Mireniamu era (daikaiju eiga)
Encyclopedia
In the terminology of daikaiju
eiga the Millennium Era (Mireniamu Era, romaji for the Japanese
approximation to "Millennium") refers not to the third millennium
but to all daikaiju eiga made since 1999
, beginning with Toho
's Godzilla 2000
, which was jump-started in response to the America Godzilla film. The most recent film of the era is Daiei's Gamera the Brave
. The Millennium era closely follows the Heisei era
, which began with Toho
's 1984 film The Return of Godzilla
and ended with Gamera 3: Awakening of Irys
, the last Gamera film to be released by Toho in 1999.
Unlike the Heisei era
and, to a lesser extent, the Shōwa era
, the Godzilla films of this series do not fall within a single timeline. Godzilla: Tokyo SOS is a direct sequel to Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla
, but otherwise the films are unrelated with one another and include only Shōwa era daikaiju eiga in their individual chronologies
, often only the original 1954
Godzilla
; and not all Millennium era movies even acknowledge the full course of events of that movie — for example, according to Godzilla vs. Megaguirus
, Godzilla was not destroyed by the Oxygen Destroyer
, but instead attacked Tokyo and retreated to the ocean, never to be seen again until 1966. Likewise, the first Gamera film of the Millennium era ignores the events in the Heisei era films, starting a new story. Other films that fit in this era include the Korean daikaiju films D-War
and The Host
.
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....
eiga the Millennium Era (Mireniamu Era, romaji for the Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
approximation to "Millennium") refers not to the third millennium
Millennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
but to all daikaiju eiga made since 1999
1999 in film
The year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
, beginning with Toho
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...
's Godzilla 2000
Godzilla 2000
is a 1999 Japanese science fiction kaiju film directed by Takao Okawara and written by Hiroshi Kashiwabara and Wataru Mimura. It was the twenty-third film released in the Godzilla series. It is the only film to feature Orga. The film was released on December 11, 1999...
, which was jump-started in response to the America Godzilla film. The most recent film of the era is Daiei's Gamera the Brave
Gamera the Brave
Gamera the Brave, released in Japan as , is a kaiju film released in 2006, produced by Kadokawa Pictures. This is the 12th and final Gamera film and the first produced by Kadokawa Pictures after they purchased a percentage of the remaining assets of Daiei Motion Picture Company, the original...
. The Millennium era closely follows the Heisei era
Heisei era (daikaiju eiga)
In the context of Japanese monster cinema the Heisei Era refers not to the current era in Japan but to all kaiju eiga made between 1984 and 1999...
, which began with Toho
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...
's 1984 film The Return of Godzilla
The Return of Godzilla
The Return of Godzilla The Return of Godzilla The Return of Godzilla (released as in Japan and as Godzilla 1985 in North America, is a 1984 Science Fiction Kaiju film. The sixteenth film in Toho's Godzilla series, it was produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka and directed by Koji Hashimoto with special...
and ended with Gamera 3: Awakening of Irys
Gamera 3: Awakening of Irys
is a 1999 Kaiju film. It is the third and last film in the Gamera Heisei series, and the last to be distributed by Toho. It was released in the United States on DVD in 2003 under the title Gamera: Revenge of Iris.-Plot:...
, the last Gamera film to be released by Toho in 1999.
Unlike the Heisei era
Heisei era (daikaiju eiga)
In the context of Japanese monster cinema the Heisei Era refers not to the current era in Japan but to all kaiju eiga made between 1984 and 1999...
and, to a lesser extent, the Shōwa era
Showa era (daikaiju eiga)
In the terminology of daikaiju eiga the Shōwa Era refers not to the actual reign of the Shōwa emperor but to all daikaiju eiga made between 1954 and 1980...
, the Godzilla films of this series do not fall within a single timeline. Godzilla: Tokyo SOS is a direct sequel to Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla
Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla
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...
, but otherwise the films are unrelated with one another and include only Shōwa era daikaiju eiga in their individual chronologies
Chronology
Chronology is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time, such as the use of a timeline or sequence of events. It is also "the determination of the actual temporal sequence of past events".Chronology is part of periodization...
, often only the original 1954
1954 in film
The year 1954 in film involved some significant events and memorable ones.-Events:*May 12 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces wife Marion Benda...
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...
; and not all Millennium era movies even acknowledge the full course of events of that movie — for example, according to Godzilla vs. Megaguirus
Godzilla vs. Megaguirus
Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, released in Japan as is a 2000 science fiction kaiju film directed by Masaaki Tezuka and written by Hiroshi Kashiwabara and Wataru Mimura...
, Godzilla was not destroyed by the Oxygen Destroyer
Oxygen Destroyer
The Oxygen Destroyer was a fictional weapon that appeared in the 1954 film Godzilla. It was an extremely powerful chemical compound that was able to completely dissolve Godzilla and wipe out all life in the Tokyo Bay...
, but instead attacked Tokyo and retreated to the ocean, never to be seen again until 1966. Likewise, the first Gamera film of the Millennium era ignores the events in the Heisei era films, starting a new story. Other films that fit in this era include the Korean daikaiju films D-War
D-War
D-War , is a 2007 South Korean fantasy action film released in North America as Dragon Wars: D-War, War of the Dragons in Malaysia, and sometimes referred to colloquially and in some marketing materials as Dragon Wars. It is written and directed by Shim Hyung-rae...
and The Host
The Host (film)
The Host is a 2006 South Korean monster film, which also contains elements of comedy and drama films. The film was directed by Bong Joon-ho, who co-wrote the screenplay, along with Baek Chul-hyun....
.