Considering just how much manga is produced in Japan, it has been a long-held frustration for some Godzilla fans that there have not been more original Godzilla manga released. While most of the movies have had manga adaptations (with some movies featuring multiple adaptations), over the years actual original stories have been few and far between. The earliest original Godzilla manga was probably Big Rampaging Godzilla by Shigeru Sugiura, a truly bizarre one-shot story released in Omoshiro Book in 1955, and thus released around the time of Godzilla Raids Again (1955). That manga, while very original in many ways, was obviously influenced by the second film, with Godzilla and Anguirus attacking Osaka... along with a whole group of new monsters. A few short years later, in 1957, the Americanized version of Godzilla (1954) would be released in Japan with Japanese subtitles under the title Monster King Godzilla, and another original Godzilla manga would be released around the same time. This new original manga, titled The Last Godzilla, would be influenced by the release of Monster King Godzilla as well—albeit in a new and novel way. And it would feature the first depiction of Godzilla’s son, long before Minilla would appear in Son of Godzilla (1967).
First, let me give an in-depth rundown of the story. It starts with our protagonists, adolescents Masao and Emiko, rushing to see the new Godzilla movie at the theater, Monster King Godzilla. As the movie progresses, Masao begins complaining in the theater because Godzilla is taking so long to make his appearance, embarrassing Emiko and annoying the others in the audience (at least those who aren’t making out). Finally Godzilla appears in the movie—though not in the same way as in the real movie. In this manga version, Godzilla makes his big appearance by charging towards the screen from across the ocean waves, spraying water everywhere. However, just as Godzilla’s noggin fills the movie screen, a real Godzilla bursts through and into the real theater! Many in the audience first assume that the very real emergence of Godzilla into the theater is just a 3D effect, but it soon becomes apparent that a real Godzilla has emerged, and the audience starts to make a run for it, including Emiko and Masao. For some reason the folks in the back still don’t realize there is anything wrong at first and impede those in the front, but finally everyone comes to their senses and then lose them again in a fright flight, dashing from the movie theater (with some women riding on the backs of their boyfriends).
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| That soup ladle is going to give little Godzilla a big headache. |
Godzilla emerges shortly afterwards, smashing the storefront and breathing (what appears to be) fire. Emiko and Masao and many others threatened by Godzilla run to the subway to escape, though the shaking of the monster’s footsteps brings bits of ceiling tiles and rocks down on their heads. Masao and Emiko decide to take a look to see if everything is clear, and find Godzilla has climbed onto a nearby building. Members of the military are on the scene, shooting at Godzilla with rifles, while local civilians join in, shooting air rifles, squirt guns, and sling shots before resorting to more exotic weaponry. Godzilla sits atop the building, shaking his head back and forth as metal pans, spoons, bottles, and more are tossed up at him.
The firemen arrive to spray Godzilla with water, effectively neutralizing his fire breath. At this time, as Godzilla is fairly neutralized, Masao realizes that this particular Godzilla is rather small, and as it is plaintively crying out on top of the building, he deduces that it must be calling for its parent. He makes a quick phone call to alert the authorities that an adult Godzilla is coming from offshore of Shinagawa (though he has not yet actually seen this adult Godzilla), and the military sends jets, tanks, helicopters, and more to defend against the larger menace.
This being a manga, Masao’s predictions prove accurate, and the next chapter, “Parent Godzilla’s Big Rampage,” begins with an adult Godzilla wading ashore and smashing through the defensive tanks waiting for him/her. The child Godzilla has been surrounded by fire engines, sprayed from all sides by high-pressure hoses, and continues crying out for Godzilla (I can just imagine the donkey brays of Minilla here). Adult Godzilla stomps over, makes short work of the fire trucks, then carries child Godzilla piggy back out to sea.
Nevertheless, the evacuation of Tokyo continues, and the military convenes to put together some kind of a plan to take out the menace of the two Godzillas. Emiko and Masao were also invited (apparently) to the meeting. The main speaker waxes eloquent about how everyone may be doomed because the Oxygen Destroyer which killed the previous Godzilla is now lost, along with Dr. Serizawa, its creator. Masao grumbles and gripes about the bad situation they are in, but as the group seems to have lost all hope, a mysterious man appears with a possible solution.
This new scientist, wearing sunglasses and strutting around like a snob, announces that he has found a hint to another powerful Serizawa weapon, this one a poison gas. This poison gas, if applied to Godzilla, would cause the monster to become emaciated like a mummy and stiffen so that he could not move, presumably perishing in the process. The military establishment is very enthusiastic about this plan, and the mysterious gentleman offers to hand over the poison gas at any time.
Just at that moment, Masao can't take it anymore, and yells for everyone to wait a moment. He is disgusted that those in the meeting are only thinking of killing the Godzillas, even though, according to Masao, Godzilla is sinless, and the fault lies with humanity for using the atom bomb in the first place. The military men assembled there are aghast, but the mysterious man praises Masao and tells him that he agrees with the boy. Indeed, the mysterious man claims that he does not intend to use the poison gas except in the most extenuating circumstances. Masao then asks the man who he is. The mysterious man takes off his sunglasses, while explaining that he came here incognito so that the local press would not hassle him on the way. Masao recognizes the man as Dr. Yukawa—presumably the real-life Hideki Yukawa, a theoretical physicist who was the first Japanese to receive a Nobel Prize. Dr. Yukawa shakes Masao’s hand, and they decide to try to think of a way to deal with the two Godzillas without killing them.
Meanwhile, the two Godzillas have grown hungry, and to fill their stomachs they have returned to Japan, attacking Ueno Zoo and eating some of the animals trapped there. Many zoo animals escape to run wild through the city. The next chapter begins, titled “Super Heavy Bomber G-65 Fight to the Death.” As the animals continue to run amok through the city, the two Godzillas follow and take up wanton destruction as “exercise” (or so it is called in the comic), including smashing a bridge, ripping apart a building, and actively roasting fleeing, helpless citizens. In the midst of this chaos, the evacuating Japanese notice a shadow in the sky, and at first they think it must be Rodan until someone points out that Rodan does not produce the sound of an engine. It turns out that the shadow marks the arrival of the American Super Heavy Bomber G-65, which proceeds to attack the Godzillas with its six wing-mounted cannons. Predictably the cannons have little effect, so the G-65 circles back around and, within 100 meters of the adult Godzilla, launches an enormous rocket attached to the body of the plane.
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| The adult Godzilla shows he would be really good at playing baseball--at least as a catcher. |
The adult Godzilla simply sidesteps and catches the missile with her (?) right hand. Everyone is horrified because this rocket has a nuclear warhead in it which could cause massive destruction to the city (though one has to wonder why everyone is scared, given that had the missile hit Godzilla it would have had much the same effect). However, the adult Godzilla merely bites off the bottom end, then tosses the rest into the ocean nearby.
The next chapter begins, titled “Scheme of the Exhibitioners.” At the beginning of the chapter, the military and politicians of Japan are again pushing to use the poison gas on the Godzillas, but Masao asks for three more days and promises that he will find a way to get Godzilla to leave Japan alone during that time. The military officials find the very idea risible, but Dr. Yukawa puts his trust in the boy.
Meanwhile, the so-called exhibitioners from the title of the chapter (a group of disreputable individuals given no names in the manga) are having a meeting to discuss how they can profit off of the Godzilla situation, such as by looting the burning buildings. However, their leader has a better idea. Given that the Godzillas have been observed eating deer from the Ueno Zoo, the unsavory boss man suggests catching a deer, fattening it up, and filling it with poison as a means of taking down the monsters. After the monsters have been defeated, apparently the plan is to take their corpses and created an exhibition wherein they charge folks to see the monsters’ remains (the plot is a little vague in the book).
Back to Masao and Emiko, our hero is at a loss as to how to solve the issue with Godzilla, but he wishes that he could make the fact that he is on Godzilla’s side clear to the giant monster (Emiko meanwhile just wishes Godzilla would go away). As time runs out on their last day, Masao’s desperate final stratagem is to go to the beach, hope that Godzilla shows up, and convince the monster to head out into the depths and not return. When Masao reaches the beach, he proclaims that it is a night in which it feels like Godzilla is going to come out of the water (Emiko doesn’t seem convinced).
Just then, our heroes notice the dastardly gang from before, tying up a small deer to a stake. Masao approaches the men and asks what they are doing, and the gang members innocently tell him they are planning to poison Godzilla with their poison-stuffed deer. Masao, upset at their plot, demands that they tell him what they are planning to do after that, and the leader thug just straight up tells him that they are planning to make an exhibition after they take out the monster. Masao takes umbrage to this plot and punches the thug in the jaw, in response to which the other ruffians surround the boy, with one pulling out a knife.
The attack begins, and Masao dodges a knife thrust, then judo-throws the first thug, after which dodges a second knife slash from the boss. Masao takes out the boss using the old double-handed downward smash later popularized in Capt. Kirk’s battle with the Gorn on Star Trek, but before he can defeat the rest of the punks, he receives a grievous blow to the head via a large piece of driftwood wielded by a sneaky baddie.
The last chapter begins, and the title gives away the ending—“Godzilla Returns to the Sea Floor.” With Emiko attending to the downed Masao, suddenly the ocean begins to roar, and high waves crash. The assembly of thugs make a break for it. Emiko announces to Masao that Godzilla is on his way, and the boy attempts to move, but is overcome with dizziness. Masao proclaims that the deer must be freed. Emiko agrees and runs to the deer, managing to untie it just as the adult Godzilla emerges from the ocean. Masao cries out for her to run, but she dashes to his side, trying to help him escape. Masao insists on staying behind, but Emiko insists that if Masao is going to get eaten, she will be too.
The deer, panicked, runs in circles before tripping and falling, paralyzed by fear as the adult Godzilla approaches. The adult Godzilla carefully sniffs the deer with flexible snoot, and senses with its powerful sense of smell that something is off about the wee beast. The Big G allows the deer to live, and Masao tells Emiko to look at the kindness in Godzilla’s eyes. Masao explains to her that Godzilla deliberately allowed the poisoned deer to escape in order to show Masao the monster’s inner kindness. With that, the two Godzillas return to the ocean, and one of the children (from the speech bubble it looks like Emiko, but more likely it’s Masao again) proclaims that Godzilla understood that they (the children) cared about the monsters. The boy then goes on to say that Godzilla will never return to Japan. The children watch and pray that no further nuclear testing will anger Godzilla again, and the story concludes with a group of onlookers gazing out as the monsters disappear into the sunset.
You can draw your own conclusions about the story, but I want to give my two yen’s worth anyway. There are many aspects of the story which I personally enjoyed a great deal, including the humor, especially in the first half before the story takes on a more serious (albeit very unrealistic) tone. For example, the concept of the real Godzilla bursting through the screen at a showing of one of the Godzilla movies is amusing and rather clever in its way, showing the sort of meta-narrative awareness which is frankly kind of surprising from so early a Godzilla comic. My favorite moment, however, has to be when the civilians start throwing anything and everything at the juvenile Godzilla—the idea is just hilarious!
The Last Godzilla also features a great number of plot elements which would creep into later kaiju films. Obviously this manga’s depiction of a Godzilla child predates Minilla by ten years, and the sympathetic story of a monster parent and child presages the 1961 movie Gorgo by four years. The child-centric plot, while not the first in Godzilla comics (even some of the manga adaptations of the original Godzilla featured very prominent youth roles), still predicted the later know-it-all child heroes that would populate some kaiju films in the 60s and 70s (although mostly in Gamera films).
For Godzilla fans, it is also interesting to see that the Godzillas actually eat something here, since Godzilla’s daily diet is almost never depicted on screen. The idea of Godzilla attacking and eating the animal denizens of a zoo is novel, and it is surprising that none of the major tokusatsu films from Toho explored that angle in the Showa period. The adult Godzilla is also seen attempting to eat a nuclear weapon, a plot angle that would see much more use later in the series, though here the monster ultimately finds the missile distasteful rather than a source of nourishment like with Godzilla’s nuclear diet in The Return of Godzilla (1984), or the nuke munching MUTOs from Godzilla (2014). The intention of the exhibitioners to poison the Godzillas and put them on display reflects a frequent theme in giant monster movies going back to 1925's The Lost World and of course the original 1933 King Kong that would later crop up in Toho tokusatsu epics such as Mothra (1961) and Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964).
For me, though, I loved that Godzilla was shown to eat deer for a different reason, because the climactic meeting between Godzilla and a fawn on the beach immediately made me think of a certain infamous Godzilla cartoon from the 1960s. While I am sure that Bambi Meets Godzilla was not inspired by this manga, the fact that the Big G has some history killing deer makes the parody cartoon feel like an alternate take on scenes from this officially licensed manga!
On the other hand, several large plot points fall flat in execution. Personally I am not a fan of the kind of pandering, wish-fulfilment story where the child protagonist is depicted as a great hero, morally perfect soldier who can take out adults in hand-to-hand combat with ease, and super genius whose every guess proves correct. All of these attributes in large part can be used to describe Masao. What is more, Masao’s insistence in trying to protect the Godzillas, and the bizarre sequence at the conclusion in which the adult Godzilla is shown as a merciful giant, clash terribly with earlier scenes in which the monsters smash buildings and incinerate hapless fleeing people for fun. Given that the Godzillas were coming ashore onto Japan to feed, it seems unlikely that they would just stay forever on the sea floor from here on out as well, and the story gives no clear reason why we should believe Japan is out of danger other than Masao’s bold assertions.
I must say a few words about Yoshiharu Hashimoto’s art before I conclude. Hashimoto, so far as I can tell, has largely fallen into obscurity even in Japan, where he created such titles as Six Ninjas: Wind Snow Story and other jidaigeki-style manga. For me, I love his art style as seen in The Last Godzilla, which I found charmingly detailed and with a surprising sensitivity to both perspective and dramatic camera placement. His depiction of the monsters is one of my favorites I have seen from classic manga, looking like the classic evilly grinning tyrannosaurus or a sardonic dragon, crawling and smashing and stomping through the panel layouts with joyful vivre. For some, this take will be too dinosaurian, but I love it and how overall consistent the art is—I think the tone and feel of the art actually reminds me a bit of the classic “Gertie the Dinosaur” short films. Plus Hashimoto managed to make the child Godzilla actually look as if he is related to the adult version, which is something Toho didn’t manage for many years. Hashimoto’s art depicting the human characters is much less detailed, but still displays energy and imagination. Sometimes I felt as if the human characters’ faces were too simple, but Hashimoto manages to express a lot of character even in just a few simple lines, so I can’t complain.
Despite its flaws, The Last Godzilla is to me a beguiling, very enjoyable forgotten monster classic, and another good reason for Godzilla fans to learn Japanese and start collecting monster manga ASAP. The binding on this manga is also better than many of the manga released with the DVD collections, mirroring what we got with the Frankenstein vs. Baragon manga. While the ending of the story is one of the weakest I have read in some time, nevertheless as a historical piece of monster history and as simply a dang fun read, The Last Godzilla comes highly recommended from this bloke. |
