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Episode 112: ‘Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna: Warriors of the Star of Light’ vs. Rob Buck | The Ultra Journey

Published June 12, 2026

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! Hello, MIFV MAX members! First-time guest Rob Buck of The Power Chamber Podcast joins Nate for “The Ultra Journey” to discuss the first of its kind in the Ultra Series: Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna: Warriors of the Star of Light. This was the first wholly original tie-in film for a then-current Ultraman show on TV. While the title promises a crossover, behind-the-scenes shenanigans kept it from being as epic as it could’ve been. That being said, as a “midquel” for Dyna, it’s a solid piece of tokusatsu. The film explicitly expresses the franchise’s vehement anti-nihilism worldview and shows why the TDG Trilogy era is beloved. Since one of the main antagonists, the amazingly named Deathfacer, is an evil giant robot programmed with the memories of the Super GUTS team, this episode’s Toku Topic is a (sorta) brief history of artificial intelligence (A.I.). Enjoy!

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip, and Henshin Power V3!

We’d like to give a shout-out to our free MIFV MAX patrons on Patreon: Cordell Stevens, John Pannozzi, Jacob Heron, Cool Cat Videos, Bransbow, Sean Sullivan, Frankie Wolf, Russel Hale, FRIEN Jadge, Bob Hard, ArtsieSteph, Robert O’Brien, DD Chief, Kaye, Nobody, The Indiscrite One, Clayton Warden, Enigma, Dave Blanken, Patrick Greenlaw, Mikki, Josh Baughan, Shane Cochran, Francis Chopin, and Geek 3D Art.

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop). NEW MERCH NOW AVAILABLE!

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

Timestamps:

  • Introduction: 0:00-21:21
  • Entertaining Info Dump: 21:21-30:18
  • Toku Talk (main discussion): 30:18-1:38:57
  • Culture Box Ad – The Untold Podcast: 1:38:57-1:39:48
  • Toku Topic – A Brief History of Artificial Intelligence: 1:39:48-2:55:56
  • Outro (listener feedback and housekeeping): 2:55:56-3:11:20
  • Credits: 3:11:30-end

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives, #MonsterIslandFilmVault, #Podcast, #kaiju, #MIFV, #ultraman, #theultrajourney, #tsuburayaproductions, #ultramandyna, #ultramantiga

© 2026 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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

Published August 11, 2021

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

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

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

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

Guest stars:

Additional music:

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

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

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

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic!

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

Timestamps:

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

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault       #GameravsZigra          #YearofGamera

© 2021 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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Episode 0 – Promo Trailer

Published July 12, 2019
Artwork by Tyler Sowles.

A podcast seeking entertainment and enlightenment through tokusatsu.

Join host/curator Nathan Marchand and his intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA (who miraculously survived the infamous War in Space), as they and a rotating roster of Monster Island’s best and brightest Tourists dive deep into the films starring the Island’s most famous kaiju residents!

This is a film appreciation podcast that chronologically and critically examines films from the kaiju and tokusatsu genres. Episodes rotate between round table discussions that feature the film’s production info and an explanation of its historical and cultural contexts; and “mini-sodes” that will include interviews, comedy sketches, and audio essays, among other things. Episodes will drop the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, starting in September 2019. Listeners have a fun and fascinating journey ahead of them.

First up: The Eighth Wonder of the World!

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