Skip to content

Tag: Jimmy From NASA

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

Bibliography/Further Reading:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Comments closed

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!

Social media:

#JimmyFromNASALives       #WeShallOvercome

Comments closed

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

Subscribe: RSS

Comments closed

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

Comments closed

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.

Social media:

#JimmyFromNASALives       #WeShallOvercome

Comments closed

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

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault

© 2021 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Comments closed

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).

Social media:

#JimmyFromNASALives       #WeShallOvercome

Comments closed

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!

Social media:

#JimmyFromNASALives       #WeShallOvercome

Comments closed

Episode 51 – Dallas Mora vs. ‘Gamera 2: Attack of Legion‘

Published November 5, 2021

Hello, kaiju lovers! After a harrowing and riff-tastic adventure in space, Nate and Jimmy return to Monster Island to find the podcast in chaos. Not only did their nemesis WHG3 try to replace MIFV with his own podcast, he canceled all of their guest invitations. Thankfully, Jimmy was able to get Geek Devotions co-founder Dallas Mora to come on to continue the “Year of Gamera” with Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (or “Attack of the Legion” or the much-cooler-title-that-should’ve-been-kept “Advent of Legion”). Nate and Dallas discuss its amazing traditional tokusatsu effects and Christian symbology, among other things. Did you know Gamera is a Christ-figure? Find out how in today’s episode! Along those lines, the Toku Topic is the exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac, the Bible story that gave Legion her name.

After the broadcast, Nate goes to the Monster Island Chapel, where he’s greeted by Rev. Mifune. The chaplain tells Nate that Karone—the former “Miss Perkins”—had been hiding in the chapel since before Nate was shot into space. Nate then has a heart-to-heart talk with the former supervillainess and Power Ranger.

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

This episode’s prologue and epilogue, “Moving Forward,” was written by Nathan Marchand.

Guest stars:

  • Daniel DiManna as Dr. Dourif
  • Nate Chen as Rev. Mifune
  • Celeste Mora as Karone

Additional music:

  • “A Maiden’s Prayer” by RebeccaETripp

Sound effects sourced from Freesound.org.

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Travis Alexander and Michael Hamilton (co-hosts of Kaiju Weekly); Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Eli Harris (elizilla13); Chris Cooke (host of One Cross Radio); Bex from Redeemed Otaku; Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, and 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.

Timestamps:

  • Prologue, “Moving Forward, Part 1”: 0:00-3:21
  • Intro: 3:21-13:06
  • Entertaining Info Dump: 13:06-21:49
  • Toku Talk: 21:49-1:37:55
  • (Dr. Dourif’s Call: 24:04-30:41)
  • Extra Life 2021 Charity Stream Promo: 1:37:55-1:39:13
  • Toku Topic: 1:39:13-2:02:47
  • Listener Feedback, Housekeeping, & Outro: 2:02:47-2:18:20
  • Epilogue, Moving Forward, Part 2”: 2:18:20-end

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault

© 2021 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Comments closed