Godzilla Still Fueled By Japan's Anxieties

by Armand Vaquer

Above, the Godzilla mural at Toho Studios in Setagaya. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The box office numbers for Shin Godzilla in Japan are the best the giant beast has seen since the Heisei Series (or Series 2) of the 1990s. Godzilla is well on the way to reclaiming his (or its) box office champion crown.

A new article on Godzilla by the Japan Times has been posted. They refer to the King of the Monsters as being in "middle age", which is nice, considering Godzilla and I both arrived on the scene in 1954. It is preferable than saying "old".

The article begins with:

Within one month of its July release, Toho’s “Shin Gojira” (“Godzilla Resurgence”) attracted more than 3.6 million viewers. Box-office takings are already estimated to have surpassed ¥5.3 billion, putting the film more than halfway toward the seldom-attained figure of ¥10 billion. Toho has great expectations it will eclipse the success of “Bayside Shakedown,” the film spinoff of Fuji TV’s series, and reestablish the “King of the Monsters” as the top domestic film earner. 

That’s all pretty impressive, considering this is the 29th Godzilla film produced by Toho since its smashing debut 62 years ago. What’s more, the series’ basic plot is so simple, it can be digested into a 17-syllable haiku, thus: 

Godzilla attacks 

Japanese scream and panic 

Please pass the popcorn

But, wait! There's a lot more in the article that fans won't want to miss reading!

To read more, go here. 

Godzilla's Legal Defenders

by Armand Vaquer

Above, former Toho-L.A. General Manager Masaharu Ina and Armand at the Godzilla statue in Hibiya in February. The good working relationship between fan groups and Toho began under Ina's tenure as general manager. 

Here's a story that fans of Godzilla are familiar with. Or should be.

The article from the Japan Times is on the team of lawyers that Toho Co., Ltd. enlists to protect the Godzilla (and related creatures) trademark against bootleggers and companies who try to use Godzilla's image in advertising and other unauthorized ventures.

The article begins with:

LOS ANGELES – He spews radioactive fire, razes cities and pummels creatures from Earth and beyond, but even Godzilla needs a good lawyer sometimes. After all, you don’t survive 60 years in the movie business without taking some fights to court. 

For decades, attorneys acting on behalf of Godzilla’s owners, Tokyo-based Toho Co., have amassed a string of victories, fighting counterfeiters and business titans such as Comcast and Honda along the way. The opponents have come from all corners of pop culture: TV commercials, video games, rap music and even the liquor industry. 

The litigation has kept Godzilla’s brand thriving and helped pave the way for commercial and merchandising tie-ins that will accompany the monster’s return to the big screen on Friday after a 10-year hiatus. Godzilla’s image is for sale, but permission is needed.

Back in the days when I was associated with G-FAN magazine, I made it a point to consult with Toho's Los Angeles office to make sure that what we did on different things didn't infringe on their trademarks. This was started while Masaharu Ina was Toho's Los Angeles General Manager. In this way, no toes were stepped on and Toho appreciated the the gesture. If they a problem with a certain aspect, they would suggest changes. We had an excellent working relationship, even though, officially, Toho has a policy of not sanctioning fan activities. But they were helpful whenever they could. Prior to this, there existed some friction between Toho and various fan leaders (some of whom seemed to want to pick fights with Toho). Cooperating with Toho had paid off many times.

To read the full story, go here.

Japan Times Reviews "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan"

The Japan Times Online now has a review of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan posted.

Here's an excerpt:

English-language literature on Godzilla and all the other
monsters that followed is rather scarce, probably due to film company Toho's
legal actions that in the past have successfully blocked the publication of a
number of books. Among the titles worth mentioning, there are Stuart Galbraith
IV's "Monsters Are Attacking Tokyo" (1998), Steve Ryfle's "Japan's Favorite
Mon-star" (1998), and Peter H. Brothers' "Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men: The
Fantastic Cinema of Ishiro Honda" (2009). Now Godzilla lover and writer Armand
Vaquer has come up with a guidebook for all those fans who want to turn a trip
to Japan into a pilgrimage to the places that were cinematically trashed by the
Big G, Mothra, Gamera and their friends.

To see it, go here.