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Jimmy’s Notes on Episode 54: Bex vs. ‘Gamera the Brave’

Published December 14, 2021

“The Year of Gamera” is officially over. As a Gamera kid—a “Kenny,” if you will—I’m going to miss it. Mostly because I was entertained by Nate’s cringing as he watched those movies. Well, until he got to the good ones, anyway. He may rant about the Heisei Trilogy and The Brave, but nothing compares to the dramatization of me and Masao helping Gamera save the world from that dastardly bastard Viras. Regardless, here are my notes from episode 54 on Gamera the Brave.

  • You’d be surprised who I know, Nate. The organizers for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade are just a few. I’ve lived a storied life and met many storied people. I have quite the network.
  • I’m clueless on Pokémon gens. Mostly because I was way too old to get into it. (I know, I know—“Okay, boomer,” right?)
  • I started a tradition. Hot damn! I’m still going to insist that Nate reading my Entertaining Info Dumps be kept in his contract. Speaking of which, both his and mine are coming up for renewal soon.
  • The Leotard Ladies are playing the Denham Theater on Monster Island next spring. 😛
  • You kept mixing up Toru and Toto, Nate. It’s easy to confuse them, I know, but still, one is a kid and one is a cutesy turtle.
  • Here’s that “proof of concept” Gamera film Nate mentioned:
  • I’ll see what I can do about instant-instant ramen. That will probably require consultation with physicists, engineers, and cooks. But we would give humanity one of its greatest gifts.
  • Bangiku (Late Chrysanthemums) was directed by Mikio Naruse and released in the U.K. with two more of his films. Criterion doesn’t have it.
  • It turns out there are two versions of Oodles the ramen cup Funko Pop: regular and “spicy.”
  • I tried to build a lead zeppelin once. Jimmy Page saw it and started a band based on it.

Now, to fulfill my contractual obligations (or keep with MIFV tradition?), here are Nate’s leftover notes with my riff-tastic annotations.

  • It says Kadokawa and not Daei.
  • SFX director: Isao Kaneko. Any relation? (Given that no relation was mentioned in the film’s commentary, I’m guessing, no. –Jimmy)
  • Talk of the Monster Council is similar to the Heisei Trilogy. Pays lip service to government response but is focused on Toru. (They’re still around and quite busy. But this is Japan, after all. –Jimmy)
  •  I thought Toto would bite Toru’s finger to wake him up. (I pet-sitted a lizard one time that did that. I dumped that girl the next day. –Jimmy)
  • I love how little Toto likes to sit on Toru’s head. “Kawaii!” (Nate…you sure you didn’t turn into a certain magical girl? –Jimmy)
  • The scene with the sailor getting pulled under and killed—with the sea turning red with blood—is effectively eerie, especially since it has no dialogue or music. Let that be a lesson to horror filmmakers.
  • I wonder if the disbanding of the Monster Council was a bit of a commentary on the kaiju genre/fandom?
  • There’s also a weird Ultra Q episode about a boy and a flying turtle.
  • This works very well as a self-contained story.
  • The animatronics for “adult” Toto are quite good. The CGI for little Toto is good, too.
  • The red stone reminds me of the opal egg from Gamera vs. Barugon.
  •  The kids wear lots of English-language shirts.
  • I love the shot of Toto poking his head out of his shell while in a house. Lots of detail.
  • Toru connects with Toto, but it’s earned and makes sense. (And my connection to Gamera wasn’t?! –Jimmy)
  • Poor Toto gets stabbed in the hand like any good Gamera.
  • The glow of the stone was added in post.
  • The kids stand against the adults to protect Toto. Again, it feels earned. The innocence and faith of children.

COMMENTARY BY KEITH AIKEN AND BOB JOHNSON

  • A novelization called Friends: Gamera the Brave was released as a tie-in. Gyaos blew off Gamera’s jaw. Other Showa Gamera kaiju were present in it but didn’t make it due to budget constraints.
  • The executive producer wanted to make an original monster for kids, but the studio insisted on a Gamera film.
  • The actor playing Toru’s father was also in Masked Rider: The First and Shin Godzilla.
  • The actress playing Toru’s mother (Megumi Kobayashi) was Moll in Rebirth of Mothra.
  • Kadokawa did try to make a Godzilla vs. Gamera film before this.
  • They had 13 different turtles on this, including a real turtle: an African spur tortoise. They also used a vinyl turtle for the stunt scenes. When he gets big, Toto is based on a loggerhead turtle, which is native to Japan and the only turtles that have teeth. The real turtle didn’t listen to direction.
  • This film had a tie-in with the Ministry of the Environment, who told people not to abandon their pets. They used Toto as an example. (But what if your pet is a kaiju? –Jimmy)
  • “Why did the turtle cross the road?”
  • The special effects director—Kaneko—was a former animator and assistant director.
  • They were wrong about Spock’s blood color. They said it was blue, but it was green! (Nice call there, Nate! You get 50 nerd points. –Jimmy)
  • Kadokawa wanted to make another Daimajin movie, but they scrapped it and made a TV show instead after this movie flopped.
  • The commentarors played the old Showa music during the relay, and it ruined it! (Agreed—except, you know, my life story. –Jimmy)

ARROW VIDEO SPECIAL FEATURES

  • Director Tasaki has a lecture as a special feature where he explains the filmmaking process by comparing it to cooking and restaurants. This also has interviews with the unsung heroes from departments like lighting, cinematography, and the physical effects. I recommend watching it.
  • They interviewed the kid actors, and the boy was surprisingly thoughtful. Kaho even said it was different because she doesn’t have a kid brother.
  • The full-size Toto puppet was operated by a technician with a hand up its rear, it looks.
  • The director says they portray Toto’s feelings toward Toru ambiguously, but he does say Toru is special to him. (Duh? I’m a bit confused by this. Does he care or not? –Jimmy)
  • It was unusual to film a kaiju movie mostly in the day.
  • Some audiences thought the film was “too cute.” This was compared to kids being too scared of the Heisei films.
  • They at first couldn’t get cooperation from the JSDF, so they had to put limitations on them to avoid discrepancies.

ARROW BOOKLET

MACIAS

  • Daiei changed ownership again in 2002 when Kadokawa bought them. The trilogy’s creative team had moved on to other projects, so they brought in a new one to do what hadn’t been done since 1980: a Gamera film for children.
  • Magical realism of the trilogy with kids’ POV of Showa series.

FLOWERS

  • The first editions of the Media Blasters dub had an error that misaligned the music and sound effects. That was corrected by Arrow.

OTHER SOURCES

LEMAY – Big Book Vol. 2

  • The concept of a child raising Gamera may have come from a 1993 Ito script that had a group of children do it.

Toku Topic: Japanese Ramen Culture

  •  “Although ramen is now an iconic Japanese dish, it’s actually an immigrant, and the names originally used for it made that perfectly clear. Chūka soba and Shina soba both basically mean “Chinese noodles” but have very different connotations. Chūka soba became the most-used term after World War II and is having something of a revival. It replaced shina soba as the political connotations of “shina” became controversial, since it was the word used for China when Japan was an imperialist power in Asia. But there’s no dish in China that closely resembles today’s Japanese ramen, so the story is much more complicated than a simple borrowing.” (Fransisco)
  • “Ramen soup began gaining its huge popularity in the 1920s and the 1930s due to the great demand for food that is both hearty and quickly cooked. The industrialization encouraged thousands of Japanese people to work in the cities and have no time for preparing food. Eating outside became more common, and nutritious food was needed to give enough strength to the workers. Ramen soup became a successful solution as it was widely served all over the country and had more calories than traditional Japanese meals did. Therefore, ramen became an essential part of urban culture.” (IvyPanda)
  • Jordan: “Nearby in Yokohama is the Cupnoodles Museum. This location is similar, but focuses on Nissin Foods and their inventions of Instant Ramen and Cup Ramen. Here, you also have the opportunity to try ramen from around Japan, as well as customize your own Cup Noodles (both the exterior cup and the flavors of the ramen inside)! Lastly, if you’re lucky enough to be in Tokyo around late October through early November, you’re in time for one of my favorite food festivals, the Tokyo Ramen Show! In 2020, the event will host 18 ramen vendors for the first 6 days, and a completely different set of 18 ramen vendors for the last 5 days! That’s 36 different ramen shops to try! Entry into the park’s grounds is free, and a ticket for a delicious bowl of ramen is only ¥800!”

There you go. More information about than you ever wanted to know about the food we all ate in college because we couldn’t afford anything else. Do you feel enlightened or entertained?

The next episode is the season two finale—and I don’t know what it is. All I know is it’s courtesy of Michael Hamilton on MIFV MAX (Patreon). That should theoretically make it more exciting—assuming I let Michael come here. Then again, he’s one of the many guests attending Nate’s Board-funded Kaiju Podcasters Banquet, so I guess I can’t stop that. Oh well. Michael just needs to stay out of my garage. Then in January, we begin season three—Ameri-kaiju!

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#JimmyFromNASALives       #WeShallOvercome

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Episode 54: Bex vs. ‘Gamera the Brave’

Published December 9, 2021

Hello, kaiju lovers! With this episode, we reach the end of the “Year of Gamera.” Depending on who you talk to (like Nate), it’s a bittersweet occasion because, on one hand, many bad movies were endured, but on the other hand, today’s subject is 2006’s Gamera the Brave. Becky “Bex” Smith from the Redeemed Otaku podcast and YouTube channel joins Nate to discuss what is, as of now, the last Gamera film. It is sadly overshadowed by everything that came before it. It’s a shame because this is a Showa Gamera movie—except good! Think of it as a Gamera film made by Pixar. So, it’s emotionally honest and will make you cry. Even Nate had to summon all of his manly discipline to keep control. Bex, on the other hand, did not. The Toku Topic, since much of the movie takes place at a restaurant, is Japanese ramen culture.

Before the broadcast, Nate was…graced with the return of his pseudo-sister, Jessica. Unfortunately, he didn’t appreciate her bone-crunching glomp and told her off. That got him a lecture from Jessica’s bestie, Bex. Afterward, Nate is all but forced to indulge Jessica and let her sing a karaoke of a popular anime theme song. You can probably guess which one.

Check out the Redeemed Otaku podcast and YouTube channel.

This episode’s prologue and epilogue, “Jessica Returns,” was written by Nathan Marchand with Becky Smith.

Guest stars:

  • Sarah Marchand as Jessica Shaw

Additional music:

Sound effects sourced from Freesound.org.

Listen to Nathan Marchand and Travis Alexander’s spinoff podcast, The Henshin Men, on Redcircle.

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, Elijah Thomas, and Eric Anderson! 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…maybe.

Timestamps:

  • Prologue, “Jessica Returns (Part 1)”: 0:00-5:10
  • Intro: 5:10-16:15
  • Entertaining Info Dump: 16:15-23:19
  • Toku Talk: 23:19-1:25:32
  • Ad: 1:25:32-1:26:58
  • Toku Topic: 1:26:58-2:10:30
  • Housekeeping, Epilogue (“Jessica Returns, Part 2”), & Outro: 2:10:30-end

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault

© 2021 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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Jimmy’s Notes on Episode 53: ‘Godzilla Raids Again’ (feat. Michael Hamilton)

Published December 3, 2021

I’ll be damned. Michael Hamilton and I managed to get through an entire episode without threatening each other or stealing each other’s stuff. In fact, I think he spent more time ragging on Nate in Episode 53 on Godzilla Raids Again than he did me. Nate took it in stride, though. I’ve trained him well. Ha! Anyway, I took fair amount of notes that riff the both of them. Let’s dive in.

  • I was busy when Michael e-mailed me. You wouldn’t believe how much the Board has flooded my inbox. Michael’s message got buried. And let me tell you, Viras’s e-mails are the worst. They’re almost indecipherable because his tentacles are basically fat fingers on a keyboard. His chances of accidentally writing Shakespeare are only marginally better than a drunk monkey’s.
  • That hazmat suit was for my passenger’s protection because I radiate awesomeness. Or it was a stupid Board mandate. Take your pick.
  • I look good in yellow. I look good in anything. Even my birthday suit. (Yeah, I said it!)
  • It’s “TCM,” Michael, not “TMC.” Nate made that mistake once, too.
  • I’m calling (giant monster) BS on Michael’s claim that this film was on MonsterVision in 1994. I found a video compilation of all the ads, and there’s no Godzilla (or Gigantis) to be found.
  • I might’ve left you with Kong, Michael, but I didn’t need you to get outsmarted by an ape with a bigger brain.
  • You were trying to remember Bob Johnson, Nate.
  • “Militarism” isn’t the right word, Michael. Look it up.
  • I couldn’t find the title of the educational film the “documentary on unintelligent design” was from, but the dinosaur footage was from Unknown Island, a 1948 adventure film that had an invalid copyright filed, putting it in public domain upon release.
  • Godzilla did have wings once…in a fan comic…that got canceled….
  • It was Hidemi, Nate.
  • I never drink and fly, Michael. I learned that the hard way on one unfortunate training mission at NASA. Glen and I partied a little too much the night before and flew P-1 into orbit while hungover. Okay…we may have snuck onboard while drunk….

As per my…supposedly still active contract (did Raymund figure that out yet?), here are Nate’s leftover notes.

  • A shorter film (78 minutes) compared to Gojira, probably because it was rushed out.
  • Excellent black and white photography.
  • It does feel padded at points, especially at the beginning. There are long sequences with no dialogue or music and not much happens. This could be another symptom of it being rushed.
  • Godzilla (and Anguirus) appear 9 minutes in.
  • Dinosaur encyclopedia like in The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms.
  • Continuity: Dr. Yamane returns in a cameo; the only time a character returns in a subsequent film in the Showa era.
  • The score at points seems to emulate Ifukube and at times seems to want to be more western. I felt like I was watching an American sci-fi film from that era at points. In fact, it feels more like an American film in general. The tone is lighter, the heroes are young, the romance is more blatant, and the pacing is faster.
  • The SFX aren’t as polished this time. That’s to be expected since the film was made and released in six months. The Godzilla suit fits Nakajima better and is less bulky for the physically demanding fight scenes. The kaiju battles themselves don’t seem to have been slowed down compared to the other kaiju scenes in this and the previous film. In order to create the illusion of bulk and size, Tsuburaya had the kaiju actors move fast and then slowed the footage down. There are points Godzilla and Anguirus move way too fast. Regardless, the miniatures are solid and the battles are brutal. Tsuburaya makes the fights seem like wrestling, which in some ways harkens back to Son of Kong with Kiko’s fights. There’s use of puppets for distance shots of the monsters battling. (Godzilla’s ray seems ineffectual at points. Why?)
  • The aftermath of the monsters’ attack does show some Gojira-esque devastation. The emphasis is more on the destruction than it is on death, though. Whereas Gojira showed the suffering of the people as well as property damage, this film shows far fewer people dying and few, if any, suffering wounded. Some might see this as the franchise first step toward “sanitized violence.” (Barr) A major difference is that the characters joke with each other in the aftermath to provide levity for the audience and, I suspect, for themselves. Regardless, despite Osaka’s destruction, they simply go on with life and continue their pre-wedding celebrations, which Godzilla delays. There’s a statement that the flames that scared off Godzilla attracted Anguirus, showing how solving one problem leads to another.
  • It’s interesting to note that with Japanese young people practicing dating more than arranged marriage at this time, was the engagement party a continuation of a Japanese tradition, or something new? It’s much like the western practice of the bachelor/bachelorette party. Kobayashi later asks the girl the age-old question, “What do girls want?” She lists superficial things like handbags. This is yet another indication of the cultural change taking place in Japan. Courtship practices were becoming more westernized.
  • Subplot with prisoner escape. Only one cop in back of truck, which seems dumb. While at first it seems like padding, it does contribute somewhat to the plot. I believe Kalat talked about this, saying that it was evidence of how Godzilla brought the worst out in people. They do get their comeuppance in a subway flood, so they don’t escape Godzilla’s wrath.
  • I do like the different ways the action is filmed.
  • There’s an emphasis on fishing in this film, which isn’t surprising considering it’s a major industry in Japan and fish is a large part of their diet.
  • The opening theme of the film is reused a lot over the course of this film. Yet another indication of its rushed production, most likely.
  • The climax, interestingly, reminds me somewhat of the beginning of The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, which also took place in the arctic.

Other Sources

  • Galbraith
    • Most of Sato’s score was replaced by stock music from Kronos and The Deerslayer.
  • LeMay – Big Book 1
    • This film had the first tie-in merch for the franchise: A gun and target game for kids.
  • Classic Media commentary
    • That as real ice at the end. You can even see frost on the neck of the suit where Nakajima could see out.

Related Topic: The JSDF

  • In 2015, the Diet enacted legislation that would allow for the SDF to be deployed overseas to defend ally nations in case war is declared on them. They believed that not doing so would endanger Japan. (Japan enacts major changes to its self-defense laws September 18, 2015)
  • The JSDF can’t act according to international law due to Article 9. (Wikipedia)
  • Including active members and reservists, Japan has approximately 300,000 military personnel, which is the lowest ratio in terms of population of any member of NATO. (Wikipedia)
  • Women were originally recruited only for the nursing services, but as time has gone on, more opportunities were opened to them. By 1991, over 6,000 women are in the JSDF in 80% of service areas, except those involving direct combat. (Wikipedia) This is reflected in the Heisei and Millennial Godzilla films as more women are seen in military roles, albeit often in combat situations.
  • The JSDF has continued to garner favor with the Japanese people since the 1980s. A survey in 1988 showed that 76% of those surveyed were favorably impressed. 77% of respondents cited disaster relief as the most useful function of the JSDF (more so than national security at 63%), and so the JSDF has been increasing its disaster relief operations since. (Wikipedia)

I’d normally sneak in some snarky commentary, but this blog has been delayed long enough.

Next week you’ll hear the finale of “The Year of Gamera” when Bex from Redeemed Otaku returns—along with Nate’s “sister,” Jessica—to discuss Gamera the Brave, a film that if you hate, you’re dead inside. (Yeah, I said it). Speaking of finales, after that it’s the secret season finale thanks to my (former) nemesis and MIFV MAX member, Michael Hamilton. It’s like Mystery Date, except its kaiju/toku media. (That didn’t show my age at all).

See you later!

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#JimmyFromNASALives       #WeShallOvercome

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Episode 53: ‘Godzilla Raids Again’ | Feat. Michael ‘The Kaiju Groupie’ Hamilton | Godzilla Redux

Published November 24, 2021

Hello, kaiju lovers! Nate gets back to his new subseries, “Godzilla Redux,” with the first of the many sequels to Godzilla (1954), Godzilla Raids Again. Strangely, it was the first G-film his guest, Kaiju Weekly co-host Michael “The Kaiju Groupie” Hamilton, ever saw. This somewhat forgotten 1955 cash-grab sequel, which was produced and released within six months, isn’t much to write home about—except it features the first appearance of fan-favorite kaiju Anguirus and the first ever kaiju fight in a Godzilla film. Nate and Michael discuss these as well as the hilarious dubbed version, “Gigantis, the Fire Monster,” and the JSDF (Japanese Self-Defense Forces)—all while dodging Jimmy’s badgering of his “former” nemesis.

Before the broadcast, Nate and Jimmy get an unexpected visit from a “not-quite-dead-yet” man—Gary! After months of hiding since his near-fatal encounter with an escaped Gyaos, he’s decided to reveal himself to Nate and share his harrowing story of survival. After the broadcast, Raymund Martin arrives with legal papers for a class action lawsuit against the Board for Nate and Jimmy to sign and has a happy reunion with his long-thought-consumed paralegal.

Listen to Nathan Marchand and Travis Alexander’s spinoff podcast, The Henshin Men, on Redcircle.

This episode’s prologue and epilogue, “The Exaggerated Reports of My Death,” was written by Nathan Marchand.

Guest stars:

  • Damon Noyes as Raymund Martin & 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, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Elijah Thomas, and Eric Anderson! 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 NOT approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Timestamps:

  • Prologue – “The Exaggerated Reports of My Death, Part 1”: 0:00-5:31
  • Intro: 5:31-17:07
  • Main Discussion: 17:07-1:31:00
  • Listener Feedback, Housekeeping, & Outro: 1:31:00-1:55:02
  • Epilogue – The Exaggerated Reports of My Death, Part 2”: 1:55:02-end

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault

© 2021 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Jimmy’s Notes on Episode 52: Kaiju Kim vs. ‘Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris’

Published November 17, 2021

Finally…Jimmy has caught up…with his blogs! And it only took two weeks…I think. I would’ve posted this sooner, but I kept getting harassed by Dr. Dourif on Twitter. (The weirdo can’t even spell his name right). Anyway, here are my notes from Kaiju Kim’s visit in episode 52 (Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris).

  • This movie is old enough to drink in the U.S. Fun fact: the drinking age in Japan is 20.
  • “Stumped.” (insert It meme “haha!”)
  • Torii gates were discussed in Episode 24.
  • Link to Gamera 4 clips.
  • I’m not so sure I like Amazon using my drones. Mostly because disgruntled customers have shot them.
  • Given what I know is coming up for the show, Nate, saying, “No,” to Clifford would be questionable. But I don’t want to talk about it.

Now for the ridiculous pile of notes Marchand didn’t get to. Good grief, how many research rabbit holes did he fall into? Alice in Wonderland is looking at him and thinking, knock it off! Anyway, prepare over for a data overload! (You’ve been warned!)

  • The award-winning Nagamine is back!
  • Gyaos comes back, and it’s dead. Sets the tone and shows a greater threat is upon us.
  • Sub = “Kaiko.” Meaning? (I looked it up, and it’s interesting. –Jimmy)
  • The subtitles say, “Dead Gameras.” I liked the English line (dub?) that said, “Gamera graveyard.” It deepens the mythology and builds on the hubris theme from Guardian. These are dead saviors.
  • The credits roll over black-and-white stock footage from Guardian. Stylistic. Moody. Then we get a flashback.
  • Chinese divided the cosmos into 28 houses. 7 in each quadrant.
  • We get a proper Gyaos about 22 minutes in. Gamera in 24.
  • Hirasaka named the creature Iris after her cat. It’s endearing and ironic given how dangerous the monster is.
  • Man on street says US can’t fight Gamera for them. Japan should fight its own battles.
  • In a way, this is not unlike the atomic bomb. He causes damage but ends up saving the world in the end. Is it worth it? Tough question.
  • Asagi’s last name is significant. Kusanagi was the name of a sword used to slay Orochi in mythology (see episode 13 of MIFV on The Three Treasures).
  • This baby Iris puppet is incredibly expressive and lifelike.
  • The news reports tell us that the Gyaos are a worldwide problem. It also seems like kaiju are bit more of a normal thing. (Aren’t they usually? –Jimmy)
  • “Beer hasn’t tasted this good in a long time” –Osako. A nice callback to the past films (especially Gamera 2).
  • There’s some horror elements in this, but when the dead body drops from the ceiling. (Better than G84).
  • Interestingly, Nagamine, the woman of science, prays for the corpse.
  • Asagi looks quite grown up in this.
  • The shot of Iris rising above the clouds with the moon in the background does look cool despite the CGI.
  • Unlike Gamera’s previous opponents, Iris’s lasers can cut through Gamera’s shell.
  • The shot of the fire transition from Gamera to Iris to Ayana is brilliant.
  • The integration of the tokusatsu effects and the live action…it’s so good! There are movies with 10, 20, 30 times the budget that don’t look this good!
  • At this point in the film, Ayana only says Iris’s name.
  • Ayana wakes up in the rain. Water = life. Also, Gamera roars.
  • Ayana in the end whispers Gamera’s name like she did Iris’s.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Commentary by Ryfle and Godzizsewski

  • They started with the idea of making a trilogy.
  • It had a long production schedule. Kaneko said in an interview that while money is s blessing, having more time produces better films. This had a budget of $8.5 million.
  • They argue that Kaneko’s approach to filming is straightforward, but he does sometimes have some visual flare.
  • Kaneko said that using fantasy elements helps explain plot devices that would normally be difficult to explain absurd concepts.
  • Shibuya is one of the busiest places in Tokyo.
  • The news reports feature real journalists, a tradition going back to old Toho.
  • Kaneko’s wife makes a cameo during the “man-on-the street” interviews.
  • In Guardian, they felt like Godzilla was their competition. In Gamera 2, they felt Guardian was their competition. In this, they felt it was Ultraman Gaia because they had lots of composite photography.
  • Gamera saves Ayana when she cries out. She’s a damaged child.
  • Ayana could be seen as symbolic of children orphaned by wars and natural disasters.
  • Ryfle wonders if this film was inspired by Frankenstein Conquers the World and War of the Gargantuas.
  • The ending is ambiguous because people weren’t sure if the world would end at the time.
  • Otani said that writing the music for the ending was so stressful, it gave him stomach problems.
  • It grossed $15 million at the box office and was screened at the Toronto Film Festival.

ARROW BOOKLET

Macias

  • Kaneko: “In the past, Gamera was always the children’s hero, and the president (of the studio) always wanted to keep it that way, but I was kind of sick of that.”
  • Ito went on to work on the .hack series.

England

  • Claims the budget was 15 billion yen ($11 million), but producer Miyuki Nanri says it would cost $50 million to make in the U.S. He went on to say it has no ego-stroking or frivolity like a Hollywood film. The budget is the budget, so they can’t play games.

One of these days I should find out which of my blogs is the longest thanks to Marchand.

Anyway, next week you’ll hear Nate’s broadcast with my former nemesis, Michael Hamilton, from Kaiju Weekly. They discuss Godzilla Raids Again, which was Michael’s first Godzilla film. What a bunch of banana oil! Then the “Year of Gamera” concludes with guest Bex from Redeemed Otaku and Gamera the Brave. If you don’t like that film, you’re dead inside. Trust me.

See you next week! I have to tune up my mechs in my garage.

Social media:

#JimmyFromNASALives       #WeShallOvercome

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Episode 52 – Kaiju Kim vs. ‘Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris’

Published November 12, 2021

Hello, kaiju lovers! After nearly a year of surviving inane MST3K fodder and watching the first two entries of a fantastic trilogy, Nate reaches one of kaiju eiga’s zeniths with Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris. He’s joined by YouTuber and (ironically) Godzilla enthusiast Kaiju Kim to discuss this masterpiece. As Nate puts it, this is one of the rare trilogies where each entry gets better—in fact, everything gets cranked to 12 in this. They discuss the amazing story, incredible characters, impressive special effects, absolute badassery, and the many, many cultural elements that may go over western fans’ heads as crazy fantasy. Speaking of which, choosing a Toku Topic was difficult, but Nate landed on the Four Symbols and mana, because they play the big roles in this film and the rest of the trilogy.

Check out Kim’s video on Gamera 3 here.

Listen to Nathan Marchand and Travis Alexander’s spinoff podcast, The Henshin Men, on Redcircle.

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 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!

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic!

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

Timestamps:

  • Intro: 0:00-9:09
  • Entertaining Info Dump: 9:09-18:11
  • Toku Talk: 18:11-1:25:42
  • Ad: 1:25:42-1:26:34
  • Toku Topic: 1:26:34-1:54:13
  • Listener Feedback, Housekeeping, & Outro: 1:54:13-end

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© 2021 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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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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MIFV MAX #5: “Ask Me Anything” 2nd Anniversary Special

Published October 27, 2021

No, this isn’t episode 51. In light of falling behind on episode 50, catching up with my new job, and life in general, I’ve had to delay episode 51. I should hopefully have it done in a week or less. But in the meantime, as I get the podcast back on schedule, please enjoy this audio version of MIFV MAX #5, which was a livestream I did on the podcast’s YouTube channel on it’s actual second anniversary.

You can watch the video version here.

From YouTube:

“To celebrate the podcast’s actual second anniversary (which was September 25, 2019), I’ll be holding an “Ask Me Anything” session. Got questions about the podcast? Ask away in the chat (or beforehand)!”

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 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!

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic!

This episode is NOT approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault

© 2021 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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