Godziban – ゴジばん【GEMSTONE ゴジラ 応募作品】 (Review)
Godziban
aka ゴジばん aka Gojiban aka ゴジばん【GEMSTONE ゴジラ 応募作品】
March 20, 2019
Written by Hideyuki Kobayashi
Directed by Hideyuki Kobayashi and Jun Shimazaki
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, 2004 in Tokyo to be precise, there was a Godzilla puppet show called Gekigoji. It was officially licensed by Toho and performed by the Koganemushi Theatrical Company. Koganemushi has produced a bunch of puppet shows featuring a variety of cute monsters and also some Ultraman shows such as this one. The Godzilla show was around 30 minutes long (according to fan lore online) and featured a variety of puppets including Godzilla, Minya, Little Godzilla, a huge King Ghidorah puppet, Gorosaurus, Mothra, Anguirus, Baragon, and Gabara. There does not appear to be an official recording of the play but pictures from the event have shows up online (largely from Koganemushi’s own website, and helped spread to the English speaking side by Monster Island Buddies)
That seemed to be the end of it until 2019 called. One of the Koganemushi people who goes on twitter as g_zanika announced he is bringing the puppets out of retirement to make a 10 minute long film for a contest. The GEMSTONE contest picked the short as the winner, and before you can say “Godzilla” they had announced there would be a new biweekly series featuring the puppets called Godziban (that’s the official English name, before that we called it Gojiban) appearing exclusively online. The series is a bunch of skits, the main one involves Godzilla-kun teaching his two brothers Little and Minya how to be great monsters. There is also a Kamatte Godzilla, where the Kamatte Godzilla from Shin Godzilla appears to women in need. A long-running short gag sequence is Hedojii, which has old man Hedoji (Hedorah as a wizened scribe) and his grandson Hedochi wandering through barren wastelands. Hedochi will ask a question which causes Hedoji to give a long answer explaining the way of things. Then it all ends on Hedochi making a joke. Go! Jet Jaguar is an animated segment where Jet Jaguar answers questions and has adventures. Moshi Mosu features two baby Mothra as they speak to each other through two cups connected by a string. These segments all have precursors in the original 10 minute video, but I am unaware if any of the material comes from the prior stage show. Gojiban has started providing English versions with their latest videos and often incorporates fan comments into the segments. there is even a comic strip version now called Godziman (Gojiman)! It is great having a new, ongoing Godzilla media project that will eventually bring all sorts of new, weird, and wonderful monster canon into the world of Godzilla.
So let’s get started, first up is the original GEMSTONE contest video!
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Categories: Movie Reviews Tags: Anguirus, Baragon, Godziban, Godzilla, Godzilla Junior, Gorosaurus, Hedorah, Jet Jaguar, King Ghidorah, March of Godzilla 2019, Minya, Mothra
Go! Godman: Godman vs. Gorosaurus (ゴッドマン対ゴロザウルス)
Go! Godman: Godman vs. Gorosaurus
aka ゴッドマン対ゴロザウルス その1 – その6 aka Goddoman Tai Gorozaurusu
Week of November 9 – 15, 1972
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Why are you murdering me? I’m just looking for the hospital! Oh, God, NOOOOO!!
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Hell yeah, Gorosaurus is back! But he’s getting beaten up by Godman, because Godman is a jerk and kills everything you love. Especially if what you love is ratty old kaiju film costumes like this Gorosaurus suit, which has seen better days by far. The Gorosaurus suit is in such bad condition that pieces of it are flopping around and it’s all crushed inward like all the padding is missing or decayed away. In fact, it’s hard to think anything except Gorosaurus is very very sick and shouldn’t be getting beaten up by this jerk Godman, but should instead be given medical attention for whatever illness is happening to him. Someone call up Medical Jet Jaguar, I don’t care if he hasn’t been invented yet, go get a time machine and then go get Medical Jet Jaguar! We need an intervention to save Gorosaurus before Godman the jerk kills him!
The only episode that made it to DVD is the final episode, number 6, which consists of Godman beating the ill Gorosaurus up for a while before tossing explosive disks at him. Godman follows this up by firing his Godman Supersonic Wave, blowing up Gorosaurus with swirly death!!
BOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! Gorosaurus never did anything to you, except live and get in the way of your fists. Godman should have been escorting Gorosaurus to hospice care to help with his obvious disease. Way to be a horrible monster, Godman. Someone needs to call Godman to kill Godman.
There are a few clips of earlier episodes online, which consist of Gorosaurus stomping around the nearby town, expertly not stepping on any building, almost as if he’s avoiding wanton destruction because he’s a good guy (Or more likely, the tv series doesn’t have the budget to break the models!) This makes it even more sad when Godman kills him. I am not sure what episode the clips are from, as they begin in the middle of the show. March of Godzilla: Godman will continue, and check out the Godman Splash Page for more Godman goodies!
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Categories: Television Reviews Tags: Godman, Gorosaurus, Japan, March of Godzilla: Godman, tokusatsu
Ike! Godman Splash Page
Godman was Toho’s first tokusatsu, premiering Thursday, October 5th, 1972, on the Good Morning! Kids Show on NTV. This was a day before Toho’s Rainbowman series premiered, so Godman is technically first even if his show is only five minutes long. This means we must be respectful of his place in history, even though he is terrible and so is his show! The story was designed to play six days a week at five minutes each episode, wrapping around the weekend, and providing a complete Godman adventure. But as the show is almost entirely Godman fighting a different monster each week without any of that plot nonsense, it’s not 100% required for you to watch every episode. Eventually, the Ike! Godman series was replaced by the successor Ike! Greenman series, and Greenman would battle some of the monsters from Godman. Never fear, the plots would be just as scarce.
Ike Godman stood in obscurity for decades, with only a few episodes released on laserdisc format (or so the people who upload clips claim), which soon began circulating in the exciting world of grey market vhs tapes. In 2008, the world was shocked when DVDs were released of select episodes of Ike! Godman and Ike! Greenman, along with a brand new original short starring the pair. Shocked, because who was really clamoring for this?? Now, we did not get either full series on DVD, the disks are mainly “best of”s, with only a few complete stories and many monsters only getting a one episode appearance, if that. But like an awful jerk once said, we go to war with the army we have, and what we have is garbage that will only get worse in longer form. I have managed to find a few more extra episodes out there thanks to the magic of the internet, so that will be included when possible. Unfortunately, that means a few of the monsters have no representation at all, at least until the rest of the show is finally released somehow.
That being said, the Godman Splash Page is filled with whatever information I could muster of all the creatures and powers of Ike! Godman, which should be enough to make people think I know what I am talking about. It’s not like anyone else will watch more than one episode of this show, unless they are being tortured by terrible, terrible people. Honestly, this show is awful, and it is only interesting because of the many monster suits being reused.
The True Monster of Ike! Godman:
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Godman powers
Godman has a bunch of special moves that he does by calling out their name. They include:
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Godman kaiju roll call!
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Godman Episode List:
Godman vs. Kinger (ゴッドマン対キンガー その1 – その6) Goddoman Tai Kingaa (October 5 – 11, 1972)
Godman vs. Gabara (ゴッドマン対ガバラ その1 – その6) Goddoman Tai Gabara (October 12 – 18, 1972)
Godman vs. Ghoston (ゴッドマン対ゴーストン その1 – その6) Goddoman Tai Gosuton (October 19 – 25, 1972)
Godman vs. Yasugon and Tsunoterah (ゴッドマン対ヤスゴン その1 – その6) Goddoman Tai Yasugon – Tsunokeraa (October 26 – November 1, 1972)
Godman vs. Tsunosilver (ゴッドマン対ツノシルバー その1 – その6) Goddoman Tai Tsunoshirubaa (November 2 – 8, 1972)
Godman vs. Gorosaurus (ゴッドマン対ゴロザウルス その1 – その6) Goddoman Tai Gorozaurusu (November 9 – 15, 1972)
Godman vs. Madaran (ゴッドマン対マダラン その1 – その6) Goddoman Tai Madaran (November 16 – 22, 1972)
Godman vs. Gattlar (ゴッドマン対ギャットラー その1 – その6) Goddoman Tai Gyattoraa (November 23 – 29, 1972)
Godman vs. Momonglar (ゴッドマン対モモングラー その1 – その6) Goddoman Tai Momonguraa (November 30 – December 6, 1972)
Godman vs. Kamoebas and Folgon (ゴッドマン対カメーバ・フォルゴン その1 – その6) Goddoman Tai Kameeba – Forugon (December 7 – 13, 1972)
Godman vs. Bolbes (ゴッドマン対ボルペス その1 – その6) Goddoman Tai Borupesu (December 14 – 20, 1972)
Godman vs. Imogoras (ゴッドマン対イモゴラス その1 – その6) Goddoman Tai Imogorasu (December 21 – 27, 1972)
Godman vs. Bullman (ゴッドマン対ブルマン その1 – その6) Goddoman Tai Buruman (January 4 – 10, 1973)
Godman vs. Dongolar (ゴッドマン対ドンゴラー その1 – その6) Goddoman Tai Dongoraa (January 11 – 17, 1973)
Godman vs. Skeleton Man No.1 and Skeleton Man No.2 (ゴッドマン対スケルトマンNo.1・スケルトマンNo.2 その1 – その6) Goddoman Tai Sukerutoman No.1 – Sukerutoman No.2 (January 18 – 24, 1973)
Godman vs. Sanda (ゴッドマン対サンダ その1 – その6) Goddoman Tai Sanda (January 25 – 31, 1973)
Godman vs. Gaira (ゴッドマン対ガイラ その1 – その6) Goddoman Tai Gaira (February 1 – 7, 1973)
Godman vs. Trunker (ゴッドマン対トランカー その1 – その6 Goddoman Tai Torankaa (February 8 – 14, 1973)
Godman vs. Hotter(ゴッドマン対ホッター その1 – その6) Goddoman Tai Hottaa (February 8 – 14, 1973)
Godman vs. Green-Mask (ゴッドマン対グリーンマスク その1 – その3) Goddoman Tai Geriinmasuku (February 15 – 21, 1973)
Godman vs. Funtlar (ゴッドマン対フントラー その1 – その3) Goddoman Tai Funtoraa (February 15 – 21, 1973)
Godman vs. Bat-Man (ゴッドマン対バットマン その1 – その3) Goddoman Tai Battoman (February 22 – 28, 1973)
Godman vs. Kappalge (ゴッドマン対カッパルゲ その1 – その3) Goddoman Tai Kapparuge (February 22 – 28, 1973)
Godman vs. Alien Tiborusm (ゴッドマン対ティボラス星人 その1 – その3) Goddoman Tai Tiborasu Seijin (March 1 – 7, 1973)
Godman vs. Ostotam (ゴッドマン対オストタム その1 – その3) Goddoman Tai Ostotam (March 1 – 7, 1973)
Godman vs. Tsunojiras (ゴッドマン対オストタム その1 – その3) Goddoman Tai Tsunojirasu (March 8 – 14, 1973)
Godman vs. Elephantar (ゴッドマン対ツノジラス その1 – その3) Goddoman Tai Erefyandaa (March 8 – 14, 1973)
Godman vs. Totsaurus (ゴッドマン対トットザウルス その1 – その3) Goddoman Tai Tottozaurusu (March 15 – 21, 1973)
Godman vs. Jilarji (ゴッドマン対シラージ その1 – その3) Goddoman Tai Shiraaji (March 15 – 21, 1973)
Godman vs. Wolflar (ゴッドマン対ウルフラー その1 – その3) Goddoman Tai Urufuraa (March 22 – 28, 1973)
Godman vs. Gejilba (ゴッドマン対ゲジルバ その1 – その3) Goddoman Tai Gejiruba (March 22 – 28, 1973)
Godman vs. Trilorn (ゴッドマン対イボギラー その1 – その3) Goddoman Tai Toriroon (March 29 – April 4, 1973)
Godman vs. Ibogilar (ゴッドマン対イボギラー その1 – その3) Goddoman Tai Ibogiraa (March 29 – April 4, 1973)
Godman vs. Stegojiras and Akumon (ゴッドマン対ステゴジラス・アクモン その1 – その6) Goddoman Tai Sutegojirasu – Akumon (April 5 – 11, 1973)
Citations and image sources:
インサイター (The site 90% of the internet got their Godman kaiju images from!)
ゴッドマン’s モンスター
「行け！ゴッドマン５円引き」の記事へ
Categories: Cinema Articles Tags: Akumon, Alien Tiborus, Batman, Bolbes, Bullman, Dongolar, Elephantar, Folgon, Funtlar, Gabara, Gaira, Gattlar, Gejilba, Ghoston, Godman, Gorosaurus, Green-Mask, Hotter, Ibogilar, Imogoras, Japan, Jilarji, Kameba, Kappalge, Kinger, Madaran, March of Godzilla: Godman, Momonglar, Ostotam, Sanda, Skeleton Man No.1, Skeleton Man No.2, Stegojiras, tokusatsu, Totsaurus, Trilorn, Trunker, Tsunojiras, Tsunosilver, Tsunoterah, Wolflar, Yasugon
Destroy All Monsters (Review)
Destroy All Monsters
aka Attack of the Marching Monsters aka Kaiju soshingeki
1968
Directed by Ishiro Honda
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Godzilla before that first morning coffee.
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When I was but a wee lad first learning about the Godzilla experience, catching Super Scary Saturday showings of G-flicks, buying Godzilla films on VHS that weren’t showing up on tv, recording films airing on the local UHF station, I was also reading up on every monster movie related book I could read. My favorites were by a guy named Daniel Cohen*, who wrote such books as Super-Monsters and Science Fiction’s Greatest Monsters, well-read copies of which still lie somewhere in my mom’s attic. There was also another set of books at the library that were neon orange with a book each for Dracula, the Mummy, King Kong, Godzilla, and a few other monsters. The thing was, every library in the area did NOT have the Godzilla book! I was so angry! Imagine 8 year old Tars so mad he purposefully murdered his entire Oregon Trail travel party. Some say I went too far, but they say so only via their gravestone markers…
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Manda and Godzilla set up their slot car racers!
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But is there a point to that rambling first paragraph? Yes! You see, of the Godzilla flicks and lore of Godzilla flicks, knowledge of a movie containing all sorts of Toho monsters was spread. This mythical, magical movie, had like all sorts of monsters, including monsters I had never heard of, beat the tar out of each other and aliens attack. It was Destroy All Monsters. And it never aired on TV anywhere near me. So sad! It also wasn’t at any video store. Destroy All Monsters became a mocking ghost, forever out of reach. Until one day in college suddenly it was on VHS tape. I was like “HELL YEAH!” and bought me some Destroy All Monsters, watched it, loved it, and now don’t know where the tape is because a DVD version was released shortly thereafter. So yeah. And now I have this cool version, which has the AIP dub merged with a widescreen format custom made by some guy on the internet. Because I’m awesome like that.
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Check out this curve, ladies!
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Was Destroy All Monsters worth the 14 years of questing to find? Damn straight it was! Though it isn’t perfect, it is entertaining. It’s got alien invasions, an awesome monster fight finale, Akira Kubo, alien chicks in silver hoodies and capes, 1960s astromen costumes in bright primary colors, attempts to make rocket propulsion scientifically accurate, lasers, and Minya! The only thing missing from this film is Don Frye, but he pops up in another flick years later to make it all right.
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Gah this water’s too cold! Back to the blanket for me!
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I save the whales….for dessert!
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Monster Roll Call!
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Moonbase Mission Control stole it’s color scheme from TarsTarkas.NET!
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Categories: Bad, Movie Reviews Tags: Akira Kubo, Anguirus, Baragon, Godzilla, Gorosaurus, Japan, Jun Tazaki, kaiju, Kenichiro Maruyama, King Ghidorah, Kumonga, Kyoko Ai, Manda, Minya, Mothra, Rodan, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Yukiko Kobayashi
Godzilla Island – Story Arc 22
Godzilla Island – Story Arc 22
1997
Directed by Shun Mizutani
It’s the Final Countdown! Du-de-du du, Du-de-du-du-du! The last Story Arc of them all! The return of the whole cast, the Secret of Godzilla Island is out and the Xiliens will do anything to get their grubby paws on it! Giant Dark Emperor gets mad, Torema gets sad, and less than a few seconds transpires between this story and the previous one. We get a new monster, but not the giant monsterfest I was hoping for with the final story arc. Oh, well. Things are still good, so let’s get the good goings on going, shall we? New readers, Start here at the beginning of the series, and everyone else get ready for the final chapter. Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow there is no tsuzuku!
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Different monster feature in each episode, so we’ll keep track of them in each story arc. The complete Godzilla Island Daikaiju List is located here. We’ll also list any new monster match-ups that weren’t in any film but now exist thanks to this series, such as Mecha-King Ghidorah fighting Hyper Mecha-King Ghidorah or something. The R2 Japanese DVD release is unsubtitled, so most of what is going on will be educated guesses thanks to our limited Japanese speaking ability. But here at TarsTarkas.NET we don’t need no stinking subtitles!
Categories: Bad, Movie Reviews Tags: Anguirus, Baragon, Godzilla, Godzilla Island, Godzilla Junior, Gorosaurus, Japan, Jiro Dan, Kaori Aso, Kaoru Ukawa, Kenichiro Shimamura, King Caesar, Maimi Okuwa, Mecha-King Ghidorah, Moguera, Mothra, Naoko Aizawa, Rodan, Sho Sawamura, Shun Mizutani, We don't need no stinking subtitles, Yutaka Aoyama
Godzilla Island – Story Arc 21
Godzilla Island – Story Arc 21
1997
Directed by Shun Mizutani
President Skroob – Salute! Hail, Skroob! We all hail Skroob, and it looks like the Japanese do as well, because part of the plot of this Story Arc is lifted from Spaceballs! Unfortunately, Godzilla does not fight a giant robotic maid, but we do have an air shield, and the people beneath it lose all their air. Also, the Secret of Godzilla Island is revealed, A new warship is unveiled, and the plot moves towards the final battle as we hit the next to last Story Arc. Anyone new should head over to Story Arc 1, everyone else get to reading. And may the Schwartz be with you….
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Different monster feature in each episode, so we’ll keep track of them in each story arc. The complete Godzilla Island Daikaiju List is located here. We’ll also list any new monster match-ups that weren’t in any film but now exist thanks to this series, such as Black Mechagodzilla fighting Gigan or something. The R2 Japanese DVD release is unsubtitled, so most of what is going on will be educated guesses thanks to our limited Japanese speaking ability. But here at TarsTarkas.NET we don’t need no stinking subtitles!
Read more…
Categories: Bad, Movie Reviews Tags: Anguirus, Baragon, Destoroyah, Godzilla, Godzilla Island, Gorosaurus, Japan, Jiro Dan, Kaori Aso, Kaoru Ukawa, Kenichiro Shimamura, King Caesar, Mechagodzilla, Megalon, Moguera, Mothra, Rodan, Sho Sawamura, Shun Mizutani, We don't need no stinking subtitles, Yutaka Aoyama
