Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

I have only posted here on select occasions, have been a frequent visitor since MZ's first incarnation as I am, and have been for 20+ years an avid Kaiju fan, and most importantly, a Godzilla fan.

Sure I enjoy the others; Gamera, Rodan, Mysterians, Mothra, Gargantuas etc., and fancy myself as someone who, while not claiming to be an all knowing expert, have seen most kaiju films out there at least once.

Here is the situation....This is primarily a site that focuses on Godzilla. While I understand how some partons are so into every aspect of the world of Godzilla, many take it very seriously and due to the freedom of individuality, are able to express their opinions on even the most minute details of everything that is Godzilla, I think that the true essence of Godzilla has become lost in the myriad of everyone's scruitny.

Here's the hook...."In my opinion" has become the mantra of all forum life and I believe has taken a great many of us away from the root of what it is to be a Godzilla fan. Think back to when you first discovered Godzilla....you probably didn't care about the special effects, storyline, plot development, opponent selection or who happens to be directing...it was about a movie, with a fantastic premice....Giant monsters battling and destroying cities with us helpless to stop them. Big "dumb" fun that takes us away from reality for a couple of hours and lets us forget about the worries of the world.

I have enjoyed seening the new developments in the movies using a site like this, but have decided that ultimately, when the movie is actually out, that I have stopped reading what everybody else thinks and returned myself to my idea of what a monster movie should mean to "ME". Before this change, I kept going into movies looking for the flaws and found myself slipping away from who I am as a fan. I am much happier now, I must say.

My Question to all of you is: What was Godzilla to you when you first discovered the genere, and with all the information access and various discussion board banter, what has Godzilla become....I'd venture to guess the truth is going to be quite similar to mine...and if you disagree, that is perfectly fine as well, since no two people are the same.

See, that is what I am saying, and I am in the same boat. I really didn't know about the "series" till at least 1980 when I actually found a refrence library our elementary school on old horror and sci-fi monsters. They were all about 30 pages, one on Creature from the Black Lagoon, Kong, Frankenstein, Dracula, Goji etc. I then realized the timeline, though nothing more.
I actually purched the complete Heisei series through a dealer in Kaiju stuff a year before they were available for sale here. I am a nut, still today, my wife just laughs and actually watched the last Gamera film with me and thought it "wasn't as bad as she thought it would be." LOL

I just hope that when all is said and done, the fans can actually stop going into movies hoping the worst, or with an already stained attitude before they see a movie and remember this so it is not taken out of context:

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN....THIS IS GODZILLA! IT IS MEANT TO BE, EVEN IN IT'S DARKEST INCARNATION, CAMPY FUN. IS THERE SOME SERIOUSNESS ATTACHED AT TIMES? YES! JUST DON"T LOSE SIGHT THAT IT IS, FIRST AND FOREMOST.......A MONSTER MOVIE!!! GO AHEAD, BE A KID AGAIN AND ENJOY THE FUN!!!!

This is a hard question. Godzilla a big part of my life, but I don't take it too seriously... some people eat, sleep, and breath their fandom. But though Godzilla is very cool indeed, their are other things like art, books, people who get your weird sense of humor, trees, sunsets, cherry kool-aid mixed with cranberry-grape juice, music, the girl with the sun in her eyes and shes gone!

LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS!
LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS!
LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS!

..... oh, wait, back to my rambling stream of conciousness post.


Yeah, I think I rate Godzilla right up there with sunsets.... although I really don't take anything very seriously now that I think about it. I believe my favorite author Douglas Adams once said something to the effect of that and if I remembered it I would quote it.

BTW Fans of Adams' writing who are shy of reading his non-fiction book "Last Chance To See" then don't be. The world is always brilliantly funny through his eyes, and his concern about what man is doing to his enviroment is so infectious and touching that I garantee you'll tear up a bit at the end.


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