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Byrd, Lux, and Kevin nurse their Halloween hangover with another episode covering everyone's favorite yokai boy-hero Kitaro! The long running franchise created by Shigeru Mizuki catapulted Japan's folkloric creatures into pop culture and still runs strong to this day. We look at another sampling of GeGeGe No Kitaro material from over the years. We discuss the first two episodes of the 1970s anime series, 2008's film Japan Explodes, and 2023's prequel film The Mystery of GeGeGe. We discuss how the franchise has changed over the years, the lack of Kitaro media in the States, and what happens when someone spills their Game of Thrones in our Kitaro. Relax and enjoy the conversation!
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Byrd, Trev, Lux and Kevin take a deep dive into Sadako's well to discuss the first four Japanese theatrical films in the Ring franchise: Ring (1998), Spiral (1998), Ring 2 (1999) and Ring 0: Birthday (2000). In addition to a lively talk about all four films and the film makers involved, we discuss the origins of the series as a series of novels by Koji Suzuki, the birth of the J-Horror boom at the turn of the century, and how the Ring franchise became a global phenomenon, making Sadako one of the most iconic movie monsters of all time. So kick back, enjoy the conversation and try to pass this podcast to someone else within 7 days!
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Our October horror shows roll on as Byrd, Tom, and Kevin are joined by Chris Marti (musician alias "Cosmic Monster" and co-writer of The Author vs. the Werewolf) to discuss the fantasy/horror of Wicked City! Based on a series of novels by Hideyuki Kikuchi (Vampire Hunter D), Wicked City is about the rift between humanity and a secret society of interdimensional demons. We start with 1987's cult classic anime film from Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust) and move onto 1992's live action version produced in Hong Kong (co-produced by Toho). Both adaptations are bonkers, so we have a lot to discuss including the anime's problematic sexual politics, phallic tentacle creatures, spider women, handover era Hong Kong cinema, sentient pinball machines, horny elevator monsters, and more. But first, we discuss the recent passing of legendary Showa era monster maker Keizo Murase. Relax and enjoy the conversation.
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Byrd, Tom and Lux are back to take a look at the 1982 semi-obscurity The House Where Evil Dwells. This haunted house shocker is a co-production made with assistance from the legendary Toei studios. It was directed by Kevin Connor (The Land that Time Forgot) and stars Edward Albert, Susan George, and the incomparable Doug McClure. Based on an unpublished novel of the same name, it tells the story of an American family that moves to Japan and the vengeful ghosts that inhabit their house (and bodies). There's killer crabs, zen monks, Sentai on the TV, and more in this oddity that blends American and Japanese ghost movie tropes. Relax and enjoy the conversation!
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Byrd, Tom and Trev kick off our annual October horror series with the Italian creature feature Alien From the Deep, directed by Antonio Margheriti (Cannibal Apocalypse). Although seemingly made to cash-in on both Aliens and the Abyss, the actual plot is anything but. It tells the story of some Greenpeace activists who attempt to expose a corporation for illegally dumping radioactive waste into a nearby volcano. But the radiation has attracted a giant alien who has started wreaking havoc in the area. We have pervy snake farmers, industrial espionage, a giant claw with a mind of its own, and some neat miniature effects in this silly 80s obscurity. Relax and join the fun!
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Byrd and Lux sit down with guitarist/vocalist Lord Kaiju, founder of the kaiju themed heavy metal band Oxygen Destroyer. We discuss his roots as both a kaiju and metal fan, how he came up with his brand of death-thrash, the strength of the Seattle rock music scene, how the Gamera trilogy helped him, and of course their new album Guardian of the Universe (out now!).
Check out Oxygen Destroyer's music and merch here: https://oxygen-destroyer.bandcamp.com/album/guardian-of-the-universe
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Byrd, Kevin, Lux and Tom go back to 1996 to talk about Godzilla Returns by Marc Cerasini, the first novel in a short lived series of books by Random House. In the mid-90s, Random House signed a deal with Toho and released books for different age groups. This would include children's picture books, children's novels by Scott Ciencin, and young adult novels by Marc Cerasini. Long out of print, these books have become almost a thing of myth, and have developed a nostalgic cult following over the years. We'll talk about the first book in the line, as well as give our memories of being young Godzilla fans in the 90s, and how Godzilla merchandising has changed over the years. So how does the first book hold up in 2024 without the nostalgia glasses on? Listen and find out!
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Byrd, Matt, Lux and Jared discuss four British sci-fi adventure films featuring b-movie actor Doug McClure fighting all sorts of giant rubber beasts! We discuss three Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptations from Amicus Productions- This includes the lost world dinosaur escapades The Land that Time Forgot (1974), its sequel The People That Time Forgot At the Earth's Core (1977), and the hollow earth adventure At The Earth's Core (1976). We follow that up with the non-Amicus, non-Burroughs underwater actioner Warlords of Atlantis (1979). All four films (from director Kevin Conner) are nostalgic cult classics to this day. We talk Amicus history, talk derpy dinos, Caroline Munro, a hammy Peter Cushing, hypnotic bird-lizards, and more!
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Byrd, Tom, Trev and Kevin discuss the recent DC/Legendary Comics' crossover. The mini-series, written by Brian Buccalatto (Injustice, The Flash) and drawn by Christian Duce (Detective Comics, the Flash) sees the Justice League do battle with Godzilla, King Kong, and other titans ofthe Monsterverse after some multiverse tampering from the Legion of Doom. What happens when Superman goes up against Godzilla? What happens when Kong gets a Green Lantern ring? All these questions and more are answered. We'll give our thoughts on the comic as well as talk about some behind the scenes details, Godzilla crossovers we'd like to see, and more! Relax and enjoy the conversation.
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Byrd, Matt, Kevin and Lux discuss the recent anime adaptation, Kaiju No. 8, based on the best selling manga by Naoya Matsumoto. The show is a co production between heavy hitters like Khara, Toho, and Production I.G., and directed by Shigeyuki Miya and Tomomi Kamiya. It tells the story of a world where giant monster attacks are a regular occurance. One evening a small creature flies into the mouth of a kaiju cleanup crew member named Kafka, giving him the ability to transform into the half human/half kaiju hero Kaiju No. 8! But while Kafka attempts to join the anti-kaiju Defence Force, he struggles to keep his secret as the threats get bigger and bigger. Join us as we talk about the show, but first, we give a brief recap of G-Fest 2024!
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Byrd, Kevin and Justin interview author Zack Davisson (Yurei: The Japanese Ghost, Ultimate X-Men) about his new book The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Yokai. We get into his research method and fascination with Japanese folklore, as well as how the book came about. We also topics such as his translation work translating Japanese manga (most notably the work of Shigeru Mizuki), his work for Marvel Comics and Lucasfilm, and his previous books about Yurei and Kaibyo (supernatural Japanese cats), whether kaiju should be considered yokai, and more! Relax and join the conversation!The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Yokai will be available July 2, 2024 wherever books are sold.
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Byrd, Matt, Kevin and Lux discuss the recent Netflix animated film, Ultraman Rising! The first American Ultraman production in nearly 30 years follows a baseball player named Kenji who moonlights as everyone's favorite silver giant Ultraman to defend the planet from giant monsters. One day he comes in possession of a baby monster and has to adjust his life to being the creature's parent, while the KDF science team try to hunt it down. In addition to our review, we discuss the film's early development as a non-Ultraman story and how it fared in being updated to be Ultraman, the problem with Netflix's approach to new releases, how it works as an entry point into the franchise, and more! So how did this entry in the long running series fare? Listen and find out!
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Byrd, Lux and Kevin discuss the recent Netflix series, Parasyte: The Grey, (directed by Train to Busan's Yeon Sang-ho). This Korean spin-off of Hitoshi Iwaaki's classic Japanese story follows a supermarket clerk named Su-in, who is partially possessed by a parasite named Heidi, as she teams with a gangster named Kang-woo to evade the rest of the alien body snatchers, as well as The Grey, a special ops unit tasked with exterminating all parasites. How does the show live up to the rest of the franchise? Listen and find out! But first, we discuss the announcement of Grant Stupore (I Am Mother) as the director of Legendary's next Godzila/Kong film, as well as the news of Toho and Korea's Wow Point collaborating on a new Human Vapor tv series. Relax and join the conversation!
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Byrd and Matt discuss the Asylum's latest monster mockbuster, Ape X Mecha Ape: New World Order. The third film in the "Ape vs." series sees the giant ape Abraham and his mechanical doppelganger Mecha Ape go up against Kulalu, a Cthulhu knockoff summoned by a doomsday cult to wipe out humanity. How does this compare to other Asylum efforts? Listen and find out! But first Matt gets us caught up with his thoughts on Godzilla x Kong and gives an update on the state of the podcast. Listen and enjoy the show!
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With a new Planet of the Apes movie in theaters, Byrd, Tom and Kevin decide to take a look at Japan's attempt to cash-in on the franchise. This Sandy Frank Entertainment-produced compilation film was made up of footage from Tsuburaya Productions 1974-1975 series, Time of the Apes, about a group of children and a scientist who find themselves shot forward in time to a future taken over by apes. We'll discuss this forgotten oddity as well as the series that spawned it. But first, we give our thoughts on the Planet of the Apes series as well as the latest Monsterverse news and the new Godzilla arcade game. Relax and enjoy the show!
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Byrd is joined by Lux, Tom (of the Final Forum Dragonball Podcast), and Trev (of the Failure to Franchise Podcast) to talk about the new film Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire! This new entry in Legendary Pictures' Monsterverse is another crossover between the two monster icons, as they go up against the threat of the evil ape Skar King and his army of apes and the frost monster Shimo. Along the way, Kong forms a bond with the young ape Suko. We'll talk about the production history as well as give our thoughts on the film. But first, we discuss Godzilla Minus One's recent Oscar win! Kick back and enjoy!
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Our pals Trev (frequent KT guest) and Chris over at the Failure to Franchise podcast had Matt and Byrd on their show to discuss Godzilla 1998! We discussed how it came to be, memories of living through the marketing and release of the film, the backlash to it, and the lasting effects it had on the franchise. Did the movie impact the series for good or bad? Is it as bad of a movie as people say? How does it hold up all these years later? Listen and find out!
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Byrd and Matt discuss Daiei's 1962 period monster movie, The Whale God (aka The Killer Whale). Directed by Tokuzo Tanaka (Zatoichi series), with a script written by Kaneto Shindo (Onibaba, Kuroneko) based on the novel by Koichiro Uno, it tells the story of a whaling village in the early Meiji period being terrorized by a gigantic whale. Two men, Shaki (Kojiro Hongo of the Gamera films) and Kishu (Shintaro Katsu of the Zatoichi films) to compete to be the one to kill the whale. For decades, this film was obscure to American audiences, but it just saw its first blu-ray release stateside. We'll give our review, as well as talk about whaling in Japanese culture, the awesome Akira Ifukube score, the themes of forgiveness and obsession, the influence of Moby Dick, and more! But first we have a news roundup with our thoughts on the new Godzilla x Kong trailer, Godzilla Minus One's Oscar nomination, and the passing of suit actor Ken Satsuma. Relax and enjoy the show!
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Byrd, Kevin and Justin interview poet and Japanese literary translator Jeffrey Angles about his recent translations of Shigeru Kayama's 1955 novelizations of Godzilla '54 and Godzilla Raids Again (now available for the first time in English via University of Minnesota Press). We talk about Angles' interest in Japanese literature, his love of Edogawa Ranpo, the tightrope of maintaining an author's voice while translating, the life and career of Godzilla author Shigeru Kayama, Kayama's long-overlooked contributions to the creation of Godzilla, releasing a Godzilla book without needing Toho's permission, differences between the films and the novels, and more! Relax and join the conversation!
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Byrd, Matt and Tom discuss Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, the recent MonsterVerse spin-off series on Apple TV+. The story flashes between the 1950s and the 2010s as it follows the founding of the Monarch organization (introduced in 2014's Godzilla reboot) and two siblings trying to untie their family's mysterious history with it. Join us as we discuss the shows pros and cons, the charm of Kurt and Wyatt Russell, Legendary's lofty ambitions, the MonsterVerse's continuity problem, the current state of streaming television, what we would want from a second season, and more! What did we think of the show? Listen and find out!
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