10.12.2022
Godzilla’s birthday is fast approaching and Toho is extending his celebration to the U.S. with an official theatrical release of Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla (ゴジラxメカゴジラ, 2002) on November 3. Toho is celebrating its 20th anniversary along with Godzilla’s 68th birthday. As expected Godzilla fans are stoked to see the Big G on the big screen. Godzilla moviegoers will make lifelong memories of seeing Godzilla in the movies. Some will see Godzilla for the first time in the theater.
Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla has a special place in my heart and memory because it was the second Godzilla movie I saw in Japan theaters. This was my fourth trip to Japan. I arrived in Japan a few weeks after the release in early January 2003. I was on my way to becoming a regular visitor to Japan. My go-to travel service was Club ABC Tours Japan 8-day package in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hakone. I took a side trip to Kobe with my friends in Kyoto. During this trip I took a lot of digital photos. But I was unaware of the many Godzilla movie locations I had visited.
These early trips were all about seeing Godzilla and shopping for Godzilla collectibles. I spent hours walking through department stores and toy shops. And the afternoons and evenings were for watching Godzilla at Ikebukuro Humax Cinemas (池袋HUMAXシネマズ), the home of many Godzilla events and talkshows. I saw Godzilla vs Space Godzilla there on my first trip to Japan in 1994. And in 2016, I would see Shin Godzilla there. I’m grateful for these wonderful memories of seeing Godzilla in Japan.
From the theater I purchased the official movie poster, soundtrack and program booklet. On a late night excursion, I went to the toy shop Gojira-ya for the first time, where I found an original Terror of MechaGodzilla 1975 poster instead. The biggest of my purchases was the Bandai Light and Sound DX Super Armor MechaGodzilla Kiryu figure (バンダイ ライト＆サウンド DX 超装甲 メカゴジラ 2002). But I have yet to open the box after all these years! And today there is another box that will not be opened, the new X-Plus Yuji Sakai Godzilla 2002 model kit featuring MyKaiju toy photography, that makes another wonderful memory related to the upcoming Godzilla Day of Celebration. Enjoy Godzilla at a theater near you.