Godzilla-Mania Still Rocking Japan, Getting Ready to Roll Over USA!
by Michelle "Ms. Geek" Klein-Hass
The movie Shin Godzilla, aka Godzilla Resurgence in some Southeast Asian countries and parts of Europe, seems to have made quite an impression everywhere it goes. If you do not adjust for inflation, it has stomped all previous Godzilla films, although if you adjust for inflation the 1962 Godzilla vs. King Kong and the original 1954 Godzilla beats this new upstart handily. Nevertheless, Toho Company, Ltd. is sufficiently pleased with the performance of their reboot, helmed by Evangelion auteur Hideaki Anno, that there will be more Godzilla to come from Japan..
Funimation will be distributing the motion picture in a limited release, similar to what they did with Anno's Rebuild of Evangelion anime movies. The film will be showing in US theaters October 11th-18th. You can look up a theater near you on the Funimation Films Shin Godzilla site.
We already know that even though Hideaki Anno directed the first of this series of movies, he has stepped aside to let other directors helm the next one for Toho. Anno has said that he wants to finish the last Rebuild of Evangelion film.
The next Godzilla film to be released in Japan will be a CGI anime. Gen Urobuchi, writer of Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Psycho-Pass, has already finished the script, and the animated feature is being produced at Polygon Pictures, home of Knights of Sidonia. Sidonia directors Kobun Shizuno and Hiroyuki Seshita are directing this animated Godzilla feature. Traditionally live-action Tokusatsu (special effects) movies and TV do not cross over into anime, and vice-versa. So this CGI animated film, due next year, will break barriers by its very existence. If you want to read more about the two animated Godzilla from US studios, made for US Saturday Morning TV, you can check out this article our blog published in July.
Shin Godzilla is still in some theaters in Japan, and even though Kaiju Otaku (giant monster Fanboys) have been watching it multiple times, it's getting close to the end of the film's run in Japan. So how to get more butts in seats for the end of the run? Add an element of participation, a la Rocky Horror Picture Show! Watch the video above for a glimpse of what it's like.
And there's more Godzilla goodness in Tokyo. The indoor amusement park Namja Town in the Ikebukuro district has a pop-up Godzilla cafe in its food court. After enjoying an audience-participation showing of Shin Godzilla, you can visit for a themed Godzilla meal, complete with dessert. They recently added a new ice cream parfait for dessert, featuring the second form the kaiju takes in the film.
He looks surprisingly enthusiastic about the prospect of being consumed by hungry Kaiju fans.
If you haven't gotten your tickets for the limited theatrical release of Shin Godzilla, you might want to get cracking on it. Many of the showings are already sold out.
