We’re back to recap G-FEST again!
Like all great sequels, this one was bigger, better, and completely delivered on everything you love about the show… times two! For those readers who are new to the community, G-FEST is the largest gathering of kaiju fans in North America, starting in 1993 as a gathering of the minds for G-Fan Magazine contributors, and in 1996, fully evolving into the convention we know it as today. Over the years, G-FEST has seen tremendous growth as Godzilla has gone from the “Dark Ages” of 2004-2012 (there were no new releases and scarce merchandise in the United States) to the ACADEMY AWARD® winning monster that it is today. Last year, we reported that 3500 or so attendees flocked to Rosemont to meet friends, buy merchandise, and partake in the various ways they pay homage to and celebrate the Big G. The final attendance numbers are not known at this time, but previous discussions landed us far more than that in just pre-sales alone!
This show also marked a new era for Kaiju United. We worked very closely with Payton Lees, chairwoman of the convention, and a few other incredible members of the committee to bring you maximum coverage of the show. For the first time, I went from an attendee watching from the bleachers to actually doing work for the event. We wanted to cover absolutely everything there was to do at G-FEST, and I believe we have done so. KU assembled the “Avengers” to accomplish this task — our Senior Editor, Nick Crispino, our newest staff member, David Scrivani, and the incredible Elijah Thomas of Kaiju Conversation, all volunteered their time to bring you the greatest this show has to offer.
Photo by G-FEST Fans.
Remember how much we talked about the epic dealers room last year? Well, this time, there were two! Kaiju World was the bigger room with more Godzilla figurines and collectibles than you could ever imagine. There were the familiar faces like Clawmark Toys, Radioactive Toys, Aardvark Tees, Titanic Creations, and Toku Toy Town, all with even better selections than last year! Toku Toy Town’s booth in particular had a massive upgrade, with a beautiful archway inviting you in to check out their lineup of sofubi. Dopepope also made his grand return to the convention after not appearing since 2019. It was fantastic to talk to him briefly about his epic work designing toys and creatures for movies! I want to specifically recognize David Nunes for keeping the lines flowing, attendees excited, and for his work in efficiently managing the biggest line I’ve ever seen at a G-FEST. David’s a trooper and the show would not run as well as it does without his tremendous efforts.
Kaiju Island featured artists and creators — Matt Frank & Bob Eggleton headlined the room, but there were so many other amazing creators present that were first timers. Dominick Navarra had fabulous pieces, hand-crafted from wood & metal, and perfectly encapsulated the awesomeness of the creators and artists in our community that do incredible work. Also amongst the lineup was Louisiana-based Tolzar Toys, who brought their original bayou-inspired kaiju sofubi lineup to the convention!
Of course, we have to talk about the guests. What a lineup this year! Both flying in for special panels and brought in by G-FEST, there was somebody for everyone to meet and leave with memories they will cherish forever.
Photo taken by KU Contributor Joseph A.
First up, Rie Ota! Fans will know her as the suit actress that portrayed Baragon, but Ota’s work extends beyond the kaiju genre, having performed in Sentai stage shows before the silver screen. Her first time at G-FEST, she was very eager to meet her fans — even excitingly pointing out a Baragon tattoo that someone had!
Allan Henry appeared! The motion capture actor for Kong & Skar King in Godzilla x Kong: The Empire provided a guest with maximum relevancy, as the aforementioned film premiered in cinemas just four months ago. Allan showcased the best of G-FEST’s guests, reading his book to children in Minya’s Place, doing all sorts of fun and goofy poses with fans, and bringing a contagious fun aura to the show.
Toshio Miike has one of the biggest resumes in anyone working in tokusatsu today. From Kamen Rider and Super Sentai, to Godzilla, Gamera, and Ultraman, Miike-san has served as art director and production designer for almost every kind of special effects set. His wisdom and experience is unmatched! When I met him, he let me know that the 8×10 I selected was a model of his hometown… how cool!
Takuji Yamada returned to G-FEST, previously attending in 2019. The King of Scenery brought his knowledge and expertise to the Model Thread, and I had the honor of introducing this legend to an array of new fans when I hosted his Q&A on Saturday afternoon. You will see a recorded version of that soon! Many individuals came up to me afterward and said that they weren’t really into the diorama scene beforehand, but were curious about making their own after our talk!
Photo by me.
James Groman is a toy sculpting legend. You’ve seen his work in almost every franchise. A first time attendee, the sofubi fanatics were hyped to his insight into creating molds for companies such as Mondo. Storytelling is universal — even through toys, and Groman is the prime driver of that message.
KU Alumni and overall wonderful man, Jeffrey Angles, made his first G-FEST appearance! The translator of Godzilla & Godzilla Raids Again chatted with fans and confirmed that his translation of Mothra & The Luminous Fairies is coming next year! A professor of language and authority on Japanese poetry & literature, Jeffrey’s knowledge is bar none to any fan wanting to inquire more beyond the traditional kaiju & tokusatsu works of fiction.
Kiyotaka Taguchi, main director of Ultraman Blazar among many other toku credits, made a surprise appearance! Personally attending the screenings of his film ‘Bugon’, he answered fan questions and represented the best of the indie kaiju scene. Please go support his work!
Finally, thanks to the tireless efforts of The Kaiju Kingdom Podcast (hosted by the brilliant Jessica Tseang and Chris Eaton), Jared Krichevsky & Brian Buccellato attended the show! Jared designed Skar King, Shimo, Suko, and Godzilla Evolved for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and Brian wrote the hit comic Justice League Vs. Godzilla Vs. Kong! Both provided insight into two of the most recent projects to hit the Godzilla franchise.
Photo taken by me.
You will see the full scope of our coverage very soon, but I wanted to share a few highlights that truly emphasize the great community that inhabits this show annually:
The Godzilla Minus One panel. Pure magic. Moderated by KU Senior Editor Nick Crispino, he took the opportunity to host one of G-FEST biggest panels, and ran with it! Nick Sydes shared stories about attending the red carpet premiere in Los Angeles, Elijah recounted seeing the film THIRTY times, and I got to dissect what this film truly means for the community. At the end of the panel, we recreated a moment from the premiere, where the cast & crew took a video selfie — they said “GODZILLA!”, and turned to the audience, who all yelled “MINUS ONE!”. The panel audience was so ready to do that, and I think that will become a highlight moment for the entire show this year. Great work, Nick!
Photo courtesy of Vinnie DeGregory.
Hailey of MewlingTea cosplay brought her Namikawa and Godzilla Evolved cosplays this year; such phenomenal craftmanship! I was arranged to meet Jared Krichevsky during the show and chat with him again (wink wink), but I knew that him getting to see fans that truly appreciate his work on a grander scale was much more important. So, leading up to our meeting, I gave Hailey a heads up, and I brought her straight over to Jared as a fun surprise. The two chatted for a great length as Jared admired her skill, asking her questions about the process of building the suit and how it was put together. It was one artist talking to another, echoing their passions together, despite being in two completely different mediums. At the end of the day, art is universal!
Friday night saw the screening of GODZILLA FINAL WARS at the historic Pickwick that G-FEST regulars know and love. For the first time ever, the event was SOLD OUT. That has never happened, at least in my memory, of any G-FESTs I’ve attended since 2012. That’s the real testament to the growth and popularity of not only the convention itself, but the shift in appreciation that GFW has received as a film. And what a way to honor the 20th anniversary! We hope KU alumni Ryuhei Kitamura can attend a future event so he can see the true appreciation fans have for his film!
We all chanted “We love X!” whilst the picture was taken.
Our guest contributor, Donny Winter, also did a signing with artist Matt Frank! It was wonderful to see his journey in working on an official Godzilla project! We’re big fans of his poetry work outside of the kaiju sphere, so it was fantastic to see that others were just as into Donny’s portfolio as we were! I tried getting in the line to get some stuff signed, but it stretched all the way to the art room! Congratulations, Donny & Matt!
Photo by myself.
Our finest hour with the show coverage was the costume parade. The first coverage we did as an entire team, Nick and Elijah handled cameras, whilst David handled crowd control and I handled getting the costumers back inside Dojo Studios. Those costumes are very hard to see in (we had a few close calls!), so having true staff from DS was vital to the success of this operation. Billy Dubose helped us out with getting all costumers lined up in front of our backdrop, posed properly, and sent off to me to help get them back through the exit.
Billy went above and beyond the call of duty, helping us at a moment’s notice, communicating needs and requests from the Hyatt and Dojo leads, and so much more. Mr. Dubose became honorary Kaiju United that night, and we cannot thank him enough for all he did. Before starting the massive task of covering the costume parade, we all gathered in a huddle and went, “1…2…3…. KAIJU UNITED!” That was magical to me; it legitimized everything we were doing as a team, and as a leader, I couldn’t have been more proud. I don’t think I will ever forget that moment, truth be told.
G-FEST remains grassroots and family-owned, and because of that, it remains a unique convention. Like Kaiju United, most of the operations’ success are all owed to volunteers who truly believe in the cause. I believe that aspect of the community drive is what bonded G-FEST and Kaiju United through this year’s convention. It was a true group effort, but at the end of the day, that’s what this community needs. Despite the messiness on social media and the documentation of the rougher side of the fandom, there will always be a commonality that we all share — we all love and adore the craft of tokusatsu, we all deeply appreciate kaiju films, and we will always gather in some way or another into communities. G-FEST this year has been proof of that, and I’m excited to continue to see what comes next.
There were so many individuals that we reunited with or met for the first time this year. I would call this G-FEST the “KU Alumni Reunion”! We had amazing creators we talked to in the past, such as cosplay legend KaiZilla, attend the show. There were special guests like Quazies, Jared Krichevsky Jeffrey Angles, Matt Frank, Dane Kroll, Starlight Runner CEO Jeff Gomez repping Ultraman, and so many more! What a class reunion! The highlight for me though, was hearing how many folks told me they were attending G-FEST for the very first time. Your first ever G-FEST will be the one you always remember, and I was so happy to hear that Kaiju United helped make some first timers’ events magical. Here’s to you, Celeste, Mary, Hailey, Kaleb, Jeremy, and Katie!
The past year has been a transitionary period for KU. We’re now among one of the larger kaiju sites, we’re on track to DOUBLE our total 2023 viewership by the end of this month, and it really feels like we had rockets strapped to our backs. Last year for G-FEST, I went as an attendee and covered the event solo, just through my lens. This year, we actually collaborated with G-FEST on an official level, cementing our place as one of their first official sponsors. I personally hope the coverage you are about to see in the coming weeks is great; my entire team put their hearts & souls into providing the maximum amount of coverage possible for the grandest kaiju stage of them all.
Kaiju United would like to thank the following for G-FEST 2024 being such a monumental year:
Elijah Thomas, Nick Crispino, David Scrivani. Team KU! Your hard work and dedication made Kaiju United a force to be reckoned with at this show! Thank you for choosing to spend time with me covering the show and putting HOURS into it. I am so thankful. You guys are truly the best.
Payton Lees. Without your leadership and collaboration, none of this coverage would be possible. I am thrilled to have gotten to know you more through our work together this year. Thank you for everything.
Jessica Tseang. Thank you for your guidance and opportunity. You are such an inspiration to me personally and I appreciate all you do for this community. Thanks for arranging two interviews for KU and for taking the time to just chat!
Alaena Gavins, Billy Dubose, and the rest of the Dojo Studios team. Your collaboration made coverage of the entire cosplay thread possible. You guys run a tight ship, and fitting us into the equation was not an easy feat. Thank you for doing that.
David Nunes is the MVP of G-FEST. The guy is a logistics management WIZARD. Nobody else could take the chaos of the massive line for Kaiju World and bring it to complete order & organization like he does. Thanks for letting us slip in and get awesome coverage, too!
The G-FEST committee for being so welcoming and inviting of Kaiju United’s participation in everything we did this year.
Martin Arlt and Tim Bean for the opportunity to handle Takuji Yamada’s Q&A live on stage. Martin, you are so great at what you do for the programming lineup on all ends.
Tim Bean, Maki Takarada, and the Japan’s Legends team for all they do bringing amazing guests out to the convention.
Mariko Horikawa-Rinehart for the assistance in translation during Yamada-san and Taguchi-san’s Q&As. Thank you so much!
Jeff Horne & Avery Guerra for their assistance on the G-FEST Film Festival schedule article and coverage at the show!
ALL OF YOU! You all make G-FEST so amazing for me. You are the reason I come back. I know this community is capable of amazing and brilliant things, and we all assemble at G-FEST.
