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Category: Jimmy’s Notes

Jimmy’s Notes on Episode 51: Dallas Mora vs. ‘Gamera 2: Attack of Legion’

Published November 13, 2021

Is it Saturday? Damn, what was in that beer I had last night at the Monster Island Tavern? That’s the last time I go drinking with Dr. Dourif. No wonder I didn’t finish my promised “Jimmy’s Notes” blog on episode 51 (Gamera 2: Attack of Legion). Nate isn’t the only one trying to get back on schedule. Thankfully, with this, I’ll be caught up after all of the Board’s shenanigans. Surprisingly, I didn’t take many notes during that broadcast. They were:

  • Yes, the beginning of this film was nostalgic for me. I miss NASA. I thought about getting a job there again during Nate’s time in orbit. I may still need to if business dries up for the Island. Good thing I still have connections there.
  • I did some digging, as Dallas requested, and I couldn’t find any staff members who worked on both Gamera 2 and Parasite Eve. However, the 1997 movie adaptation of the original Japanese novel was distributed by Kadokawa Shoten, which is owned by the same parent company that bought Daiei (and Gamera) in 2002.
  • It was a girl who was crying over Gamera, not a boy, Nate! Use the right pronoun!
  • The Maccabean Revolt was in the second century B.C. and was against the Seleucid Empire, which was Greek
  • Dallas is bothered by my tight T-shirts? It’s not my fault I need to change my wardrobe after hitting the Kaiju Gym as hard as I have. 😛

Now for the overabundance of leftover notes Marchand has on this movie. I don’t think I’m contractually obligated to share these anymore (it’s all in flux after recent events), but being that he’s my friend, here you go.

  • The detective is back! But now he’s a security beer warehouse. And he still can’t get away from kaiju! His interview by the cops on video made me think of The Terminator. I wonder if Kirin Beer sponsored the movie? (Maybe. I should have some Kirin beer delivered to the Island. So we can ask them to sponsor us, of course! -Jimmy)
  • This movie likes horizontal wipes. (Kinda like one of my favorite space movies…. –Jimmy)
  • Interesting that the evacuees run through a torii gate (see Daimajin episode of MIFV). It marked the entrance to a sacred place. Shelter?
  • I love the effects when Gamera inhales to shoot a plasma ball. You see gas go in his mouth and his throat light up.
  • Again, there are real consequences. Legion corpses on the beach after Gamera swims away.
  • Netscape and the old internet. Quaint.
  • Asagi shows up 40 or so minutes in.
  • A second flower as a set piece does seem a bit repetitive.
  • All those hats on that long rack!
  • Asagi’s hat says, “Invisible,” in English. It describes her because she goes unheeded by most people. (You freaking English major. 😛  –Jimmy)
  • Breaking Legion’s horn actually makes things worse. Pacing and escalation. Legion goes red-eyed and angry.
  • SHINKU…HADOKEN! This is crazy, anime-esque, and doesn’t get explained until the next film. Otherwise, it’s totally left field. “If his chest had been a cannon, he’d have shot his heart upon it.” (Again, FREAKING ENGLISH MAJOR! –Jimmy)

COMMENTARY BY KYLE YOUNT

  • Opened between Godzilla vs. Destoroyah and Rebirth of Mothra, so the kaiju scene was a bit stale.
  • First act is set in Hokkaido, which is a bit unique for a kaiju film. Northernmost island.
  • The scientists and military actually get along.
  • The crew had to pull the beer bottles by hand because their rig didn’t work. Had to paint their fingers black so they wouldn’t show up on camera.
  • The doctor who dissects the Legion soldier was an actual professor.

INTRO BY RAGONE (ARROW VIDEO)

  • Mahiro Miyeda, who helped design Legion, also did concepts for Mad Max: Fury Road.

A TESTIMONY OF 15 YEARS (DOCUMENTARY)

  • One of the producers on the trilogy, Morio Akawa, didn’t even like monster movies and preferred movies for older audiences as a kid. He credits the trilogy with stretching him.
  • (Ito wouldn’t show his face in his interview. Instead, we saw his dog. Why?) (Because you writers are weird? 😛 –Jimmy)
  • Ito calls the trilogy his “coming-of-age” as a screenwriter. He says there’s a clear difference between his writing before and after the trilogy. He used to be associated Mamori Oshii, and now he’s associated with this trilogy.
  • Otani says Masaru Sato saw the first film and said, “There’s no one in Japan who writes like this, at full throttle!” Otani says that’s how he works.

MACIAS (ARROW BOOKLET)

  • Guiron and Barugon were discussed to return, but the filmmakers decided to go with a new monster—Gamera’s first original foe since 1971—Legion. (I think Barugon wants to know…why was he replaced? –Jimmy)
  • Gamera was redesigned slightly by Tomo Haraguchi, an effects wizard and film director).
  • This time, the JSDF supports Gamera.

 “BRINGING UP GAMERA” BY ENGLAND (ARROW BOOKLET)

  • As a teen, he (Higuchi) got a part-time job with Toho and worked with Koichi Kawakita on Sayonara Jupiter (see MIFV episode 41) and Return of Godzilla.
  • He storyboarded for many productions, including anime like Neon Genesis Evangelion (Anno named the series’ main character after him).
  • He wanted a project at the time that fit into what he envisioned—that is until screenwriter Ito got him the job on Guardian of the Universe. He’d never done it before, so Daiei was taking a risk.
  • He wasn’t able to redesign Gamera as much as he wanted, which brought him into conflict with the studio. He wished he could’ve gotten away with what the filmmakers did on Godzilla (1998). However, in Gamera 2, he got to do it by making Gamera more like a sea turtle with flippers.
  • With designing Legion, he said he wanted to make something memorable like old school kaiju, because he felt modern kaiju had “muddled characteristics.”  He started with an idea of having the skeleton on the outside, which led to having two men in the suit since human joints are fixed and he wanted to avoid the human shape.
  • The suit was heavy, and it took the actors ten minutes just to get in it, and they could only wear it for ten minutes at a time. The principle actor, Mizuho Yoshida, went on to play Godzilla in GMK (and previously played Zeiram in those films). He’s biased, but Higuchi thinks Legion is one of the five best kaiju designs ever.

FLOWER – ENGLISH LANGUAGE GAMERA

  • It was released on DVD by ADV in 2003 with a dub written and directed by Kyle Jones. The also produced the infamous “Lake Texarkana” dub where the actors read their lines as southern hillbillies.

LEMAY (BIG BOOK)

  • Also considered having Viras (Jimmy wanted to be in that one). (YES! And I’d still kick his @$$! –Jimmy)
  • Legion’s head was supposedly inspired by Guiron.
  • In an homage to the Showa series, Gamera bleeds more and is initially taken out by the Legion seed pod.
  • It grossed about the same amount of money as the first and won Best Special Effects from the Japanese Academy.
  • There’s a manga sequel that may or may not be canon, which is a Heisei retelling of Barugon.
  • There was a short-lived rumor that Disney might distribute the film.

TOKU TOPIC: THE EXORCISM OF THE GERASENE DEMONIAC

  • The demon’s name refers to a Roman legion, which could comprise up to over 5,000 soldiers. Some also connect it to Isaiah 65:4, which has God referring to obstinate Israel defying Him: “who sit in tombs, / and spend the night in secret places; / who eat pig’s flesh, / and broth of tainted meat is in their vessels;”

And there you have it.

As of this writing, our next two episodes will feature my former nemesis Michael Hamilton as the guest for the next “Godzilla Redux” episode, which covers the first sequel to Godzilla (1954), Godzilla Raids Again. Then the “Year of Gamera” comes to an end with Gamera the Brave, which will have Bex from the Redeemed Otaku podcast as the co-host. I confess I might miss the big turtle.

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Jimmy’s Notes on Episode 50: ‘The War in Space’ (aka “The Jimmy From NASA Story”)

Published November 10, 2021

So, I’ve had quite the month…

It goes without saying that things have been crazy on the island for a while now, especially with Nate having been jettisoned from the planet and a man literally becoming Gyaos guano. I’m not afraid to say that I’ve run the gamut of emotions over the course of this month; I feared for my life on more than one occasion, I worried about the safety of my friends and coworkers, lost a few nights of sleep over wondering what the Board was planning to do to my mech garage, and then came face to face with a generous helping of trauma from my past.

In other words, just another normal slice of life for your old pal Jimmy. I’ve been through much worse, and frankly, I foresee plenty of boredom in my future now that the excitement is over. For now, at least…

Anyway, now that the unprecedented 50th episode of MIFV is finally in the can, it’s about time for another batch of contractually obligated Jimmy’s Notes. However, I’ll be perfectly honest: the whole “contractual obligation” thing is kind of up in the air at the moment, what with the Board being outed as a conglomerate of megalomaniacal toku villains and all. I’m not sure if I’m necessarily “obligated” to do much of anything right now, much less take orders from the likes of Commander Hell and his retconned rejects. In addition to that small fact, Episode 50 wasn’t a traditional episode by any means, and neither I nor Nate had much of anything in the way of notes or research prepared prior to sitting down to watch The War in Space. (All right, there’s a chance I’d been sitting on the “that’s what she said” joke for a while, but I still don’t regret it…).

So, in lieu of providing the usual patented “Jimmy’s Notes” experience, I’ve instead opted to reflect on the entire incident surrounding the episode itself. After all, I didn’t even expect to be a participant in the episode, and was only roped in thanks to some deus ex teleportation shenanigans. Let me explain…

On the day Nate finally awoke in his orbiting radio station, I was fighting for my life in the bowels of Monster Island, hiding in the darkness and fearing for my very existence. Okay, the bowels were actually the dark corners of my garage, and I might have been playing Space Invaders on mute while fearing for my existence, but make no mistake: I was in very real danger. I knew the Board was after me, and that there was every chance that they would find me before I could enact my plan to rescue Nate. Initially, my scheme involved flying Mechani-Kong Mark II into space to intercept the radio station, but due to a postal error, the nuclear fuel cell I’d ordered off Amazon to help power the mech’s new propulsion system somehow got delivered to a completely different island. The damn thing still hasn’t shown up, actually. I really need to get that claim e-mailed.

But that’s beside the point. There I was, alone in my manly mecha man-cave, desperately hoping that my backup plan would work. I was waiting for a call from my cousin, Timmy, who’d been entrusted with the safekeeping of an old friend of mine, a relic from a past war (in space): the one and only Gohten. After a few decades of hard work, Timmy had managed to get the old airship up and running, even managing to replace the drill in the front (although I’m told that it no longer contains the power to “Death Star” a planet, which is probably for the best). I knew the craft had the ability to both fight and tow KIJU back to terra firma, and that it was the only such ship I could get my hands on with such short notice. Despite the memories it held, I knew that it was the right thing to do. Saving Nate and sticking it to the Board took precedence over any discomfort I might’ve felt while walking its halls and remembering the events that took place there.

The call finally did come, of course. I managed to get the message to Timmy, and he assured me that the Gohten would be ready to launch within a few hours. In traditional Jimmy fashion, everything was working out perfectly. But of course, no sooner had I hung up the phone than a strange light began to surround me, illuminating the massive shapes of the mechas that loomed over me in my garage. Naturally, I assumed that the lights were a result of several days of hard drinking, but as it turns out, I was being teleported up to Nate’s studio! The rest of the story is all in Episode 50 for you to discover for yourselves.

Well, maybe not all of the story…

I feel like I did a pretty good job of hiding it while Nate was secretly recording everything we and the Board were saying, but I’ll be perfectly (TV’s) frank with all of you: the idea of sitting in a screening room and watching The War in Space was both thrilling and a bit terrifying. I know I said something of the sort on the air, but I’d be lying if my confidence wasn’t a bit shaky walking into the theater.

It’s hard to describe for anyone who might not understand exactly what PTSD does to a person, but while I was happy to help Nate and work with both him and Joe to make the experience a bit funnier (for both us and you, our listeners), I’ll admit that the thought of seeing my past trauma play out in front of me nearly left me paralyzed. When you’ve had to live with those kinds of memories for so long, you get used to disguising it with confidence, a generous helping of machismo, a bit of well-placed humor, and (if you’re me) some hardcore handsomeness. But even the thickest barrier of emotional protection can’t protect you forever, and I’ll be honest: there are days when it’s hard. Hard to sleep without the nightmares returning, hard to cover your insecurities with humor, and even hard to be honest about your pain with the people you trust.

With all of that taken into account, I hope you now appreciate the strength it took for me to walk into that theater, sit down, and be as insanely funny as I was throughout the screening. But truth be told, I feel like I handled it well. In fact, I can honestly say that I had a blast throwing riffs at the screen, telling a few stories from the old days, and goofing around with Nate and Joe. They might not know it, but they really made that screening not just bearable, but worth it for me to take part in. I wouldn’t necessarily call myself “cured” of my PTSD (sadly, that’s not how it works), and maybe this is just the Jack Daniel’s talking, but if I had to sit down and watch The War in Space again right now, I’d do it without hesitation.

So yeah, that’s pretty much all I have to say about my experience with Episode 50. I hope all of you had as much fun listening to it as we had putting it together, and that you got at least a chuckle or two out of my hilarious jokes. Also, I’ve been told that my actual voice came through loud and clear during the entire episode, which is quite the relief! Now the entire world has proof that I’m every bit as handsome as I sound. I wouldn’t get too used to it, but who knows… there’s always a chance that you’ll be able to hear me again in a future episode. Anything’s possible!

Thank you all again for checking out MIFV’s 50th episode, and stay tuned for more episodes (and more Jimmy’s Notes) coming soon!

(Also yes, before anyone asks, I really did fix Venus. And yes, I’m also writing my memoir! But I’d rather not talk about it…yet).

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Jimmy’s Notes on Episode 49: ‘The Magic Serpent’ (feat. Damon Noyes)

Published November 8, 2021

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? When you’re fighting for your job (and your life, at times) and trying to bring your supervillain bosses to justice for wrongfully shooting your podcast host into space, blogging just doesn’t seem very important. And to think I used to buy the koolaide these megalomaniacs were selling. Hell, one of them turned out to by the overlord I fought against during the War in Space! Insane, man, insane. I probably should’ve typed a few things out while holing up in my garage, but I had robots to maintain, including an often exhausted Jet Jaguar. He was in desperate need of some plot convenience to keep going. 😛

But now that things are returning to a semblance of “normal,” here is the first of three Jimmy’s Notes blogs coming your way this week to catch us all up. Today’s is over episode 49. The next two will drop Wednesday and Friday. Hopefully, I remember what all these notes mean. 😛

  • It’s shocking how similar The Magic Serpent is to Star Wars. Nate and Damon pointed out most of the similarities, so I won’t go into detail here. It makes me wish I’d seen the film when it first opened. Although, that was years before Star Wars was a thing. Still, I could’ve been that gaijin hipster who saw Serpent first.
  • Rodan is a Pteranodon, Damon, not a bird or a pterodactyl.
  • Actually, Damon, the Japanese words for “frog” and “toad” aren’t the same. They are “kaeru” (カエル) and “hikigaeru” (ヒキガエル), respectively.
  • No drone pickup from the Post Office? Good, because a copy of The Magic Serpent did arrive on its own to the Island. Of course, the Island had no film curator, so it sat in a P.O. box for weeks. Damn you, MIBOD!
  • “Strong husband for my daughter,” not “wife,” Damon.
  • The rest of my time in the Boy Scouts was spent doing…much more boring things. That being said, Masao and I were the most popular kids in our troupe for a year. We got invited to all the parties, and we may have gotten a few dates in high school sharing that story. Who says loving kaiju doesn’t get you dates—oh, Michael Hamilton. No surprise. 😛

Let’s see if Nate has any leftover notes I need to share with the kaiju lovers. Survey says…not many.

  • This is just one long cycle of revenge.
  • Flying Jiraiya looks stiff and funny.
  • This movie just does what it wants, doesn’t it?
  • The kaiju designs are pretty cool and the miniatures are surprisingly good. It’s rare to see a giant frog.
  • “You didn’t kill him!”?! He seems pretty dead to me!
  • Galbraith says Orochimaru looks like Olivier’s Richard III. Okay…

One down, two to go.

Join us this week for Episode 52, which required getting a new guest thanks to WHG3’s meddling after Nate was shot into space. We didn’t get the Tourists, but we did get kaiju YouTuber (and would-be magical girl) Kaiju Kim to discuss Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris. Then after that we have…my (former?) nemesis, Michael Hamilton, from Kaiju Weekly returning for his first Godzilla film, Godzilla Raids Again as part of “Godzilla Redux.” I promise not to feed him to Anguirus.

See you on the flip side!

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Jimmy’s Notes on Episode 48: The Tourists vs. ‘Gamera: Guardian of the Universe’

Published September 15, 2021

So, the Board made me sit out an episode. Again. They apparently thought it was great hardly hearing me in episode 46. Just ignore the fact that there have been other episodes where I didn’t say much, and it wasn’t because of a bet with some overworked Godzilla author. Oh well. It’s done. I listened to episode 48 (Gamera: Guardian of the Universe) while helping Raymund Martin with paperwork. Actually, I did all of it while he hid in his office. He’s still reeling from losing Gary. I was happy to hear Jet Jaguar stick up for me when Nate and his guests let the riffs fly against me.

Regardless, I took some notes while listening:

  • I appreciate the shout-out…IN SPACE! Also, I do know those pigs Tim mentioned. They’re crazy. I’m amazed they haven’t crashed their ship into the moon.
  • John LeMay compared Heisei Gamera to the Dark Knight Trilogy, Nate, not Batman ’89. I know this, and John and I don’t get along!
  • Gyaos is female, Joe…most of the time? Maybe? It’s weird. We’ve gotten into the habit of using “they/them” to refer to that kaiju for obvious reasons.
  • We all need hazard pay. Except Jet. He doesn’t need money. I’ll take his cut. 😛
  • The name of the author of “The Last Hope” is Josh B’Gosh. And yes, he also shared your crazy theory about me, Nate.
  • It’s probably best Joy and I didn’t meet on the air again. We did bump into each other on the Island, though. … I don’t want to talk about it.
  • It was episode 32 on the first Gamera movie that you talked about environmentalism, with Nick, Nate.
  • According to several sources, the Japanese title for this film was Gamera: Daikaijū Kūchū Kessen, which translates literally to “Gamera: Giant Monster Midair Battle.” So, Nate was a little off. (But so was Matt Frank, who said “Dogfight” in his commentary on the Arrow blu-ray set).
  • The explanation for the Atlantis-destroying comet that became Venus is simple: it’s bull@#$%.
  • Nate was a little off about the U.K. dub. It was released by Manga Entertainment, but they commissioned Arrival Films to make it.

Here are Nate’s leftover notes (my contractual obligations are fulfilled). For once, he got through all his notes on the Toku Topic, which saves me some time and space (pun intended).

The Film

  • Distributed by Toho, ironically. (I’m sure they relished the irony. –Jimmy)
  • Nuclear weapons, radiation, and “another country’s submarine” are all mentioned in the beginning.
  • Already the score by Kow Otani is incredible. Is it any wonder I used a remix of one of his tracks as the show’s theme? Kaneko didn’t give him much direction, and he composed it quickly (within a day or two). (It’s a crime you didn’t mention this, Nate, especially since we use a remix of one of his music tracks for the show! –Jimmy)
  • Asagi’s dad doesn’t like Scotch. That would disappoint WHG3. (I wish you’d mentioned this just to annoy him. –Jimmy)
  • “Right here—on this M&M.”
  • I like the old-school frame shifts (fades).
  • Gyaos appears about 14 minutes in.
  • The government and the JSDF act without consulting the scientists about the Gyaos. They simply make demands for the Gyaos to be captured.
  • There are a few underwater shots that are obviously in a pool, sadly.
  • “Harry Hawk” and “Hercules One.” Those sound like movie titles. Hudson Hawk. (Let’s not talk about those. –Jimmy)
  • Japanese ibis. (What about them? –Jimmy)
  • They keep calling Gyaos a bird, but I’m not sure she is. Reptile and bat, too. (It’s confusing for all of us, including the scientists. –Jimmy)
  • Anyone get flashbacks to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom on the bridge? (Yes, and I wish I hadn’t. –Jimmy)
  • Gamera is clearly the hero since he takes a shot from Gyaos to save the characters.
  • Gamera crashes on Mt. Fuji, which is where he fought Gyaos in 1967.
  • How hard is it to hit a giant turtle, guys? Freaking Stormtroopers. (Accurate. –Jimmy)
  • The cab driver worries me. He must be with Uber. Crashing through a barricade and laughing.
  • The powers that be want to capture Gyaos despite it eating people but want to kill Gamera? Compared to a T-Rex.
  • Asagi and Mayumi are the big stars, but they don’t outshine or demean the men. This is how you do “strong female characters.”
  • Asago loves Mary Poppins, apparently. Japanese poster on door.
  • “She says Gamera is coming.” “He’s here.”
  • Gamera is a second-round fighter: he loses the first time and comes back later to win.
  • The miniature playground is incredibly detailed.
  • The buildings have small details like tiny furniture.
  • Gyaos shoots his own foot off just like in 1967.

Ragone Intro

  • Originally conceived as a 60-minute children’s film.
  • One-third of the budget of a Toho Godzilla film? (Some sources say one-half. –Jimmy)

England

  • Kaneko did go independent in 1987 and made several dramas. He also contributed to Necronomicon, a horror anthology film. He says horror is the lower form of entertainment in Japan—even lower than roman porno. Japan doesn’t have the same horror tradition as America.
  • Ayako Fujitani was quite shy. Kaneko had the actors audition by looking up and shouting, “Gamera!” Fujitani was red-faced before doing it. He gave her the role based on her dark personality (he says).
  • The crew felt like they had to compete with Godzilla.
  • When he got the project, Kaneko’s wife told him, “You know, you may as well kiss Godzilla goodbye.” #irony

Frank Commentary

  • The dismembered Gyaos were made by eating fried chicken bones and then bleached.
  • The mantra on set was, “What would Honda do?” Kaneko admired the director. The bridge scene is similar to one in Mothra.
  • The filmmakers thought exploding monsters were more viscerally satisfying. That was more of a TV thing than a movie thing.
  • Kaneko didn’t like the critical accolades the film got because he’d never had those before.

Arrow Special features

  • Kaneko: “Monster movies are an expression of man’s need to destroy something.”

LeMay – Big Book

  • Kaneko went on to direct the Japanese live-action Death Note films.
  • Didn’t make as much money as Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla. (Tragic. It must’ve been the name recognition.  –Jimmy)

LeMay – Lost Films

  • Ito’s first draft was more similar to classic Gamera, complete with a child protagonist, and while some elements from this made it into Guardian and later The Brave, it was reworked when Kaneko came on.

LeMay – Writing

  • Ito didn’t like the children in the old Gamera movies because they acted like adults and bossed the grown-ups around.

That was some brisk reading compared to some of my recent blogs, right?

Next week, I’m back in the producer booth for another Patreon-sponsored episode. This one is brought to you by MIFV MAX member Damon Noyes, who had us discuss Toei’s crazy 1966 fantasy film The Magic Serpent. I normally don’t get excited for films like this, but this one was eerily similar to one of my favorite films. What was it? Listen to find out! Then we get to episode 50 and the show’s second anniversary. We have big plans for that one, but we’re keeping them top secret to surprise all of you, listeners. Stay tuned!

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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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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!

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Jimmy’s Notes on Episode 45 | ‘Godzilla: The Series’ – ‘New Family’ and ‘DeadLoch’ (feat. Eli Harris)

Published August 3, 2021

I can neither confirm nor deny that I spent a sizable portion of my latest paycheck on aloe vera cream after getting burned in episode 45 by Eli Harris. He’s lucky he’s a paying Patron, or I would’ve tongue-lashed him right back. (Nate’s editorial: Whatever helps you sleep at night, Jimmy).

Now for what you actually came here to read: my notes on the episode. In between enduring some zingers, I managed to take a few. They were mostly responses to what Nate and Eli said as opposed to corrections. Kudos there, guys. But you won’t always be able to escape that. So, here’s what I jotted down:

  • That’s your best recommendation for a drink, Marchand? These are better: The Happy Moment, the Megalon Bomb, and the Plasma Spark. Although, my personal favorite is the Nick Adams Apple Cider.
  • Digimon is clearly superior to Pokémon—yes, because technology. I might even still have one (or three) of those virtual pet toys in my quarters. (Don’t judge me!)
  • I want an ejection button and seat for the guests’ chairs. I might even install one in the host chair, Marchand. I know George 3 has suggested I do that. After the episode 45 broadcast, it got more tempting. 😛
  • Don’t make me pull that EES lever, Marchand! I’ll shoot you into space myself! 😛
  • Or the show inspired the unmade Godzilla (1998) sequel? I’m sure they were in development relatively close together. This video from the Kaiju Masterclass online convention sheds some great light on it. It’s an interview with screenwriter Tab Murphy.
  • I could take Monique. Can she claim to have survived the (in)famous War in Space? I don’t think so! Next time I see her at the gym, I’ll challenge her to a sparring match. I’ll let you know how it goes. (Nate’s editorial: Badly).
  • I offered to have the H.E.A.T.-Seeker treated for rust, but Tatapoulos won’t do it. He says the boat would lose its charm if it was treated. Maybe this is my inner “car guy” talking here, but I have to disagree. Especially since you don’t want rust weakening your hull when you’re being attacked by a kaiju.
  • Randy Hernandez isn’t ready for my quips. You know firsthand, Nate.
  • Nate, that was the Titan Truth Podcast logo! How did you miss that?!

As required by my contact, here are Nate’s leftover notes from the episode:

“New Family, Part 1”

  • The Twin Towers are in the theme and some establishing shots. Awkward? (No. –Jimmy)
  • Pays very close attention continuity despite minor changes. Jamaica being Zilla’s first stop.
  • Nick’s attitude shifts even in this episode: from killing Zilla Jr. to studying it. More Toho-esque.
  • Zilla Jr. holds Nick like Kong does Anne. Almost eats him. Not because of fish smell? Acts like a dog—scratches door and walks in circle before lying down.
  • Animal didn’t know Nick was Audrey’s boyfriend?! (Can you blame him for forgetting? Remember the movie, man! –Jimmy)

 “New Family, Part 2”

  • There are some scaling issues. Sometimes Zilla Jr. is HUGE. (They went for drama and not realism, obviously. –Jimmy)
  • Zilla Jr. throws rocks like Showa Godzilla. He’s also clever and strategic. Thankfully, Zilla Jr. breathes atomic fire and is more durable. Survives landslide.
  • Establishes tension between HEAT and military.

“Deadloch”

  • Hugh Trevor. Pisces.
  • Funny how Monique yells, “Randy!” and Elsie yells, “Nick!” when they dive in to save them. (Two words: sexual tension. –Jimmy)

Notes on the Series

  • Godzilla is animalistic but smart enough to solve problems. He’s loyal to HEAT, but he has his own agency.
  • They had access to other Toho monsters outside of the “big three,” but they kept coming up with ideas for cool new monsters, so there was no room for them.

Nate shared all his Loch Ness Monster research. Hot damn!

Sadly, I don’t know if Nate will survive the next episode, even with guest Daniel DiManna in the guest chair. He calls it “the nadir of the Year of Gamera.” That would be Gamera Super Monster. Even with a pseudo-Star Destroyer and hot women in spandex, it’s a hard sell for me. Assuming Nate survives, we get back to Godzilla Redux with 1956’s Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, which will feature “the littlest gatekeeper,” Elijah Thomas of the Kaiju Conversation podcast. That’ll be interesting.

See you next week!

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Jimmy’s Notes on Episode 44: The MSTies vs. ‘Gamera vs. Zigra’

Published July 21, 2021

Zigra. Proof positive that Sharknado needs to go into space. Need I say more?

Actually, yes. It’s part of my contractual obligations. But I wouldn’t mind being shot into space. I could easily pilot my way back to Earth, unlike Nate.

As for my notes on episode 44, I took a surprising amount for a movie about a giant flying turtle battling a huge space shark. Let’s get into them:

  • Neil mispronounces “bathysphere” as “bathosphere.”
  • And you’re complaining about this, why, Nate?

  • The name of the actress playing Woman X/Chikako is Eiko Yanami.
  • Nate, did you forget the lady scientist in Final Wars?

  • Tom Servo does say, “We all die in a yellow bathysphere,” during the MST3K episode, Nate. But sadly, the Board mandated you not watch those. I’m genuinely sorry.
  • Appropriately, Nezura and the Baby Gameras have a xylophone player.
  • There are several theories related to the effect of sonic waves on the brain, but testing these theories has yielded inconclusive results.
  • It’s “Rhodes and McCorkle,” Nate, not “Brooke and McCorkle.” Brooke is one of their first names, so it’s understandable you’d get them mixed up.
  • The name of the baseball team with the “curse of the colonel” is the Honshin Tigers.
  • From what I can tell, the “FRP” from your Kamogawa Sea World research was fiber-reinforced plastic.
  • Doc Brown’s theories on time travel…don’t get me started! It creates way too many paradoxes and begs too many questions. I’ll spare you all the rant.
  • Travis and I had a great discussion about time travel in Star Wars after the broadcast. Or rather, he listened to me rant.
  • The Skull Island episode was 14, Nate.

Here are Nate’s leftover notes from his episode 44 research, included as per my contractual obligations:

  • Japan does have a space agency. Episode 15.
  • The audio quality on the theme song is subpar. What happened? (Budget cuts. Duh. –Jimmy)
  • The first scenes have parallelism: Ken starts his day and we see the animals at SeaWorld.
  • A seal named Nick?! (He’s not your friend, Mr. Hayden. –Jimmy)
  • Was Gamera just there or was his Turtle Sense tingling? (Turtle Sense. How else does he know where there are children in trouble? –Jimmy)
  • There’s an insignia is Star Trek that looks like the iris on the Zigra ship. (It’s the Vulcan insignia, I think. –Jimmy)
  • Wow. Woman X actually says kids are smarter.
  • Planet Zigra. Zigrans. Monster is named Zigra. (Confusing, I know. It’d be like a human naming his child “Earth” or “Human” or “Terran.” Although, there is a Tera Strong. –Jimmy)
  • She references both the Kanto and Sanriku earthquakes (episode 33).
  • Lots of scientific info for the kids. Educational.
  • She (Woman X) runs like molasses. And conveniently freezes. The heck?!
  • And the kids somehow know how to use the spaceship controls. Ken even says he can use a motorboat easily. (I taught him now. 😛 –Jimmy)
  • Gamera always has bloodshot eyes. Is he on drugs? Not sleeping? Both? (Perhaps he should be drug tested. –Jimmy)
  • Man, the dads missed a ride with Gamera because they got hypnotized.
  • Helen says at tech end of the scene, “Boys are no use at all.” The littlest feminist.
  • “Earth Defense Army,” huh? (They didn’t last long, unfortunately, in large part because of their weakness during the Zigra Invasion of 1971. –Jimmy)
  • Of course the fisherman stops for Woman X. (What guy wouldn’t? 😛  –Jimmy)
  • And Tokyo Tower will be destroyed again later in a better Gamera film.
  • Oh, now Gamera’s underbelly can take shots. And yet he still needs a rock.
  • And his fire breath is so hot, it still works underwater. Sure. (It defies science, so I don’t get it, either. –Jimmy)
  • Inexplicable bipedal-ness!
  • These Showa Gamera movies liked not have normal bipedal monsters aside from Gamera.
  • So, the different water pressure made him bigger. And he’s going to wipe everyone out because of this. Also, he should rule the oceans because he’s “beautiful.” (He’s quite the narcissist. –Jimmy)
  • Good grief, these kids can sneak into anything, including bathyspheres. Why? (Ninjas. Duh! 😛 –Jimmy)
  • Gamera foes love to sleep. Zigra, Jiger, Barugon. Others?
  • Gamera threw a rock at Zigra and then snuck up to grab the bathysphere. What the heck?!
  • Chikako the geologist knows a lot about biology. (All scientists know everything about science. Trist me, I know. 😛 –Jimmy)
  • What happens if cell activity stops? (Is this a trick question? –Jimmy)
  • They’re dead but not dead? They say to use electroshock—and we don’t see it.

The Commentary by Sean Rhoads and Brooke McCorkle

  • Opens with a moon exploration scene, which was a product of the time. Apollo program going on in 1971. Moon landing in 1969.
  • Yellow caps and blue shirts were the uniforms for preschoolers.
  • The actress who plays the older sister was Flobella two years earlier.
  • Interestingly, the EPA was established this year.
  • Japan relies on the sea more than any other country, and twice as much as second-place Scandinavia.
  • There’s disagreement over the “Gamera Song” lyrics because the words can be used, in one form or another, for elements (gold, wood, fire, etc.), the days of the week, or the names of planets.
  • (Rhoades says “Gamera vs. Gigan”). (I’d have interrupted and corrected them, but I wasn’t there. –Jimmy)
  • Tokyo Tower is a national symbol, particularly of technological advancement because it’s a radio tower.
  • McCorkle sees Zigra as the embodiment of planetary wrath because he has the same blame as his planet. Similar to Battra.
  • The environmental moral is about personal and not corporate pollution.

Arrow Booklet

  • Daiei was removed from the Tokyo Stock Exchange Dec. 28, 1971.
  • Yuasa blamed the studio’s failure on Masaichi’s son, Hidemasa, being “too much of an artist to run a movie studio.”

Ragone Intro

  • He says this was the first Gamera movie to tackle environmentalism. Others have argued against this.
  • The old man is bad attempt at a joke referring to a Japanese folk tale about a woman travels into the ocean and returns as an old man.

Big Book by John LeMay

  • Yuasa says Zigra was inspired by a shark attack in Japan that made national news.
  • Gamera gets off easy—hypnotized into a coma—compared to previous movies.

Galbraith

  • Describes Zigra as “part shark, part bird, with a touch of the Nautilus.” (He’s not wrong. –Jimmy)
  • Calls this “a cheap, depressing little film.” (Okay, even I think this is a bit mean. –Jimmy)

Unsurprisingly, Nate got through all his notes on Kamogawa Sea World. But then again, it’s not like it was a particularly scholarly topic.

Next week is our first ever Patreon-sponsored episode. In fact, MIFV MAX member Eli Harris pledged at the level where he could come on the show as a guest! He and Nate will discussed three episodes of Godzilla: The Series, specifically the two-part premiere “New Family” and Eli’s favorite episode, “DeadLoch.” Then, unfortunately for Nate, the “Year of Gamera” continues with the infamous Gamera: Super Monster. It has some of his favorite things—kaiju, superheroes, and spaceships—but I’m not sure he’ll survive. Hang in there, man! Remember what I always say:

#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

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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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