KAIJUOLOGY: The History of a Genre
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ส.ค. 2024
- BOG O'BONES PRESENTS
KAIJUOLOGY: THE HISTORY OF A GENRE
----------------------------------
For years, characters such as Godzilla, Gamera & Ultraman have captivated audiences worldwide. But what exactly are the origins of these beloved icons and where did their unique "kaiju genre" begin? Spanning from the genre's inception in the early years of cinema to the present day global renaissance, "Slimer" Joel takes you on a near century-long tour into the brilliant and captivating world of the kaiju genre in the monstrous KAIJUOLOGY: THE HISTORY OF A GENRE.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Images copyright their respective owners.
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
-------------------------------------------
#kaiju #godzilla #essay #documentary
Thanks everyone for the warm reception this video has received! I’m truly humbled that this manages to reach so many views in a little under two weeks!
That said, I should probably address some criticisms I’ve been repeatedly receiving:
- Yes, I missed some stuff. Big things like Gamera: Rebirth and the IDW Godzilla comics which are admittedly major oversights. These were the result of re-recording year-old narration to better cover more recent topics that I only alluded to in earlier drafts (such as Minus One and the MonsterVerse shows), and these got lost in the shuffle by mistake. Then there’s minor stuff like Reptilicus, the Ultraman Netflix anime, Gridman, etc. which was left out intentionally as they were either too minor to reference or that I didn’t want to overstuff the video with just a list of things that happened. It’s a history video, not a compilation.
- Audio mixing is admittedly pretty wack at times. That’s just one of those kinks I’ve gotta work out as I make more videos.
- A few pronunciation errors and minor mistakes made it by accidentally, sorry about that! I recorded each section in real time and was bound to mess something up lol
Thanks again for the support, hopefully you’ll stick around for future videos!
Let me cook for you when you reach 1 million subscribers
Pls post the bibliography or citations you've used !!
TBH, the IDW comics are so unique and cool, they'd be well worth their own video. Great job on this one! I'm subbed with the bell on for what you do next.
what about Evangelion?
evangelion is a mecha anime, not a kaiju or tokansatsu series. maybe gridman seems more appropriate here but not eva. you should have watched the video lol
Godzilla Minus One earning its Oscar is definitely a highlight of the entire Kaiju genre.
it should have been nominated for best foreign language film
@@thewkovacs316 As i understand it, Japan didn’t submit for consideration (!)
@@padawanmage71 really? why not? even a nom would have been a feather in tohu's cap.
I thought this said eating its oscar
@@thewkovacs316Because they missed the deadline for it
Brazilian 50 year-old here.
Brazil has the largest Japanese community in the world outside Japan itself. Japanese migration officially started in 1908, and their culture has been ingrained into ours since then.
And this pretty much includes Japanese Pop culture. My grandpa watched the original Godzilla in the movies back in the late 50s, my mom used to watch National Kid, and I used to watch Ultraman on TV when I was 5 years old, among others (Johnny Sokko And His Flying Robot, UltraSeven, Magma Taishi etc). My brothers grew up on Changeman and Jaspion, and my son on the Power Rangers. But none of this is new here: I dare say we Brazilians have had more contact with this kind of content long before the Americans.
As for the video itself, kudos man. Great research and I had a lot of fun watching it.
2 minutes in, this is great. May the algorithm bless you, my friend. Just keep grinding, it'll happen.
Being from Hawai'i, Japanese media was a big part of my childhood. There was Kikaida, Power Rangers, and of course Godzilla. My dad got me into Godzilla, and I've been a life long fan ever since. I'm glad to see Tokusatsu and Kaiju become part of main stream pop culture.
What does being from Hawaii have to do with anything?
@@supme7558 Hawai'i is a huge area for Japanese tourism and immigrants
Even the Heisei era intro here goes hard. It’s hard to beat the Heisei era.
Also this is a MASSIVE hot take but I feel KOTM is the best of the Legendary films. From the score to the monster battles, it scratches every itch for me.
King of the Monsters is the first non-Japanese Godzilla movie that truly understood Godzilla. It reminded me a lot of Marc Cerasini's books (Especially Godzilla 2000) and just hit the vibes perfectly. Besides all that, some of the cinematography was absolutely stunning.
I also really love KOTM! I absolutely agree. It also scratches my itches
The first time i was underwhelmed, but seeing it a second time recently i was blown away. Serizawa's sacrifice was beautiful and the monster awakenings were all amazing
I definitely agree
this is a insanely underrated video, hope this blows up
very very VERY well done, this was such a great watch! I'm so happy to see this video getting the views and reception it deserves. I'm so excited for whatever you work on next and in the meantime you should be so, so proud of your work here. this is going to be my go-to for introducing people to kaiju from now on.
52:44 Damn, Godzilla looked excited, he wanted to be a Hollywood star. 🥲😞
Solid deep dive documentary style video on the Kaiju genre. However I'm a bit bummed you didn't talk more in depth about these topics:
-Studio Trigger's SSSS.Gridman series which pays homage to the classic Ultraman
-Evangelion and the rebuild movies igniting interest in mecha and kaiju within the anime sphere
-The many King Kong movies after the original, including the Peter Jackson remake
to be fair to the guy the peter jackson film is not only 3 hours long but offers just about nothing to the audience and genre as a whole. not many of the king kong sequels do, and anime isn't too much of an influence (unless you can prove me wrong?) on modern mainstream kaiju. I say this as someone whos favourite show of all time is possibly evangelion.
@@jimmyprattEvangelion has a gigantic influence over kaiju media, Gamera 3, pasific rim, shin godzilla and many more are inspired by it
@@jimmyprattpacific rim took heavy influence from Evangelion, and Shin Godzilla was directed Hideaki Anno himself.
@@srgoji8313 yeah i forgot about shin and i didnt really think of pacific rim cuz i just...wasnt a fan.
wow, well done video sir. this was well worth the two hour watch. among all the crap that been on youtube lately, it nice and refreshing to a well put together essay video on this topic. as a kaiju movie fan myself, it's good to know kaiju movies were always a part of our history and are here to stay for decades to come.
Agreed! This is so well done.
yup
You absolute LEGEND the love and care that went into this is unmatched, I’m gonna show this to everyone I know who is even slightly interested in the genre
Be proud of what you've put together here. I stayed entertained the whole way through
One of the best Kaiju Genre Essays TH-cam has to offer. Peak content, I hope this blows up even further. Subbed.
Hope there's more Gamera media. He's my favorite Kaiju
We need a Shin Gamera movie
@@chadgorosaurus4898 that's what I'm saying
I love, love, love "King of the Monsters" and especially its take on Mothra, and I fervently hope to see more of her.
Good news
Much applause. My love for these movies and the people behind them has been reinvigorated
Literal peak fiction of a video, good work.
Amazing. Can't wait for the Transformers documentary that you're obligated to make now
Haha we’ll see on that front! I’d like to make a TF video but I think a lot of the history has already been covered on TH-cam. Maybe some day!
@@bog0bonesAw, I'd prefer a "Henshin Hero" video...from Ultraman to Cutie Honey to Sailor Moon...
Bro cooked for real, absolutely loved this documentary, if it's even that. A love letter to the genre and to all those who built something grandiose out of nothing.
This is one of the few videos where I come back to watch it a second time. I love this video's ability to include as many topic as possible. Well done!
Just realized that we are 9 months away from the centennial anniversary of Lost World(1925). Honestly the centennial anniversary of many of these famous kaijus, a once-in-a-generation experience; I cannot wait to live through.
Excellent documentary! Probably the best documentary about Kaiju media on youtube! Though I will say I'm surprised you didn't mention Gamera Rebirth, since it's the first Gamera project since the mid 2000s. Also Gareth Edwards' 2010 film Monsters since it's not only one of the few big British Kaiju films but also Gareth Edwards' first Kaiju project. At least, I'm pretty sure it's a Kaiju film. Also surprised you didn't mention how the Cloverfield franchise crashed and burned. Especially since Clover makes a cameo in Paradox (tho this cameo is in the video's outro). And finally, I'm surprised you didn't mention the rest of the Pacific Rim franchise (Uprising and Black). I thought they'd get mentioned especially since Uprising was a complete failure that basically killed the franchise. But these are just really small nitpicks, fantastic video! I'm excited to see what else you got planned!
Didn't expect to see you here
Fantastic video dude. I like the respectful and intensely analytical approach you gave; it clearly comes from a place of pure love. I look forward to seeing more of your writing!
I think Kaiju has an element of Yokai (妖怪, both of these characters mean strange or suspicious). Yokai are monsters that appear in Japanese folklore. Because Japan is an animistic country, people attribute terrifying phenomena such as earthquakes and flood damage to Yokai.
During the Edo period, thanks to Ukiyoe (Japanese etchings), Yokai became more popular among the people and gained more variety. One example is a huge, haunted skeleton (がしゃどくろ), while another is a creature only washing beans in a river (小豆洗い).
I believe that the animistic thought of likening this phenomenon to monsters and the rich variety have been inherited by kaiju.
sorry for bad English!
As someone who grew up in the "Wilderness Era" I can safely say Godzila was more like a myth for me. It's sorta like how The Avatar was thought of as a myth in The Last Airbender show. I wish this was back when I was younger. I could not think of another video that matches the depth of this one. I hope future fans watch this video and understand why we love the genre.
This is an absolutly wonderful video that you've made! As a lifelong G-fan it's great to have a comprehensive history of not only the Godzilla series, but the entirety of major kaiju releases. The fact that this seems to be your first high production video as well, gives me hope that if I can find the time and learn a little video editing, I can make some good content as well. You definitely earned yourself another subscriber, and I'm exited to see what you put out next!
It's a really good deep dive into the Kaiju genre.
Excellent! Keep on with the good work! My only nitpick is that Godzilla Minus One came of a little shortchanged at the end. More like an appendix than the crowning highpoint in Kaiju-history it is considered now.
Oh no, there goes Tokyo. Go go Godzilla.
currently part way through but felt the need for a correction comment, appologies.
Gorgo, is British not american hence why hes in london.
King Brothers, the production company behind the film, was American which is why I consider the film the same.
a fair conclusion. Of note before Gorgo director Eugène Lourié worked on the giant Behemoth which was basicaly british beast from 20000 fathoms @@bog0bones
RRAAUUUH ABSOLUTELY HIGH QUALITY MASTERPIECE OF A VIDEO… TH-cam NEEDS more stuff like this!
animation also played a role during the proto kaiju era, such as "The Pet" in 1921 and "Superman Meets The Arctic Giant" in 1942.
I've seen loads of Kaiju material on TH-cam and this is terrific. Well done. More thoughts when I've watched it all
You forgot to mention "Gamera Rebirth", which is a descent return of Gamera.
This may very well be the BEST kaiju analysis i have EVER seen!
Very, very well made!
This was so well thought out and executed. Thanks for the countless hours and hard work you put into this documentary. Your love for the genre is inspiring.
This video documentary needs more views. It’s very well done.
As a fellow monster kid, I salute you. Glad to know we are not a dying breed. This is the Balls Marie right here. Subbed.
A brilliant distillation of the expansive history. Excellent work
This is an excellent exploration of a genre over 70yrs old. Godzilla and giant monsters were the backbone of my childhood, as I'm sure is the case with most of those commenting on this page. Please keep posting! I thoroughly enjoyed this video! And those who want to criticize because you may have left out a detail or two need to put their money where their mouths are and post their own videos if they feel they can do better. I recognize the time and effort and research that went into producing something like this, so keep doing what you're doing!
There's some slight omissions (the Super Robot Boom and latter mecha subgenre and its ties born from the kaiju one) BUT, otherwise, this documentary is a fantastic overview of Japanese giant monster fiction and, as your stated intention, an excellent crash course in said phenomenon.
Thank you! The super robot boom wasn’t something I was familiar enough with to cover here but maybe for a potential updated version down the line!
@@bog0bones For future context (and to the best of my understanding), the 1970s Henshin Boom (second Kaiju Boom) helped spawned an early anime boom filled with its own hefty variety of kaiju, notably the colorful American cartoon and superhero inspired shows from Tatsunoko Productions (Gatchaman and Time Boken) and the many, many, MANY super robot shows from Toei and other companies, some based off the works of author Go Nagai (the original 1970s Devilman series also had strong kaiju elements).
While animation is no small feat, the numerous super robot shows offered a cheaper yet visually dynamic alternative to Ultraman and Kamen Rider-style programs, ones limited by their budget and, eventually, ended by the 1970s oil crisis.
The super robot genre would give rise to the 'realistic mecha' subgenre which Gundam helped usher in and would tie overall into the anime renaissance / golden age of the 1980s though, by that point, kaiju based anime shows and movies would be relatively rare minus notable outliers (The Guyver, Roujin Z, Patlabor, Evangelion, Mobile Fighter G Gundam, etc.).
Cut to ATTACK ON TITAN and kaiju focused anime (along with just more kaiju characters appearing in anime overall) becoming a little more common than ever before.
It should also be noted that the 1970s super robot boom also included live action entries such as Red Baron, Mach Baron, and Daitetsujin 17 (that last one is a major favorite of mine). The live action giant robots would lead the surprise success of Leopardon from SPIDERMAN and, in turn, similar mecha included in Super Sentai (Power Rangers' Japanese origins) and other Toei shows from the 1980s.
Wowza! I’m not even into kaiju but I watched this because it was well made and super interesting! Awesome stuff mate
This has to be perhaps one of the best videos I have ever seen on this website and your analysis is what I would consider one of the best summaries of all time for the kaiju genre. The way you structured the history of the genre is the way I would've done it almost exactly. I can only give you infinite praise for your efforts on this video and wish you continue work on this channel in the future. I've seen many other videos about this genre and I must say you have put the most sincerity and care into this documentary. While it is impossible to cover the full extent of this genre in two hours (you missed Gamera Rebirth😢)I was honestly impressed with what you achieved. All I can say is bravo to you for teaching me stuff I didn't know myself and for this sole video you earned a new subscriber.🎉
Thank you so much! And yeah I forgot to mention Gamera Rebirth, that was an accidental omission. I had to re-record the entire last part of the Resurgence and Reiwa section because I finished the first recording back in May of last year, way before we even knew anything about Minus One and before everything came out lol so I ended up accidentally missing Rebirth there.
this was insane and great, keep up the great work
Been putting off watching this as I needed to schedule time to watch a full feature-length video 😄 Just getting into it, and it’s already highly impressive, but felt the need to point out that in Japan, “kaiju” does _not_ necessarily refer to *giant* monsters, but to “strange beasts” of _any_ size. “Daikaiju” is the term specifically used for giant monster (“dai” meaning “great”, in size, stature, status, or importance). So even Matango, the Snowman, the Dorats, Fairy Mothra, Liquid Toad and any other non-humanoid monster, regardless of size, can be considered “kaiju” in Japan 🤔
That said, no, I am not rabidly pedantic about this, and yes, I am fully aware that the use of the word by western fans has muddled and supplanted the “correct” terminology, and I’m fine with that (mostly 😅), but in such an otherwise amazingly informative documentary, it seemed like a point that should be at least acknowledged 😁
I just finished watching this video and all I can say is, man, you've got yourself another subscriber.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the Japanese term for giant monsters is daikaiju, while kaiju just refers to monsters in general (I think you mentioned that in passing). The Western use of the word, as you essentially said, refers to giant monsters. Also, the Heisei may have ended by 1998 for Godzilla, it wasn't that way for other kaiju like Gamera (since the actual Heisei Era didn't end until 2019).
You’re not wrong! The terms are basically interchangeable, though “daikaiju” has kinda fallen out of use in recent years. Most modern media, both in Japan and overseas, just use “kaiju” from what I’ve seen.
@@bog0bones It actually hasn't! The new Ultraman Blazar movie is subtitled "Dai Kaijū Shuto Gekitotsu" and the Ultraman shows use "kaiju" for monsters of any size, even in the recent seasons. :)
Edit: Finished watching the entire vid and you've got a new subscriber!
What a fantastic documentary on the genre. I got notified of this video on my feed and got curious on it but was busy to see it fully until recently and I was impressed. The editing and your narration flows nicely and it was a good listen while doing homework. For a start of your channel this was great. This and your other video on humans are informative and reflective on the mindset of the fandom and notions towards the genre that it is noticeable.
Consider me subbed and following your channel from now on. Props on the content.
Great work, dude! I have an ongoing history of giant monster movies series on my channel, but your video here blows my series out of the water.
Wow… just… wow…
That was phenomenal. The effort and passion put into this is astonishing, even if there were a few kaiju properties I think you should have covered, such as Gamera Rebirth, Project Nemesis, and Reptilicus. I kinda wish I found this earlier before I got to work on my own Kaiju history project lol.
😋😋🤗🤗😃😃😙😙🐺🐺🐱🚀🐱🚀🐰🐰🐷🐷🐱🐉🐱🐉🐓🐓🕊🕊🦗🦗🐠🐠👬👬👨🏽🤝👨🏽👨🏽🤝👨🏽🧓🧓✍✍🤟🤟
severely underrated vid, this the kinda clean 2 hour doc that i immediately hit subscribe afterwatching
Incredible video man. Really pleased this came through my recommendations. Hope you keep creating videos, cause this is incredibly high caliber.
This is a fantastically well researched and presented documentary! I can't imagine how much work was put into this, truly an impressive feat and worthy of far more views. Great job!
Great Job brother! I have long wanted to find this type of post. This one satisfies. Also, great job on recognizing The Lost World, King Kong, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.
This was an amazing video! You're one of the few that deserve to blow up on this platform!
I can’t say enough good things about this documentary. Incredible writing and research as well as just story telling. I’ve seen most of these movies multiple times yet everytime you brought up a new film I got a little excited like wow another cool film came out I should watch that, oh wait. Anyways just great video can’t wait to see what you do next.
Solid retrospective, appreciate the included context around everything. Interesting timing with this; I myself am actually about to do a big kaiju/monster viewing marathon that is ordered and structured remarkably similar to how everything is laid out here (some additions include the works of Ray Harryhausen between the earliest stuff and the Showa era proper, and some animated content with heavy ties to kaiju media, namely Evangelion, the better seasons of Digimon, SSSS Gridman & Dynazenon, Kaiju No.8 when that finshes). What with the genre nearing 100 years old as pointed out here, I wonder how many others are embarking on similar journeys...
Thank you for making this! This was truly an incredible documentary on a genre that is somehow omnipresent and yet often ignored. As a 9 year old kid who first got into kaiju (mainly Godzilla) in the wilderness years I’ve gotta say I’m insanity grateful to live in the Reiwa era.
Sick as a dog right now, but this was a wonderful documentary. I've always been interested in Kaiju films (I think my first Godzilla movie was Godzilla vs Hedorah!), but have probably seen only a handful of the movies you mentioned here. I certainly HEARD of a lot of them, but never anything regarding Ultraman or Gamera. I thought it was super fun seeing the history of this genre of film!
Wonderful work!!
seeing this pop up in my subscription feed was such a pleasant surprise! this was really, really well done!!!
This is an amazing documentary video 😮
1:51:01
That exiting summary of the genre made me emotional lol. Long live the age of monsters!
Excellent documentary.
I'm so glad that you gave a shout-out (brief though it was) to "Colossal," one of my fave films of that year.
Oh, and don't decry the appearance of the parodies. At least in the West, parodies signal the end of a cycle for the genre they're poking fun of. They can only exist when a genre's tropes and cliches have built up to such a level that they become almost universally recognized. Once that happens, the genre is freed head off in new directions, often directions that fans tied to the old orthodoxy, the orthodoxy that made the parodies possible, cannot accept.
This is really a fantastic and comprehensive yet easily digestible overview of over 90 years of giant monster media. Great job!
Loved this video! So much passion and care for the genre. Please make more
I'm a longtime monster movie fan and I really enjoyed your documentary. I can tell there was effort put in and I applaud your overall excellent accuracy so many other channels fall short of.
I use letterboxd lists for organizing the more general "giant monster movie" genre
Pre-1953: Gensis
1954-1968: Golden Age
1969-1983: Copper Age
1984-2004: Silver Age
2005-2012: Bronze Age
2013-Present: Kaiju Renaissance Aka the 2nd Golden Age.
Your video is almost 2 hours long and has a lot of great info for newcomers. Personally I've never been drawn to Ultraman (read Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters so I'm familiar with the early years of that series), so this really let me know how much I was missing. You earned a subscription. Looking forward to what you do next.
Amazing video! I learned some new stuff I didn't even know! Thank you so much!
Well done! This is an amazing video essay on the history of Kaiju in our media. This should be a must see for all new Kaiju fans.
an absolutely amazing video, I enjoyed watching every minute. I hope ur channel continues to grow :D
This was an absolutely tremendous video. Props to you for the heaps of research that you did. Not to mention fitting all of this into one video. This deserves some serious recognition. Well done.
Well done! The most concise, mature, documentary of the Kaigu franchise.
This is a spectacular watch! I’ve been wanting to get more into Godzilla and kaiju films in general so I enjoyed this very much
Great job! This video is amazing!
48:26 the Funny thing about Ultraman Great (Toward the Future). Is that places like Richmond near San Francisco (especially San Fran) also got some International Stations! And so I was able to Watch a few Episode of that Series when I was Young!
Amazing video. Subscribed
Awesome documentary!
I wish that the ''Dedicated To'' would have included the name of Raymond Burr. I know that Raymond Burr had little to nothing to do with the creation of Godzilla or Kaiju in general; but his addoned scenes in the Americanized version of Godzilla in 1956, had they been done without Burr and instead by a less capable actor, would have caused Godzilla to be a much less popular movie, with repercussions back in Japan. And also besides, Burr was a genuine Godzilla fan.
WONDERFUL video. I don’t comment often but had to hear as this has kept me enthralled throughout its runtime.
Fantastic work Joel! Loved every minute!
Didn't expect how a guy I subscribed six years ago because of a meme just suddenly come back a post this masterpiece!
Amazing video bro,cant wait on your next. Absolutely deserve a sub
Now this, THIS is a fucking documentary. I gotta give you all the props in the world dude. I've been a kaiju fan since I was a kid, and I thought I knew everything. But somehow there was stuff in here I didn't even know about. Really went "Hold my Beer" fr. It's ashame you couldn't add the fact that Godzilla Minus One is now the first film in the franchise to win an Oscar. Would love to see a companion video covering the History of Henshin heroes such as Kamen Rider and Super Sentai.
While they might not be the most renowned of all the movies, the Heisei Era is my absolute favorite for Kaiju movies. And books, since Marc Cerasini's Godzilla 2000 and Godzilla at World's End were my real introduction to Godzilla (obviously discounting the '98 American movie).
So you're telling me that before directing pacific rim, Guillermo Del Toro was going to direct a movie based on one of my favorite stories ever with Tom Cruise and James Cameron and it was cancelled. I just read an article about it and he's supposedly still pushing for its creation. I want to see this get made so badly.
Absolutely enjoyed this video you did a great job. Thanks for all the information I now have I much higher respect for the franchise
This was a fantastic summary video. You deserve way more subs than you have, my man. Keep it up.
Incredible work, bro! Congrats from Peru!
Godzilla vs Kong came out at the perfect time
People needed a distraction from how shitty real life became. And boy did we get it
IT'S HERE! Bravo, Joel!
Good vid my big dude.
Man. I can’t believe 2 hours flew by. I loved the breakdown and history. So much to learn. It was great!!! Thank you!!!
This was so well done, you should be proud! Mox sent me to watch this, and I'm eagerly awaiting any future projects you have!
Great doc! My only critique was that you left out the IDW comics run
Excellent genre retrospective !
This is fantastic! I learned so much about Kaiju history and even films I wanna aware of! Thank you and hat’s off!!!
Just stumbled across this absolute hidden gem 💎 and I mean hidden! This should be getting more fanfare and recognition. I owe my entire love for movies and film to the kaiju genre From the films themselves, to the people who worked on them and their lasting influence on future filmmakers. This documentary was a pure delight 👏😁. Definitely one of the best ive ssen 😊
A damn great video, sir. Damn, damn great! Thank you for sharing your talents and hard work with us.
wow, thank you so much for this amazing video, i cant believe your channel hasnt gotten more traction, although after this it seems you might have gotten the recognition you deserve, this is really interesting and very high quality. i look forward to seeing future uploads :)
This is a fantastic video! Very well researched and edited. Congratulations on its success!
very well made video! Oh yeah and congrats on 800 subs btw!