The 1990s saw a surge of publications in Japan devoted to Godzilla and Toho’s broader kaiju output. With a new Godzilla or Mothra film hitting theaters each year, fans could expect a fresh wave of related books annually. The subject of today’s review is one such volume: an encyclopedia from Gakken, appropriately subtitled the “SpaceGodzilla Edition” to coincide with that year’s film.
The book opens with coverage of the then-new Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994), featuring large, high-quality color production stills and a summary of the film’s story. A making-of section follows. While light on text, it’s packed with behind-the-scenes photos, making it especially accessible to non-Japanese readers. Afterwards the book shifts to black and white and cheaper paper stock while it goes a little more in depth on the making of the movie. This portion is more text heavy, and details chronologically the making of the film, stating what happened on specific dates, covering both special effects work and principal photography.
Interviews with key creatives come next, including composer Takayuki Hattori, director Kensho Yamashita and actress Megumi Odaka. The book then presents a retrospective on special-effects director Koichi Kawakita, tracing his career from assistant work to his full directorial responsibilities.
A brief return to color and higher-quality paper introduces character bios for SpaceGodzilla, Moguera and G-Force, accompanied by large concept-art pieces. The G-Force section continues into black-and-white pages again, expanding into “super weapons” such as the Markalite Cannon from The Mysterians (1957) and even extraterrestrial crafts like the Daimakan from The War in Space (1977).
A sizable section is then devoted to Godzilla’s presence in America. It begins with a one-page profile on director Jan de Bont, who at the time was slated to helm the upcoming American Godzilla movie. The section also highlights promotional materials for US releases and showcases American Godzilla merchandise ranging from comics to toys.
The book then does very small bios, like a few sentences for each, on the monsters of the Heisei and Showa series of Godzilla. This is actually one of the standout features of the volume: instead of production stills, the entries use original artwork that often features monsters interacting directly with one another. For example, Biollante fiercely coils around King Ghidorah, while Kong perches triumphantly on a defeated Kumonga as he swings Ebirah overhead. It’s a fun, imaginative touch.
A lighthearted Godzilla quiz follows, asking readers to identify films based on stills or to match isolated monster body parts to the correct monster. It’s a cute diversion overall. The book then wraps up with children’s drawings of various monsters, very likely submitted by quite young fans based on the art style.
Bottom line, this is a solid encyclopedia for anyone interested in learning more about the 1994 film while also gaining broader insight into the Godzilla franchise and the people who shaped it. Although other books from this era may surpass it in depth or quality, its unique elements (such as the illustrated monster bios and the day-by-day production timeline) give it lasting appeal even decades after it was first released.
As a side note, while marketed as a “mook” (a hybrid between a magazine and a book), its 144-page length and overall feel make it closer to a standard book, though it retains the height of a typical magazine.
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