‘The Luminous Fairies & Mothra’ Review: A Masterful Translation For An Uneven Novella.

Many years ago, I remember discovering that Mothra, a monster I knew so well from countless Godzilla films, had her own film. It would be over a decade before I actually got a chance to see the film, but when I did, I immediately went to the internet to learn about its production. During this hyperfixation, I discovered that Mothra had a novella that predates the film, titled “The Luminous Fairies and Mothra,” and I knew I had to read it. I scoured the internet for a translation and never found one, but finally thanks to Jeffrey Angles, we are getting the translated story in the West for the first time ever. Does this story hold up to the mystery that has surrounded it to us Western fans, or is it just a small footnote in Japanese cinema without much to think about?

To start out, it’s important to note the original story is written by three authors in three separate sections: Shinichiro Nakamura, Takehiko Fukunaga and Yoshi Hotta. All three of these men were well-known writers at the time of the book’s inception, but they also all have their own unique styles of storytelling. This can be a little jarring when reading the full novella. It also is a little disappointing that none of the writers were allowed to showcase much of Mothra’s rampages and presence. This was due to Toho asking that the monster scenes be omitted so the special effects workers on the film didn’t have such strict boundaries to work within. Toho commissioned these writers to make a rough outline to a film they wanted to make, and because of that, numerous things are changed, making the lack of Mothra feel a little irrelevant  to the lore behind this novella’s release, because they changed up the story anyway. 

Shinichi Nakamura’s section is my least favorite part of the novella; this opening section doesn’t provide much more than just some light context as to why Infant Island is a point of interest. Shin’Ichi Chujo discovers the first of the luminous fairies while exploring the island, and that is the gist of part one, as we time skip to the return from the expedition. Fukuda, a major player in the expedition in the film, has no role in this part of the novella, and Nelson, our main antagonist, doesn’t capture the fairies here. There isn’t a lot going on in the first part; it really just serves to set the stage, which is fine, but when a new author picks up the tale, it can feel a little disjointed. 

On the contrary, part two is by far my favorite part of this novella, though I won’t be spoiling any of it here. This is where the differences between the 1961 film and this novella really start to show. This “chapter” or “part” of the story is almost entirely lore building on what Mothra is and its origin. The mysticism and mythological presentation is absolutely astounding. Fukuda also gets to be a major player during this part of the story, and is a lot more fun, whimsical, and curious than Chujo, who remains a stoic and mysterious archetype. I do have to say, there is a part where the book flat out says it won’t explain some things, because it’s outside the scope of this story. I didn’t love the fourth wall break to tell us the story is too short to carry some information, it feels a little like an excuse for not explaining something that would’ve given us character development. However, overall the lore and presentation of this chapter really shines. Reading this part of the novella and applying its lore to the film, which never shares this, really adds a layer of thought to the iconic movie. Despite this major flaw, I honestly believe that the entire book is worth it for this section alone.

Part three is a little harder to talk about. It contains the climax of the story, but it doesn’t feel that way. Mothra is relegated to the backdrop of the story, and while the stakes are high, we don’t get to personally see the effects of a Mothra rampage. The themes, however, really shine here. If you like thinking a little deeper and if you like strong philosophy, this part is going to be gold for you. This section highlights some downsides to imperialistic governments and colonialism and really hammers home that Mothra is the negative effect on society by those who greedily horde power and torture others in the name of fame. This part is a great direction for the story, and is even more on the nose than the film, but the lack of Mothra’s action scenes could be a dealbreaker for some readers expecting kaiju action, though there is a pleasant mention of Godzilla contained within.

The translation is incredibly well put together, and Jeffrey Angles makes good use of footnotes to explain why some things are translated the way they are (the biggest occurrence of this is about Mothra’s gender) and I think that really helps show processes that come when translating a piece of this importance. Something important to note for readers before they dive in is that the actual novella is only 44 pages long in this translation; the remaining 62 pages are an afterword by Angles. This afterword makes the novella so much more worth the price. Angles beautifully adds context about the authors of the story, the commission by Toho, and the political climate Japan was in during the making of the film and novella. The novella of course is the main appeal, but don’t sleep on this essay, it’s beautiful, thought-provoking, and will add a whole new perspective to the novella and movie that has been inaccessible to the West for decades. 

If you like the original Mothra film, or even just the character, this novella and afterword is worth your time, simply on the basis of adding some much-needed context to the character. The story adds new lore and insights to the character; you won’t see Mothra the same way after this.  The novella reshaped a lot of my thoughts on Mothra, and quite honestly has catapulted Mothra into my top two favorite kaiju of all time.The lack of big monster action may be a little disappointing to kaiju fans, but I think the overall context and backstory excel in this book, making it a must have for any Mothra fan. 

If Mothra isn’t really your cup of tea, or if you just don’t really vibe with a much more philosophical and mythical presentation to a kaiju story, maybe try to get it from a library! I can see myself rereading this many times throughout my life, but I feel for most it will be a one and done type of story. The Luminous Fairies and Mothra is a fascinating look into the origins of one of the world’s most famous kaiju and it deserves the attention it can finally get.