Godzilla
and Mothra. Why did these two arise in Japan when they did, and what was their
global appeal? Films made kaijū world famous. We can't even start talking about
them without looking at the movie that started the genre 'daikaiju eiga' or
'giant monster movie' - the 1954 black and white Gojira classic. The film
directed by Ishirō Honda shows the modern discovery of a 50 meter tall dinosaur
with atomic respiration that lives its best life in the depths of the ocean. At
least until an atomic bomb test destroys its natural habitat, and the monster
rises to terrorize Japan. Many people took Godzilla as an obvious metaphor for
the continuing horrors of the nuclear attacks used against Japan by the United
States during World War II. Honda saw firsthand the destruction of war as a
soldier in China. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 arose
in the minds of the Japanese. The film itself is a social commentary. So much so
that a main character in the film asks: "Isn't Godzilla a product of the
atomic bomb that still haunts many Japanese?" I mean, is it even a
metaphor right now? Godzilla is radioactively testing and during his rampage,
thousands of people die on the street, struck by Godzilla's radioactive breath.
Entire neighborhoods are ablaze with a bright flash. Given the role of the
United States in World War II, I am not surprised that when the film was
released in North America in 1956 as Godzilla, King of the Monsters! - had been
largely edited. Thirty minutes of explicit references to atomic bombings and
nuclear tests were removed from the film and replaced by two rather dire
additions: actor Raymond Burr, who was awkwardly spliced into the American
version, and the famous English dub. However, key scenes remained that show the
Japanese as heroic individuals and sympathetic victims. Culturally, the best t
What emerged from this westernized version of Gojira was the presentation of
Godzilla and the Japanese kaijū to a global audience.
The international success
of the film released dozens of movie sequels and we began to see the monsters
that appear in the manga, a distinctive comic style unique to Japan. . A manga
comic featuring Godzilla was released the same year as the original movie.
Reprinted and translated from the original The Return of Godzilla from 1985,
the first Godzilla manga translated into English was not released until 1988.
In this comic, Godzilla is awakened from sleep on the ocean floor by a massive
volcanic eruption, not as a result of the nuclear energy. tests. Still, it must
feed on radioactive substances, making submarines and nuclear power plants
prime targets for destruction. The negative representation of nuclear weapons
remains. The series ends with an emotional message about humanity's will to
destroy the world's natural balance, and reminds the reader that some natural
force may arise to challenge humanity's arrogance. Other comic versions of
Godzilla aren't that serious, and some are even downright ridiculous. Godzilla:
Rage Across Time shows Godzilla slaying most of the Greek gods until Zeus
defeats him. One of the most recent literary versions of Godzilla was released
as a prequel to the 2014 American film that reboots the franchise, hitting the
shelves less than two weeks before the movie's premiere. Godzilla: Awakening
explains that Godzilla is an ancient apex predator drawn to the surface by the
radiation that remains after Hiroshima. This is only implicit in the film
itself. The 2014 Godzilla movie ushered in Legendary's MonsterVerse. Which
obviously means more Godzilla. But we know from the new trailers that more
kaijū will return to the big screen, the most important thing: Mothra! I love
Mothra. Yes, really, I love Mothra. I'd choose her for Godzilla, Mechagodzilla,
even Space Godzilla (although I love those crystal shoulder pads) Mothra is
beautiful! She is a brightly colored winged protector who is understandably
worshiped as a goddess. She shoots a rainbow laser out of her head. She is
amazing. Unlike Godzilla, Mothra first appeared in literature, in the 1961
serialized novel The Luminous Fairies and Mothra. The story follows a group of
humans who discover Mothra on an island in the South Pacific where she is
worshiped by fairies. Two of the fairies are stolen, and Mothra goes to Japan
to save them. What it obviously does. Because, again, Mothra is that kind of
amazing lady. . Mothra's first independent film hit theaters the same year. In
the film, Mothra hatches from an egg in the South Pacific and as a caterpillar
swims towards the Japanese coast. This journey from your island to Japan
parallels the influx of goods produced and inspired by the South Pacific in the
real world. The bananas, mangoes, and Hawaiian-patterned fabrics that Elvis
made popular in Blue Hawaii were popular products in Japan in the 1960s. The
fact that both the flying kaijū and her little priestesses are women also
suggests some complicated depictions of women merchandising. However, I
appreciate Mothra because she is one of the few female monsters that is not
horrible, is not usually sexualized, and has the powers and strength to compete
with any of her male counterparts. So yes, Mothra is queen. And I'm not the
only one who feels that way. A 2017 poll of 10,000 fans of the Godzilla
franchise by Japan's Asahi television network named Mothra their favorite
Godzilla monster. She really is "The Queen of Monsters".
Even when
kaijū are adopted and adapted by non-Japanese cultures, it still cannot be
denied that monsters are influenced by their predecessors in Japanese film and
literature. All kaijū demonstrate the tension between technology and nature.
They suggest that while humanity seeks progress, innovation and science, there
are serious and potentially catastrophic side effects. So I will end with Dr.
Serizawa's words from the 2014 film Godzilla, citing "The arrogance of man
is to think that the Nature is under your control, and not the other way
around.
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