#Pilot's Mechagodzilla

[howlingmoon08]

Size difference probably isn’t accurate enough for him to pilot on the inside but i just wanted to draw them 

[siennadraws-13]

This is just concept art atm, but i hope I'll make it real one day!

I feel like the Megaladon and Megatron verse in The Outside really fit these two goobers, which gave me the idea to make an animatic! Nothings been started yet, but i thought this concept art i made was neat

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Week in Review (March 17-23, 2024)

Mere days to go before a new Godzilla movie... didn't we just do this?

Before we welcome that latest entry, let's look back on one that just commemorated its golden anniversary. With Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla turning 50 on March 21, every member of Toho's Big Five has now hit the half-century mark. The company didn't mark the day itself with much; as has become typical, the celebration of Mechagodzilla (and presumably King Caesar) will be spread throughout the year. I wrote a bit about the magnificent machine, who I consider the best Godzilla antagonist, here. The film itself is one of Teruyoshi Nakano's masterpieces, an onslaught of animated rays and gorgeous explosions. The humans are forgettable, but they keep the pace brisk—and the alien commander Mugal is almost as devilish a villain as Mechagodzilla itself, especially in the English dub. Speaking of that dub, you can watch a video breaking down the entire voice cast here, thanks to the tireless work of the Save All Dubs! group.

Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #6 finally gets to the good stuff, with Lex Luthor piloting Mechagodzilla and commanding an army of Titans to raze Metropolis while the heroes counter with not one but two giant robots. It doesn't quite measure up to the Godzilla: Rulers of Earth finale, but like that double-sized issue, it required two artists (Christian Duce joined by Tom Derenick) to draw all those characters, and the results are impressive. The story hasn't grown any more complex, but I'm at least interested to see how it all wraps up.

In other Godzilla comic news, a Godziban manga by Sakuju Koizumi has started up, hosted by Telemaga, a tokusatsu-focused Kodansha site. The first installment was pretty short, so I'm guessing these'll be updated weekly. It isn't the first comic version of Godziban, as one called Godziman ran during the 1st Season, but this one's actually illustrated.

Tokyo's Ikebukuro district made Godzilla the honorary chief of police on March 16 to take part in a parade promoting traffic safety. The stunt made international headlines and generated no small amount of angst over Cop Godzilla. I think Gamera would've been better-suited to this campaign myself.

Here's the trailer for Season 2 of Chibi Godzilla Raids Again, revealing Gabara, Gigan, and Titanosaurus's designs. Looks as funny as the first one. Maaya Uchida, who sang the ending songs in SSSS.Gridman and SSSS.Dynazenon, will voice Chibi Minilla. It's gone weirdly neglected by English Godzilla social media accounts, but X user @MakoMattari translated it.

The Music Box Theatre in Chicago has a Godzilla program for the ages scheduled for June 7-13, in honor of his 70th birthday. There's not a weak day on the schedule, but the clear highlight is a 24-hour marathon of the entire Showa series on the 8th, which I don't think has ever been attempted before.

G-Fest has also started announcing guests: Ayako Fujitani (Asagi in the Heisei Gamera trilogy) and Rie Ota (Baragon in GMK), both first-timers. Frankly, they could carry the con themselves if they have to; not sure who I'm more excited to meet!

[tyrantisterror]

Criticizing the police in a superhero story is kind of straightforward, examples exist, but what about the military in a kaiju story? Like, it's one thing to have the monster be immune to weapons but how do you avoid the usual cliches?

I would say most kaiju movies are pretty critical of the military - and so are a lot of Western giant monsters movies, to a lesser extent. The military is almost always impotent at best in a kaiju movie, rarely accomplishing anything more than stalling for time, and often end up making the situation worse. All the military's actions in the original Godzilla, for example, do nothing but make the monster more pissed off, until his final and most horrible rampage is directly provoked by the military's incredibly thorough and diverse attempt to kill him with every weapon they can think of. That is not a flattering portrayal of the military.

In fact, this trope is so common in the kaiju genre that it wasn't until decades after its inception that people tried to go against it - one of the directors of the 90's Godzilla movies talked about how G-Force in those movies was made because he always felt annoyed as a child that the military never accomplished much, and wanted to have them put up a better fight. Yet even then, MechaGodzilla, Moguera, and the various super xs never win - they come close, but Godzilla proves indomitable in the end.

Victories in kaiju movies overwhelmingly hinge on noncombatants and diplomacy - the happy ending comes from a scientist creating an ingenious invention, or fairies convincing their moth goddess to save our ass, or simply allowing Godzilla to swim off into the sunset when he's done defending his territory from the invasive monster of the week.

Some modern American kaiju pastiches find interesting ways to make the military useful while trying to stick to the themes baked into the genre's bones - Godzilla 2014 has a protagonist who, while in the military, specifically works as a bomb disposal expert, i.e. someone who keeps violence from escalating rather than perpetuate. Said character is drawn as a direct reflection of Godzilla himself in the same movie - heroes defined by their desire to stop a violent situation from exploding rather to destroy for the sake of destroying.

Pacific Rim explicitly focuses on a military organization of pilots in giant robots trying to fend off alien invaders using kaiju as weapons - but in the movie's greatest break from reality, said force is woefully underfunded, stripped to just a handful of robots and pilots. While the Jaegers of Pacific Rim have the trappings of some real world miltiary stuff, I think ultimately they don't resemble the military that much in execution, being more akin to, like, a remnant of an army turned into a guerilla resistance force, and really they make more sense when you take them as a metaphor for the few people actively fighting against climate change in our world (which the movie makes pretty clear is basically the theme, more or less - the aliens are specifically seeking our world out because we've fucked up the environment enough to make it favorable to them). And, ultimately, the Jaegers only manage to get their job done thanks to the help of two very brave scientists.

But, in all honestly, I feel no need to do away with the "cliche" of the impotent military in kaiju flicks. Fuck the military. Show them as incompetent, war-mongering, overfunded and undereffective assholes. Fuck 'em. They get their cocks sucked by every other genre with a budget, they can take a few beatings in the kaiju flicks.

[monarch-afterdark]

Titan History: Kong

Welcome once again to Monarch: After Dark, the digital gateway between you and the organisation dedicated to understanding and navigating this troubled new world we live in.

Apologies for the lack of communication in recent weeks, Monarch has been hard at work collecting data and collaborating with global governments through the most recent Titan crisis, including the disposal of deceased Titan remains and the best course of action to take with Godzilla in his new resting place.

That said, today's communication will be going over a Titan who has been surging in popularity across the globe over the past few years; the undisputed king of the Hollow Earth, Kong.

(Pictured above: Kong approaching an Apex Cybernetics research facility on Skull Island, circa. 2017)

Monarch Database File: Kong

Monarch Designation: Titanus Kong

Height: 337 feet

Weight: Unknown

Nature: Unknown

Behavioural Classification: Protector

-----

Until recently, Kong was believed to be the last of his kind. Born during a climactic final battle between his parents and a horde of Skullcrawlers (ravenous amphibian predators on Skull Island), Kong grew up in an isolated world filled with danger at every angle. Growing up to become the guardian deity of Skull Island, Kong was held in great reverence by the native Iwi tribe that lived on the island. His species, designated Apus giganticus, were also known protectors of the Iwi, fighting off the Skullcrawlers and other threats until their last breath.

During his centuries on the island, Kong fought a variety of creatures, from the Mire Squad and Sirenjaws to other Titans such as the mysterious Kraken or night-bringer Camazotz. However, in 2021, a storm generated by Monster Zero fused with the perpetual storm surrounding Skull Island and plunged it into chaos. Three years later, in 2024, Kong was removed from the island as the key to a daring plan to uncover a Hollow Earth energy source to stop Godzilla. The two alpha Titans clashed twice before setting aside their differences to take down Apex Cybernetics' rogue superweapon, Mechagodzilla.

Currently, Kong now resides in the Hollow Earth alongside a newly-freed tribe of his speices, an orange ape-like Titan which he seems to have adopted as a son, and the ancient ice Titan Shimo.

(Pictured above: Monarch officials reviewing recovered footage of Kong from the doomed 1973 expedition to Skull Island, circa. 2019)

While Kong's exact origins are unknown, research conducted within the Iwi settlement appears to place his birth somewhere in the 17th Century, making him perhaps the youngest Titan on record. However, his entangled history with Monarch began much later, in 1973.

In a time where Monarch was on its last legs and facing the possibility of being shut down, founding figure William Randa and geological advisor Houston Brooks lobbied to piggyback on a Landsat expedition to Skull Island. With a military escort courtesy of the Sky Devils squadron, the team dropped seismic charges on the island to map the bedrock beneath the surface. Unknown to them at the time, their charges awakened the Skullcrawlers living in thermal vents beneath the island and incurred Kong's wrath.

Kong swiftly destroyed the Sky Devils' helicopters, leaving the survivors split into two groups. One, including Brooks, encountered the Iwi and stranded WW2 pilot Hank Marlow, where they learned about Kong and his history with the Skullcrawlers. A second, including Randa, embarked on a mission of revenge driven by Colonel Preston Packard.

(Pictured above: Kong battling the remnants of the Sky Devil squadron after being lured into a napalm trap, circa. 1973)

After being lured into a napalm trap by Packard, Kong was initially helpless to battle the recently awakened Skull Devil, the last of the adult Skullcrawlers that had a hand in wiping out his family centuries prior. Recovering quickly, the two beasts engaged in a brutal encounter. Following some assistance from the expedition survivors, Kong triumphed by tearing out the Skull Devil's innards, avenging his parents in the process.

His next major sighting occured in 1993, but without a Monarch presence on Skull Island at the time, this is pending investigation. According to witnesses, Kong did battle with a large underwater Titan (designated 'Kraken'), after being coaxed to the island's coast by Annie, a young girl stranded on the island for years with a strange dog-like beast as a companion. After exchanging many blows, Kong ultimately killed the Titan by tearing its body in half.

In 1995, Aaron Brooks (Houston's son) led an unauthorized expedition to Skull Island, as he felt unsatisfied with leaving protection against the Skullcrawlers to Kong alone. During their stay, mythographer Walter Riccio experienced vivid visions of Kong's origins, under the influence of an Iwi medicinal drink. When Riccio destroyed the wall to the Iwi village, Kong stepped in to vanquish the Mother Longlegs swarm that seized their chance and killed Riccio before communing with Aaron and the Iwi.

(Pictured above: Artistic rendition of Kong tearing the "Kraken" Titan in two, based off eyewitness testimony, circa. 1993)

In the following decades, Kong was largely left to his own devices as the island's guardian. Though Monarch teams briefly assisted him in 2015 with a crisis involving the unknown organisation Janos Biotech and the island's Snarehunter population, and Kong himself kept a horde of Skullcrawlers that attempted to leave the island in response to Monster Zero's 'alpha call' in 2019, no major events really transpired between 1995 and 2021.

In 2021, as mentioned previously, Skull Island was plunged into chaos when one of Monster Zero's residual storms merged with the storm system surrounding Skull Island. When darkness fell, the bat Titan Camazotz emerged and battled Kong for dominion over the island. Thanks to a daring pilot triggering a sonic boom to disorient Camazotz, Kong was able to prevail, though he was ultimately unable to save his home.

Three years later, and the artificial habitat Monarch built for Kong was unable to hold him much longer. He was reluctantly taken to the sea and transported to Antarctica's Outpost 32 (now rebuilt as a Hollow Earth station), though not without attracting Godzilla, who destroyed the naval fleet transporting him and almost drowned the ape. Following the acquisition of an axe left in the Hollow Earth by his ancestors, Kong and Godzilla clashed again in Hong Kong. While Godzilla prevailed through sheer power, Kong refused to submit to his rule.

(Pictured above: Kong leaping onto Godzilla's back from a building after staging an ambush, circa. 2024)

After being revived by an exploding H.E.A.V, Kong jumped in to stop Mechagodzilla from executing his organic counterpart. Setting aside their differences, the two Titans teamed up to take down the mecha. A blast from Godzilla's atomic breath charged up Kong's axe, and he was able to deal the finishing blow by hacking Mechagodzilla to pieces and holding its severed head in triumph. The two Titans regarded each other one more time before parting ways.

Which brings us to the present. While much of what transpired is still being compiled to our databanks, it is known that Kong returned to the surface on three different occassions. The first was to have an infected tooth removed at a Monarch facility, the second was in Egypt to coerce Godzilla into assisting him, and the third was a two-on-two battle in Brazil between Kong and Godzilla, and Shimo and the "Skar King", evil ruler of the Kong tribe in Hollow Earth.

-----

And there you go! An up-to-date account of Kong's history in the modern world, intertwined with Monarch from the 1970's. Currently, Kong is enjoying life down in the Hollow Earth, and as the world should do, this is where we leave Kong's story be, until the world needs him again.

Until next time,

Monarch: After Dark

[rwac96]

U.N.G.C.C. Incident Report: Gojirin

U.N.G.C.C. Kaiju Subject #20: Gojirin/Godzillan/Godzillin/Female Gojiran

(image done by Matt Frank)

HEIGHT: 80 Meters, (Pre-Supercharge) 100 Meters

LENGTH: 200 Meters, 108 Meters (tail, Pre-Supercharge), 140 Meters (tail)

MASS: 50,000 Metric Tons (Pre-Superchagre), 60,000

THREAT LEVEL: 5

FOR AUTHORIZED EYES ONLY

Subject #20, classified by Kaijuologists as "Gojirin", translations varying from "Godzillin" and "Godzillan", is a female Gojiran, a surprise to scientists since sightings are a rarity. In the aftermath of Godzilla's (II) battle against Mothra and Battra, submarine attacks alerted international attention. Many thought it was Godzilla, but the psychic Miki Segusa reminded those at the meeting of the saurian's imprisonment via Mothra's seal. Not wanting to let this mystery Kaiju run rampant, naval ships from the JSDF, UK, and the United States were deployed to the Pacific. But, the ships were attacked by what survivors described as a pink-scaled Godzilla with hear-shaped dorsal fins. Gojirin, possesses the abilities and durability of the usual Gojiran, laid waste to the recon team, forcing a retreat.

The news shocked the U.N.G.C.C. G-Countermeasures council, while scientists were using the remains of the Simean war machine known as 'Mechagodzilla', creating one to defend humanity against Kaiju. Within months after Gojirin's existence was discovered, Mechagodzilla II was completed. Professor Leo Asimov, the roboticist and lead designer of the mech took notes from the Simean robot and suggested testing the mech against the recently discovered Gojirin. Many were unsure due to Mechagodzilla II being recently completed, Commander Takaaki Aso ordered the mech to be deployed. Especially since Godzilla's reemergence in Adona Island, unknown to G-Force at the time, contained what many thought to be a pteranodon egg.

Mechagodzilla flew to a countryside outside of Kyoto, where the female Gojiran was spotted. The two titans engaged in battle, where the mechanical saurian proved to be a match to Gojirin. Despite her ferocious tenacity, she was brought low by Mechagodzilla, who was about to deliver a killing blow. Until Godzilla blasted it with his Atomic Breath, thought impervious, distracted the pilots of the mech. As Mechagodzilla engaged in combat with its primary target, Gojirin continued her march to Kyoto. The reason for her and Godzilla coming ashore: the pteranodon egg was actually the egg of a Godzillasaurus. Kaijuologists hypothesized that Godzilla and Gojirin had entered companionship and the egg was laid by the latter. Judging by its persistence in honing in on the hatchling, the Monster King took on the role of a surrogate father.

Mechagodzilla was heavily damaged, barely making it back to G-Force to undergo repairs, forcing the organization to deploy Maser Tanks and planes against the Saurian pair. Miki Segusa and Azusa Gojo, objected to the monsters' destruction and the use of the hatchling, Godzilla Jr, as bait when Kaijuologists discovered that the Gojirans have a second brain located within the hips. Azusa accompanied the kaiju infant to calm it down, having imprinted her as a mother figure when it hatched. But, during transport to a designated area far from any populated areas, Gojirin intercepted the planes. Instead of blasting them with her Atomic Breath, not wanting to harm her offspring, she knocks the plane carrying Junior and Azusa, catching the carrier they were in. Commander Aso ordered Mechagodzilla to be deployed, thankfully with the mech having reached full repairs and modifications.

Gojirin was marching through a baseball stadium when Mechagodzilla reached her, engaging in a rematch. Its weapons and lasers proved too much for the concerned mother, being brought down once more. Until the arrival of her mate, Godzilla, where the scales tipped in the Saurians' favor. As Gojirin took out one of the mech's eyes, aiming to kill the pilots inside, the Garuda, originally designed to fight Kaiju before Mechagodzilla II's construction, arrived as it was piloted by formerly demoted G-Force pilot Kazuma Aoki. Getting the pair away from the mech, Aoki managed to get close to it to combine the two anti-Godzilla weapons into one powerful machine: Super Mechagodzilla!

The mech, more powerful than ever, blasted the female Gojiran with extreme prejudice; greatly wounding her. Godzilla, roaring in rage, unleashed a ferocious assault upon his mechanical doppelganger, due to the mech not having combat capabilities its design template had. However, Godzilla turned his attention to his injured mate, then to his surrogate son; leaving him open to be injured by the mech, which shot paralyzing missiles at its second brain. The King of Monsters went down, as ground troops, assisted by Aoki, freed Azusa and Junior; who cried out in response to the gruesome violence. Gojirin, seemingly knowing that her mate was in danger and her wound was grave, charged towards Mechagodzilla, but was shot down by the mech. But, it was a move of tactical thinking, which Godzilla would later demonstrate in his battle against Spacegodzilla, having the female Gojiran land upon the injured Monster King. Giving her energies to her mate, her radiation was used to repair Godzilla's second brain.

Revitalized and motivated to avenge his mate, Godzilla unleashed his upgraded Spiral Heat Ray, a move used to destroy the Simean Mechagodzilla years ago. The heat from the healed saurian and its attacks proved too much for Mechagodzilla II, forcing the pilots to abandon the mech. With the battle concluded, but Gojirin sacrificed herself for it to end, Godzilla approached Junior, who cowered in fear and was mourning the death of his biological mother. With convincing from Azusa and telepathic assistance from Miki, the baby kaiju marched to the sea with his surrogate father, traveling to Birth Island and taking up residence. Despite Gojirin's demise, her entire essence was used to heal Godzilla, preventing G-Force from acquiring her corpse for study.

EVENT ANALYSIS: MAKUHARI, JAPAN

EVACUATION SUCCESS: 80%

CITY DESTRUCTION: 20.5% (area irradiated)

CASUALTIES: 200+ (ESTIMATED)

SUBJECT(S) CAPTURED: 1 (temporary captivity)

SUBJECT DISCOVERED: 2 (Gojirin, Godzilla Junior/Godzilla III)

STATUS OF SUBJECT: Deceased, killed by Mechagodzilla II, her remains turned into essence/energy to heal Subject #1 (Godzilla II/Godzilla Senior).

[deductivisms]

every day mad at how legendary fumbled mechagodzilla 😐 you litr have a character who’s serizawa’s son, who would absolutely pilot a kaiju infused mecha to fight godzilla, who could have bitterness and resentment towards godzilla bc his dad sacrificed himself to revive him but you wave him off and make the mecha evil and aggro towards godzilla bc of rogue ai let me into the writer’s room Right Now!!!!

[thezanyarthropleura]

YET ANOTHER KAIJU FILM REC LIST

(Selected and arranged to account for modern tastes, as well as to highlight specific wants for fans of Godzilla: Minus One and/or Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire)

Notes:

Titles can be confusing, when in doubt differentiate films by year of release

"Showa" generally refers to films made from 1954-1980, while "Heisei" generally refers to films made from 1984-2006, with "Millennium" being a specific series of Godzilla films made from 1999-2004, within the Heisei era (the actual notation refers to the Japanese Emperor, but this is slightly offset with how it's used for kaiju films)

I've tried to list where the films can be watched, for free if possible, but this can change at a moment's notice (for instance, the TokuSHOUTsu Youtube channel currently has a livestream of almost all the Showa Godzilla films and one for the MST3K episodes featuring 6 Showa Gamera films and Gorgo, but I have no idea how long those will stay up)

More context and history about the kaiju film genre can be found at the end of the post

GROUP 1: EVERYONE

These films are the peers and equals of Minus One and GxK, in only the best respects.

The Gamera Heisei Trilogy - Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995), Gamera 2: Attack/Advent of Legion (1996), and Gamera 3: Revenge/Awakening of Iris (1999)

I would recommend this trilogy to ANYONE - even those hesitant to watch anything that isn't CGI, or that still don't think kaiju films can be good cinema. No matter what you're looking for in a kaiju film - engaging monster action, compelling human drama, deep metaphorical significance, fun action-adventure, hard sci-fi, spiritual eastern fantasy - these three movies are bound to be among the best at it. They're nearly unanimously praised as some of the best kaiju films of all time, and are the ONLY classic films with that honor that can visually compete with modern tastes in special effects.

Among the three: Guardian of the Universe is probably the closest analog to GxK, a fun action-adventure film about a girl who communicates with a giant monster. Revenge of Iris is closer to Minus One, introducing a darker mirror of the first film's story that invokes trauma and loss to great emotional impact. Which all leaves Advent of Legion in the middle, as a fairly formulaic but well-executed sci-fi alien invasion story.

These films are available free and subtitled on Tubi, or free and dubbed on Pluto. In a rarity, the dubs are done with love and care by fans of the genre and while they may not be the best way to watch the films, they're fairly decent.

GROUP 2: MODERN/NICHE

These films either excellently or acceptably compete with modern visual effects, but in other areas, are ultimately more dependent upon viewer tolerances and niche interests.

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)

If you want to cry about Godzilla, this is it, this is the movie. Possibly the classic film that delves the deepest into the idea of kaiju as sympathetic, tragic beings, this film leans heavily into hard sci-fi and features a kaiju opponent inspired by the titular creature from the Alien franchise. It's the seventh film in the Godzilla Heisei series, but as most of the previous films are currently stuck behind rights issues and difficult to find, I'd recommend jumping into this one as a standalone (or, if anything, watch the original 1954 Godzilla film first, but if that doesn't interest you it's not necessary). This movie is readily available for free, subtitled on Pluto or dubbed on Youtube.

The Kiryu Duology - Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002) and Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003)

These two films face a number of pacing and production issues, and due to scheduling conflicts, the main heroine, mech pilot Akane from the first film (arguably one of the most compelling human characters in the entire Godzilla series), was unable to return for the sequel beyond a brief cameo. But despite feeling unfinished, not all the emotional weight of this duology is lost. The ethics-focused, techno-spiritual story being told still packs a punch, and visually, out of the entire suitmation era this is the best Godzilla, Mothra, and Mechagodzilla have ever looked on-screen. If first checking out the original 1954 Godzilla and the 1961 Mothra interests you at all, it may enhance the viewing experience, but if not, dive right in! Both these films are free on Pluto TV, but do keep in mind Against Mechagodzilla is the dubbed version.

Gamera the Brave (2006)

I've said it before, but this is the movie that most closely reminds me of Minus One, with its modern filmmaking style, deep emotional themes, and in particular, having a bright and hopeful appeal to humanity in a genre where many of the more serious films are tragedies. Personally I rank this one right up there with the 90s Gamera trilogy, if not even higher, but to appreciate it, you really do have to be here for a children's fantasy film with more charm and heart than fast-paced kaiju action. This film is free on Tubi, subtitled.

GROUP 3: CLASSIC

These films require a tolerance for the special effects of the 1950s through 1970s, which I realize some modern audiences may find difficult to appreciate, but are otherwise highly recommended.

All four of these films are available free and subtitled on Pluto through Criterion, and are additionally part of SHOUT! Factory's catalogue and playing on the livestream.

Godzilla (1954)

If you've seem Minus One or Shin Godzilla, the obvious route is, of course, to go back to 1954 and experience the original cinematic masterpiece of Godzilla as a nuclear horror. The one caveat I'll mention is that a lot of Minus One's effectiveness is in subverting one theme present in the original, so this will, in a way, feel like a step backward thematically.

Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

The outright most comparable classic film to GxK - a fun island adventure film wherein various entertaining personalities are shipwrecked and must work together to thwart human baddies and even recruit the help of Godzilla! This is one of my personal favorites, and while Mothra only appears briefly in the film, it expands on her lore quite a bit.

Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

This film is wacky, resembling an abstract art house film at times, but in many ways is a revisitation upon the dark, deep metaphors of the original, this time warning of the dangers of pollution through a truly terrifying monstrosity that gives Godzilla one of the most brutal fights of his career.

Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)

Along with the original and Hedorah, this completes a trio of more dark and serious Showa era Godzilla films. It's the only Godzilla movie of its era to be written entirely (not co-written) by a woman, tells a dark and tragic tale, and yet is the height of 1970s superhero Godzilla as he takes on two powerful opponents at once.

GROUP 4: GRAB BAG

I'll throw in four more: these are just some of my personal recommendations and favorites that don't fit neatly into the other categories.

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)

The original and archetypical "multiple monsters team up to fight a greater threat" movie. This one is consistently on the edge of being called an objectively good film, but can be considered too cheesy and campy to make the cut. Nonetheless, it's a fun time, and it's also pretty much the only classic film where Godzilla and Mothra interact positively, if that's appealing to you. Like the other Showa Godzilla films, it's free through Pluto and SHOUT! Factory.

Gamera vs. Zigra (1971)

I really just wanted to put a Showa Gamera here, and this is one of my favorites. Just the campy, wacky, good time that is Showa Gamera, with a side of ocean theming - this extremely cheap film was partly funded through Kamogawa Sea World, which is the primary location featured in the film. It's free on Tubi along with the other Gamera films, and also makes a great MST3K episode, even if the version of the film used there is very low-resolution and the underwater scenes in particular suffer a little.

Godzilla 2000: Millennium (1999)

Somewhat unique among its contemporaries for being a 2000s era film that features Godzilla as more-or-less the protagonist, with human characters that advocate for understanding and respecting him. It's an incredibly cinematic film - I would describe its special effects as ambitious, not always effective, but regardless it would be a great intro for new fans if it were more accessible. Currently, it's tough to track down, but another rare case where the heavily-edited US dubbed version is perfectly acceptable, and even sometimes considered superior to the original.

Rebirth of Mothra 3 (1998) and to an extent, the whole trilogy.

I unashamedly love these oft-maligned films that are actually very comparable to the Heisei Gamera trilogy... in all respects but objective quality. Fun fantasy kaiju films featuring tiny women who fight each other with swords and flying mounts, while a superpowered giant moth beats up two space dragons and takes a break in the middle to beat up a genetically-engineered dragon. Lots of rainbows and lasers, and a vague, underlying exploration of the conflict between those with peaceful methods and those with violent methods without completely villainizing either side. If any of that sounds interesting, check these films out, they're currently readily available free on Pluto after a long history of the third and most serious/mature film being extremely rare and seldom-seen.

FURTHER NOTES AND CONTEXT:

Inspired by western giant monster films like King Kong and The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, and the summation of Japan's nuclear fear and trauma, the original Godzilla film in 1954 was a runaway success, beginning the kaiju genre as production company Toho ordered not only a direct sequel, but a broad scope of special effects films that ultimately gave us other classic kaiju like Mothra and Rodan.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the concept of a "Godzilla series" did not yet exist - Toho just made science fiction films, wherein some of them featured kaiju, and some of those, but not all, featured Godzilla. Many of these films were very loosely, and sometimes only retroactively, considered to be in the same universe or cinematic canon, creating situations where kaiju like Manda and Baragon would wander into Godzilla films after getting their start in non-Godzilla adventures like Atragon (1963) and Frankenstein vs. Baragon (1965). (An example of a non-kaiju Toho film I would highly recommend is 1958's H-Man)

The 1960s also saw a "Kaiju Boom," where the genre was expanded beyond Toho to other studios in Japan and even to other countries. This brought about a number of new kaiju projects like Gorgo (1961), Reptilicus (1961), and Yongary, Monster from the Deep (1967). The only of these films to be successful enough to spawn a series was Gamera (1965), from Daiei studios in Japan, and there were 7 Gamera films made from the mid-60s to early 70s. (Daiei has their own catalogue of Toku effects films, and also produced the kaiju-adjacent Daimajin trilogy (1966), period pieces set in ancient Japan about a giant warrior statue that comes to life)

Interest in kaiju films began to wane in the 1970s, and Toho largely narrowed its focus to a yearly Godzilla series with lower and lower budgeting. Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) was the most cheeply-made of these, but several factors made it the most widely-known film in the US and solidified the genre's "rubber suits and cardboard buildings" reputation among the general public for the next 50 years. Also in 1973, Toho produced the giant hero television series Zone Fighter, where Godzilla, King Ghidorah, and Gigan appear in several episodes. The series was made to compete with Ultraman and other television-based Tokusatsu, which was swaying audiences away from films at the time. (I personally know very little about Ultraman and other costumed hero Toku, but I know there are many experts on here who could answer questions about those)

Toho continued to make science fiction and effects films throughout the late 70s and 1980s, such as The War in Space (1977), but kaiju films were out of fashion. Gamera had a brief pseudo-revival in 1980, but otherwise it was a long drought from 1975 to 1984, when Toho began the Godzilla Heisei series: a series of seven films that continued in 1989 and picked up to a film per yer from 1991 to 1995. These films featured more strict continuity and the recurring character of Miki Saegusa, marking one of the first steps away from the previous practice of switching out the human cast entirely from film to film.

In the late 90s, Godzilla was absent yet again, as Toho made the rights handoff to Sony for the 1998 American film. In his place were the competing late 90s Gamera and Mothra trilogies, both relatively unique in featuring multiple recurring cast members and worlds that blended sci-fi and fantasy elements. In America, the poorly-received GODZILLA (1998) spawned a more warmly-recieved animated continuation in Godzilla: the Series (1998-2000).

In response to the critical failure of the 1998 film, Toho craved redemption and launched the Millennium Series: six Godzilla films that, with the exception of the Kiryu Duology, were all standalone in hopes of attaining theatrical releases in the US (only Godzilla 2000 succeeded at this). With a general failure of the 50th anniversary film Godzilla: Final Wars (2004), Toho put Godzilla to rest, seemingly for good. Gamera the Brave in 2006 was the last true suitmation kaiju film, critically acclaimed but also a financial failure.

In the intervening decade, CGI took over, and was the name of the game by the time Pacific Rim (2013), Godzilla (2014), and Shin Godzilla (2016) kicked off the new "Kaiju Renaissance," the present era that includes Reiwa Godzilla and the Monsterverse.

[redsamuraiii]

JXSDF First Lt. Akane Yashiro in Godzilla : Tokyo S.O.S.

The best Mechagodzilla pilot that can solo pilot on her own. 😎

[hrodvitnon]

Since somebody did a Pacific Rim-related ask, I’m curious: which MonsterVerse characters do you think could potentially be Drift-compatible enough to work as Jaeger pilots?

I do have a couple of potential ideas that I think could work:

- Number-one pick would absolutely have to be the Chen sisters, because a pair of identical twins (who may or may not already have some kind of psychic abilities) are some of the best candidates you could possibly get for that.

- Assuming that this is a scenario where they’re both still alive, I feel like Vivienne & Serizawa could definitely be compatible.

- And once they’re both adults, I could potentially see Madison & Jia matching up pretty well (and the two of them in a Jaeger would definitely be a force to be reckoned with!).

All of them are good picks! Actually, I'm reminded of an ask from the ancient pre-KOTM days when I entertained the idea of Vivienne and Serizawa seeing a Mechagodzilla in progress in a post-credit scene, and being told it'll require two pilots... at least I think it was an ask, it's been so long since then.

[pabsterthelobster]

Crossovers are weird, right?

So, back in 2014, there was a small crossover between Transformers and Neon Genesis Evangelion that was headlined by an Optimus Prime decked out in the colors of the Evangelion Unit-01. This release was supplemented by a four-part prose story where Starscream apparently merges with the Angel Sachiel and Prime, realizing that the EVA has a life-force within it (assumed to be Shinji Ikari), scans the EVA to grow in size to use its power to defeat "Angel"-scream, and NERV thanks him by giving him a trailer/battle station of their own design.

A few years later, in 2018, the anime Transforming Bullet Train Robot Shinkalion had protagonist Hayato Hayasugi travel to a parallel world where NERV collaborated with the Shinkansen Institute to create their own Shinkalion units in place of EVAs, leading to an alternate version of Shinji showing up piloting the Shinkalion 500 TYPE EVA. Shinji would then make a few appearances in the series afterwards, even appearing in the feature film of the anime that also feature an 11-year old pilot named Hatsune Miku and a snow monster assuming the form of f**king Godzilla.

...who, by the way, once existed in the same universe as the Transformers due to both properties being licensed by Marvel Comics back in the day. Oh, and let's not forget to mention the NERV-Made Anti-G Weapon, a version of MechaGodzilla designed by Metal Gear artist Yoji Shinikawa as part of an official collaborative project between NGE and Godzilla. And that's not even counting the 4D film attraction that debuted the Shin Godzilla version of King Ghidorah.

[oldfatwarlock]

This is absolutely ridiculous and ludicrous and a lot of fun! Lex Luthor is running around piloting Mechagodzilla! Batman makes his own giant Batman robot (because of course he does!) The Green Lanterns Voltron themselves into a giant robot construct! King Kong gets a goddamn Power Ring! All because Superman tried to take a day off (well, and because Toy Man is a moron.) Worth checking out from the library anyway.

[triptychcryptid]

More on the Venture Falls crossover:

Little Ford WOULD actually like Rusty alot at first because he's a kid and to him, Rusty's exactly who he'd want to be as an adult. This, of course, would feed Rusty's ego and he'd offer to show Little Ford "the ropes." Grunk Ford, Stan and Fidds would intervene IMMEDIATELY and explain that if he spends time around Rusty, he'll actually come out dumber for it. The fact that none of the newcomers like Rusty delights the Monarch. XD

Little Stans would see Fidds as a father figure, and he'd kinda see them as his weird adopted sons. Dipper would ask Fidds a million and ten questions about his time with Ford in the 80's. He'd be reluctant to answer as they would have caught him after the portal incident, but before his memory gun, and he doesn't know how he feels about Ford right now.

Rusty would find out Fidds is an Engineer and immediately try to recruit him to fix the portal. Fidds dodges him because he doesn't trust him as far as he can throw him. Meanwhile, 21, Pete and Billy try to get him to build a giant Mechagodzilla and a Transformer so they could pilot them and see who'd win.

Ford would step in and politely tell them to back the hell off because this man's been through a lot already. He would be pretty protective of Fidds.

Stan would go ask the Monarch what his deal was, then they'd both end up hanging out kindof in the background, watching the chaos from afar. Wendy would join.

When they first got out of the portal, Grunk Stan would immediately blame Grunk Ford for doing some "weird space thing" upon seeing their younger selves. Little Stan would be like "Whoa, Sixer, look! It's like us if we were mummies!" And both Grunks would be like "We're not that old, kid!"

Little Ford would ask all these (to him) big boy science questions of Billy and Pete, who would find the unending chatter between him and Little Stan going "Whoa, your head is huge, Mister! Is that where you keep all your snacks? That's where I'd keep mine! WHOA, A ROBOT ARM! THAT'S SO COOL! Can you shoot lasers out of it? What about sharks?!" Just absolutely maddening and try to avoid them.

Brock would actually think the Little Grunks were okay, as long as they were away from all the other twins. Little Grunks would think he was hot shit. Little Stan would see him as his new role model. XD Brock would get along best with Wendy and the Grunks, and would mostly tolerate Soos.

Grunk Ford would spend alot of time apologizing to Fidds and trying to make amends. 21 and Hank would listen in on their convos and come up with a Not-Totally-Off-Base narrative about what happened, but they'd throw in vampires and Cthulu for good measure. And somehow work in the X-men.

Fidds would eventually forgive Grunk Ford and offer to help Stanley fix the portal when he got back. Ford would think about it for a minute, then ultimately decide it was best not to. "I wouldn't be the man I am today if I didn't go through what I did. No, I need to learn some lessons. As does Stanley, I think. But I want a better life for you than what you have in my timeline. You're a brilliant man, Fiddleford, and a wonderful friend. In 30 years, when Stan gets the portal up..please come visit."

Then Hank would be like "....Are they lovers?"

And 21 would go "I don't think so, but there's some DEFINITE tension there." Which would horrify Ford and Fidds because they just got their friendship back, damnit! XD

Dipper would give Mabel endless shit on her Hank crush because it would basically be exactly his previous situation with Wendy: she has a crush on an older kid who has no interest in her (and honestly is oblivious because HANK) and he's still salty about her teasing him about it.

[tsunflowers]

akane from godzilla against mechagodzilla is great bc she's the type of protagonist I think of as "didn't have to be a woman but is." it can be fun if the main character has to be a woman due to lore reasons or if it's unusual for a woman to be in her position but she brings a unique touch to it. but I really like how there isn't any of that with akane. it's not completely irrelevant that she's a woman, like it's clearly been harder for her in the military, but it's not like she's then better at piloting kiryu bc of her feminine instincts

[bakushinverse]

シン•ビオランテ Shin Biollante  [Queen of Thorns]

“It's Shin Gojira! That damn creature is back!”

“No, this is different, this is, it's some kind of plant! But fused with Shin Godzilla's flesh, if we don't stop it, it's going to over run the entire Amazon Rainforest!”

Possibly the most powerful and horrific creation of Shin Gojira, Shin Biollante was the result of Shin Gojira's Crystal-Space form splitting in two. The split left Shin Gojira's body a shadow of its former self, the enormous nuclear reactor in its stomach taken by Biollante along with the vast majority of its mass, leaving him smaller than his fourth form and severally crippled, relying on Krystalak power cores to stabilise his power until adapting. Despite this, Biollante was loyal to her parent and under his orders, blasted open a portal to the Amazon Rainforest to wreak havoc and draw attention away from the Monarch Base in Antarctica so Shin Gojira could enact his plan to take control of the Kiryu MechaGodzilla as a new host for its body.

Biollante was soon confronted by a huge contingency of Monarch and UN forces who desperately attempted to fight her. Attempts were made to burn down the forest however that only made the Bio monster furious due to the intense pain it caused, causing her to lash out and wipe out 90% of the human forces by releasing toxic spores which cocooned them into energy sources for herself or by melting their flesh and bones with her acidic sap. Rodan and Baragon appeared to fight her, causing her to spare the remaining humans including Dr Vivienne Graham and her pilot, Akane Yashiro.

Baragon and Rodan fought against the Bio Monster viciously, however Biollante proved to be an immensely powerful and lethal foe, grievously impaling Baragon before almost killing him by strangling him with her vines. Rodan stepped in and saved the guardian beast before proceeding to attack her nuclear core which he noticed she was protecting. Noticing this, he proceeded to fire a super charged Uranium Heat Ray beam into her core, causing her to implode and threatening to inflict a disaster with the fall out of the explosion. Rodan however caused a massive tornado which allowed the explosion and the fallout to dissipate upwards rather than across the rainforest.

Dr Graham returns to Japan, reporting on the incident and requesting that Project Jaguar is giving full priority. She grows concerned that there is no word from Serizawa. Serizawa tries to communicate with the Shin Gojiran, Adam, whose dorsal plates glow purple and declares: “Do as you will. I am.”

Height:

Beast Form - 180m

Travel Form - Varies from spores to kms of vines

Attributes:

Psychic link with Shin Gojira

Can generate Black Holes however this drains power

Lacks the psychic powers of her parent

Acidic Sap

Self sustaining nuclear core

Can assimilate any organic living being and add it to her mass or use it as energy

Biollante cannot control the Gojirans or Krystalaks however Shin Gojira has no issues with her eating her own siblings.

Can plant tentacles to into the ground to mimic trees and plants to trap creature to use as energy sources.

Toxic spores and pollen

Possibly the only life form Shin Gojira saw as family or at least a companion. Shin Gojira is notably distressed after her death acting more erratically and violently.

Biollante is protective of Shin Gojira and has an undying loyalty to her parent. This will not stop her voicing doubts about his plans though.

__________________ ShinMonsterVerse Series FIRST | PREVIOUS | NEXT __________________

[monarch-afterdark]

Superspecies History: Skullcrawlers

Welcome once again to Monarch: After Dark, the digital gateway between you and the organisation dedicated to understanding and navigating this troubled new world we live in.

For today's communication, we begin to move away from the Titans (for now, at least) and cover the wider range of superspecies that also inhabit our world. We begin by peeling back the expansive curtains of Skull Island's many dangers with the devils that lurk beneath the surface; the Skullcrawlers.

(Pictured above: Small clip of footage recovered from the 1973 Skull Island expedition, showing the awakened Skull Devil)

Monarch Database File: Skullcrawlers

Monarch Designation: Cranium reptant (scientific name), Halakrah (Iwi name)

Height: 12-95 feet

Length: 35-194 feet

Weight: 40-100 tons

Species Designation: Necroserpere amphibian, Salamandra (sub-division)

Behaioural Classification: Hypervore, Destroyer

-----

A distant member of the Salamandra family of amphibians, the Skullcrawlers are ravenous and eternally hungry predators that dominate the Valley of the Fallen Gods, a boneyard holding the remains of Kong's parents. Widely considered as demonic by the native Iwi tribe, the Skullcrawlers were responsible for nearly driving the Apus giganticus species to extinction, leaving Kong the only survivor (until recently).

The Skullcrawlers have a distinct and eerie skull-like face, prehensile tongues that can drag prey to a gruesome mouth full of teeth, and a disturbing ability to mimic human voices. Their hyper-adrenalised metabolism renders them constantly needing to eat, never satisfied, to such an extent that mating pairs will attempt to devour one another after mating, and will never back down from a potential meal, even at the risk of ignoring threats to themselves such as Kong or Mechagodzilla.

The level of fear that the Skullcrawlers brought to the hearts of the Iwi was so much that they refused to speak its name. Hank Marlow, a WW2 pilot stranded on Skull Island, coined the name "Skullcrawlers" for the species. While he tried to withdraw this, personally believing that the name sounded stupid when he said it aloud, the name stuck and later became their official designation.

It should be noted that there is a misconception regarding whether or not Skullcrawlers are classified as Titans, due to an erroneous data report labelling them as 'Titanus Cranium Reptant' emerging in 2021. Just for the record, so the air is cleared, say it with us now...Skullcrawlers are NOT Titans.

(Pictured above: Close-up shot of a Skullcrawler's mouth. Unfortunately, the brave soul who took this footage did not survive the encounter)

Evolved from a line of basal non-amniote reptilomorphs from the Hollow Earth, the volatile history of the Skullcrawlers began thousands of years ago, when they seemed to wage war with the Apus giganticus species that had migrated to the island following their war with the Titanus Gojira species. As the centuries went on, the Skullcrawlers gradually wiped out the great apes until only a single pair were left; Kong's parents.

In the 17th Century, Kong's parents fought their final battle against a swarm of adult Skullcrawlers. While Kong's father held the hypervores back until one drove its tail through his head, Kong's mother gave birth to him and hid him away in a nearby cave. The newborn Kong was helpless to watch as the Skullcrawlers murdered his parents, fuelling his anger toward them and desire to defend the Iwi for centuries to come.

In 1973, at the end of the Vietnam War, a joint Monarch-Landsat expedition to Skull Island had been derailed by an enraged Kong destroying their fleet of helicopters, in response to the choppers dropping seismic charges to map the island's surface. Unbeknownst to the expedition team at the time, their charges had awakened a group of juvenile Skullcrawlers resting within thermal vents beneath the island.

One group of the expedition team found themselves taken in by the Iwi people, where they met stranded veteran Hank Marlow. Marlow revealed the existence of the Skullcrawlers to the group whilst explaining Kong's role on the island. He revealed that the seismic charges had disturbed the Skullcrawlers, and that one of the beasts had killed his enemy-turned-friend Gunpei Ikari some years prior. Marlow stressed the importance of Kong's continued survival and growth, warning that if Kong were to go down, the "Big One" would rise up and the Iwi would be wiped out.

(Pictured above: A juvenile Skullcrawler within the boneyard, circa. 1973)

When the split expedition team reunited, they moved through the boneyard on an ill-advised rescue mission for a soldier, Jack Chapman. As they moved through the boneyard, they hide from a juvenile Skullcrawler that regurgitated Chapman's skeletal remains, having killed him some time prior. The Skullcrawler attacked again, killing senior Monarch operative William Randa and shredding through Colonel Preston Packard's forces before being killed by a gas explosion triggered by anti-war photographer Mason Weaver throwing a lighter into a gas vent.

Packard pressed on with his original plan to kill Kong, despite protests from Marlow. When the ape passed out from Packard's napalm trap, the "Big One" (a Skull Devil, the last fully-grown Skullcrawler) emerged from the nearby waters and approached the party. A weakened Kong attempted to fight back but was defeated, as the Skull Devil pursued the remaining survivors.

The Skull Devil swatted away soldier Earl Cole, not falling for his attempt to coerce it into eating him whilst holding a pair of grenades. As the Skull Devil closed in on the survivors, Kong rejoined the fight and engaged it in a vicious encounter. With some assistance from the humans, Kong killed the Skull Devil by ripping its internal organs out through its mouth. Satsified that he had avenged his parents, Kong left the humans alone to be rescued from the island.

(Pictured above: Artistic interpretation of the battle between Kong's ancestors and the Skullcrawlers)

In 1995-1996, during Aaron Brooks' unauthorised expedition to Skull Island, mythographer Walter Riccio experienced visions of the island's past, including the war between the Skullcrawler's and Kong's ancestors. An English-speaking member of the Iwi, Ato, explained to Aaron that the Skullcrawler population had receded following the Skull Devil's demise, their numbers controlled by Kong and none reaching the size of the Skull Devil. The team still had to evade two juveniles in the boneyard, however.

In 2019, a horde of Skullcrawlers attempted to respond to Monster Zero's call and leave Skull Island, but were prevented from doing so by Kong.

By 2024, Apex Cybernetics had managed to obtain a number of Skullcrawler eggs, and may have been breeding the animals for experimentation. A small team composed of conspiracy theorist Bernie Hayes, Monarch director Mark Russell's daughter Madison, and her friend Josh Valentine, infiltrated an Apex facility in Pensacola following Godzilla's attack, and stumbled upon a transport bound for Hong Kong carrying a clutch of Skullcrawler eggs.

(Pictured above: A giant Skullcrawler being executed by Apex Cybernetics' superweapon, Mechagodzilla, circa. 2024)

The trio found their way into a "sacrifice pit" containing various assorted viscera from previous creatures, including Skullcrawlers. They had arrived just in time to witness a demonstration of Apex's trump card, a Titan-sized mech built in Godzilla's image, christened as Mechagodzilla. CEO Walter Simmons, witnessing the demonstration, ordered the release of "Number 10" into the pit.

Number 10, a Skullcrawler exceeding the Skull Devil in size, charged at the humans and attempted to eat Madison before being grabbed by Mechagodzilla. The mecha dislocated the Skullcrawler's limbs, leaving it helpless to defend itself as it fired it's A-74 Proton Scream Cannon into the beast's mouth, slicing the Skullcrawler in half before deactivating due to power limitations.

-----

And there you go! Despite the many discoveries Monarch have made since 1973, few seem to compare to the Skullcrawlers in terms of how terrifying they are. While none are known to remain on Skull Island, populations surely still exist within Hollow Earth, endlessly searching for food to reach an impossible satisfaction...

Until next time,

Monarch: After Dark