Random Musings and Factoids Thread

For discussions covering more than one Toho film or show that span across more than one “era.”
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Legion1979
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by Legion1979 »

Major sssspielberg! wrote: Wed Jul 14, 2021 7:28 am Sometimes I think about how the only significant nudity we got in a Godzilla movie was Yuki's b*tt :(
There are topless villagers in the background of G54.

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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by Terasawa »

The American versions of SoG and DAM were both released in 1969 (to TV and theatrically, respectively), but only fans in the Bay Area and upstate New York could have realistically seen SoG first. In other words, most Americans' introduction to Minya was probably DAM's big Fuji entrance:

"I believe I see something stirring there beyond the trees... wait a second! Yes, here they are. The first is Godzilla! No, I'm wrong: It's Godzilla's son."

Can you imagine watching that and thinking "wtf since when does Godzilla have a son?"
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by Legion1979 »

I never thought of that. Thats pretty funny.

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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

Terasawa wrote: Mon Jul 19, 2021 9:57 am The American versions of SoG and DAM were both released in 1969 (to TV and theatrically, respectively), but only fans in the Bay Area and upstate New York could have realistically seen SoG first. In other words, most Americans' introduction to Minya was probably DAM's big Fuji entrance:

"I believe I see something stirring there beyond the trees... wait a second! Yes, here they are. The first is Godzilla! No, I'm wrong: It's Godzilla's son."

Can you imagine watching that and thinking "wtf since when does Godzilla have a son?"
Minya is one of the few monsters that requires an explanation for existing. A lot of the other monsters in the Showa Era can be attributed to just ancient beasts that have been dormant up until recent industrial advancements, or space creatures controlled by aliens.

"Hey it's Manda. Hey it's Gorosaurus. Hey it's Angurius. What, Godzilla has a son? When/where did that happen?"

Now that I think about it, Minya is one of the few monsters that has a "proper" origin story where we see it's creation/birth; the others being Hedorah, Mecha-Godzilla, Rodan (sort of) and Kamacuras.
Contrast this to the later eras: Biollante being made from cells, an active plot point in the film. Heisei Ghidorah being created from the Dorats, and subsequently MKG being modified. Battra awakened by the meteor. Space-Godzilla being formed from Godzilla cells on Mothra/Biollante. Destoroyah gradually growing after being awakened.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by Terasawa »

"Mechagodzilla's Counterattack," the Japanese title for Terror of Mechagodzilla, is the only Godzilla title in which the only monster getting title billing *isn't* Godzilla. (The Japanese titles for GTTHM, IoAM, and DAM don't include any monster names. All others in the series have either Godzilla's name alone or with other monsters.)

ToMG's Japanese ad line also refers to the film as the "Second Part of the Mechagodzilla Series."
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by edgaguirus »

Only 2 Godzilla movies use an island as the primary location in the film. First is G vs tSM, and the other is SoG.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

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edgaguirus wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:33 pm Only 2 Godzilla movies use an island as the primary location in the film. First is G vs tSM, and the other is SoG.
Well ... *pushes up glasses* technically this isn't true. Japan is an archipelago comprised entirely of islands, which means that every Japanese Godzilla film uses an island as the primary location.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by Terasawa »

SoG is also the only Japanese Godzilla film in which no scenes take place in Japan.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by Tyrant_Lizard_King »

It wasn't until arguably Smog Monster that Godzilla became a full fledged hero. Even in films like Son and Ghidrah were Godzilla was the protagonist he is still largely feared by the main human characters. It was only with his defeat of Hedorah that he became viewed more as a savior to the people of Japan.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by edgaguirus »

Terasawa wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 7:27 am SoG is also the only Japanese Godzilla film in which no scenes take place in Japan.
The first scenes are in Japan, but the majority of the film is on the island.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by Terasawa »

edgaguirus wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 9:25 pm
Terasawa wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 7:27 am SoG is also the only Japanese Godzilla film in which no scenes take place in Japan.
The first scenes are in Japan, but the majority of the film is on the island.
I think you're thinking of Ebirah, where much of the first reel is set in Japan. SoG's opening scene is set on an airplane, apparently over international waters. Every other scene after that, however, is set on Sollgel Island.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by SoggyNoodles2016 »

Both of King Ghidorah's appearances in the Heisei era link him with time travel.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by Terasawa »

Right next to the Dinosaur World newspaper clipping in Godzilla vs King Ghidorah is a story about the UFO seen over Tokyo; the article, which is only partially visible, asks if the inhabitants of the UFO will be evil or friendly, "like Spielberg's E.T." So we can safely assume that, in-universe, Major Spielberg did in fact tell his son about seeing a UFO.

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Something else to consider about GvKG:

Shino and Koichi Ueda's (unnamed?) characters both served together on Lagos Island, and both obviously saw the dinosaur there. Shindo of course went on to be a corrupt and ultra-wealthy businessman who benefited from and aided Japan's reconstruction. He has enormous skyscrapers in Shinjuku and Fukuoka. Ueda's character, meanwhile, apparently lives in near-poverty running a ramen shack, also in Fukuoka. I don't think it's coincidence that Omori would put both men in the same city.

Also, in their respective introductions to the audience, Ueda forthrightly states he'd seen a dinosaur; in Shindo's introduction, he initially denies that he'd ever seen one. (And both are pictured beside dinosaur models/mockups.) Although it's written this way primarily to serve the plot, I think it's an interesting juxtaposition that further contrasts their lives after the war.
Last edited by Terasawa on Tue Aug 17, 2021 8:35 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by MaxRebo320 »

Japanese viewers upset over Manda's lack of participation during the final fight in Destroy All Monsters at least had a re-release of Atragon to look forward to right after DAM.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by Terasawa »

MaxRebo320 wrote: Sat Oct 23, 2021 1:25 pm Japanese viewers upset over Manda's lack of participation during the final fight in Destroy All Monsters at least had a re-release of Atragon to look forward to right after DAM.
Not counting retrospective releases and whatnot, Manda has more theatrically-released double feature programs than any other one kaiju. All the Gamera films were paired with non-Gamera movies, and from Toho I can only think of the 1974 Matsuri that paired re-edited versions of Mothra and Latitude Zero. IIRC, all the new Godzilla movies at the Champion Festival debuted with, at best, a blown-up episode from that season's Ultraman series.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by Dv-218 »

Mechani-Kong is the only kaiju/mecha to appear in a live action Toho film to have debuted as an animated character initially. Also, iirc GxM marks the only time that the same Godzilla design was used for what is essentially two different continuities movie wise.
Last edited by Dv-218 on Sat Oct 23, 2021 11:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by mikelcho »

Tyrant_Lizard_King wrote: Sat Jul 24, 2021 9:00 pm It wasn't until arguably Smog Monster that Godzilla became a full fledged hero. Even in films like Son and Ghidrah were Godzilla was the protagonist he is still largely feared by the main human characters. It was only with his defeat of Hedorah that he became viewed more as a savior to the people of Japan.
I think it actually was the ending of Ebirah, Horror of the Deep where Godzilla's first seen as a hero, at least by the protagonists.

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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by mikelcho »

Dv-218 wrote: Sat Oct 23, 2021 11:11 pm Mechani-Kong is the only kaiju/mecha to appear in a live action Toho film to have debuted as an animated character initially. Also, iirc GxM marks the only time that the same Godzilla design was used for what is essentially two different continuities movie wise.
Also, Mechani-Kong wasn't even created by Toho, but by Toei.

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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by Voyager »

With every appearance in the Showa era, Ghidorah’s necks got longer.
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Re: Random Musings and Factoids Thread

Post by Legion1979 »

Voyager wrote: Mon Oct 25, 2021 5:27 pm With every appearance in the Showa era, Ghidorah’s necks got longer.
Really? I've never noticed anything like that.

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