Godzilla Square in Hibiya

[tbeasley]

For those who don't know Hibiya's famous Godzilla statue set up in 1995 was removed last year and will be replaced with one of Shin Godzilla.

Jimpluff on Tumblr has some pics and info -
http://jimpluff.tumblr.com/post/1713949 ... iya-statue

[lhb412]

The only good excuse for removing a Godzilla statue is if you're replacing it with another, larger, Godzilla statue.

[jellydonut25]

[lhb412]

I'm hearing something about it being a fusion of Godzilla features? Like, Shin-esque, but not an exact likeness.

[tbeasley]

The original combined elements from 54 and Heisei so it's not a crazy big deal.

[Benjamin Haines]

It's pretty cool that the plaza itself is being renamed Godzilla Square. It's appropriate for the new statue to be based on the 2016 design since Shin Godzilla has defined this era's Godzilla for Japanese moviegoers. Godzilla's cultural relevance in his homeland is reaffirmed once again!

[jellydonut25]

Seems I'm the only person 'round these parts who's ag'in this, but I sure as heckfire ain't fer it, I can learn y'all dat mush.

Back in my day, when we used to have to hike uphill in the snow both ways just to get onto the onlines, the original statue was there, and it's become a legitimate tourist attraction the world over. People take pictures with it because, "Hey, that's Godzilla!" The statue was informed by the Heisei design, yes, but had bits from other designs as well, and really felt like a true encapsulation of what one might call a 'generic' Godzilla design.

Statues are, in essence built to 'honor' something. A statue to Shin is a monument to money. It seems weird to me.

And all this stuff about the popularity of Godzilla and the resurgence of the character and Shin's importance and stuff is just hogwash. Imagine if Mickey Mouse suddenly became the biggest cartoon on Earth again. Do you think Disney would go around changing out the "Partners" statue to put the modern-day Mickey in there? And that's DISNEY, the most soulless blob of a corporation there is.

[lhb412]

^ I suppose I never thought about it that way... because I always thought the original statue was quite lackluster! It's frumpy.

Never been a fan of making the Heisei design the default, but even so: the statue and mural at Toho Studios are much better, sharper looking affairs.

[tbeasley]

[Benjamin Haines]

I think this is more akin to when Disney updated the Pirates of the Caribbean rides at all of their theme parks in 2006 to include characters from the movies.


I do hope the existing statue will be preserved somewhere, although the fact that it doesn't reflect any one Godzilla design has always irked me. I expect the new statue to irk me for the same reason.

[lhb412]

^ I believe the original statue is going inside the Toho theater (the one with the big Godzilla head on top of the building?).

[jellydonut25]

[tbeasley]

And here he is






And it contains an original 1954 script

Again info and pics courtesy of Jimpluff.

[O.Supreme]

why couldn't they just leave the old one and place this one alongside it, heck build a collection . I don't mind Shin Godzilla, but to me he is definitely NOT the definitive Godzilla

[lhb412]

^ Have a statue garden!

The statue is unquestionablly Shin (I was hoping for a composite design), but I can't deny it's a nice statue. How does it contain a '54 script? How does that work?

[jellydonut25]

[Benjamin Haines]

So they buried the 1954 script with the storyboards and the 2016 Godzilla statue is the gravestone. Brutal.


The statue does look really cool. The English-language "GODZILLA" on the bottom half of the plaque has the same font style that Legendary used for the 2014 film.

[lhb412]

[XvGojira]

[Geno]

Shin is the cultural, critical, and financial peak Godzilla hasn't had since the 50's. It's deserves the statue.

[klen7]

60s, but yes.

[tbeasley]

What do they have planned next you ask...

[lhb412]

Wait, what day is it in Japan?

[tbeasley]

You can enjoy the ride with your Kamata-kun smartphone!