Godzilla Movie

What human character did you actually cared about in the Godzilla series?

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Godzillatheking123

MemberBaragonApr-06-2014 7:45 AM

Did you ever cared (if only a little) about any human character in the Godzilla series? I know, odd question, since of course its the Big G and his Kaiju nemesis the stars we paid money to see.  But apart from the mere side-shows they usually are, were there any humans that you actually cared just a little? 

My personal favorite was always Dr. Serizawa, his tragic sacrifice gave the original film a gravitas that other G sequels seem to lack. But what about you?

21 Replies

GodzillaFrance

MemberMothra LarvaeApr-06-2014 7:57 AM

Ichiro Serizawa (seemingly the descendant of Daisuke Serizawa). He is badass and when he says :" the arrogance of man is thinking nature's under our control and not the other way round", it's true.

Daikaiju Danielle

MemberMothra LarvaeApr-06-2014 8:57 AM

Right now, it's Joe Brody.

The characters in the other Godzilla films are okay, but I never really cared about them (I honestly care more about Godzilla's well-being than the human characters'). I'm not dissing the original films, it's just I don't relate to the characters enough to really feel for them.

 

 

"Daddy's home- cake every night,"

Danzilla93

MemberBaragonApr-06-2014 9:08 AM

Its not an odd question at all!  I may be alone on this, but I love the human characters in the films!  I never have a hard time caring for them, and I enjoy thier stories almost as much as the monster mayhem in many cases... almost! :)

It will be hard to choose, but obveously all the human characters in the original Gojira are high on my list!  The love triangle between Serizawa, Emiko, and Ogata as a powerful backdrop to the horror of a monster rising to exact revenge on mankind.  Seeing Emiko torn between keeping her promise to Serizawa or revealing his secret to save the world, and and the pressure on the tortured Serizawa to either keep his invention secret to prevent another arms race, or to use his device to save the world, but risk unleashing another superweapon upon the world, is not just an incredible part of the film and the series, its downright profound.  It is this human drama that, along with Godzilla himself, make this film a true classic for all times.

I love the characters in Mothra vs Godzilla as well!  The relationship between Ichiro and Junko is endearing, and Torahata and Kumayama are two of the series' best villians.  Fuji and Glan are two of my personal favorite characters, and you definitely care for them as they fight to save the earth!  The castaways from Godzilla vs The Sea Monster, including a wonderfully derranged Akira Takarada playing against type, are fun to watch as well!  The human drama in Son of Godzilla is pretty suspenseful too, and Akira Kubo's Goro Maki is a fun character to watch! 

And really, who doesn't love Katsura and Ichinose from Terror of Mechagodzilla? :) They (the actors, I mean) will beat G-FEST this year, if anyone out there wants to meet them!

The Heise era had a lot of great characters, but only a few stand out as characters I really cared for, like Dr. Siragami, Shindo from Godzilla vs King Ghidorah, and Miki Saegusa, of course!  The Millennuim series was pretty short on the character development, but its hard to detach completely from the human drama while watching the films.  One thing is for sure, though... this film is going to redefine character development and drama in a Godzilla film.  I always empathize more with the monsters, as I'm sure most of you do, but the character's in thie new movie will be just as important as Godzilla himslef!

"Fantasy is the impossible made probable. Science Fiction is the improbable made possible." -Rod Serling

The Godzilla Novelization Project: Follow Along Today!

Demplex

MemberMothra LarvaeApr-06-2014 12:01 PM

Me.

G. H. (Gman)

AdminGodzillaApr-06-2014 1:51 PM

Hardly an odd question at all. As I've grown older I've actually paid more attention to the characters and end up caring about them more than the monsters in some cases. Most of the 50s and 60s movies I tend to care about the characters the most.

Godzilla (1954) - The whole damn cast. The love triangle. Ogata's typically run-of-the-mill job thrown into a conflict with Godzilla. Serizawa's enternal struggle. Dr. Yamane's charisma. The first movie is really more about the cast than it is Godzilla.

Ghidorah: The Three Headed Monster - Detective Shindo is one determined guy. His informal struggle with Malness and his stubborn attempt to defend Princess Salano at all costs-- not to mention Salano is one of the more interesting characters, being a decendant of the Venusians. Even while the battle between Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra and King Ghidorah is going on both Shindo and Malness are still at each other's throats for the Princess.

Monster Zero - Probably my favorite cast of characters. Glenn is a badass and I love his bromance with Fuji. Namikawa is an overrated female character, but iconic in her own right. And Tetsuo is the most underrated hero of the story. Maybe the most underrated hero of the series. Need I mention the awesome Xillien leader?

Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster - A fugitive who has been coaxed into sailing with a bunch of kids and finds an island girl to face the odds of a secret, terrorist organization? How is this not interesting? You almost don't need Godzilla.

Godzilla's Revenge - Sorry guys. Ichiro is still one of the best developed characters of the series. Like it or hate it.

Godizlla vs. MechaGodzilla - The characters actually aren't that well developed, but damn they're fun to watch. Nanbara's mysterious character and eventual reveal as an Interpol Agent is the most entertaining.

Terror of MechaGodzilla - Amen to these. Ichinose goes through quite the tragic journey. He works so hard to follow up and legitimize Dr. Mafune who has long since been lost to madness. And then he falls in love with Mafune's daughter in a telescoped love story that ends in tragedy. Katsura's enslavment is beautifully mirrored by Titanosaurus's. This was a great cast to end the series with.

Godzilla vs. Biollante - Actually this movie suffers from having too many characters, but I think Shiragami is one of the more interesting characters in the series. He's not mad, just desperate and he admits to the pitfall he sinks into. The rest of the characters work well in tantum, but aren't as interesting as the Showa lot.

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah - As flawed as this movie is, props to Shindo and Teresawa-- two very different characters in a fairly different Godzilla movie. I admire Teresawa's character for being the series' most motivated reporter. Even as he's let down by the future sales of his book he realizes he may have gotten Godzilla's origin wrong and fact-checks himself. And Shindo shares a mirroring history with Godzilla that leads to one of the series' most powerful interactions between man and monster. The rest are pretty much fluff...

Godzilla 2000 - As inconsistant as they are the characters move the story along at a better pace than Godzilla himself. Shindo isn't the most interesting character on his own, but couple his backstory with Katagiri and there's an fun David vs. Goliath juxtaposition.

GMK - I love the feel of everyone here. It's like they're written as 1980s horror characters from a John Carpenter movie. Most of them serve to be scared fodder, but it works in contrast with General Tachibana's stanch, old-fashion nature. His relationship with his daughter, Yuri, rings as something much more relatable than most characters in the series. And her development as a human who respects her father's era is a worthy cultural study of Japan's current struggles with its past.

The Kiryu Saga - Like a friend somewhere else said, I kind of like the idea of the characters more than the characters themselves here. But they keep the story moving along enough to give a damn about them. Akani is a little too hamfisted with her anime-esque loneliness and internal struggles, but then Mazaki Tezuka isn't the strongest director either.

Godzilla: Final Wars - As much of a mess as this movie is you can't tell me Mazaki, Captain Gordon and the Xillien Leader don't nearly steal the show. They're all absolutely trite, but they're fun trite.

 

Tastes change over time. I've found myself enjoying the characters over the monsters in some of these movies. Like Monster Zero. The reason that's one of my favorites is particularly because of the cast.

"'Nostalgic' does not equal 'good,' and 'standards' does not equal 'elitism.'" "Being offended is inevitable. Living offended is your choice."

godzillafan1995

MemberMothra LarvaeApr-06-2014 3:00 PM

@gman2887, i really agree with everything you said, for GvsKG91 you forgot to mention the guy who played Shindo, and i like how you skipped the post 91 heisei movies and GxMegagirus

G. H. (Gman)

AdminGodzillaApr-06-2014 3:11 PM

@GodzillaFan1995

I mentioned Shindo, but you're right Yoshio Tsuchiya is a spectacular actor. He's been in a great deal of different movies.

And there are some decent characters post-91 and others I missed in Showa, but I feel like the list above are the standouts. Atleast to me.

"'Nostalgic' does not equal 'good,' and 'standards' does not equal 'elitism.'" "Being offended is inevitable. Living offended is your choice."

Godzillatheking123

MemberBaragonApr-06-2014 5:52 PM

GMAN2887-

Its interesting you mentioned Dr. Yamane, since the actor who portrays him, Takashi Shimura, was such a talented actor with a terrific resume. Shimura's association with Gojira alone elevates that film for me. His long association with the great Japanese director Akira Kurosawa such as Seven Samurai and Rashomon and also in other great classics like Stray Dog made an impression on me. If I'm not mistaken, apart from the Seven Samurai, he also starred in a number of other films with Toshiro Mifune.

gojifan02

MemberMothra LarvaeApr-06-2014 5:57 PM

well, there's 2

1. Daisuke Serizawa. it's just so imotional when he dies!

2. Joe Brody. I care about him because his wife dies and it's looking dark for him!

 

EDIT FOR #1. the whoe cast but the most, Daisuki Serizawa

RESPECT THE GOLDEN MIRUmiru

G. H. (Gman)

AdminGodzillaApr-06-2014 9:14 PM

I'm pretty sure he was in other films with Mifune, but the only one springing to mind right now is Stray Dog, which I felt was a bigger win for Mifune than Shimura.

By the 50s he seemed to be involved with sci-fi, drama and samurai films in equal parts. He also appeared in Godzilla Raids Again, The Mysterians (one of Toho's top best sci-fi films), Mothra, Ghidorah: The Three Headed-Monster and Frankenstein Conquers the World.

He sticks out most in Godzilla '54, of course. (I love the subtle nuances he brings to Yamane, adjusting his tie as he speaks in at the Diet building and what not.) However his Ghidorah: The Three Headed Monster role had always been somethin of a fun, surprise appearance to me. He's enjoyable in that as well.

I'm a little confused at people listing off characters from the new movie seeing as no one has seen it yet. What if the characters suck? As weak as the characters are in GINO, even listing them would make more sense...

"'Nostalgic' does not equal 'good,' and 'standards' does not equal 'elitism.'" "Being offended is inevitable. Living offended is your choice."

Durp004

MemberBaragonApr-07-2014 5:55 AM

It blows my mind that people are naming characters from a movie no one's even seen. Just going off maybe a total of 5 minutes of screentime and you're willing to say they blow every other human character from the 29 installments out? Really people???

 

As for me I've always liked Steve Martin from Godzilla King of the Monsters. He really felt like a median between the outside world and Japan for the movie. The way they shoehorned him in with all the characters from the Japanese movie was really entertaining watching him talk to people with their backs to the camera. Overall I really liked his character and it's 1 of the reasons I prefer King of The Monsters to Gojira.

 

Miki Saegusa. Okay I will admit overall she's not great. Her parts in Godzilla vs King Ghidorah, Godzilla vs Mothra(was she in this, if so I can't remember her doing anything) and Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla 2 were pointless, but in the movies that she mattered she really stood out. Biollante, has a lot of characters and I could make a list featuring just them but seeing Mik,i a small girl, standing up to Godzilla to try to force him away even though she may have died for it took courage. Then they kind of did something weird where during the next 3 movies she developed a sympathy for him, which is odd since she was in charge of the G crusher in GvsMGII, but anyway it was nice to see some1 siding with Godzilla later on and as she watched Junior grow up is was pretty heartbreaking seeing her standing by him as he died. She's not the best but I definitely cared about her character the most of any.

G. H. (Gman)

AdminGodzillaApr-07-2014 10:15 AM

@Durp004

I know right? Even though I don't find Steve or Miki very interesting at all, those choices still make lightyears more sense then choosing characters based out of trailers/TV spots alone.

I know I'm one of the few on this forum who responds more to the human element than the monsters in these films, but the pre-pandering to the new movie is just ridiculous sometimes...

"'Nostalgic' does not equal 'good,' and 'standards' does not equal 'elitism.'" "Being offended is inevitable. Living offended is your choice."

Godzillatheking123

MemberBaragonApr-07-2014 6:16 PM

Its fanboys. Cut them some slack. :)

Durp004

MemberBaragonApr-07-2014 8:52 PM

It's funny; I think if the internet was this accessable in 98 we would have had exactly the same reactions. Not saying this one will be as bad as the 98 one but no doubt people would be posting about how it willl have the best characters, and be the greatest movie in the series.

 

I also forgot Tako from King Kong vs Godzilla. He really was the star everytime he was on screen.

G. H. (Gman)

AdminGodzillaApr-07-2014 11:54 PM

Tako... Interesting choice. It's been so many years since I've watched King Kong vs. Godzilla... it's probably about time I replace my long, decimated copy...

"'Nostalgic' does not equal 'good,' and 'standards' does not equal 'elitism.'" "Being offended is inevitable. Living offended is your choice."

Akagi

MemberMothra LarvaeApr-08-2014 6:49 AM

Well I'd have to say I don't have a WHOLE Lot of feels for Godzilla film actors, I just don't feel like... and here I go, I'm ready for the hate... that any of them are fleshed out enough characters for me to worry about. It was particularly bad in the nineties films but got worse in some of the millenium movies, particularly Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla... I wouldn't have shed a tear if that entire cast had died in the film, I didn't care about any of them.

Gamera heisei characters on the other hand...

But if we are talking Toho, I'd say Rodan. Kenji Sahara and the general direction of that film in my opinion made it Toho's crowned jewel. Rodan is, still, in my opinion, a masterpiece of Tokusatsu and doesn't get the recognition it deserves. As a monster film, its top notch. 

He is 350ft Tall people, those things on his neck ARE gills, and the Brazil photo is part of the final advertising design-- Deal with it.

Godzillatheking123

MemberBaragonApr-08-2014 6:55 PM

Durpoo4-I recalled there was indeed a 98 G fansite before that film was released. Not as sophisticated as fan site goes compare to what we have now of course. But if my (sketchy) memory serves, there weren't that many people there saying how great those characters would be. That might have to do with the marketing I think (or the nature of the characters of the film), fans simply weren't as engaged in the anticipation of the human characters in the 98 movie than this one.

 

GMAN2887-I heard they are releasing a new blu-ray (or is it DVD) version of G vs KK. 

G. H. (Gman)

AdminGodzillaApr-08-2014 7:46 PM

@GodzillaTheKing

Universal is re-releasing King Kong vs. Godzilla and King Kong Escapes on Bluray this May. However, neither include the Japanese version. I enjoy the Japanese cut of King Kong vs. Godzilla miles more-- I just recall it being a funnier movie and Ifukube's score for that one is top notch.

"'Nostalgic' does not equal 'good,' and 'standards' does not equal 'elitism.'" "Being offended is inevitable. Living offended is your choice."

Durp004

MemberBaragonApr-09-2014 4:39 AM

@GodzillaTheKing

Well to be fair there's a lot of difference between the internet now and then. Evne if the site did exist(I was only 6 in 98 so I wasn't old enough to give any first hand advice on this) it's mostly about the people who had access to it. Now we have people on this site who I'm guessing are in their early teens and they naturally have a lot of anticipation, so it's more likely to have a 12 year old on this site saying this will be the best movie, or have the best characters, whereas chances are in 98 the people who had access to the site were a much more mature fanbase who didn't get as caught up in the hype as some of the younger members on this site may. I'm fairly sure had the 98 movie been released during a time the internet was more accessable to younger audiences the hype for it would be very similar to the reactions we're seeing for the upcoming 1. To be honest i would have most likely been 1 of those people saying how it was going to be the best movie and everything about it would be greater than any movie before so maybe I should give the younger people some slack.

Godzillatheking123

MemberBaragonApr-10-2014 8:33 AM

Durpoo4-

I'm a little bit older than you so my memory is a bit better to recall that time.  I will tell you definitely a 98 site did existed (fan-made), yes, its rather crude by today's standard. The world wide web was more basic back then after all. The details of that site is where my my memory becomes a bit hazy. All I remember is that it didn't have tha level of engagement with the characters as this film. It was all focused on Godzilla (and what a bummer that turned out to be).

But I agree, it is quite possible that given the more limited access to the internet back then, there is less coverage of the fans, so it is possible there would have been greater anticipation for the characters had there been a similar access. That is a possibility.

 

 

Durp004

MemberBaragonApr-15-2014 2:09 AM

After recently making it all the way to Godzilla vs Biollante in my somewhat Godzillathon I can honestly say my new favorite character in the whole series so far is Lt. Goro Gondo. He's so likeable and added excitement to all of his scenes. Watching his die actually really meant something to me this time. I can't believe I had not paid attention to this character. 

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