Monster Discussion #17: Baragon (Showa)

For the discussion of Toho produced and distributed films or shows released before 1980.
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edgaguirus
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Re: People HATE Baragon?!?!?

Post by edgaguirus »

True. But he was one brave kaiju. Taking on a creature twice your size takes guts.
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wizard of the north
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Re: People HATE Baragon?!?!?

Post by wizard of the north »

... didn't baragon show up in a gamera film at one point? i think he was in one of the early ones ...

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eabaker
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Re: People HATE Baragon?!?!?

Post by eabaker »

wizard of the north wrote:... didn't baragon show up in a gamera film at one point? i think he was in one of the early ones ...
That's Barugon, with a "u". Both the name and aspects of the design show evidence of being ripped off from Baragon, though.
Last edited by eabaker on Wed Sep 12, 2012 3:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Rody
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Re: People HATE Baragon?!?!?

Post by Rody »

Barugon looks NOTHING like Baragon.

To be extra fair, there's also the 90's Toho video game kaiju called Barugaron.

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Re: People HATE Baragon?!?!?

Post by eabaker »

Rody wrote:Barugon looks NOTHING like Baragon.
Except that they're both quadrapeds with long horns on their noses.
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Rody
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Re: People HATE Baragon?!?!?

Post by Rody »

...And that is where the resemblance ends. The builds and personalities of the two monsters are nothing alike.

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Re: People HATE Baragon?!?!?

Post by eabaker »

Rody wrote:...And that is where the resemblance ends. The builds and personalities of the two monsters are nothing alike.
Yes, it's a slight physical resemblance, but, coupled with the obvious similarity in the names, it suggests that someone probably had the Toho creature in mind.

Nobody's calling it a carbon copy.
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Rody
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Re: People HATE Baragon?!?!?

Post by Rody »

Well, I do believe both films came out in the same year, so it's possible that Daiei just ripped off Baragon's name. However, Barugon is a cool & unique kaiju in his own right.

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Re: People HATE Baragon?!?!?

Post by eabaker »

Rody wrote:Well, I do believe both films came out in the same year, so it's possible that Daiei just ripped off Baragon's name. However, Barugon is a cool & unique kaiju in his own right.
Yeah, freeze tongue and rainbow ray are a pretty distinctive weapons combo, no question.

Oh, and Frankenstain Conquers the World was originally released in August of '65, while Gamera vs. Bargon came out in April of '66.
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Re: People HATE Baragon?!?!?

Post by edgaguirus »

It's interesting two monsters with similar names are so opposite. One is fat and breaths a heat ray, and the other is slender and breaths ice.
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Re: People HATE Baragon?!?!?

Post by Jirass »

In Patrick Stewart voice:
"Well I'd certainly like to MEET these people!"

I thought everyone loved him. :(
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Re: People HATE Baragon?!?!?

Post by Rody »

^Deja Vu...

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Re: Monster Discussion #17: Baragon (Showa)

Post by Missingno. »

Necrobump.

Anyway, this is my favorite incarnation of the character of the eras he appeared in, and I liked him most in FCTW (the only film where he used the heat ray).
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Re: Monster Discussion #17: Baragon (Showa)

Post by LegendZilla »

Since changing the race/gender of a fictional character seems to be a big trend in this day and age, such Nick Fury being changed to African-American and Kaa in the latest Jungle Book being switched to female, I think that Baragon's character just might be a good candidate for carry on with it. In this case, I'd say Baragon could be turned into a female for a future film. I mean, he WAS portrayed by a woman in GMK and back in 1995, it was stated that Gyaos was female, so why can't the same happen to another kaiju?

What do you think of my idea? If this were the case, he (or she) would fit in with the "tough tomboyish girl" archetype.

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Re: Monster Discussion #17: Baragon (Showa)

Post by edgaguirus »

It could certainly work. You could have Baragon killing animals and humans, only for our heroes to find that Baragon is killing them for her young and not herself.
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Re: Monster Discussion #17: Baragon (Showa)

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

Do we really need kaijus gender to be arbitrarily changed for the sake of arbitrary representation? What the fuck?
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Re: Monster Discussion #17: Baragon (Showa)

Post by holy_granoli »

Image

I love bargagon
I've got a drawing that i think is nice. Maybe I can scan it and show it here? :?:

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Re: People HATE Baragon?!?!?

Post by mikelcho »

eabaker wrote:
wizard of the north wrote:... didn't baragon show up in a gamera film at one point? i think he was in one of the early ones ...
That's Barugon, with a "u". Both the name and aspects of the design show evidence of being ripped off from Baragon, though.
And when Gamera vs. Barugon was dubbed and released in America as War of the Monsters, he was called Baragon.

I think that, since both this film and Frankenstein Conquers the World were released in America by the same studio (AIP), it's really asking too much to be a coincidence.

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Omegazilla
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Re: Monster Discussion #17: Baragon (Showa)

Post by Omegazilla »

A cool monster I would say. A neat and enhanced Varan roar with a cool heat ray (that seemed only useful for burrowing) to boot as well as being adept at burrowing. I know the monster isn't set up to be sympathetic, but I have some sympathy for the monster as he was just trying to survive and wasn't inherently "evil." Sucks Baragon has had only two major appearances and got trashed in all of them. Hopefully this will change in the future.

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Re: Monster Discussion #17: Baragon (Showa)

Post by edgaguirus »

Baragon has also been in comics.

As for a female Baragon, I could go for the idea if it was done well. Baragon as a loving mother would make the kaiju a little sympathetic, but it needs to work with the story, rather than being done just because you can.
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made.

The strength of the vampire is that people will not believe in him.

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