Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla
Encyclopedia
Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, released in Japan as , is a 2002 Japanese science fiction
kaiju
film directed by Masaaki Tezuka, written by Wataru Mimura, and produced by Toho Co., Ltd.
It is the 26th installment in the Godzilla
series of films. It is the fourth film to feature Mechagodzilla
. Unlike much of the Millennium Series, the film takes place in continuity with other Toho films, notably Godzilla
, Mothra
, War of the Gargantuas
, The Space Amoeba
and its successor, Tokyo S.O.S.
, is finished and inducted into the Japan Self-Defense Forces
along with its human pilots as the Kiryu Squadron. Lieutenant Akane Yashiro is congratulated by her captain as the new "Kiryu" (main pilot). However, memories of Akane's actions during the original engagement in 1999 still linger, and one of her squadron mates is openly hostile towards her, blaming her for the death of his brother in that same fight.
A while later, Kiryu is shown to the world, and the complete system that controls the unit is explained. The Unit is controlled remotely from a control craft that resembles a very large jet fighter with VSTOL
capabilities. The Unit can be remotely recharged from the ground using microwaves that are relayed through a power system on one of the command aircraft, and then beamed back down to the Kiryu unit. For the end of the presentation,the Absolute Zero cannon is shown. Then everyone is shocked when it is tested on a building. The building is surrounded by a block of ice. As Kiryu hits his tail on the ground, the building is obliterated. At the same time, Godzilla shows up once again, even though the JXSDF seemed to finally defeat him. Kiryu is released at the same place of Godzilla. In the midst of the first battle, Kiryu's soul is awoken by Godzilla's roar and brings with it the memories of his death years ago. This action makes Kiryu extremely angry and he proceeds to destroy the city around him. Horrified, the Kiryu Squadron can only watch in terror and alarm as the rampaging cyborg destroys more city property than Godzilla did. It takes 1 hour for Kiryu's energy source to run out. Kiryu is brought back to headquarters for further work.
Meanwhile, Kiryu's main pilot, Lieutenant Akane Yashiro, tries to settle matters involving 2nd lieutenant Susumu Hayama, scientist Tokumitsu Yuhara and his distressed daughter, Sara; who sees Kiryu as a being with a right to life and that it should befriend Godzilla rather than battle him. Lt. Andre pops the seat out of his jet and flys out and plants a tracking bomb on Godzilla in the ocean. He also gets injured. Later, Godzilla attacks again. Afterwards, a nearby hospital is evacuated. A nurse quickly realizes a baby girl is still in it. Godzilla then creeps up on the hospital and charges for an atomic beam. Just then Kiryu is released from the air, and hits Godzilla with immense speed, saving the nurse and the baby. At this point, Godzilla and Kiryu face off in a head to head battle where each combatant sizes up its opposite and exchange powerful blows that also devastate the cityscape around them. During the course of the fight, Kiryu is disabled, and the remote piloting system completely taken offline. In an effort to continue the fight and press what advantage over Godzilla they still have, Lieutenant Akane orders the pilot to land his command craft so that she can make her way to Kiryu and take control from its internal backup cockpit. Now under direct human control, Kiryu rises from the ground one more time and closes with Godzilla in a final blow, hoping to use the absolute-zero cannon at point blank range. The Two titans collide, and the lieutenant uses the thrusters on Kiryu to propel it and Godzilla out to sea before the cannon fires, freezing a huge portion of the ocean around them. After the blast clears, Godzilla is shown with a huge gash in his chest, steadily walking away from the city and back into the sea. Kiryu is heavily damaged, missing its right arm, and the Absolute Zero cannon shown to be devastated.
The closing image of the film shows Lieutenant Akane standing on the shoulder of the heavily damaged Kiryu, watching Godzilla slowly retreat out to sea with a respectful expression on her face. Following the credits, an additional scene reveals that Lieutenant Akane agrees to have dinner with scientist Tokumitsu Yuhara.
Stomp Tokyo praised the "great monster fight action" but criticized the "[un]compelling non-monster scenes." Giving the film a "B+" score, Mark Zimmer of Digitally Obsessed said that it's "a good deal of fun and one of the better entries in the series." Digital Monster Island gave the film a "B" score, calling it "a fun and exciting film that should please most kaiju
fans."
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
kaiju
Kaiju
is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....
film directed by Masaaki Tezuka, written by Wataru Mimura, and produced by Toho Co., Ltd.
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
It is the 26th installment in the Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
series of films. It is the fourth film to feature Mechagodzilla
Mechagodzilla
is a fictional character from various films in the Godzilla series, introduced in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla . He is Godzilla's mechanical doppelgänger and one of the most popular Toho kaiju...
. Unlike much of the Millennium Series, the film takes place in continuity with other Toho films, notably Godzilla
Godzilla (1954 film)
is a 1954 Japanese science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata and Takashi Shimura. The film tells the story of Godzilla, a giant monster mutated by nuclear radiation, who ravages Japan, bringing back the...
, Mothra
Mothra (film)
is a 1961 Kaiju film from Toho Studios, directed by genre regular Ishirō Honda with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. It is the kaiju eiga debut of screenwriter Shinichi Sekizawa, whose approach to the genre grew to prominence during the 1960s...
, War of the Gargantuas
War of the Gargantuas
The War of the Gargantuas, released in Japan as , is a 1966 Kaiju film, sequel to Frankenstein vs. Baragon.It introduces two giant, hairy humanoids called Gargantuas, which spawned from the discarded cells of Frankenstein's monster from the previous film and are described as brothers...
, The Space Amoeba
Space Amoeba
Space Amoeba, released in Japan as , is a 1970 Kaiju film produced and released by Toho Studios. This was one of director Ishirō Honda's last kaiju movies, and the first such movie made after the death of special-effects director Eiji Tsuburaya...
and its successor, Tokyo S.O.S.
Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.
Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., released in Japan as , is a 2003 science fiction kaiju film directed by Masaaki Tezuka. It was the twenty-seventh film to be released in the Godzilla series. It is the twelfth film to feature Mothra, the second film to feature Kamoebas, and the fifth and latest film to...
Plot
The year is 1999, forty five years after the first Godzilla attack of 1954. When Lieutenant Akane Yashiro, a mazer technician, fails to kill Godzilla during her first combat engagement, she is made a scapegoat for the military's losses during the battle and consequently transferred to a desk job. During the battle, it is discovered that Godzilla is immune to mazer fire, rendering all of the Japanese military useless against it should it return. Scientists are forced to build a bio-mechanical robot from the original Godzilla's skeleton. Four years later, the cyborg, called KiryuMechagodzilla
is a fictional character from various films in the Godzilla series, introduced in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla . He is Godzilla's mechanical doppelgänger and one of the most popular Toho kaiju...
, is finished and inducted into the Japan Self-Defense Forces
Japan Self-Defense Forces
The , or JSDF, occasionally referred to as JSF or SDF, are the unified military forces of Japan that were established after the end of the post–World War II Allied occupation of Japan. For most of the post-war period the JSDF was confined to the islands of Japan and not permitted to be deployed...
along with its human pilots as the Kiryu Squadron. Lieutenant Akane Yashiro is congratulated by her captain as the new "Kiryu" (main pilot). However, memories of Akane's actions during the original engagement in 1999 still linger, and one of her squadron mates is openly hostile towards her, blaming her for the death of his brother in that same fight.
A while later, Kiryu is shown to the world, and the complete system that controls the unit is explained. The Unit is controlled remotely from a control craft that resembles a very large jet fighter with VSTOL
V/STOL
Vertical and/or short take-off and landing is a term used to describe aircraft that are able to take-off or land vertically or on short runways. Vertical takeoff and landing describes craft which do not require runways at all...
capabilities. The Unit can be remotely recharged from the ground using microwaves that are relayed through a power system on one of the command aircraft, and then beamed back down to the Kiryu unit. For the end of the presentation,the Absolute Zero cannon is shown. Then everyone is shocked when it is tested on a building. The building is surrounded by a block of ice. As Kiryu hits his tail on the ground, the building is obliterated. At the same time, Godzilla shows up once again, even though the JXSDF seemed to finally defeat him. Kiryu is released at the same place of Godzilla. In the midst of the first battle, Kiryu's soul is awoken by Godzilla's roar and brings with it the memories of his death years ago. This action makes Kiryu extremely angry and he proceeds to destroy the city around him. Horrified, the Kiryu Squadron can only watch in terror and alarm as the rampaging cyborg destroys more city property than Godzilla did. It takes 1 hour for Kiryu's energy source to run out. Kiryu is brought back to headquarters for further work.
Meanwhile, Kiryu's main pilot, Lieutenant Akane Yashiro, tries to settle matters involving 2nd lieutenant Susumu Hayama, scientist Tokumitsu Yuhara and his distressed daughter, Sara; who sees Kiryu as a being with a right to life and that it should befriend Godzilla rather than battle him. Lt. Andre pops the seat out of his jet and flys out and plants a tracking bomb on Godzilla in the ocean. He also gets injured. Later, Godzilla attacks again. Afterwards, a nearby hospital is evacuated. A nurse quickly realizes a baby girl is still in it. Godzilla then creeps up on the hospital and charges for an atomic beam. Just then Kiryu is released from the air, and hits Godzilla with immense speed, saving the nurse and the baby. At this point, Godzilla and Kiryu face off in a head to head battle where each combatant sizes up its opposite and exchange powerful blows that also devastate the cityscape around them. During the course of the fight, Kiryu is disabled, and the remote piloting system completely taken offline. In an effort to continue the fight and press what advantage over Godzilla they still have, Lieutenant Akane orders the pilot to land his command craft so that she can make her way to Kiryu and take control from its internal backup cockpit. Now under direct human control, Kiryu rises from the ground one more time and closes with Godzilla in a final blow, hoping to use the absolute-zero cannon at point blank range. The Two titans collide, and the lieutenant uses the thrusters on Kiryu to propel it and Godzilla out to sea before the cannon fires, freezing a huge portion of the ocean around them. After the blast clears, Godzilla is shown with a huge gash in his chest, steadily walking away from the city and back into the sea. Kiryu is heavily damaged, missing its right arm, and the Absolute Zero cannon shown to be devastated.
The closing image of the film shows Lieutenant Akane standing on the shoulder of the heavily damaged Kiryu, watching Godzilla slowly retreat out to sea with a respectful expression on her face. Following the credits, an additional scene reveals that Lieutenant Akane agrees to have dinner with scientist Tokumitsu Yuhara.
Cast
- Yumiko ShakuYumiko Shaku, born in Tokyo, Japan, is a Japanese actress and model. Her management is Tommy's Artist Company.- TV Dramas :*2011: BOSS...
as JXSDF Lt. Akane Yashiro - Shin Takuma as Tokumitsu Yuhara
- Kana Onodera as Sara Yuhara
- Kou Takasugi as JXSDF Colonel Togashi
- Patrick Castillo as JXSDF Lt. Andre Ramirez
- Akira NakaoAkira Nakaois a Japanese actor and personality from Kisarazu, Chiba, Japan. He graduated from Chiba Prefectural Kisarazu High School and attended Musashino Art University. Nakao is a member of the Furutachi Project agency....
as Prime Minister Hayato Igarashi - Yūsuke TomoiYusuke Tomoiis a Japanese actor from Hokkaidō, Japan.On June 6, 2006, he married Mika Katsumura. In August that same year, Mika gave birth to a girl. The couple separated in June 2008 and announced their divorce in August 2008...
as JXSDF 2nd Lieutenant Susumu Hayama - Junichi Mizuno as JXSDF 1st Lieutenant Kenji Sekine
- Kumi Mizuno as Prime Minister Machiko Tsuge
- Yoshikazu Kanō as Hishinuma
- Takeo Nakahara as JXSDF Chief Ichiyanagi
- Kōichi Ueda as Dobashi
- Midori Hagio as Kaori Yamada
- Akira Shirai as Shinji Akamatsu
- Naomasa Rokudaira as Dr. Gorō Kanno
- Shinji MorisueShinji Morisueis a Japanese gymnast and Olympic champion. He hails from Okayama City.-Olympics:He received a gold medal in horizontal bar, a silver medal in vault, and a bronze medal in team combined exercises at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles....
as JXSDF 1st Lieutenant - Hideki “Godzilla” MatsuiHideki Matsuiis a Japanese Major League Baseball designated hitter and outfielder. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.After playing the first ten seasons of his career for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, he played the next seven seasons, from 2003–2009, for the New York...
as Himself - Tsutomu KitagawaTsutomu Kitagawais a Japanese actor and Stuntman.He is mostly known for playing Godzilla for the Millennium series.He also played King Ghidorah for Rebirth of Mothra III...
as GodzillaGodzillais a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,... - Hirofumi IshigakiHirofumi Ishigakiis a Japanese actor.-External links:...
as KiryuMechagodzillais a fictional character from various films in the Godzilla series, introduced in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla . He is Godzilla's mechanical doppelgänger and one of the most popular Toho kaiju...
Production
- In this continuity, the original Godzilla's skeleton was not vaporized by the Oxygen Destroyer, and Gaira was seemingly destroyed by maser weapons.
- Kiryu is only referred to as MechagodzillaMechagodzillais a fictional character from various films in the Godzilla series, introduced in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla . He is Godzilla's mechanical doppelgänger and one of the most popular Toho kaiju...
three times in the film; for the rest of the film he is referred to as Kiryu. - Japanese Baseball star Hideki MatsuiHideki Matsuiis a Japanese Major League Baseball designated hitter and outfielder. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.After playing the first ten seasons of his career for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, he played the next seven seasons, from 2003–2009, for the New York...
has a cameo in the film due to his nickname "Godzilla". - TitanosaurusTitanosaurus (Godzilla)is a fictional kaiju featured in the 1975 Showa film Terror of Mechagodzilla, the fifteenth Godzilla film to be produced by Toho.-Abilities:...
was originally slated to appear, but was cut due to budget cuts.
Box office
Budgeted at roughly $8,500,000, Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla opened in Japan on December 13, 2002, and earned $2,253,231 in its opening weekend. It went on to gross approximately $16,000,000 in Japan, making it the second biggest of the Millennium Godzilla films at the box office. It sold approximately 1,700,000 admissions.Critical reaction
Mike Pinsky of DVD Talk gave the film three stars out of five, saying: "While I did have some minor complaints, [this is] a fine entry in the series." Pinsky said "the plot is more interesting than most giant monster movies," and "the battle scenes, which are the main reason anyone watches these films to begin with, were great." Matt Paprocki of Blog Critics said the film is "pretty flawed, [but] those of us who still love seeing Japan get trampled are in for a treat."Stomp Tokyo praised the "great monster fight action" but criticized the "[un]compelling non-monster scenes." Giving the film a "B+" score, Mark Zimmer of Digitally Obsessed said that it's "a good deal of fun and one of the better entries in the series." Digital Monster Island gave the film a "B" score, calling it "a fun and exciting film that should please most kaiju
Kaiju
is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....
fans."