share it on the air for the Godzilla: Singular Point episode. You may also recall I’ve been late posting my blogs this week. So, to make up for that, I’m now sharing Nate’s leftover notes on Singular Point itself. Drink it in, folks.

  • The intro in the first episode begins like a fairy tale. It even has “once upon a time…”
  • Jet Jaguar is a company mascot for Otaki Factory. Ha! (Now he’s my garage’s mascot. –Jimmy)
  •  This first episode throws A LOT at you.
  • I already love Pero 2. (I’m hoping to work on a project with Mei and Pero 2 at some point—making Nate green as a Messiah 13 Alien with jealousy. 😛 –Jimmy)
  • They say “Ja-gwar.” 😛 (As any good English speaker would. –Jimmy)
  • How dare those kids mock JJ! (Indeed! Be glad he likes kids, or else he’d be the first robot arrested for murder. –Jimmy)
  • Ep1 ends with Godzilla march and Godzilla skeleton. Lots of intrigue. (The scientists on the Island want to study that skeleton quite badly, but it’s been a chore to get it moved here. Raymund Martin is waist-deep in litigation over it. –Jimmy)
  • We don’t get the proper theme song until ep2.
  • The old man’s speech when he launches JJ is very Darkwing Duck. JJ’s stubby legs are so funny! In this, he starts out as a small mech with a pilot. Then he has a mind of his own after a reboot. (Piloting Jet sounds kinda fun. Hmm…. –Jimmy)
  • JJ vs. Rodan!
  • Rodan crawls! (Like a certain Ghidorah…. –Jimmy)
  • I love this crazy, cranky old man.
  • I love Mei’s kawai kaiju phone cover.
  • What the–?! Who the heck is Hot Topic lady here? (Your new girlfriend, Nate? 😛 –Jimmy)
  • Oh my gosh! They’re merchandizing Rodan REALLY fast! (And those dolls are being sold at the Island’s gift shop. –Jimmy)
  • These early episodes feature a lot of researching. Reminds me of grad school and my job here on the Island.
  • Ep3 starts with narration again.
  • Mei never has the same outfit from one episode to the next.
  • Otaki Factory’s company car is a Cadillac?! (I approve.  –Jimmy)
  • Mei has clothes on a clothesline? People still do that? (Apparently. –Jimmy)
  • “I’m afraid your laundry is no longer with us.” Ha!
  • Why are Rodans dropping dead?
  • Mei’s major is biologica fantastica. Interesting. (But does she go for English majors, Nate? 😛 –Jimmy)
  • Mei and Yun would’ve been natural fits at my alma mater. (We get it, Nate. You’re in love. 😛 –Jimmy)
  • “Godzilla” appears at the end of ep3. You know because of the music.
  • EE: Godzooki sticker?!
  • How can Mei afford to fly to Dubai? (Student loans. Lots of them. –Jimmy)
  • Yun just guessed there were bones in the basement?
  • Anguirus! He has the ability to defelct bullets. Named by a child who couldn’t say “ankylosaurs.” And is a fortune teller?
  • This show likes to end episodes with kaiju appearances.
  • Ep5 has Not-Gabara (Salunga).
  • The 3D and 2D animation actually integrate pretty well.
  • There are a lot of news reports.
  • Manda appears. (Mammoth snake).
  • JJ’s lower body was built in a hurry.
  • So, we have not-Titanosaurus replicating a scene from Reigo by jumping over the ship.
  • Godzilla’s arrival in ep7 reminds me of Shin Godzilla. (Varan?)
  • Asks the obvious question of whether future means anything if the future is set.
  • We have title drop in ep7!
  • The gelatin illustration is very Star Trek.
  • Does Revelation say 1/3 of the waters turn red? (It is one of the Ten Plagues, though).
  • “That puts the “oo” in “Cool.’”
  • Gojira or Godzilla?
  • Jet Jaguar can talk now—and he sounds like a kid. (I removed that feature from him. It was a bit creepy. –Jimmy)
  • Godzilla’s breath attack and “death” in ep8 is very Shin Godzilla.
  • Now the kids think JJ is cool. (#Irony. –Jimmy)
  • The story in this very much like Shin Godzilla: characters are trying to unravel and decipher a puzzle left by a scientist.
  • Not-Gabara isn’t dead?!
  • Lena must be adopted. She looks nothing like her dad.
  • Godzilla Ultima appears in ep10.
  • The Red Dust around Godzilla is basically radiation. He’s a walking disaster.
  • JJ rode a Rodan. I’ve seen everything. (It’s the most metal thing I’ve seen in a while. –Jimmy)
  • Shiva fits with the Stoic story about the gods covering up the inadequacies of man and starting over. (God and the Flood?)
  • I love that most of the creatures in this series are the more obscure kaiju in the Toho pantheon.
  • The Octagonal Diagonalizer is the Oxygen Destroyer.
  • INN News? Did Fox and CNN merge? (That’d be a confusing disaster. –Jimmy)
  • I get it. Jet’s AI reverted because everything is working backward.
  • The old man quotes Jurassic Park in the dub: “Hold on to your butts!” (I’m sure our competition loved it. –Jimmy)
  • Where’s the JJ with propellers toy?
  • Godzilla has fleas?! (He did in 1984. –Jimmy)
  • Jet Jaguar vs. Godzilla?! (Madness, I tell you! –Jimmy)

Creator Interview

  • Source: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2021-06-23/the-science-of-kaiju-with-the-director-and-writer-of-godzilla-singular-point/.173773
  • Atsushi Takahashi (director), Toh Enjoe (sci-fi writer and ex-physicist)
  • ENJOE: The first thing we were aiming for was to formulate a Godzilla story that is shown in animation through 13 weekly episodes. I originally joined not as the screenwriter but as a consultant for the science fiction aspects, so I mainly thought about how Godzilla could be actualized as a living creature. People are right when they say that Godzilla is symbolic of something, but I wanted to try reexamining what could be reexamined through the perspective of modern biology.
  • ENJOE: I suppose it might be the attitude of attempting an internally consistent work of fiction based on a hypothesis. In physics, you first start with a hypothesis, and if the results you end up with don’t match reality, the hypothesis is discarded. In fiction, you start with a concept, and if the story you end up with doesn’t match it, the concept is discarded.
  • ENJOE: I suppose it might be the attitude of attempting an internally consistent work of fiction based on a hypothesis. In physics, you first start with a hypothesis, and if the results you end up with don’t match reality, the hypothesis is discarded. In fiction, you start with a concept, and if the story you end up with doesn’t match it, the concept is discarded.
  • TAKAHASHI: I think there are many people who are aware of Godzilla, but there are surprisingly few who have sat down and watched a Japanese Godzilla film, much less all of them. I do wonder how many people have seen them all. If you’re one of the people who says you have, you’re a nerd in the minority. I hope that watching Godzilla SP gives you the motivation to sit down and watch the older Godzilla films. (In other words, you’re all a bunch of uber-nerds. –Jimmy)
  • ENJOE: I’m sure that there will be many people who say they can’t understand the sci-fi elements, but we’ve made it so that even if you don’t understand, you’ll be fine. Actually, the characters are smarter than me, so there are plenty of times when the logic they espouse is lost on me.

As I wrote in my previous blog:

The “Year of Gamera” continues next week with Gamera vs. Zigra, which will feature Kaiju Weekly co-host/MIFV MAX member Travis Alexander and now (because our previous guest vanished off the internet), kaiju author Neil Riebe. Nate isn’t a fan of this movie, but again I remind you a beautiful woman parades around in a bikini for a while! How can you complain? Then we have another first on the show: a Patreon-sponsored episode. Not only that, but that generous MIFV MAX member is joining us on the air: Eli Harris. The topic will be three episodes of Godzilla: The Series, specifically “New Family” parts one and two and his favorite episode, “Deadloch.”

Until then, remember: #WeShallOvercome

Follow me on Twitter: @NasaJimmy
Follow MIBOD on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD
Follow Raymund Martin (The Monster Island Legal Team) on Twitter: @MIFV_LegalTeam
Follow Crystal Lady Jessica on Twitter: @CrystalLadyJes1

#JimmyFromNASALives

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Bonus Episode 8 – ‘Godzilla: Singular Point’ (feat. Kaiju Weekly)

Published June 30, 2021

By our powers combined!

In true Amalgam Comics fashion, The Monster Island Film Vault and Kaiju Weekly have fused to form a super-show (“Kaiju Film Vault Weekly”?) to discuss 2021’s next big tent-pole kaiju release, the Netflix anime Godzilla: Singular Point. Nate, Travis, Michael, and even Jimmy From NASA get into just about everything about this 13-episode series released worldwide June 24, from the characters to the monsters to quantum physics. This series proved to be somewhat divisive in the Godzilla fanbase as it aired weekly in Japan starting in March, and your intrepid hosts were just as divided. Who liked it and who loved it? Listen to learn the answer!

Nate was unable to share his research on quantum mechanics because this broadcast went long, so Jimmy posted it as a bonus Jimmy’s Notes on the MIFV website as a supplement to this episode. Hopefully, it enhances your appreciation of this experimental Godzilla anime.

Additional music:

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Travis Alexander and Michael Hamilton (co-hosts of Kaiju Weekly); 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, and The Cel Cast! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month!

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic!

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

Timestamps:

  • Intro: 0:00-4:50
  • News: 4:50-28:16
  • Toku Talk/Main Topic: 28:16-2:16:13
  • Housekeeping & Outro: 2:16:13-end

Podcast Links:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault       #GodzillaSingularPoint

© 2021 Moonlighting Ninjas Media and Kaiju Weekly

Bibliography/Further Reading:

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Nathan is Interviewed by Kaiju Kim!

Published June 25, 2021

This past Sunday, I was interviewed by Kaiju Kim, who makes the most wholesome kaiju content you’ll see on YouTube. It was Father’s Day, so the chat was relatively quiet, but we still had a good time discussing kaiju literature–including books and short stories I’ve written and published myself. Give it a watch!

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