Monster Discussion #20: Kamacuras

For the discussion of Toho produced and distributed films or shows released before 1980.
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gigan72
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Monster Discussion #20: Kamacuras

Post by gigan72 »

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Seems we didn't have a Kamacuras thread either, though I suspect like the others it was deleted.
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Re: Monster Discussion #20: Kamacuras

Post by Dannybeane »

Design and execution were top notch, some of Tsuburaya's best puppets, but at the end of the day Kamakiras is just cannon fodder. I will say the showa version was much better realized than the puppet used in GFW. The GFW puppet looked less like a monster and more like just a regular mantis blown up. The old Kamakiras had a nice rusty texture and a really alien looking face that I dig.

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Re: Monster Discussion #20: Kamacuras

Post by LamangoKaijura »

Oh I'm so reviving this.
Kamacuras had a great cameo in Destroy all Monsters
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Thanks Stock Footage of Son of Godzilla.
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Re: Monster Discussion #20: Kamacuras

Post by Spuro »

LamangoKaijura wrote:Oh I'm so reviving this.
Kamacuras had a great cameo in Destroy all Monsters
http://i.imgur.com/zCD5yFC.png
Thanks Stock Footage of Son of Godzilla.
Hah.

Was this from the Ghidorah battle or the end scene on Monster Island?
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Re: Monster Discussion #20: Kamacuras

Post by LamangoKaijura »

Kaiju-King42 wrote:
LamangoKaijura wrote:Oh I'm so reviving this.
Kamacuras had a great cameo in Destroy all Monsters
http://i.imgur.com/zCD5yFC.png
Thanks Stock Footage of Son of Godzilla.
Hah.

Was this from the Ghidorah battle or the end scene on Monster Island?
Ghidorah battle, when all the monsters were arriving at Mt. Fuji, Kumonga's apparently still on Monster Island. :lol:
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Re: Monster Discussion #20: Kamacuras

Post by Gothicserpent »

Underrated minor kaiju with a great design. It honestly looks mutated and deformed.
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Re: Monster Discussion #20: Kamacuras

Post by JAGzilla »

Kamacuras is a kaiju that seems overlooked and dismissed by the fandom at large, and based purely on their movie appearances, that's understandable. I, however, was to significant extent introduced to Toho's kaiju menagerie by some of the Random House novels. In particular, Godzilla vs. the Space Monster, in which a lone Kamacuras was one of many kaiju tentatively coexisting on Monster Island, and apparently held his own fine against traditionally stronger monsters, and then was able to participate as well as anyone else in the battles against King Ghidorah. So that kind of established him as just 'one of the gang' for me, rather than being a peripheral cannon fodder nobody. And then Godzilla 2000 of course featured a gigantic swarm of Kamacuras ravaging Kansas, eating whole towns and substantially impacting America's food supply. They were fragile enough to be killed with basic conventional weapons, but I never minded that; I like having lesser, weaker monsters around to kind of bridge the gap between standard animals and truly godlike kaiju. So yeah, these things have always been fairly prominent among kaiju for me, more 'significant' even than a lot of popular big guns like Destoroyah or Spacegodzilla, who to me feel more peripheral and less at home in the kaiju 'in-group' than this humble mutant bug.
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Re: Monster Discussion #20: Kamacuras

Post by orga_000 »

Underrated, I feel like he could've done well in other Showa movies.
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Re: Monster Discussion #20: Kamacuras

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

I watched SoG a few days ago and it’s funny because it’s easy to forget how over powered in general Godzilla is anyways, so it doesn’t even mean that Kamacuras is necessarily weak. I think it’s also kind of upsetting, but cool and makes sense in universe, something we rarely see, that Kumonga kills the remaining Kamacuras.

Also yeah the OG Kamacuras puppet, in addition to the Kumong one, is one of the coolest puppets ever made for the series.

I’m glad that Kamacuras had some sort of role in the recent anime lore. It’s also a shame how they’ve been relegated to fodder Kaiju.
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Re: Monster Discussion #20: Kamacuras

Post by The Baranosdragon »

I don't dislike it, I suppose. They work for what they are; giant mantis creatures, and their designs and props are certainly effective enough. I would be lying if I said that I didn't greatly prefer Kumonga, however.
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Re: Monster Discussion #20: Kamacuras

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

The Baranosdragon wrote:I don't dislike it, I suppose. They work for what they are; giant mantis creatures, and their designs and props are certainly effective enough. I would be lying if I said that I didn't greatly prefer Kumonga, however.
It is sort of weird how the movie starts with them as the main antagonists, irritating the camp, before growing big and attacking Minya. Then the surviving one actually sortve keeps attacking the humans, before having a sculls with Minya. It is sortve awkward how towards the end they swap in Kumonga, but I like Kumonga a lot too so there’s that. Most bug Kaiju beyond Mothra are super underated.
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Re: Monster Discussion #20: Kamacuras

Post by The Baranosdragon »

LSD Jellyfish wrote:
The Baranosdragon wrote:I don't dislike it, I suppose. They work for what they are; giant mantis creatures, and their designs and props are certainly effective enough. I would be lying if I said that I didn't greatly prefer Kumonga, however.
It is sort of weird how the movie starts with them as the main antagonists, irritating the camp, before growing big and attacking Minya. Then the surviving one actually sortve keeps attacking the humans, before having a sculls with Minya. It is sortve awkward how towards the end they swap in Kumonga, but I like Kumonga a lot too so there’s that. Most bug Kaiju beyond Mothra are super underated.
I suppose they wanted to introduce something more imposing for Godzilla and Minilla to battle, since Godzilla defeated the three Kamacurus so easily. It does somewhat make sense as well, all things considered; if a mantis can mutate into a giant monster, why not a spider?

Either way, I wholeheartedly agree; even though insect kaiju aren't exactly as extravagant as a golden hydra or a giant robot, they do tend to have some of the more interesting designs. The only insect kaiju i dislike is Battra, and even then, i don't outright hate it.
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Re: Monster Discussion #20: Kamacuras

Post by Gothicserpent »

Anyone else think the last Kamacuras was a female? Given how much bigger it was compared to the others?
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Re: Monster Discussion #20: Kamacuras

Post by edgaguirus »

I never really compared their sizes, but if is was, then it's very possible. Now I have a mental image of a headless Kamacura being grasped in her arms.

On topic, they were good monsters for SOG. They fit perfectly in the giant insect theme of the movie, and though no match for Godzilla, did prove an effective threat for Minya and the humans.
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Re: Monster Discussion #20: Kamacuras

Post by Gothicserpent »

Cool fact about Kamacuras. Its the only kaiju besides Godzilla, Minya, and Gabara to have new footage in All Monsters Attack.
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Re: Monster Discussion #20: Kamacuras

Post by Godzillian »

Love the shade of red they used for this beast. Shame it's become nothing more than a canon fodder
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Re: Monster Discussion #20: Kamacuras

Post by Gothicserpent »

Godzillian wrote:Love the shade of red they used for this beast. Shame it's become nothing more than a canon fodder
I really don't see how they could buff Kamacuras without it being stupid.
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Re: Monster Discussion #20: Kamacuras

Post by Godzillian »

Gothicserpent wrote:
Godzillian wrote:Love the shade of red they used for this beast. Shame it's become nothing more than a canon fodder
I really don't see how they could buff Kamacuras without it being stupid.
By just making Kamacuras strong enough to go head to head with other kaiju and not giving it bizarre beam weapons
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