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Episode 34: The MSTies vs. ‘Gamera vs. Barugon’ (feat. Joe and Joy Metter)

Published February 10, 2021

Hello, kaiju lovers!

The Year of Gamera continues. (Yay?) Nate is joined by his friends Joe and Joy Metter to discuss the outlier of the Showa Gamera series, Gamera vs. Barugon. It’s the one that was actually aimed at an adult audience—and it flopped. As usual, the Tourists get to see the MST3K episode—which has Nate’s favorite line of those episodes—while Nate has to watch the original Japanese version. Even with Joel and the Bots’ riffs, Joe and Joy say they would’ve preferred to watch it subtitled! Thanks to a combination of a “monster mic” and the ORCA, Jimmy was able to get Barugon himself to interrupt a few times, but Nate thinks the ORCA’s translations were dubious, at best. The Toku Topic is the New Guinea Campaign because several characters in the film fought during that and the film takes place partly on that island.

Beforehand, Nate, Jimmy, and Jet Jaguar are visited by William H. George III, Esquire, the special envoy to the Monster Island Board of Directors (MIBOD). It is he, and not Ms. Perkins, who brings the Board’s latest press release for Nate to read on the air. He also makes it abundantly clear the Board didn’t appreciate Nate’s “shenanigans” at the Gamera: King of the Monsters Banquet a few weeks ago.

Read Jimmy’s Notes on this episode.

Featuring Michael Hamilton as the voice of William H. George III.

Prologue written by Nathan Marchand and Michael Hamilton.

Music:
-“Rondeau” by Jean-Joseph Mouret
-“Opening the Way” by Pablo Coma

Sound effects were 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; and Damon Noyes! Thanks for your support!

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

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

Timestamps:
Prologue: 0:00-5:26
Intro: 5:26-10:10
Entertaining Info Dump: 10:10-19:10
Toku Talk: 19:10-1:07:27
Ad: 1:07:27-1:08:47
Toku Topic: 1:08:47-1:36:50
Outro: 1:36:50-end

Podcast Social Media:
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Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @NasaJimmy
Follow the Monster Island Board of Directors on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD
Follow the Raymund Martin and the MIFV Legal Team on Twitter: @MIFV_LegalTeam
Follow Crystal Lady Jessica on Twitter: @CystalLadyJes1

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault

© 2021 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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Jimmy’s Notes on ‘Episode 33: Submersion of Japan (feat. Adam Noyes)’

Published February 3, 2021

It’s an easy week for Jimmy’s Notes today. These “extended mini-analyses” tend to be that way. I could’ve asked Adam Noyes for his leftover notes, but he was busy doing his health inspector work for MIBOD (Monster Island Board of Directors), so I figured I should social distance and not interrupt his work. I like my job.

That being said, I do have a few of my own notes from the Submersion of Japan episode. They are:

  • Toho was adapting Komatsu’s books into movies, Mr. Noyes, and not the other way around.
  • “Mie” is pronounced, “Mee-ay,” Mr. Noyes.
  • The film had two cinematographers, Hiroshi Murai and Daisaku Kimura, the latter winning the award for best director at the 33rd Japan Academy Prize for Mt. Tsurugidake.
  • It’s not the first time you brought on someone you’ve referenced as a source, Nate. How could you forget John LeMay—especially when he’s going to be on the show later this month!
  • For the hell of it, I did do a YouTube search for “Submersion of Japan 1973,” and Mr. Noyes’s video was the fourth video down.
  • I’m shocked you guys mentioned the 1970s TV show but not the new anime, Japan Sinks 2020. Your “sister” would be disappointed, Nate. 😛

Now for Nate’s leftover notes:

Submersion of Japan

  • This was definitely following in the trend of disaster movies in the 1970s. There were plenty of them. Like those disaster movies, it spends much time with the characters.
  • The film begins with a slow progression of the continental drift. Then it zooms in on Japan and shows its formation. Starts 200 million years ago.
  • The music was composed by Masuaru Sato. His score is remarkably subdued compared to his Godzilla scores. (He was a composer with great range. –Jimmy)
  • The opening scene is a montage of many activities in Japan. A street fest, hose races, baseball, office work, car show, traffic jam, the beach, the harbor, the subway, water park. (The apocalypse is always a surprise. The destruction and later reformation of Venus were surprises. But that’s a story for another day. Perhaps in the pages of Kaiju Ramen. 😉 –Jimmy)
  • They dive north of Ogawasara. (This reminds me that we should go scuba diving sometime, Nate. –Jimmy)
  • What’s interesting is the scene where the scientists are watching video from the sub of the sea floor and discussing what caused the island to sink could easily be in the beginning of a kaiju film. It shows that kaiju embody natural disasters, which makes sense coming from japan. There’s even a line from Tadakoro about a “monstrous slug.”
  • Interesting that the ship’s name is Hercules.
  • Here’s the From Here to Eternity scene—but it gets interrupted by a lightning strikes and a volcano. It comes after Onodera tells Reiko he’d get married to have a baby and she says, “Hold me,” and they start to make love.
  • There’s a scene that goes into extensive scientific exposition. It almost feels like a college lecture.
  • Like Godzilla 1954, it shows the aftermath of the casualties (if only briefly).
  • Numbers are frequently quoted to indicate the gravity of the situation. The casualties act as something of a reverse: it makes the personal stories and situations bigger.3.6 million missing or dead. (I appreciated this as an engineer. I “math” well. –Jimmy)
  • Tadokora loses his cool on national TV talking about the impending disaster because the host doesn’t believe him.
  • The government decides to practice occupation-era tactics and censor the media to avoid a panic.
  • Reiko tells a story about slipping into the dark ocean while diving. She describes it as lonely yet calming. Foreshadowing. Microcosm. Onodera tells her to get transfer her money to foreign accounts. They will get married and run away together.
  • There is a scene at the UN where they deliberate on what to do about Japan sinking, and they find the situation impossible to resolve for 110 million people. It’s a stark contrast to a Honda film like Gorath where they find a solution by coming together. This is steeped in realism and shows how difficult the situation would be.
  • The PM decides he will bypass the UN and go to countries himself to ask if they’ll take refugees. 10 million to 1 million to 100,000 to 10,000, etc. Reminds me of Abraham asking God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah for decreasing numbers of righteous men.
  • It’s interesting reading subtitles as English is interpreted into Japanese. Differences.
  • China agrees to help. Japan’s old wartime foe.
  • Watari doesn’t look 100 years old to me.
  • The evacuees are called “Kamikaze.” That’s a loaded name. (It means “divine wind,” but the cultural associations are…complicated. –Jimmy)
  • Watari tells his niece to find a Japanese man in another country but then corrects himself to say any man to marry and have children. It’s a small concession to reality.
  • The final scene has the card “somewhere on earth” with a train going by transporting Japanese refugees. We see a one-eyed Onodera.

Tidal Wave:

  • It gives credit for the “special effects sequences” to the Japanese crew. And the director.
    • The characters’ names were changed. Tadokoro became Tanaka.
    • Adds dialogue where there wasn’t any.
    • The weird thing is the dubbed dialogue for what footage was left is actually pretty close to the original.
    • It takes nearly 46 minutes before the new footage with “star” Lorne Green starts. Clearly filmed fast in one room. Green disregards the issue, calling it a “small problem(?!). The Japanese cast member has to make this a sign of a danger to other places other than Japan. There’s talk of “astrologers and mystics” predicting the destruction. 15 minutes later, he’s injected into the UN scene. He gives a speech about the US accepting Japanese refugees. It’s a decent speech. He touches on refugee issues that were debated a few years. Ten minutes later he announces to the UN that 34 million people were saved (much higher the original). 4 minutes later: he’s reading the Newsweek article and commenting on Onodera.  
    • Onodera and Reiko are presented, at least implicitly, as being in an established relationship.

“Has the Empire Sunk Yet?” by Thomas Schnellbacher

  • Japan itself is everywhere identified with the ephemeral, a recurring theme in interpretations of Japan both by Japanese and others.’ Tadokoro compares the convection currents in the earth’s mantle to meteorological phenomena, leading the listeners to conclude that “[t]he Archipelago on which they lived was like a line of clouds that had taken form along the leading edge of a moving mass of warm air.” It’s strangely mythological.
    • “…the computer scientist Nakata ironically quotes an old song from the Sino-Japanese War of 1895: “Hasn’t the Dingyuan sunk yet?” The Dingyuan was an enemy ship at that time; the joke is that, though incapacitating it at anchor was a key success for Japan in witining this war, the ship never did sink.'” The old songs may still survive even in the memory of those who do not share the militarist sentiment, it is implied, but they can take on a new meaning if that old sentiment is defused.”
    • The sunk Japan is mythologized as a new Atlantis or Mu.
    •  “…he began writing the book in 1964, his response to validations of Japanese imperialism beginning to be voiced, which he saw as symptoms of a society grown too wealthy. He is not critical of the achievements of the postwar Japanese economy, but of complacency about those achievements, especially if it goes hand in hand with a revival of imperialist thought.”

Okay, that was more than I was expecting. It was harder to make snide remarks because this is a serious film with heavy themes. That won’t be a problem next time. Trust me.

Speaking of next time, Nate’s friends Joe and Joy Metter, themselves a pair of MSTies, will return to watch the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode featuring Gamera vs. Barugon while Nate watches the original Japanese cut (as per MIBOD’s mandates). This will be part two of 12 (or 13?) of “The Year of Gamera.” Then Nate is joined by John LeMay, as I noted, to discuss a very different disaster movie: Prophecies of Nostradamus. It’ll be the second banned film featured on the podcast. (Is it just me, or are this month’s guests all former nemeses of mine?)

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

#JimmyFromNASALives

#WeShallOvercome

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Episode 33: ‘Submersion of Japan’ (feat. Adam Noyes)

Published January 27, 2021

Hello, kaiju lovers!

Nate is joined by podcaster/YouTuber/filmmaker Adam Noyes to cover something a bit different this week: the original 1973 tokusatsu disaster film Submersion of Japan (aka Japan Sinks). Think of it as a kaiju film without a kaiju. It’s based a novel by Sakyo Komatsu, who Adam describes as “the Japanese Michael Crichton.” The novel was a blockbuster, and this film was an even bigger hit. You can tell this was what Toho invested most of their money into and not Godzilla vs. Megalon that year. Adam and Nate discuss the film’s better-than-Hollywood special effects, the horribly truncated and re-edited U.S. version called Tidal Wave made by Roger Corman, and the film’s wrestling with Japanese national identity, among other things.

Also, Nate’s “pseudo-sister” magical girl superheroine clone, Jessica, meets him just before the broadcast to let him know she just moved back to Monster Island. He’s…overjoyed.

Read Jimmy’s Notes on this episode.

Featuring Sarah Marchand as the voice of Jessica Shaw.

Prologue script by Nathan Marchand.

Music: “A weird thing” by Chiro.
Sound FX sourced from Freesound.org.

The episode thumbnail was created by Michael Hamilton.

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; and Damon Noyes! Thanks for your support!

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

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

Timestamps:
Prologue: 0:00-2:45
Main Discussion: 2:45-51:54
Outro: 51:45-end

Podcast Social Media:
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram

Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @NasaJimmy
Follow the Monster Island Board of Directors on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD
Follow the Raymund Martin on Twitter: @MIFV_LegalTeam

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault

© 2021 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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Jimmy’s Notes on ‘Episode 32: The MSTies vs. Gamera the Giant Monster’

Published January 18, 2021

Welcome to 2021—which has been a lot like 2020 so far. (Long story I’m not at liberty to tell).

Regardless, here’s my first “Jimmy’s Notes” blog for season two and the Year of Gamera. While the movie was “freakishly mediocre,” as Nate said, the episode itself was good…despite some all-too-convenient Board mandates. That being said, I did make a few notes, as I always do.

  • The Mysterian invasion was in 1957, not 1956, Nate.
  • I’m happy to report that Toshio “Kenny” Sakurai is still alive. In fact, he was a guest of honor, along with Asagi Kusanagi, at the recently-held Gamera: King of the Monsters Banquet here on the Island.
  • According to Wikipedia, “Chibi is derived from the verb 禿びる (chibiru), which means ‘to wear out and become shorter’ (the tip of something). Chibi-debu (ちびデブ or チビデブ) is used to describe something or someone that is both short and chubby. Chibi can be translated as ‘little’ (e.g. Chibi Maruko-chan, which means Little Miss Maruko), but it is not used the same way as chiisana [小さな] and chiisai [小さい] (‘tiny’, ‘small’, ‘little’ in Japanese), but rather ‘cute.’”
  • Michiko Sugata, who played “Kenny’s” sister, was actually 20 when she was in this movie, so it wasn’t unreasonable to pass her off as a teenager.
  • “Precocious adult,” am I? I guess that’s how you get labeled when you’ve been in the U.S. Air Force and NASA and built two giant robots. Don’t be hatin’! 😛
  • Oh, that kid who teamed with Gamera to pull pranks on the other kaiju was annoying! I think his name was Kevin.
  • Actually, yes, turtles and tortoises can flip themselves off their backs without using inexplicable jets in their shells. Read here.
  • I did a little digging and consulted John LeMay, but I can’t find anything anywhere that says “Commander Curly” and the other American soldiers were played by real U.S. servicemen stationed in Japan. That was sometimes done by Toho, though.
  • Nate, we only yell at each other every other workday. 😛
  • According to my sources, the “freeze bombs” were cadmium, which isn’t quite the same. Sorta.
  • But freeze bombs are cool!

And now for Nate’s first batch of leftover notes in 2021:

The Movie

  • Director Noriaki Yuasa was rotund, jolly, and “cuddly” and relatively untested. (Throw a beard on him, and he could be Santa Claus. –Jimmy)
  • Starts in North Pole like Beast (from 20,000 Fathoms). Nuclear test awakens monster like Beast. The difference is there are natives (Eskimos), which was a common trope in kaiju films, and the bombing came from Cold War issues. Implicitly Soviet bomb.
  • I can see the wires on the planes quite easily. (The drawbacks of hi-def. –Jimmy)
  • They waste no time and have Gamea show up in five minutes.
  • I don’t understand why the Eskimos speak English. Interestingly, the chief is wearing a crucifix. Implied Catholic?
  • The kids run when Gamera is mentioned. Not bad. “We’re being jammed!’ says the radio operator. By who? Gamera? Soviets? Aliens? (All of the above? –Jimmy)
  • The foreign newspapers all say, “Gamela.” (Japanese swaps L’s and R’s. –Jimmy)
  • Old drunk says Gamera is a “will-o-wisp.” His scene is too dark (lighting).
  • Gamera is a ninja. He magically disappears for a second. (He is the true fifth Ninja Turtle. But is he a teenager? Maybe that’s why he never got in. That and not being named after a Renaissance artist. –Jimmy)
  • Don’t worry, Toshio, you won’t get cancer from the radioactive turtle! (Actually, he didn’t! –Jimmy)
  • Toshio built Chibi a little rock house. And pseudo-beach music plays. Oh yeah. Chibi is totally a mutant turtle now. Yep. (Nope. The scientists have confirmed Gamera isn’t Chibi. -Jimmy).
  • The airplane pilot has radio trouble. Is this one of Gamera’s superpowers? Radio interference?
  • “By boring.” Describes the movie.
  • That’s great. Shoot the big turtle in his shell. Definitely his weak spot.
  • What a wonderful name for a hot springs resort: Hell’s Rock. Is it run by a Mr. Morningstar? (As in the comic book character? –Jimmy)
  • Oh, Tokyo Tower. A kaiju’s favorite target.
  • Toshio says Gamera attacks because he’s lonely and has no friends. So, he’s the goth kid in high school? (More like the nerd in high school. I should know. –Jimmy)
  • So, Gamera was eating radiation before it was cool. Take that, Godzilla?
  • Gamera says, “I’m crashing your party! No fun for you!” (Now he’s a party animal! –Jimmy)
  • “Gamera, don’t do anything bad!” Kid, he already has! Toshio bought a lot of stock in an Egyptian river.
  • Oh, yeah. These reporter characters are still here. I forgot about them because the movie forgot about them.
  • How is this kid getting access to this military operation? (This happened a few times when I was in the Air Force. It was part of a short-lived “kid consultant” program inspired by Gamera kids. I may or may not have played a part in forming it. –Jimmy)
  • Gamera is going to smash those bath toys.
  • “Yummy fire!”
  • Toshio may have gotten Gamera to leave. Then the crazy reporter starts lighting up buildings to get Gamera to come back. Then everyone goes full-tilt arsonist!
  • A countdown in English. Like Luke said, it must be a thing in Japan.

Toku Topic: Energy Consumption in Japan

Energy use and energy independence in Japan

  • Currently, Japan gets 10% of its energy from renewables, with the Fourth Strategic Energy Plan setting the goal of increasing that to 24% by 2030. Japan intends to invest over $700 billion in renewables over the next decade or so. Their primary renewable is hydroelectricity, with 1,198 small hydropower plants supplying 6.6% of the total hydropower. Unfortunately, these small plants are expensive to operate.
  • In addition, Japan has also explored wind power and waste/biomass energy mas well as experimental tidal and wave power plants in coastal regions.
  • Interestingly, unlike most industrial countries, Japan has two national grids instead a unified grid. One in the east and one in the west.

There were fewer leftover notes from the Toku Topic section than I expected. Nate is getting better about not overdoing it.

Join us next week for as Nate continues his series on Toho classics with a very different film (well, compared to what we normally cover): Submersion of Japan (aka Japan Sinks) from 1973. He was joined by Adam Noyes (pronounced like “noise”) of AN Productions, who jumped at the chance to talk about this film, which was a massive hit in Japan but is largely overlooked in the States. Then the Year of Gamera continues next month with Gamera vs. Barugon. Nate’s friends Joe and Joy Metter are returning—and once again Nate won’t get the chance to watch the MST3K episode of a Gamera movie. He has my sympathies.

Follow me on Twitter: @NasaJimmy

Follow the Board on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD

#JimmyFromNASALives

#WeShallOvercome

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Episode 32: The MSTies vs. ‘Gamera the Giant Monster’ (feat. Nick Hayden and Timothy Deal)

Published January 13, 2021

Hello, kaiju lovers! And welcome to MIFV season two!

Much to Nate’s chagrin, the Board-mandated “Year of Gamera” begins with the “freakishly mediocre” 1965 movie Gamera the Giant Monsters (or Daikaiju Gamera). So saddened by this is Nate that he visits the Monster Island Chapel and speaks with Rev. Mifune, the Island’s chaplain. The reverend suggests watching the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes that featured Gamera films so Nate could at least get a good laugh watching them. But when Nate meets up with his friends, first season two Tourists Nick Hayden and Timothy Deal of the Derailed Trains of Thought podcast, they receive a voicemail from the Board’s executive assistant, Ms. Perkins, saying the Tourists can watch the MST3K episodes but Nate must watch the original Japanese cuts so they can compare notes. Talk about a buzzkill! The first Toku Topic of 2021 is energy consumption in Japan because Nate read an essay that argues Gamera represents that in this movie.

Read Jimmy’s Notes on this episode.

Featuring the voices of:
-Nate Chen as Rev. Mifune
–Celeste Mora as Ms. Perkins

Prologue and voicemail scripts by Nathan Marchand.

Music: “A Maiden’s Prayer” by RebeccaETripp (OCRemix)

Sound FX sourced from Freesound.org, including “Running Loud” by dersuperanton.

The episode thumbnail was created by Michael Hamilton.

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), and Bex from Redeemed Otaku! Thanks for your support!

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

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

Timestamps:
Prologue: 0:00-2:59
Intro: 2:59-14:05
Entertaining Info Dump: 14:05-23:42
Toku Talk: 23:42-1:03:01
Advertisement: 1:03:01-1:03:54
Toku Topic: 1:03:54-1:31:42
Outro: 1:31:42-end

Podcast Social Media:
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Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @NasaJimmy
Follow the Monster Island Board of Directors on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault

© 2021 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

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Monster Island Gaming | Shadow of the Colossus (PS4) (Part 2…Sorta)

Published January 9, 2021

Here’s the video of my Shadow of the Colossus livestream from last night.

Nate continues from where he left off for his #EXTRALIFE playthrough of Shadow of the Colossus for Theology Gaming Twitch channel. It’d been a long time since he’d played the original PS2 version of the game (this was the PS4 remake), so he didn’t remember much of the game or how to defeat each colossus. He interacts with several listeners and past guests, including Damon Noyes and Ben Avery. Ben’s 10-year-old son rooted for Nate every step of the way.

We’d like to give a shout-out to our Patreon 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), and Bex from Redeemed Otaku! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can support us on Patreon and get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterisland…)

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

Podcast Social Media:
Twitter (https://twitter.com/TheMonsterIsla1)
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonsterIslan…)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monsterisla…)

Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @NasaJimmy (https://twitter.com/NasaJimmy) Follow the Monster Island Board of Directors on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD (https://twitter.com/MonsterIslaBOD)

© 2020 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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Episode 31.5: MIFV Season 2 Promo – ‘The Year of Gamera!’

Published January 6, 2021

Next week–much to Nate’s chagrin–MIFV begins the Board-mandated “Year of Gamera”! Twelve months, twelve movies–but only four of them are good! Hear all about what to expect from MIFV in 2021 in this promo!

Music: “Gammera” by The Moons

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Jimmy’s Notes on ‘Episode 31: Space Amoeba (feat. Giant Monster BS)’

Published January 5, 2021

Well, that was one hell of an adventure! With shipping being delayed by the pandemic and the holidays (and shady Chinese mech part sellers on eBay…), it took forever for me to get everything I needed to complete Mechani-Kong Mk. 2. But I am not one to waste anything—especially expensive alien and future tech—which is why I used the leftovers to make Uber-Moguera. It was challenging enough making the parts I salvaged from the Mysterian and G-Force models compatible my rebuilt mechanical monkey. I studied Dr. Who’s original blueprints (no thanks to Michael Hamilton for stealing my annotated Godzilla Compendium…) and consulted with some of the Jaeger builders at the Shatterdome. I was surprised to learn that Jet Jaguar, in addition to his size-changing and other abilities, did have some robotics knowledge in his massive cerebral hard drive. He was the best assistant I could’ve asked for.

Sadly, as Nathan, er, Nate and the Giant Monster BS boys learned, Uber-Moguera has some…issues that need ironed out. As in he needs to be finished. Combining Mysterian and pseudo-Futurian tech has proven to be more difficult than I expected. I’ll get it done, though. Having a pair of mechas on the Island for work and defense will come in handy. I’m sure the Board is planning…something to do with them.

Anyway, concerning episode 31:

Here are my notes on the discussion of Space Amoeba:

  • They forgot to mention that the English-language title for this movie was Yog, Monster from Space. I’m guessing “Yog” is the name for the collective of non-corporeal aliens and not the kaiju. I’m not sure which one would have that name.
  • Why didn’t I remind you, Nate, about the hotel aspect of the plot? Sometimes you have to let people fail to learn the best lesson.
  • “Jimothy”? I’ve been called worse. Not “Jimbo,” though. I’m okay with that. Sorta.
  • I have a pile of tires from maser cannons. I was able to get one to fit the Weedmobile.
  • The lobster fighting game is not “Battle Crab.” It’s Fight Crab.
  • As Rev. Mifune would say, “When I was a child, I reasoned like a child, and when I became an adult, I put away childish things.” I now think space is even more preferable to Earth. I mean, have you been on Twitter lately? 😛

These are Nate’s leftover notes on the film:

Space Amoeba Notes:

  • Released in 1970, the year…Kurosawa attempted suicide.
  • This is not to be confused with “The Immunity Syndrome.” (Yes, the Star Trek episode that has a literal giant amoeba in space. –Jimmy)
  • The rocket is clearly a model.
  • Helois 7 is going to Jupiter because we got to the moon. (Jupiter has the famous Great Red Spot, but I can tell you from experience Venus is more fun and safe to visit. –Jimmy)
  • Tsuburaya would’ve been happy because he’d make another octopus-style monster. (Except this one he can’t eat. –Jimmy)
  • Straw hats and cigarettes. There’s a band name for you. (I’ll add it to the list of bands performing at the Island’s next music festival. –Jimmy)
  • He thought the matamata turtle was a monster. Take that, Gamera! (Do not insult the king! –Jimmy)
  • The mark on Rico’s body looks like frostbite…or a hickey. (No kink-shaming. 😛 –Jimmy)
  • Here we go again: eye candy native girl. It’s a staple of these island films. (It’s a trope I can get behind. 😛 –Jimmy)
  • Seriously, what does this guy think he’s gonna do to Gezora with a knife? (I fought a giant squid with a knife once. –Jimmy)
  • Catch it and put it in a show. He sounds like Clark Nelson now.
  • The animated tentacle looks goofy.
  • Gamine and Kamoebas are better-looking suits, but they aren’t as “popular” as Gezora. Kamoebas appeared later as a dead body in Tokyo SOS.
  • Kudo shoots Ganime in more ways than one (gun and camera). (Haha. –Jimmy)
  • Obata is going around burning lots of bats.
  • A man of science says humans have souls. Hot dang! Obata’s soul is fighting the aliens.
  • The bats are circling Ganime and Kamoeba like vultures. Okay.
  • Did they just use the same panning shot of the characters again? (Probably. –Jimmy)

Honda Biography

  • It was originally written in 1966 as part of the deal between Toho and UPA. It was a global story on the scale of Gorath with monsters invading from space and submerging entire continents. When it was revived three years later, it was scaled back to the South Seas. The filmmakers hoped to recapture the old magic, so the film became like a “best of reel.” Tanaka, who was too busy to produce it, thought it was too much of a retread.
  • There was constant pressure to stay on budget. Honda wanted to film on Guam, but that was canceled and he filmed on Hachijo Island, the “Hawaii of Japan,” 170 miles south of Tokyo.
  • The experience on this film was unmemorable for those involved. They spoke and wrote little of it. Regardless, it was the last Toho sci-fi film made on the old studio system.
  • “My nightmares are almost always about war—wandering the streets, searching for something that’s lost forever. But it’s possible for me to will myself to have pleasant dreams. For me, the most wonderful fragrance in the world is new film. You open the canister for the first time and breathe deeply. That night, the same wonderful fragrance fills your dreams. It’s grand.” –Honda, 1992

LeMay – Big Book

  • Originally, Yoshio Tsuchiya was to play Obata, but he let Sahara have the role.

Brothers

  • Possible theme of the destruction of natural beauty but not developed.

And so ends season one of MIFV (not counting the bonus episode, of course).

We just did the live broadcast of the season two premiere, and it was…interesting, to say the least. You’ll hear it next week when “The Year of Gamera” begins with a discussion of 1965’s Gamera the Giant Monster. Then for the first mini-sode of 2021, Nate is joined by podcaster/YouTuber/amateur filmmaker Adam Noyes of AN Productions to discuss the rare but excellent Submersion of Japan from 1973.

Despite everything that happened in 2020, I truly believe we shall overcome!

Follow me on Twitter: @NasaJimmy

Follow the Board on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD

#JimmyFromNASALives

#WeShallOvercome

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Jimmy’s Notes on ‘Episode 30: Latitude Zero (Mini-Analysis)’

Published December 16, 2020

So…this episode. There’s much I want to say…but I’m not at liberty to do so. There were some…top secret items discussed off the air. Very top secret. That’s all I can say for the moment. Our meeting with Ms. Perkins was quite informative. Eye-opening, even. She made Nathan, er, Nate and me privy to some information that will change how we do the show, and we only announced a little bit of it. Let’s just say next season we’ll be helping you all find a better way forward.

As for my notes, I don’t have many bullet points of my own this time around. Mostly, I’m just going to comment on some things that were said.

I was wrong about the Godzilla vs. Kong premiere. That’s not easy to admit. As the “intrepid” producer of MIFV, it’s my responsibility to fact check Nate, but I should’ve fact checked myself. I got caught up in the excitement of a world premiere on the Island six months before its scheduled release (which would’ve been even better given Warner Bros.’s controversial decision to send it to theaters and HBO Max on the same day). Nate had every right to say, “I don’t you so.”

I am happy to report that there will still be a premiere here on Monster Island in May, barring any other unforeseen shenanigans. (Latitude Zero’s COVID-19 vaccine can’t get distributed fast enough).

By the way, if you’re interested in learning more about the Latitude Zero Resort in Indonesia (not that I’d endorse anyone who might be competition for the Island), here’s their website.

And now for Nate’s leftover notes from the film…which is most of them since he focused on utopias.

Latitude Zero notes:

  • I watched the “original Japanese version” for this episode. Dubious because this was made for the US market and filmed in English. I watched the US version before. (Good thing I picked up some Japanese when my family lived in Japan for a few years. I’ll tell you more about that when we get to a certain Gamera film. –Jimmy)
  • Of course the largest ocean liner is named Fuji. (If it was an American ship, it’d be the Denali. Hmm. Not as cool-sounding, I guess. –Jimmy)
  • Nick Hayden joked (in episode 28) that Dr. Elson would smoke in sub, and Masson tries to here!
  • “20 fathoms”? Try 20,000! (It’s like Scotty on Star Trek: always multiplying his estimates by a thousand. –Jimmy)
  • Did Takarada dub himself back into Japanese? It’d be weird if he didn’t. (That seems likely since Wikizilla only lists dub actors for the American cast members. –Jimmy)
  • This explosion at the beginning looks amazing! Probably done using classic technique or pouring colored liquids into water and flipping the film and superimposing it.
  • This is much like The Green Slime in that it feels more like an American production that just happened to be made by Japanese people.
  • Dr. Ann Barton looks like she came straight off the set of Star Trek. Only there could a lady scientist have a backless top, miniskirt, and go-go boots. One guy even says she doesn’t “look” like a doctor. “What’s a doctor supposed to look like?” (I’m not complaining. –Jimmy)
  • The plaque says, “The Alpha. Launched June 21, 1805. Stornaway Harbour, Hebrides.” Scotland.
  • “Frank speed?” Sounds like a comic book character.
  • Ah, Dr. Malik. Played the unconquerable Caesar Romero. He’s one of the few true supervillains in Toho’s Showa films. Could he be a Sentai villain? Home base. Minions. A general. Makes monsters. Super vehicles. Blood Rock on an island. “Malik” means murderer (probably derived from “malice.”) (I wonder if he invested in the Island? –Jimmy)
  • This submarine chase looks pretty good. I wish could say the same for all the effects that follow. This feels like a Star Trek battle, complete with shaking camera. McKenzie eludes the Black Shark using superior and clever tactics.
  • You know, I could almost see this being an episode of Star Trek with some tweaks. (Me too. –Jimmy)
  • 11,000 fathoms? 9,000 more and you’ll find THE BEAST! (THE BEAST! THE BEAST!FROM 20,000 FATHOM! I couldn’t resist.  –Jimmy)
  • Great matte paintings. Reminds me of an episode of TNG set on idyllic planet where the only penalty is death. (I remember that for other reasons. –Jimmy)
  • Gold is harvested from seawater (okay…) and used for clothing because it’s cheap and plentiful. Diamonds are only used as cutting tools.
  • Lawton says there’s no moon or stars there, so you can’t have everything. He says everyone Mackenzie mentioned was there supposedly died. Tashiro even jokes that it might be Heaven (Paradise). Lawton theorizes McKenzie kidnapped those people and brainwashed them. Or drugs that induced hallucinations.
  • Those models on the map are props in the special effects department (Leave the riffing to me, Nate. –Jimmy)
  • Dr. Odaka has made a serum that immunizes against radiation and naturally everyone wants it. (Yeah, that’s one they should’ve shared with the world. –Jimmy)
  • Oh, the “Bat Men.” Do they fight Kamen Rider later? Nakajima is one of them. They don’t look great.
  • All the Asian people are subservient to the foreigners. Cleat mark of American story.
  • Caesar Romero’s scenes veer closer to Batman ’66.
  • They’re bathing in Ecto-Cooler (in the Bath of Immunity).
  • What if the bath didn’t work and you shot them? (Sounds like a debate question. –Jimmy)
  • That lion looks horribly fake. (You look horribly fake! 😛 –Jimmy)
  • Malic is a fiend! He didn’t anesthetize the lion. He just stabbed it in the head. (He must’ve been a dentist before he was a mad scientist. –Jimmy)
  • Does he have explosives planted everywhere on the island just in case of intruders? (I think the Board did the same thing on Monster Island because Malik did it first. Be careful on your next nature walk. –Jimmy)
  • The ROUS! You can see the zipper on them.
  • What’s attacking them? Tiny seagulls?
  • “FINGER LASERS!” (No one else gets that reference, Nate. –Jimmy)
  • The disintegration effects are really good. And kinda freaky.
  • Jimmy loves the Alpha. It’s Atragon II. Or the forerunner to the Gohten. (All true. –Jimmy)
  • Apparently, the Black Shark can’t fly. Malik must be jealous.
  • In the end, none of Lawton’s photos turn out and the bag of diamonds is dirt. The Capt. McKenzie on the boat says he comes from a long line. There’s also an officer who looks like Dr. Tashiro. There’s also a Lt., Hastings who looks like Malik. However, the New York bank did get the diamonds to hold for safekeeping until McKenzie arrived. (Talk about confusing! No wonder Nate doesn’t think LZ exists! –Jimmy)

Next week for our season finale, the guys from “Giant Monster BS” are joining us to discuss Space Amoeba (aka Yog, Monster from Space). I know how they are, so I’m having Jet Jaguar in the producer booth with me to act as my dump button. Also, Nate recorded a two-part bonus episode with Chris Cooke from “One Cross Radio” on the finale of Power Rangers In Space. It was mandated by Ms. Perkins, for some reason. Part one will be on Chris’s show and part two will be in the MIFV feeds. Then in January we start “The Year of Gamera.” Exciting (and hopefully less “interesting”) times are ahead!

Follow me on Twitter: @NasaJimmy

Follow the Board on Twitter: @MonsterIslaBOD

#JimmyFromNASALives

#WeShallOvercome

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