#the tragedy of megalon

[cant-blink]

Megalon And Gigan

Megalon thought Gigan had died. The last he saw of him was the cyborg flying off in severe condition from their fight with Godzilla and Jet Jaguar. So imagine his surprise and delight when Gigan returned to him years later, alive and well!

Gigan told Megalon about what happened to his Masters, how Ghidorah had returned to seek vengeance for their mind-controlling him. How he killed them all while Gigan was too injured to defend them. How he looked into Gigan’s eye before abandoning him to his fate. How he had to scavenge the remains of the Nebulan ship for supplies to bring himself back to health. How he was all alone now. 

It sounded absolutely terrible and Megalon couldn’t imagine having his people brutally slaughtered in such a fashion. Megalon tried to console him, but Gigan seemed to have moved on from it all surprisingly well. In fact, he mentions how he wanted Ghidorah as a mate more than ever.

Well, then...

Megalon never said it out loud, buuut... 

Gigan can do better. He never met this Ghidorah, but he sounds terrible. Ghidorah was not good enough for someone like Gigan. The dragon clearly didn’t care like Megalon did! He can’t give the cyborg a luxurious life like Megalon can! The beetle tried to convince him to stay with him and the Seatopians; Gigan can be pampered and treated like a god, just like him! And with their partnership, imagine how awesome the battles would be, protecting his people from threats! 

And maybe, just maybe, he can get Gigan to see HIM as the better option for a mate...?

But the beetle’s fantasies hit a snag when Gigan showed no real interest in staying with him...

... 

No, he came to invite Megalon to come with HIM. 

Into space.

As an assassin. As a pirate.

Oh...

Megalon never felt more conflicted in his life. On one drill, Gigan came all the way back to Earth specifically for HIM!! He wanted HIM to join in the adventures; maybe there was something there after all!

On the other drill...

He wasn’t keen on leaving his home and his people behind. He asked if the Seatopians can come with them, but Gigan had no interest in bringing tiny little creatures with him. They may be his Master’s friends, but that didn’t make them HIS friends. He saw no value in them.

It’ll be fine, Megalon, Gigan would reassure. We can always come back to visit every so often, y’know? So it’s not like you’re saying goodbye forever.

Oh, well, that didn’t seem so bad...

Gigan quickly caught on to Megalon’s interest in him (Megalon tries to hide it but can’t to save his life, it’s adorable), and seems to show interest back for him. He makes promises of them living together forever, happy. Megalon was the only one Gigan could want. 

Ghidorah? Well, Ghidorah isn’t here, is he? But you are, Megalon, and I would rather take what’s in front of me. 

Gigan made it clear that it would break his heart if the beetle refused his offer; with his Masters gone, he had nobody left. Besides, the Seatopians wouldn’t want Megalon to live alone down here; they would surely want him to be happy, right? And Gigan can make him VERY happy.

If he just leave this damn planet and join him.

Eventually, Megalon makes his decision and goes with Gigan into space. He was certain he’d see his people again. They can maybe make a holiday out of it, it’ll be great!

Megalon then sees Gigan had a giant centipede friend too, waiting outside on the surface. The level of disappointment was clear in his voice upon making the discovery.

Oh, he’s coming with us? I mean, nothing wrong with that, just thought it would be the two of us. But more friends, the merrier, as they say. Heh... 

So off they go in space! Gigan and Megalon (and Scoli) living the high life, stealing riches from those weaker than they are. Killing innocent victims on a whim. Destroying worlds for profit. Megalon helped Gigan in his assassin career, as a partner-in-crime. It was a lot of fun!!

But...

But he started getting a bit homesick after many years. 

Gigan, can we go back to Earth? Just to check on my people? ... Oh, not now? .... We can go back later after we plunder another ship? Alright, then....

Even when they succeed in taking over another ship and massacring everyone inside, Gigan never held true to his word. And Gigan, noticing Megalon’s unhappiness and moping around the hijacked ship, would distract his best friend by taking him into the captain’s bedroom. Remind him why having Gigan by his side is much better than a bunch of puny creatures on a mudball planet.

Megalon definitely didn’t see that coming, but that night they spent together was probably the greatest night of his life. 

Surely, it meant that Gigan really did see something special in him. They were mates now, without a doubt. It would give Megalon the motivation to stay in space with the cyborg. They really were destined to be together forever!

So it was a repeating cycle. Whenever Megalon got homesick, Gigan would encourage Megalon to forget and stay with him by indulging in more intimate moments (all the while, secretly imagining the beetle as being Ghidorah during said intimate moments). It always worked without fail.

But by far, Megalon’s favorite parts of their adventure were those moments when it was just the two of them without a ship, where he would be cuddled to Gigan inside that diamond, sleeping blissfully and dreaming of the day he can be back with his people and Gigan would be willing to stay with him on Earth.

He didn’t know when that day will happen, but Gigan assures him it will happen someday. After they lived their best life and decide to settle down. Whenever that would be...

Until one day...

It was like any other. They found a planet to plunder of its resources, only to find an ambush waiting just for them.

Oh wait... What do you mean we’re being arrested! No, go away! Gigan, HELP!! Gigan? Where’d you go? Wait, where are you going? Don’t leave me here!

When the law inevitably catches up to them on this alien world, Gigan does what Gigan does best and abandons Megalon to his fate. Without so much as a glance back. Was the cyborg too injured to keep fighting, like last time he abandoned him back on Earth? Megalon gives Gigan that benefit of the doubt, because the alternative explanation is too painful to even consider.

After a vicious fight, the beetle eventually manages to escape underground, but at what cost? Gigan was gone and Scoli has been captured. He’s all alone on an alien world, far from home and his people.

Gigan. The only one he loved, and his only means of returning home, was gone. Every night, Megalon would come back up to the surface and watch the sky in the hopes the cyborg would come back for him. And every night, he’s disappointed. But he won’t give up; he remembers how he had given Gigan up as dead before, only for him to return years later. It can happen again! He'll wait however long it takes for Gigan to return for him, counting each and every day.

Soon, he’s certain that one of those shooting stars darting across the sky would turn out to be a diamond.

Someday...

[kaiju-gods]

Stuff I forgot to post here from discord dump!

[brokehorrorfan]

Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975 will be released on October 29 via The Criterion Collection, carrying spine #1000. The Blu-ray box set collects all 15 Godzilla films from Japan's Showa era across eight discs.

It features: Godzilla (1954), Godzilla Raids Again (1955), King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963), Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964), Invasion of the Astro-Monster (1965), Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966), Son of Godzilla (1967), Destroy All Monsters (1968), All Monsters Attack (1969), Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971), Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972), Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974), and Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975).

Godzilla, King of the Monsters - the 1956 American version of Godzilla - is also included, along with both the Japanese and English cuts of King Kong vs. Godzilla.

All 15 films has been digitally transferred in high definition with uncompressed Japanese monaural soundtracks and newly-translated English subtitles. English-dubbed audio is available on Invasion of Astro-Monster, Son of Godzilla, Destroy All Monsters, Godzilla vs. Megalon, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, and Terror of Mechagodzilla.

The set comes with a deluxe, hardcover book featuring an essay by cinema historian Steve Ryfle, notes on each film by cinema historian Ed Godziszewski, and new illustrations for each film. Yuko Shimizu created the cover art.

Special features are listed below, where you can also get a look inside the set.

Special features:

Godzilla audio commentary by film historian David Kalat (2011)

Godzilla, King of the Monsters audio commentary by film historian David Kalat (2011)

Directors Guild of Japan interview with Godzilla director Ishiro Honda, conducted by Godzilla vs. Hedorah director Yoshimitsu Banno (1990)

Programs detailing the creation of Godzilla’s special effects and unused effects sequences from Toho releases including Destroy All Monsters

Interviews with actors Bin Furuya, Tsugutoshi Komada, Haruo Nakajima, and Akira Takarada, composer Akira Ifukube, and effects technicians Yoshio Irie and Eizo Kaimai (new and archival)

New interview with filmmaker Alex Cox (Repo Man) about his admiration for the Showa-era Godzilla films (new)

Interview with critic Tadao Sato (2011)

Illustrated audio essay about the real-life tragedy that inspired Godzilla (2011)

Trailers

In 1954, an enormous beast clawed its way out of the sea, destroying everything in its path—and changing movies forever. The arresting original Godzilla soon gave rise to an entire monster-movie genre (kaiju eiga), but the King of the Monsters continued to reign supreme: in fourteen fiercely entertaining sequels over the next two decades, Godzilla defended its throne against a host of other formidable creatures, transforming from a terrifying symbol of nuclear annihilation into a benevolent (if still belligerent) Earth protector. Collected here for the first time are all fifteen Godzilla films of Japan’s Showa era, in a landmark set showcasing the technical wizardry, fantastical storytelling, and indomitable international appeal that established the most iconic giant monster the cinema has ever seen.

[thehipsterzombiejointexperience]

Per Skreeonk.com:

The cover is retro, funky, and certainly aimed at pulling in non-fanatics with a strong design. Upon further inspection, the rest of the set is, too, with new cover designs created by well-known artists for each film in the 1954-1975 era we all hold so dear. We’ll get to the art in a moment, however. First, let’s celebrate what Criterion managed to include for this release (in their own words):

EIGHT-BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION COLLECTOR’S SET FEATURES

High-definition digital transfers of all fifteen Godzilla films made between 1954 and 1975, released together for the first time, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks

High-definition digital transfer of Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1956), the U.S.-release version of Godzilla

Japanese-release version of King Kong vs. Godzilla from 1962

Audio commentaries from 2011 on Godzilla and Godzilla, King of the Monsters featuring film historian David Kalat

International English-language dub tracks for Invasion of Astro-Monster, Son of Godzilla, Destroy All Monsters, Godzilla vs. Megalon, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, and Terror of Mechagodzilla

Directors Guild of Japan interview with director Ishiro Honda, conducted by director Yoshimitsu Banno in 1990

Programs detailing the creation of Godzilla’s special effects and unused effects sequences from Toho releases including Destroy All Monsters

New interview with filmmaker Alex Cox about his admiration for the Showa-era Godzilla films

New and archival interviews with cast and crew members, including actors Bin Furuya, Tsugutoshi Komada, Haruo Nakajima, and Akira Takarada; composer Akira Ifukube; and effects technicians Yoshio Irie and Eizo Kaimai

Interview with critic Tadao Sato from 2011

Illustrated audio essay from 2011 about the real-life tragedy that inspired Godzilla

New English subtitle translations

Trailers

PLUS: A lavishly illustrated deluxe hardcover book featuring an essay by cinema historian Steve Ryfle, notes on the films by cinema historian Ed Godziszewski, and new illustrations by Arthur Adams, Sophie Campbell, Becky Cloonan, Jorge Coelho, Geof Darrow, Simon Gane, Robert Goodin, Benjamin Marra, Monarobot, Takashi Okazaki, Angela Rizza, Yuko Shimizu, Bill Sienkiewicz, Katsuya Terada, Ronald Wimberly, and Chris Wisnia

In 1954, an enormous beast clawed its way out of the sea, destroying everything in its path—and changing movies forever. The arresting original Godzilla soon gave rise to an entire monster-movie genre (kaiju eiga), but the King of the Monsters continued to reign supreme: in fourteen fiercely entertaining sequels over the next two decades, Godzilla defended its throne against a host of other formidable creatures, transforming from a terrifying symbol of nuclear annihilation into a benevolent (if still belligerent) Earth protector. Collected here for the first time are all fifteen Godzilla films of Japan’s Showa era, in a landmark set showcasing the technical wizardry, fantastical storytelling, and indomitable international appeal that established the most iconic giant monster the cinema has ever seen.

Pretty fantastic, right? While it is a bit disappointing not to have both the Japanese original and U.S. releases accompanying one another (as we’ve become accustomed to), being treated to a release of each film in its intended form is certainly a best-case scenario in 2019. TOHO has grown increasingly – and justifiably – protective of these films, so seeing only a handful of dubs included should come as no surprise.

A wonderful amount of extras are headed our way, too, including limited commentaries, and – much more excitingly – interviews with legacy TOHO cast, crew, and creators.

Nothing, however, excites us as much as this – which guarantees that this set is going to deliver the best experience U.S. audiences have ever had with a home release of these classic films:

High-definition digital transfers of all fifteen Godzilla films made between 1954 and 1975, released together for the first time, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks

Yet all of this seems to be swallowed up whole by Criterion’s decision to treat this more as another one of their boxed sets, rather than a celebration of the Showa series itself. Whether TOHO was unwilling to license posters and art is unclear (and unlikely), but Criterion has absolutely put their focus on pulling a diverse group of artists in to flesh out their loud, exciting presentation. Even in their own breakdown of the set, they’ve chosen to list this grouping of artists last; putting a great amount of focus on this aspect of their release.

This amazing box set arrives October 29th– and if the set retails at it’s intended $180 it’s not only a great chance for fans to own the entire Showa series – but a fairly priced one, too.

We’ve included a full gallery of Criterion’s new covers below. GODZILLA: THE SHOWA-ERA COLLECTION is now available to order via their website – and will be hitting other major retailers, such as Amazon and Target, soon. Until then!

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Criterion Continues To Do The Lord’s Work With The Release Of The Complete Godzilla Showa Era Box Set! Per Skreeonk.com: The cover is retro, funky, and certainly aimed at pulling in non-fanatics with a strong design.