Monster Discussion #32: Gigan (Showa)

[Rody]

I like how Gigan' design is border-line between believable an ridiculous. The '72 suit is not sloppy; the reason the design works is because the suit was so well designed. The '73 suit, on the other hand...
Although I like FW Gigan, something about the new design just doesn't quite work. I think the problem is that this suit makes Gigan all dark & edgy, whereas part of the original suit's charm is it's outlandishness; you don't quite take him seriously. The FW suit tries to be really cool and serious, but it doesn't quite fit the character.

[Tohosaurus]

Love Gigan! He's completely bonkers looking and acts like how I would imagine a cyborg of his caliber would act (aka ruthless). He's pure, unadulterated, naked entertainment.

[HayesAJones]

... naked entertainment.

Oh my.

[Tohosaurus]

The '73 suit, on the other hand...
Although I like FW Gigan, something about the new design just doesn't quite work.

I'm with ya on the comparison between the two Showa suits, at least somewhat. I much prefer the first suit. My issue with the FW Gigan is its teeth. It cheapens the look for me, somehow. It would've been nice if he had more fight time, too.

... naked entertainment.

Oh my.

Teehee.

[Rody]

That BC figure makes him look worse than he is.

[Tyler]

I like this hybrid design with the freaky humanoid teeth:

[TitanoGoji16]

My issue with the FW Gigan is its teeth. It cheapens the look for me, somehow.

Showa Gigan has teeth, dude.

[Tohosaurus]

Showa Gigan has teeth, dude.

I said I didn't like his teeth, not that I didn't like the fact that he had teeth. They're too big and cheesy for me.

By comparison:




See? They aren't as big. It's just my opinion anyhow.

[King Caesar]

^ Idk I feel Gigan Millennium had better dentures, but thats just me. I like Showa Gigan mainly for his uniqueness and nostalgia effect. I feel like Showa Gigan just screams 70's...anyone else think that?

[HayesAJones]

I dislike Millennium Gigan's big, cartoon-y, triangle teeth. Seem kinda silly. At least Showa Gigan's look like they fit in his mouth.

[Showa Gyaos]

^ Idk I feel Gigan Millennium had better dentures, but thats just me. I like Showa Gigan mainly for his uniqueness and nostalgia effect. I feel like Showa Gigan just screams 70's...anyone else think that?

Yeah, because his strange appearance fit the defined silliness of the 1970s Godzilla movies.

[Rody]

Actually, I think Showa Gigan did have some large teeth, but they were all in the back of his mouth, hidden by the mandibles.
FW Gigan's mandibles stick out more; thus they don't cover up the teeth.

[therealmccoy]

Actually, I think Showa Gigan did have some large teeth, but they were all in the back of his mouth, hidden by the mandibles.
FW Gigan's mandibles stick out more; thus they don't cover up the teeth.

If I remember correctly, there are only a select few shots in the movie that you can see them. One being during his attack on Tokyo; the camera zooms in for a close-up shot of him screeching, and there his teeth are. I think; its been a week or two since I watched it. But I'll take that over the FW version. He was cool, but he seemed too much like a robot, whereas the Showa version looked more like an organism.

Ooo...I'm using big words now...

[Zornow13]

Gigan is easily my favorite G-villan! ( neck and neck with Mecha-G). I love just about everything about this space monster! I LOVE that weird diamond meteor that he hatches from, it really adds to his alien origins. I was SOOO stoked when they brought him back in Final Wars. Also another monster with an AWESOME screeching roar, the Mandibles, the hooked arms, THE BUZZSAW ANND he comes from a place called NEBULA-M-SPACE HUNTER! that is ridiculously cool!
Also I LOVE that this kaiju has a definitive personality! I think its great that he will easily leave his partner behind without a second thought once the battle gets too heavy!

[Bentley]

Frankly, it was good to have Gigan making a big came back at FW, for whatever reason. This is some classic Godzilla enemy that actually works, has an emblematic and distinctive look, and it's unrelated with Godzilla -unlike many of the Heisei monsters-. Designwise, they hit the ball off the park, this guy looks like a surrealist painting in the best possible way.

One of my favorite kaijus of them all.

[daftfalloutgoji]

Gigan is a boss monster but his first two movies sucked ass. I mean Jun Funkuda did a good job creating Gigan but The movies he was in sucked badly. Final wars finally brought out his badness to the core

[MechaJahgeezilla]

Gigan is hilarous. He really looks like a robot chicken though.

[Shadow]

Gigan is hilarous. He really looks like a robot chicken though.

Then he would done great in the show Robot Chicken.

[Rody]

Personally, I've never seen how Gigan resembles a chicken.

[Killswitch]

Gigan is a boss monster but his first two movies sucked ass. I mean Jun Funkuda did a good job creating Gigan but The movies he was in sucked badly. Final wars finally brought out his badness to the core

Yes, would of been nice to see Gigan AND Megalon in better films with larger budgets. Both have weapons/powers that were not shown to their fullest.