Professor Popinjay's Compendium of Perspicacity

A Non-Review by Professor Popinjay

MILD SPOILERS

Toho’s Godzilla Minus One. Set during a time when Japan, sadly, was at zero. 1947, Just after World War II.

Our main character? A Kamikaze pilot, Kôichi Shikishima, still alive.

I won’t go into the details of why he is still alive but the people he meets immediately after the war are not happy to see him. He should be dead. He should have sacrificed himself for the sake of his country, his people.

His parents… are dead. Japan is in shambles. It’s people are trying desperately to eke out survival amid the ruins. Wracked with survivor’s guilt, Koichi stumbles toward his old neighborhood.

It is here Kôichi meets Noriko Ôishi who is caring for a baby found abandoned in the chaos. It’s obvious the three of them have no one else and so an unspoken bond is formed.

Wanting to do anything he can to assuage his guilt and make restitution for not fulfilling his duty as a Kamikaze pilot, Kôichi takes on a very dangerous job as a minesweeper, detonating leftover explosive mines in the waters surrounding Japan. Beyond this duty, Kôichi feels he has nothing to live for and if he dies when performing this duty, it would be an honorable death.

Enter Godzilla.

My understanding of the Japanese Kamikaze pilot came from multiple history lessons in school, multiple movies such as “Tora, Tora, Tora” and “Empire of the Rising Sun”. Seeing movies like the “47 Ronin” and “The Last Samurai” taught me about Bushido (Sacrificing yourself for the greater good) and Sepuku (ritualistic suicide) committed because of dishonor (or, more accurately, to maintain honor). My American “Never give up” mentality struggled to grasp this concept and in my ignorance and lack of real cultural experience, I concluded the Japanese must all be ready and willing to “die for their beliefs”. But any inference that there might be a similarity between kamikaze pilots and terrorist attacks is a gross misunderstanding. There is no comparison. Kamikaze were not terrorists.

Those Japanese men who gave their lives in battle have been honored and rightly so. The government responsible for inspiring these men to give their lives however, is less revered today and rightly so, if my understanding is correct. This film may be set at the same time period as the original Godzilla film, but the more modern commentary on the Japanese government that abandoned its people toward the end of the war makes an indelible mark on the audience. The sentiment is not flattering to their government of that period but it is empowering to the people. In Minus One it is made clear to everyone who is banding together to enact the plan to destroy Godzilla, they are not sanctioned by their government. They are on their own in this endeavor.

Naturally, our friend Kôichi finds himself playing a vital and dangerous role among this group. Could this be his chance to truly serve his purpose? The night before the plan takes place, Kôichi’s friend Kenji makes a beautiful speech that exemplifies the soul of this movie:

“Come to think of it, this country has treated life far too cheaply. Poorly armored tanks. Poor supply chains resulting in half of all deaths from starvation and disease. Fighter planes built without ejection seats and finally, kamikaze and suicide attacks. That’s why this time I’d take pride in a citizen led effort that sacrifices no lives at all! This next battle is not one waged to the death, but a battle to live for the future.”

Fighting for the future of your people, and living.

The metaphor of the monster has represented different things as times changed but the message of people ultimately valuing life has been an unchanging theme since the beginning. Now that message is at the forefront.

These films are so much more than a campy B grade movie made for a quick buck and some mildly amusing entertainment. They are a representation of the healing and hopefulness of Japan. I believe others have come to understand this and have desired to share in this positive growth. This is why the passion of those involved in creating these films has never diminished. Every director, every suit actor, every miniature builder, every music composer, every stagehand, grip, and best boy has put in 110% since day one up to present and there is no end in sight.

This is what I wanted you to see. These films may not always have the most ingenious storylines, sometimes the effects aren’t great or just don’t stand the test of time, the acting can be sub par sometimes, the music has even been a little off now and then. Some are humorless and dreary, others are just plain silly. But EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. of these films has an UNDENIABLE soul. It’s the passionate souls of those who have wanted to promote a future of compassion, care for our planet and a value for life.

You may still not be a Godzilla fan or have the patience to sit through these films meticulously like I have, but I hope, at the very least, you’ve come to understand that these films are special because they represent very special and amazing people who have admittedly made mistakes as we all have, endured terrible hardship, and have not only survived but have created a remarkable future.

Also, it’s just kind of fun to watch miniatures get destroyed.

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If you trudged through this ten part rant, you have my thanks and admiration. I hope you enjoyed it and maybe learned something too. It took forever to watch all these films and about three months to write this. Between each movie I would delve into the history and “making of” so I could write an informed piece. I also relied heavily on recap videos for each era as a whole. I’ll attach these sources and while this article wasn’t super extensive regarding details, if you are interested in some in-depth looks at each film or era, I highly recommend giving BigActionBill and MattDraper a look. At any rate it’s faster to watch their documentaries than the actual films, right!?! I’m so glad to get these thoughts off my chest. Now I can finally stop talking to my wife about Godzilla. She’ll be so relieved!

For in-depth looks at each Godzilla film:

https://m.youtube.com/@BigActionBill/videos

For a quicker look at each era as a whole:

https://m.youtube.com/@MattDraper