Customer Reviews

Killer Kaiju Monsters: Strange Beasts of Japanese Film

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One would think that a book with the subtitle "Strange Beasts of Japanese Film" would actually focus on these critters, but sadly this is not the case. There are dozens - if not hundreds - of various kaiju inhabiting Japanese films and television shows. However, this volume showcases only ten of them, and nine of those are from the Godzilla series of films, which have seen plenty of exposure elsewhere. There are brief biographies of each of the beasts, as well some cut-away portraits, but half of the "origin" tabs at the bottom of these bios are incorrect. The bulk of the book is reserved for photos of vinyl toys, or kaiju artwork, almost none of which have anything to do with the film monsters (except maybe for being inspired by them).

Where are the rest of the inhabitants of Monster Island? What about the various members of Gamera's rogues gallery? The water-spitting dragon and fire-breathing giant frog from "The Magic Serpent?" Daimaijin, the stone god of vengeance? The too-numerous-to-name monsters from the various "Ultraman" series? I could go on and on, but the answer is simple: they aren't here.

The book is a big disappointment. I can't even recommend it as a primer for someone who wants to learn about the rich history of Japanese film kaiju. For them, I would heartily suggest they seek out Stuart Galbraith's excellent "Monsters are Attacking Tokyo." Just save your money and steer clear of "Killer Kaiju Monsters: Strange Beasts of Japanese Film."

I have to agree with Mr Gallagher's review. The information on actual movie monsters is sparse and done by someone who doesn't seem very interested in the subject matter. The last third of the book is useless, fairly amateur popart paintings of original monsters that add nothing to the book. The book was originally solicited under the title 'GODZILLA & FRIENDS ART OF JAPANESE MONSTER", they must have changed it when they realized how little it has to do with the subject.

After I ordered this book but before it arrived I happened to read Mr. Gallaghers review of it, and it really had me second guessing my purchase. Well, it arrived the next day and was exactly as he described. A real letdown. I took him up on his suggestion to order "Monsters are attacking Tokyo" instead, three days later that book arrived and I couldn't have been any happier. I have to go leave a nice review over for that book now! Amazon rocks as they made returning the Killer Kaiju book for a full refund as easy as could be. I love this website!

The following quote is taken from page 10 of "Killer Kaiju Monsters: Strange Beasts of Japanese Film" by Ivan Vartanian:

"Kaiju Big Battel ... is a live wrestling event held in various American cities by hobbyists who duke it out in a ring dressed in cardboard costumes inspired or modeled on existing kaiju characters."

I have a few problems with this:

1. This is the entire mention of Kaiju Big Battel.

2. It refers to the kaiju as "hobbyists." Do you think Dusto Bunny and American Beetle fight as a hobby? I think not!

3. I have two problems with "Dressed in cardboard costumes." A.) No one is dressed in any sort of costume. Monsters are real and danger can happen. B.) Robox is the only one made of cardboard.

4. "Inspired or modeled on existing kaiju characters." Shouldn't this be the other way around? The kaiju of the Japanese tokusatsu films and television were all inspired by Kaiju Big Battel. The monster suits of these FICTIONAL portrayals don't even nearly measure up to the legacy of the REAL kaiju of Kaiju Big Battel.

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With that said, the book is mostly some nice pictures from Godzilla movies and a couple of other things. There isn't much reading to be done with the book itself other than about 20 total pages worth of text with odd sentence structure and transitions. The book should have been fact-checked before publication due to the inaccuracies regarding Kaiju Big Battel.

Killer Kaiju Monsters: Strange Beasts of Japanese Film offers color illustrations of the most famous Japanese Kaiju monsters, descriptions of their strengths and powers, and a breakdown of plots and stories of Kaiju dramas and battles. Any collection strong in Japanese cinema or horror will find this packs in detail and illustration in a top pick for any lending library strong in film.

Hey, I know that some people don't like this book because it is not as extensive as Ryfle's or Ragone's books on the kaiju genre. However, for what it is, I think it is a very fun book. It is a nice suppliment to those books, simply because it is different. The book cover, layout, and pages are quite beautiful. The artistic renderings, even if they aren't of Godzilla, still are very enjoyable to look at and very creative. There still are a number of classic photos of Godzilla and friends included. Sure, would it be nice at some point to have an updated edition of Ryfle's book which would cover all 26 films? Sure, but until then, with all of the other books I mentioned, this little one is a nice addition to have. You will enjoy reading through it and enjoying the photo and artwork on a fine summer evening!

OK, C'mon everyone, we are talking giant mutant monsters here! I have the book and have flipped through it and I think my sons will be very pleased with it. It has photos, cool graphics, a few timelines, and some toy info but mostly it is a sort of compendium of visuals and short articles that add to the fun of being what my 7 year old tells me he is--a kaiju-ologist. Any book that deals with this subject and doesn't cost me a fortune because it is an out-of-print collectors item is great. I'd say definitely get this book--it is not an exhaustive history or a complete chronicle by any means but it IS fun...and thats what it's all about.