Welcome to the first installment of our Letters to the Editor column! Here, we invite the KU community to write directly to us, giving us their thoughts, questions, and more to be platformed or answered directly by Kaiju United editorial. For the first installment of these letters, we had two great submissions that asked about our thoughts regarding the upcoming Godzilla Minus Zero and what impact the MonsterVerse may have on the future of blockbuster filmmaking. Thank you to the two individuals that are our first ever submissions; I hope your questions were answered in my replies!
Please enjoy the discussion, and let us know your thoughts! Stay tuned for more installments as folks write in, and if you’re ever wanting to participate, fill out the contact form at the bottom!
Hey y’all!
Saw you opened a letter box so I wanted to share my thoughts briefly and see what you think. While I am more excited for Minus Zero than probably any other movie right now, I have some slight concerns. I know Yamazaki will absolutely cook no matter what happens, but I will be slightly disappointed if it turns out to be one of the big 5 kaiju as the enemy monster. I’ve heard rumors of Hedorah, Ghidorah, Anguirus, Mothra, or Rodan. I personally would like Hedorah or Anguirus. Some older monsters that Toho doesn’t utilize that much and getting their time to shine on the main stage again would be really special to me. With modern day effects and what’s currently going on in our climate, I feel like Hedorah would be incredible and complete perfection to include. I’ll still watch it regardless of who the enemy monster is obviously, but I do hope Yamazaki experiments a little with characters to include other than the usual. What are y’alls thoughts, though?
Thank you,
Conrad
Hi Conrad,
I’m in agreement! I think as long as Yamazaki delivers a compelling story that resonates with audiences like Minus One did, we will be in good hands with the sequel. Realistically, it will probably be one of the “Big Five,” even if I would very much love to see Anguirus, or Hedorah show up. While it is true that Yamazaki-san answered that he would like to remake Godzilla vs. Hedorah of all the Godzilla films at New York Comic Con (we were the ones frequently sourced on that!), I just truthfully think that to reach the biggest audience possible and introduce them to these characters, it’ll definitely be a reimagined member of the “Big Five” (for those who don’t know, that’s Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla, and Rodan) for this film.
That being said, my personal wish list includes picks like Hedorah and the return of characters such as Orga, because of the work that Yamazaki’s effects team can do with them now. The way those characters can transform and alter their forms would be perfect for an Academy Award-winning visual effects team, and I think it’d be a great challenge for them. Either way, I’m excited to see what kind of story we are getting in Minus Zero! Maybe after he is done with the series, we can get more experimental with some of Toho’s library of awesome creatures! Who wouldn’t want to see Titanosaurus, Megalon, or King Caesar return?! I certainly would like to see that. Maybe one day…
Hello Mr. EIC of Kaiju United,
Tokusatsu and kaiju eiga has had an influence on American media for decades. In the past decade since the release of Godzilla 2014, I feel this influence has only grown stronger, with the MonsterVerse and its various spinoff media consistently taking the box office by storm, Ultraman beginning to have more of an influence in the West, and the unprecedented success of Godzilla Minus One. I personally believe kaiju will continue to dominate American media for years to come, whether it be through more MonsterVerse content, Ultraman beginning to rocket through our pop culture, the upcoming Godzilla Minus Zero, or even some domestically produced media.
My question for you is: In your personal opinion, where do you see kaiju media in America within the next decade? How do you believe it will influence domestically produced content? Will we see an American toku renaissance with IPs like Ultraman and Kamen Rider? Will the MonsterVerse continue to thrive, along with Toho produced Godzilla films? Will we see more domestically produced kaiju films, and how will this giant monster boom affect pre-existing IPs, such as the MCU and the DCU?
Thank you for your time!
Rachel
Hi Rachel,
Thanks for your question & thoughts.
With the Oscar-winning success of Godzilla Minus One, I do not believe Kaiju will be going anywhere. It’s clear that Hollywood wants Yamazaki involved in their projects, with his first English-language film Grandgear reportedly being a mecha vs. kaiju film, so he isn’t done with kaiju after Godzilla Minus Zero this November. There is another kaiju heist film being workshopped/in development, plus the news of a Cloverfield sequel (we don’t really know when that will hit cinemas, kind of like other films) and AppleTV’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters being considered a huge hit (sorry, kaiju fans, but the casual audience LOVES seeing Kurt Russell with Godzilla and its overall story.) + more spinoffs on the way (Cold War show starring Wyatt Russell!), it’s clear that Hollywood FINALLY understands kaiju, or at least, sees potential in creating IP and new stories revolving around giant monsters.
Whether or not kaiju takes the place of superhero media remains to be seen. I think it entirely hinges on how Avengers: Doomsday performs at the box office. Many of the people who claim to have superhero fatigue may seek solace in kaiju stories, but I think the answer to what they are looking for lies in films like Godzilla Minus One, where there is spectacle, but it is taken seriously, rather than the MCU-esque nature of Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire. Either way, we’re entering a new chapter in tokusatsu history, with Toei Company gearing up to make their big push with Kamen Rider in the United States ahead of the franchise’s 55th Anniversary, Ultraman Teo getting a simulcast English dub premiere, and Godzilla gearing up for two massive tentpole films. Needless to say, we’re in a good high point, and I think we’re going to continue to see this high point for a good while.
As for how it may influence American media… it already has! There was a big, bombastic kaiju attack scene in Superman, showing that studios are taking notes. Big monsters are a good threat for a superhero to take down (just look at old Superman comics where the villains of the week WERE giant monsters, as eloquently documented by Elwood Red Denner here). The MCU has been taking notes from tokusatsu for a long, long time, with the producers and effects artists behind Ant-Man (2015) actually outright stating that the costume design for the superhero’s costume having been inspired by the costumes worn in the Kamen Rider franchise. I think the “Portals” scene in Avengers: Endgame was done seven years prior in Kamen Rider x Super Sentai: Super Hero Taisen, where every Rider and every Sentai team came out of portals to assist our outnumbered heroes and collectively save the day. Kaiju & toku media has been traditionally looked down upon, because it’s either “cheesy rubber suits” or delegated to just “This is Power Rangers” levels, but much like anime shaping our broad American film culture, I think kaiju/tokusatsu has unquestionably done the same, and it has done so for many years.
I do think it must be said that giant monster stories are also everywhere internationally, with Thailand producing new monster flicks almost annually, China getting into the race with their own giant snake and giant shark movies, and Egypt debuting their very first giant monster movie titled Oscar: Return of the Mammoth. It’s very clear other industries are looking to monsters to bring audiences around the globe new thrills, showcase their VFX teams, and perhaps do something different with the genre.
Either way you break it down… we’re in the age of monsters! Have fun with it!
Thank you again to the two lovely individuals that took the time to write to us! We are living in an unprecedented age of kaiju & monster media, with the Oscar-winning success of Takashi Yamazaki’s take on Toho’s Godzilla, the MonsterVerse becoming a billion dollar franchise, and the independent kaiju cinema scene thriving. Needless to say, there’s plenty to talk about and discuss as a community!
Want to voice your thoughts? Have something to ask KU editorial? Let us know below!
