3. Kaijū: A Quick Introduction to the Extended Family
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
@5:09 PM
If Gojira was the King of Monsters, that obviously means that there are other 'monsters' that have graced our silver screens with their presence. Here, I will focus on a few other kaijūs and their level of appeal within Japan and in foreign lands (a.k.a. the United States).
Mosura/Mothra, the humongous-yet-adorable butterfly-moth
"Aww... Isn't she a cutie?"
Meet Mosura - one of Gojira's first foe-turned-ally. The film begins with survivors of a shipwreck who, upon being found on an island which was formerly used for H-Bomb tests, were discovered to be unaffected by the radiation. An expedition was then sent to this island, resulting in the discovery of two very small beautiful women, about a foot high each. One of the expedition members, Clark Nelson, then returned to the island to kidnap these two women, with the intention of exhibiting them across the globe. Little did he know that their wonderful singing was a cry for help to their island's guardian - you guessed it - Mosura. Mosura then makes her way to Tokyo, from larva form, to a massive cocoon, and finally her adorable moth/butterfly adult form - wreaking havoc all the way a la classic Toho kaijū.
As pointed out by Shapiro (1998, pg.183), the character Clark Nelson clearly represents the "dangerous influence of Western capitalism and modernity, in particular the dangerous influence on women". Besides that, Shapiro then points out several symbolisms for
the significance of femininity in both Gojira and Mosura films;
We can also explore the symbolic importance of the ga (moth), yochu, and mayu. As I suggested earlier, Gojira represents a violent, yet sympathetic, force in nature. This force has been set loose by an imbalance in the relationship between men and women, because men and their weapons have become too strong. This force can only be subdued when the feminine aspect is empowered. Thus it is two silkworm-like larvae that finally subdue Gojira and return him to his ocean cradle to sleep. - Shapiro 1998, pg.184.
All-in-all, we can see that the Japanese producers of the film has once again made references to the H-Bomb incident, and at the same time discreetly send across the message that Western modernisation may pose danger to the Japanese society. Trans-nationally, on the other hand, Mosura is most probably just viewed as one of Gojira's "all-star cast of mean foes" (Know Your World Extra 2004).
Image (c) Doug Savage
Radon/Rodan, the mutant flying dinosaur
"I believe I can fly..."
I am still puzzled by the switch in vowels between the original Japanese and American name. Perhaps American's find that Rodan has a better ring to it in comparison with Radon. Truth be told, I don't know. Anyway, aside from discussing its name, Radon is yet another Toho kaijū that rose as a result of the H-Bomb. Also a foe-turned-ally of Gojira, Radon did not really appeal to the American audiences upon its release in American cinemas.
In 1957, Los Angeles Times published an article (or review) of the film when it was released in the United States. It definitely did not get good reviews from the author, stating that the viewers were severely warned to not
confuse Rodan with other kaijū since King Kong. The writer also states that the viewers would require a “very hard try” to not do so (C.S. 1957). Although the writer did give some credit to the film's usage of Technicolour photography, the bad English dub and nameless Japanese cast 'nullified' this one good point to the film.
Gamera, the large bipedal flying turtle
"Mean, green and on the screen - the grouchy grandfather of the Ninja Turtles, perhaps?"
Lastly, I will focus on Gamera, Toho's rival, Daiei's answer to kaiju films. The first few Gamera films did not manage to impress the American audience. As Daiei went bankrupt, the Gamera series came to a halt. Years later, Shunsuke Kaneko of Tokuma wanted to make the
revived Gamera films break away from the classic kaijū movie stereotype. This resulted in 'Gamera 3: Jashin (Irisu) Kakusei' what Mes and Sharp (2005) claim to be the most
action-packed, dynamic and alive kaijū movie.
References
Anonymous
2004, "MONSTER BULLY", Know
Your World Extra, vol. 38,
no. 5, pp. 5.
C S 1957, 'Rodan' New Japan-Made Horror Film, Los Angeles, Calif.
Mes, T. & Sharp, J.
2005, ‘Gamera 3: Jashin (Irisu) Kakusei’, in The Midnight Eye guide to new
Japanese film, Stone Bridge
Press, Berkeley, Calif.
Shapiro, J.F. 1998, "When a God Awakes", The World & I,vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 182-190.
