Kaiju Fan Confessions

[Spuro]

I love killing people for disrespecting my favourite suit.

Wow, now that's what I call a confession.

[NSZ]

I definitely have come to believe that the "It's only okay when Toho does it!" mentality really does exist in some parts of the fandom.

[Voyager]

I love killing people for disrespecting my favourite suit.

Dude, what's wrong with you? They're just suits in movies man, nothing to kill people over.

...

Oh no my dear friend, you have your opinion and that's it, nothing wrong with that hahaha.........

Say, out of curiosity have you told your family just how much you love them? I mean just asking.

Ah well glad you are so understanding

Oh sure........*loads*

Now just stay still buddy, it'll be over before you know it. Just let the darkness rain over you.

Seems... legit.

Added in 34 seconds:
Now for an ACTUAL fan confession, I’m not big on ShodaiGoji.

[GojiSquid]

I think Godzilla vs. Hedorah is overrated, or at least overhyped.

[Keizer]

I think Godzilla vs. Hedorah is overrated, or at least overhyped.

At the risk of sounding harsh, I sincerely do not understand how anyone could enjoy that movie. I do see the appeal of Hedorah itself; it is one of the more original Godzilla monsters, and it does have a distinct and memorable design. It's not my favorite monster, but it does continue the trend of the Showa era having good monsters overall. Its debut movie, however, is very close to insufferable. The music is probably some of the worst in a Godzilla movie, there are completely random and unexplained scenes throughout, the human characters range from inconsequential to obnoxious, and don't get me started on the Godzilla flying scene.

I mean to disrespect to anyone who enjoys the movie, or Banno himself; he seemed to be a pretty cool guy, but I also do not remotely understand the man's creative decisions, or why anyone likes them. It has been a while since I have seen Godzilla VS Hedorah, so I plan to give it another shot soon, along with the rest of the Godzilla series. Maye I will have warmed up to it with time.

[eabaker]

I think Godzilla vs. Hedorah is overrated, or at least overhyped.

I would day the opposite, that it is underrated and that a lot of fans' negative reactions to it come off as extreme hyperbole.

Added in 1 minute 49 seconds:

At the risk of sounding harsh, I sincerely do not understand how anyone could enjoy that movie. I do see the appeal of Hedorah itself; it is one of the more original Godzilla monsters, and it does have a distinct and memorable design. It's not my favorite monster, but it does continue the trend of the Showa era having good monsters overall. Its debut movie, however, is very close to insufferable. The music is probably some of the worst in a Godzilla movie, there are completely random and unexplained scenes throughout, the human characters range from inconsequential to obnoxious, and don't get me started on the Godzilla flying scene.

I mean to disrespect to anyone who enjoys the movie, or Banno himself; he seemed to be a pretty cool guy, but I also do not remotely understand the man's creative decisions, or why anyone likes them. It has been a while since I have seen Godzilla VS Hedorah, so I plan to give it another shot soon, along with the rest of the Godzilla series. Maye I will have warmed up to it with time.

One way you might try looking at it is as a genre deconstruction, pointing out the futility/absurdity/childishness of pinning our hopes on miraculous salvation from real-world problems.

[godjacob]

I think Godzilla vs. Hedorah is overrated, or at least overhyped.

I would day the opposite, that it is underrated and that a lot of fans' negative reactions to it come off as extreme hyperbole.

Added in 1 minute 49 seconds:

At the risk of sounding harsh, I sincerely do not understand how anyone could enjoy that movie. I do see the appeal of Hedorah itself; it is one of the more original Godzilla monsters, and it does have a distinct and memorable design. It's not my favorite monster, but it does continue the trend of the Showa era having good monsters overall. Its debut movie, however, is very close to insufferable. The music is probably some of the worst in a Godzilla movie, there are completely random and unexplained scenes throughout, the human characters range from inconsequential to obnoxious, and don't get me started on the Godzilla flying scene.

I mean to disrespect to anyone who enjoys the movie, or Banno himself; he seemed to be a pretty cool guy, but I also do not remotely understand the man's creative decisions, or why anyone likes them. It has been a while since I have seen Godzilla VS Hedorah, so I plan to give it another shot soon, along with the rest of the Godzilla series. Maye I will have warmed up to it with time.

One way you might try looking at it is as a genre deconstruction, pointing out the futility/absurdity/childishness of pinning our hopes on miraculous salvation from real-world problems.

....says the same movie that has Godzilla literally fly in order to help solve the key conflict.

[eabaker]

I think Godzilla vs. Hedorah is overrated, or at least overhyped.

I would day the opposite, that it is underrated and that a lot of fans' negative reactions to it come off as extreme hyperbole.

Added in 1 minute 49 seconds:

At the risk of sounding harsh, I sincerely do not understand how anyone could enjoy that movie. I do see the appeal of Hedorah itself; it is one of the more original Godzilla monsters, and it does have a distinct and memorable design. It's not my favorite monster, but it does continue the trend of the Showa era having good monsters overall. Its debut movie, however, is very close to insufferable. The music is probably some of the worst in a Godzilla movie, there are completely random and unexplained scenes throughout, the human characters range from inconsequential to obnoxious, and don't get me started on the Godzilla flying scene.

I mean to disrespect to anyone who enjoys the movie, or Banno himself; he seemed to be a pretty cool guy, but I also do not remotely understand the man's creative decisions, or why anyone likes them. It has been a while since I have seen Godzilla VS Hedorah, so I plan to give it another shot soon, along with the rest of the Godzilla series. Maye I will have warmed up to it with time.

One way you might try looking at it is as a genre deconstruction, pointing out the futility/absurdity/childishness of pinning our hopes on miraculous salvation from real-world problems.

....says the same movie that has Godzilla literally fly in order to help solve the key conflict.

Yes, that completely supports my point. Godzilla in this movie is intentionally presented as an absurd childish fantasy.

[godjacob]

It doesn't become a deconstruction when that symbol of "childish fantasy" unironically kills the representation of pollution and saves the world from destruction. Not like this is a deconstruction of the superhero genre that has a hero break his legs trying to do a superhero landing in real life.

[eabaker]

It doesn't become a deconstruction when that symbol of "childish fantasy" unironically kills the representation of pollution and saves the world from destruction. Not like this is a deconstruction of the superhero genre that has a hero break his legs trying to do a superhero landing in real life.

You seem to have a kind of narrow conception of what constitutes a deconstruction. The movie goes out of its way to liken Godzilla's appearances to childish fantasy (stopping just short of suggesting that Godzilla's appearances really are just in Ken's head), and uses its hippie characters to satirize/undermine the optimistic themes standard to Honda Godzilla films. And I have no idea what makes you think that anything in the movie happens "unironically."

[godjacob]

It doesn't become a deconstruction when that symbol of "childish fantasy" unironically kills the representation of pollution and saves the world from destruction. Not like this is a deconstruction of the superhero genre that has a hero break his legs trying to do a superhero landing in real life.

You seem to have a kind of narrow conception of what constitutes a deconstruction. The movie goes out of its way to liken Godzilla's appearances to childish fantasy (stopping just short of suggesting that Godzilla's appearances really are just in Ken's head), and uses its hippie characters to satirize/undermine the optimistic themes standard to Honda Godzilla films. And I have no idea what makes you think that anything in the movie happens "unironically."

Considering the events of the rest of the film to even entertain that all of this is in Ken's head would be quite the reach at best, it isn't like the Kaiju action is a literal metaphor like in All Monsters Attack. Which hey that is a film for kids not some big deconstruction of the Kaiju Genre, so why is this one it? One scene of Hedorah killing people in more grizzly fashion than usual does not make this different than other more hopeful Showa-era films considering the film itself does end on a hopeful note with Godzilla beating the bad guy and saving the day as he had in films before and especially after this. It is largely a by the numbers late Showa era Godzilla film just with a...quite stylistic presentation to it all.

[eabaker]

It doesn't become a deconstruction when that symbol of "childish fantasy" unironically kills the representation of pollution and saves the world from destruction. Not like this is a deconstruction of the superhero genre that has a hero break his legs trying to do a superhero landing in real life.

You seem to have a kind of narrow conception of what constitutes a deconstruction. The movie goes out of its way to liken Godzilla's appearances to childish fantasy (stopping just short of suggesting that Godzilla's appearances really are just in Ken's head), and uses its hippie characters to satirize/undermine the optimistic themes standard to Honda Godzilla films. And I have no idea what makes you think that anything in the movie happens "unironically."

Considering the events of the rest of the film to even entertain that all of this is in Ken's head would be quite the reach at best, it isn't like the Kaiju action is a literal metaphor like in All Monsters Attack. Which hey that is a film for kids not some big deconstruction of the Kaiju Genre, so why is this one it? One scene of Hedorah killing people in more grizzly fashion than usual does not make this different than other more hopeful Showa-era films considering the film itself does end on a hopeful note with Godzilla beating the bad guy and saving the day as he had in films before and especially after this. It is largely a by the numbers late Showa era Godzilla film just with a...quite stylistic presentation to it all.

I know what you mean by it, but I'm amused none the less by the phrase "literal metaphor." I'd say GvsH is a lot less explicit in this regard - it doesn't present Godzilla as a literal fantasy within the context of the diegesis - but your argument seems to rely on rejecting any degree of interpretation or extrapolation from the text.

If nothing else, I'd suggest one way of approaching this movie differently and possibly ending up at a different reading would be looking at it specifically in the context of its place among Takeshi Kimura's genre screenplays.

[goji89]

I think Godzilla vs. Hedorah is overrated, or at least overhyped.

Oh yeah definitely.... That movie sucked ass. Probably the worst Showa movie but you'll have people defend it saying it's one of the greats.
Stupid boring movie with a stupid theme.

[GojiSquid]

I know what you mean by it, but I'm amused none the less by the phrase "literal metaphor." I'd say GvsH is a lot less explicit in this regard - it doesn't present Godzilla as a literal fantasy within the context of the diegesis - but your argument seems to rely on rejecting any degree of interpretation or extrapolation from the text.

If nothing else, I'd suggest one way of approaching this movie differently and possibly ending up at a different reading would be looking at it specifically in the context of its place among Takeshi Kimura's genre screenplays.

I do like your interpretation of the film's message, and I do think that the ending lends credence to that. That being said, the fact that plenty other showa films are around the same range of bizarreness (outside of Godzilla flying, nothing in this film stands out as really weirder than other showa entries), and that the rest of the symbolism in the film is simpler that it'd like you to think it is does kinda challenge whether or not this is any more satirical than the other showa films.

[Spuro]

The music is probably some of the worst in a Godzilla movie,

It's off-kilter, sure, but I personally quite like it. "Give Back the Sun" is my jam, yo.

Edit:
https://www.tohokingdom.com/blog/yoshim ... -memoriam/

This article gives a lot of really good insight into why some of us think Godzilla vs Hedorah is neat.

[edgaguirus]

I just think the movie is weird, but also good.

[Keizer]

I think Godzilla vs. Hedorah is overrated, or at least overhyped.

I would day the opposite, that it is underrated and that a lot of fans' negative reactions to it come off as extreme hyperbole.

Added in 1 minute 49 seconds:

At the risk of sounding harsh, I sincerely do not understand how anyone could enjoy that movie. I do see the appeal of Hedorah itself; it is one of the more original Godzilla monsters, and it does have a distinct and memorable design. It's not my favorite monster, but it does continue the trend of the Showa era having good monsters overall. Its debut movie, however, is very close to insufferable. The music is probably some of the worst in a Godzilla movie, there are completely random and unexplained scenes throughout, the human characters range from inconsequential to obnoxious, and don't get me started on the Godzilla flying scene.

I mean to disrespect to anyone who enjoys the movie, or Banno himself; he seemed to be a pretty cool guy, but I also do not remotely understand the man's creative decisions, or why anyone likes them. It has been a while since I have seen Godzilla VS Hedorah, so I plan to give it another shot soon, along with the rest of the Godzilla series. Maye I will have warmed up to it with time.

One way you might try looking at it is as a genre deconstruction, pointing out the futility/absurdity/childishness of pinning our hopes on miraculous salvation from real-world problems.

I won't say that you are wrong, or that is the incorrect way to view the film, but I will say that this explanation as to what makes the movie enjoyable could be said by both an introspective, thoughtful movie watcher, and a man incredibly high on mushrooms. I know that is something many just enjoy, which is fine, but I almost universally dislike those kinds of movies. I don't mind having to think about what I watch, of course, but I have a much harder time stomaching the idea that the movie where Godzilla flies with his atomic breath is also the movie which commentates on society's inability to solve real-world issues.

The music is probably some of the worst in a Godzilla movie,

It's off-kilter, sure, but I personally quite like it. "Give Back the Sun" is my jam, yo.

Edit:
https://www.tohokingdom.com/blog/yoshim ... -memoriam/

This article gives a lot of really good insight into why some of us think Godzilla vs Hedorah is neat.

This kind of stuff is why I did go out of my way to say that I have no ill-will towards Banno; the man is clearly creative and influential. Nevertheless, even considering the things stated in that article and elsewhere, I still have a difficult time finding something as unapologetically strange and out-there as GVH is also being completely sincere in how it is portraying things like societal issues; is the movie serious or not? That's probably just a personal thing, but still.

[tbeasley]

Godzilla vs Hedorah should be as well regarded as something like House as far as crazy 70s experimental Japanese horror films go. Unfortunately its inclusion in the bullshit book 'The Fifty Worst Films of All Time' among other things has stuck with it over time.

[goji89]

Rightfully so, it deserves it's place there. Movie sucked and strayed too far into this fucking student snotty arrogant film.

I hate when someone says I hate this film because reasons then you have some smug film guy's come in and say "well thats not a good enough reason" and that you have to come up for better reasons for him to validate your opinion on just something sucking and that it's boring as fuck.

[Jermobooka]

I honestly don’t see the appeal of 89Goji. The design is pretty cool, but it’s not as good as others in the Heisei series.