http://kaijusaurus.tumblr.com/

randomdeinonychus: Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002) Kiryu...

stevensloss — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:51:07 +0100

Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002)

Kiryu is easily tied with the original Mechagodzilla in my affections. It’s just such an awesome design and, unlike the 90s version, actually has a personality again. Hell, it’s easily more charismatic than Godzilla this time around!

Agreed. The version from GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA II gets everything wrong, in my opinion. The only good thing carried over from it is the Garuda-style “backpack”.

astounding-beyond-belief: Don’t test the King’s aim. Indeed.

stevensloss — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:47:46 +0100

astounding-beyond-belief:

Don’t test the King’s aim.

Indeed.

Photo

stevensloss — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:28:45 +0100

brianboyster: I’ve had art block since school ended but I...

stevensloss — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:23:07 +0100

brianboyster:

I’ve had art block since school ended but I finally got some decent sketching done.

1sketchtoday: Varan the Unbelievable - by Keith

stevensloss — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:10:05 +0100

1sketchtoday:

Varan the Unbelievable - by Keith

alexhchung: Godzilla visits Disneyland by James Silvani

stevensloss — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:09:53 +0100

alexhchung:

Godzilla visits Disneyland by James Silvani

Fan-Art Friday Conquers the World

stevensloss — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:05:36 +0100

It’s Friday again, so today I’ll be reblogging and posting any and all fan-art I come across. Feel free to submit any of yours too!

Do you think it would be possible to make a decent Godzilla RPG video game?

stevensloss — Fri, 24 May 2013 08:44:42 +0100

Quite frankly I’ve no idea. I am clueless on the conventions of RPG gaming, so I have no idea if the Godzilla series could adapt well to it. Sorry!

Japanese baseball star Hideki Matsui cameos as himself in...

stevensloss — Thu, 23 May 2013 22:39:21 +0100

Japanese baseball star Hideki Matsui cameos as himself in GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA. Matsui’s nickname in real-life is Godzilla.

Photo

stevensloss — Thu, 23 May 2013 22:33:09 +0100

The main title from Michiru Oshima’s score to GODZILLA...

stevensloss — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:19:07 +0100

The main title from Michiru Oshima’s score to GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA. One of the more memorable scores from the last run of Godzilla films.

The spirit of the original 1954 Godzilla awakens within Kiryu...

stevensloss — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:15:35 +0100

The spirit of the original 1954 Godzilla awakens within Kiryu and possesses the mech, returning to its destructive roots.

The Godzilla and Kiryu suits from GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA...

stevensloss — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:04:32 +0100

The Godzilla and Kiryu suits from GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA in a press photoshoot and demonstration.

A Fistful of Kaiju: The Daikaiju-Eiga and the Spaghetti-Western

stevensloss — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:28:32 +0100

Aside from my utter and complete adoration of the daikaiju genre, it may come as a shock to you to learn I do indeed enjoy other types of films. I like to pride myself in saying my taste in viewing is varied and far-reaching, but another niche genre I’ve loved for a while now and keep returning to is Italy’s “spaghetti-western”. In exploring this extraordinary genre, I’ve long thought that a fair and sizable comparison could be made between Japan’s daikaiju-eiga genre and Italy’s spaghetti-western phenomenon. To begin this comparison, it is only fair to start at the very beginning…

Naturally both of these genres are inspired by and spun-off from their American counterparts - the “classic Hollywood” western and the giant monster movie. In understanding this, one must look at the two seminal films of the daikaiju and spaghetti-western genres - Sergio Leone’s A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS and Ishiro Honda’s GODZILLA. GODZILLA in particular draws its inspiration from Merian C. Cooper’s KING KONG and Eugène Lourié THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS, whereas FISTFUL borrows elements from such classic westerns as George Stevens’ SHANE and John Ford’s MY DARLING CLEMENTINE. Of course, neither the western nor the monster movie is native to Italy or Japan, respectively, but both nations adopted and nurtured the genres, and created something of their own.

How then does a nation adopt and subvert a genre into something new, then? Just as Italy subverted the tropes of the classic Hollywood western and threw it back in its face, Japan injected a unique and indisputably Japanese element into the giant monster movie. Japan’s adoption of the giant monster movie, its transformation into the daikaiju genre, and its final comparison with Western-world counterparts is best summed up by Steve Ryfle in his article “Godzilla’s Footprint”, found in the booklet accompanying Classic Media’s 2006 DVD release of GODZILLA:

“And because they were uniquely Japanese, Godzilla flicks possessed an alluring and mysterious quality that made Hollywood’s vintage giant monsters just plain dull by comparison.”

This is a sentiment I heartily concur with. Having recently revisited THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS, I was left with the unfortunate aftertaste that, aside from Ray Harryhausen’s iconic special effects work, there really isn’t much to it. It’s a run-of-the-mill and often dull monster film. On the other hand, Honda’s GODZILLA is an incredibly powerful anti-nuclear statement and a thrilling yet sombre monster picture. The same principle could quite easily be adapted to an understanding of the spaghetti-western in comparison to its classic Hollywood counterpart.

The most striking example I can think of is in a comparison between the title theme songs to Ford’s THE SEARCHERS and Enzo Barboni’s THEY CALL ME TRINITY. The former is a traditional masculine ballad inspired by countless American folk songs, whereas the latter is an upbeat techno-pop extravaganza with pithy vocals, and is just plain cool. This comparison echoes Ryfle’s statement that the Western-world counterparts are left in the eyes of the viewer “just plain dull by comparison.”

Though neither of these films are the first in their respective genres (FISTFUL was preceded by a dozen or so Italian-made - but perhaps not strictly “spaghetti” - westerns, whereas two 1930s Japanese King Kong features predate GODZILLA), but it is imperative to understand both of these films as the absolutely seminal work in their respective genres. By now you must understand that I not only prefer the daikaiju and spaghetti-western to their American counterparts, but also consider them vastly superior cinematic movements. Both GODZILLA and A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS - though not the first examples of - shaped their respective genres as we know them today, and in their own ways, changed the face of genre cinema forever.

Kiryu, sometimes known erroneously as Mechagodzilla III.

stevensloss — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:27:02 +0100

Kiryu, sometimes known erroneously as Mechagodzilla III.

Kiryu: Out of Control (GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA, 2002).

stevensloss — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:49:00 +0100

Kiryu: Out of Control (GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA, 2002).

GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA (2002).

stevensloss — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:35:19 +0100

GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA (2002).

stevensloss — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:34:45 +0100

GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA (2002).

stevensloss — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:21:16 +0100

GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA (2002).

The Kiryu Mechagodzilla design from GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA...

stevensloss — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:18:11 +0100

The Kiryu Mechagodzilla design from GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA is, in my opinion, a significant improvement over the lumbering mess found in GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA II.