I don't know what it is about today, but I just can't stop thinking about Godzilla. What is just a big goofy man in a giant lizard suit to some is a childhood icon, hero and tradition to me. Sure, I grew up when Goji was not at the height of his popularity, but watching the Godzilla marathon on WWOR (Channel 9 in NJ/NY) every Thanksgiving was a tradition even more sacred than the damn turkey. Playing with my giant Godzilla toy (with plastic fire tongue and shooting hand) while watching him beat the shit out of King Ghidorah, Megalon, and even the mighty King Kong was something special. Okay, so he didn't really win against Kong, but there was always that false urban legend that somewhere existed an alternate ending with Godzilla as the victor. Oh, if only it were true.As time went on, Channel 9 forgot about but I didn't and neither did Mystery Science Theater 3000. Thankfully they only made fun of the ones I probably didn't care that much about, but they sure ripped Gamera a new one. Japanese Laser-discs dubbed to VHS started hitting Chinatown and soon I was able to watch the films the way they were intended, all complete with English subtitles instead of dubbing. Too bad that wasn't legal. Still, that was it. I was now officially a lifelong member of the "Someday giant monsters are going to stomp all over this damn planet and blow shit up" fan club.
Now Gojira is 55 years old, a good 25 years older than me, and I'm wondering when the hell is there going to be a new film. Toho never seemed to trust the USA again after the American version, and pretty much seemed to roadblock any progress of bringing G-Fandom to the mainstream here. Sure, we did get some damn cool toys and one awesome video game for the Gamecube, but time is passing, children are growing, and I'm about to eat some turkey without seeing Godzilla broadcast on national TV. That makes me sad. Hell, anyone around these parts is going to instantly think of Hideki Matsui when they hear the name Godzilla and that just ain't cool with me.
So I give thanks, to yes, having a beautiful and loving wife, two kittens that adore us, and friends and family that I would take a bullet for. But I also am thankful that I was able to enjoy the innocence of two grown men in rubber suits stomping Tokyo, throwing each other around, and smashing finely crafter miniatures all for the sake of my entertainment. Hell, some of them even had decent stories, but you would never know thanks to the terrible dubbing. All hail Godzilla, may he raid again soon and teach us all what it is like to be a big bad ass that constantly fights to save his family. Minilla was a damn annoying kid and he still fought for him. Now that is a true hero.
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