Monster Discussion #22: Kumonga (Showa)
-
- Xilien Halfling
- Posts: 5677
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 8:06 pm
- Location: Milwaukee, WI
Monster Discussion #22: Kumonga (Showa)
I liked Kumonga in Son of Godzilla. Can't really describe his role, but it reminds me of a sort of "final boss." I do wonder if Kumonga was man-sized and made giant, or normal and became giant, or whether Kumonga had been a giant the whole time.
Last edited by JVM on Mon Oct 18, 2010 7:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I used to be a lot more optimistic and outgoing, believe it or not. I used to actually be passionate about this stuff.
- Primevalgodzilla V2
- Futurian
- Posts: 3301
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 9:59 pm
- Location: Church on the Hill
Re: Monster Discussion #22: Kumonga (Showa)
Kumonga is an excellent, terrifying addition to the Toho eiga, and despite ebing an oridnary spider, he actually proved to be a massive threat to even the King himself. His design and role as a whole outdoes his FW version. Heck, the FX that went into him was probably alot better.
Overall, one of my favourites, and a worthy and dangerous addition to the Godzilla rogues gallery.
Overall, one of my favourites, and a worthy and dangerous addition to the Godzilla rogues gallery.
It is a simple story. There is nothing that brings me happiness. Be it believing in others or them believe in me, it did not matter.
What others called happiness simply did not bring me joy.
What others called happiness simply did not bring me joy.
- TokyoVigilante
- Futurian
- Posts: 3124
- Joined: Mon Jul 26, 2010 9:10 pm
Re: Monster Discussion #22: Kumonga (Showa)
Simplistic. Very much a 60s Toho creation. I liked how he played dead, totally manhandled, and almost ate the whole monster population on Sollgel Island on a whim. Badass.
According to the journal of Reikos father and her, it's always been that big. Which is even freakier.
I'm fond of Speiga.
According to the journal of Reikos father and her, it's always been that big. Which is even freakier.
I'm fond of Speiga.
“I have never listened to anyone who criticized my taste in space travel, sideshows or gorillas. When this occurs, I pack up my dinosaurs and leave the room.” - Ray Bradbury
- GodzillaDude
- Futurian
- Posts: 3603
- Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 10:44 am
- Location: MI
- Contact:
Re: Monster Discussion #22: Kumonga (Showa)
The best thing about Son of Godzilla in my opinion besides Godzilla's fight with the Kamacuras.
SA
W: 72 L: 72
Instagram: @bloodeejacobreviews
Youtube channel (TV shows, movies, games, horror in general, etc): http://www.youtube.com/c/BloodeeJacob
W: 72 L: 72
Instagram: @bloodeejacobreviews
Youtube channel (TV shows, movies, games, horror in general, etc): http://www.youtube.com/c/BloodeeJacob
-
- Keizer
- Posts: 9201
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 8:19 pm
Re: Monster Discussion #22: Kumonga (Showa)
A great monster. Pretty plain design-wise, but his execution in the movie is excellent.
- Reptile
- GPN Volunteer
- Posts: 137
- Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2010 5:55 pm
- Contact:
Re: Monster Discussion #22: Kumonga (Showa)
A thief of lives. Muahahahahahaha!Didn't know Kumonga is a theif!
Anywho, I've always liked Kumonga. One of Godzilla's more underrated foes.
-
- Keizer
- Posts: 8608
- Joined: Wed Jul 28, 2010 1:25 pm
Re: Monster Discussion #22: Kumonga (Showa)
Kumonga is a deadly and cunning creature. He was a danger to Godzilla himself, and that says a lot. I like Kumonga.
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made.
The strength of the vampire is that people will not believe in him.
The strength of the vampire is that people will not believe in him.
- Showa Gyaos
- Keizer
- Posts: 8756
- Joined: Sat Jul 24, 2010 5:06 pm
- Location: West Virginia
Re: Monster Discussion #22: Kumonga (Showa)
Loved the simple, yet perfectly executed marionette. For a giant spider, he is quite awesome, and original in his own way. Atari should've placed him in the earlier video games, because he's that great!
ScrumpBump wrote:Kong is Ness and Skull Island is apart of Undertale.BARAGONBREH wrote:What a crap "theory". It's a great time to be alive though, I guess. Buy yourself a MacBook, spout some BS and post it on YouTube and you can make a buncha money.
Gib money.
-
- Xilien Halfling
- Posts: 5677
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 8:06 pm
- Location: Milwaukee, WI
Re: Monster Discussion #22: Kumonga (Showa)
Okay, this is annoying.
The image was fine yesterday, why is it SUDDENLY "not hotlinking?"
The image was fine yesterday, why is it SUDDENLY "not hotlinking?"
I used to be a lot more optimistic and outgoing, believe it or not. I used to actually be passionate about this stuff.
- Rody
- Xilien Halfling
- Posts: 5590
- Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2011 11:55 am
Re: Monster Discussion #22: Kumonga (Showa)
Yes. Kumonga definitely deserves more credit. Toho took a very simplistic idea for a monster, made it surprisingly unique, and executed it almost flawlessly.Inferno Rodan wrote:Kumonga's awesome, and easily one of the most underrated kaiju in terms of strength.
BTW, spitting silk from the mouth isn't as inaccurate as you may think. Spitting spiders have special silk glands under their mouth for the purpose of shooting/coating prey.
- Tohosaurus
- E.S.P.Spy
- Posts: 4978
- Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2011 2:35 pm
Re: Monster Discussion #22: Kumonga (Showa)
All of this.TokyoVigilante wrote: I liked how he played dead, totally manhandled, and almost ate the whole monster population on Sollgel Island on a whim. Badass.
According to the journal of Reikos father and her, it's always been that big. Which is even freakier.
고질라
한국, 일본: 친교
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. -Ian Maclaren
한국, 일본: 친교
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. -Ian Maclaren
- Ookondru99
- Monarch Researcher
- Posts: 332
- Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2011 4:31 am
- Location: Letchi Island chillin w/ the Red Bamboo
Re: Monster Discussion #22: Kumonga (Showa)
When I was young i used to own godzilla's revenge (terrible movie). Whenever I saw the Kumonga Godzilla battle I always wanted to know what movie he was in so i could rent it
TK's Resident Red Bamboo :destoroyah:
- DoctorMafune
- Monarch Researcher
- Posts: 350
- Joined: Thu May 12, 2011 8:00 pm
Re: Monster Discussion #22: Kumonga (Showa)
You're right.Living Corpse wrote:I think the down right most terrifying thing about him is that he is smarter then one would expect from an overgrown spider. Teaming up with other monsters to deal with King Ghidorah, playing dead, shooting out one of Godzilla's eyes.
I hadn't really thought about this much, but he is frighteningly clever.
I remember some of my friends in Japan mentioning that among Japanese fans, Kumonga was never a popular opponent for Godzilla... hence, the scarcity of Kumonga toys and kits.
Other than the fact that he's freakishly ugly as well as cunning, this seems unwarranted... Kumonga definitely represented more of a threat to Godzilla than Kamakiras, Ebirah, or several others.
"Rudeness is the weak person's imitation of strength." -- Eric Hoffer
- Rody
- Xilien Halfling
- Posts: 5590
- Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2011 11:55 am
Re: Monster Discussion #22: Kumonga (Showa)
I was under the impression there aren't many toys of those kaiju either.DoctorMafune wrote: I remember some of my friends in Japan mentioning that among Japanese fans, Kumonga was never a popular opponent for Godzilla... hence, the scarcity of Kumonga toys and kits.
Other than the fact that he's freakishly ugly as well as cunning, this seems unwarranted... Kumonga definitely represented more of a threat to Godzilla than Kamakiras, Ebirah, or several others.
- Kubo
- Sazer
- Posts: 10796
- Joined: Sat Dec 25, 2010 8:33 pm
- Location: Planet Risa
- Contact:
Re: Monster Discussion #22: Kumonga (Showa)
My favorite giant spider of all time. He/she is one smart cookie, and definitely is the strategist despite some unimaginable odds. I felt SoG did a great job of making Spiega scary.
Giving myself brain damage wishing too hard upon a star.
Twitter: @Dawn_of_the_DED
If you follow me on there, shoot me a DM so I know you're from the forums.
Twitter: @Dawn_of_the_DED
If you follow me on there, shoot me a DM so I know you're from the forums.
- DoctorMafune
- Monarch Researcher
- Posts: 350
- Joined: Thu May 12, 2011 8:00 pm
Re: Monster Discussion #22: Kumonga (Showa)
For example, Ebirah got a Bullmark figure, and Kumonga didn't. Kamakiras got a Bandai figure, and Kumonga didn't.Living Corpse wrote:I think what he means is that even Kamakiras and Ebirah get more toys made of them then Kumonga does.Rody wrote:I was under the impression there aren't many toys of those kaiju either.DoctorMafune wrote: I remember some of my friends in Japan mentioning that among Japanese fans, Kumonga was never a popular opponent for Godzilla... hence, the scarcity of Kumonga toys and kits.
Other than the fact that he's freakishly ugly as well as cunning, this seems unwarranted... Kumonga definitely represented more of a threat to Godzilla than Kamakiras, Ebirah, or several others.
Kumonga did get a Marmit Vinyl Paradise figure, but Ebirah and Kamakiras each got one, too. Same comment for the Marusan line.
The two instances I can think of offhand where the spider edged out either of the others were (1) in the Marmit ParaBaby line (Kumonga and Kamakiras, but no Ebirah), and (2) a little line of solid-color vinyl capsule toys awhile back that had some offbeat choices, including Gailah and Kumonga.
OK, just went to Club Tokyo to check the actual counts. Ebirah has 28 toys listed, Kumonga has 11... edging out Kamakiras by 1(though I didn't try to partial out repaints / lucky bag editions of the same figures.)
So one could argue that Kumonga's not getting his fair share of the toys, given his stature as an opponent. IMO, that formidable an enemy should get more toy action than something as easy to put away as the big shrimp or one of those mantises.
Then again, it probably has something to do with how difficult it is to make a hairy spider look "cute" enough for a retro-style vinyl...
...and toys are the consolation prizes, anyway: What we really need is a huge, 30-cm scale X-Plus Kumonga pre-paint.
"Rudeness is the weak person's imitation of strength." -- Eric Hoffer
- DoctorMafune
- Monarch Researcher
- Posts: 350
- Joined: Thu May 12, 2011 8:00 pm
Re: Monster Discussion #22: Kumonga (Showa)
It's all right, Legion... let it out, dude. There are 12-Step Programs for this... you can develop social skills, and we'll all be pulling for you.Legion1979 wrote:I personally think saying one character is more toy worthy because of how powerful an opponent it is is incredibly silly.
"Rudeness is the weak person's imitation of strength." -- Eric Hoffer
- Gojira-Fan
- Gotengo Officer
- Posts: 1649
- Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2010 2:45 pm
Re: Monster Discussion #22: Kumonga (Showa)
I didn't find anything anti-social about his post.DoctorMafune wrote:It's all right, Legion... let it out, dude. There are 12-Step Programs for this... you can develop social skills, and we'll all be pulling for you.Legion1979 wrote:I personally think saying one character is more toy worthy because of how powerful an opponent it is is incredibly silly.
You are clearly flamebaiting.
- DoctorMafune
- Monarch Researcher
- Posts: 350
- Joined: Thu May 12, 2011 8:00 pm
Re: Monster Discussion #22: Kumonga (Showa)
You apparently didn't notice the part where he took one idea he didn't agree with — even though he presented no evidence against it — and called it "incredibly silly."Gojira-Fan wrote:I didn't find anything anti-social about his post.
I really didn't imagine that someone who obviously knows his toys would choose to ignore the fact that King Ghidorah, MechaGodzilla, Gigan and Hedorah — Showa Godzilla's most powerful opponents — earned boatloads of toy replicas, whereas lightweights like Ebirah, Kamakiras and the Giant Condor, got far fewer.
Almost immediately, he (or someone else who's not paying attention to the statements he attacks) will jump in and say, "Hey, wait a minute... KG, MG, Gigan and Hedorah are more popular, too, and they got more screen time!"
Of course they are, and of course they did. And does anyone imagine that's a coincidence?
They're more popular in part because they are (a) well designed and (b) MORE POWERFUL.
Or does someone want to argue that that's "incredibly silly," too... and that Godzilla's popularity (on screen and in toy stores) has nothing to do with the fact that he's one of the most powerful monsters ever put on film?
And I suppose the Hulk's strength has nothing to do with his popularity, either.
In my earlier post, I did address the "Baragon factor" — i.e., "cuteness" — too... something else Legion chose to ignore before jumping in to hurl insults. Not that Baragon is relevant to my point about Godzilla's opponents, either... Showa Godzilla never fought Baragon, and I specifically addressed Showa Godzilla's opponents. Baragon's appeal came from what he did (and what he looked like) in his own film.
So what about Baragon and all of his toys? Baragon was a standout in a smaller scale, and in a non-Godzilla film. He was given a cute, puppy-dog face, which is — like I said in my first post — another factor in popularity as a toy.
And in case anybody's paying attention, Baragon was also more powerful than most of the other monsters in his size class, too.
So, one more time: there are likely multiple factors in a monster's popularity, both onscreen and in the toy stores. Design is one. "Cuteness" is another. And power level — which in turn, likely contributes to popularity, just like design does — sure as Hell looks like a third. (Quality of the movie may be a fourth. The list goes on.)
Kumonga (again, like I said) flunks the "cute" factor, which may help to explain why, when it comes to the relationship between power as a Showa G-opponent, and marketability as a toy back then, he's an outlier.... getting fewer toys than Ebirah, for example. Or it may not, but it's a viable idea... and there's nothing "silly" about it.
Powerful monsters — in general, though not without exception (before someone starts yelling about Mothra) — are more popular.
So let me challenge Legion to express his views without calling someone else's views "incredibly silly"... especially if he's not willing to take a second look at those views, and see whether they happen to match the numbers.
"Rudeness is the weak person's imitation of strength." -- Eric Hoffer
- Gojira-Fan
- Gotengo Officer
- Posts: 1649
- Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2010 2:45 pm
Re: Monster Discussion #22: Kumonga (Showa)
Now, I don't really collect toys, but how is him stating something is "incredibly silly" insulting?DoctorMafune wrote:You apparently didn't notice the part where he took one idea he didn't agree with — even though he presented no evidence against it — and called it "incredibly silly."Gojira-Fan wrote:I didn't find anything anti-social about his post.
I really didn't imagine that someone who obviously knows his toys would choose to ignore the fact that King Ghidorah, MechaGodzilla, Gigan and Hedorah — Showa Godzilla's most powerful opponents — earned boatloads of toy replicas, whereas lightweights like Ebirah, Kamakiras and the Giant Condor, got far fewer.
Almost immediately, he (or someone else who's not paying attention to the statements he attacks) will jump in and say, "Hey, wait a minute... KG, MG, Gigan and Hedorah are more popular, too, and they got more screen time!"
Of course they are, and of course they did. And does anyone imagine that's a coincidence?
They're more popular in part because they are (a) well designed and (b) MORE POWERFUL.
Or does someone want to argue that that's "incredibly silly," too... and that Godzilla's popularity (on screen and in toy stores) has nothing to do with the fact that he's one of the most powerful monsters ever put on film?
And I suppose the Hulk's strength has nothing to do with his popularity, either.
In my earlier post, I did address the "Baragon factor" — i.e., "cuteness" — too... something else Legion chose to ignore before jumping in to hurl insults. Not that Baragon is relevant to my point about Godzilla's opponents, either... Showa Godzilla never fought Baragon, and I specifically addressed Showa Godzilla's opponents. Baragon's appeal came from what he did (and what he looked like) in his own film.
So what about Baragon and all of his toys? Baragon was a standout in a smaller scale, and in a non-Godzilla film. He was given a cute, puppy-dog face, which is — like I said in my first post — another factor in popularity as a toy.
And in case anybody's paying attention, Baragon was also more powerful than most of the other monsters in his size class, too.
So, one more time: there are likely multiple factors in a monster's popularity, both onscreen and in the toy stores. Design is one. "Cuteness" is another. And power level — which in turn, likely contributes to popularity, just like design does — sure as Hell looks like a third. (Quality of the movie may be a fourth. The list goes on.)
Kumonga (again, like I said) flunks the "cute" factor, which may help to explain why, when it comes to the relationship between power as a Showa G-opponent, and marketability as a toy back then, he's an outlier.... getting fewer toys than Ebirah, for example. Or it may not, but it's a viable idea... and there's nothing "silly" about it.
Powerful monsters — in general, though not without exception (before someone starts yelling about Mothra) — are more popular.
So let me challenge Legion to express his views without calling someone else's views "incredibly silly"... especially if he's not willing to take a second look at those views, and see whether they happen to match the numbers.