Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

For the discussion of Shin Godzilla, Godzilla -1.0, the anime trilogy, Godzilla Singular Point and Toho produced and distributed films after 2015. Includes US movies financed by Toho like Detective Pikachu.
Oca12
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Re: GODZILLA ANIME General Discussion Thread

Post by Oca12 »

Honestly, I don't think the Godzilla Anime was all that bad. Sure Haruo was kinda unlikable in the beginning, but it was really great seeing him come far as his own character later on in the anime. I feel like people really only judge him based on how he was in POTM, which is really poor IMO. That's like saying Luke Skywalker was an annoying and bad character by only judging him off how he acted in the first act of A New Hope. Metphies especially was also a standout! (in a good way ofc)

I also really loved how it handled the kaiju as well. Godzilla literally terraforming the entire planet to his liking? That's so cool! His being a full-on plant and treating him as the manifestation of Nature's Rage was phenomenal too. Mechagodzilla was also pretty good here as well, I do quite like design apart from the head, though it was def a bit much to make him into a literal city. And this incarnation of Ghidorah is most definitely my favorite, with how scary it is and the religious undertones with him, he's definitely the most terrifying Ghidorah, far surpassing the MV Ghidorah IMO

It also juggled its themes and ideas extremely well too! The soundtrack was great, and the animation was really good (from afar anyways, up close you could really tell it isn't that great). Overall, I really liked this series and I hope Toho continues experimenting over the course of the Reiwa era, while Legendary makes more traditional kaiju flicks

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Re: GODZILLA ANIME General Discussion Thread

Post by Mixtape Nostalgia »

Not a big fan of this trilogy. It had its moments but seemed like false advertising particularly on the second one. We didn't actually "get" Mechagodzilla which was a disappointment. It had a few good ideas though and Godzilla was taken in a weird but interesting direction.

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Re: GODZILLA ANIME General Discussion Thread

Post by LegendZilla »

I look at it this way : To Godzilla, Hideaki Anno is like JJ Abrams and Gen Urobochi is Rian Johnson. As for how the sequel trilogy turned out, I blame it more on Disney then JJ himself.
Last edited by LegendZilla on Tue Mar 23, 2021 2:46 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: GODZILLA ANIME General Discussion Thread

Post by tbeasley »

LegendZilla wrote: Tue Mar 23, 2021 2:42 am I look at it this way : To Godzilla, Hideaki Anno is like JJ Abrams and Gen Urobochi is Rian Johnson. As for how the sequel trilogy turned out, I blame it more on Disney then JJ himself.
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Re: GODZILLA ANIME General Discussion Thread

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LegendZilla wrote: Tue Mar 23, 2021 2:42 am I look at it this way : To Godzilla, Hideaki Anno is like JJ Abrams and Gen Urobochi is Rian Johnson. As for how the sequel trilogy turned out, I blame it more on Disney then JJ himself.


Especially because Anno didn't make a terrible movie after people didn't like the anime trilogy ;)

....hope this means Singular Point is Mandalorian though.
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Zasraniec
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Re: GODZILLA ANIME General Discussion Thread

Post by Zasraniec »

I liked the anime trilogy. Yeah it falls flat in some areas but it had a lot of awesome ideas. Godzilla Earth is downright scary as he literally was capable of genocide on a global scale. The plant life angle was also pretty original and awesome. The fakeout with Godzilla Filius was very well done and while we don't actually see Mechagodzilla as a Mechagodzilla we do get to see how there are some threats that make Godzilla a necessary presence. I also like the idea of a monster apocalypse and how Godzilla took over. The premise is basically the monsterverse on roids. Godzilla is more or less the "alpha" that brings things back to balance. We never saw Godzilla terraform a whole planet to his liking which was pretty sweet. I very much would like to see more of this story. Since we got a pretty definitive ending it would be best as a prequel. Seeing the monster apocalypse unfold would be pretty engaging.

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kaijukurt
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Re: GODZILLA ANIME General Discussion Thread

Post by kaijukurt »

Zasraniec wrote: Tue Mar 23, 2021 1:20 pm I liked the anime trilogy. Yeah it falls flat in some areas but it had a lot of awesome ideas. Godzilla Earth is downright scary as he literally was capable of genocide on a global scale. The plant life angle was also pretty original and awesome. The fakeout with Godzilla Filius was very well done and while we don't actually see Mechagodzilla as a Mechagodzilla we do get to see how there are some threats that make Godzilla a necessary presence. I also like the idea of a monster apocalypse and how Godzilla took over. The premise is basically the monsterverse on roids. Godzilla is more or less the "alpha" that brings things back to balance. We never saw Godzilla terraform a whole planet to his liking which was pretty sweet. I very much would like to see more of this story. Since we got a pretty definitive ending it would be best as a prequel. Seeing the monster apocalypse unfold would be pretty engaging.
We actually get to see see the monster apocalypse unfold in the prequel novels, sadly they haven't been officially translated into English though.

Its also interesting that the prequel novels are very action-heavy, which I think draws some unfair comparisons to the actual anime trilogy movies. Even though they both take place in the same universe, the novels & the movies have very different storytelling approaches.
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Re: GODZILLA ANIME General Discussion Thread

Post by Gawdziller1954 »

LegendZilla wrote: Tue Mar 23, 2021 2:42 am I look at it this way : To Godzilla, Hideaki Anno is like JJ Abrams and Gen Urobochi is Rian Johnson. As for how the sequel trilogy turned out, I blame it more on Disney then JJ himself.
....Huh?
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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

To avoid confusion, I've changed the title of this thread to distinguish it from Singular Point.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

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Jermobooka
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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

Post by Jermobooka »

I really love Godzilla Earth. The concept, design, and abilities are all wonderful. Shame it was wasted just like every other interesting concept in this godforsaken trilogy
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AbudJasemAlBaldawi
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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

Post by AbudJasemAlBaldawi »

So I finally got around to seeing The Planet Eater after rewatching the first two and tbh I don't understand the hate. I found these films to be a lot bolder and original than the MonsterVerse films and they had a whole bunch of interesting ideas, without sacrificing what makes Godzilla Godzilla. The movies are rough in a few spots (I thought City On The Edge Of Battle had way too much talking and planning, Haruo is just your typical stoic anime protagonist who went through alot of shit, and the animation is kinda iffy if you really pay attention to it, and the story is much more about Haruo's journey than about Kaiju), but I much prefer this kind of experimentalism that this trilogy and Shin Godzilla brought over the crowd-pleasing fanservice of the MonsterVerse (btw I don't dislike the MonsterVerse films, just not very impressed with them compared to the recent Japanese films).
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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

Post by KaijuKingGojira »

I just rewatched the trilogy and... as a wildly unpopular opinion, I really like them. There’s a weird charm to the movies that draws me in. The first movie is great with the background explanation of how Godzilla first appeared, humans literally leaving the fucking earth because he was so horrifying and the switch out at the end with Filius was great. The second movie definitely had its slow moments and MechaG wasn’t what it could have been but I like the exploration of the native people, Godzilla going scarlet and a few other parts. I must say though, the fan video on YouTube of a proper Godzilla Earth vs Mechagodzilla is godlike and should have been what we got. Now with planet eater, the religious babble does get a little TOO much but Ghidorah was legitimately creepy and terrifying. I also liked the end where Haruo sacrifices himself to Godzilla was a nice close to the story. I ain’t ashamed to admit I really like this series and will watch it again.
Last edited by KaijuKingGojira on Sun Apr 04, 2021 2:06 am, edited 1 time in total.

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LSD Jellyfish
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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

KaijuKingGojira wrote: Sun Apr 04, 2021 2:05 am I just rewatched the trilogy and... as a wildly unpopular opinion, I really like them. There’s a weird charm to the movies that draws me in. The first movie is great with the background explanation of how Godzilla first appeared, humans literally leaving the skreeonking earth because he was so horrifying and the switch out at the end with Filius was great. The second movie definitely had its slow moments and MechaG wasn’t what it could have been but I like the exploration of the native people, Godzilla going scarlet and a few other parts. I must say though, the fan video on YouTube of a proper Godzilla Earth vs Mechagodzilla is godlike and should have been what we got. Now with planet eater, the religious babble does get a little TOO much but Ghidorah was legitimately creepy and terrifying. I also liked the end where Haruo sacrifices himself to Godzilla was a nice close to the story. I ain’t ashamed to admit I really like this series and will watch it again.
See when you write it out like this, I really dig the anime trilogy. I think the sense of dread you give it sums it up nicely. I recently retracted really loving it, in part that I haven’t had a real inclination to rewatch it. Perhaps that will change in the future though.

I definitely think the anime trilogy is overlooked just because Godzilla doesn’t really fight any stereotypical monsters, and had there just been a bit more monster action people would have a lot more interest in it.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

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KaijuKingGojira
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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

Post by KaijuKingGojira »

LSD Jellyfish wrote: Sun Apr 04, 2021 2:10 am
KaijuKingGojira wrote: Sun Apr 04, 2021 2:05 am I just rewatched the trilogy and... as a wildly unpopular opinion, I really like them. There’s a weird charm to the movies that draws me in. The first movie is great with the background explanation of how Godzilla first appeared, humans literally leaving the skreeonking earth because he was so horrifying and the switch out at the end with Filius was great. The second movie definitely had its slow moments and MechaG wasn’t what it could have been but I like the exploration of the native people, Godzilla going scarlet and a few other parts. I must say though, the fan video on YouTube of a proper Godzilla Earth vs Mechagodzilla is godlike and should have been what we got. Now with planet eater, the religious babble does get a little TOO much but Ghidorah was legitimately creepy and terrifying. I also liked the end where Haruo sacrifices himself to Godzilla was a nice close to the story. I ain’t ashamed to admit I really like this series and will watch it again.
See when you write it out like this, I really dig the anime trilogy. I think the sense of dread you give it sums it up nicely. I recently retracted really loving it, in part that I haven’t had a real inclination to rewatch it. Perhaps that will change in the future though.

I definitely think the anime trilogy is overlooked just because Godzilla doesn’t really fight any stereotypical monsters, and had there just been a bit more monster action people would have a lot more interest in it.
Yeah even for an anime, there’s a dark feeling to the movies that I can’t explain, hence the term weird charm because it’s hard to articulate. I dunno, I think in a series that kind of went in a different direction to any other Godzilla media, it worked. A little more monster action wouldn’t have gone astray but it feels... deeper tbh. I don’t know, every few months I’ll chuck them on the tv and I always get hooked. I think Haruo’s end is... really depressing but needed. And what tiny amount of humanity is left at the end just resigns themselves to living under Godzilla’s shadow. It’s kind of a depressing universe to watch but also... I guess charmingly bleak maybe? Plus, the soundtrack in Planet Eater is stellar imo, really creepy but with a finality to it.

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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

Post by CyberZilla »

The soundtrack for these movies are actually great. Ghidorah’s creepy, horror-esque motif and Godzilla’s new theme for these movies stand out a lot to me. Every now and then I’ll give them a listen and atmospherically they’re just so good.

I also wanna take a moment and say I like the third movie a lot more than the first two (though I didn’t hate the first two).
I really really dig how they use Ghidorah and Godzilla, as well as Haruo and Metphies being juxtaposed with the monsters. Shame the fight wasn’t the most exciting, but there was real tension there, at least for me.
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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

Post by phantomsdaydreams »

I agree wholeheartedly. I'm not sure I'd say any of the film's are perfect in any measure, and they definitely could have sprinkled in more traditional kaiju content, but...I still really dig them. I think you all hit the nail on the head: it's the vibe of the whole trilogy. It's super bleak and really well thought-out/technically-minded, and perhaps most importantly, highly original. I like the Monsterverse intermittently (I DID particularly enjoy GvK), but my mind always strays back to the the weird stuff Toho has been doing with the franchise (and looks to continue doing, if the first couple episodes of Singular Point are anything to go by). The prequel novels (at least the portion I've been able to TL so far) only add to their unique appeal. I think they'll be a dark horse of the franchise for many for a long time to come, sadly, but I think they were unfairly maligned in many cases. I hope others give them a fair shake down the road.

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godjacob
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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

Post by godjacob »

I hate the anime trilogy with a burning passion, but will respect it for an attempt at a new direction and always appreciate Toho going for unconventional or new plots to projects.
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Keizer
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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

Post by Keizer »

godjacob wrote: Tue Apr 06, 2021 9:26 am I hate the anime trilogy with a burning passion, but will respect it for an attempt at a new direction and always appreciate Toho going for unconventional or new plots to projects.
With the benefit of hindsight, I can say this is just about how I feel as well.

I did not enjoy any of the Anime Trilogy films. The first one felt like a waste of time, the second was an unabashed slog, and the third was just okay; nowhere near good enough to redeem everything that came before. I will say that I do appreciate the different take on Godzilla this time; Godzilla Earth does give a feeling of dread unlike any of the others, due to his sheer destructive power. I don't even despise the wormhole Ghidorah. I do think Ghidorah and cosmic horror mix well, even if it manifests in a weird way. Really, the thing that absolutely destroys the trilogy for me is the absolutely dismal human characters. Human characters tend not to be interesting at the best of times in Godzilla movies, but since the human characters are so key this time around, they absolutely should not have been as dull and boring as they were. The only ones I remember are Haruo and Metphies; the former because he is the protagonist, and the latter because he is the villain, not because they are particularly interesting.

I do appreciate the different take on the Godzilla series, in the end; one of the major strengths of the series as a whole is that it can be two wildly different things if you select two of the movies at random. I never really give things grief for trying something and failing; experimentation keeps things fresh. That said, a failure is still a failure, no matter the intentions.

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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

Post by Cryptid_Liker »

CyberZilla wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 11:29 am The soundtrack for these movies are actually great. Ghidorah’s creepy, horror-esque motif and Godzilla’s new theme for these movies stand out a lot to me. Every now and then I’ll give them a listen and atmospherically they’re just so good.

I also wanna take a moment and say I like the third movie a lot more than the first two (though I didn’t hate the first two).
I really really dig how they use Ghidorah and Godzilla, as well as Haruo and Metphies being juxtaposed with the monsters. Shame the fight wasn’t the most exciting, but there was real tension there, at least for me.
My opinion, exactly.

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godjacob
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Re: Monster Planet Trilogy Discussion

Post by godjacob »

Personally, I find the third film to be the least enjoyable. It cemented Haruo as not just a bad protagonist but a downright unlikeable twat who I actively wanted to punch in the face across my screen, Ghidorah was a fantastic concept but a nothing character overall (Much like Godzilla) and their battle which was hyped up ended up being Ghidorah biting Godzilla in place for 45 minutes making it easily the worst fight in the franchise. Giant Condor vs. Godzilla is unironically a better battle, which is a sad bar to fumble at.

The cult atmosphere behind Metphiees was pretty neat, but this film really dialed up the nihilistic dark for dark sake the trilogy seemed to almost revel in. And it never felt like it was building to anything or make a meaningful bit of commentary with it. Just seemed to get a kick of making everything hopeless as possible as if filling a depression quota. And the very idea that Godzilla is even argued to be good all along in spite of being one of the more malevolent incarnations of the character is absurd in the worst way.
Last edited by godjacob on Fri Apr 09, 2021 8:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
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