Monster Discussion #36: MechaGodzilla (Showa)

For the discussion of Toho produced and distributed films or shows released before 1980.
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Lord Gappa
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Re: Monster Discussion #36: MechaGodzilla (Showa)

Post by Lord Gappa »

I'd love to see them bring Mechagodzilla back to his roots. It would be a fresh change of pace from the "defender of humanity" role.
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Re: Monster Discussion #36: MechaGodzilla (Showa)

Post by TokyoVigilante »

I think Showa Mechagodzilla looks more like a robot version of the DAM-Goji suit and not the Megaro incarnation. Really wish the DAM suit had one more film left in it.

What I like about Showa Mechagodzilla and Kiryu is that there is a reason for the plot to have a robot Godzilla; the Blackhole Aliens disguise their invasion as a Godzilla attack and Kiryu is built around Godzilla bones, but the Heisei Mechagodzilla is just a Mechagodzilla out of obligation with no in universe justification.

Anyways, Showa Mechagodzilla is a spectacularly deisgned suit, probably one of the best robots that Toho has done. The suit actor gave a basic warmachine a lot of great quirks and charm and I love the retro-style.
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GotengoXGodzilla
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Re: Monster Discussion #36: MechaGodzilla (Showa)

Post by GotengoXGodzilla »

Living Corpse wrote:Maybe they wanted it to intimidate him. If there is anything Godzilla would be hesitant of fighting it would be another Godzilla. Intimidation is also why I think they gave it the ability to roar.
If the G-Force was going for intimidation, then they failed. Godzilla never once hesitated to attack MechaGodzilla.

I'm with TV on this. There is no good reason given as to why the G-Force made their robot look like Godzilla.
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Re: Monster Discussion #36: MechaGodzilla (Showa)

Post by Rody »

^ They were forced to bend to Toho's tyrannical will!!! :evil:

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Re: Monster Discussion #36: MechaGodzilla (Showa)

Post by HayesAJones »

If I had the funds to build a giant battle machine, you better bet your ass it's gonna look like a dinosaur.

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Lord Gappa
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Re: Monster Discussion #36: MechaGodzilla (Showa)

Post by Lord Gappa »

Living Corpse wrote:
GotengoXGodzilla wrote:
Living Corpse wrote:Maybe they wanted it to intimidate him. If there is anything Godzilla would be hesitant of fighting it would be another Godzilla. Intimidation is also why I think they gave it the ability to roar.
If the G-Force was going for intimidation, then they failed. Godzilla never once hesitated to attack MechaGodzilla.

I'm with TV on this. There is no good reason given as to why the G-Force made their robot look like Godzilla.
*Shrugs*

I'm more bothered by the fact that they even made a mech with arms and legs and teeth when it doesn't even punch, claw, kick or bite or headbutt. At least Kiryu and Showa Mechagodzilla actually used their limbs and teeth.
Well, this is the Heisei series. Punching, clawing, kicking, biting, or headbutting was considered unrealistic, while for some reason giant beams of energy wasn't.
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GotengoXGodzilla
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Re: Monster Discussion #36: MechaGodzilla (Showa)

Post by GotengoXGodzilla »

Tyler wrote:
GotengoXGodzilla wrote:I'm with TV on this. There is no good reason given as to why the G-Force made their robot look like Godzilla.
Maybe that's not the intimidation they were going for. Maybe they wanted to piss Godzilla off and make him think another Godzilla was in his territory to provoke a fight between the two, hypothetically leading to Mechagodzilla's victory.
I would think that's the last thing that the G-Force wants. Why would they want to send their untested robot and crew up against a very pissed off Godzilla? If anything, that's going to lead to MechaGodzilla's demise even faster.

EDIT: That's like saying I want to bring down this great Samurai Warlord, and in order to do so, I dress myself up as his dead son to throw him off. That's not going to make me win the fight. It's going to piss off the samurai so much, that he'll fight me as hard as he can, and show no mercy. That's the same here, and I think it's just as odd.
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Re: Monster Discussion #36: MechaGodzilla (Showa)

Post by Spuro »

Living Corpse wrote:
Lord Gappa wrote: Well, this is the Heisei series. Punching, clawing, kicking, biting, or headbutting was considered unrealistic, while for some reason giant beams of energy wasn't.
Well that's true but to say there was zero T&C would be wrong. King Ghidorah and Battra larval still got in close for physical combat even if it wasn't anything noteworthy.
Destoroyah and Biollante were also very physical monsters. Biollante only used her acid spray once!
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Re: Monster Discussion #36: MechaGodzilla (Showa)

Post by GotengoXGodzilla »

Tyler wrote:
GotengoXGodzilla wrote:I would think that's the last thing that the G-Force wants. Why would they want to send their untested robot and crew up against a very pissed off Godzilla? If anything, that's going to lead to MechaGodzilla's demise even faster.
I dunno. Humans are always cocky going up against Godzilla. But the theme of the movie was life vs. artificial life. Godzilla won because he was the real deal and Mechagodzilla was a phony.
...Pretty sure Godzilla won, because Rodan gave him his life force. If Rodan hadn't done that, MechaGodzilla, the phony, would have won.
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Re: Monster Discussion #36: MechaGodzilla (Showa)

Post by Spuro »

How awesome Mechagodzilla Showa is?
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Re: Monster Discussion #36: MechaGodzilla (Showa)

Post by GotengoXGodzilla »

Tyler wrote:
GotengoXGodzilla wrote:...Pretty sure Godzilla won, because Rodan gave him his life force.
Which only pushes the life vs. artificial life theme, and to support that even further the Garuda was supposed to bring Godzilla back to consciousness from an energy leak or something but they swapped it with Rodan's own excess radiation. Godzilla would have ultimately won no matter what from the plot and theme of the movie, not from what-if fantasy match type stuff.
I don't see how that pushes the "life vs. artificial life" theme any further. You can apply the same circumstances to two artificial creatures, and it would still work. Let's say that MechaGodzilla was the hero, and Godzilla was beating the crap out of him, and MechaGodzilla was running low on energy. Using some technical bullshit, the Garuda (in place of Rodan), could transfer all of it's energy to MechaGodzilla, giving him his second wind and beating Godzilla.

Energy is energy. It can be transfered just as much from organic creatures to inorganic creatures. And that's the problem with the whole "life vs. artificial life" theme of GvsMG2. They don't do a good job with it. I'm not saying that it doesn't fit in the film, but that it takes proper planning and scenes to make it work. GvsMG2 didn't do that well enough. In the end, life is shown to be the only way to go, according to the film. Whereas artificial life is shown in such a negative light that there's no arguing for it. So it's really not "life vs. artificial life", but "Life is awesome. Artificial life sucks." If there has to be a "versus" part, where it's one against another, then both sides have to be shown evenly, and that's not the case in GvsMG2.

Also, there is no written rule that says Godzilla has to win in the end. Hell, in preproduction for the film, Godzilla was suppose to lose to MechaGodzilla. Sometimes in a story, the hero doesn't win. Sometimes the story doesn't follow the traditional genre traits that it's given. The film could have just as easily gone with Godzilla losing to MechaGodzilla. That's just how life is.
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Re: Monster Discussion #36: MechaGodzilla (Showa)

Post by ghidorasauras »

mecha Godzilla is so F*cking badass he is my third favorite kaiju!
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Re: Monster Discussion #36: MechaGodzilla (Showa)

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Kaiju-King42 wrote:How awesome Mechagodzilla Showa is?
Just about the awesomest mutha-fudgers in the Showa Era.
Half as long, twice as bright.
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Re: Monster Discussion #36: MechaGodzilla (Showa)

Post by Rody »

I find it somewhat ironic that many people criticize the Heisei beam-spamming, yet adore Showa MechaG (myself included).

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Re: Monster Discussion #36: MechaGodzilla (Showa)

Post by thatsoundman »

ImageI agree that the 74/77 mg is the best and here is the reason why.
Able to shoot beams from its eyes; can generate a force field by rotating its head at a tremendous speed; able to fire an electric current from its chest; equipped with rockets on its feet for flight at mach 5; able to fire a concentrated beam when head is removed; can launch missiles from fingers, feet, throat, knees and toes.
Now i'm going to have to watch it before i go to bed tonight. the advantage of owning most of the movies.

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Re: Monster Discussion #36: MechaGodzilla (Showa)

Post by Goji »

Rody wrote:I find it somewhat ironic that many people criticize the Heisei beam-spamming, yet adore Showa MechaG (myself included).
I don't think it's all that ironic.

The 90's MG lacks character, and is essentially a giant "walking talk" that looks like a giant, metallic duck. That's not very appealing as a Mechagodzilla. Not to me at least.

Not only that, the original has this "retro", almost steampunk-esqe look to him that a lot of people seem to dig.
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Re: Monster Discussion #36: MechaGodzilla (Showa)

Post by TokyoVigilante »

He also savagely beat King Caesar without the aid of any beam weaponry, not counting the chest laser that slashed open the mountain.
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Re: Monster Discussion #36: MechaGodzilla (Showa)

Post by kaiju115 »

I would probably consider Mechagodzilla, to be my favorite of Godzilla enemies, I think Mechagodzilla should go back to being a bad guy.
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Re: Monster Discussion #36: MechaGodzilla (Showa)

Post by Ethan »

There's nothing wrong with the "Heisei beam spamming". Criticism is due battles consisting of nothing but beams. Such is not the case with Nakano's Mechagodzilla. His "all-out assault" is saved for the climax, it's not a stiff prop/suit being compensated by lots o' beams, it's the big pay-off.
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Re: Monster Discussion #36: MechaGodzilla (Showa)

Post by Godzillaprime05 »

He's a a well designed kaiju. I hate how SMG has become the standard Mecha-G.
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