Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now.
Before we completely derail the Godzilla thread, why don;t we all post out favorite Kaiju with some picture, breif descriptions, favorite memories, and why you like that particular Kaiju.
Im the Godzilla thread, I posted Gezora.
He is rather obscure. I saw a pictur eof him in a book when I was in elemtary school and was completely smitten by him as a Kaiju. What is there not to like about a giant walking squid? The book called him siomething like Gonga: the Atomic Squid and said he was in Destroy All Monsters. Imagine my disappointment when I finally got to see Destrou All Monsters and guess who wasn't in it.
Since then, I have found out he is in the movie Space Amoeda. However, I hav ento had a chance to see it yet. By all accounts, he doesn't do much but get killed. Here is a breif history found online. A cuttlefish mutated and grown huge when it’s body was possessed by space amebas bent on conquering the planet. Attacked a portion of the local island population and destroyed a village. A combination of natives and explorers looking to make a resort defeated Gezora using a gasoline fire. Gezora made it’s way back to the sea and died, forcing the space ameba to look for another creature to control.
Despite his lackluster city stomping abilities, I still like the look and idea behind this Kaiju.
As I mentioned in the most recent Godzilla (2014) thread, my favorite kaiju is Mothra.
Looking back over 60 years of Godzilla movies, one might assume the franchise always had a sort of inevitable quality. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Although the first Godzilla film was a big success, its immediate sequel Godzilla Raids Again (1955) failed to establish a firm basis for what would become the Godzilla franchise -- and this despite employing for the first time that magic formula of pitting Godzilla against another kaiju (in that case, Anguirus).
What happened? Audiences were certainly not already tired of kaiju. The 1956 re-release of RKO's King Kong did big business around the world. Toho Studios achieved further success with Rodan in 1956 and Varan in 1958. And Mothra first appeared in her own eponymous feature in 1961, seven years after Godzilla's own first appearance and six years since Godzilla had at that point last appeared on the big screen.
I think the problem was Anguirus. Whatever interesting facets he might later develop, Anguirus originally had no other purpose than to lose a fight with Godzilla. He even had the same back story as Godzilla, effectively making him "Godzilla except not as good." In other words, Anguirus was just "supporting cast" when what Toho really needed was a "guest star" crossover battle. It finally came together in 1962 with the smash hit King Kong v. Godzilla. And the very next Godzilla film? Mothra v. Godzilla in 1964. Starting with the Mothra crossover, Toho would release a Godzilla picture every year but one for the next decade.
In a way, it's no surprise that King Kong launched the Godzilla franchise. He had been a global superstar since 1933, after all. By contrast, Mothra was a nobody. And yet it was her fight with Godzilla that really cemented the franchise. Why? Simply put, because she was so interesting. Unlike Godzilla or Anguirus, who basically just came out of nowhere, Mothra is situated in a relatively dense narrative. She is the protector goddess of an ancient race of diminutive humans who live on a strange island amid mutated flora and fauna. Also unlike Godzilla, we are aware of Mothra's rich inner life thanks to her Shobijin worshipers. Her essential benevolence is apparent from the start, in contrast to greedy, oppressive human antagonists.
Godzilla, meanwhile, is a much more ambiguous character in 1964. In Mothra v. Godzilla, he just sort of shows up without much preamble and starts kicking the gak out of Japan per usual. This happens right after the human bad guys get busy trying to exploit the hapless Shobijin, giving the impression that Godzilla is punishing humanity for its myriad faults. Mothra, on the other hand, favors humanity's capacity for goodness and comes to the aid of Japan in driving off Godzilla although she is ultimately overwhelmed by his raw power.
Keep in mind that Mothra was not the first kaiju killed by Godzilla. He had already baked Anguirus in the ruins of Osaka Castle nine years earlier. But that titanic first kaiju v. kaiju battle resolved basically nothing about the movie's plot. It was just kind of something that was also happening while the main issue was Godzilla attacking Japan again. Mothra's death is completely different: she dies defending the people from Godzilla. Her death scene is full of pathos precisely because she is a character rather than a monstrous prop like poor Anguirus. Indeed, her last act is to put her wing over her egg.
Her death scene of course paves the way for another iconic aspect of Mothra: the theme of resurrection. Although Mothra did not die in her own 1961 film, Christian imagery plays a very large role. Mothra's own symbol is a kind of cross and in the movie the protagonists, after seeing a heavenly backlit cross on a church steeple, decide to attract Mothra by painting a giant cross on a runway and ringing church bells at 3PM, which as it happens is traditionally believed to be the hour of Christ's death. The good guy humans reunite Mothra with the Shobijin, whereupon Mothra leaves and the world is saved, showing that the key to peace is compassion and goodness. Similarly, in the 1964 film, Mothra sacrifices her own life to help humanity.
All of this is kind of surprising considering she's a big bug. I don't think people usually associate insects with benevolence and love. Design-wise, Godzilla and most other kaiju are a lot more obvious. Of course a giant dinosaur would tear up buildings and smash stuff. But why would a giant insect care about protecting human beings? It's a very weird idea and weird is good when you're making kaiju films.
These factors don't just make Mothra herself an interesting character as far as kaiju go. Her character is also a great foil for Godzilla and makes him, and by association his whole world, more interesting. I think Mothra is a big part of why this franchise has lasted so long -- and why it got started in the first place.
This message was edited 9 times. Last update was at 2016/04/14 16:07:07
I liked the Robot scouts in Mr. Vs. Aliens.
Also the giant craw dad in Ultraman. Can you imagine how much butter you'd need for that lobster tail? liked its laugh too.
Ultraman. Because Ultraman was cool, even though he was so "rubber suit" it was funny.
Also Gargantua was cool. Nothing like two giant yeti going mano o mano.
-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
I really have too many to list, but I'll try anyway!
I was always a fan of Gamera, even though he's a bit of a Godzilla 'homage':
even down to his original backstory...
Also, he fought a bunch of interesting Kaiju in his first run, including one that might look familiar to some:
Gamera really comes into his own with the 3 'modern' films though:
He gets a better backstory, steals a move or two from Guyver, and the ending of the 3rd movie is pretty tragic and cool...
Another one that I loved as a kid was Giant Robot (along with, for the American audience, Johnny Sokko):
Designed by aliens (Big Fire in Japan, The Gargoyle Gang in English!) to help conquer Earth, activated by an atomic explosion (I think!), and would only ever listen to commands from the first voice he ever hears through a wristwatch communicator. Luckily for us, a little kid speaks into it first.
There were all sorts of odd Kaiju enemies in this, including this one that I've never forgotten:
There was also a giant walking mine (explosive), a giant hand, a giant jellfish, a disembodied mouth, etc.
The alien leader was Emperor Guillotine, and he turned out to be... a lot taller than I thought he would!
This was repackaged as "Voyage Into Space", a sort of mushed together 'movie' made up of parts of the 26 episode Japanese TV series.
Only many, many years later did I finally get to see all the episodes!
Another cool/tragic ending.
And the anime series based off of this was also quite good!
Of course, almost anything Godzilla related.
As for one-offs...
I always liked GORGO...
Of course, we had seen something quite like it before, but it was still a lot of fun!
So yeah, the big 3 for me would be:
1) Godzilla
2) Gamera
3) Giant Robot
But I'll happily admit to liking the entire genre a lot.
Manchu wrote: As I mentioned in the most recent Godzilla (2014) thread, my favorite kaiju is Mothra.
Looking back over 60 years of Godzilla movies, one might assume the franchise always had a sort of inevitable quality. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Although the first Godzilla film was a big success, its immediate sequel Godzilla Raids Again (1955) failed to establish a firm basis for what would become the Godzilla franchise -- and this despite employing for the first time that magic formula of pitting Godzilla against another kaiju (in that case, Anguirus).
What happened? Audiences were certainly not already tired of kaiju. The 1956 re-release of RKO's King Kong did big business around the world. Toho Studios achieved further success with Rodan in 1956 and Varan in 1958. And Mothra first appeared in her own eponymous feature in 1961, seven years after Godzilla's own first appearance and six years since Godzilla had at that point last appeared on the big screen.
I think the problem was Anguirus. Whatever interesting facets he might later develop, Anguirus originally had no other purpose than to lose a fight with Godzilla. He even had the same back story as Godzilla, effectively making him "Godzilla except not as good." In other words, Anguirus was just "supporting cast" when what Toho really needed was a "guest star" crossover battle. It finally came together in 1962 with the smash hit King Kong v. Godzilla. And the very next Godzilla film? Mothra v. Godzilla in 1964. Starting with the Mothra crossover, Toho would release a Godzilla picture every year but one for the next decade.
In a way, it's no surprise that King Kong launched the Godzilla franchise. He had been a global superstar since 1933, after all. By contrast, Mothra was a nobody. And yet it was her fight with Godzilla that really cemented the franchise. Why? Simply put, because she was so interesting. Unlike Godzilla or Anguirus, who basically just came out of nowhere, Mothra is situated in a relatively dense narrative. She is the protector goddess of an ancient race of deminiutive humans who live on a strange island amid mutated flora and fauna. Also unlike Godzilla, we are aware of Mothra's rich inner life thanks to her Shobijin worshipers. Her essential benevolence is apparent from the start, in contrast to greedy, oppressive human antagonists.
Godzilla, meanwhile, is a much more ambiguous character in 1964. In Mothra v. Godzilla, he just sort of shows up without much preamble and starts kicking the gak out of Japan per usual. This happens right after the human bad guys get busy trying to exploit the hapless Shobijin, giving the impression that Godzilla is punishing humanity for its myriad faults. Mothra, on the other hand, favors humanity's capacity for goodness and comes to the aid of Japan in driving off Godzilla although she is ultimately overwhelmed by his raw power.
Keep in mind that Mothra was not the first kaiju killed by Godzilla. He had already baked Anguirus in the ruins of Osaka Castle nine years earlier. But that titanic first kaiju v. kaiju battle resolved basically nothing about the movie's plot. It was just kind of something that was also happening while the main issue was Godzilla attacking Japan again. Mothra's death is completely different: she dies defending the people from Godzilla. Her death scene is full of pathos precisely because she is a character rather than a monstrous prop like poor Anguirus. Indeed, her last act is to put her wing over her egg.
Her death scene of course paves the way for another iconic aspect of Mothra: the theme of resurrection. Although Mothra did not die in her own 1961 film, Christian imagery plays a very large role. Mothra's own symbol is a kind of cross and in the movie the protagonists, after seeing a heavenly backlit cross on a church steeple, decide to attract Mothra by painting a giant cross on a runway and ringing church bells at 3PM, which as it happens is traditionally believed to be the hour of Christ's death. The good guy humans reunite Mothra with the Shobijin, whereupon Mothra leaves and the world is saved, showing that the key to peace is compassion and goodness. Similarly, in the 1964 film, Mothra sacrifices her own life to help humanity.
All of this is kind of surprising considering she's a big bug. I don't think people usually associate insects with benevolence and love. Design-wise, Godzilla and most other kaiju are a lot more obvious. Of course a giant dinosaur would tear up buildings and smash stuff. But why would a giant insect care about protecting human beings? It's a very weird idea and weird is good when you're making kaiju films.
These factors don't just make Mothra herself an interesting character as far as kaiju go. Her character is also a great foil for Godzilla and makes him, and by association his whole world, more interesting. I think Mothra is a big part of why this franchise has lasted so long -- and why it got started in the first place.
Wow. I've never really thought about Mothra very much (was a huge Kaiju fan back in middle school... had the NES Godzilla game and everything) as I never found a big bug that couldn't punch anything very interesting. But you just made her a hell of a lot cooler to me. Heck, you just made me realize Mothra was a "she", as I've always thought of her as an "it" (because BUG). So, wow. I have a new perspective on her. Thank you.
Emperor's Eagles (undergoing Chapter reorganization)
Caledonian 95th (undergoing regimental reorganization)
Thousands Sons (undergoing Warband re--- wait, are any of my 40K armies playable?)
Megalon
Why? I love kaiju, but I will admit I have watched barely any of the old godzilla movies, but the godzilla game on the gamecube was awesome, and I absolutely owned eveyone as megalon!
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/03/01 08:11:31
And that is why you hear people yelling FOR THE EMPEROR rather than FOR LOGICAL AND QUANTIFIABLE BASED DECISIONS FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE MAJORITY!
Phototoxin wrote:Kids go in , they waste tonnes of money on marnus calgar and his landraider, the slaneshi-like GW revel at this lust and short term profit margin pleasure. Meanwhile father time and cunning lord tzeentch whisper 'our games are better AND cheaper' and then players leave for mantic and warmahordes.
daveNYC wrote:The Craftworld guys, who are such stick-in-the-muds that they manage to make the Ultramarines look like an Ibiza nightclub that spiked its Red Bull with LSD.
Anyway, I loved the Cloverfield movie but not the monster.
I much prefer Mutavore.
Otachi's cool, too.
But nothing comes close to Godzilla for me. Godzilla VS Monster Zero was a film that changed my life. I would name my sone A-Cycle Light Ray if my wife wouldn't kill me for it.
n'oublie jamais - It appears I now have to highlight this again.
It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. By the juice of the brew my thoughts aquire speed, my mind becomes strained, the strain becomes a warning. It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion.
Godzilla is hands down my favorite but I also like Ultraman
Not sure if he'd qualify as it's a cartoon mix of Kaiju, Astroboy and Gigantor, but Big Guy and Rusty is awesome. It's Frank Miller so how would it not be?
Of the Kaiju Big Battul genre Dr. Cube is certainly my favorite.
If only I lived in NY so I could attend all of these matches:
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/03/01 17:36:07
You know you're really doing something when you can make strangers hate you over the Internet. - Mauleed
Just remember folks. Panic. Panic all the time. It's the only way to survive, other than just being mindful, of course-but geez, that's so friggin' boring. - Aegis Grimm
Hallowed is the All Pie The Before Times: A Place That Celebrates The World That Was
And if you're drinkin' well, you know that you're my friend and I say "I think I'll have myself a beer" 
5000pts 
6000pts 
3000pts
(more)
(building)
(less)
Emperor's Eagles (undergoing Chapter reorganization)
Thousands Sons (undergoing Warband re--- wait, are any of my 40K armies playable?) 
