A Podcast Seeking Entertainment and Enlightenment through Tokusatsu. Hosted by the ”kaiju academic” himself, Nathan Marchand.
Episodes
Wednesday Mar 11, 2020
Wednesday Mar 11, 2020
Hello, kaiju lovers!
It’s an epic episode for an epic movie! No, not that stupid parody film. Nathan is joined by Daniel DiManna, the creator and author of The Godzilla Novelization Project, to discuss Peter Jackson HUGE 2005 remake of King Kong. (Although, Danny had to survive a harrowing trip to Monster Island with the podcast’s intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA, and a certain robot dinosaur to do so). Only Peter Jackson, who was fresh off of The Lord of the Rings, could’ve made a three hour film about a giant monkey, er, ape. Nathan and Danny do a deep dive into the film’s characters, themes, and story while struggling not to get Jack Driscoll and Jack Black confused. They freely admit this is the one giant monster movie that makes them cry. They also learn that the young man named Jimmy in this film may or may not be the podcast’s producer. (Confused? Join the club). The Toku Topic is vaudeville since Ann Darrow in this film is a vaudeville performer before getting work on Carl Denham’s movie.
Nathan promises to not make a habit of producing episodes that cross what Danny calls “the Kurosawa threshold.” 
Timestamps:
Intro: 0:00-6:08
Entertaining Info Dump: 6:08-15:29
Toku Talk: 15:29-1:55:52
Toku Topic: 1:55:52-2:29:43
Outro: 2:29:43-end
© 2020 Moonlighting Ninjas Media
Bibliography/Further Reading:
- “About Vaudeville” (American Masters)
- “The Heroine Archetype” (Professor Geek) (YouTube)
- “June Havoc” (Wikipedia)
- King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon from Fay Wray to Peter Jackson by Ray Morton
- “King Kong’s Melancholy: A Reading of Peter Jackson’s King Kong” by Cynthia Erb (from Tracking King Kong: A Hollywood Icon in World Culture, 2nd Edition)
- Kong Unmade: The Lost Films of Skull Island by John LeMay
- A Night in Vaudeville (King Kong Blu-Ray)
- Recreating the Eighth Wonder: The Making of King Kong (King Kong Blu-Ray)
- “Vaudeville” (New World Encyclopedia)
- “Vaudeville” (Wikipedia)
- Wiki Pages on King Kong (2005)
–IMDB
–Gojipedia
–Wikipedia
–Wikizilla
The post Episode 12: Daniel DiManna vs. ‘King Kong’ (2005) appeared first on The Monster Island Film Vault.
Wednesday Feb 26, 2020
Wednesday Feb 26, 2020
Hello, kaiju lovers!
In Nathan’s continuing series of mini-sodes on films covered by Bran Scherschel on Kaijuvision Radio after Nathan left the show, he examines Ishiro Honda’s overlooked 1958 kaiju film Varan the Unbelievable (or Daikaiju Baran). While Honda didn’t think much of it (especially after its tumultuous production when the American TV network co-producing it pulled out), it was the first kaiju film written for Toho by the fabled Shinichi Sekizawa. The second half is a by-the-numbers monster movie, but the first half is intriguing because it touches on then contemporary issues with the burakumin, a discriminated social class in Japan. Their name means “village people” (no, not the disco band!), and they were essentially the “untouchables” of Japanese culture for centuries. When seen through that lens, this film offers more than a cool kaiju.
After that, Nathan reads some listener feedback, including a letter from someone who offers some clarification on the (in)famous Batman Meets Godzilla script.
Speaking of which, Batman Meets Godzilla, one of the craziest yet most intriguing lost projects made famous by John LeMay’s book, The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies: The Lost Films (which now has a new “mutated” edition), is being adapted into a fan-made comic book miniseries!
T-SHIRT GIVEAWAY: Everyone who shares the Facebook and Twitter posts for this episode (or tags the show when they share it themselves) will be entered for a drawing for a Batman Meets Godzilla T-shirt. (One entry per person per social media). Entries will be taken from February 26 to March 4 at 11:59pm (EST). The winner must then send Nathan his/her shirt size, shirt color, and mailing address to be forwarded to the team at Batman Meets Godzilla. Here’s a link to the Tee Public site with this epic shirt.
Here’s the KVR episode: Episode 40: Varan (1958) (Hisabetsu-Buraku) (Discriminated Communities)
This episode featured the song “‘BATMAN’ [OG Theme Song Remix!]” by Remix Maniacs.
Be sure to read Jimmy’s Notes on this episode.
(c) 2020 Nathan Marchand & Moonlighting Ninjas Media
Bibliography/Further Reading:
- “Burakumin” (Wikipedia)
- “Burakumin at the End of History” by Ian Neary (Social Research, spring 2003, vol. 70, no. 1)
- “The Burakumin: Japan’s Invisible Race – Understanding a Marginalized People” by Viet Hoang (with art by Aya Francisco) (Tofugu)
- “Caste in Japan: The Burakumin” by June Gordon (Biography, Winter 2017, vol. 40, no. 1)
- A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series by David Kalat (Second Edition)
- Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godzisewski
- Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men: The Fantastic Cinema of Ishiro Honda by Peter H. Brothers
The post Episode 11: ‘Varan the Unbelievable’ (Mini-Analysis) appeared first on The Monster Island Film Vault.
Wednesday Feb 12, 2020
Wednesday Feb 12, 2020
Hello, kaiju lovers!
Despite a slight delay thanks to MIFV mascots Goji-kun and Bro Kong hiding Nathan’s laptop, the unavoidable has happened: King Kong Lives. John LeMay, author of Kong Unmade and other kaiju books, returns to Monster Island to discuss the Godzilla vs. Megalon of the Kong series—and John un-ironically likes it! This ill-fated sequel to Dino de Laurentiis’s 1976 remake stars Linda Hamilton, fresh off of her star-making role in The Terminator, as a scientist who resurrects King Kong with an artificial heart…because that cures falling off of a building. Not only that, he “falls in love” with Lady Kong, a female giant gorilla, which leads to most of the Kong film tropes getting turned on their ears. Also, King Kong eats rednecks. Yep. Nathan goes full-tilt MST3K with this movie, but he riffs because he loves. That is, when he isn’t mediating a conflict between John and the show’s intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA. The Toku Topic is the convoluted King Kong copyright, which came to a head twice when Universal tried to sue Dino de Laurentiis in the 1970s and Nintendo in the early 1980s. Hear all about it in the newest episode of The Monster Island Film Vault!
You can buy the hardcover of John’s book Kong Unmade on Amazon.
Check out Jimmy’s Notes on this episode!
Timestamps:
Intro: 0:00-3:28
Entertaining Info Dump: 3:28-9:29
Toku Talk: 9:29-1:04:18
Toku Topic: 1:04:18-1:31:04
Outro: 1:31:04-end
© 2020 Moonlighting Ninjas Media
Bibliography/Further Reading:
- “Everything You Need to Know About Trademark Law” (Polaris Law Firm)
- “Historical Hypocrisy: Donkey Kong, King Kong, & The Public Domain” by Timothy Geigner (TechDirt)
- King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon from Fay Wray to Peter Jackson by Ray Morton
- “King Kong Lives (1986) Review – Kong-A-Thon Episode 6” (YouTube)
- Kong Unmade: The Lost Films of Skull Island by John LeMay
- “Laws that choke creativity | Larry Lessig.” (YouTube, uploaded by TED)
- Living Dangerously: The Adventures of Merian C. Cooper, Creator of King Kong by Mark Cotta Vaz
- Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy by Larry Lessig
- “The true story behind Universal suing Nintendo over King Kong and Donkey Kong” by Luke Owen (Flickering Myth)
- “Understanding copyright law” by Jennifer Horner (ASHA Wire, The ASHA Leader)
- “Welcome to the Public Domain” by Rich Stim (Stanford University Libraries)
- “What is Fair Use?” by Rich Stim (Stanford University Libraries)
- Wiki Articles for King Kong Lives (1976):
–Wikipedia
–IMDB
–Wikizilla
–Gojipedia
The post Episode 10: John LeMay vs. ‘King Kong Lives’ appeared first on The Monster Island Film Vault.
Wednesday Jan 22, 2020
Wednesday Jan 22, 2020
Hello, kaiju lovers!
Nathan covers yet another film discussed on his former podcast, Kaijuvision Radio, by Brian Scherschell: Ishiro Honda’s 1957 tokusatsu classic, The Mysterians. While Godzilla (1954) singlehanded created the kaiju and tokusatsu genres, this film arguably ushered in Toho’s “golden age,” which would last for a decade. While Nathan does touch on Moguera, the special effects, and the film’s many influences, the bulk of his analysis is focused on Japan’s relationship with the United Nations, which the nation joined just a year before the film was released. The Mysterians expresses Japan’s—and Honda’s—postwar ideal of “proactive pacifism,” which it saw in the U.N. Throw in a few snarky interruptions from the podcast’s intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA, and a random cameo from a psycho-powered dictator, and it’s a typical Wednesday at The Monster Island Film Vault.
After that, Nathan dumps out the mailbag to read several iTunes reviews and e-mails from listeners.
Speaking of which, be sure to check out the upcoming fan project, Batman Meets Godzilla, one of the craziest yet most intriguing lost projects made famous by John LeMay’s book, The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies: The Lost Films (which now has a new “mutated” edition).
T-SHIRT GIVEAWAY: Everyone who shares the Facebook and Twitter posts for this episode from the podcast’s pages will be entered for a drawing for a Batman Meets Godzilla T-shirt. (One entry per person per social media). Entries will be taken from January 22 to January 28 at 11:59pm (EST). The winner must then send Nathan his/her shirt size, shirt color, and mailing address to be forwarded to the team at Batman Meets Godzilla. Here’s a link to the Tee Public site with this epic shirt.
Here’s the KVR episode: Episode 39: The Mysterians (1957) (Normalization of Japan-USSR Relations)
This episode featured the song “‘BATMAN’ [OG Theme Song Remix!]” by Remix Maniacs.
Read Jimmy’s Notes on this episode.
(c) 2020 Nathan Marchand & Moonlighting Ninjas Media
Bibliography/Further Reading:
- “An Argument for Japan’s Becoming Permanent Member.” Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan
- “Chapter 3: Japan’s Foreign Policy to Promote National and Worldwide Interests” (Diplomatic Bluebook 2017). Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan
- “Is China contributing to the United Nations’ mission?” (China Power)
- “Gendered Bodies in Tokusatsu: Monsters and Aliens as the Atomic Bomb Victims” by Yuki Miyamoto (The Journal of Popular Culture, Oct. 2016, vol. 49, no. 5)
- Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godzisewski
- “Japan’s Challenges at the United Nations, a Conversation with Amb. Motohide Yoshikawa” (YouTube, uploaded by UN University)
- Kaijuvision Radio
–“Episode 6: Rodan (1956)”
–“Episode 8: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)” - Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men: The Fantastic Cinema of Ishiro Honda by Peter H. Brothers
- “Why Japan will Never Be a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council” by Peter Harris (The National Interest)
The post Episode 9: ‘The Mysterians’ (Mini-Analysis) appeared first on The Monster Island Film Vault.
Wednesday Jan 08, 2020
Wednesday Jan 08, 2020
Hello, kaiju lovers!
We’re kicking off 2020 with the Eighth Wonder’s return to Hollywood in a film brought about by Italian producer Dino de Laurentiis. Writer/podcaster Ben Avery joins Nathan to discuss the 1976 remake of King Kong starring Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange, which is firmly entrenched in its time and was touted as “the most exciting original motion picture event of all time.” What’s interesting is it straddles the gritty cynicism of early ‘70s films like Dirty Harry and the more hopeful films of the late ‘70s like Star Wars (because no MIFV episode is complete without mentioning that franchise). This was the first time Nathan had seen Kong ‘76 in years, and while he didn’t like it as a teen, he softens to it thanks in part to Ben’s love of it. Their discussion also touches upon the weird love triangle between Dwan, Jack, and Kong; the great but sometimes wonky special effects; and how modern audiences may feel about the film’s climax on the World Trade Center post-9/11. The Toku Topic is the 1973 Energy Crisis since it directly influenced the filmmakers’ decision to have the characters’ expedition be about finding untapped oil reservoirs.
Here’s to the big one!
Check out all of Ben’s podcasts:
–Strangers and Aliens
–Welcome to Level 7
–The Comic Book Time Machine
–Supersonic Pod Comics
Timestamps:
Intro: 0:00-3:33
Entertaining Info Dump: 3:33-11:10
Toku Talk: 11:10-1:16:53
Toku Topic: 1:16:53-1:47:11
Outro: 1:47:11-end
Read Jimmy’s Notes on this episode when you finish it.
© 2020 Moonlighting Ninjas Media
Bibliography/Further Reading:
- “The 1973 Arab Oil Embargo: The Old Rules No Longer Apply” by Greg Myre (NPR)
- “1973 Oil Crisis” (Wikipedia)
- “Background: What caused the 1970s oil price shock?” by Terry Macalister (The Guardian)
- King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon from Fay Wray to Peter Jackson by Ray Morton
- “King Kong (1976) Review – Kong-A-Thon Episode 5” (DMan1954)
- Kong Unmade: The Lost Films of Skull Island by John LeMay
- “Milestones: 1969-1976 – Oil Embargo, 1973-1975” (Office of the Historian)
- “Oil Shock of 1973–74” (Federal Reserve History)
- “OPEC Oil Embargo, Its Causes, and the Effects of the Crisis: The Truth About the 1973 Arab Oil Crisis” by Kimberly Amadeo (The Balance)
- “Terrorism and Godzilla’s Future” by Mike Bogue (G-Fan #53)
- Wiki Articles for King Kong (1976)
–Wikipedia
–IMDB
–Gojipedia
–Wikizilla
The post Episode 8: Ben Avery vs. ‘King Kong’ (1976) appeared first on The Monster Island Film Vault.
Wednesday Dec 25, 2019
Wednesday Dec 25, 2019
Merry Christmas, kaiju lovers!
As part of Nathan’s continuing series on films covered in his absence on Kaijuvision Radio, this mini-sode examines Ishiro Honda’s 1955 film Half Human, which is infamous for being banned by Toho. Heck, it was stashed so far back in the Island’s film vault, it took Goji-kun and Bro Kong (the podcast mascots and possibly Godzilla and Kong’s “little” brothers) a long time to find it for Nathan to watch. Strange as it may sound, it’s serendipitous that this episode was released on Christmas Day because the film takes place partly on New Year’s Day. It follows a group of scientists and students investigating the appearance of the Abominable Snowman in the Japanese Alps, where they encounter a savage tribe who worships the Snowman. Nathan’s analysis focuses on the natives, their parallels to the Ainu (Japan’s indigenous people), and how this portrayal got the film banned. He argues that, despite possible insensitivities, Half Human is unfairly censored and deserves to be viewed by a wider audience.
All this plus our first listener feedback letters and the Monster Island Christmas party—wherein Nathan learns that kaiju can sing Christmas carols (or so his intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA, tells him even though he hasn’t fixed the ORCA yet).
Here’s the Kaijuvision Radio episode on the film: Episode 38: Half Human (1955) (Genetic Origin of the Ainu People).
Here’s the blog with the rules for the Destroyer novella giveaway.
This episode featured “We Three Kings” by Jay Man (OurMusicBox on YouTube).
See you in 2020, listeners!
#JimmyFromNASALives
© 2019 Nathan Marchand & Moonlighting Ninjas Media
Bibliography/Further Reading
- “Ainu people” (Wikipedia)
- “The Ainu of Japan: an indigenous people or an ethnic group?” by Kaori Tahara (Public Archeology, vol. 4, no. 2-3).
- “The Ainu People” (Ainu Museum; website now closed)
- “The Ainu: Reviving the Indigenous Spirit of Japan” by Sarah W. with art by Aya Francisco (Tofugu)
- “Half Human (1955) Kaiju Film Review” (YouTube) by Adam Noyes of AN Productions
- Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godzisewski
- Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men: The Fantastic Cinema of Ishiro Honda by Peter H. Brothers
- “The Untold Story of Japan’s First People” by Jude Isabella (Sapiens)
- “Who are the indigenous Ainu people of Japan?” by Isabella Steger (Quartz)
The post Episode 7: ‘Half Human’ (Mini-Analysis) appeared first on The Monster Island Film Vault.
Wednesday Dec 11, 2019
Wednesday Dec 11, 2019
Hello, kaiju lovers!
In the latest episode of the “Kong Quest” (which is finally mentioned by name on the air!), Nathan is joined once again by author and “Golden Ticket Tourist” Nick Hayden of the Derailed Trains of Thought podcast to discuss the wacky but fun King Kong Escapes. Like with the 1933 film, this is Nick’s first time seeing this 1967 Toho classic, which was the second (and sadly last) of Toho’s Kong films, as it was made in the last year they held the rights to the Eighth Wonder. This is a first for the show as it’s the first tokusatsu film directed by the great Ishiro Honda covered on the podcast. It’s a crazy nexus of ideas borrowed from other productions and some that seemed to anticipate others. For one thing, its villain, Dr. Who, is both a derivation and a precursor to the famous British TV series! Nathan and Nick also note some funny connections to Rankin-Bass’ classic holiday special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer given that they collaborated with Toho on this live-action cartoon.
The Toku Topic is how Toho’s Japanese-American co-productions paralleled Japan-America relations.
Stay tuned after the credits for a Marvel-style stinger and an important announcement.
Timestamps:
Intro: 0:00-3:25
Entertaining Info Dump: 3:25-11:25
Toku Talk: 11:25-52:57
Toku Topic: 52:57-1:19:25
Outro: 1:19:25-1:24:50
Stinger: 1:24:50-end
© 2019 Moonlighting Ninjas Media
Bibliography/Further Reading:
- “The Contradictory Nature of U.S.-Japan Relations” by Roger Baker
- “How the U.S. and Japan Became Allies Even After Hiroshima and Nagasaki” by Olivia B. Waxman (Time Magazine)
- Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godzisewski
- Kaijuvision Radio:
–Episode 23: Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) (Human Genome Project, Ascension of Emperor Akihito)
–Episode 37: Shin Godzilla (2016) (Great East Japan Earthquake/Tsunami/Fukushima Meltdowns) - King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon from Fay Wray to Peter Jackson by Ray Morton
- “The Kongs of Tsuburaya: Obie and Smoke” by Peter H. Brothers (G-Fan #48)
- Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men: The Fantastic Cinema of Ishiro Honda by Peter H. Brothers
- “King Kong Escapes (1967) Review – Kong-A-Thon Episode 4” (DMan1954)
- Kong Unmade: The Lost Films of Skull Island by John LeMay
- “The Myth Goes Ever Downward” by Paul di Fillipo (Kong Unbound: The Cultural Impact, Pop Mythos, and Scientific Plausibility of a Cinematic Legend [edited by Karen Haber])
- “Reflections on the History of U.S.-Japanese Relations” by Tadashi Aruda
- “Japan-United States relations” (Wikipedia)
- King Kong Escapes Wiki Articles and Etcetera:
–Wikipedia
–Gojipedia –Wikizilla
–IMDB
–Toho Kingdom
The post Episode 6: Nick Hayden vs. ‘King Kong Escapes’ appeared first on The Monster Island Film Vault.
Wednesday Nov 27, 2019
Wednesday Nov 27, 2019
(FYI: This was recorded before the news that 2020’s Godzilla vs. Kong would be delayed).
Hello, kaiju lovers!
In this special “side Kong Quest” ( ), Nathan is joined by author John LeMay (who is a gentleman and a scholar) to talk about two unmade King Kong films with connections to King Kong vs. Godzilla. The first was “King Kong vs. Frankenstein,” a project that special effects legend Willis O’Brien tried to get made in the late 1950s before it ended up at Toho. Then Godzilla and Kong almost had their rematch in the 1960s with Shinichi Sekizawa’s “Continuation: King Kong vs. Godzilla,” where the Eighth Wonder becomes a surrogate parent to a Japanese baby! Hear all about them in this episode! These and many other lost Kong films are covered in great detail in John’s book Kong Unmade: The Lost Films of Skull Island, which is part of Monster Island’s library and one of Nathan’s go-to resources for the podcast.
Jimmy From NASA is absent for most of this episode because Kong and Godzilla were upset that Nathan skipped their 1962 monster mash movie, so Jimmy left to calm them down with the ORCA. The thing is, Nathan covered that film on his previous podcast, Kaijuvision Radio. Here’s a link if you want to listen to it before the next episode:
Episode 8: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) (The Japanese Economic Miracle (The Golden 60s))
Also, Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here on Monster Island!
Read Jimmy’s Notes for corrections, riffs, and more info on this episode!
© 2019 Moonlighting Ninjas Media
#JimmyFromNASALives
Bibliography/Further Reading:
- Kong Unmade: The Lost Films of Skull Island by John LeMay
- A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series, 2nd Edition by David Kalat
- Kaijuvision Radio, Episode 12: Ebirah – Horror of the Deep! (1966) (The Changing Kaiju Film Audience)
The post Episode 5: John LeMay Presents ‘King Kong vs. Frankenstein’ & ‘Continuation: King Kong vs. Godzilla’ appeared first on The Monster Island Film Vault.
Wednesday Nov 13, 2019
Wednesday Nov 13, 2019
Hello, kaiju lovers!
After Jimmy From NASA flies him back to Indiana to get his microphone, Timothy Deal of the Derailed Trains of Thought podcast returns to Monster Island to continue the “Kong Quest” with Son of Kong, the almost forgotten sequel to King Kong. If the 1933 masterpiece is a grand myth, the sequel is a pleasant bedtime story. Screenwriter Ruth Rose, when talking about writing this film, said, “If you can’t go bigger, go funnier,” which is an apt statement about this film and sequels in general. Nathan and Tim’s lively discussion connects Son of Kong to the Russian film Battleship Potemkin, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day—and gives Jimmy a lot of work for “Jimmy’s Notes.” They also theorize about what happened to “Mrs. Kong”/Kiko’s mother, which actually puts this and the first film into perspective…sorta. The Toku Topic builds off of the previous one with a philosophical discussion of how 1930s filmmakers addressed the Depression in their movies, touching on themes like escapism and collective rage.
Here’s the Kaijuvision Radio episode on King Kong vs. Godzilla for you to listen to as part of MIFV’s Kong coverage: Episode 8: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) (The Japanese Economic Miracle (The Golden 60s))
Read Jimmy’s Notes on this episode here.
Timestamps:
Intro: 0:00-3:49
Entertaining Info Dump: 3:49-9:43
Toku Talk: 9:43-56:24
Toku Topic: 56:24-1:19:44
Outro: 1:19:44-end
© 2019 Moonlighting Ninjas Media
Bibliography/Further Reading
“Culture and Politics in the Great Depression” by Alan Brinkley
“Escapism and Leisure Time 1929-1941” (Enclopedia.com)
“How the Great Depression inspired Hollywood’s golden age” by Paul Whitington
King Kong: History of a Movie Icon from Fay Wray to Peter Jackson by Ray Morton
Kong Unbound: The Cultural Impact, Pop Mythos, and Scientific Plausibility of a Cinematic Legend (edited by Karen Haber)
Kong Unmade: The Lost Films of Skull Island by John LeMay
Son of Kong Wiki Articles
–Gojipedia
–Wikizilla
–Wikipedia
Son Of Kong (1933) Review – Kong-A-Thon Episode 2 (DMan1954)
Tracking King Kong: A Hollywood Icon in World Culture (2nd edition) by Cynthia Erb
The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Imp
The post Episode 4: Timothy Deal vs. ‘Son of Kong’ appeared first on The Monster Island Film Vault.
Wednesday Oct 23, 2019
Wednesday Oct 23, 2019
Hello, kaiju lovers!
Welcome to our first minisode! (Well, our second, according to my intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA). This is the first of a series of episodes where I’ll be analyzing films I was unable to cover on my previous podcast. In this one, I’m discussing the divisive Godzilla Anime Trilogy. Fans either love it or hate it. Me? I like it—a lot. I debunk some of the unfair criticisms of the trilogy, but the meat of my analysis is focused on how each of the four races in the trilogy—the Humans, the Bilusaludo, the Exif, and the Houtua—each exemplify different philosophies and how most of them take their worldviews to the extreme.
There’s a lot of material here—so much that Monster Island’s Board of Directors calls to say I violated my contract! Listen as Jimmy acts as my agent to keep me from being shot into space (he deserves a bonus for practically being my agent).
Here are the podcast episodes I mentioned in the episode. I recommend listening to them—especially the Redeemed Otaku episodes—if you want to hear a review of this trilogy from me.
Read Jimmy’s Notes for corrections, riffs, and more info on this episode!
#JimmyFromNASALives
(c) 2019 Moonlighting Ninjas Media
Kaijuvision Radio Episodes
Episode 47 (1/3): Godzilla Anime Trilogy (2017-18) – General Reflections
Episode 47 (2/3): Godzilla Anime Trilogy (2017-18) – Main Discussion
Episode 47 (3/3): Godzilla Anime Trilogy (2017-18) – Bigger Than Human Existence
Redeemed Otaku Episodes
Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters
Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle
Godzilla: The Planet Eater
Bibliography/Further Reading
American Humanist Association: “Definitions of Humanism”
“Godzilla back as anime has human drama, fewer monsters” by Associated Press
Humanity +: “Philosophy”
–“Max More – Transhumanism and the Singularity” (YouTube)
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: “Nihilism”
“There is no sharp distinction between cult and regular religion” by Tara Isabella Burton (Aeon Magazine)
“Transhumanist Values” by Nick Bostrom
“Updated Charts: Screen Time, First Appearance, Attendance” by Joker Cluster
“What is a Cult?” by James M. Rochford
Wikipedia Articles:
–Aum Shinrikyo
–Clarke’s three laws
–Humanism
–Jonestown
–Mass suicide
–Transhumanism
The post Episode 3: The Godzilla Anime Trilogy (Mini-Analysis) appeared first on The Monster Island Film Vault.