I agree with your sentiment 100%. Especially about just trying to explain plot-holes, that weren`t plot holes, like the tale of two Ghidorahs.Terasawa wrote:The thing I don't like about these after the fact revelations is that they may not reflect the filmmakers' wishes. To me that's the true canon. I don't care if it's official that 40 years later Toho says the King Ghidorah in Godzilla vs. Gigan is a different creature than the one in the previous three films; if it's not supported by anything in the film or by statements made by creative personnel at the time (which I value less than anything on screen), I'm going to reject that as merely a retcon.
I know there's a book Tomoyuki Tanaka wrote later on about Godzilla and the films and in which he includes some controversial "facts," such as (I believe) the Showa Godzilla has gills. Of course Tanaka was the guiding force for the first 22 Godzilla movies so his opinion matters, but still, his official declarations made years later don't hold the same weight as anything stated or observed in the films themselves. (I know that's not a great example though, since Godzilla's ability to breathe underwater is declared in Godzilla's Revenge.) It's really not that different from George Lucas going back to Star Wars to make a version in which Greedo fires his blaster first, except that in this case the change isn't so pervasive that the original work has been changed.
However, in the case of King Shisa, and Megaguirus, I think minor retcons are fine enough, because they`re additive and fit well into both monsters themes. King Shisa being a golem type monster, would fit into it better with it being a literal Shisa statue. It`s a statue that came to life. It also makes more sense why it`s just "sleeping", hidden buried away in mountains for centuries.
With Megagurius, I think it WAS the intention of the film makers to make it a Godzilla hybrid. Megagurius is definitely more reptilian then everything around it, and does initially draw power from Godzilla. I also like the contrast between the more insectiod concept art, and the more reptilian creature we got. In this case, a statement in a officially Toho sanctioned product, is not a retcon, but merely just more evidence of something implied being more confirmed.
Also, depending how I feel today, I`ll probably give GxMegaguirus a rewatch today. I`ll try to pay attention to the japanese dialogue more (as opposed to the dubtitles) and see if I can discern any moments when they talk about Megagurius.