Anigozilla becomes more fun! Lecture on the movie "Godzilla" - Part 1: "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla" (1993) - Godzilla's decisive weapon against Godzilla.

Godzilla, the world's great monster star of Japanese cinema, was reborn as a science fiction animated film in a new guise in 2017. GODZILLA: PLANET OF THE MONSTERS" is the first chapter of the animated Godzilla (also known as "Anigoji") trilogy, which depicts humanity's epic battle against the giant monster Godzilla, which reigns on Earth 20,000 years later.

Although the 3DCG-animated Godzilla looks completely different from conventional live-action images, it retains the elements of the "Godzilla" that most people are familiar with, such as its distinctive cry and the actions of its huge back that emits heat rays from its mouth, making it another variation of Godzilla. This is another variation of Godzilla.


There are rumors that not only Godzilla, but also other popular characters from the past will be "resurrected" with different settings and attributes in "Chapter 2," "GODZILLA: Crusade on Mars," which will be released in theaters on May 18, 2018. All of this will become clear the moment the movie is released, but in this column, we have selected a number of films from the past Godzilla movie series that seem to be closely related to "Anigoji" as a "preview" before the new movie is released. I would like to introduce some of the most noteworthy points and famous scenes from the past Godzilla movie series that are closely related to "Anigoji".

The poster visual for the new animated film "GODZILLA: CASE MULTIPLE CITY" shows Godzilla, humans fighting against Godzilla, and a mechanical Godzilla (Mechagodzilla) attempting to attack Godzilla from behind. The catchphrase "Mechagodzilla" (furigana) is used in the catchphrase "The Last Hope of Mankind," suggesting that the character behind Godzilla is the "Mechagodzilla" that will play an active role in the new film.

In the second film, "Godzilla Strikes Back," which followed the first film's battle with mankind, Godzilla fought a fierce battle to the death with the rampaging dragon Anguirus, and then went on to fight a variety of other monsters, including King Kong, Mothra, Ebirah, and Hedorah. At first, Godzilla was feared as an untouchable and violent monster, but after defeating the space super-monster King Ghidorah in a joint battle with Mothra and Radon, he somehow became a heroic figure among earth monsters that faced off against enemies from outer space. In pro wrestling terms, this is a transition from heel to baby face.

In 1974, 20 years after the first Godzilla movie, "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla," the 14th in the Godzilla series, a robot monster modeled after Godzilla was created as Godzilla's greatest enemy.

In terms of the Godzilla series, this is not the first time the idea of pitting a mechanically launched monster against Godzilla's enemies. In "Order to Attack Earth: Godzilla vs. Gigan" (1972), "Future Monster Gigan," a cyborgized version of the space monster, and "Godzilla Tower," which fires laser heat rays, were introduced. Gigan is known as a dangerous monster with huge claws on its arms and rotating cutters in its abdomen, and if it is brought into close combat, it is almost certain to cause bloodshed, but Godzilla, who specializes in tenacious battles, was able to bring it into an endurance battle, and he and his partner King Ghidorah ended up losing.

As if reflecting on Gigan's monotonous "focus only on close combat," Mechagodzilla's main feature was its thoroughgoing long-range attack, with finger missiles on its fingers, rainbow-colored space beams from its eyes, and cross-attack beams from its chest. Moreover, these various firearms and heat ray weapons were fired simultaneously at Godzilla, which was not an easy task for Godzilla to handle.

Mechagodzilla, whose entire body is a mass of weapons, has a hidden weak point in its "mecha" aspect. Mechagodzilla, which was created by the people of the Third Planet in the Great Cosmic Black Hole with the best of their scientific power, was so precise that its head controls were extremely delicate. If Godzilla could get into a close combat, which was its forte, it might be able to defeat Mechagodzilla with its monstrous strength. When and where will Godzilla seize the opportunity? For those who have not yet seen "Godzilla vs.

In "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla," Mechagodzilla made his strong presence known by playing a heel so loathsome that he eclipsed the main character Godzilla, and the following year, "Mechagodzilla Strikes Back" (1975) was made, the second in the Mechagodzilla series. In this film, Mechagodzilla (Unit 2) was more powerful than in the first film, with finger missiles enhanced to rotary missiles and a minor change to the V-shaped chest armor so that it could catch Godzilla's heat rays. The weak point of the "Gojira", which is vulnerable when its remote control is cut off, has been overcome, which is impressive.

After the series was interrupted once, Godzilla was revived as "Godzilla" in 1984, and the "Heisei Godzilla" series began with "Godzilla vs. Biollante" in 1989. From "Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah" (1991), the policy of renewing once popular monsters into the Heisei version and pitting them against Godzilla was established. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla" (1993), the follow-up to the blockbuster "Godzilla vs. Mothra" (1992), was a complete change from the former "robot monster created by aliens," and was the ultimate anti-Godzilla weapon built by the "UN G Response Center" to counter the threat of Godzilla. It became the ultimate weapon against Godzilla, built by the United Nations Countermeasures Center against the threat of Godzilla. Unlike the Showa-era Mechagodzilla, which had sharply angled body parts, the Heisei Mechagodzilla is composed of curved parts that make the most of Godzilla's silhouette, and its stout lower body is reminiscent of a sumo wrestler, giving it a sense of weight. In the movie, Mecha-Godzilla merges with the flying mecha Garuda to become Super Mecha-Chagojira, displaying such offensive power that it once made Godzilla crawl on the ground.

The Heisei Godzilla (VS) series concluded with "Godzilla vs. Destroyer" (1995), which depicted "Godzilla's Death," and the Godzilla series resumed with the American-made Godzilla "Godzilla" (1998/Tri-Star Corp.), after the "Godzilla 2000 Millennium" (1999). The series was given the nickname "Millennium Godzilla Series" after "Godzilla 2000 Millennium" (1999). The Millennium Series is characterized by the fact that, unlike the "VS" series, which had a certain degree of continuity, each film in the series has its own independent storyline, including "Godzilla 2000 Millennium," "Godzilla and Megaguirus: Operation G Annihilation" (2000), and "Godzilla: Mothra, King Ghidorah: The Great Monsters Attack" (2001). part. Godzilla x Mechagodzilla" (2002) was planned as a follow-up to "Godzilla x Mechagodzilla" (2002), in which "Mechagodzilla" appeared for the first time.

In "Godzilla x Mechagodzilla," Mechagodzilla = Type 3 Koryu, as in "VS," is the crystallization of the wisdom of mankind's efforts to defeat Godzilla, but the major difference is that it is a biological robot based on the bones of the so-called first Godzilla (the first Godzilla to attack Tokyo in 1954). Although a weapon to be controlled by humans, Godzilla's "spirit" resonates when confronted by his fellow Godzilla, causing him to go berserk, making him a truly fascinating character with a dangerous side.

TM&©TOHO CO.


Koryu is the most mobile of all Mechagodzilla fighters, and has been the focus of much attention from monster and mechanic fans alike as both a massive and active fighter. directed by Steven Spielberg), which drew a lot of monster fans to Mechagodzilla (in an incredibly good scene), but Mechagodzilla itself was the film's original design.

However, the novel "Game Wars" (by Ernest Cline), on which the movie was based, clearly states that the Koryu will appear. One can see a glimpse of the global popularity of the Koryu in this way.

After almost catching up with Godzilla in "Godzilla x Mechagodzilla," Koryu was repaired and modified to appear in the sequel "Godzilla x Mothra x Mechagodzilla: Tokyo SOS" (2003), where the final battle with Godzilla unfolds in the middle of Tokyo. These two films, which depict the popular character "Koryu" from its birth to its end, have an especially strong emotional attachment among fans of the Millennium Godzilla series.

In this way, Mechagodzilla has always held a special place in our hearts. Let's see what Mechagodzilla will look like and what he will do in "Anigodzilla" (......?). We'll have to wait and see.

(Text by Hideo Akita)

Recommended Articles