Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

I thought they said something to the effect that they used the landslide, Moguera, etc. as a show of power to prevent their being attacked by humans.

They struck first, as a demonstration of their military might, so as to discourage the Earth Defense Forces from wanting to retaliate. The idea was to show them that it was fruitless, and that the earth's military was no match for that of the Mysterians.

say it ain't so August! next you will be saying it's "Angilas"!

David

In the NES game, circa 1987, the characters names are all spelled in English and are consistent with the current official names. The character is called MOGUERA in the game.

http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/t ... 158-00.png

Getting names right is just as important as dispelling the myths of the genre, such as the "Two Different Endings" for KING KONG VS. GODZILLA. Personally, I could care less which monster is stronger, or who could kick whose arse, which far too many fans are obsessed with. I care about facts, not Superman vs. God debates. This is not a put-down, but just a statement -- if fans can obsess over the length of Space Godzilla's tail, why can't someone try to straighten out the facts concerning the proper spellings of things and people?

Here's an example -- "Angirasu" is rendered as both "Anguirus" and "Angilas" by Toho... which is correct? "Anguirus" was used in the US advertising for GIGANTIS, while "Angilas" was used in Toho's overseas advertising for GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN (IIRC)... The name is based on the Japanese rendering of "Ankylosaurus," so it's a bit problematic. The name should be Anglicized as "Angylus" (no pun intended), but it looks clumsy. Personally, I prefer "Angilas," but I went with "Anguirus" in my book, being Toho's current rendering, so that it wouldn't confuse new fans (and it's an acceptable compromise).

Conversely, there are only three katakana characters in "Mogera" -- "Mo," "Ge," and "Ra" -- so there's not much guessing. Although another possible English rendering could be "Mogella," since, presumably, the "Ra" comes from "Gojira/Godzilla." The Japanese root word for "Mogera" is "Mogura," or "Mole," which is where Toho may have gotten the extra "U" for the English name them inconsistently use. I say this, because many Toho books feature different English spellings of the monster names, which doesn't make them right.

Last time I checked, this was a public message board, and as fans, we all have different priorities of interests -- and we should be free to express our opinions, likes/dislikes, and post facts as well. My main interest is how these films were made and getting the facts straight on them -- which is what compelled me to write about these films in the first place.

Rodanex, there's the correct spelling, right on the film. I just checked GODZILLA VS. SPACE GODZILLA -- damn you making me endure that film again! -- and in English it says "M.O.G.E.R.A" (Mobile Operational G-Expert Robot Aerotype - ?). But as I intimated, "Moguera" was created by Toho's marketing department -- if you have a question about why Toho altered the name for Trendmasters' toys (and video games and such), I suggest that you ask Toho. I don't care about the overseas marketing of these characters as much as the films themselves. But, I would be interested in hearing the explanation, if you get one.

Personally, I think that the original Mogera is a great Art Deco-style design, completely evocative of the period the film was made -- much better than 95% of what was brought to the screen in the 1950s (have you SEEN some of the horrendous robots of that era?). Mogera ranks right up there with Robby and Gort in my book. Now, I confess, while this last paragraph is completely personal opinion, it is based on years of watching these films. On the other hand, the 1990s M.O.G.E.R.A. was lacking... a lot. He certainly was no Mechagodzilla!

Peace Out!

Agreed. The next book on kaiju eiga I write will have to include a "monster name glossary." I've heard people try to pronounce "Moguera," and it always comes out as "Mo-gu-era"... Japanese names are very easy to read if people break them up syllabically; Akira Ifukube is A-ki-ra I-fu-ku-be (Ah-key-rah Ie-foo-koo-bey), Ishiro Honda is I-shi-ro Hon-da (Ie-she-row Hon-dah) and Eiji Tsuburaya is Ei-ji Tsu-bu-ra-ya (Eh-gee Soo-boo-rye-yah).