Moment(s) you “matured” as a Godzilla/Toho fan

For discussions covering more than one Toho film or show that span across more than one “era.”
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eabaker
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Re: Moment(s) you “matured” as a Godzilla/Toho fan

Post by eabaker »

Probably when I was 10 years old, and my dad introduced me to the original movie (well, the 1956 KotM cut). Before that, I pretty much just watched for the monster scenes, but this was around the same time I saw Invasion of the Body Snatcher, To Kill a Mockingbird, Planet of the Apes, and A Nightmare on Elm Street - basically, the point where I was starting to look at movies in terms of social commentary rather than pure entertainment - and I found it deeply moving.
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Re: Moment(s) you “matured” as a Godzilla/Toho fan

Post by Great Hierophant »

When I stopped going into the city every month or so to buy bootleg VHS tapes of the Heisei series and Japanese versions of the Showa series.

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Re: Moment(s) you “matured” as a Godzilla/Toho fan

Post by Terasawa »

Great Hierophant wrote:When I stopped going into the city every month or so to buy bootleg VHS tapes of the Heisei series and Japanese versions of the Showa series.
Really? I think for some fans of a certain generation this could arguably constitute their own maturation as fans.
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Re: Moment(s) you “matured” as a Godzilla/Toho fan

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

Terasawa wrote:
Great Hierophant wrote:When I stopped going into the city every month or so to buy bootleg VHS tapes of the Heisei series and Japanese versions of the Showa series.
Really? I think for some fans of a certain generation this could arguably constitute their own maturation as fans.
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Re: Moment(s) you “matured” as a Godzilla/Toho fan

Post by SoggyNoodles2016 »

The first time a reviewer fan I liked said something negative about a film I liked and I didn't automatically decide he was right because he was "bigger" and "more knowledgable" and actually stuck with my opinion
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Re: Moment(s) you “matured” as a Godzilla/Toho fan

Post by miguelnuva »

My first big moment is when I realized Godzilla vs SpaceGodzilla was not better than KOTM 56.

My second biggest moment is when I realized everyone has an opinion about the series and I didn't have to defend what my favorites were even if others didn't like them.
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Re: Moment(s) you “matured” as a Godzilla/Toho fan

Post by skuzzy-punk-kid »

The moment I "matured" as a Godzilla fan was my first watching of Godzilla 2000. It was after that that I was finally able to acquire, and to watch (for the first time) the Heisei Godzilla film series. That moment when you see that Godzilla wasn't quite as heroic as I saw him in the later Showa films was a bit much to handle, but then I came to appreciate what Godzilla was truly supposed to symbolize.
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Re: Moment(s) you “matured” as a Godzilla/Toho fan

Post by Desghidorah »

-Stopped hating dubbing
-Appreciated 1998 as a monster movie, even if it's not Godzilla
-Voiced support for the idea of not making every Godzilla story dark as possible
-Learned to kick back, relax, and enjoy the show
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Re: Moment(s) you “matured” as a Godzilla/Toho fan

Post by gottatalktothefake »

Stopped giving a fuck that people think different things about the movies than I did
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Re: Moment(s) you “matured” as a Godzilla/Toho fan

Post by Jeff-Goldblum2 »

I also posted earlier but when I realized Destroy All Monsters is mostly pretty bad and that Godzilla's Revenge is actually the better movie strictly between the two.

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Re: Moment(s) you “matured” as a Godzilla/Toho fan

Post by GojiDog »

Here's another one for me:

I matured as a fan when I stopped being angry at the 1998 film.

I still don't like it, and it was the first time I remember seeing a movie, being excited for it, and then being royally let down by it. I was 13 at the time and had never quite experienced that before. Had I been older, I would have realized what I was in for months before the movie was released, but going in, I got swept up in the excitement of it all and got let down big time.

And for years, I held a grudge towards the film for its disservice to the franchise.

As I've gotten older though, I softened up towards the film. While I still don't like it, I have to recognize that a lot of good came from it. For one thing, the 90s films finally got released state side and I was able to see them. I think the hype of the new film kind of motivated the release of those films, and I was happy for it. The same year I was upset over the 1998 film, was the same year I finally got to see Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah and Godzilla Vs. Destroyah, two of my personal favorites.

And then after that, we got the animated series that dove tailed off of the 1998 film, and I consider it to be the best animated incarnation of Godzilla to date. Its basically an updated version of the Hanna Barbera show with fun monsters for Godzilla to fight, and a clear understanding of what made Godzilla fun, and it made the show wildly enjoyable. I just got done rewatching the series on DVD, and I still enjoy it. Its hard for me to stay mad at a movie that spawned a TV show I liked. Its kind of like how I may have disliked the Star Wars prequel trilogy, but the Clone Wars animated projects we got out of it were pretty sweet.

Another good thing was Toho's response to it. Because of the disappointment surrounding the film, we got a whole new string of Godzilla films from his parent company. I have my issues with the Millennium Series as a whole (some of the jabs at the 98 film felt a little petty and excessive, and I wasn't a fan of restarting the time line with each entry) but I still enjoyed each individual film to some degree and it was great to have more traditional Godzilla. The fondest memory I have of the Millennium films was getting to see Godzilla 2000 in theaters, the first time I got to see a Japanese Godzilla film on the big screen. That was a memory I cherish greatly, and it wouldn't have happened if the 98 film hadn't happened. And in total, that's 5 Godzilla films it, at the very least, would have taken me longer to finally see and 6 more that wouldn't have been made at all.

And finally, I'm seeing more and more fans that are younger than me citing the 98 film as their first experience with Godzilla, and that was their gateway to the series at large. My first film was the US edit of King Kong Vs. Godzilla, which isn't exactly the purest representation of the series, but hey, whatever gets you hooked. If this movie managed to create some fans and bring some eyeballs to the old films, then I call that a good thing.

At the end of the day, bad movies happen all the time, and fans get disappointed all the time. It happens. I just went through it recently with Star Wars Episode IX. To me, its not worth getting overly upset about. I was disappointed, I still don't like the movie, but I've moved on. And like I said, I think more than enough good came from the 1998 film.

I even finally gave the 98 a rewatch a few months ago...yeah, I still don't like it, but I chalked it up to it being a product of its time period rather than something deliberately disrespectful to something I am a fan of. I mean Jurassic Park and Independence Day were two of the biggest blockbusters of the 90s, and this film was basically the ID4 guys making their own version of Jurassic Park. No more, no less. That doesn't make me appreciate the film any more and its got a ton of problems, but looking back on it, I understand why the film turned out the way it did.

A microcosm of how I've softened up on the 1998 film: The Godzilla Christmas tree ornaments I got this year included the Tristar version of Godzilla. 15 years ago, I would have chucked that thing in the trash. Now...its okay. GINO-Zilla can be on my Christmas tree. Why be negative around the holidays?
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Re: Moment(s) you “matured” as a Godzilla/Toho fan

Post by Tyrant_Lizard_King »

I never really matured. I pretty much view the series in the same exact light I always have.
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Re: Moment(s) you “matured” as a Godzilla/Toho fan

Post by Fish Cakes »

When I stopped feeling bad or upset over anything that happens with Godzilla. At worst, I'll be disappointed like with KotM then see it as something to laugh about by the time I'm out of the theater. Despite my love and adoration for it, Godzilla is a media franchise and it's not something I can really say is actually important to me personally.
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