#kaijux

Godzilla Earth vs Gigan - Suez, Egypt by SeaGunsLives

Whew boy, I’ve beenputting this off for too long…

Let’s be real here: thisone HAD to be asked eventually. XD Since my Godzilla knowledge stems prettydeep, I’m going to do something akin to the Pokemon Ask where I’ll havemultiple answers per sector. So… Let’s begin!

Favorite Male Character

THE MATTHEW BRODERICKCHARAC– XD Nah, I’m just pulling legs here. Though truth be told, I think I’mgoing to emphasize more of the humans / aliens here as opposed to the monsters,if only because I feel like there are some very strong characters littered throughoutthe franchise that I feel need / deserve more recognition. But for anyone curious about the monsters, just know that Iabsolutely love all monsters from the Godzilla series and the greater Tohouniverse. <3

While a lot ofrightful praise goes to Dr. Serizawa from the 1954 classic Gojira for his complexity and torn humanity of what’s right (a la,keep the Oxygen Destroyer a secret or use it to kill Godzilla), I’d actuallylike to point to his quote-unquote “counterpart” from 1984′s The Return of Godzilla, Dr. Hayashida.He’s a man who went into the scientific field to exact his revenge on Godzilla,only to mature over the course of 30 years and let it go. Honestly, the dudehas complexity, and it’s a nice subversion to the whole “obsessiverevenge” trope. There’s wisdom and mystique to Hayashida that I don’t think hasbeen recaptured, and part of that can be attributed to the late YosukeNatsuki’s performance. Stellar work.

Likewise, for thealiens, a ton of rightful praise goes to the Xilien Controller from Invasion of Astro-Monster (or, Godzilla vs. Monster Zero). I think inmany ways, if he didn’t blatantly state that they were using magnetic waves andif humanity didn’t have the ability to pull a new weapon out of its arse, hewould have conquered Earth. While it’s still obvious he’s the villain, there’sa certain calculative, methodical cunningness to his personality (at least forbeing a 1960s Sci-Fi alien from a script that was written on the fly) that I thoroughlyenjoy each time I watch Astro-Monster. 

Favorite Female Character

Personal favorite ofthe G-series’ ladies goes to the Xilien agent Miss Namikawa from Astro-Monster.She’s a stellar femme fatale who, in many respects, helps save the world at theend of the day. Being played by the beautiful Kumi Mizuno really helps, haha.

Additionally, KatsuraMafune is another great addition to the Godzilla series. While the executionwasn’t perfect, I do enjoy the melodrama of Terrorof Mechagodzilla, and Katsura’s arc was easily one of the highlights.

Least Favorite Character

Out of these… Myleast favorite I’m sadly giving to the Kilaaks. Granted, I think the Nebulansare also kinda on the low-ranking scale for me, but the Kilaaks are a biggerdisappointment to me because they felt like carbon copies of the Xiliens. Andunlike the Nebulans, the Kilaaks don’t have any new monsters! Well, there’s theFire Dragon, but that’s only a Kilaak UFO. Ghidorah reaaaaaally could’ve used the help there! Now that’s not to say I absolutely loathe themor despise them; but then comes the issue that they’re too bland to even beangry about. XD

Favorite Ship

Glenn and Namikawa,easily. ;) Even if the screentime for their relationship is sparse, you do geta feeling from those two, especially when Namikawa’s killed. Glenn’s reactionis damn well genuine and leads toprobably one of my favorite lines from the movie. An alternative, if I had togive any, would be Miki and Godzilla. :P

Favorite Friendship

JET JAGUAR IS EVERYONE’SBEST FRIEND SHUT UP.

Okay, whew… Stillstrictly speaking humans, this one is generally harder for me to pin down whatmy favorite friendship would be. If I had to go off the top of my head, thesibling relationship between Shindo and Naoko in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster is a lot of fun. Dare I say, Ithink the good guys from Ebirah, Horrorof the Deep (or, Godzilla vs. the SeaMonster) are a treat to watch interact. Same could be said for theprotagonists of Godzilla vs.SpaceGodzilla, even if the movie is rough on the edges.

Favorite Quote

For the sake of my ownsanity, I’m only going to roll with one—and I think everyone can take a goodguess to what it is.

“Nature has a way sometimes of reminding Manof just how small he is. She occasionally throws up terrible offspring’s of ourpride and carelessness to remind us of how puny we really are in the face of atornado, an earthquake, or a Godzilla. The reckless ambitions of Man are oftendwarfed by their dangerous consequences. For now, Godzilla - that strangelyinnocent and tragic monster - has gone to earth. Whether he returns or not, oris never again seen by human eyes, the things he has taught us remain…”

Worst Character Death (if any)

Katagiri’s death, nodoubt. Being the personal target to the King of the Monsters himself? You knowyou’ve done goofed. It’s even worse in the manga adaptation.

This made me so happy you have no idea Moment

It’s hard for me toimmediately recall a moment with the human characters that made me flee gleefuland excited… Though a moment that immediately comes to mind is Yuko’s speechfrom Mothra vs. Godzilla (the ’64 film).Ya’ll should know what I’m talking about.

Saddest Moment

OH LORDIE, SEEING MIKISAD MAKES ME SAD. ;_; I also have to point out Akane Yashiro (even if she’sjust a bit angsty) and Sara Yuhara from GodzillaAgainst Mechagodzilla are incredibly depressing, especially Sara. She losther mother, with only a little plant serving as her last connection, and shewonders why she couldn’t be brought back with the same technology used forKiryu. Katsura’s suicide and Namikawa’s execution are also heavy hitters.

Favorite Location

Okay,so I’ll be honest, I’ve put this one off for so long, I can’t remember what Iwas originally going to say. Darn you past self for not leaving any notes! XDSo I’m just going to pull one straight from the top of my head: Birth Island.From SpaceGodzilla. Because that had a REALLY pretty and romantic sunset.

Although not the first artwork I've had since doing commissions/requests, Yuuengaku is a character I'd like to consider my staple kaiju--in that she's the main kaiju character for a long-running series I hope to get off the ground with her.

Formerly Spacia-X (or Spacia) in past iterations, Yuuengaku is an alien dragon kaiju, part of a species from the planet Tanin (derived from the Arabic word for dragon). During her youth, a massive war  broke out between her kind against the Polemocharan aliens (a society of brainwashing, war-obsessed freaks of a planetary scale that specialize in militarization and bioengineering; think North Korea if they ruled an entire planet) and their bioengineered monsters. Things did not turn favorably for these dragons, leaving them to take flight to other nearby planets or even more distant solar systems.

Among those involved with the War on Tanin, another giant monster by the name of Miehara (a mythical creature with six wings, two serpentine heads, and a metal orb for a body that has a face), a highly intelligent entity that acts as something of a universal peacekeeper, fails to make negotiations with the Polemocharans. Although a powerful, mythic force not to be reckoned with, Miehara opts out of the fight--taking priority to save all the lives of the planet's inhabitants he can before everything spirals out of control. Among those saved, besides a few hundred sentient lifeforms, is a youngling Yuuengaku, who Miehara adopts as one of his own.

Thereafter, Miehara teaches and disciplines Yuuengaku in the ways of being a guardian monster, going from planet to planet to protect sentient life and protect their right to live. He is also responsible for bestowing Yuuengaku with the knowledge of empathy. Although Yuuengaku is still an animal by heart (thusly unable to obtain or fully comprehend the vast knowledge of Miehara), she soars through the galactic landscape to protect the universe--and find what remains of her kind.

Yuuengaku is currently slated to appear in Garayann's DAIKAIJU DAIKESSEN, something which I'm personally super excited for. :D Along with two other monsters that will be appearing in her series (which I have yet to give a proper name to... I'm torn between naming the series after her subtitle, The Space Drifter, or A Winged Hope).

And of course, give credit where credit is due!

Finalized artwork by LucasCGabetArts on DeviantART!

Daikaiju Daikessen image by Garayann on DeviantART!

3D render of Spacia (the proto-Yuuengaku, if you will) by thereal9thdoctor on DeviantART!

 The original Spacia-X... Drawn by yours truly. ;) About 10 years ago, I must add.

What's to Come