Godzilla Minus One

Japan 1947.  Two years after the end of World War II, the country continues to rebuild after the horrific nightmares it suffered.  But things go from bad to worse when a enormous monster called Godzilla rises from the ocean.  Seemingly powerless to stop this creature, Japans future now rests in the hands of a small group of volunteers, many of whom are war vetrans, including a young pilot who has had first hand experience with the horror Godzilla can bring.  For him, and many others, the impossible goal of destroying Godzilla might be only way to end their personal war for good.

The King of the Monsters, Godzilla, turns 70 in 2024.  When you have a franchise that’s gone on for so long, it can be hard to come up with new ideas to keep the character fresh.  Thankfully, Godzilla is no stranger to multiple reboots within his own film eras and his last reboot, 2016’s Shin Godzilla, turned out to be my favorite film in the entire franchise. So how the heck is Godzilla celebrating his 70^th birthday with Godzilla Minus One?  By going back to his roots as the greatest of all natural disasters and complete with a tale of loss and redemption that might just be one of the most powerful and compelling in the entire franchise. 
 

T5W#433-Top 5 Worst Moments from Sailor Moon SuperS

Our year long look at Sailor Moon begins its final chapter Next Monday when Sailor Moon Sailor Stars kicks off at long last.  And while my expectations for it are high since it’s the one season I’ve seen nothing of until now, it cant be nearly as bad as the disaster that was Sailor Moon SuperS.  Sure the SuperS Movie was much better but the actual season was one of the worst titles I’ve reviewed this year (not a 0/10 mind you but still pretty bad).  It was a season of missed opportunity, character regression or assassination, moments of pure and painful cringe and the feeling that the story had just stopped dead in its tracks and was replaced by over 40 episodes of filler.  It even ended on a cliffhanger (a first for the series) that will likely get resolved in the beginning of Sailor Stars.  It’s difficult to choose five actual good moments or elements from a season that I consider the Gundam Seed Destiny of Sailor Moon.  In that regard, todays Top 5 Wednesday recap of our previous season of Sailor Moon will not be a Best Moments list.  No, the Fourth Season of Sailor Moon deserves its bottom tier status and thus we’ll be looking at the Top 5 Worst Moments from Sailor Moon SuperS.

 

Godzilla 2000

When a sixty million year old space ship is brought up from beneath the oceans, Humanity has no idea what kind of terror they’ve discovered.  An ancient alien menace seeks to find the perfect form to assimilate to continue its path of destruction.  And it’s found the perfect being to copy: Godzilla.  As Japan finds itself in the crosshairs, those who wish to aid and destroy Godzilla clash even though it becomes likely that no matter who wins this battle, Japan still loses.  After all, it is Godzilla and he isn’t on anyone’s side but his own.

1995’s Godzilla vs. Destroyah was meant to be the final bow for The King of the Monsters.  However, you can never keep the big guy down and a mere four years later, Godzilla returned to do what he does best in Japan.  While I’ve been told otherwise, I cant help but feel that part of the reason for Godzilla’s resurrection has to do with the critical panning and underperformance of the 1998 US Godzilla movie, thus prompting Japan to go “Alright, watch and learn.”  That said, is Godzilla’s march into the new millennium worthy of his royalty status, or is it just another “meh” entry?
 

T5W#432-Top 5 Mechagodzillas (Written by JMT 117)

Happy Week of Thanksgiving everyone from the Gundam Anime Corner. And this year, I’ve chosen to skip over my annual Top 5 Things I’m Thankful For In Anime in favor of something a bit more special.  We’re in the home stretch of Godzilla Month II and I definitely wanted to get in a Godzilla themed T5W for the occasion.  But I haven’t done many of those myself, those I’ve usually asked of a good friend.  Yes, Dear Readers, JMT 117 is back with another Godzilla Top 5 of his choosing and it’s a solid one too.  So, without further ado, take it away dude, these are the Top 5 Mechagodzillas (Written by JMT 117).

 
In the nearly seventy years Godzilla films have been produced in Japan and, most recently, in America, the King of the Monsters has faced a variety of foes, from the weapons of man, both real and fantastical, to a horde of other kaiju big and small (ironically) from all corners of the Earth and even from outside it. However, out of the legion of Godzilla’s foes, none has stood out quite as much as his mechanical doppelganger. Whether built by aliens bent on the conquest of our planet or made by humans in a bid to find a means to stop the radioactive giant, Mechagodzilla has become a Godzilla staple.
 
Today, for my Top 5, I will rank some of the main Mechagodzillas we’ve seen over the years. And reveal which of them is my favorite and the best, in my humble opinion. And since I am the Godzilla Otaku here, whose opinion is totally correct, let us begin.     
 

Godzilla (1998)

New York City: The City that Never Sleeps, is about to get an unexpected visitor.  Born of unknown origins, it is a creature whose size rivals those of Manhattan’s tallest buildings and whose penchant for destruction cannot be halted by the Military’s strongest weapons. What’s worse, it’s arrival may only be a precursor to an even greater threat still to come.  Panic sweeps and options dwindle as a group of US Scientists and French Special Forces band together to stop this unstoppable monster, known as Godzilla.

Godzilla’s 1998 debut had a lot of promise behind it. It was the latest project from Director Roland Emmerich and Producer Dean Devlin, whose disaster epic Independence Day two years prior dominated the box office.  And, simply enough, it’s Godzilla, a world renowned character who can be shown as either a metaphor for the dangers of nuclear power or as a Kaiju who throws down with other Kaiju for various unnecessary reasons.  This movie should have been a no brainer to get right.  In that regard though, Godzilla 98 takes that sentiment a bit too literally as the film lacks any sort of brains while also making Godzilla kind of a giant brainless wuss in his own right.  Some parts might become so bad it’s entertaining but yeah this is a movie that should give the King of the Monsters cause to destroy Hollywood out of spite.
 

FIF#200-Power Rangers: Cosmic Fury

After decades in exile, the sinister Lord Zedd has returned and he has secured powerful new allies to aid in his conquest of the galaxy.  But Zedd has his sights fixed on one planet where he has unfinished business: Earth.  Standing in his way is the newest team of Power Rangers, the Dino Fury Rangers.  Against a foe from the past who’s stronger than ever, the Rangers will need the ultimate upgrade to face him, as well as some assistance from old friends who have faced Zedd in the past and stopped him.  The ultimate battle for the universe has begun.

 
The year was 1993 when an extradimensional being selected five “teenagers with attitude” to become a spandex clad fighting force capable of defending the Earth from Alien invaders.  Since then, Power Rangers has continued to thrive in the pop culture zeitgeist with new generations getting introduced to the saga with each new series over the last 30 years.  And now the 30^th Season of the long running franchise has begun.  Since I’ve been spotlighting Power Rangers throughout 2023 in various Top 5’s and First Impressions of their Sentai source material, it only makes sense to cap off my Ranger coverage for 2023 by dedicating my landmark 200^th First Impression Friday to the first episode of Power Rangers: Cosmic Fury.  Is it everything that’s been hyped and promised for over a year now?
 

T5W#431-Top 5 Thoughts on the Yu Yu Hakusho Live Action Trailer

One of the biggest success stories in Anime in 2023 has to go to Netflix’s Live Action Adaptation of One Piece.  Somehow, the streaming service managed to learn from its disastrous mistakes with Cowboy Bebop and craft a series that wasn’t only faithful to the source but also accessible to newcomers and those not as well versed in the world of the Straw Hat Pirates like myself.  Well One Piece hasn’t been the only Live Action Anime on Netflix’s docket and last week we got our first look at their next project, another fan favorite by the name of Yu Yu Hakusho.  What some might refer to as “Bleach before Bleach”, Yu Yu Hakusho follows the adventures of Yusuke Urameshi, a high school delinquent who dies in a traffic accident while saving a child.  He is brought to the Spirit World and given a chance to return to life as a Spirit Detective, facing otherworldly threats against the living.  Given what Netflix was able to accomplish with One Piece, is there a chance they can go two for two with this one?  Well the trailer is out and I’ve taken a couple of looks, so todays Top 5 Wednesday will be delving into my Top 5 Thoughts on the Yu Yu Hakusho Live Action Trailer.  Ready your Spirit Guns and lets get to it.

 

Godzilla vs. Destroyah

Godzilla is dying.  With his body going through a nuclear meltdown, the King of the Monsters is on his last rampage.  What’s worse, the ghost of a weapon once used to destroy Godzilla has emerged as a new kind of monster: Destroyah.  As Godzilla marches towards his final showdown, the potential damage of his demise rises to the point where Godzilla’s meltdown could destroy the planet itself.  Godzilla or Destroyah, whoever wins, all of Mankind could lose.

While the second era of Godzilla, the Hesei Era, is generally well loved, the law of diminishing returns began to affect it with Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II and Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla.  Hence, in 1995 the decision was made to close out the series with one final film (even though it wouldn’t be).  And in a decade that also saw DC Comics kill off Superman, Godzilla needed a premise and a foe worthy of being his ultimate challenge.  Does Godzilla vs. Destroyah meet the hefty requirements needed for a proper bow out for the King of the Monsters?
 

FIF#199-Tomo Chan is a Girl

Tomo Aizawa and Junichiro Kobata are childhood friends who have been around each other most of their lives.  When they enter high school, Tomo confesses her love for Junichiro.  But…there’s one small problem: Junichiro is blissfully unaware that Tomo is a girl.  A shock to her system, Tomo resolves to win the heart of her best friend by becoming more feminine, even if some old habits that make her cool are hard to shake.  But is true love with your bestie possible when they only see you as “one of the guys?”

 
I’m not ashamed to admit I have a soft spot for Romance Anime.  I’ll peak at one here and there and depending on the characters, writing and situation, I could genuinely come to care about the outcome of whatever romantic drama is unfolding.  Romantic Comedy Anime are ones I seldom delve into and sometimes you find wins like My Dress Up Darling or Komi Can’t Communicate and occssional duds like Love Hina.  I’ll admit, I was drawn to Tomo Can is a Girl based on the design of the titular character alone.  She’s freaking cute and reminds me design wise of Red Blood Cell from Cells at Work (another title I need to get to for review sometime).  I knew from the title alone, without even looking at a synopsis, this would be about her tomboyish appearance…but WOW I was not expecting this and I mean that in a good way.  I think I’ve found a Rom Com I can actually get into because much of Tomo Chan’s first episode had me in stitches.
 

T5W#430-Top 5 Yoshiyaki Kawajiri Movies

Now that my Halloween reviews are all done, can I talk for a second about how it kind of turned into a Six Degrees of Yoshiuaki Kawajiri Month?  I mean I looked at three of his movies (Wicked City, Demon City Shinjuku and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust), while the other three had tepid connections to his work (Vampire Hunter D would of course get a sequel from him; he’d eventually direct the TV Anime version of X; and Ninja Resurrection was falsely advertised in the US as a sequel to Ninja Scroll).  Kind of crazy how that all worked out.  So today, I’m spotlighting the Top 5 Yoshiyaki Kawajiri Movies, works of a seasoned action Anime Director who’s given me some of my all time favorite classics…so you can probably guess what #1 will be but I’ve got plenty to say about the others.  So grab your sharpest Anime sword and read on.

Godzilla Raids Again

When a series of fishing boats suddenly disappear, the worst fears of Japan are realized: Godzilla has returned.  Even worse, he’s been followed to the mainland by another powerful monster, Angirus.  Japan barely survived their first encounter with the King of the Monsters.  Now with an impending showdown between two titans, can anything stand in their way?  When even the might of the Japanese military proves fruitless, the cleverness of a pair of untested pilots could be the key to victory before all of Japan burns in the wake of this clash of monsters.

Welcome to Godzilla Month II.  All throughout November we’ll be looking at 4 Godzilla films, one from each of the main eras of the series, starting with todays Showa Era offering.  The original 1954 Gojira was a true masterpiece of visual spectacle and hard hitting messages about the horrors of atomic fire.  While it ushered in a new era of theatrical monster movies in Japan, I doubt anyone expected Godzilla to get a sequel, especially since he was very much dead at the end of the original.  I doubt even more imagined what kind of a direction the series would take after the gut punching original.  This brings us to Godzilla Raids Again, a rushed sequel that shows its rushed while also giving birth to many of the tropes that both define and hamper all Godzilla movies to this day.
 

FIF#198-Spriggan

Many years ago, an ancient civilizations technical achievements grew beyond their control and they found themselves destroyed by it.  Millenia later, various artifacts from this long lost culture have begun to resurface with a cryptic warning, “If you cannot wield the power of our creations, they must be destroyed.”  Shadowy organizations, government black ops group and private mercenaries all vie for control of this powerful technology.  Standing in their way is ARCAM, dedicated to fulfilling that cryptic message and keeping the dark technology out of evil hands no matter the cost.  Leading the charge in this fight are ARCAM’s elite warriors, outfitted with the latest and most deadly weapons of war ever built, making them one man armies in the field.  They are…the Spriggans.

 
Ever since I saw the original Spriggan Feature Film back in…2001 or 2002, I’d always wanted to see a sequel or some kind of follow up.  Sure it wasn’t perfect (I said as much in my review a couple of years back: ).  But the first half is a ridiculously fun action flick blending equal parts Metal Gear Solid with Indiana Jones and it’s a premise that could lend itself nicely to a series of films or a TV Adaptation.  So when I heard that a new Anime was coming to Netflix, I was intrigued by what it might offer.  And then I remembered…Netflix.  When it comes to that streaming service, 90% of the titles they slap a “Netflix Original Anime” card on are usually a less than stellar and even more painful to look at 3DCG hybrid that they’ve been trying to push for years.  I cant even think of one I’ve actually liked…and Spriggan isn’t ending that string of disappointments anytime soon.
 

T5W#429-Top 5 Best Things About Resident Evil 4 Remake

Well it only took me the better part of the year and lucky timing on a Prime Day Deal but I finally got my hands on an Xbox Series X and it should surprise no one the first game I got for it.  Yes Dear Readers, IVE FINALLY PLAYED RESIDENT EVIL 4 REMAKE!!!!  Even being fully aware of spoilers and game play vids, getting to play this myself after months of waiting is still such an amazing experience.  RE4R has truly lived up to the hype and far surpassed the original Resident Evil 4, a damn near perfect game made better.  And since Resident Evil always has an open invite to visit the Gundam Anime Corner, it’s time to talk about what I love about this game so much and why I have hardly stopped playing since I got my hands on it.  Ready your Knives, Grapple Guns and Hand Guns, let’s get into the Top 5 Best Things About Resident Evil 4 Remake.

 

Anime Corner-End of 2023 Preview

Yeesh.  For a number of personal reasons, 2023 has sucked beyond belief, especially October.  Again, I wont get into why but some of those reasons have resulted in me changing up some plans for the Anime Corner for the next few months leading up to the Blogs 10^th Anniversary.  I can say that because of work, my free time is severely limited, hence why I’ve gone back to a one review schedule for the remainder of the year (and maybe beyond but we’ll talk about that around New Years).  Still, this is my passion project and I intend to keep at it as often as possible.  This means reshuffling some titles and coming up with new ideas to keep the spark lit brightly.  Ergo, let’s go over what awaits us in the last couple of months of 2023.