YHS on Monster Island - The Yong(ary) and the Worthless: A Look at South Korea Kaiju Films

Explicit content warning

10/30/21 • 81 min

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On Monster Island - a Godzilla & Kaiju Podcast

Long before the South Korean film industry was putting out groundbreaking and critically beloved flicks like The Host and Parasite, they bestowed upon the world such epic daikaiju dumpster fires as Yongary, Monster from the Deep (1967) and War of the God Monsters (1985). The question isn't if the "The Tattooed Titan of Tokusatsu" Jacob Walsh and "The Mayor of Toku Toy Town" Jay Key enjoyed these two movies - it's if they survived them. Though Yongary's historical significance on the Korean film world is legitimate and undeniable, it provides little shelter from itchy monster dances, rectal bleeding, poorly hidden flame throwers, and thinly veiled metaphors regarding South Korea's geo-political views following the Korean War. It helps redefine the word "boring". But less than twenty years later, the world was treated to what can only be described as the cinematic interpretation of insanity in its purest form. Stock footage Tsuburaya monsters described as "dinosaurs". Bones that may or may not cause children to get sick. Uncomfortable emotional and physical abuse. A sociopathic pre-teen. And that baby scene...oh, that baby scene. Maybe there was a reason this film was lost.

In addition to traversing the landscape of South Korean kaiju, Jake and Jay discuss some hot news items such as the approaching Godzilla Day and the two huge announcements - the official Toho short, Godzilla vs. Hedorah (in honor of Hedorah's 50th anniversary), and Super7's tease of their next reveal (the first wave of Ultimates, maybe?). The two hosts also compare pick-ups; Jake flexes his cute credentials with a "pumpkin" Negora and LitGodzi Space Godzilla cup...Jay battles back with a cool MaxToyCo Ultraman and a set of Eiji Tsuburaya 100th anniversary finger puppets from Yutaka.

Previous Episode

It Takes Two to Matango - YHS on Monster Island

It's October - which means we are contractually allowed to venture away from classic kaiju and into the realm of human-sized monsters and horror! But we won't stray too far, as we are staying with Toho and the 1963 classic, Matango (aka Attack of the Mushroom People)! This is an in-depth conversation on the genre-bending film based on the 1907 William H. Hodgson short story, The Voice in the Night, and brought to life by a "who's who" of Toho legends - Ishiro Honda, Tomoyuki Tanaka, Eiji Tsuburaya, Hiroshi Koizumi, Akira Kubo, Kumi Mizuno, Yoshio Tsuchiya, and many more! But how did the hallowed horror historian, Jacob Walsh, feel about this foray into early Japanese body horror? Is he even awake yet after his whirlwind trip to New York Comic-Con?

Also on the episode, Jake and Jay review their recent sofubi pick-ups that included a nice array of subjects - from the custom cat kaiju, Negora, to the beautiful Shobijin to yet another Titanosaurus for Jay's collection.

Fire up the maser cannons, gas up the Moonlight SY-3, and polish your space titanium, because it's time to get a little kaijuontheside with YHS on Monster Island!

Next Episode

YHS on Monster Island...in SPACE!

YHS on Monster Island goes fully cosmic! Telepathy. The Yakuza. The worst battle scene ever filmed. A live action chibi Goji. And the fastest moving love story in movie history. Welcome to the overly-crystallized world of 1994's Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla. "The Tattooed Titan of Tokusastu" Jacob Walsh and "The Mayor of Toku Toy Town" Jay Key explore what works in this film...and what doesn't...and what is simply painful (how's it going, M.O.G.U.E.R.A.?). Both hosts have a deep connection to Space Godzilla - so will that influence their objective review of this cinematic spectacle? And who wins in the argument around if Little Godzilla's design "works"? It's an episode that is sure to pack a punch equal to that of a Yuki's Special.