Mystery Science Theater 3000 vs. Gamera: Round 2

While we all eagerly await for Godzilla vs Kong this coming Wednesday, I would like to share something humorous and offbeat in a turtle shell to help ease your kaiju cravings if at all possible.

Back in 2019, me and my friends wrote, filmed, preformed, and produced a fan-made series entitled MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER VS GAMERA: ROUND II, featuring the two-of-three older era Gamera films that were never featured on the cult comedy series. Here's the very first entry featuring GAMERA vs. VIRAS (1968).

Here is the second episode, featuring GAMERA vs. JIGER (1970), my personal favorite of the two produced thus far.

In the wake of the 2020 pandemic, production for episode three centered around GAMERA: SUPER MONSTER (1981) has been slow-downed: the safety and well-being of the crew (my friends and I) is the absolute priority and, in the interest of social distancing, at this time we're unable to begin filming.

However pre-production has wrapped and we will continue as scheduled as soon as it is deemed safest for all to do so later in 2021. 

We're all putting this time to use, sets and costumes have been retrofitted, several new physical models and props are being constructed, and higher quality filming/lighting equipment has been invested in to make the presentation of our Super Monster fan-episode (and potentially future ones) much better.

The Bizarre and Tragic World of Fake Psychics

One of the true benefits of being a skeptic against the so-called paranormal is to call out opportunistic crooks, grifters, and villains on their cruel con jobs. Sadly, the psychic industry continues to benefit upon the gullible and often with disastrous, sometimes tragic, results.

The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters.

This informative video from the channel Super Eyepatch Wolf goes into greater detail.

Direct Link: https://youtu.be/qFyCJU3AFSA

Kaiju Gallery: Lygon from Giant Robo

Nothing too spectacular for today, just another image gallery based around one of my many, many, MANY favorite giant monsters from Japanese fiction. The header illustration, by-the-by, was drawn by yours truly.

From the 1967-1968 series Giant Robo comes Lygon, a giant Egyptian-style android statue monster built and operated by the intergalactic criminal organization known as Big Fire, or The Gargoyle Gang as they were renamed in The American International Pictures dubbed version, Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot.

Similarly, Lygon was renamed Ligon-Tyrox for said American broadcast. 

Lygon appears in episodes 4 (Monster Ligon-Tyrox, A Strange Monster) and 10 (The Transformed Humans) and is probably my top favorite monster from the whole series as Egyptian-themed monsters are always cool which Japanese fiction seems to have an abundance of while android monsters, giant robots made to look like living breathing beasts as opposed to more obvious machine-based ones and temporary disguises (see Fake Godzilla), are a rare sub-genre that's barley been played around with.

Lygon perfectly captures the fun aspects of both creature motifs / sub-genres in-my-opinion while also being a real bruiser when in combat against the titular Giant Robo despite his virtually thin and tall feline frame.

Plus, the guy fights with an optional drill horn and a gold metal chain! How ridiculously cool is that!?!?

The following set of screenshots were taken from a very old Angelfire (Tripod?) web-site and slightly cleaned up by yours truly, again. Unfortunately, I've long lost the link and cannot give adequate credit to the screen-captures' originator. Apologizes in advance to you, good sir.

RELATED LINK: Lygon's Page on Tokupedia

Godzilla: Singular Point, First Episode Impressions

Thanks to the magic of the mighty Surfing Shark of V.P.N., I was able to view the first episode of GODZILLA: SINGULAR POINT which is being released on Netflix Japan on a weekly basis instead of a full season drop (still no word of an international release date though one is still coming this year).

Similar to the first act of "Gamera: Guardian of the Universe" (1995), the first episode is a slow burn building up the mystery behind a missing scientist and a haunting 1930s love song that's somehow being used to summon and/or resurrect the ancient monsters, with the 'Rodan the First' only appearing in the closing minutes to menace our heroes (as seen in the Toho Animation video clip released recently online).

I'd go more into the plot but, unfortunately, no English subtitles were available to me. However, unlike other untranslated kaiju media heavy on dialog, the human cast instantly made an impression with their appealing character designs alongside quirky personality moments and related visual gags, all of which kept my interest. 

In addition to the previously mentioned "Gamera" comparisons, the first episode's atmospheres and the near future world presented within was also reminiscent of "Ultra Q" and early Showa-era science fiction films like "The Mysterians" (1957), "The H-Man" (1958), and "Rodan" (1956): a virtually quiet, normal world on the eve of a monstrous cataclysm or an otherworldly event.

The twist was that Godzilla was dead all along!

First Look at Pacific Rim: The Black

First full trailer for PACIFIC RIM: THE BLACK recently dropped and... It actually looks good for a CGI anime show! That or I'll take anything after Pacific Rim: Uprising but that's a totally different story.

The appearance of tangible human antagonist gives me pause for concern: like most anime series, it will begin with a fantastical otherworldly threat that will disappear several episodes in while a 'normal human' (cheaper to animate) one takes over as the main focus.

However, it would be cool to see equal amounts of human and non-human antagonists which this trailer also hints at with the smaller dog-like kaiju, a rogue hybrid Kaiju Yeager, and a strange mystery child.

Direct Text Link: https://youtu.be/umtOGzti-XQ

First Look at Shin Ultraman

The teaser trailer for SHIN ULTRAMAN dropped earlier today: a co-production between Tsuburaya Productions, Toho Company and Khara inc. stated as a movie adaptation of the original Ultraman series as well as an indirect follow-up to Shin Godzilla on Toho, Shinji Higuchi, and Hideaki Anno's parts (Good!, Never make a Shin Godzilla II and fly free like the bearded angels that you are).

While its intriguing, the CGI is a little simple to state it lightly even if, apparently, that's the filmmakers' intent to echo the original Ultraman's unrealistic effects and fantastical fairy tale nature.

SHIN ULTRAMAN also has a way a better chance of widespread exposure here in American than more recent Ultraman content, hopefully with a similar theatrical roll out that Shin Godzilla received back in 2016.

Listen, I'm happy for the success Tsuburaya Productions have found through online streaming and the Mill Creek box sets but it's all still relatively quint by mainstream American standards.

There also the Marvel Comics' ULTRAMAN series but... That series is purely American in many regards and isn't really advertising its Japanese origins very well: the sheer number of major news outlets assuming that Ultraman is an original 2020 Marvel creation proves that. Plus, the Marvel Comics' story is rather lame (seriously? 5 issues to barely battle Bemular? Pointless even by slow burn story logic).

Direct Text Link: https://youtu.be/AnYP1yzSe5E

This Watchalong is Cursed: The Monster Squad Live-Stream

I'm going back to many of my past live-streams and adding some much-needed timestamps for my viewers' listening convenience: from this year's Halloween watchalong, me and my spooky guests Andres, Andrew, and Brayton revisit the 1987 cult classic THE MONSTER SQUAD.

You know, the one where Dracula calls a small child a swear word, a werewolf is physically abused in the testicles, and The Mummy comes out of the closet! Oh, what a wholesome fun ride for the coke-out 1980s family!

0:40 - Theme song / introduction

4:10 - We don't like Neppo or other cartoon sidekicks for that matter

8:52 - Contemporary Star Trek is stupid

11:29 - Thundercats Roar and the decline of animation

21:41 - Anything pass 2005 in too old for hipsters

22:53 - Sexy animation background extras

28:45 - Batman's open house-cave of fun!

29:59 - The Beast Wars for Cybertron

34:01 - That sicko Bruce Timm answers to no one!

35:09 - Transformers voice actor controversy

41:38 - KaijuNoir's Halloween memories

48:27 - Andrew Batman enters the show

1:08:45 - Brayton and The Munsters / Addams Family gang wars

1:12:03 - The failings of The Universal Monsters

1:14:56 - James Rolfe stops by

1:15:50 - Closing out the pre-show

1:20:00 - Extreme technical difficulties with The Monster Squad

1:23:30 - Andrew recommends Night of The Creeps

1:25:21 - Dear Audience: Bring your own copies

1:30:30 - Savage Honesty, starring Cameron Mitchell

1:33:53 - Verbal proof that this live-watch is cursed

1:40:20 - The hosts go mad with insanity

1:44:00 - OUR FEATURE PRESENTATION (Finally!)

3:06:06 - Post-show thoughts and regrets