Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

For the discussion of Shin Godzilla, Godzilla -1.0, the anime trilogy, Godzilla Singular Point and Toho produced and distributed films after 2015. Includes US movies financed by Toho like Detective Pikachu.
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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

Post by Lesko »

AbudJasemAlBaldawi wrote: Fri Apr 02, 2021 6:05 pm So I finally got around to seeing The Planet Eater after rewatching the first two and tbh I don't understand the hate. I found these films to be a lot bolder and original than the MonsterVerse films and they had a whole bunch of interesting ideas, without sacrificing what makes Godzilla Godzilla. The movies are rough in a few spots (I thought City On The Edge Of Battle had way too much talking and planning, Haruo is just your typical stoic anime protagonist who went through alot of poop, and the animation is kinda iffy if you really pay attention to it, and the story is much more about Haruo's journey than about Kaiju), but I much prefer this kind of experimentalism that this trilogy and Shin Godzilla brought over the crowd-pleasing fanservice of the MonsterVerse (btw I don't dislike the MonsterVerse films, just not very impressed with them compared to the recent Japanese films).
I am with you on this. I thought the anime gave us a unique approach even if it fell flat sometimes. With CotEoB being the low point and TPE being the high point. Haruo is kind of a lame character but I do like how he evolved from your generic "I want revenge against Godzilla" protagonist to actually understanding why his presence is necessary. While Mechagodzilla is not seen as a mechanical Godzilla for very long, I still thought it was pretty wicked to see how it could evolve over a long period of time along with Godzilla himself of course. Not to mention Ghidorah which I actually loved. In fact I love the whole Planet Eater. It had some... shall we say... odd... moments but I really enjoyed it overall. A magnificent way to pay homage to a monster that was made with the idea of destroying planets in mind. I also loved the ending. I love how while it isn't an unhappy ending it isn't really a happy ending either. I guess bittersweet sums it up nicely. I thought Godzilla having his own ecosystem was fascinating and the Servum were an interesting touch to reflect that. Even though it will never happen this trilogy needs to be followed up on. If the creators learn from there mistake there is a treasure trove waiting to be discovered!

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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

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It's been nearly six years since Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters was released, and nearly four since Godzilla: the Planet Eater concluded the trilogy. Mostly disliked, and forgotten about, newer and generally accepted as better films and an anime series have been released (Godzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla: Singular Point). With Shin Godzilla still being a recent high of the franchise, and Godzilla Minus One coming out this fall, it's clear that the "Planet of Monsters Trilogy" will slip further out of the Godzilla fan conciousness, and just be a footnote on the franchises long and storied history. I've never hated the anime trilogy, but I have always had a laundry list of complaints, and things I wish, as a Godzilla fan, that it did better or did more to feel like Godzilla.

For many years, I've told myself, "I should rewatch the the Planet of Monsters Trilogy" and see how I like it. In contrast to many of the other entries, some of which I've seen around twenty or so times, all the way through. Since release, and my initial ho-hum feeling, I've been wanting to rewatch these films. It occured to me that I did not want to rewatch these films because I genuinely wanted to see them again, rather I wanted to see why they are the way they are, and wondered if my opinions on them changed at all, or why I felt the way they did. Well, I watched Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters Saturday Night, and proceeded to watch Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle, and Godzilla: the Planet Eater, Sunday morning. I went in, well knowing and expecting that the monster action was incredibly sparse.

My thesis, or big takeaway: The Polygon Anime trilogy, perhaps by design, is what Godzilla would look like if completely gutted of its tokusatsu roots. The films are serviceable hard sci-fi stories that use Godzilla as a prop, and are intended to appeal to a different crowd.

I thought all three films, watched back to back, were an immensely dour, and tense, story of survival, that unfolded like a stage play or drama, rather than an actual film. Sure enough, Hiroyuki Seshita, one of the co-directors, apparently:
Seshita also expresses "An actor called "Godzilla" that had been appearing in Kabuki all the time will be on the stage of musicals in New York". In other words, Godzilla is a character that can cross the border...Then the story depicts Godzilla, who came to rule the earth for twenty thousand years indeed, and human beings who returned to Earth with an immigrant ship again. The appearance of humans who challenge rematch to Godzilla in a superfluous manner is foolish but has universality. Seshita described this as "Shakespeare plays".
https://apeople.world/en/animation/animation_001.html

A lot of people lambasted this sentiment upon the initial release, but upon re-watch, I find this to be an accurate sentiment. Shakespeare's plays, consisting of tragedies (and comedies) really do provide a blueprint for what unfolds in the animated trilogy. In Shakespeare plays, there is a heavy emphasis on continually shifting sides and allegiances. That's exactly what happens with Captain Sasaki in the animated trilogy. He goes from being a rebel, to a leader, to a rebel once more, all while the human leaders (Mori) shift alligances with the Barusaldo and the Exif. Captain Sasaki has his supporters, and detractors, and the narrative, like Shakespeare plays, isn't concerned if you think Hamlet/the protagonist is a good person or not, but rather simply indulging in the set-up and execution of said tragedies. Like these plays, there's clear antagonists, abound, but some sort of main betrayer, someone that has been working behind the scenes to twist and destroy everything. The audience may be privvy to this, based on information we are given/are aware of, but typically nothing can be done before its too late. That character is Metphies. Metphies, is the catalyst for the story, who allows the old people to die, and supplies Sasaki with the knowledge of a possible way of killing Godzilla. He is the antagonist, not Ghidorah, or Godzilla...to an extent. That's a problem. Godzilla, King Ghidorah, and Mechagodzilla aren't characters, and not in the "Toho says we can't have Godzilla" smile way, but rather they are obstacles, that are inherently beyond our protagonists understanding, by design. All the drama, and the back and forth, is a result from Metphies and Sasaki reacting to a situation, and playing off one another.

In that regard, each film really does play out like a tragedy or play, both as individual films, and as an overching narrative. Each film ends with something horrible happening: Godzilla Earth appearing after what appeared to be a fantastic victory and wiping out most of the remaining forces, Mechagodzilla and the Barusaldo revealing themselves to be just as monstorous as Godzilla and Yuko dying, and well the Aratum being destroyed, and being unable to kill Godzilla. The last tragedy is less bad, but we'll get to the ending later. But really, if you just look at these events as a stage play, the way they unfold really is that way. And for better and for worse, the films unfold like plays, with the bulk of the "action" being characters talking in isolated spaces, questioning one another, with brief moments of action and intensity, before the grand tragedies unfold. For the most part, it's my opinion that these elements all click together well, and have sufficent build up before things fall into despair.

As someone who had to read a lot of Shakespeare in Middle School, High School, and College, I have complicated beliefs and thoughts that are a seperate essay for another time, regarding Shaekspeare's works. Regardless, they're important in the English language cannon and how we tell stories, an understatement perhaps. If you don't like that kind of story telling you're completely in your right to feel that way, and depending on my mood I might be inclined to agree with you. I don't think it's for everyone, and I understand the pushback from people going into this expecting a Godzilla romp to be dissapointed by a trio of slowburn films that mostly center around talking in privacy to one another.

However, with the context of what it is going for, I think the anime trilogy was sucuessful in presenting itself as a Shakesperean tragedy with a hard science fiction backdrop.For what it's worth, Captain Sasaki is a decent character, whose motivations throughout* (we'll get to the ending later), make perfect sense. Exif+Metphies, the Barusaldo, and various humans, all have wildly different interpretations of morality, and what a "win" is for a situation. It feels whole in exploring its own thematic devices and idealogies (what is humanity, what is winning, what are we doing with ourselves). A lot of people throw around the word "pretentious" and misuse it, and I've seen it applied to these films. I don't think the animated trilogy is pretentious at all. I think it states its thematic ideas and beliefs pretty clearly, in a non-confusing fashion, and doesn't pretend that it has an easy or certain answer. It explores its own ideas.

Now, structually, thematically, and character writing wise, it takes its inspiration from Shakespeare's works, but where else? It's very obvious, but it takes its inspiration from Moby Dick, or at least what people who aren't so familar with Moby Dick associate it with. Godzilla is the Great White Whale, and this not only applies to how Captain Sasaki is a Captain Ahab analog, but also how the action unfolds. There is no tokusatsu kaiju action in the anime trilogy. The entire thing, save for the final confrontation with Ghidorah, is a literal whale hunt. This is really obvious, and not hidden at all. Most whale hunts involve small groups of boats, that could be crushed by a whale at any moment, encircle and provoke a whale into surfacing, before leading it to some kill point, or place they can launch a deadly harpoon into the beast. Supplies are limited, and tension is high, with whale hunts being all or nothing gambles. This is done at sea (space/MG city) using smaller forces because there's knowledge that if the base/main boat is destroyed, it's all over. And that's exactly how the action unfolds. In both Planet of the Monsters and City on the Edge of Battle, the small forces, attack and provoke Godzilla, and prepare to harpoon Godzilla/the Whale. It's literally called the EMP Harpoon, and the films are not trying to hide this inspiration at all. But, this explains the action, it's whaling inspired.

Okay, so we have Shakespeare for structure and characters, and we have whaling as the way the action is portrayed. What else? Well, what about setting and general lore? The setting and lore lifts very heavily from anime. Specifically, Nausica Valley of the Wind. The World that Godzilla inhabits, a world covered by a toxic jungle, is near identical to to that of Nausica, though the tone and style is incredibly different. Still, in both, Humanity reached a point of destruction towards the Earth and Itself where the planet rebelled. Instead of the Giant God Warrior Weapons, and the toxic jungle extending out from their ruins, it's nuclear weapons, enviornmental pollution, kaiju and ultimately Godzilla. Like Nausica, there is only one small patch of humanity really left pure and alive, though to some this would appear primative or not great. That's the Valley of the Wind and the valley that the Hortua reside in with Mothra's egg. There's also clear inspiration from another anime, Blue Gender. For those that don't know, the anime trilogy pretty much lifts the exact same set-up as the anime trilogy: the earth has been reclaimed by giant insects/Godzilla, and the way the prologue unfolds is almost 1:1 as Blue Gender. On top of that, the rampant militarization and desperation shown is directly lifted from Blue Gender.

Of course, there are other inspirations, some of which inspire one another: Starship Troopers (both the novel and film), aspects of the Cthulu Mythos, and possibly some Japanese literary references that I'm not clicking with.

This all mixes together: Shakespeare, Moby Dick, Blue Gender, Nausicaa...see the problem?

No Godzilla. No tokusatsu. :P

That's such an obvious thing, and I've basically said the obvious in many many words, but I think it's important to build towards that and analyze why that is, rather than just say, "NO GODZILLA, IT SUCKS". But it's not just no Godzilla, it's no tokusatsu. All the previous things I've mentioned are distinctly not tokusatsu. The anime trilogy didn't begin with Despite the title, the marketing, and everything else, I firmly believe that the anime trilogy are not kaiju or monster films. This is not an indicator of quality by any means, rather a simple statement. People use the term GINO to describe the 1998 Godzilla film, and although I think that its a bad oversimplification, I think the exact same principles apply here. both the Godzilla 1998 film and the Godzilla Anime Trilogy are both films featuring Godzilla, and Godzilla-like ideas, but take more from other sources (American B-Movies/dinosaur films and Shakespeare/Moby Dick) than Godzilla or japanese tokusatsu media. There's no lavish spectacles or destructions, no crowds of people fleeing, little color, and no relateable human protagonists whose struggles are easy to understand in the moment from an "on the ground" perspective. There's no "pro-wrestling" or gigantic super weapons (even Mechagodzilla City is a letdown in that regard). And save for a Godzilla roar, there's no familar music or moments.

And that's okay! I genuinely believe that as tragedies, as long slowburn hard science fiction dramas, these films are good. I think they set up exactly what they set out to accomplish. I enjoyed watching them, but I have no inclination to ever revisit or marathon them again.

Now lets work backwards!

I stated all these reasons, because I accept the anime trilogy for what it is, and ever sort of snippet of information I find about it seems to indicate it did as intended. I used to always think, "well, why not instead of the Vulture, we can have Mechagodzilla fight/lure Godzilla to the trap?" or "oh man, this would be great if there was just more monster action". Well, the reason is that in many moments the tokusatsu narrative might have (I can't say for sure) clash with the other dramatic and artistic choices are made. Mechagodzilla never "fully became" Mechagodzilla because it would have undermined the narrative focus that the main Godzilla had. It's clear that Godzilla is the emobdiement of everything humanity has done wrong. They could've thrown in a few more monsters, but it would have underpinned the main idea that this is pretty much the end, and the films aren't about monster battles, they're about humanity in desperation and different ways of responding to that. And there's no city dectruction or anything! As a Godzilla fan I'm dissapointed. But looking at it from a distance, I can understand why choices like these were made.

Now, this is semi-related to everything above, but I have another theory. According to this interview, with the director of Gamera Rebirth, also the co-drector of this, we get an insight:
Hiroyuki Seshita (via Translator): The director mentioned how the process of making the Godzilla anime and the process making the GAMERA -Rebirth- anime were very, very different. So it's hard to compare his involvement in both and how he was able to learn from that. The reason being Toho has a very pre-organized and pre-strategized plan for how they want to make Godzilla and what type of Godzilla they want to make with each new installment that they create. So he wasn't as involved in the planning of that, but with GAMERA -Rebirth- it's completely different and his involvement is a lot deeper,with what kind of Gamera than he wanted to make. So Godzilla might compare to other titles he's worked on, like KNIGHTS OF SEDONA or BLAME, in that it's very planned out beforehand.
My theory is that Toho wanted something different. Something to appeal to different crowds. They wanted an anime film that appealed to people who like dramatic and hard sci-fi anime, as well as tales of revenge and tragedy. It's impossible to think that Toho, and other people involved, didn't think or question if this would work.

I also think that there might be some behind the scenes legal issues we are not privvy too. We know Godzilla SP actually was planned before this, and that Shin Godzilla was made due to a gap in the MV. But that's also why it's very, very careful. Mothra, Mechagodzilla, and King Ghidorah are all unrecognizeable. There is no way that a casual viewer might confuse this series of animated movies, not released theatrically in America, with the Legendary Godzilla King of the Monsters and or Godzilla vs. Kong. I think Toho knew and was okay with how the anime trilogy wound up in the end. If the Godzilla fans didn't like it, it's okay, the MV films around it feature very traditional and crowd pleasing portrayals of the monsters. I've got other clues that Toho has been working, licensing, and dictating what types of Godzilla projects they want, and some of the choices, in the moment, seem bizarre. In reality, that's whats going on. That's "The World of Godzilla".

If you're still confused:
-The Anime Trilogy by Design is Godzilla without Tokusatsu, taking inspiration from other sources
-A lot of behind the scenes stuff indicate there may have been legal/other issues beyond our comprehension/factors taken into consideration that we will never know.

I may elaborate or update this, but I hope I make sense and everything I say here is cool. To restate my feelings again: I think the anime trilogy is a decent SF drama/tragedy, that borrows heavily from western cannon rather than traditional tokusatsu sources.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

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I can sum up this trilogy with far less words, only two in fact: they blow.

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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

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Legion1979 wrote: Sun Aug 27, 2023 7:27 pm I can sum up this trilogy with far less words, only two in fact: they blow.
While I get where you're coming from, your heart is in a good place for sparing me the time and energy, I believe that for my own preference, it's not interesting saying whether something blows or not, but what possibly the work is trying to achieve and how it reached that point of "blowing".
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

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For me personally the actual animation is what takes me out of the films I think they came up with some great ideas and definitely a fitting post apocalyptic tone but I just wonder how much I would like the films if they weren't so stiff.

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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

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DynomikeGojira wrote: Mon Aug 28, 2023 1:05 pm For me personally the actual animation is what takes me out of the films I think they came up with some great ideas and definitely a fitting post apocalyptic tone but I just wonder how much I would like the films if they weren't so stiff.
Oh God, I hate the animation on these movies. I love animation but this cell shaded CGI stuff looks like shit. We waited years to get Godzilla anime only to get...this. A full 2D traditional Godzilla anime would be so cool.
Last edited by Legion1979 on Mon Aug 28, 2023 1:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

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Great insight, LSD. I think that’s why I did end up enjoying the ideas and aspects of the movies, even if I ended up feeling very meh on them as time went on. They used the hard sci-fi and the inspirations from Moby Dick in ways that were somewhat intriguing, but failed to deliver on something that felt entirely like “Godzilla.” I think it could’ve also functioned better had they tightened the writing for the characters. The problem is they’re decent as sci-fi, and shitty as kaiju or toku. It doesn’t hit the way something like Call of Cthulhu does. It may have worked better as novels more than anything, so we could get lush descriptions and insights into characters, because it feels like it could play out much more nicely in written form.

Oh well, it is what it is.
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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

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LSD Jellyfish wrote: Sun Aug 27, 2023 7:24 pm This all mixes together: Shakespeare, Moby Dick, Blue Gender, Nausicaa...see the problem?

No Godzilla. No tokusatsu. :P
This nicely summarizes my problem with the trilogy. A Godzilla film that’s not tokusatsu makes as little sense as, let’s say, a James Bond film that’s not a spy-thriller. Character selection can make or break a story, and I believe the story would have worked much better if they had selected a character besides Godzilla – and all the baggage it brings – to build the story around.

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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

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SpiderZilla wrote: Mon Aug 28, 2023 4:05 pm
LSD Jellyfish wrote: Sun Aug 27, 2023 7:24 pm This all mixes together: Shakespeare, Moby Dick, Blue Gender, Nausicaa...see the problem?

No Godzilla. No tokusatsu. :P
This nicely summarizes my problem with the trilogy. A Godzilla film that’s not tokusatsu makes as little sense as, let’s say, a James Bond film that’s not a spy-thriller. Character selection can make or break a story, and I believe the story would have worked much better if they had selected a character besides Godzilla – and all the baggage it brings – to build the story around.

I honestly think there’s a chance it could’ve worked. But each movie is plagued with writing that just isn’t suited to bringing that out. It tries to be so many things without trying to respect how to use Godzilla satisfactorily. There are shades of great kaiju storytelling in there, but they’re mostly one off scenes or undercooked ideas (the cult of Ghidorah is interesting, but the fight with Godzilla in the same movie is underwhelming).

In other words, you need a strong direction of how to use Godzilla without toku elements. Sure, you could make him a Lovecraftian element for a story, and in fact, that sort of is what happened in the trilogy. But just SORT OF. It was underdeveloped and drowned in a sea of other ideas that were also needing more development.
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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

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Legion1979 wrote: Mon Aug 28, 2023 1:08 pm
DynomikeGojira wrote: Mon Aug 28, 2023 1:05 pm For me personally the actual animation is what takes me out of the films I think they came up with some great ideas and definitely a fitting post apocalyptic tone but I just wonder how much I would like the films if they weren't so stiff.
Oh God, I hate the animation on these movies. I love animation but this cell shaded CGI stuff looks like shit. We waited years to get Godzilla anime only to get...this. A full 2D traditional Godzilla anime would be so cool.
Completely agree kinda disappointed that Toho hasn't tried it yet.

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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

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The animation is "stiff" I agree. However, visually I don't think it's the worst thing. While the series is drab and colorless, it all fills a narrative purpose, and when there's moments of light and color (such as in the Hortua's caves) it serves to feel comforting and soft.

Also, I forgot to mention this, but I realized what the Servum are when I watched it this time. I mean their function. They're obviously just things to add a little extra bit of tension and interactivity, providing a threat and plot reason why their operation is doomed from the start in "Planet of the Monsters" as well as a brief added bit of something for the hoverbikes to fight later in the film. But! More so than anything, they're "birds" used for perspective. It's a common and easy technique to show how something big is through the use of birds. Now, the anime trilogy faces a big problem, perspective wise, because Godzilla Earth is (perhaps needlessly) absolutely gigantic. But, there's no buildings to showcase how big that actually is. The Servum are big, about the size of a bus, so when you see the Servum flying with Godzilla in the distance it adds to the perspective. I don't think it's a great solution by any means, but I realized during my recent rewatches that's their visual purpose, other than providing a minor threat and tying into the narrative of Godzilla being the dominant force on Earth.

Finally, one other thing I forgot to mention is the ending. There was a lot of backlash about it, making it feel pointless, with Sasaki ramming the Vulture into Godzilla, seemingly intentionally killing himself, but this time around I realized the action is much much more purposeful. When Sasaki encounters Martin looking over the Vulture, after a happy montage, it's a subtly horrific reveal. Remember, this nanometal appears to have the ability to self-replicate, and can multiple quickly if given aim and function by someone. In other words, it's continued existence, and discovery by Martin is a direct threat. On top of that, Sasaki probably thought in that moment, like Martin, that they still had a chance to kill Godzilla. But that realization is antithetical to peace. Sasaki ramming the mechanized Vulture suit into Godzilla isn't just him making a stupid kamikaze attack, it's him ensuring that Mechagodzilla never comes back, and the peaceful society of the Hortua is never destroyed. It's also a suicide, but a suicide ensuring that the violent will that Sasaki and the ones who knew the destruction of the race in the 2000s is erased from history. Captain Sasaki ramming the Vulture into Godzilla is ensuring that that the Hortua can continue to peacefully exist on Earth. It is also still a final attack, so Sasaki can go out as a fighter, never giving up. It's also foreshadowed throughout the series, I believe there were two times previously Sasaki was about to ram/suicide attack Godzilla but didn't. Now, you don't have to like this ending, and I agree it's bizarre to do it right after showing Sasaki with a peaceful family, but I do understand now why they did it.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

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Haruo Sakaki stands out as one of the most, if not the most, disliked characters in the Godzilla franchise, for good reasons. Interestingly, I've noticed similarities to another character, namely Shinji Ikari from Evangelion. The key difference lies in their dominant emotional states: Shinji is often paralyzed by depression, while Haruo is driven by intense rage and hatred. Despite their divisive nature, Shinji is often defended vigorously, with fans feeling a sense of representation through his struggles with mental health. Haruo, however, doesn't seem to garner the same level of empathy from those who might relate to his anger issues.

This disparity could stem from the fact that Haruo, unlike Shinji, is portrayed as strong-willed and confident. Yet, he consistently makes poor, irresponsible choices, driven primarily by selfish, hate-fueled motives. Additionally, Shinji benefits from a more extensive narrative arc, spanning a TV series and multiple films, allowing for deeper character exploration and audience attachment. Haruo, on the other hand, is confined to a quickly produced trilogy, limiting the scope for character development. Would you agree that these factors contribute to the differing perceptions of these two characters?
Last edited by LegendZilla on Sat Nov 11, 2023 3:33 am, edited 5 times in total.

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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

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^Don’t conflate your misunderstandings with why people like Evangelion with issues that people have with the Polygon Godzilla Anime Trilogy.
Last edited by LSD Jellyfish on Sat Nov 11, 2023 9:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

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LSD Jellyfish wrote: Sat Nov 11, 2023 9:43 am ^Don’t conflate your misunderstandings with why people like Evangelion with issues that people have with the Polygon Godzilla Anime Trilogy.
Can you please elaborate as to why it’s not an apt comparison? Is one reason because Evangelion is one artist expressing his personal issues, whereas the Polygon trilogy was a hodgepodge of executive meddling and creative conflict?
Last edited by LegendZilla on Sat Nov 11, 2023 12:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

Post by Showa Gyaos »

I want to like these films, but that would require me to watch them all a second time.

I have yet to do that.
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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

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LegendZilla wrote: Sat Nov 11, 2023 12:11 pm Can you please elaborate as to why it’s not an apt comparison? Is one reason because Evangelion is one artist expressing his personal issues, whereas the Polygon trilogy was a hodgepodge of executive meddling and creative conflict?
I can't speak for anyone but myself on this but I'll chime in. I don't like Shinji because I relate to him. In fact, in a lot of ways, I don't like Shinji at all. But he's engaging because of his circumstances and how his psychological issues clash with the psychological issues of everyone around him. Shinji isn't just depressed. He's also angry, confused, shy, and looking for his father's approval. Evangelion, to me, practically exudes dysfunction. The turmoil that results not just from the battles with the angels, but from all the messed up personalities forced to work together is fascinating. There are moments you might relate to someone, moments that you are repulsed by someone, and everything in between. Not just for Shinji, but the entire cast of characters. As a result, the story is captivating.

Now, compare that to Haruo Sakaki. His personality is "I'm mad." And that's about it. Yes, we see why he hates Godzilla. But it's so unrelenting and one dimensional that his anger is boring. He doesn't second guess himself and his motivations until the very end of the series. It's flat and one-note. On top of that, he doesn't have an interesting cast of supporting characters to contrast with him. There's just not a lot going on. There's no double-standard between audience reception of Shinji and Haruo because the characters, and their stories, are radically different.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

Netflix finally released some viewership data! It's interesting.....

As noted by Spuro in another thread, Pacific Rim the Black beat out Godzilla Singular Point.

But, Singular Point beat out the COMBINED amount of hours watched versus the entire anime trilogy.

SP had 1,900,000 combined hours.
Godzilla Planet of the Monsters had 700,000, COTEOB had 500,000 and the Planet Eater had 400,000.

That's bad!
7+5+4=16
19 vs 16!

What's funny is you can get an estimate of how many people watched some of these films. It's not looking too good!
Roughly 461537 people have watched Planet eater legally on netflix outside of Japan! The number is lower when you consider individuals watching it multiple times, watching it then stopping it and a bunch of other things!
Last edited by LSD Jellyfish on Tue Dec 12, 2023 11:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

Post by Legion1979 »

Good, let it be bad. Hopefully Toho learned their lesson with those anime films.

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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

Post by JAGzilla »

Actually, that's a relief. Relatively few people have watched those lame movies and had their perception of Godzilla infected by non-representative mediocrity.
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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

Post by Showa Gyaos »

LSD Jellyfish wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2023 11:01 pm Netflix finally released some viewership data! It's interesting.....

As noted by Spuro in another thread, Pacific Rim the Black beat out Godzilla Singular Point.

But, Singular Point beat out the COMBINED amount of hours watched versus the entire anime trilogy.

SP had 1,900,000 combined hours.
Godzilla Planet of the Monsters had 700,000, COTEOB had 500,000 and the Planet Eater had 400,000.

That's bad!
7+5+4=16
19 vs 16!

What's funny is you can get an estimate of how many people watched some of these films. It's not looking too good!
Roughly 461537 people have watched Planet eater legally on netflix outside of Japan! The number is lower when you consider individuals watching it multiple times, watching it then stopping it and a bunch of other things!
I think they were on the right track with Singular Point, despite what complaints I have about the series. The anime trilogy may have had some key people on board, but it clearly didn't click well with a lot of people...including actual fans of Godzilla. The trilogy had so much potential, but its execution left people thinking it could have been handled better.

They are legitimately the only films in this big movie franchise that I have never bothered to check out a second time. I probably should, but I also don't want to. :lol:
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Gib money.

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