Showa Godzilla's (Lack of) Continuity

[MekaGojira3k]

It's not atrocious, just pointless since each story is balanced on their own.

But all of this is pointless. I mean, ultimately we don't discuss these films because there's a distinctive need for it, we just discus them because we want to.

[XvGojira]

And what little continuity there is, is just neat little nods to previous films in the series.

Like Godzilla being in an iceberg in KKvG from being buried in the ice in GRA.

[Pkmatrix]

I still don't see how trying to understand the chronology of these films is such an atrocious act.

It's not that it's atrocious, it's just some mild puzzlement at a few people assuming the continuity is stronger and more rock-solid than it is. It's what leads to odd questions like those asking where stuff like Battle in Outer Space fits, as if there's an actual official indisputable timeline out there somewhere. As I said: contemporary Americans applying a modern conception of franchise continuity to films made in mid-20th Century Japan. It can be done, but is not really what the Creators actually had in mind IMO.

[MekaGojira3k]

I still don't see how trying to understand the chronology of these films is such an atrocious act.

It's not that it's atrocious, it's just some mild puzzlement at a few people assuming the continuity is stronger and more rock-solid than it is. It's what leads to odd questions like those asking where stuff like Battle in Outer Space fits, as if there's an actual official indisputable timeline out there somewhere. As I said: contemporary Americans applying a modern conception of franchise continuity to films made in mid-20th Century Japan. It can be done, but is not really what the Creators actually had in mind IMO.

No, it's not what the creators had in mind but creator intent only goes so far when discussing stuff like that.

I get the puzzlement at assuming it's stronger and more rock-solid, but I don't really think there's anything crazy with somebody saying that the Showa era has a sort of vague continuity that makes use of some of the other Toho films (or some version of them).

[Pkmatrix]

No, it's not what the creators had in mind but creator intent only goes so far when discussing stuff like that.

True. Post-Modernism FTW! The creators' intent is often the least important thing to consider. :p

I get the puzzlement at assuming it's stronger and more rock-solid, but I don't really think there's anything crazy with somebody saying that the Showa era has a sort of vague continuity that makes use of some of the other Toho films (or some version of them).

Well, yeah, there's nothing crazy because that's what's going on!

Maybe I came off a little too harsh in the OP, because it's not like there's zero continuity going on or that the films can't be placed on a single timelime. It's just that, like the James Bond films, there's not a whole lot connecting the Showa films together and it's just as easy to imagine a series of smaller independent timelines as there is to imagine a single grand one.

[Russzilla]

And what little continuity there is, is just neat little nods to previous films in the series.

Like Godzilla being in an iceberg in KKvG from being buried in the ice in GRA.

Or it being mentioned in Monster Zero that Godzilla and Rodan previously dispatched King Ghidorah from Earth in the previous film,GTTHM.

[Dr Kain]

What is so funny about a timeline? The movies are chronologically in the order they were made in.

[jellydonut25]

There are irreconcilable continuity gaffes that only work if you just consider these movies fun individual adventures and not part of a distinct, concrete timeline.

[Dr Kain]

There are irreconcilable continuity gaffes that only work if you just consider these movies fun individual adventures and not part of a distinct, concrete timeline.

I don't see how. They are clearly each taking place after the previous one.

[Gman2887]

Bringing this back into play, I read one member on here (perhaps another thread) claimed Toho sees all of the Showa sci-fi films, Godzilla & otherwise, as part of the same timeline. Apparently it's explained in one of their many non-English books on the subject. Is there any evidence or source to support this? Sounds sort of crazy to me, but hey, it's Toho.

[Legion]

Bringing this back into play, I read one member on here (perhaps another thread) claimed Toho sees all of the Showa sci-fi films, Godzilla & otherwise, as part of the same timeline.

They do? I've never heard that.

[Gman2887]

They do? I've never heard that.

That's what I'm trying to figure out. That's a stuffy timeline if true, but if it's mentioned somewhere, I'd like to know.

[DannyBeane]

I always believed that most of the showa spfx films were in the same timeline however the continuity was very flexible. E.G. KKE, there is the film as it happened but as far as the timeline is concerned, all you need to know is KK chills on an Island in the south pacific where he fought Gorosaurus (and possibly Mechani-Kong in Tokyo). The height discrepancies and specific story details are only pertinent to the film and not the over all showa timeline. Another example in Rodan, 2 Rodans are swallowed up by a volcano however in Ghidrah it was only acknowledged that there was only one Rodan. I am perfectly happy accepting the timeline that everything from 1954-1975 is all apart of one extremely loose, poorly connected timeline and try not to overthink it. (unlike people that try to connect all the showa, heisei and millennium films together)

[Baltan II]

Bringing this back into play, I read one member on here (perhaps another thread) claimed Toho sees all of the Showa sci-fi films, Godzilla & otherwise, as part of the same timeline. Apparently it's explained in one of their many non-English books on the subject. Is there any evidence or source to support this? Sounds sort of crazy to me, but hey, it's Toho.

Not sure if it's this, but I do recall a crazy timeline along those lines being presented in a book for either the Kiryu movies or Final Wars (to fill in some of the flashback-only monster appearances that get paid lip service to having existed). Whatever it was, it definitely didn't appear to be something being treated as Official Toho Canonâ„¢, but as something specific to that film's universe. It also shuffled around a couple of years as to when some of the monster appearances were supposed to happen, I vaguely recall something about Gezora in the 80s or something.

[mr.negativity]

What if Ichirô from Godzilla's Revenge, Rokuro from Megalon, Gengo from Gigan and Hedorah's Ken Yano were all the same character?

[Gentleman]

There are irreconcilable continuity gaffes that only work if you just consider these movies fun individual adventures and not part of a distinct, concrete timeline.

I don't see how. They are clearly each taking place after the previous one.

"The year is 1999..."