#Godzilla vs Evangelion: The Real 4-D

[rassilon-imprimatur]

Hideaki Anno’s Shin Godzilla Strikes Back pitch being a love letter to the Champion Festival + Godzilla vs Evangelion: The Real 4-D being Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster with Shinji, Asuka, and Rei playing the parts of Rodan and Mothra, complete with Godzilla playing a “hero’s” role despite the sheer Shin Godzilla™ of him, it just gets me thinking.

For all Shingoji (obviously) approaches Shodaigoji (and the maquette), the slow sweeping tail of King Kong vs Godzilla, and the sinister zombie lumber of Mothra vs Godzilla and 1984, along with the darker and grim energy of Godzilla as a horribly burned and disfigured mutant... 

... there’s still so much of the 60s + 70s “begrudging good guy” and kid’s superhero Godzillas in the design? Daisensogoji’s blobby, earless crust of a head, the gnarled teeth. Soshingekigoji’s long neck, bell-shaped body, furrowed brow. Megarogoji’s ‘75 side profile, the dorsal arrangement. The jaws, the faces, the noses! 

All the NGE tie-in merch, games, rides, and the current Shin Japanese Heroes Universe nonsense all frame Shin Godzilla in that begrudging hero role, in a hilariously deranged contrast with his horrifying nature and apocalyptic existence. And the more I think about it, while we sit in fannish imaginings of the Fifth Form swarming, further horror and The End of Evangelion-styled nightmares set to Ifukube tracks, I think Anno’s “Champion Festival” sequel really would’ve been that same deranged joke? Especially with Shinji Higuchi’s Shin Ultraman energy, the delight and self-aware handling of Tokusatsu as its most gleeful, cranked up, gigglingly unhinged. 

Shin Godzilla, world-devastating ecological disaster, twitching and brimming with horrors beyond our comprehension (Hiromi Ogashira comprehends them, but we would die) simultaneously walking into Invasion of Astro Monster, Ebirah, Godzilla vs. Hedorah. Shin Godzilla vs Gigan complete with peacefully returning to the ocean, boiling it as he goes. 

You know, the threat of further evolutions constantly hanging overhead, further countdowns to UN attacks, all while beam spamming with The Real 4-D’s “Shin Ghidorah.” TriStar’s Godzilla 2000 dub “Then why does he keep protecting us/Maybe because Godzilla’s inside each of us” set to the most horrific horizon-splitting back laser combo move you can fucking imagine. I’d like it. 

[gojirahkiin]

These are valid takes, but I stand by my opinion that Shin Ghidorah was an awesome design and power set. It’s a crime that it will probably never be seen again.

You know, for a while I was upset that they never made any Shin Godzilla sequels. It brought the franchise back to its roots, integrated more contemporary social commentary and political satire and managed to make Godzilla scary in a way he hasn't really been since the 50s.

But I'm glad it's a solo project. Could you imagine if Shin Godzilla had to become the HEROIC monster? If they introduced a Shin Ghidorah or Shin Gigan for him to fight? How thoroughly that would undercut the message of the film?

Toho has a new project in the works for the big G, slated for a November 2023 release. I'd love to see a new reinvention of the king of the monsters, but I hope we can leave Shin Godzilla where he is. His story is over.

[hrodvitnon]

Considering Godzilla vs Evangelion: The Real 4-D where he beats the shit out of Eva's and takes on Shin Ghidorah - it's pretty likely that out of the three Princes, Shin is probably the tankiest and strongest, with only Leo once he gets his Imago state being potentially tougher. Shin would definitely feel smug about it, especially if something like Shin Ghidorah actually DID appear and he managed to take it on (mostly) by himself.

That's a pretty good reason to feel smug! Fortunately Shin has two brothers who can keep him grounded with their nonsense so he doesn't get too big for his metaphorical britches.

[rustybottlecap]

List of Kaiju Movies Between Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) and Godzilla (2014)

Despite the lack of Godzilla movies, this sure was a weird, experimental decade for the kaiju genre and I think it doesn’t get enough recognition. The movies I could count are:

Ultraman: The Next (2004) - A standalone new origin of the classic japanese hero.

Reigo: The Deep-Sea Monster vs. the Battleship Yamato (2005) - A Godzilla-esque aquatic reptile battles the famous japanese WW2 ship the night before its historic destruction.

Negadon: The Monster from Mars (2005) - A cgi-animated 25-minutes short homage movie where a giant robot fights a weird alien giant monster.

Chousei Kantai Sazer-X the Movie: Fight! Star Warriors (2005) - Based on the "Chouseishin” tokusatsu series by Toho, probably better know because the Gotengo is in it and for re-using the scarpped design of Heisei Mechanikong.

King Kong (2005) - Don’t know if it really counts but hey, it’s King Kong.

Gamera the Brave (2006) - Probably needs no introduction but still. A love letter to the Gamera movies of the 60s and 70s as well as a great coming of age story.

The Host (2006) - Not to be confused with the not-Twilight movie. An amazing south korean film about a family trying to rescue their daughter from a weird mutated fish monster that kidnapped her.

Ultraman Mebius & Ultraman Brothers (2006) - Ultraman’s 40th anniversary celebration movie.

Big Man Japan (2007) - A BIZARRE AF documentary-ish movie about a summo hero guy who can turn giant and that protects Japan from some of the weirdest kaiju ever.

D-War (2007) - From the director of the 1999 Yonggary remake (aka “Reptilian”), this movie about an evil giant serpent dragon and a whole army of monsters is insane, cheesy and never slows down. Supposedly it’s getting a sequel in 2020.

Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit (2008) - A parody/satire sequel to the 1967 movie Guilala. Strangely it uses stock-footage from the original.

Cloverfield (2008) - The movie that had a crazy ARG associated with it, that seeked out to create a real american equivalent of Godzilla, and that re-popularized found footage movies.

Superior Ultraman 8 Brothers (2008) - Notable for having the actors of the 4 original ultras (their human hosts/forms that is) reprising their roles.

Geharha: The Dark and Long Hair Monster (2009) - A short funny homage to kaiju movies in general. Instant classic.

Demeking, The Sea Monster (2009) - Haven’t seen it but the monster is a cool weird choral snail thing.

Deep-Sea Monster Raiga (2009) -A far more comedic sequel to Reigo (2005), this time with a bipedal, giant-clawed blue Godzilla-esque kaiju.

Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends (2009) - All the ultra heroes and all the ultra kaiju ever duke it out non-stop. Not only a sequel to all Ultraman series, but allso to the kaiju-centered spin-off Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle.

Death Kappa (2010) - A raunchy comedic movie starring the classic turtle/duck youkai who turns giant and fights another monster. The creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion plays the villain.

Monsters (2010) - The movie that put Gareth Edwards on the map before he directed Godzilla 2014. It shows a world dominated by giant octopus-like monsters that is very gloomy but doesn’t lack a sense of wonder at all.

Ultraman Zero: The Revenge of Belial (2010) - Sequel to MMBUGL that further establishes Belial as the evil Ultraman.

Ultraman Saga (2012) -Ultraman Dyna, Ultraman Zero from the previous two movies, and best boy Ultraman Cosmos join forces to fight baby Zetton.

Pacific Rim (2013) - Pacific Rim.

Special mention to the thai movie Garuda from 2004, the 2010 animated movie Firebreather, the Sharktopus movies produced by Roger Corman, the Mega Shark movies by The Assylum, and all 21 Super Sentai theatrical releases that came in this period but that I’m too much of a coward to look up if they qualify for this list.

Did I miss anything?

[gonagaiworld]

Godzilla Vs. Evangelion the Real 4-D: il trailer è online #CoolJapan #Godzilla #GodzillaVs.EvangeliontheReal4-D #NeonGenesisEvangelion #Trailer #UniversalStudiosJapan

[evangelion-all]

USJ「哥斯拉对福音战士 THE REAL 4-D」特別视频公开 王者基多拉决定参战

5月31日于日本环球影城USJ（Universal Studio Japan）登场的新游乐设施『哥斯拉对福音战士 THE REAL 4-D』的特別预告视频解禁。

http://www.evangelionall.info/news/10427/usj-godzilla-vs-evangelion-the-real-4-d-special-video-released-king-gidra-participation-decision/

[recentanimenews]

Usagi/Misato Voice Actress Kotono Mitsuishi Enjoys Her Visit at Universal Studios Japan

  Universal Studios Japan has been holding the "Universal Cool Japan 2019" campaign since May, and Kotono Mitsuishi voices two main characters in its two attractions: Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon in "Sailor Moon the Miracle 4-D: Moon Palace Chapter" and Misato Katsuragi in "Godzilla vs. Evangelion: The Real 4-D." On July 13, the 51-year-old voice actress, previously said on SNS, "Being able to enjoy Sailor and Eva together is a miracle that occurs once in a lifetime," finally visited the theme park. 

  She said about the Sailor Moon attraction: "So exciting! I am very satisfied! When I heard the voices of Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Saturn, the outer solar system guardians who newly joined the show, it gave me goosebumps! I was also fraught with great emotion with the scene that they sent the power to Sailor Moon. The highlight of the show was Super Sailor Moon's back view! I felt the girls' coolness, beauty, strength, and cuteness. My eyes were glued on her back, which we couldn't see in the anime."

     She also loved the "Godzilla vs. Evangelion" one : "I was surprised at such high level of completion. I was in a transport plane, but it gave me so much presence that I felt the danger of my life. The distance to Eva and Godzilla was so close, and I kept saying, 'Awesome! Awesome!' The Osaka-3 City was full of surprises and was so realistic that it could exist in the real world. Everything was so real, I could feel the Eva's luster and Godzilla's skin texture! The music combined the two works with different worldviews into one, and I felt this collaboration was extremely fresh."

      As a proof of her visit at USJ, she wrote her autographs on the popcorn buckets of Eva-01 and Super Sailor Moon. The two items will be displayed at the park soon. 

    ／#三石琴乃　さんが “一生に一度のミラクル体験”！ ＼#葛城ミサト #月野うさぎ 両方の声優を務める三石さんがパークに来場!#エヴァンゲリオン と #美少女戦士セーラームーン が一緒に楽しめる奇跡の一日を大満喫！ #USJ 各アトラクションの詳細はこちらから→ https://t.co/xef9GPFoe7 pic.twitter.com/2DNwoXH7TZ

— ユニバーサル・スタジオ・ジャパン公式 (@USJ_Official) 2019年7月13日

    "Sailor Moon the Miracle 4-D: Moon Palace Chapter" CM:

    "Godzilla vs. Evangelion: The Real 4-D" CM:

    Source: Universal Studios Japan press release

  ©Naoko Takeuchi

©khara

    By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[corporativoarcanos]

Universal Studios Japan presenta el video 'Godzilla vs Evangelion the Real 4-D' #Japón #UniversalStudios #Godzilla #Evangelion #CorporativoArcanos #Masukomi #SutaArcanos #Noticias

Universal Studios Japan presenta el video ‘Godzilla vs Evangelion the Real 4-D’ #Japón #UniversalStudios #Godzilla #Evangelion #CorporativoArcanos #Masukomi #SutaArcanos #Noticias

Godzilla y Unit-01 se enfrentan actualmente en una atracción conjunta en el parque temático Universal Studios Japan en Osaka. La atracción comenzó el 31 de mayo y se extenderá hasta el 25 de agosto.

Universal Studio Japan presentó un video el jueves que mostró un vistazo de cómo será el enfrentamiento. La historia tiene lugar en “Shin-Osaka City III”, y se muestra a los diferentes pilotos de…

[rowel-anime-trends]

Godzilla and Unit-01 are currently facing off in a joint attraction at the Universal Studios Japan theme park in Osaka. The attraction started on May 31...

[gonagaiworld]

Godzilla Vs. Evangelion the Real 4-D: nuovi dettagli sull'attrazione interattiva degli Universal Studios Japan #CoolJapan #Godzilla #GodzillaVs.EvangeliontheReal4-D #NeonGenesisEvangelion #UniversalStudiosJapan

[evangelion-all]

USJ『哥斯拉对EVANGELION THE REAL 4-Ｄ』详细信息公开 有原创周边商品＆食品登场

5月31日于USJ（日本环球影城）登场的新游乐设施『哥斯拉对EVANGELION THE REAL 4-D』的详细信息公布。

http://www.evangelionall.info/news/10301/usj-godzilla-vs-evangelion-the-real-4-d-detailed-information-released-original-goods-and-food-also-appeared/

[evangelion-all]

USJ『哥斯拉对EVANGELION THE REAL 4-D』游乐设施信息公开 以「第3新大阪市」为舞台的原创故事

USJ（日本环球影城）的新游乐设施『哥斯拉对EVANGELION THE REAL 4-D』的特设页开放。公开了游乐设施的相关信息。

http://www.evangelionall.info/news/10188/usj-godzilla-vs-evangelion-the-real-4-d-attraction-information-exhibition-original-story-of-the-stage-set-in-3rd-shin-osaka-city/

[recentanimenews]

See How The Audience React to USJ's "Attack on Titan: The Real" Show

  The official YouTube channel for Universal Studios Japan has started streaming a 85-second new PV for its 3D live show "Attack on Titan: The Real" introducing the reaction of its audience in the theater with the world's biggest 3D screen of 50 meters wide.

  As part of USJ's "Universal Cool Japan 2019" event, the special show inspired by Hajime Isayama's internationally popular Attack on Titan manga series will be performed until August 25, along with "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon:The Miracle 4-D -Moon Palace Edition-" and "Godzilla vs. Evangelion: The Real 4-D." The show's story centers on the deadly intense battle to recapture Wall Maria between the Survey Corps soldiers and Titans, including the gigantic Colossus Titan.

     "Attack on Titan: The Real" new PV:

  好評開催中！目の前で体感できる「新次元3Dライブシアター」 #進撃の巨人 ／ 　感じろ、地響き、息遣い。 　絶望に反撃せよ。 ＼ #USJ だけの3D映像×リアルキャスト×スペシャルエフェクト体験！ #shingeki → https://t.co/Fnh4gQa66Z pic.twitter.com/6SCizuujun

— ユニバーサル・スタジオ・ジャパン公式 (@USJ_Official) 2019年6月14日

  Previous PV:

    Key visuals: 

        See also: "Seven Anime Voice Actors Experience Universal Studios Japan's Attack on Titan Attractions"

    Source: Universal Studios Japan official YouTube channel, press release

  ©Hajime Isayama, KODANSHA/"ATTACK ON TITAN" Production Committee

    By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[recentanimenews]

Watch Press Preview Video from USJ's "Sailor Moon the Miracle 4-D" Attraction

As reported, Universal Studios Japan opened "Sailor Moon the Miracle 4-D: Moon Palace Chapter," the second chapter of its 4D attraction inspired by Naoko Takeuchi's internationally popular Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon franchise, on Friday, along with "Godzilla vs Evangelion The Real 4D" and "Attack on Titan: The Real." Japanese movie news site Cinema Today has posted press preview videos to introduce the visuals of the three new attractions. 

  "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon the Miracle 4-D: Moon Palace Chapter" telling a brand new story featuring all 10 Sailor Guardians and Super Sailor Moon is scheduled to run at the park until August 25, 2019.

       "Universal Cool Japan 2019 Summer Time" opening ceremony hosted by actor Yukiyoshi Ozawa

      "Godzilla vs Evangelion The Real 4D" press preview

    "Attack on Titan: The Real" press preview

    "Universal Cool Japan 2019" CM

      Source: Cinema Today official YouTube channel, Universal Studios Japan press release

  ©Naoko Takeuchi

TM&(C)TOHO CO., LTD. (C)khara

©Hajime Isayama, KODANSHA/"Attack on Titan" Production Committee

  By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

The Universal Studios Japan Godzilla vs. Evangelion: The Real 4-D ride ends with them teaming up against what's effectively a Shin Ghidorah and it was... extremely weird

You know, for a while I was upset that they never made any Shin Godzilla sequels. It brought the franchise back to its roots, integrated more contemporary social commentary and political satire and managed to make Godzilla scary in a way he hasn't really been since the 50s.

But I'm glad it's a solo project. Could you imagine if Shin Godzilla had to become the HEROIC monster? If they introduced a Shin Ghidorah or Shin Gigan for him to fight? How thoroughly that would undercut the message of the film?

Toho has a new project in the works for the big G, slated for a November 2023 release. I'd love to see a new reinvention of the king of the monsters, but I hope we can leave Shin Godzilla where he is. His story is over.