A podcast seeking entertainment and enlightenment through tokusatsu. Origin Story: After vacationing on the Monsterland Resort, professional writer/raging nerd Nathan Marchand got a job as the curator of the Vault containing the films about Monster Island’s many kaiju residents. Now he and his intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA (who miraculously survived the infamous War in Space), record a bi-weekly podcast critically and academically examining each of the films in the prestigious Vault with one to four guest hosts chosen from Monster Island’s many tourists. Philosophy: Kaiju and/or tokusatsu fans will tell you these genres are undeniably fun. What’s often missed, though, are the deeper meanings below the sensational surface. Meanings entrenched in the story’s original historical and cultural context. That’s why this podcast believes in film appreciation. What’s that? It’s studying a movie’s script, direction, cinematography, and other aspects of filmmaking. It’s learning how and why it was created since movies aren’t made in a vacuum. This is especially true with foreign films. Non-native audiences are separated by both time and culture with them...
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Episode 26: The Metters vs. ‘Daimajin Strikes Again’
Hello, kaiju lovers!
The “Daimajin Days” come to a close with Joe and Joy Metter returning to discuss Daimajin Strikes Again. The final film of the Daimajin trilogy, while it has the same basic set-up with an evil lord oppressing the people, focuses on four boys who set out to rescue their commoner fathers and brothers from slavery. The Metters’ dogs Teddy Kong and Bitzilla make more cameos as they and Nathan make frequent comparisons between this film and Lord of the Rings, Naruto, and even X-Men! All the while MIFV’s intrepid producer, Jimmy From NASA, continues to antagonize Joy—which comes to a head in an epic post-credit scene!
Today’s Toku Topic builds on the previous one by discussing kami (Japanese spirits and gods).
We’d like to give a shout-out to our Patreon patrons Travis Alexander and Michael Hamilton (co-hosts of Kaiju Weekly); Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Eli Harris (elizilla13); Chris Cooke (host of One Cross Radio), and Bex from Redeemed Otaku! Thanks for your support!
You, too, can support us on Patreon and get perks like this starting at only $3 a month!
This episode is approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors.
Episode epilogue written by Nathan Marchand with Joe and Joy Metter.
Episode image created by Michael Hamilton.
This episode features the following music tracks:
-“Daimajin’s Ferocity” by Akira Ifukube
-“Kozasa’s Prayer” by Akira Ifukube
-“Jet Jaguar” by Heavy Melody Music
Read Jimmy’s Notes on this episode.
Timestamps:
Intro: 0:00-4:42
Entertaining Info Dump: 4:42-10:16
Toku Talk: 10:16-54:42
Toku Topic: 54:42-1:19:36
Outro: 1:19:36-1:29:19
Epilogue: 1:29:19-end
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© 2020 Nathan Marchand & Moonlighting Ninjas Media
Bibliography/Further Reading:
- The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies Volume 1: 1954-1982 by John LeMay
- “The Daimajin Trilogy: A G-Fan’s Tribute” by Nancy Waltman (G-Fan #49)
- Encyclopedia of Shinto
- Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films: A Critical Analysis and Filmography of 103 Features Released in the United States 1950-1992 by Stuart Galbraith IV
- The Kaiju Film: A Critical Study of Cinema’s Biggest Monsters by Jason Barr
- “Kami” (Ancient History Encyclopedia)
- “Kami” (Wikipedia)
- “Kami: The Evolution of Japan’s Native Gods” by Hashizume Daisaburō
- “Meet the Gods: 13 Japanese Kami” by John Spacey
- “Vaiśravaṇa” (Wikipedia)
- Wiki Articles on Daimajin Strikes Again:
- IMDB
- Gojipedia
- Wikipedia
- Wikizilla
The post Episode 26: The Metters vs. ‘Daimajin Strikes Again’ appeared first on The Monster Island Film Vault.