Customer Reviews

Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of "The Big G"

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Being a long-time Godzilla fan, I was extremely excited that such an information filled book about Godzilla was finally available to his US fans. And although this book is jam-packed with information, the author (Steve Ryfle) is so incredibly critical towards te Godzilla series that it's hard to believe he considers himself a G-fan at all. His attitude goes something like "The first eight Godzilla movies are great, but anything and everything that comes after that (...)". He doesn't even give anything after that a chance! It's like he makes up his mind about a new movie before he even sees it. After "Son of Godzilla", the highest review you'll find has just 3 and a half stars. And that's rare to find a review that high! he definetely favors old movies. However, despite all the critical opinions and Godzilla-slamming, the book is the BEST source for Godzilla behind-the-scenes information out there. While the Official Godzilla Compendium was flimsy, it had great pictures and monster-stats. If you can get past the negativity in this book, it really is the best source for Godzilla information you can find. So, my final opinion is: Buy this book for the information, and get "The Official Compendium" for the pictures and monster stats.

This book had been delayed so long many people thought it would never come out, but now it is and I was not dissapointed. Steve Ryfle has written a very informative and interesting book about Japan's Favorite Mon-Star and has included everything in his book from unmade projects to interviews. His reviews of the films are great and in-depth, he obvioulsy has researched Godzilla very well. Anybody who is a Godzilla fan must get this book, it blows away "The Official Godzilla Compendium" as is easily the best made Godzilla book around.

Steve Ryfle weaves a heck of a book here. It goes without saying that Godzilla fans will love this, but I'll say it anyway: Godzilla fans will love this. But that's not all. Film fans will like this as well, for it offers an intriguing look behind the scenes of Japanese cinema. And if you've ever been curious about "just who DID create Godzilla," then you should check out this book.

Ryfle reviews twenty-two Japanese Godzilla films (the few most recent, beginning with Godzilla 2000, not included), as well as the American abomination. He also gives in-depth profiles of writers, actors, and others who worked on the movies, and gives looks at unmade films (such as Godzilla vs. Frankenstein) and special projects (such as the two Godzilla episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000).

A final ironic note: This book was originally held up by studio lawyers, which only gave Ryfle time to review the American monstrosity as well and add his savaging of it into the final product.

This book is recommended.

The only minor complaint I have about this book is that it has precious few photographs from the classic (Showa) period Godzilla series. Since this book had no official connection with Toho Studios of any kind, this isn't quite so surprising. However, the sheer amount of detail concerning the production of every Godzilla movie to date (this was published just after "Godzilla vs. Destroyer", and right before the atrocious American "Godzilla") is extremely impressive. This book makes a fine companion to "Monsters Are Attacking Tokyo!", because both fill in many details about classic Japanese monster movies (Kaiju eiga) that many of us western fans could only guess about for years and years. A great addition to the bookshelf of any science-fiction or monster-movie fan.

This huge trade paperback by long-time *kaiju* fan Ryfle is just overflowing with great, behind-the-scenes info and plot summaries of all 22 Toho Godzilla films, as well as the 1998 TriStar abomination. Ryfle also looks at proposed Godzilla projects that never got made, such as THE VOLCANO MONSTERS, GODZILLA VS. REDMOON, GODZILLA VS. THE SPACE MONSTERS, FRANKENSTEIN VS. GODZILLA, American director Steve Miner's (FRIDAY THE 13TH, Parts 2 & 3) GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS IN 3-D (1983), the Cannon Group's comedy IT ATE CLEVELAND, and even Jan DeBont's ill-fated GODZILLA for TriStar. Since the book isn't licensed or approved by either Toho or TriStar, there aren't ANY stills or photos from the movies, but Ryfle has photos from wire services and private collections that at least give you some visual ideas of what he's talking about. It's definitely more informative and critical than Random House's THE OFFICIAL GODZILLA COMPENDIUM, and should be on any hardcore G-fan's shelf.

Whether you agree with Steve Ryfle's criticism of the the later and contemporary Godzilla movies or not (and I do not not, with the exception of the American version, I rate no Godzilla movie lower than three stars), his book remains a fairly exhaustive look at the legendary monster and its decades long film franchise. Just about any question you may have about the still running series will probably be answered in these pages. Sadly legal hassles (i.e. it being unauthorized) prevented more photos of the star attraction appearing in the book, but that it is a pretty nitpicking quibble for such a book as this. If you want cool pictures of The Big "G", then buy the Cerasini/Leeds Companion. If you want an affectionate, yet candidly unvarnished, look that people who created and/or appeared in so many wonderfully entertaining movies, then get this. You will not be disappointed. I can only give it my highest recommendation.

Despite a shortage of photos (quite understandable, given this book's "unauthorized" status), JAPAN'S FAVORITE MON-STAR is a superb package, with a wealth of behind-the-scenes and other related facts on each of the Godzilla films (up to 1999). With numerous interviews with the filmmakers, actors, and even American distributors, the amount of information in this volume is prodigious yet consistently entertaining. The reviews reflect the author's heartfelt, fannish connection to G films, and help lighten the overall tone of the book with their informal and highly personal sentiments. Godzilla fans will probably find much to agree--and disagree--with here; that said, I found that in most cases the author and I were on the same wavelength in our views of the Godzilla films. Whether this is the definitive volume on the Godzilla series is debatable, but after JAPAN'S FAVORITE MON-STAR, one would be hard-pressed to publish a book on the subject that isn't superfluous.

This book is great. It is fun, enjoyable, easy to read and surprisingly moving in places.

The lack of photograps of the key Mon-Stars can be a little disconcerting but since this is an unoffical guide quiet understandable.

Clearly Steve Ryfle loves his subject and after reading the book I am sure you will too!

there's this book by mr. steve ryfle
it's about godzilla, it's more than a trifle
it's a big tome
& you don't want to read it alone
"japan's favorite mon-star" is its name
it puts history books to shame
ryfle doesn't pretend godzilla is real
& therein likes the big deal
schoolbooks tell history cute
"mon-star"'s about a man in a rubber suit
who wants to scare the brownies out of you
it's about the cast & crew
of 22 wonderful flicks
that were no mainstream critic's picks
... mr. ryfle knows his subject well
this is not history game of shell
you can have your nathan hale
so wan, so ashen and pale
let steve take you for a ride
aboard a steed of guts & pride
wait for us godzilla
as you stride from tokyo to manilla!

Don't let the lousy cover fool you! Ryfle's fact-filled tome is an incredible, well-written work--maybe the final word in Godzilla biographies--that is as entertaining as it is surprising. Ryfle has uncovered many heretofore facts on the big "G" and many of the key players behind Godzilla's success. I was particularly dazzled by the author's careful piecing together the real story behind Godzilla's arrival and subsequent appearances in America. A great book.