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It'd be difficult to pinpoint why exactly I have so much love for kaiju films. Maybe it's a combination of my love for dragons and my fascination with cryptids. Maybe there's something very charming in these old movies with their poor special effects and cheesy dialogue. Maybe sometimes we just need two hours of good mindless action, and watching a giant monster step on buildings fulfills that need.

My first introduction to the Toho kaiju movie universe was through Destroy All Monsters (1968), which is probably why that one remains a favorite of mine. Afterwards, I felt the need to hunt down and watch as many of the other movies in the series as I could. And, of course, that eventually expanded beyond Toho movies to include other such as Gamera, mecha films, and American monster movies. (On a side note, for anyone just getting started in watching kaiju movies, I highly recommend watching the Japanese versions with subtitles. The dubbed versions of most of the movies are awful, and in some cases even edited completely different from the originals.)

Favorite Kaiju

~ GODZILLA
Okay, this was an obvious pick. My love for dinosaurs makes it impossible not to get excited about a giant radioactive dinosaur with atomic breath.

~ BARAGON
A unicorn dino with giant floppy ears that can burrow underground? How could I not fall for this adorable guy. Baragon is criminally underrated and underutilized in the kaiju franchise. I hold onto the hope that he'll make a comeback someday.

~ MOTHRA
Another obvious pick, but I genuinely love Mothra. She's one of the few kaiju that has never really been depicted as a villain (not counting mind-control incidents) and she's also just got a beautiful design.

~ MANDA
There's not a lot to say for this one. He's a giant sea snake, of course he's going to be on this list. Another kaiju that I wish had gotten more appearances in the movies.

~ ANGUIRUS
Tough little guy who really deserved to finally win a fight. I really liked his role as Godzilla's sidekick/best buddy in the Showa era, and have been disappointed that the Monsterverse movies didn't bring him back to repeat this role.

Favorite Movies

Some of my favorite kaiju movies, in no particular order.

  • Gojira (1954)
  • Destroy All Monsters (1968)
  • Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
  • Rodan (1956)
  • Godzilla vs Destroyah (1995)
  • Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)
  • Giant Monsters All Out Attack (2001)
  • Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)
  • Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Fav movies/shows featuring dinos:

  • Jurassic Park (1993)
  • Primeval: New World (TV 2012-2013)
  • Terra Nova (TV 2011)