Review by C.J. Bunce
Godzilla is the longest running continuous film franchise in the world, going back to the original movie Godzilla, which premiered in 1954. You haven’t really watched a Godzilla movie until you’ve seen the kaiju–giant monsters–produced with that unique style only Japanese filmmakers have captured. The face of Godzilla–Gojira–has changed with every movie, with every update to technology and the vision of each new filmmaker who has had the opportunity to take on the famous beast.
This month for Godzilla’s 70th anniversary Shinji Nishikawa releases Godzilla: The Encyclopedia, available here at Amazon, a book like you’ve never seen before, and an encyclopedia like you’ve never seen before. Take a look inside below, courtesy of Titan Books.
Godzilla: The Encyclopedia is probably not what you think of when you think encyclopedia. It is similar to all the “visual encyclopedias” that every major franchise puts out from time to time. The layout is chronological, beginning with the 1954 original film and moving through 70 years of film to Shin Godzilla in 2016 and the animated update from 2021. Nishikawa is an illustrator of manga and a creature designer, so this book is a look at the kaiju as he has changed from movie to movie with a focus on details in his face and body that can be seen via illustrations. So don’t look for movie photographs here. But artists take note: you can learn much about drawing the creature from the author’s notes.
This project caused the author to go behind the scenes to consider the materials each production used to create the create as seen on film, whether as model, statue, miniature, computer-generated, animated, or costume, and he discusses how the materials used informed what audiences saw on the screen in the final cut.
Nishikawa includes great film summaries, and at the beginning of each chapter a thumbnail comparison of each version of Godzilla shows the franchise star develop physically over time. Nishikawa worked on the monster designs for many Godzilla movies from 1989 to 2004, and here he breaks down franchise history by the Godzilla Showa Era (1954-1975), the Godzilla Heisei Era (1984-1995), Godzilla Millennium (1999-2004), Shin Godzilla (2016), Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters animated trilogy (2017-2018), and Godzilla: Singular Point, the animated series (2021).
The book doesn’t stop at Godzilla, shuffling in human characters and other kaiju that starred in these movies. The 216-page book is available in a trade paperback edition with its own book jacket. Additional features guide readers wanting to draw Godzilla with some tips about the key differences that set each version apart. The edge of each page shows where the creature falls in the 70-year history of the franchise.
And the book is packed with trivia. Every fan of Godzilla will want to get their hands on this book. It will also be fun for manga fans. There’s something here for everyone.
Don’t miss Godzilla: The Encyclopedia, available here at Amazon.
