Cameron's Top and Bottom 3 Godzilla Suits

So, Kyle said I couldn’t pick Gabara for every slot, but after three rewrites I’ve finally got an article we can all be proud of. These are in no particular order, just a freestyle listicle. Like Jazz! I know you’ve all been worrying about what I think about specific suits from the franchise since you first heard my completely unremarkable voice, so here we go.

The Worst!

1. Final Goji

 Look at him. Just a little hint of a goiter.

I actually don’t hate the design so much. He’s not my favorite, but he checks a lot of my boxes. He’s got ears, big exaggerated fins, he’s reasonably fearsome. But the movie was just not nearly as awesome as it should have been and it kinda put a bad taste in my mouth as far as the suit design. This Goji fought almost everyone (sorry Varan) and had the super cool curly-fry atomic beam, but every fight was so blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, and I don’t care about the suit because I’m petty and I want to hurt the directors feelings a little bit. So...take that, Kitamura!

2. Daisenso Goji

Oh dear...

What is that? What happened to him? He was in two films? Alongside the illustrious and legendary Ebirah? Who's responsible for this? Who did this? Why was I not consulted? Did you not get my letters, Toho? Did I not sent you every number with which you could reach me? I didn’t. But I would.

Not now Goji

3. 84 Goji

Old new goji

This, ladies and germs, is what they chose to reboot the franchise. I really like ‘84, it was one of the first Godzilla movies I ever saw, and I love the return to a scary Goji. But his eyes. His eyes! He looks so exasperated. He looks like someone showed him the script to Transformers 16: Back to School, where Optimus Prime has to go undercover as a 16-year-old and falls in love with his math teacher.

 

The Best!

1. RadoGoji

Yes yes YES!!!

Look at him! Massive! Powerful! Big Boy! He’s a big 80’s wrestler! With a winning smile!

He makes me feel like I can do anything.

2. KinGoji

A true classic. Like Casablanca, or Weekend at Bernies.

He’s got a pointy head and fingers that stick together, and he’s physically incapable of looking forward with his little eyes, but he’s such a charming boy!

He likes hugs!

And Friendship!

3. Sokogeki Goji

War-is-Hell Goji

Scariest Goji. He’s basically a Dark Souls boss. This Goji’s made of tormented souls and hatred because Toho wanted to make anti-Mothra, and if you don't love that I don't know how to make you happy. He also let Ghidorah play the hero! That’s important for all the three-headed kids out there.

Well...he tried.

Honorable Mention:

Love It? Hate It? Love me? Leave your number in the comments and I’ll be in touch.

'Godzilla 2' - Filming Begins Today! Possible Title Change?!

Well fellow Giant Monster fans the day has finally come! 'Godzilla 2' begins filming today out in Atlanta and the production was officially announced via a press release. Not only do we get our first plot description but we also may have some trouble brewing with the title that Michael Dougherty and Legendary have been running with for awhile now.

Check out the press release in its entirety:

Looks like we've got a reimagining of 'Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster' after all! The plot description doesn't really give too much away but it does 100% confirm that Mothra, Rodan, and Ghidorah will all be appearing in the Godzilla sequel and none of them will be saved for 'Godzilla vs Kong.' It sounds like we are in for one heck of a monster bash come  March 2019.

Several news sites noticed that the press release does not refer to the film by the previously announced title King of the Monsters and one of them reached out to Legendary/Warner Bros. to get some clarification as to what it all means. Jeff Sneider from The Tracking Board sent out the following tweet:

Rather than speculate abt GODZILLA 2 title, I asked. "The film is not titled yet.
King of the Monsters is not official." There you have it.

— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) June 19, 2017

This is very odd since we have had several casting announcements that have used the title King of the Monsters and the director himself has confirmed the title on multiple occasions. In fact his official twitter page still has him listed as the director of 'Godzilla: King of the Monsters.' I'm honestly not sure what to think of all this new title stuff. Hopefully we get some sort of official information sooner rather than later.

What do you think of the plot description? Do you think they really changed the title? What would you like it to be called if they did?

Marisa's Top and Bottom 3 Godzilla Designs

I am also a dinosaur

I held off as long as I could, but it is finally time for me to unleash my opinion upon you, the fans. Yes, that’s right. This article is all about my top and bottom 3 Godzilla designs. I am prepared for the backlash, the hate mail, the lost followers! But I’m entitled to my feelings.

 Let’s dive right in, starting with the worst.

The Worst

3. GyakshuGoji

GyakushuGoji, why your fins so weird?

If I am being completely honest here, the only thing that I do not like about this suit is the two oversized fins that look so out of place. There’s a third large fin that looks… broken? They just don’t seem ‘natural’ and don’t blend very well with the others on the back. For me it distracts from the entire suit. I can’t seem to retract my gaze from these giant, protruding fins. It forces me, as the audience member, to think of reasons the fins are so large, but the monster itself so thin. How does this work? Why is it like this? I wish I could explain why it bothers me so much. By and far, this is not the worst suit, but it is so visually distracting to me, and that earned it the #3 spot on my worst list.

2. Megalon Goji

Hello fellow kids, it is I, Megalon Goji!

What am I looking at? This strange, ape-faced lizard monster is the stuff of childish nightmares. The scaling they tried on this suit looks more like nasty, matted fur. This design is so kid-friendly I don’t even understand why they bother to make him roar in the movies he’s in it’s so hilariously bad.

Furry Goji is worst Goji.

There is nothing threatening about this monster, other than it’s size. It’s… pathetic. However it does make me smile, albeit in a ‘what am I doing with my life that has me looking at this terrible thing’ kind of way.

1. MusukoGoji

KILL IT WITH FIRE

This was a seat of some contention, while I am the type of person that can find something wrong with EVERY Godzilla design. But I had to go with a fan favorite. What can be said about this frog-faced, pebble-skinned monstrosity? It’s just… so… bad. I respect the people who design and build these suits, I really do, but what were they thinking here? This face doesn’t even look like a lizard or a reptile… it’s disturbingly human and yet they eyes are so empty and lifeless.

Quick! Bury it before it gets up!

Just… just go away MusukoGoji! Don’t haunt me anymore!

Now it's time for my favorites!

The Best

3. BatoGoji

So cuddly.

I really like this design. There’s this classic Godzilla feel to it, but it’s still menacing. The face is a bit dog-like, with his tiny ears in the back, and the rounded snout, but it flows well into the neck.

These spines really attracted me to this design.

The combination of skin and bone on the spines is something I didn’t expect to find so attractive, but it works really well on this design. I love this Godzilla’s hour-glass figure, because representation matters and the chunky looking Gojis tend to be the grossest ones as well. They managed to do the classic pebbling on this suit without it looking like matted fur (see Megalon Goji), and it all just works really well.

2. BioGoji

Talk about thunder thighs

I only managed to find one design I liked better than this one, and that was tough enough. The head is angular, and actually-finally-thankfully well-proportioned in regards to the body! The spines have that blend of bone and skin, they are sized correctly for their position, and they have this intriguing clumping that none of the other designs had. This Godzilla is also chunky, it’s got large thighs, needed to support its massive weight, and a broad chest

Looks like some sort of water doggo.

Overall it has a well-balanced look to it that is new and classic combined. The only thing that kept this design from being my number one pick was the sagging. It doesn’t sit very well and in a lot of stills it looks like Godzilla has some ill-fitting pants on.

1. MireGoji

Yassssss

I know how awful this design is in practice, but I cannot deny how awesome it looks. The jagged spines, coupled with the sharp, angular scales, and the angularity of the snout made for a pretty terrifying Godzilla. However even I can point out that, though this is one of my favorite designs, it looks dumb with the mouth closed.

You know he just opened his camera app and it was front facing and- wait, have I made this joke before? Oh well, you gotta herp before you can derp!

But that doesn’t detract from the overall look and feel of the design itself. Still shots of this design are unique and somewhat breathtaking. The colored tips of the spines make it feel like MireGoji has crystals protruding from his back, and the oversized ones FIT instead of detracting from the feel. There are so many cool things to talk about on this design, it’s hard to find yourself focused on a singular flaw for too long.

Demonic Goji here stole my heart.

Bonus round:

FinalGoji: What is wrong with the neck here? Am I the only one seeing this? There’s just something… wrong about it.

RadoGoji: I’m 100% trying to be body positive by saying this but… he got them leg rolls.

Shoshingeki Goji: So… at some point they just said ‘screw it’ and his face looks like Rocky Balboa after he fights Ivan Drago.

84Goji: I see a lot of things I like here… but the toes. The toes are so strangely sized and designed compared to his hand-claws.

SokogekiGoji: More like Doggo-Goji.

2014 Godzilla: I don’t care what you say, I love how he looks like he can give a good hug and kill your family with a strait face.

And there you have it! So what do you think? Agree, disagree? Have I become your enemy? Let me know it the comments!

'Godzilla: Monster Planet' - First Look at our Anime Godzilla revealed!

Well I've been saying for weeks that it has been way too quiet on the Netflix anime front. Today that changed in a big way as the official website was updated to include our first glimpse at the first ever anime Godzilla! Check it out below!

Wow definitely not the direction I thought they were going to go! It definitely evokes Legendary Goji quite a bit which I'm sure is not going to sit well with some fans but I personally like it a lot. Obviously this is a very stylized image and doesn't give us a whole lot to go on but it's cool we are getting more information regardless. Hopefully we'll be getting a trailer sooner rather than later.

What do you guys think? Do you like that they are using a tweaked legendary design?

Adam Wingard to direct 'Godzilla vs Kong'

Well this was unexpected! Relatively unknown director Adam Wingard has been chosen to direct 'Godzilla Vs. Kong.' Click here to read The Hollywood Reporter's exclusive announcement!

Kaiju News Bits - 'Rampage' plot, 'Pacific Rim: Uprising' Jaeger, and 'Shin Godzilla' release!?

Well these last few weeks have had an interesting peppering of giant monster news and we here at Tokyo Lives have been very busy recently, thus unable to cover these stories as they occurred (Sorry about that!). I know we'll be talking about most of these during our next episode of the podcast that will be releasing towards the end of the week but I thought why not release an article as well. Let's dig in! 

First up we got some juicy plot details for the 'Rampage' film from Dwayne Johnson's instagram account. Take a look:

Goin' primal. 🦍 Good to finally have boots on the ground here in Georgia for production of #RAMPAGE. I head up an anti poaching unit out of Rwanda. My best friend is a rare albino gorilla named, George. Very bad people infect George, an alligator and a wolf with a serum. All three animals grow at an unprecedented rate. Their size, speed, agility and violent aggression is off the charts. They go on a deadly rampage and want to destroy the world. George not happy. Me not happy. When animals like you, they lick you. When they don't like you, they kill you. I will hunt down the bad people who did this to my best friend. And when I find them, I will not lick them. We have the best VFX monster making team (WETA) on the planet. Our actors and crew have been working very hard to raise the monster genre bar. As always, let's have some fun. Let's shoot. 🤙🏾 #PrimalDNA #George #Lizzy #Ralph

There was also a nice plot breakdown that might be a little spoiler heavy so I will just link you to it here.  Overall there aren't too many surprises within these first plot details since they basically describe the plot of the games. Well technically in the later Rampage titles the creatures are actually humans that have been mutated into the monsters so I guess this does point out that they are basing the film on the first game. Interestingly enough, I feel like the humans into monsters angle may have been a bit more compelling for a film adaptation (maybe some horrifying transformations).  But anyways lets move on to the next news bit!

'Pacific Rim: Uprising' has finished filming and is currently deep into post production now which is great for us fans because now we will start getting gems like the above image. This schematic was spotted at a toy convention in Japan and it gives us the best look at a new Jaeger we have had so far. It looks like Gypsy Avenger (Gyspy Danger's replacement) will have a similar arsenal to the original Jaeger. This includes the return of the Elbow Rocket, Chain Sword, and the Plasma Caster. It seems like the turbine in it's chest has been upgraded to a "Dual Vortex Turbine" which kind of hints that maybe Gyspy Avenger is still a analog Jaeger. Cool stuff all around.

Last but certainly not least, it looks like we have a tentative release window for the american 'Shin Godzilla' Blu-Ray/DVD.  According to Blu-raydisc.de Germany is getting their 'Shin Godzilla' home release on August 8th. Now you may be saying "Kyle that's the GERMAN release not the American release" and you would be right in questioning this. But hear me out! One thing to note is that the English Dub is being put onto this version of the film. Also the time frame fits from all of the other live action Funimation releases that they have done (like Attack on Titan). So due to these pieces of evidence, I am predicting that we are looking at a July-September release for the film in the states.

Do these news bits excite you? Let us know in the comment section below! 

You Should Watch - Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger

Remember back in the early nineties, there was this show about teens with complicated feelings that got recruited by an interdimensional alien to wear dinosaur pajamas and punch monsters? Sometimes there were giant robots that combined into a "gianter" robot? What was that show called?

Oh right. Well, you may not know that the basic premise (and the action/monster scenes) were adapted from a long running Japanese tokusatsu series called Super Sentai. Mighty Morphing Power rangers’ first season specifically used footage and costumes from the 16th show in the series, Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger. 

Zyuranger was a landmark show in the Sentai franchise. It was the first show based on prehistoric animals, the first to have a Megazord composed entirely of animal mecha, the first to feature a sixth ranger, and the first to incorporate fantasy elements in place of the standard sci-fi fare. Oh, and it was the first to be adapted for international release. You know, as that one show. 

When I say adapted, I mean they dubbed over the scenes of the rangers in costume and fight scenes, and then spliced that with original footage. This is the key difference between all Sentai series and their Power Ranger counterparts: the American shows are a little more kid friendly, and the Japanese originals are completely insane. 

In Mighty Morphin’, the Power Rangers are 5 adolescents with agreeable outlooks are summoned by an ancient alien named Zordon and given superpowers and dinosaur robots to fight Rita Repulsa, the self-proclaimed Empress of the universe. This is, of course, awesome. 

The Zyurangers, however, are not high school students. They are the champions of the 5 tribes of dinosaur-evolved humans  who lived in peace alongside the regular dinosaurs. After 170 million years of suspended animation, they are awakened when their ancient nemesis, Bandora the witch, plops her palace/skyscraper down in Tokyo, and rides a flying pennyfarthing bicycle around the city to inform all the citizens that she hates them. 

Oh, also, Bandora got her powers from a deal she made with Satan. Not a satan allegory, not a character that just happens the look like Satan, but actual Satan. But that’s understandable, she just wanted revenge on the dinosaurs for the death of her son. 

In Mighty Morphin’, Rita is accompanied by an entourage of yes-monsters, including Goldar, a griffon-ish thing that looks scary, but is hilariously inept and mostly harmless.

In Zyuranger, however, Bandora is assisted by a mostly goofy team of comic relief monsters, with the notable exception of the commander of her armies, Grifforzer. He is incredibly strong, a brilliant tactician, and is one of the few monsters to withstand the Megazord’s finishing move. Goldar is a joke, Grifforzer is a big deal. 

In Mighty Morphin’, the rangers given the zords, powerful mecha based on prehistoric creatures, that combine Voltron-style into a mighty robot known as the Megazord. 

In Zyuranger, however, the champions combine the five guardian beasts to form Daizyuzin, the physical manifestation of the ruling god of the original tribes. He first appears to Tyrannoranger in a vision of the apocalyptic future Bandora will bring about if victorious. He instructs Tyranno to on how to summon his physical form which from then on they do all the time to finish off the bad guys with a sword slash that cuts lightning into monsters. Somehow. Who cares, they explode. 

Daizyuzin is also his own sentient entity, unlike his american counterpart. He often challenges and advises the Zyurangers to push them to their ultimate potential. Let me tell you a crazy story…

In Mighty Morphin’, Tommy Oliver becomes the green ranger after being kidnapped and brainwashed by Rita. The rangers clash with him over the course of a couple episodes, he beats them all up so easily, but eventually they’re able to destroy Tommy’s sword and free him from Rita’s mind control. 

In Zyuranger, however, Burai, the brother of Tyrannoranger, willingly joins Bandora to fight against his brother and the other zyurangers. He still gets a sword, but instead of brainwashing him to serve Bandora, it just drives him hideously insane. 

Tyranno tries to befriend him, but he’s insane now, so he says no. With a laserblast.

Daizyuzin steps in and orders Tyranno to kill Burai, Tyranno doesn’t want to, Daizyuzin says “Tough, I’m God, you have to,” and “punishes” Tyranno for his insolence. Meanwhile, Bandora traps the guardian beasts in lava and has a party on the moon. Burai gets rowdy at the party and is forcibly ejected through space and lands on Earth. He is met by a tiny person in white who drags him into a cave where time stands still, tells him he’s going to die in 32 hours, and gives him a magical flute-dagger that summons mecha-godzilla. 

Long story short, Burai joins the Zyuranger’s after a neat fight and half a season of opposition.

In Mighty Morphin’, the Power Rangers were doing this:

In the last episode of the first season of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, Bulk and Skull help Zack kiss Angela.

In the last episode of Zyuranger, They blow up the Devil and kill Bandora’s son. Again. And Daizyuzin captures Bandora and her crew in a vase and launches it into space. 

The series is the perfect introduction to the Super Sentai series, and if you can get your hands on it, call up some friends, and just let the sparks and spandex wash over you. 

'Godzilla' Anime - New Title, Poster and Plot Synopsis Revealed

Well it's about time we got a real update on this! The highly anticipated Godzilla anime has received it's official title and full plot description and I couldn't be more excited. We also got our first look at the main character via a new poster. Check it out!

Anime news network broke the news when the main website godzilla-anime.com updated for the presentation to come within the next few days during AnimeJapan. Here is the translated Story details:

The last summer of the 20th Century. That day, the human beings learn that they are not the only ruler of the planet Earth.The appearance of the giant living creatures “Kaiju's” and the ultimate existence that destroys all monsters: Godzilla. Through the battle against kaiju's that lasted for half a century, human beings has experienced continuous defeat, and finally plans to escape from the Earth. And in 2048, only those who were selected by the A.I. managed under the central government boarded the inter-sidereal emigrant spaceship “Aratrum” to head for “Tau Cetus e”, the planet beyond the distance of 11.9 light-year. However, the environmental condition differences between that of the Earth and Tau e, which they finally arrived after 20 years were far beyond the predicted numbers, and was not an environment considered to be habitable by human beings.The young man on the emigrant ship: Haruo, who saw his parents killed by Godzilla in front of his eyes when he was 4 years old, had only one thing in his mind for 20 years: to return to the Earth and defeat Godzilla. Shut out from the possibility of emigration, as the living environment in the ship deteriorates, the group of “Earth Returnists” led by Haruo became the majority, and determines to head back to Earth through a dangerous long-distance hyperspace navigation. However, the Earth they have returned has already passed the time of 20,000 years, and has become an unknown world with the ecosystem reigned by Godzilla.At the end, will human beings win back the Earth? And what will Haruo see beyond his fate?

This sounds super exciting and matches up with all of the futuristic concept we have seen thus far. I like the idea of the humans leaving earth to avoid destruction by the Kaiju and then getting to the supposed savior world and realizing they could not live there. We haven't seen what this Godzilla looks like yet but if the plot description is anything to go off of, I foresee a super ancient look to him once they return. Maybe he'll have a super traditional look at the beginning though. We'll have to see.

Another big piece of news with this update is that the official full title of the film is 'Godzilla: Kaijū Wakusei (Godzilla: Monster Planet)'. There is also a tagline beneath the title on the poster that reads "We will definitely take back this 'Planet'". The poster also shows off some cool two legged mechs  so I can almost guarantee the main character will probably have a direct confrontation with Godzilla at some point in the film.

'Godzilla: Monster planet' will be released in November 2017 into Japanese cinemas but will arrive sometime later this year worldwide on Netflix. 

Does this new info get you excited for the film? Let us know in the comments below! 

Power Rangers - Boom! Studios Shows Us More Of Their Power Regime

We’ve never talked about the Power Rangers series from Boom! Studios, and Ranger Month seems like a good time to start, since it's actually really good.

The first issue picked up shortly after Tommy joined the original team after being freed from Rita Repulsa’s mind control. It explores Tommy adjusting to his new role as a hero, as well as a free man, while being haunted by the remains of Rita’s brainwashing. But none of that is news. What’s news is the designs recently released by Boom! showing off the designs for the additional “Sentries”.

 I’ll be vague to avoid spoilers, but Tommy and Billy have been transported to an alternate future where Rita, aided by the mysterious Lord Drakkon, has succeeded in conquering the world and established your typical evil Dictatorship, complete with statues of herself all over the dang place.

Oh, and Lord Drakkon looks like this:

Can you guess his theme?

Anywho, in issue #11, we were introduced to these guys.

There are a few of them, all dressed in the same Black Ranger armor, carrying guns reminiscent of Zach’s Axe. They are the Sentries, a kind of militarized police force that seem to patrol the streets and enforce the curfew that all dictators put in place after taking power.  

They’re super cool, and apparently there are more of them.

It looks like Rita got really into Destiny, but man, how cool! I’m really into the idea of there being a “corps” of each color.

Speaking of colors, Writer Kyle Higgins addressed why there were no blue sentry designs released

“All I’ll say is, there’s a reason there AREN’T Triceratops Sentries in our story at this point…"  

New issues are released monthly, with the debut of the new Sentries out now.

Love it? Hate it? Miss Billy? Me too, let’s talk about it in the comments.

'Kong: Skull Island' - Final Trailer Released

Well we are now only a week away from Kong: Skull Island's release date and what better way to celebrate than to release one final trailer! This one definitely shows off some big money shots so people who want to stay spoiler free may want to hold off on watching this trailer. But if you don't care...

Oh man this is gonna be epic! So many cool things! I'm really starting to love the Skullcrawlers.

What did you think of the final trailer?