Podcasts about showa era

Last time we spoke about the North Borneo Offensive. General Buckner's 10th Army captured strategic locations, including Shuri Castle, marking a turning point. Simultaneously, General Eichelberger's forces liberated Mindanao, overcoming tough Japanese defenses in the mountainous terrain. As they approached Malaybalay, fierce resistance resulted in heavy casualties, but the Americans persisted, inflicting significant losses on their foes. By June 9, the Americans pressed further into the enemy's defensive lines, leading to intense combat. The Marines landed on the Oroku Peninsula, where fierce fighting revealed the tenacity of the Japanese defenders. General Ushijima prepared for a final stand, as American forces began to encircle and dismantle Japanese positions. As the campaign unfolded, Australians under Brigadier Whitehead launched the North Borneo Offensive, landing on Tarakan and swiftly pushing the Japanese into the rugged interior.  This episode is Victory at Okinawa Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  Okinawa was more than just a battlefield; it became a symbol of sacrifice, the last heroic stand of a fading empire. By this point in the war, Japan was facing inevitable defeat, yet their resolve remained unbroken. They clung to the samurai spirit, determined to fight to the bitter end out of honor and duty. The stakes were high. Japan needed precious time to fortify its home islands, to stretch the conflict as long as possible. To achieve this, over 100,000 brave souls were sent into the fray, sacrificing their lives to slow the American advance and inflict as many casualties as they could. As we've explored in previous episodes, this fierce determination fueled their resistance. And now, we stand at a pivotal moment, the final days of the Battle of Okinawa, the last major confrontation of the Pacific War. As we last left the battlefield, it was June 16, General Buckner's 10th Army had made significant strides, capturing most of southern Okinawa and finally breaking through the last major enemy defenses at the Yaeju Dake-Yuza Dake Escarpment. The remnants of General Ushijima's 32nd Army were now locked in a desperate fight to hold onto the Kiyamu Peninsula, slowly being pushed back toward the sea and their ultimate demise. The following day, June 17, the assault continued with renewed determination. General Geiger's 3rd Amphibious Corps pressed on through Kunishi Ridge, while General Hodge's 24th Corps worked to consolidate its hard-won gains in the escarpment. On the west coast, General Shepherd's 6th Marine Division took action as Colonel Roberts' 22nd Marines stepped in to relieve the weary 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines at the northern slope of Mezado Ridge. With a fierce spirit, they began to push southward, successfully securing most of the ridge. To the east, General Del Valle's 1st Marine Division forged ahead. Colonel Snedeker's fresh 3rd Battalion took over from the exhausted 1st Battalion and advanced 1,400 yards to seize the high ground just east of Mezado. Meanwhile, the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines fought hard to capture the remaining positions of Kunishi Ridge, achieving only a gradual extension to the east. Colonel Griebel's 3rd Battalion moved in behind them to reinforce the isolated Marines, bravely fending off a fierce counterattack under the cover of night. Further east, Colonel Dill's 382nd Regiment systematically eliminated the last enemy positions in the Yuza-Ozato-Yuza Dake area, while Colonel Halloran's 381st Regiment held firm and maintained their lines. In a key maneuver, Colonel Pachler's 17th Regiment launched a successful assault, capturing Hill 153 before Colonel Green's 184th Regiment took over during the night. Lastly, Colonel Finn's 32nd Regiment secured the reverse slopes of Hill 115, preparing to launch an attack on Mabuni and Hill 89. By nightfall, Hodge's 24th Corps had firmly secured all the commanding heights of the Yaeju Dake-Yuza Dake Escarpment. Most of Mezado Ridge and Kunishi Ridge were now in American hands, and Colonel Wallace's 8th Marines had landed in the rear to bolster the western push. For the first time, American forces across the line looked down upon nearly eight square miles of enemy-held territory, a staggering view of what lay ahead. Realizing they were forced from their last defensive positions and that their destruction was imminent, the 32nd Army began to unravel, collapsing into chaos. On June 18, Hodge's troops seized the opportunity to strike decisively. The 32nd Regiment advanced down the coast toward Mabuni, facing increasing resistance. The 184th Regiment moved down the reverse slopes of Hill 153, closing in on Medeera, while the 381st Regiment speedily crossed the plateau, tackling scattered enemy fire to seize the high ground just 400 yards north of Medeera. Simultaneously, Dill's 3rd Battalion crashed through a rugged maze of caves and pillboxes, making a daring 600-yard advance to the base of the rocky ridge north of Aragachi. To the west, Griebel's 1st Battalion circled the eastern end of Kunishi Ridge, battling heavy resistance to gain the lower slopes of Hill 79. Further west, Roberts' 2nd Battalion pushed through the 3rd and aimed for Kuwanga Ridge, successfully seizing an 1,800-yard stretch by late afternoon. As they advanced, the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines moved forward to occupy the eastern end of the ridge. Meanwhile, the remainder of the 22nd Marines began to mop up the remnants of resistance on Mezado Ridge. Tragedy struck when Colonel Roberts was tragically killed by a sniper near his observation post during this operation. Lieutenant-Colonel August Larson would succeed him in command. Sadly, Roberts would not be the only American commander to fall that day. In the heart of the Marine line, the 8th Marines were finally called into action in the morning to relieve the weary 7th Marines. After a rigorous artillery bombardment to soften up the enemy defenses, Wallace's 2nd Battalion began its advance south toward the Kuwanga-Makabe Road, successfully capturing the high ground just north of the road by late afternoon. Meanwhile, General Buckner decided to visit Wallace's command post on Mezado Ridge around midday. He observed the 8th Marines' steady progress in the valley, taking stock of their relentless push forward. Tragically, as he was leaving the observation post, disaster struck. Five artillery shells rained down, one striking a coral outcrop near him. The jagged shards of coral filled the air, and Buckner was mortally wounded in the chest. He died within minutes, just days shy of achieving his goal: the complete capture of Okinawa. With Buckner's passing, General Geiger, as the senior troop commander, took over temporary command of the 10th Army for the remainder of the battle. Buckner became the highest-ranking American military officer killed in World War II and would hold that somber distinction throughout the entire 20th century. On June 18, the final written order from General Ushijima of the 32nd Army outlined a daring escape plan. He designated an officer to lead the "Blood and Iron Youth Organization," tasked with conducting guerrilla warfare once organized combat had ceased. Simultaneously, he ordered his remaining troops to make their way to the northern mountains of Okinawa, where a small band of guerrillas was rumored to be operating.  In his message he congratulated them on fulfilling their "assigned mission in a manner which leaves nothing to regret." He urged them to "fight to the last and die for the eternal cause of loyalty to the Emperor." This movement was not to happen in haste. Soldiers were instructed to travel in small groups of two to five over the course of several days. They were urged to don civilian clothes and avoid confrontation whenever possible. In a clever stratagem, most of the army staff officers were directed to leave the command post disguised as native Okinawans, aiming to infiltrate American lines and find safety in northern Okinawa. Some individuals, like Colonel Yahara, were entrusted with the mission of reaching Japan to report to the Imperial General Headquarters. Others were tasked with organizing guerrilla operations, focusing on harassing the rear areas of the 10th Army and Island Command, determined to continue the fight against the American forces in any way they could. Again I have read Yahara's book on the battle of Okinawa and despite being full of apologetic stuff and attempts to make himself look better, its one of the most insightful books on the Japanese perspective. You get a lot of information on how bad it was for the Okinawan civilians in caves, harrowing stuff. I highly recommend it. The American attack pressed on into June 19, though it faced delays due to the influx of civilian and military prisoners. Not all of the 32nd Army survivors were imbued with a will "to die for the eternal cause of loyalty to the Emperor." Loudspeakers mounted on tanks in the 7th Division's front lines and on LCI's that cruised up and down the coast line were successful in convincing over 3,000 civilians to surrender. Far more significant, however, were the 106 Japanese soldiers and 238 Boeitai who voluntarily gave up during the division's advance on 19 June. The relentless attack of American troops, coupled with intensive efforts by psychological warfare teams, brought in increasing numbers of battle-weary Japanese and Okinawans who had decided that the war was lost and their cause was hopeless. It is not inconceivable that every enemy soldier who surrendered meant one less American casualty as the wind-up drive of Tenth Army continued. Despite these challenges, the 32nd Regiment advanced to within just 200 yards of the outskirts of Mabuni. Meanwhile, the 184th and 381st Regiments coordinated their efforts, closing in on Medeera from the south and east. The 382nd Regiment pressed forward, overcoming fierce resistance as they reached the ridges overlooking Aragachi. Tragically, General Easley became the third major high-ranking casualty in just two days. The 5th Marines launched multiple assaults on Hills 79 and 81, but their efforts were met with fierce opposition and ended in failure. Wallace's 3rd Battalion, facing only light resistance, captured Ibaru Ridge, the last high ground before the sea, before pushing onward to the coastal cliffs. On the eastern front, Griebel's 3rd Battalion successfully seized Makabe and then joined forces with the 8th Marines to secure the coastal zone. Colonel Shapley's 4th Marines advanced alongside the 8th Marines throughout most of the day but were unable to reach the coast, halted by a formidable enemy position along the Kiyamu-Gusuku hill mass. Further south, Colonel Whaling's 29th Marines passed through the 22nd Marines and moved rapidly, also facing light resistance, reaching the base of the Kiyamu-Gusuku hill mass to link up with the 4th Marines before nightfall. As darkness enveloped the battlefield, Shepherd launched an attack on the hill mass. The 4th Marines successfully seized Hill 80, but they could only establish strong positions on the left flank of Hill 72. The 29th Marines encountered minimal opposition as they swept forward toward the southern coast. Meanwhile, the 5th Marines continued their relentless assaults on Hills 79 and 81, managing to capture most of Hill 79 before losing the crest at the last moment. Their tank-infantry assaults against Hill 81, however, once again ended in defeat. Looking east toward Hodge's front on June 21, the 382nd Regiment cleared out the last remnants in Aragachi, while the 381st Regiment seized the northern outskirts of Medeera. In the dark hours of June 20, the last courier contact was made between the Medeera pocket and the Hill 89 pocket. General Amamiya, commander of the 24th Division, issued a desperate order directing all his units "to fight to the last man in their present positions." At the time he gave this ultimatum, he had very few infantrymen left to defend the Medeera position. The relentless advance of the Marines had nearly annihilated the 22nd and 32nd Regiments, while the 96th Division had decimated the 89th Regiment at Yuza Dake and Aragachi. With their ranks severely depleted, the remaining defenders were a ragtag collection of artillerymen, drivers, corpsmen, engineers, Boeitai, and headquarters personnel drawn from nearly every unit of the L-Day island garrison. Those who managed to avoid surrender or sought to evade capture fought with the fierce determination of fanatics, resolutely defending their positions against overwhelming odds. Meanwhile, Colonel Coolidge's 305th Regiment, engaged in a vigorous mopping-up operation behind the lines of the 96th Division, prepared for an assault on Makabe Ridge. The 184th Regiment managed to secure the hills overlooking Udo, and despite facing fierce resistance from hidden enemy forces in coral outcroppings and caves along the coastal cliffs, the 32nd Regiment fought its way to the eastern slope of Hill 89. Throughout June 21, a series of small local attacks and mopping-up actions occupied most units of the 24th Corps, often interrupted to allow large numbers of civilians and soldiers to surrender. In spite of the bitter and costly resistance, the 32nd Regiment successfully secured Mabuni and advanced up to the tableland atop Hill 89. Coolidge's 1st Battalion launched an assault on the hill south of Medeera behind a heavy mortar barrage, successfully capturing its crest. The 5th Marines completed the capture of Hill 79 and undertook a heavy, costly assault that ultimately led to the capture of Hill 81. The 7th and 8th Marines began the crucial task of flushing out remaining Japanese holdouts, while also dealing with the increasing wave of soldiers and civilians choosing to surrender. The 4th Marines executed a successful double envelopment of Hill 72 that secured the strategic Kiyamu-Gusuku ridge, and the 29th Marines met only very light resistance during their sweep of Ara Saki, the southernmost point of the island. This swift progress and the obvious collapse of major enemy opposition prompted General Geiger to declare that the island of Okinawa was secure and that organized enemy resistance had come to an end. That night, in a tragic turn of events, Generals Ushijima and Cho committed Seppuku in the cave housing their command post.  On the night of June 21, Lieutenant General Ushijima Mitsuru and Lieutenant General Cho Isamu, the commander and chief of staff of the 32nd Army, fulfilled their final obligation to the Emperor in a deeply traditional manner. In accordance with the warrior code of their homeland, they atoned for their inability to halt the American advance by committing Seppuku. On the evening of their planned departure, Ushijima hosted a banquet in the cave that served as their command post, featuring a large meal prepared by his cook, Tetsuo Nakamutam. The banquet was generously complemented with sake and the remaining stock of captured Black & White Scotch whisky provided by Cho. At 03:00 on June 22, both generals, adorned in their full field uniforms decorated with medals, led a small party of aides and staff officers out onto a narrow ledge at the cave entrance, which overlooked the ocean. American soldiers of the 32nd Regiment were stationed less than 100 feet away, completely unaware of the solemn preparations taking place for the suicide ceremony. First, Ushijima bared his abdomen to the ceremonial knife and thrust inward, followed by Cho, who then fell to the ground. As Ushijima made his final act, a simultaneous slash from the headquarters adjutant's saber struck his bowed neck. The two generals were secretly buried immediately after their deaths, their bodies going undiscovered until June 25, when patrols from the 32nd Regiment found them at the foot of the seaward cliff-face of Hill 89. General Cho had penned his own simple epitaph, stating, “22nd day, 6th month, 20th year of the Showa Era. I depart without regret, fear, shame, or obligations. Army Chief of Staff; Army Lieutenant General Cho, Isamu, age of departure 51 years. At this time and place, I hereby certify the foregoing.” Their deaths were witnessed by Colonel Yahara, who was the most senior officer captured by American forces. Yahara had requested Ushijima's permission to commit suicide as well, but the general had refused, saying, "If you die, there will be no one left who knows the truth about the battle of Okinawa. Bear the temporary shame but endure it. This is an order from your army commander." While many die-hard groups continued to fight until annihilation, an unprecedented number of Japanese soldiers, both officers and enlisted men, began to surrender. On that fateful day, Operation Ten-Go's final breaths were marked by the launch of the two-day tenth Kiksui mass attack, which saw only 45 kamikaze aircraft take to the skies. While this desperate attempt succeeded in sinking LSM-59 and damaging the destroyer escort Halloran, as well as the seaplane tenders Curtiss and Kenneth Whiting, the next day would bring even less impact, with only two landing ships sustaining damage during the final attack of the campaign. As communications from the 32nd Army fell silent, a deeply regretful Admiral Ugaki was forced to conclude the grim reality of their situation. He felt “greatly responsible for the calamity” but recognized that there was seemingly no alternative course that might have led to success. Throughout the defense of Okinawa, approximately 6,000 sorties were flown, including at least 1,900 kamikaze missions. However, the losses were staggering, with over 4,000 aircraft lost during these attacks. In contrast, Allied forces suffered the loss of 763 planes in the Okinawa campaign, with 305 of those being operational losses. Since the operation commenced, naval losses for Iceberg totaled an alarming 4,992 sailors dead, with 36 ships sunk and 374 damaged, accounting for 17% of all American naval losses in the Pacific War. Meanwhile, extensive and coordinated mop-up operations in southern Okinawa were essential before the area could be deemed secure for the planned construction of supply depots, airfields, training areas, and port facilities. In response, Colonel Mason's 1st Marines and Colonel Hamilton's 307th Regiment established blocking positions in the hills above the Naha-Yonabaru valley to thwart any Japanese attempts to infiltrate north. On June 22, the four assault divisions that had previously shattered the Kiyamu Peninsula defenses received orders to prepare for a sweeping advance to the north. Their mission was clear: destroy any remaining resistance, blow and seal all caves, bury the dead, and salvage any equipment, both friendly and enemy, left on the battlefield. The following day, General Joseph Stilwell arrived to take command of the 10th Army during the mop-up phase of the campaign. Meanwhile, units from the 1st and 6th Marine Divisions were engaged on the Komesu and Kiyamu-Gusuku Ridges, while the 7th Division probed Hill 89 and Mabuni. In the Medeera pocket, Coolidge's 3rd Battalion successfully seized Hill 85 on June 22. The 96th Division intensified its focus in the Medeera-Aragachi area, with elements of the 381st Regiment mopping up the last holdouts in the ruins of Medeera by June 23. Two days later, after a thorough search of the area south of the Yaeju Dake-Yuza Dake Escarpment, the 10th Army finally initiated its drive northward, with both corps taking responsibility for the ground they had captured in the previous month. On the morning of June 26, the reinforced Fleet Marine Force Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion landed unopposed on Kumejima, marking it as the last and largest of the Okinawa Islands selected for radar and fighter director sites. By the end of June, the mop-up operations in southern Okinawa had resulted in an estimated 8,975 Japanese killed and 3,808 prisoners of war added to the 10th Army's total. Overall, the Americans counted a staggering total of 10,755 prisoners of war and 107,539 Japanese dead, along with an estimated 23,764 believed to be sealed in caves or buried by their comrades. This cumulative casualty figure of 142,058 was "far above a reasonable estimate of military strength on the island," prompting 10th Army intelligence officers to conclude that at least 42,000 civilians had tragically fallen victim to artillery, naval, and air attacks due to their unfortunate proximity to Japanese combat forces and installations. American losses were also substantial, with 7,374 men recorded dead, 31,807 wounded, and 239 missing, in addition to 26,221 non-battle casualties. But now, it's time to leave Okinawa and return to Borneo to continue covering the North Borneo Offensive. As we last observed, by mid-June, General Wootten's 9th Australian Division had successfully executed two major amphibious landings on Brunei Bay. Brigadier Porter's 24th Brigade occupied most of Labuan Island, with the exception of the Pocket, while Brigadier Windeyer's 20th Brigade secured the Brunei area. By June 16, Wootten decided that since the enemy was withdrawing and showing no signs of mounting an attack, he would take control of the high ground stretching from Mempakul and Menumbok to Cape Nosong. This strategic move aimed to prevent the enemy from utilizing the track from Kota Klias to Karukan and to secure beaches for supply points during the planned advance northward. Accordingly, Porter ordered the 2/28th Battalion to reduce the Pocket. The recently landed 2/12th Commando Squadron was tasked with mopping up the outlying areas of the island. Meanwhile, the 2/32nd Battalion began preparing for an amphibious movement to Weston on the mainland east of Labuan, with plans to reconnoiter across country and by river towards Beaufort. The 2/43rd Battalion and the 2/11th Commando Squadron were also set to prepare for an amphibious reconnaissance in the Mempakul area. On June 14, the 2/28th Battalion launched its initial attack against the Pocket, following an artillery barrage. However, they were forced to withdraw in the face of intense machine-gun and mortar fire. In response, the 2/12th Field Regiment took over, bombarding the Pocket for the next six days and nights, hurling a staggering total of 140 tons of shells into it. On June 16, the 2/28th Battalion launched another assault, this time supported by tanks from the north, successfully capturing Lyon Ridge, despite sustaining heavy losses. After several more days of relentless artillery, naval, and air bombardment, the 2/28th launched a final assault on June 21, just as the Japanese attempted to send two raiding parties to infiltrate through the Australian lines and attack Labuan town and its airstrip. Although these raiders managed to catch the confused defenders off guard and inflicted several casualties, they were ultimately dealt with swiftly and without causing significant damage. Meanwhile, with the combined support of tanks and artillery, the 2/28th Battalion attacked the reduced garrison at the Pocket, breaking through Lushington Ridge and Eastman Spur to eliminate the remaining Japanese positions and completely clear the area. By the end of the Battle of Labuan, the Australians had achieved a decisive victory, with 389 Japanese soldiers killed and 11 taken prisoner, while suffering 34 Australian fatalities and 93 wounded. In parallel, following a successful reconnaissance on June 16, the 2/32nd Battalion landed unopposed at Weston on June 17. They quickly secured the area and established a patrol base at Lingkungan. Over the next few days, Australian patrols began probing north towards Bukau, occasionally clashing with Japanese parties. A company from the 2/32nd Battalion also established a patrol base at Gadong up the Padas River, finding no Japanese presence in the surrounding regions. From this position, the Australians were able to patrol along the Padas River in small craft, discovering they could reach Beaufort rapidly using this route, catching the enemy off guard. Meanwhile, on June 19, the 2/43rd Battalion and the 2/11th Independent Company landed unopposed at Mempakul, further solidifying the Australian presence in the area. Two days later, while the commandos worked to clear the Klias Peninsula, the 2/43rd Battalion launched an amphibious expedition up the Klias River. This mission successfully navigated through Singkorap and reached Kota Klias, confirming that Japanese forces were not present in significant strength along the river. As a result, the 2/43rd Battalion set out on June 22 to occupy Kota Klias without encountering any resistance. Given this positive momentum, Brigadier Porter ordered the 2/28th Battalion to take over operations from the 2/32nd Battalion in and around Weston. At the same time, the 2/43rd Battalion was tasked with marching through Kandu to attack Beaufort from the north. Additionally, the 2/32nd Battalion was directed to probe north along the Padas River and along the railway, drawing enemy attention away from the main Australian advance. Looking south, while the 2/17th Battalion remained around Brunei and the 2/15th Battalion probed along the river toward Limbang, Windeyer had ordered the 2/13th Battalion to prepare for an amphibious movement to the Miri-Lutong area. Brunei town had been severely battered by Allied bombers and Japanese demolitions. The troops were critical of the air force's practice of bombing conspicuous buildings even when they were unlikely to contain anything of military importance. In Brunei, for example, the bazaar and the cinema were destroyed, but neither was likely to have contained any Japanese men or material and their destruction and the destruction of similar buildings added to the distress of the civilians. The infantryman on the ground saw the effects of bombing at the receiving end. “The impression was gained, says the report of the 20th Brigade, that, in the oil producing and refining centres-Seria, Kuala Belait, Lutong, Miri much of the destruction served no military purpose. The destruction of the native bazaar and shop area in Kuala Belait, Brunei, Tutong and Miri seemed wanton.“ On June 16, the 2/17th finally moved out and occupied Tutong, successfully crossing the river at its mouth. From there, the battalion began its movement along the coast toward Seria. However, despite the strategic importance of the town's oil wells, there was only one encounter with the enemy at the Bira River on June 20 before the town was occupied the following day, only to find the oil wells ablaze.  At Seria, the oil wells were ablaze. From the broken pipes that topped each well, burning oil gushed forth like fire from immense, hissing Bunsen burners. The pressure was so intense that the oil, as clear as petrol, only ignited several inches away from the pipe. Once ignited, it transformed into a tumbling cloud of flame, accompanied by billowing blue-black smoke. At approximately 1,000 feet, the plumes from more than 30 fires merged into a single canopy of smoke. This horrifying spectacle of waste persisted day and night. The men around Seria fell asleep to the hissing and rumbling of an entire oilfield engulfed in flames and awoke to the same din. The Japanese had set fire to 37 wells, destroyed buildings and bridges, and attempted to incapacitate vehicles, pumps, and other equipment by removing essential components and either discarding them in rivers or burying them. Consequently, the Australian engineers faced the daunting task of extinguishing the fires with only their own equipment, along with abandoned gear they could repair or make functional. They relied on assistance from local natives who had observed the Japanese hiding parts and employed methods of improvisation and selective cannibalization to tackle the crisis. Meanwhile, by June 19, raiding elements of the 2/15th Battalion had successfully secured Limbang. From this location, they began sending patrols up the Limbang River toward Ukong, along the Pandaruan River to Anggun, and east toward Trusan. The following day, after a naval bombardment by three American destroyers, the 2/13th Battalion landed unopposed at Lutong and quickly secured the area. On June 21, the Australians crossed the river and advanced into Miri without facing any resistance, successfully occupying the town and its oilfield by June 23. Turning their attention back north, on June 24, the 2/43rd Battalion began its advance toward Beaufort, swiftly moving through Kandu and reaching a position just north of the Padas River the next day. In response to their progress, Brigadier Porter ordered the 2/32nd Battalion to seize the railway terminus and the spur leading down to the river just south of Beaufort, while the 2/43rd focused on capturing the high ground dominating Beaufort from the north and east. This coordinated attack was launched on June 26. By the end of the day, the leading company of the 2/32nd had reached the Padas River, approximately 2,000 yards west of the railway terminus, while the leading company of the 2/43rd secured the railway north of the Padas, similarly positioned about 2,000 yards from Beaufort. On June 27, the 2/43rd continued their offensive, rapidly capturing the high ground overlooking Beaufort. During the afternoon, one company ascended Mount Lawley and pursued the retreating Japanese, cutting off their escape route at a track junction, while another company moved into the town, taking possession early that night. In the following hours and throughout June 28, the Australians faced a series of heavy counterattacks as they worked to consolidate their positions. Meanwhile, the 2/32nd Battalion successfully captured the railway terminus, encountering only slight opposition, with one company executing a wide flanking maneuver to the Padas just upstream from Beaufort. Under heavy bombardment from artillery and mortars, the bulk of the 368th Independent Battalion began to retreat along the Australian-held track in the early hours of June 29. While many were killed during this withdrawal, most managed to escape. At intervals groups of two or three walked into the company area in the darkness and were killed. Fire was strictly controlled, and one platoon was credited with having killed 21 Japanese with 21 single shots fired at ranges of from five to 15 yards. One Japanese walked on to the track 50 yards from the foremost Australian Bren gun position and demanded the surrender of the Australians who were blocking the Japanese line of retreat. According to one observer his words were: "Surrender pliz, Ossie. You come. No?" He was promptly shot. One company counted 81 Japanese killed with "company weapons only" round the junction and estimated that at least 35 others had been killed; six Australians were slightly wounded.  By morning, the fighting was virtually over, and the mop-up of the disorganized enemy force commenced. The attack on Beaufort cost the 24th Brigade 7 men killed and 38 wounded, while the Australians counted 93 Japanese dead and took two prisoners. Meanwhile, the 2/28th Battalion secured Lumadan village, where it made contact with the 2/32nd. Porter then ordered this battalion to pursue the retreating Japanese eastward, successfully securing the Montenior Besar railway bridge by July 4. The 2/32nd Battalion proceeded to attack toward Papar, encountering little opposition as they captured Membakut on July 5, followed by Kimanis on July 10, and finally Papar on July 12. Turning back south, the 2/17th Battalion occupied Kuala Belait on June 24, where they discovered evidence of a massacre of Indian prisoners of war.  Indian prisoners of war began reaching the lines of the 2/17th Battalion at Seria on June 22. By the end of the month, a total of 41 had arrived, reporting a horrific event: on June 14, the Japanese had slaughtered a portion of a group of more than 100 Indian prisoners at Kuala Belait. The Australians discovered 24 charred bodies at the site, along with evidence indicating that others had also been killed. A report by the 2/17th noted, "The motive for the massacre is not clear, and whether a partial loss of rations, the waving of flags, or simply Japanese brutality was responsible cannot be determined." The surviving Indians were found to be starving, with many suffering from illness. Colonel Broadbent remarked, "The loyalty and fortitude of these Indians has been amazing and is a lesson to us all. Even now, their standard of discipline is high." Two days later, patrols made contact with the 2/13th Battalion at the Baram River. Pushing south along Riam Road, the patrols of the 2/13th clashed with the Japanese at South Knoll, which they captured by the end of the month. Throughout July, the 2/13th continued patrolling down Riam Road against some opposition, eventually pushing the Japanese beyond Bakam by August. At the same time, the 2/17th conducted deep patrols southward from Kuala Belait, particularly along the Baram River toward Bakung, Marudi, and Labi. Overall, Australian losses during the North Borneo Offensive totaled 114 killed and 221 wounded, while they captured 130 prisoners and accounted for at least 1,234 Japanese killed. Following the conclusion of conventional military operations, Wootten's troops began to support the efforts of Australian-sponsored native guerrillas operating in Sarawak under Operation Semut and in British North Borneo as part of Operation Agas.  Between March and July 1945, five Special Operations Australia “SOA” parties were inserted into North Borneo. The Agas 1 and 2 parties established networks of agents and guerrillas in northwestern Borneo, while the Agas 4 and 5 parties, landed on the east coast, achieved little in their missions. The Agas 3 party investigated the Ranau area at the request of the 1st Corps. The results of Operation Agas were mixed; although its parties established control over their respective areas of operation and provided intelligence of variable quality, they were responsible for killing fewer than 100 Japanese soldiers. In parallel, as part of Operation Semut, over 100 Allied personnel, mainly Australians, were inserted by air into Sarawak from March 1945, organized into four parties. These parties were tasked with collecting intelligence and establishing guerrilla forces. The indigenous Dayaks of Sarawak's interior enthusiastically joined these guerrilla groups, essentially allowing SOA personnel to lead small private armies. No. 200 Flight RAAF and the Royal Australian Navy's Snake-class junks played crucial roles in this campaign, facilitating the insertion of SOA personnel and supplies. The guerrilla forces launched attacks to gain control of the interior of Sarawak, while the 9th Division focused on coastal areas, oilfields, plantations, and ports in North Borneo. The guerrillas operated from patrol bases around Balai, Ridan, and Marudi, as well as in the mountains and along key waterways, including the Pandaruan and Limbang Rivers, and along the railway connecting Beaufort and Tenom. Their objective was to disrupt Japanese troop movements and interdict forces as they withdrew from the main combat zone. The RAAF conducted air strikes to support these lightly armed guerrillas, who at times had to evade better-armed Japanese units. These guerrilla forces successfully raided several key towns and facilities, significantly disrupting enemy movements and efforts. It is estimated that over 1,800 Japanese soldiers were killed in North Borneo through guerrilla actions, particularly by the fearsome Dayak people, whose fierce tactics and local knowledge played a crucial role in these operations. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. In the final throes of the Pacific War, the Battle of Okinawa became a fierce battleground of sacrifice and honor. As American forces, led by General Buckner, advanced, they shattered Japanese defenses, pushing them into a desperate retreat. On June 21, General Ushijima and Lieutenant General Cho, recognizing their imminent defeat, committed seppuku, adhering to the samurai code. The chaotic battle led to staggering casualties, with many Japanese soldiers surrendering, realizing their cause was lost. By June's end, Okinawa was secured, symbolizing not only a victory but also the tragic cost of war, with countless lives lost on both sides.

#KamenRiderBlackRX #KamenRider #Toei #Tokusatsu #MaskedRider Kamen Rider Black RX marked the end of the Showa Era rider shows even with respect to Shin, ZO, and J which came later. In many ways, Black RX was an inspiration of what we would get from future Kamen Rider shows starting with Kamen Rider Kuuga. And also it was an actual sequel series to a previous Kamen Rider season which was a big deal and first for the franchise. At any rate, sit back as CJ and Prime talk about Rider greatness.

We've finally cleared Akiba April, so this week we're getting into backstories of all sorts. First, Hanto is the last to learn Rakia's backstory. Kinjiro and Sumino learn the backstory of the Reiwa Era: the Showa Era. Then, we learn the backstory of the human who got turned into Lachesis from Gotchard, and it's a bloody good time.   Casters Present:  Blue Gray Orange Green Red  Show Notes: https://www.patreon.com/posts/128034619 Required Viewing: Kamen Rider Gavv 32,  No.1 Sentai Gozyuger 10,  Kamen Rider Gotchard - The Dark Revelation: Lachesis  Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSsYDmYY90w   Hungry? Get CA$15 off your first 3 UberEats orders of CA$20 or more! https://ubereats.com/feed?promoCode=eats-christopherm5931ue Get $5 off your first order with SkipTheDishes! https://www.skipthedishes.com/r/6YaJc65HKg

Drew Hanks and Joel Jensen return to help us take down the king of the monsters on 4K and Blu-Ray. We're talking Criterion's recent releases of Godzilla, Godzilla vs. Biollante, plus The Showa-Era box set, Toho's 4K of Godzilla Minus One, and more. Find us on Instagram!

Last time we spoke about how Zhang Xueliang lost Manchuria. In September 1931, the Mukden Incident ignited conflict in Manchuria as Japan executed a false flag attack, prompting a swift assault on Peitaying Barracks. Zhang Xueliang, urged by Chiang Kai-shek, chose not to resist, fearing a full-scale war. The Japanese invasion revealed deep political divisions in Manchuria, with some officials defecting, others sabotaging, and a few fighting back. Amidst chaos, Zhang sought to unify his forces, but rivalries and external threats complicated his efforts, setting the stage for prolonged conflict. In post-1929 Manchuria, nationalist activists joined the KMT, including Yan Baohang and his friends, who attended a 1931 conference in Nanjing. They aimed to resist Japanese influence while navigating local elite tensions and economic struggles. As Zhang Xueliang rose to power, he sought reform but faced distrust and challenges, including high military spending and a devastating depression. By 1931, Japanese aggression loomed, culminating in a coup that threatened the fragile nationalist aspirations in the region.   #139 Gokokujo and Collaborators  Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. The Japanese Imperial General Headquarters had hoped to localize the Mukden Incident and communicated their orders to Kwantung Command. However as we had seen, the Kwantung Command in chief General Shigeru Honjo, had his wrist twisted somewhat by certain culprits in the form of Ishiwara Kanji and Itageki Seishiro. Honjo thus ordered the forces to proceed with expanding operations along the South Manchuria Railway zone. On September the 19th, the 29th infantry regiment stormed Mukden, easily overwhelming the Chinese forces within the inner walled city. Simultaneously the 2nd battalion occupied Pei Ta Ying, where they were met with some fierce resistance before storming Tung Ta Ying. Afterwards the 2nd Division drove out the remaining Chinese resistance from the eastern area of Mukden. Meanwhile the 1st Battalion fought Chinese forces at Kuan Cheng Tze near Changchun. By this point Honjo's request for assistance from the Korea Army was confirmed. General Senjuro Hayashi ordered the 20th infantry division to divide itself, forming the 39th mixed brigade who marched into Manchuria, without any authorization from Tokyo nor the Emperor to do so. By the end of the 19th, the Japanese had seized Liaoyang, Shenyang, Yingkou, Dandong, Fushun, Changchun and Jilin.  On the 20th, Wan Shu Cheng, the commander of the Chinese 2nd army ordered a withdrawal of the 44th and 643rd regiments stationed at Taching to head for Tiantsin. On the 21st the Japanese took Jilin city, by the 23rd they captured Jiaohe and Dunhua, both within Jilin. On the 26th, the Governor of Jilin, Zhang Zuoxiang who was not there at the time, was overthrown by a newly formed provisional provincial government with Xi Xia as its chairman. By October 1st Zhang Haiping would surrender the area of Taonan, later in October Ji Xing surrendered the Yanbian Korean Autonomous prefecture area and on the 17th Yu Zhishan surrendered Eastern Liaoning. General HQ in Tokyo were flabbergasted at the news all of this was being done without their orders, in fact in most cases it was directly against their orders. The civilian government of Japan was in absolute disarray over what was an act of Gekokujo. Gekokujo directly translated meaning "the low overcomes the high",was when someone of a lesser position in the military or politics overthrew someone in a higher position to seize power. The term goes all the way back to the Sui Dynasty of China, for Japan during the Kamakura period, but its most prominently known for being used during the Sengoku period. It was through the chaotic political climate of the Sengoku period that Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi rose to power. During the Showa period, Gekokujo would occur often. Those of the Kodoha faction used it as a means to an end during the 1920s and 1930s, assassinating political opponents as they tried to press for a Showa restoration. Back to Manchuria, as Gokokujo ran rampant, with reports coming in after each quick victory and city taken by Japanese forces, Tokyo General HQ felt utterly powerless to stop it. There is also another facet to this, the role of Emperor Hirohito. Many of you might only have a vague idea of how much “actual power” Emperor Hirohito had during the Showa Era. The Meiji Constitution of Japan going back to 1889 remained in force until 1947. It was enacted after the Meiji restoration in 1868 and provided a form of mixed constitutional and absolute monarchy. Thus in theory the Emperor governed the empire upon the advice of his ministers. In practice this meant while the Emperor was head of state, it was still the Prime Minister who was actually heading the government. Now this was all fine and dandy, however the constitution also stated the Emperor had direct control over the military. Imagine this scenario, you work for a company and take orders from the boss of the company. The father of the boss used to run the company and is seen as the face of it, but retired long ago and has no real authority. So you do the orders your boss gives you, but what about if that father figure suddenly shows up and gives orders? Many in the company would go ahead and do what the father says, feeling this obligatory need to. Now in the case of Showa Era Japan, the entire population of Japan saw the Emperor as a divine being, maybe you can call him the spiritual leader of Japan. He wasn't expected to intervene in political or military matters, but if he did, you but your ass people would follow his orders. Now since the Japanese navy and army knew the Emperor could directly control them, they actually used this as a tool. On many occasions in order to secure further funding or specific policy adjustment, military leaders would appeal to the Emperor or do things in the name of the Emperor, completely superseding the civilian government. Basically the military used the Meiji Constitution to earn a large degree of autonomy, case and point being the Mukden Incident. As long as they made it seem like they were doing everything they believed the Emperor wanted them to do, they believed they could get away with it. If the Civilian government came after them for their actions, they could appeal to the emperor, but how did Hirohito feel about all this? Rumors had emerged even before the Mukden Incident, to which Hirohito demanded the army be reigned in. Attempts were made, but the Mukden Incident went off on September 18th. The next day the imperial palace were given a report and Hirohito was advised by chief aide de camp Nara Takeji “this incident would not spread and if the Emperor was to convene an imperial conference to take control of the situation, the virtue of his majesty might be soiled if the decisions of such a conference should prove impossible to implement”.  As the Mukden incident was getting worse, the Kwantung officers began to demand reinforcements be sent from the Korea army. The current Wakatsuki cabinet met on the issue and decided the Mukden incident had to remain an incident, they needed to avoid a declaration of war. The official orders were for no reinforcements of the Korea army to mobilize, however the field commander took it upon his own authority and mobilized them. The army chief of staff Kanaya reported to Hirohito the Korea army was marching into Manchuria against orders. At 31 years of age Hirohito now had an excellent opportunity to back the current cabinet, to control the military and stop the incident from getting worse. At this time the military was greatly divided on the issue, politically still weak compared to what they would become in a few years, if Hirohito wanted to rule as a constitutional monarch instead of an autocratic monarch, well this was his chance. Hirohito said to Kanaya at 4:20pm on September 22nd “although this time it couldn't be helped, [the army] had to be more careful in the future”. Thus Hirohito accepted the situation as fait accompli, he was not seriously opposed to seeing his army expand his empire. If it involved a brief usurpation of his authority so bit, as long as the operation was successful.    It actually a lot more complicated, but to general sum it up, Emperor Hirohito cared about only one thing, the Kokutai. The Kokutai was the national essence of Japan. It was all aspects of Japanese polity, derived from history, tradition and customs all focused around the cult of the Emperor. The government run by politicians was secondary, at any given time the kokutai was the belief the Emperor could come in and directly rule. If you are confused, dont worry, its confusing. The Meiji constitution was extremely ambiguous. It dictated a form of constitutional monarchy with the kokutai sovereign emperor and the “seitai” that being the actual government. Basically on paper the government runs things, but the feeling of the Japanese people was that the wishes of the emperor should be followed. Thus the kokutai was like an extra-judicial structure built into the constitution without real legal framework, its a nightmare I know.    Emperor Hirohito was indoctrinated from a young age that the most important aspect of his reign was to defend the Kokutai. This is actually why Hirohito took so long to finally intervene during WW2 and call for Japan's surrender. I have taken far too long going down the rabbit hole of Showa Era Japan and Hirohito, if you are interested on the subject, over only my Youtube Membership or Patreon I did a two part exclusive podcast specifically on Hirohito's responsibility for the war.  The weeks following the Mukden Incident were marked by wide scale cooperation between the local Chinese leaders and Japanese invaders. In many places there was of course valiant resistance by Chinese forces, but it was not centrally coordinated and honestly amounted to little. The Kwantung army despite being vastly outnumbered was highly trained and highly mechanized in comparison to the Chinese. The Kwantung army had very few troops to conquer over 350,000 square miles, populated by over 30 million Chinese. Prior to 1931 the Kwantung Army numbered under 10,000, by late 1931 this would increase to 65,000 and by 1933 140,000. Yet during the initial invasion the army's behavior was heavily affected by the actions of the Chinese, or in many cases their inability to act. The only way Japan was going to do what they wanted to do was to encourage co-optation amongst the Chinese elites of Manchuria, typically at the provincial and local levels. This meant showering them with extravagant new positions in the new regime, promoting a policy of nonresistance and targeting prominent members of Zhang Xueliang's regime who were expected to oppose Kwantung rule.  When the Mukden Incident broke out, Zhang Xueliang was in Beiping acting in his new capacity as the North China Garrison commander. On the night of September 18th, Zhang Xuliang was enjoying an opera performance by the famous singer Mei Lanfang. His deputies also all happened to be away from Shenyang. Wan Fulin was in Beiping and Zhang Zuoxiang was attending his fathers funeral in Jinzhou. Within their absence the most senior provincial commanders were quickly pounced upon by Kwantung operatives who secured their cooperation. Within Shenyang the Eastern Borders Garrison commander Yu Zhishan and Xi Xia the acting provincial forces commander of Changchun both immediately defected to the Japanese. Although the Northeastern Army had roughly 130,000 troops within Manchuria, compared to the Kwantung and Korea army troops who together were roughly 50,000, Chiang Kai-Shek hastily issued a nonresistance order that was confirmed by Zhang Xueliang. The troops were to not fight back and instead await a negotiated settlement. While they waited, the Japanese secured high level provincial elite cooperation within a few weeks time. On November 10th, Zhang Zuolin's former civil affairs minister, Yuan Jinkai was made chairman of the committee in charge of Japanese controlled Liaoning. On December 16th, the formerly existing post of governor was re-established and a previous holder of this post under Zhang Xueliang, Zang Shiyi was appointed. Thus Yuan Jinkai's post as chairman was redundant. Meanwhile Xi Xia was made governor of Jilin.  Some of you might be wondering, why in the hell would Chiang Kai-Shek relay orders to not resist an invasion? Let us not forget the timeline here, during this exact time period, Feng Yuxiang and Yan Xishan formed an alliance in North China against the NRA; the Soviet of Jiangxi was running rampant and in the south the Old Guangxi clique was running amok. Even though Zhang Xueliang had 250,000 men on paper, only 100-130,000 of them were in Manchuria while the rest were scattered around Hebei. Chiang Kai-Shek had an expert understanding of the Japanese numbers, their training and equipment. To put it frankly, if the quote en quote “incident” escalated into a full-scale war, China would most likely lose. There was also another aspect to this, the role of the League of Nations and the current Wakatsuki government in Tokyo. Either of these bodies could potentially restrain what appeared to be renegade Japanese forces on the asia mainland.  Going a bit forward in time, the last redoubt during the invasion would be at Jinzhou where Zhang Xueliang would establish his HQ. When it was about to finally fall, Zhang Xueliang ultimately decided to withdraw his forces from Manchuria. According to the US minister to CHina, Nelson Johnson, Counselor Yano of the Japanese legation tam at Beiping had conducted informal discussions with the Young Marshal, in which he stated Jinzhou would inevitably fall to the Japanese and quote “the Tokyo Foreign Office would gain prestige and be better able to shape events to the advantage of China if the Chinese avoid[ed] a clash by withdrawing voluntarily.” He also advised Zhang Xueliang, that some of his followers might be reappointed to official positions within the newly emerging government in Shenyang. Nelson tells us “Chang is believed to have been led to his present decision by these inducements, along with the bitter hostility toward him at Nanking and the lack of support from that quarter.” Thus Zhang Xueliang was being blackmailed by both sides into nonresistance. By late December of 1931 it also seemed certain international intervention was not going to happen and Chiang Kai-Shek's resignation over Nanjing did not provide the Young Marshal with many options.  Now what about the Japanese government during all of this. When the Mukden Incident boke out, the government in Tokyo, headed by premier Wakatsuki Reijiro were appalled to hear the news of what was essentially a mutiny. The Kwantung officers disagreed with Tokyo's policies and kept Tokyo's consul in Shenyang under lock and key during the night of September 18th. If there had been more significant resistance to the invasion, Tokyo probably would have ordered the Kwantung army to withdraw. Without the co-optation of many Chinese elites, the Kwantung Army would have most likely not succeeded in taking all of Manchuria. The co-optation policy the Japanese took was also very much not an ad hoc measure. There had been elements within the IJA who had been working overtime to persuade cooperation with local power holders as part of their strategy. The Kwantung officers who launched the Mukden Incident, mostly working under Ishiwara and Itegaki had initially aimed to enact a simply military occupation in which “local Chinese officials would be granted a considerable degree of autonomy in exchange for their cooperation.” However, Tokyo HQ outright rejected annexation out of fear of Soviet reprisals and this led the mutiny leaders to  “the subterfuge of Manchurian independence.” The improvised nature of the original plan led to arguments between the different sections of those Japanese forces in Manchuria. Historian Akira Iriye noted “What emerges . . . is an almost total absence of ideology as a driving force behind military action.” While this sounds clearly dysfunctional, it actually aided the occupiers, because many areas of life in Manchuria were not immediately affected by the occupation and thus were more likely to cooperate.  The actual coordination of the occupation was placed in the hands of the Kwantung Army Special Affairs Unit “Tokumubu”, operating via the General Affairs Board of the Council of State under Komai Tokuzo. Komai Tokuzo had been born near Kyoto and from an early age was consumed with a desire to see China. He was trained as an agriculturalist, before he joined the SMR and worked for a company during the reign of Zhang Zuolin. He became acquainted with the Old Tiger and debated with him and other prominent leaders on questions such as Mongol land rights and the Guo Songling rebellion. During this time he befriended Yu Chonghan and Zhang Jinghui. After the Mukden Incident, he was appointed as a financial adviser to the Kwantung Army, a very senior post with direct access to Honjo Shigeru, the commander of the Northeast. As Akira Iriye also notes “in fact, [Komai] was a top-level adviser to the army on politics and economics in Manchuria.”Komai would become responsible for the strategies of co-opting local elite, and thus was essential to the power structure of the Kwantung Army going forward.  The Japanese utilized a lethal combination of violence and persuasion to take over. Many power brokers refused to cooperate and were forced into exile in North China. However, plenty of collaborators were found to quickly set up structures and controls within the new regime. The bulk of the Japanese forces moved into the principal cities of the SMR region first. Robert E Lewis, the adviser to the foreign affairs ministry in Nanjing sent a telegram declaring the Japanese had sent a large number of troops into Manchuria just prior to the 18th of September “On Friday night September eighteenth the Japanese Army sent from Korea into Manchuria through Antung seven army railway trains fully loaded with soldiers. On Saturday night September ninteenth [sic] Japanese army sent four additional trains loaded with soldiers in to [sic] Manchuria at the same point . . . Japanese occupied every Chinese public office in Antung excepting the customs house which has Europeans in it, also placed guard over Chinese customs superintendent to prevent his free action. [The Japanese] arrested superintendent of schools and forbad [sic] teaching of Dr Sun Yatsen's principles. Japanese army occupied Kirin seventy nine miles east of the south Manchuria railway zone on September ninteenth [sic] they seized and held the telegraph office telephone office wireless station provincial arsenal waterworks plant Bank of China Kirin Provincial Bank police headquarters and subdivisions Kuo Ming Tang [sic] Party headquarters and all other public offices. Search and seizure was conducted of non-military population. Troops and military cadets were disarmed when captured and the arms and munitions of the Chinese arsenal were removed by Japanese including modern rifles field guns heavy guns military motor trucks.”. The capture of Shenyang only took a single day. The Japanese military, their Chinese military collaborators and the local media all coordinated efforts to persuade the people to continue life as normal. Many businesses closed down temporarily within the first few days, worried about a breakdown of the social order or Japanese attacks. But a week after the initial occupation, reports came to the Chambers of Agriculture and Commerce in Shenyang that businesses were all operating normally again, public order was restored. On the second day of the occupation the Kwantung installed Colonel Doihara Kenji as the new mayor of Shenyang, yes that psychopath a mayor. However by October 20th, the mayorship would be handed over to Zhao Xinbo, who by that point became a legal adviser to the Kwantung Army.  The capture of Changchun took a bit longer than Shenyang. On September 23rd the Japanese demanded of the Jilin based forces their surrender. Their acting commander Xi Xia agreed to the demands so that in his words “the province fortunately to escape the horrors of war.” However there were some troops looking to resist. In some ensuing clashes, 200 Chinese soldiers and around 10 civilians were killed in combat. An eye witness reported “At 4 P.M. on the 23rd, the Japanese army made strong use of their armaments, causing Xi Xia concern. So that afternoon, he met [Japanese] commander Tamon, and said that the present situation was serious[;] . . . only he himself could take responsibility for removing the Jilin army's weapons . . . As a result, at 2 P.M. [the next day], they handed over 1,200 rifles, 11 machine-guns and 6 mortars.” Afterwards the city police were given permission to maintain public order, though they clearly were working under the Japanese. On September 24th, Xi Xia announced to the provincial assembly that the Chamber of Commerce of the old government was dissolved and that he would be leading the new Jilin governor's office. He also added that there would be no maintenance committees and that he would exercise complete control. Of course that was bullshit, he was nothing more than a Japanese puppet taking direct orders from Kwantung officers. Despite all of this, Jilin would not be fully dominated, for several months, northern Jilin was in control of rebel forces, based out of Bin county.  The Japanese occupation led to the removal of the Northeastern Governmental Affairs Council, the structure Zhang Xueliang used to nominally control the region. The Japanese did not seek to create a new cross-provincial authority until it seemed there existed popular demand for an independent state. While in the interim, the policy was to establish provincial authorities headed by prominent Chinese figures, secretly under Japanese control. Within Fengtian, the authority was originally only there to maintain public order, but by December it was declared to be a full provincial government. Within Jilin, Xi Xia declared an independent provincial government from the very start. Within the special Zone, Zhang Jinghui declared autonomy, but still stayed in contact with Zhang Xueliang for several months, fence sitting as it were.  At the provincial level, Zhang Xueliang had never really controlled Manchuria, it was honestly in the hands of his subordinates, many of whom already had close ties to the Japanese. For example, Yu Chonghan, a former foreign minister under Zhang Zuolin had for many years received a regular retainer as an “adviser” to the Japanese. He was retired in Liaoyuan when the Mukden Incident occurred and by November was persuaded to return to Shenyang to form a pro-Japanese statement. As far as Yu Chonghan was concerned “Zhang Xueliang squandered the regional assets on expanding their armies in a futile quest for national supremacy through military conquest”. The Japanese also made it apparent to various interest groups that cooperation with them would be advantageous. Take for example the imperial restorationists, yes they still existed. One was Zheng Xiaoxu, who would become the first Manchukuo prime minister. People such as him were persuaded by the prospect of restoring the Qing Dynasty, as batshit crazy as that sounds. There was also White Russians in Harbin persuaded they would be protected from KMT hooligans who had been assaulting them as of late.  In general a huge motivation for regional military leaders to collaborate was to minimize the effect that the Japanese occupation would impose on their spheres of influence. I mean lets be honest, if your choice was to collaborate and maintain some autonomy over your own little slice of Manchuria, or go into exile in North China, what would you choose? Many who opted to collaborate retained the same roles they had before the Mukden Incident. Zhang Shiyi who was acting governor of Liaoning prior became governor of Fengtian province. Zhang Jinghui was the commander of the Harbin Special Zone and this went unchanged. Xi Xia was deputy governor of Jilin, and since his superior Zhang Zuoxiang was exiled to Jinzhou, he simply succeeded his post. Through the initial cooperation, southern manchuria was taken over without wide-scale bloodshed, though there was of course some savage bombing of certain cities.  On September 24th, a Liaoning public order maintenance committee was set up and a Jilin provincial government followed on the 26th. Liaoning did not have a provincial government spring up immediately because the prominent elites such as Yuan Jinkai and Zang Shiyi at first had some qualms about turning against Zhang Xueliang. They of course believed it was possible Zhang Xueling could rally the Northeastern Army and recapture the occupied areas. Yet they chose immediately to maintain public order in a quasi neutral stance. To coordinate all of the newly formed collaborative bodies, the Kwantung Army set up a Control Bureau “Tochibu” with Komai Tokuzo in charge. He was given sole control over it  “so that if it were successful, then it would be the Kwantung Army's success, but if by some chance it should fail, then Komai alone could take the responsibility.” By far and large the Japanese wanted a cross-provincial administrative structure to appear organically created by the Manchurian lites. Therefore during the initial phase of the occupation the Japanese exercised control through the medium of public order maintenance committees, which had long been tradition in Manchuria to form organizations to deal with local social issues such as policing, fire fighting and so forth. Yuan Jinkai, the former chief secretary for military and civil affairs and governor of Fengtian, was now appointed by the Kwantung Army to lead their newly established public order maintenance committee. The committee's stated purpose was "to uphold local order and ensure that finance and businesses operate normally, as well as to establish police and militia forces responsible for maintaining public order." Additionally, other prominent local figures were recruited to various similar committees, including a Liaoning United People's Provisional Committee and a Northeastern Gentry and People's Committee for Discussing Solutions to the Current Situation. On September 28, both the Liaoning Committee and Xi Xia's Jilin administration issued a "declaration of independence" and created new government departments staffed by Chinese officials. It quickly became evident to the Japanese that Yuan Jinkai was not suited for the role of chairman. A contemporary Japanese commentator remarked that “his attitude appeared half-formed and confusing to those outside the provincial capital.” Specifically, Yuan was still reluctant to officially establish a Liaoning provincial government. Consequently, the Kwantung Army turned to the other remaining member of the triad of elders from Zhang Zuolin's administration, Yu Chonghan. From the early days following the Manchurian Incident, there had been indications that Yu was “moving toward participation.” Yu had a long history of collaboration with the Japanese, dating back to the Russo-Japanese War, during which he served as a spy for them. He would have been an obvious choice for the council from the outset if not for his recovery from a serious illness at his home in Liaoyuan. As it became apparent that local leaders had lost faith in Yuan Jinkai's judgment, consultations were held among the provincial heads, who recommended that Yu Chonghan be brought out of retirement to join the committee, provided his health permitted. On November 1, Morita Fukumatsu from the Fengtian Japanese Residents' Association visited Yu's home to assess his health. After Morita briefed Yu on the Committee's situation, they discussed a policy aimed at unifying the Northeast and the adoption of the Kingly Way (Wangdao) as a guiding principle for the new state. Yu agreed to come out of retirement, and on November 3, he traveled to Shenyang for a meeting with Honjo. During this meeting, Yu presented eight points he believed would foster a “paradise” of Sino-Japanese cooperation, which included reforms in local policing, tax and salary systems, and a commitment to non militarism. Subsequently, Yu was appointed head of the committee, with Yuan reporting to him. By the end of 1931, committee members who had previously hesitated to declare an autonomous government due to concerns that Zhang Xueliang might launch an attack to reclaim the Northeast were convinced to support the idea of separating from Nanjing's authority. Well Zhang Xueliang would try to face the Japanese with his northeastern Army. It would not only be him, other figures would emerge to lead resistance efforts against the Japanese, trying to claw back Manchuria from the Empire of the Rising Sun.  I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Yes thus far the episodes have been awfully heavy on the politics, schemes and dynamics of how Manchuria was invaded. Some of you must be clamoring for the battles, and for the next few episodes that's exactly what we will jump into. For the fight for Manchuria has only just begun.

The Franchyze Boiz continue their celebration of GODZILLA'S 70th anniversary with a re-watch and review of the entire HEISEI ERA. This era includes the following films:The Return of Godzilla (1984)Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)HOSTSShawn EastridgeBrad GullicksonAaron Prescott

The Godzilla 70th anniversary celebration continues! The Franchyze Boiz reunite to continue their rewatch/review of Godzilla's Showa Era. This episode includes reviews of the following films in the franchise:Destroy All MonstersAll Monsters AttackGodzilla vs. HedorahGodzilla vs. GiganGodzilla vs. MegalonGodzilla vs. MechagodzillaTerror of MechagodzillaHOSTSShawn EastridgeBrad GullicksonAaron Prescott

Dalton and Daniel talk about Godzilla: Invasion of Astro-Monster SYNOPSIS: An astronaut (Akira Takarada) goes to Planet X to fetch Rodan and Godzilla, lent to aliens supposedly in distress.

FULL EP* ON PATREON Ok, we are back—this episode comes live from Osaka Japan, where we explore the free-time lost space age culture of the Showa era, the dissonance of post-WWII art, technology, Expo 70', and how some of the lessons from the recent past can be applied to the present moment. Parthenogenesis, cultural reform and the Showa era, artistic viability of the past, present/future, Americanized Japanese food, hikikomori incels and the extinction of futuristic coffee shops, the phenomenon of Tetsuya Yamagami cosplay and the death of Shinzo Abe, Experimental Workshop: post-war intermedia art collectives of Japan, Tate's Light exhibition, Taro Okamoto's Tower of the Sun: subverting the machine, soda corporations and their sponsoring of intermedia projects, Article 9: soft power, satellites, and the Cold-War, Computer Technique Group, IBM and early experiments in computerized art, Chuquimamani-Condori's DJ E, Ekimae buildings, the synthesis of the modern and Old World, Chim↑Pom, The Unification Church, the LDP, and spiritual sales, "Adventures of the Eyes of Mr. W.S., a Test Pilot”, severe social withdrawal, struggle sessions, shrines and international pavilions, Expo Syndrome, Yung Lean's glam rock album, + more…this was quite an adventure, had to put some of this stuff to the test and actually go there Pt. 2 from the Volcano/Tropical Island coming up next

HAHA, NICE. Continuing on with our Godzillathon, we take our last look at the Showa Era with one of its most iconic entries. For nearly fifty years, Mechagodzilla has been one of the most popular kaiju ever created, as well as one of Godzilla's greatest adversaries, but how did his debut fare? Come watch with Brian and Alec to find out as they revisit the original Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla!

To celebrate Godzilla's 70th anniversary and the recent, stateside release of GODZILLA MINUS ONE, The Franchyze Boiz–Shawn Eastridge, Brad Gullickson, and Aaron Prescott–return for the first part of an epic rewatch/review of the ENTIRE Godzilla franchise. This episode covers the first eight films of Godzilla's Showa Era:Godzilla (1954)Godzilla Raids AgainKing Kong vs. GodzillaMothra vs. GodzillaGhidorah, the Three-Headed MonsterInvasion of Astro-MonsterEbirah, Horror of the DeepSon of GodzillaHOSTSShawn EastridgeBrad GullicksonAaron PrescottThis show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/3169661/advertisement

On this day in 1954, the King of the Monsters made his big screen debut when the original “Godzilla” premiered in Nagoya, Japan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back, Kaiju's! It's time to begin our multi-part series where our hosts rank the Zilla's of their respective era's, beginning with the longest lasting and original time period of Godzilla's debut and glory - The Showa Era!  Prepare yourselves for this Showa Showdown, and be sure to visit the official discord server to provide your thoughts and cast your votes for where you would rank each Godzilla for this episode as well as our up-coming episodes of this Showdown Series!  https://discord.gg/ua9Hp7sgqG

As Podzilla heads beyond the Showa Era, we take one last look back at all the movies, monsters, and moments that made this period of Godzilla so special. Check out Jasher's full ranked list and Mykah's full ranked list. We'd love to hear from you! Send us a voice message or email us. Follow us on Letterboxd, Instagram & Twitter, join our Discord, and support us on Patreon. Check out our amazing artists, Cassie Selin & dogora9898.

The Final Draft boys are back on the show to cover the final Godzilla film from the Showa Era! Join us as we chat fake beards, mobile game addictions, and Wallace & Gromit. Listen to more of The Final Draft and follow Alex & Adam on Letterboxd. We'd love to hear from you! Send us a voice message or email us. Follow us on Letterboxd, Instagram & Twitter, join our Discord and support us on Patreon. Check out our amazing artists, Cassie Selin & dogora9898.

The guys have made it back alive after their not so exciting vacation! Find out what the crew did during their brief departure and as they take a retrospective look at the entire Showa Era of Godzilla films! Also, lots of big news!

Welcome to Screaming Through the Ages where you can get your bi-weekly fix of a topic relating to the history and legacy of horror movies. In this episode I begin my Kaiju coverage by discussing all of the Godzilla related films of the Showa Era. You can find the Phantom Video podcast here: https://phantomgalaxy.podbean.com/ You can follow the podcast on Twitter @ScreamingAges You can also join the Screaming Through the Ages Facebook group and interact with all the cool people there Please leave a review over on iTunes or your favorite podcast service and subscribe if you're enjoying the show. You can leave a voicemail for the show at (740) 297-6556. You can send an email to screamingthroughtheages@yahoo.com The show's official website is screamingthroughtheages.com Opening Track Godzilla March 1954 version by Akira Ifukube Closing Track Miyarabi's Prayer performed by Bellbella Lin with music by Masaru Sato

Shinzo Abe is Japan's longest serving prime minister. Abe comes from a long dynasty of politicians including those who served The Empire of Japan in World War II. Japan unlike Germany was able to avoid most of the punishment dulled out after WWII.  Nobusuke Kishi is Abe's maternal grandfather who would become Prime Minister and go on to shape post war Japan. Kishi was mentored by Hideki Tojo and was a war criminal, who ruled over Manchukuo or the Japanese puppet state in China. His nickname was the "Monster of the Showa Era".  This is the story of Nobusuke Kishi and his rise to power, subsequent fall, and rise to power again in an American aligned Japan.Support the show

Kal returns in this episode to finish his two part mega episode he started last week! In this episode, Kal will discuss the final 8 films in the Showa era that truly defined the era and what led to the decline and eventual reboot of the Godzilla franchise.

Kal is here to discuss the Showa Era of Godzilla films. He breaks the the Era into two and talks about how popular the franchise was in the early years of its creation and covers the first seven films in the franchise and the decisions that ultimately led to Godzilla no longer being the famed monster, but becoming a joke in the 70s.

Last time, it was Zatoichi! This year, it was the King of the Monsters!That's right! REITMAN FOR THE JOB host Ross May and FILMS(TRIPS) own Dave Babbitt spent the year working through the Showa era of Godzilla, which is comprised of the first fifteen films in the series! What were the highs and lows of the franchise? What surprises did the films have in store for the hosts? And just what plans do the pair have in store for 2022? Tune in and find out!Editing by Ross May. Music by Andrew Kannegiesser. See you in 2022, folks!

Video version coming next week on Wyatt's youtube channel It's Only Magic! Nicky and Wyatt are back at ya with a little post-finale victory lap, where we sit down to rank every single movie we talked about for the past 31 episodes! We literally sit down with a tiermaker in front of us and hash it out! for your enjoyment. Did we really fucking put All Monsters Attack over Invasion of Astro-Monster? Surely the original movie is at the top... or is it? Who knows! We do, and you will! If and only if you listen to this bonus celebratory episode of Discuss All Monsters! We'll be taking a little break from releasing a new main podcast, so do not expect an episode on the weekend of 11/19. We will be in final preparations to start SEASON TWO of the Explode When Defeated podcast, DEMOLITION DAIEI! We will be discussing all of the Gamera movies, as well as the Daimajin movies before we get back to hanging out with our boy Godzilla in season 3. See you then! Check out the Patreon for bonus content which WILL be continuing during our break on the main show. patreon.com/explodewhendefeated

Ben and Hank finally watched the two Showa era Godzilla films that Hank left off of the Godzilla bracket. They're... not great, but they are still Godzilla movies. The two movies we're talking about this week are Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966) aka Godzilla versus the Sea Monster aka Godzilla, Ebirah, Mothra: Big Duel in the South Seas and All Monsters Attack (1969) aka Godzilla's Revenge aka Godzilla, Minilla, and Gabara: All Monsters Attack. Email: SaltCirclePodcast@gmail.com Twitter: @SaltCirclePod Hank's Twitter: @ComicPanels The Burning Barrel Discord: discord.gg/jBDGW5j Logo Artist: bellamy.world/

He's back! And this time, it's complicated. Get ready for 15 days of Godzilla: Part 2, where we'll conclude our review of the Showa era's Godzilla franchise. This is quite literally the good, the bad, and the oh so ugly of Godzilla's many costumes. You've been warned!

On this concluding episode for the Showa era, the gang get into their favorite and least favorite parts of the longest and most prolific era of the franchise's history. They discuss favorite monsters, the best characters, and the the funniest moments.....intentional or otherwise.Logo by Dan Hartles

Back from another hiatus! With the Showa Era done we are now returning to the Godzilla Singular Point Anime. Are things starting to heat up or are they continuing to slow down? Listen and found out! 

JOE THOMAS, author of BRAZILIAN PSYCHO chats to DAVID PEACE about his new novel TOKYO REDUX, the final part of his Tokyo trilogy, also why David's fiction focuses on real events, how his writing has developed over the years, key influences such as Derek Raymond and Jean-Patrick Manchette, crime fiction as social critique and living in Tokyo. TOKYO REDUX Tokyo, 1949, President Shimoyama, Head of the National Railways of Japan, goes missing just a day after serving notice of 30,000 job losses. In the midst of the US Occupation, against the backdrop of widespread social, political and economic reforms - as tensions and confusion reign - American Detective Harry Sweeney leads the missing person's investigation for General MacArthur's GHQ.1964 - as the city prepares for the 1964 Olympics, Hideki Murota, a former policeman, now a private investigator, is given a case which forces him to go back to confront a time, a place and a crime he's been hiding from for the past fifteen years.In the autumn and winter of 1988, as the Emperor Showa is dying, Donald Reichenbach, an aging American, eking out a living teaching and translating, sits drinking by the Shinobazu Pond in Ueno, knowing the final reckoning of the greatest mystery of the Showa Era is down to him. DAVID PEACE was born and brought up in Yorkshire. He is the author of the Red Riding Quartet (Nineteen Seventy Four, Nineteen Seventy Seven, Nineteen Eighty and Nineteen Eighty Three) which has been adapted into a three part Channel 4 series, GB84 which was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Award, and The Damned Utd, the film version of which was adapted by Peter Morgan and stars Michael Sheen). Tokyo Year Zero, the first part of his acclaimed Tokyo Trilogy, was published in 2007, the second part, Occupied City, in 2009, and TOKYO REDUX in 2021. JOE THOMAS is the author of the São Paulo Quartet - Paradise City, Gringa, Playboy and Brazilian Psycho - and Bent, his first London novel.Crime Time This episode produced by Junkyard DogMusic courtesy of Southgate and Leigh

We finally close out the Showa Era of Godzilla films with Terror of Mechagodzilla. joining us for this historical episode is Crippled Jesus! A person I have wanted on the show for a long time. We're gonna look at some other Showa Era monster before we move on to the Heisei series. 

The guys are back and almost finished the the Millenium Godzilla series! This time they tackle the direct sequel to Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla! This film is also the only direct sequel in the Millenium series. Upping the ante from the previous film, Mothra joins the fight! Join the guys as they discuss this mix of the Kiryu Saga and two other classic Showa Era films!

It's everyone's favorite lizard/dinosaur, plus villain/hero.  Grab your popcorn and get ready for 15 days of Godzilla: Part 1. We'll be reviewing the Showa era's classic depiction of a lovable yet misunderstood monster, with a heart of gold and an uncanny affection for mankind, who in return uses every vice possible to try to destroy him.

In our debut episode, Chuck and Logan talk history and trivia of the metal menace from space Mechagodzilla!

While we're sad to bring our month of Showa Era Godzilla films to a close, we're glad we picked Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla as our last film to discuss. It's got ape-like aliens trying to conquer earth, interpol agents disguised as muckraking journalists, a musical number, and a monster named King Caesar who helps Godzilla kick the ever-loving ish out of the titular villain. Try not to grin like a goof-ball at any given moment. We dare you.Also in this episode we discuss plans for next month. Here's a hint: Director's Cuts.

Everyone's favorite large lad is back on theater screens and the Spooky Boys are here to take you back to the Big-G's origins! Matt and Jacob are joined by Movie Dumpster host Joe LaScola to discuss each of the 15 movies that make up Godzilla's Showa era of films (‘54-’75). Who's Godzilla's best frenemy? How many alien invasions can King Ghidorah be a part of? Are Godzilla and Mothra really married? These answers and more in the latest episode of Monsters Never Die! And don't forget, Monsters Never Die is brought to you by SuperYaki! Enter the code SUPERMONSTER for 10% off your order.

The next film in our month of Showa Era Godzilla films is Destroy All Monsters, which features all your favorite monsters and then some as they terrorize all the major cities of the world. But what has caused them to go on such a unified rampage? Aliens. That's right, an all-women race of aliens called the Kilaaks have bent all the monsters to their will and it's up to a fearless space captain to set things right. To say that this film is a blast is a bit of an understatement. It may not be as uniquely humorous as Son of Godzilla, but it's still a great time at the movies.

We continue our delightful dive into the Showa Era Godzilla films this week with the energetic Son of Godzilla. It's a cheeseball film that delights in the silly antics of its titular character and only really manages to stumble when it comes to the human story. The costumes, props, puppets, and miniatures are in top form here and it's hard to not watch this with a grin on your face. This one goes out to all you reporters out there who parachute to mysterious islands to find the big stories.

Alex continues his dive into the Showa Era Godzilla films in preparation for Godzilla vs Kong. He also recommends a few Godzilla comics! In this episode, the following films are discussed: Destroy All Monsters All Monsters Attack Godzilla vs Hedorah Godzilla vs Gigan Godzilla vs Megalon Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla Terror of Mechagodzilla

Alex dives into the Showa Era Godzilla films in preparation for Godzilla vs Kong. In this episode, the following films are discussed: Godzilla (1954) Godzilla Raids Again King Kong Vs Godzilla (1963) Mothra vs Godzilla Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster Invasion of Astro-Monster Ebirah, Horror of the Deep Son of Godzilla

The second part of our arc about the Legendary Entertainment monster franchise analyzes the origin of the King of monsters himself, Godzilla. The storied history of the leviathan lizard begins in post-WWII Japan and spawns countless sequels, each getting progressivey sillier. What do you do when you're not sure the audience is interested anymore in metaphors about the horrors of weapons of mass destruction but still want to put butts in seats? What do you do when just one giant monster attacking the world has become blasé? Well, apparently the answer is to throw some flying saucers in there, combine a dozen franchises and you're ready for a rubber suit Royal Rumble.Media covered:Godzilla (1954)Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)Son of Godzilla (1967)Destroy All Monsters (1968)Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla (1974)URL:http://www.nnuts.showInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/nnuts.showSupport:http://nnuts.moneyAudio credit:"intro 2" by nalaliongirl on FreeSound.orgSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/nothingnewunderthesun?fan_landing=true)

The second part of our arc about the Legendary Entertainment monster franchise analyzes the origin of the King of monsters himself, Godzilla. The storied history of the leviathan lizard begins in post-WWII Japan and spawns countless sequels, each getting progressivey sillier. What do you do when you're not sure the audience is interested anymore in metaphors about the horrors of weapons of mass destruction but still want to put butts in seats? What do you do when just one giant monster attacking the world has become blasé? Well, apparently the answer is to throw some flying saucers in there, combine a dozen franchises and you're ready for a rubber suit Royal Rumble.Media covered:Godzilla (1954)Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)Son of Godzilla (1967)Destroy All Monsters (1968)Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla (1974)URL:http://www.nnuts.showInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/nnuts.showSupport:http://nnuts.moneyAudio credit:"intro 2" by nalaliongirl on FreeSound.orgSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/nothingnewunderthesun?fan_landing=true)

Godzilla is such a pop culture icon that we thought it would be a great idea to dive into some of his more iconic outings this month on Behind the Hype, starting with the third film in the series: King Kong vs. Godzilla. Apart from one problem spot, the film is quite a delight and features everything fun you would expect from a showdown of two pop culture titans.

Godzilla   A giant sea creature, that walks on its back legs, shoot radioactive breath/laser from its mouth, and vaguely looks like a dinosaur, and no I’m not talking about mom.  We begin our talk on Godzilla, and learning about the nearly 50 year old King of the Monsters.  Another series mom may have a greater affinity for than even me.     Kaiju – Literally meaning “Strange Beast”, the term originated for just about any mythological creature or monster from Japanese legends, but after opening up its boarders to the west, the term has also meant any legendary creatures that exist outside of Japan as well.    In Modern terms, we use the term Kaiju to reflect creatures of science fiction or fantasy that are relatively the size of Godzilla, multiple stories tall creatures.  Western example can include King Kong, Monsters from Power Ranges, namely and inspirationally, from Pacific Rim.  Even Steven Spielberg got inspiration for Jurassic Park from Godzilla and other Kaiju movies.   Godzilla is considered the first Kaiju movie.     History   Debuting in 1954, and created by Toho, in his own self title film, Godzilla has been a fixture of Japanese and American media for nearly 70s years.  Though no official individual is the one that birthed the creation of the creature, he was initially intended to be an allegory for Nuclear Weapons as seen by the Japanese.  Others have likened Godzilla to the United States, as a terrible beast awakes from its slumber to take vengeance on Japan.   Despite his first film of being the villain, later films would actually see him being an Anti-hero and possibly a protector of humanity, along with being a less serious and more campy.  As time has gone on, Godzilla has faces other kaiju and had a rotation collection of villains and enemies in which were trying to destroy humanity.    Toho Co, the company that created Godzilla, is previously well known for Kaiju and Tokusatsu(Japanese special effect films) films, but also release many directed by Akira Kurosawa, along with the anime films of Studio Ghibli.  They also work with other anime companies to get their movies released in to theaters.   Eiji Tsuburaya, the individual in charge of special effects for the first Godzilla film, developed the technique that would be called ‘Suitmation’.  This was the act of creating latex/rubber suits for actors to wear and become the monsters.  This was further developed by shrinking the sets down to miniatures, to give the scale to the actors in the suits.  The camera was then placed low to the ground and filmed at double speed, to get the aspect of the Monsters as being huge, but also create smooth movement as the actors moved slowly in their costumes.  Special Effects were then substituted with Puppetry or other models to give the effect of swinging tails or mouth movements.  Even as CGI has become more prevalent in the Japan, Suitmation is continuing to be used on certain levels, with the suit actors doing motion capture to film the actions and translate them to CGI.     Characteristics Original Japanese name was Gojira, from combining the two words Gorira (Gorilla) and Kujira (Whale) in Japanese. It later Romanized into Godzilla upon appearing in the west.    Inspired by Ray Harryhausen’s film ‘The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms’, Godzilla was conceived as a reptilian, sea creature, loosely based on the concept of dinosaur.  He has various spiked plates along his back, which is the source of his power in some films. His body’s texture is said to be based off Keloid scars that were often seen on survivors form Hiroshima.  While initial seen as green in comics, cartoons, and on movie posters, Godzilla is actually charcoal grey.   Godzilla’s signature weapon is his Atomic Breath, a beam of nuclear energy shot out like a laser from Godzilla’s mouth.  Godzilla is also known for his physical strength and muscularity, along with being amphibious.  He is shown to shrug off conventional weaponry thanks to his rugged hide and his regenerative abilities that allow him to heal from injuries quickly.  As a result of his strength, the only things that can otherwise hurt Godzilla are creatures of similar stats/quality to Godzilla.   Originally, Godzilla was portrayed as being 165ft tall in the original Japanese version, which would have made it so it could peer over the tallest building in Japan.  It was later rescaled higher in American dub of the film, up to 400ft tall, to give it proper size according to the American Producers.  It was later scaled up to 330ft in Japan, which was to continue the intention of making it so he wouldn’t be dwarfed by Japanese high rise buildings of the time.  His size would continue to grow as later movies in the 2010 started to come out, with the creature eventually becoming 985ft tall in ‘Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters’(2017).     Films Godzilla has appeared in 32 Japanese films, dating back to 1954.    Showa Era (1954 – 1975) His initial 1954 appearance portrayed Godzilla as an invading force of nature.  However, later films in the era would portray him in a more comical and slapstick light, as the films were largely aimed at families and children.  Still, this period ended up spawning additional movies for some of Godzilla’s featured rivals and allies, leading to more movies that weren’t necessarily staring Godzilla.  This is where we see Godzilla fight: Rodan Varan Mothra King Ghidorah Mecha-Godzilla   Heisei Era (1984 – 1995) The series took a break from 1975 until 1984, but returned with ‘The Return of Godzilla’.  The reboot tended away from the Showa Era, and instead made Godzilla a force of destructive nature once again. The new series kept a singular timeline of events between its movies, acting as a direct sequel to each other.  Many of the earlier villains were brought back once again.  In 1995, the character was killed, seemingly ending the Godzilla Franchise.   American Godzilla (1998) In 1992, TriStar Pictures acquired the rights to Godzilla, with the intent on creating a trilogy of films based off the Japanese creature.  The original script would have stayed true to the Japanese origin of the creature, as a monster mutated by atomic bombs.  However, disagreements over the budget of the film caused the original director to leave, with Roland Emmerich coming in to direct.  Fresh off of Independence Day (1994), Emmerich wanted total creative freedom, as he wanted to ditch a lot of the origins of the Japanese Godzilla.  Oddly, the budget for the film would be about the same as the original pitch’s budget.  Emmerich moved away from a Dinosaur being bombard with nuclear energy and instead turned it into an iguana instead.  The film was widely panned by critics and fans, who has come to see the original version and not the Emmerich version of the character.  The following two planed films were canceled, and instead developed in to an animated series, which held up much better with fans than the film.   Millennium Era (1999 – 2004) Largely seen as the backlash against the American Godzilla(1998), the Millennium Era of Godzilla sought to bring back the character to glory and show the Americans how it’s done.  Unlike the Heisei series, each film is considered stand alone film, with no direct relation to one another, outside of the original 1954 film.  Sadly, outside of the first film in the Era, most of the films were not well received, as the Godzilla formula was becoming stale and old to Japanese and American markets.  After the 2004 film, Godzilla: Final Wars, which saw the return of various monsters from the Showa Era, which capped off 50 years of Godzilla, the character was quietly put on hibernation.   Godzilla (2014) Initially set to be a short 40 minute film, Legendary Pictures decided to create a full film instead, barrowing much more of original Godzilla canon, and differentiating it from the 1998 film.  Much of the original 2014 American film deals with two other Kaiju, and purposefully leaves Godzilla out of much of film until the very end, in order to build up hype.  The film was very well received, which prompted a sequel ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ (2019) and Godzilla vs. Kong set to come out in March 2021.   Reiwa Era (2016 to present) After an early screening of Godzilla(2014) to its Japanese creators, Toho praised the American Godzilla, and sited it as the reason to bring Godzilla back to Japanese media.  To bring back Godzilla, they brought in Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuichi, the creators and mastermind of Neon Genesis Evangelion(1995) anime, to create the film.  With Anno creating the screen play and script, and Higuichi coming on as special effects director.    The new series entitled Shin Godzilla, would focus more on the recent natural disasters of Japan, rather than the atomic bombing of its earlier films, and also focused on the failure of the Japanese government, which was a concern amongst Japanese after the 2011 Tsunami.    The film was a success and later films are slated for release, but due to the shared nature of the series with Legendary Pictures, plans have been put on hold for any new film.  Three additional CGI films were later produced between 2017 and 2018 feature Godzilla, and were exclusive to Netflix.     Major Antagonists   King Ghidorah – Considered Godzilla’s archrival. Rodan – not too dissimilar from a pterodactyls, he serves as one of Godzilla enemies, and in comes cases, ally. Mothra – Basically a giant Butterfly King Kong – the third movie was based off their fight. Mecha-Godzilla – A mechanical version of Godzilla, in one case, made from the Skeleton of Godzilla.  

We explore the links between the subcultures of Yankii, Bosozoku and Sukeban before watching an elderly Australian man dance in his driveway.   For more content follow me on @hikikomoripodcast on Instagram where I'll be posting photos relevant to this episode!   You can also find me on Twitter @sequencepod, or you can listen to my other podcasts Final Fanservice and Not Another Film on any big podcast app. Sources: Delinquent Anime Girl Guide by Worst Waifu Sukeban Deka clip Dazed Digital  Perspex  Vice  Groovy History  Next Shark  Vintage News Daily  Japanese Schoolgirl Inferno  TV Tropes: Japanese Delinquents  Gyaru Wikia  Gaijin Rider 

After watching all the Godzilla movies from the showa era, I'm gonna count then down from "worst to first"! And some other things before I get into it. Please listen, share if you like and join the rant!

Danny and Kamron from Sutro Sidetalk review every Godzilla movie from the Showa era in anticipation of Godzilla vs. Kong! #godzilla #showa #showagodzilla #godzillavskong 

Trashed Talk Podcast reviews 5 of Godzilla's films from the show era in our latest episode.  Listen for a lengthy breakdown of Godzilla 1954, Son of Godzilla, King Kong vs Godzilla, Destroy All Monsters, and Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla.  Comic of the week: Godzilla the half-century year war.  Game of the week: Godzilla clash of Tokyo board game.  At the Movies with Trashed Talk Podcast: Austen recommends Soulmates and The Bay. Travis recommends the anime Blockade Battlefront, and Amazon's The Grand Tour.  Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and our network Butwhytho at Trashed Talk Podcast and let us know you're listening.  Or send us an email with a question for us to answer on the show at: trashedtalkpodcast@gmail.com. Or email Travis at tjtrashedtalk20@yahoo.com. Give us a review on Itunes to help out the podcast.  Theme song Grimmlock by AdhesiveWombat.  Channel art by Ju5tpaul.  Check out Austen's comic review Instagram at austens_comic_corner_reviews. 

Space..... The Final Frontier..... As we enter the twilight time of the Heisei era, the filmmakers behind Godzilla decided to make a throwback movie to the Showa Era. Enter SpaceGodzilla a doppelganger forged within a black hole and a heart just as empty. Tyler and Ben answer the ultimate question. Can a Godzilla brawl be boring?

Space..... The Final Frontier..... As we enter the twilight time of the Heisei era, the filmmakers behind Godzilla decided to make a throwback movie to the Showa Era. Enter SpaceGodzilla a doppelganger forged within a black hole and a heart just as empty. Tyler and Ben answer the ultimate question. Can a Godzilla brawl be boring?

After countless attacks by Godzilla, Japan has finally decided to take the fight into their hands. Witness the most anticipated rematch of the Showa Era! Does this film live up to MechaGodzilla's previous appearances? Well strap in and form up because it's time for the rematch of the century! Also Rodan is here to.

After countless attacks by Godzilla, Japan has finally decided to take the fight into their hands. Witness the most anticipated rematch of the Showa Era! Does this film live up to MechaGodzilla's previous appearances? Well strap in and form up because it's time for the rematch of the century! Also Rodan is here to.

It's finally here, the season finale of the Showa Era! After a series of fun romps, Ishiro Honda returns to the directors chair for the final chapter in the first chapter of Godzilla's first era. It's a story of love and what it means to be alive and this time Godzilla must not only face his Mechanical doppleganger again, but also the new foe Titanosauraus!

It's finally here, the season finale of the Showa Era! After a series of fun romps, Ishiro Honda returns to the directors chair for the final chapter in the first chapter of Godzilla's first era. It's a story of love and what it means to be alive and this time Godzilla must not only face his Mechanical doppleganger again, but also the new foe Titanosauraus!

Today I explore and describe what the Showa era movies of Godzilla are, who directed them, and a general review of each of them. Enjoy! Stay tuned next time for the Heisei era. Official site: Evilzombie.net EMAIL: Evilzombie@protonmail.com Show support if you want: https://anchor.fm/kaijulicious/support --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kaijulicious/support

Join Jeremy as he dives into Criterion’s GODZILLA SHOW ERA Collection. Part 3 of a 3 part series!

Eric and Alex return for our second Showa Era Showdown, this time starring everyones' favorite overgrown turtle, Gamera! we discuss the ups, and downs of the maligned Showa Era, if it deserves all the hate, and then of course, the definitive rankings list.

The Father/Son duo's are back for the next Godzilla outing in the Heisei series! This time Toho brought back another big hitter with Mothra all while introducing a new black Mothra called Battra! This one steers back to what made us fall in love with the Showa Era! Join us as we jump into this triumphant 90's Godzilla film!!

NOTE: This episode was originally released on Nov. 19, 2019. The first 15 Godzilla films, made from 1954 to 1975 during the Showa Era, were recently restored and released on Blu-ray and DVD by the Criterion Collection. For the premiere episode of 25YearsLater's first podcast, host and 25YL writer Tim Rosenberger will discuss some of the movies with fellow 25YL writers and Godzilla fans Katie Bienvenue and Gus Wood. This podcast is part of a three part package. Katie, Tim, Gus and 25YL writer Hawk Ripjaw also wrote and produced a video discussing the top 10 reasons to watch Godzilla's Showa Era. Finally, there's an article quickly covering all 15 films.

Tanabata is a Japanese festival based on the bizarre tale of two star-crossed lovers, Orihime and Hikoboshi. In episode 55, I'll tell you their story, explain a little about the origins and how it's celebrated today.   Listen to the very end! Music thanks to: Celestial Background by TwisteriumMusic Link: https://soundcloud.com/twisterium/celestial-background-besplatnaya-fonovaya-muzyka License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ The Waltz Of The Kindness by MusicLFiles Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6283-the-waltz-of-the-kindness License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Midsummer Sky by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4049-midsummer-sky License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ You can also find me on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/UncannyJapan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncannyjapan/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thersamatsuura Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncannyjapan/ YouTube: Youtube:Uncanny Japan Website: https://www.uncannyjapan.com/ Intro/Outro by Julyan Ray Matsuura. Here and here. And here. This episode is supported by Sonnet. Transcript: The Beginning of the Story: Imagine you’re a young princess and your name is Orihime. You’re stunning with long silky black hair, dressed in a fancy kimono with smoky bedroom eyes, all the things you imagine when you think of a princess. Not one of the golden-haired, blue-eyed, taffeta dressed ones. No. You’re either Chinese, Korean, or Japanese depending on which version of your story we’re telling. (Record scratch) Oh, an important thing to add, when I say you’re young, you’re in your twenties. Just to make absolutely sure we remove any and all creep factor from this story. That’s important. Okay, back to the tale. Your name is Orihime and that means Weaver Princess. So it’s no surprise to your or anyone that you just happen to be the best silk weaver in the entire galaxy. And I mean that literally because that’s where you do your weaving: on the banks of the Milky Way. It’s called Amanogawa in Japanese, which means heavenly river. You’re up there among the stars, weaving the most magnificent cloth. So otherworldly, in fact, that all the other gods come to you to get their heavenly garments made. Your father, whose name is Tentei, by the way, and rather tyrannical if you want to know the truth, praises you constantly for your hard and beautiful work. You’re his only child and he loves you dearly. You love him ,too. So you keep working. Days, weeks, months pass. You’re in your twenties, remember, and you’re basically spending seven days a week at a loom and have been since this gift of yours was discovered. You start to feel sad and lonely, like something is missing from your life. You think maybe you’d like to meet someone your own age and hang out. But you can already guess how your dad is going to feel about that.  But you can’t go on like this anymore. Intro: Hey hey, everyone, how are you all doing? Hopefully healthy and hanging in there as best as you can. There isn’t a whole lotta news on my end. Today we’re going to talk about Tanabata, or the Star Festival. So before we find out what fate befalls you, you weaver princess you, let’s look at a little backstory to the story, and a little about how Tanabata is celebrated today. Tanabata Origins: Originally from China it came to Japan in 755, but didn’t really take off until much later during the Edo Era, the 1600s on out. It’s celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month, which is July 7th for me and you. However, if you’re using an older lunar calendar, then depending on where you are in Japan and what traditions that area adheres to, it can be celebrated anywhere from July seventh to late in August. The two main characters in the story this festival is based on are Orihime and Hikoboshi (who you’re going to learn about in a minute). And what’s cool about them is even though they are these mythological figures, they’re represented by the stars Vega and Altair, both very visible in the summer night sky around this time. Tanabata Customs: So what does one do on Tanabata? Well, someone might bring home a large cutting from a bamboo tree. Kindergartens, elementary schools, and even supermarkets usually have one on display. I don’t believe individual households have their own bamboo or sasa branch so much, although my father-in-law loved bringing one home for us. And we loved decorating it. That’s what comes next. People, again, this is really fun for children, write down their wishes on these rectangular-shaped pieces of paper. They're called tanzaku (短冊). They then tie them to the tree, so that there are dozens if not more wishes flittering about. I want to pass my math test. I wish my kanji characters to improve. I hope to be a J-League soccer player one day. Anything is okay. But just know other curious eyes might glance at your wish. So nothing weird. On top of the pretty tanzaku wishes dangling from the tendrilly branches, you can also decorate the tree with other colorful and shiny ornaments, usually homemade with origami paper. So the whole thing becomes this very gorgeous wish tree. Single household ones aren’t especially amazing, at least ours wasn’t, but the ones that have more people working on them are really cool. Hundreds of wishes, along with streamers, origami cranes, those paper chains you used to make when you were little, and all kinds of creative goodies fluttering in the breeze and adding life to the spindly bamboo tree. When the night of tanabata arrives, just maybe your wish will be chosen and come true. One of the things I used to really like about the festival was walking with my son to the shoutengai, a kind of Showa Era covered shopping street on the night of Tanabata. We would stroll down the bustling street under dozens upon dozens of enormous strung up crepe paper decorations. These were usually big fancy paper balls, called a kusudama, with long, brightly colored streamers flowing underneath them. I just learned that this design was originated in Sendai in 1946 by a shop owner. The Sendai Tanabata festival is one of the more famous ones with thousands of decorations lining the streets. So if you’re ever there around this time, definitely check that out. Anyway, the streets would be bustling with people all dressed in yukata, wearing geta shoes, and the crepe paper ribbons would be so long you had to walk through them. On both sides of the street would be food stalls selling savory yakisoba noodles, squid legs grilled in soy sauce, chocolate dipped bananas or kakigouri (かき氷), big cups of strawberry shaved ice topped with condensed milk. It always felt like Tanabata got you excited about summer vacation, which in Japan lasts roughly the month of August. So other than the story, the decorating the sasa branch, and walking through the covered strip mall, that’s pretty much the whole festival as we observed it. You’ll often read that the  story of Tanabata is so very romantic. I never thought so. It’s interesting and more than a little bizarre, but I’m not sure romantic is the word I’d chose to describe Orihime’s tale While there are different versions of the myth of the star-crossed lovers all up and down Japan, they don’t really differ in any significant way. The ending is more or less the same. The one I’m re-telling now is the one I’m most familiar with. Do read around if you’d like to hear different versions. Tanabata Story Continued: Where were we? Yes, we left you weeping at your loom on the shore of the Amanogawa, the heavenly river, or Milky Way in English. You gaze out at the stars and think how it might be nice to meet someone your own age and even go on a date perhaps. Your father, Tentei, catches you slacking and notices your downtrodden face. He asks what’s wrong. Even though you worry about his reaction, you’re quite distraught and figure what do you have to lose, so you go ahead and confide in him. To your surprise he understands and agrees to introduce you to someone nice, someone he’s picked out. Then your dad sets out, looks high and low, until he finds, on the other side of the Milky Way, a very handsome and good natured boy, who is strong and attractive and a hard worker. Everything you’d want in a blind date. His name is Hikoboshi and he is a cow herder, of the stars. He herds star cows. Well, the moment you two meet each other the chemistry is electric. Love at first sight. You don’t even wait for your second date. You get married right away and life is amazing. Every day, gazing lovingly into each others eyes, sharing your most personal thoughts and dreams. You frolic and laugh and all those other newly wed things that newly weds do. Actually, you and Hikoboshi have so much fun hanging out together you totally forget your celestial duties. Fine silk kimono aren’t being woven and the gods are lining up to complain to your dad. While on the other side of the Milky Way star cows aren’t being herded and are wandering around everywhere, lost, confused, hungry, and sometimes sick. Tentei, your dad, is furious. He summons you both and says. This is unacceptable! From now on you will live on either side of the Amanogawa. Orihime, stays on this side, and starts her weaving duties again in earnest.  Hikoboshi, you return to the other side of the Milky Way and take care of those cows. You’re devastated. Kneeling down at the loom once again, your husband and best buddy banished, you can’t even bring yourself to weave. Instead you collapse and cry and sob, wail and moan. This goes on for days, until your father can finally take it no more. He agrees to let you see your husband once a year, on the seventh day on the seventh month. Your spirits lighten and you begin your seven day a week weaving routine. The gods come, parade around in the finery you’ve made, and leave happy and content. This continues until July 7th. The day you’ll get to be with your husband again. You stand on your side of the Amanogawa but notice there is no bridge. What? Father is conveniently absent. You run back and forth but there is no way to get across this Heavenly River. Time is running out. You break down again and begin to cry. This time, though, a flock of magpies hear you and take pity. They fly over and create a bridge with their outspread wings, a kind of bird-bridge for you to cross. You do, and are reunited with your one true love. Hikoboshi! Life continues like this for the rest of your days. Which you think is fine, except on years when on the seventh day of the seventh month it rains. Because if the weather is bad and the people on earth can’t look up and see the stars, it means the magpies, too, cannot gather to make a bridge for you. Sadly. You and your cow herding husband must wait another year before you can hook up again. Not really the end as Tanabata is still celebrated to this day. All playfulness aside, I have always really enjoyed the Tanabata festival. Thinking back to when my son was little, it is probably one of the festivals with the sweetest memories for me. The vibrant decorations and that magical feeling of hope when you write your wishes on brightly colored tanzaku and tie them to the frilly cut piece of bamboo. If you haven’t seen the festival yet, I do hope you can come to Japan one day and experience it for yourself. Just make sure that you check whether the area you plan to visit uses the old calendar or the new one. I want to give a great big special thank you to my Patrons for your support and friendship. One of my Tanabata wishes is for all of you to have health, happiness, and continued awesomeness. The women at the post office told me the rules for mailing things will change July first and I’m hoping that means I’ll be able to start sending all the back goodies to my patrons who have waited so patiently, and return to sending out postcards and envelopes per usual. That could be a Tanabata wish as well, come to think of Thank you all for listening and I’ll talk to you in two weeks. Bye bye.

Join Jeremy as he dives into Criterion’s GODZILLA SHOW ERA Collection. Part 1 of a 2 part series!

This week on the #Godzilla Podcast, we look back on all the Heisei Era films: 1984 The Return of Godzilla 1985 Godzilla 1985 1989 Godzilla vs. Biollante 1991 Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah 1992 Godzilla vs. Mothra (Godzilla & Mothra: The Battle for Earth) 1993 Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II 1994 Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla 1994 Yamato Takeru (Orochi the Eight-Headed Dragon) 1995 Godzilla vs. Destoroyah 1996 Rebirth of Mothra 1997 Rebirth of Mothra II 1998 Rebirth of Mothra III (We lumped Princess from the Moon in our Showa Era watch)

We are back for the 28th...29th...crap we may have lost count. The next #MonsterMovieStompdown is back and this time we finish out the amazing Showa Era of Godzilla films with Terror of Mechagodzilla! This episode was a special blast because we have a very special guest, RJ, Ruben's son joining us for this great flick! Check out and see what the Father and Son Duo's think of Terror of Mechagodzilla!

Topic: Kamen Rider & Super Sentai(Power Rangers)   This week, we move on from Drama to entirely different type of drama.  Granted this one is far more interesting to me because of Explosions, Cool Poses, and Brightly Colored Uniforms.  We welcome back my little brother to discuss Toei’s most popular Tokusatsu series: Kamen Rider and Super Sentai, better known in the west as Power Rangers.   History:   Shotaro Ishinomori Father of Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, and Cyborg 009 Started as an Assistant to Osamu Tezuka (Astroboy, grandfather of Manga/anime) Developed his own popular manga, Cyborg 009 in 1963 – 1984. Late developed Skullman in 1970, a one off manga volume that told story of a vigilantly hero of Skullman trying to find the murder of his parents, and stop an evil organization. Developed Kamen Rider initially as a live action version of Skullman, but later adapted look of a Grasshopper to make new series Fathered the Henshin style super hero in Tokusatsu series Created Himitsu Sentai Gorenger, first Super Sentai Series Went on to make many Tokusatsu series Died of heart failure at age 60   Tokusatsu Japanese Live Action Film/TV series with heavy use of Special Effects.     Kamen Rider Started as adaptation of Skullman, but due to the violent tones of Skullman, the series was reworked to have a Grasshopper motif for the lead hero.   Original Series Takeshi Hongo is kidnapped and experimented on by the villainous terrorist group Shocker, turning their soldiers into mutant cyborgs and brainwashing them. Hongo escapes before the brainwashing and fights Shocker as the grasshopper, masked man: Kamen Rider. Due to a filming accident in episode 10, the actor playing Kamen Rider had his legs broken, and is replaced by a second Kamen Rider, Hayato Ichimonji, who also escaped Shocker. To differentiate the two, Hongo is Kamen Rider 1 and Ichimonji is Kamen Rider 2 After the actor playing Hongo is healed, both Kamen Riders continued the series until it’s conclusion at 98 episodes. This would start the Showa Era of Kamen Rider.   Showa Era (1971 – 1989) Showa Era due to Emperor Hirohito, who died in 1989.  Upon their death, Japanese Emperors are posthumously renamed as the Era they presided over.  Thus, Emperor Hirohito became Emperor Showa.  Showa roughly meaning ‘Enlightened Peace’ or some interpret as ‘Radiant Japan’. Several other shows were produced until 1976, with other individuals as Kamen Riders, but dubbed Riders. There was V3, X, Amazon, and Stronger.  The show took a hiatus for a few years to develop Himitsu Sentai Gorenger, first Canonical Super Sentai Series. Returned in 1979 with Kamen Rider Skyrider, Super 1 and ZX. The series would go back in to Hiatus, until 1987, with Kamen Rider Black, the first series to not be tied in to the early series. Also a direct Sequel in Kamen Rider Black RX, which was the based for Saban’s Masked Rider, ala Power Ranger style. The series would not have any major TV series for the next decade, but kept alive through live action performance, movies, and CD Dramas.     Heisei Era, Phase 1 (1999 – 2009) Heisei meaning “Peace Everywhere” which started after previous Emperor’s Death and lasted until 2019 when then Emperor Akihito abdicated the throne to his Son.  When the former Emperor dies, he will be then known as ‘Emperor Heisei’.  1997 began production on Kamen Rider Kuuga, a rebirth of the series after a decade of television hiatus. Series father Shotaro Ishinomori, began production with the intent of having a 30th anniversary of the series, but died before Kuuga could air.  On January 30th, 2000, Kuuga ushered in the rebirth of Kamen Rider. Heisei Era would feature a new Kamen Rider series every year, with and established various motifs and ideas over the decade. During this time, movie series called Kamen Rider: The First, re-imagined the original Showa Era Kamen Rider tv show and manga, and created series of movies with a darker tone to the original. With popularity of Kamen Rider Den-O, a tradition of having a Movie come out toward, or directly after, the end of the series. Movies often add new element to show or expand upon the ending, but usually always have a cameo from the next Kamen Rider in the movie. Phase 1 ended with Kamen Rider Decade, a series that followed a Kamen Rider going to alternate version of the last nine Kamen Rider series and gaining their abilities and powers. Decade finished early, marking the first time in 10 years where instead of starting in January or February, Kamen Rider shows would start in late August, early September.   Heisei Era, Phase 2 (2009 – 2019) Phase 2 continued the trend of Kamen rider shows, with some notable motifs. Double was first rider to be two people Wizard was first entirely magical, not based on technology, Rider. Wizard was also first gay Rider Phrase 2 concluded with Kamen Rider Zi-o, a similar series to Kamen Rider Decade where the hero revisited other Kamen Riders to gain their powers.     Reiwa Era (2019 – Current) Reiwa meaning “Beautiful Harmony”.  With Abdication by Emperor Akihito, his son, Naruhito, became Emperor on May 1st, 2019.  When Emperor Naruhito dies, he will be renamed as Emperor Reiwa.  First series to be fully produced in Reiwa era is Kamen Rider Zero-One. It reuses a similar Grasshopper motif.   Staples of Kamen Rider: Rider Belt (Henshin Device) Announcing “Henshin” to change Alternate and/or Super Forms Motor Cycles Every episode takes place over two episodes, IE, two episodes make up one whole story Pervious series have no bearing/repercussions on future series. IE, each series is self-contained.  Exceptions are Decade, Zi-o, and Majority of Showa Era series.   Rider Motifs/Themes Each Rider has a motif or theme their rider is based on.  These are often over arching themes or motifs for both Riders and bad guys.  Some include:   Showa Era Kamen Rider - Grasshopper Kamen Rider V3 - Grasshopper Kamen Rider X - Grasshopper Kamen Rider Amazon - Incan/Mayan Origin Kamen Rider Stronger - Kabuto (Rhino Horn beetle) Kamen Rider Skyrider - Remake of First Kamen rider Kamen Rider Super-1 - Gloves give special Powers Kamen Rider Black - Darker Tone, Seperation from original series Kamen Rider Black RX - Direct Sequel to Black, Form Change   Heisei Era Phase 1 Kamen Rider Kuuga - 30th Anniversary Kamen Rider Agito - First series with multiple Riders Kamen Rider Ryuki - Battle Royal Kamen Rider 555 - Greek letters Kamen Rider Blade - Playing Cards, Zodiac Kamen Rider Hibiki - Japanese Oni(Demons) Kamen Rider Kabuto - Various Insects Kamen Rider Den-O - Time Travel, Japanese Poems Kamen Rider Kiva - Hollywood Monsters, Stained glass, Vampires Kamen Rider Decade - 10 Anniversary of Heisei Era, Photography   Heisei Era Phase 2 Kamen Rider W - Two riders as one, mix/match Forms 2x, USB Sticks Kamen Rider OOO - Animals, Coins(Metals), Vending Machines, mix/match 3x Kamen Rider Fourze - 40th Kamen Rider Anniversary, Space, Mix/Match 4x Kamen Rider Wizard - Fantasy magic, Rings Kamen Rider Gaim - Japanese Feudal Warfare, Fruit, Dance gangs Kamen Rider Drive - Cars, Detective/police Kamen Rider Ghost - Historical Figures as Power Ups, Ghosts Kamen Rider Ex-Aid - Video Games & Mechanics, Hospital/Doctors Kamen Rider Build - Mix/Match x2, Bottles/mixology, science Kamen Rider Zi-O - Time Travel, Clocks/Watches   Reiwa Era Kamen Rider Zero-One - Grasshopper/Animals, Androids Super Sentai Early Super Sentai started as mixing Kamen Rider and Cyborg 009, to create a Team of Kamen Rider.  It was also then only known as Sentai. First canonical series: Himitsu Sentai Gorenger Original based off Masks, but later to color. Debuting in 1975, longest running Sentai Series. Weapons came from Mask Very popular, and filled time slot of Kamen Rider.   Japanese Spiderman Debuting in 1978, Toei licensed Marvel properties for a few years, their first was Spiderman Radically different origin/take on Spiderman Similar powers, but via a bracelet. Introduced Leopardo, a spaceship that transformed in to a Giant Robot (Giant Robo, popular type of Anime/manga in the 70s and early 80s) Due to the License agreement with Marvel, next Super Sentai series was partially based Captain America, Battle Fever J Marvel initially considered bring over various Super Sentai Series and have American Actors take part of the Japanese actors, something that would be done a decade later. They didn’t due to being unable to secure TV rights.    Due to introduction of giant robots, series was redubbed Super Sentai.  Earlier series Goranger and J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai were later added to the Super Sentai series in 1995.   First Super Sentai Series to air in America was Kagaku Sentai Dynaman in 1988, simply as Dynaman.  The series however, as broadcast on Nickelodeon and USA cable networks, was a parody, with voice over.   Power Rangers Haim Saban major work including making opening themes for various animation series, most notably DIC shows and 80s Tv shows. He would do it for free, but retain the rights to the music. In 1984, while in Japan, he discovered Super Sentai series and fell in love with it. Attempted to bring series Choudenshi Bioman to the state, but couldn’t get it picked up on Television Saban eventually found success in bring over Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger (16th Series) to America as Power Rangers. Zyuranger Set a lot of milestones for Super Sentai 1st 7 mecha combiner 6th ranger that was evil before turning good More light hearted than other series Purely fantastical premise, no military or organization First series To be based on Dinosaurs Saban got Power Rangers approved by Fox Kids, finally getting the series added. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers debuted in 1993. Gosei Sentai Dairanger & Ninja Sentai Kakuranger were used for the 2nd and 3rd Season, with part of Kakuranger used for Mighty Morphin Alien Ranger. Only the mechs and badguy suits were kept, despite being a new series with new good guy suits, they kept the previous season’s suits. Saban bought the suits and mecha from Toei.  For Kakuranger, the mecha used is in reverse, with the Ninja MegaZord coming in the second half of Kakuranger, as in Power Rangers it came before the Shogun MegaZord. Saban Entertainment asked Toei to shoot new Footage of Kyuranger fighting Dairanger badguys. They later bought the suits outright and had their cast do all the fight scenes in costume With Shouriki Sentai Ohranger, the team from previous season would get new outfits and robots, signaling the change with every new subsequent series. Later seasons would be redubbed based on that years season’s Sentai Series, IE, Power Ranger Zeo With Power Rangers Turbo, adapted from Gekisou Sentai Carranger, it started with previous seasons cast, but mid-way through, it got a brand new cast to replace older cast. With Power Rangers in Space, adapted from Denji Sentai Megaranger, it brought back the old cast, gave new colors, and put an end to the Zordon Era of Power Rangers. Subsequent Seasons of Power Rangers would more closely follow the style of Super Sentai, with a new team every season to correspond with the Super Sentai Season. IE, no more reusing Rangers.  They also rarely brought up other series or events in other Power Ranger seasons. Exception for Power Rangers Dino Thunder, adapted from Bakuryu Sentai Abaranger, where long stay character Tommy comes back. Tommy is actor with most Suits: Green Ranger, White Ranger, 2 Red Rangers, and a Black Ranger. Originally airing on Fox from 1993 to 2002, Walt Disney purchased the Fox Kids brand and Power Rangers from Saban Entertainment in 2001. The show then aired on Disney affiliated channels until 2009. Power Rangers RPM was to be the last canonical Power Ranger series, adapted from Engine Sentai Go-onger. RPM is considered very dark for a Power Ranger series, but is also adapted from Go-onger, which was a very silly and light hearted show, striking a tonal difference. In 2010, Saban bought back Power Rangers License and produced Power Rangers Samurai in 2011, ending a two year Hiatus for the series. Power Rangers Samurai, adapted from Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, is a more literal adaptation, carry a majority of themes, story, and character names from the Japanese version. Also first series on Nickelodeon; due to format of Nickelodeon, the series was produced as two seasons, as was Nickelodeon’s format at the time. Per Nickelodeon’s style of formatting seasons, rather than typical 32-35 episode season, spanning a year’s worth of episodes, each Sentai Series takes place over two 22 episodes seasons, causing each Super Sentai Series to be told over the course of two years time. They are thus bypassing Ressha Sentai ToQger, Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger, Uchu Sentai Kyuranger, and Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger.   Staples of Super Sentai: 5 Ranger Teams Occasionally Teams of 3 Usually will add a 6th member, usually more powerful than rest Sometimes a 6th Man is added who isn’t a Ranger Teams are made up of bright colors, rarely reusing colors Always a Red and Blue Ranger on a team, Yellow is second most common to be on a team, followed by Pink, then Green, then Black. Most common 6th Ranger is Silver, followed by White, Green, Black, Marron/violet. 36% of all shows have a Red, Blue, Yellow, Pink, and Green Combination of main team 5% of all shows have a Red, blue, Yellow, Pink, and Black Combination of main team https://www.deviantart.com/taiko554/art/Super-Sentai-Power-Rangers-Color-Infographic-644432254 When outside of their Ranger Suits, actors tend to wear similar colors to their Ranger Suits, IE: Red Ranger is typically wearing red clothing Always have a Robot that combines In Power Rangers, they’re called Zords, with the combined form being MegaZord, and the ultimate version being Ultra MegaZord In Sentai, each robot has their own unique term, with no consistency in the naming scheme Monster of the week format A new bad guy to beat each episode, with some development in story or character development, with the bad guy working for the main nemesis. Bad guy turns into a giant form upon defeat In some seasons, they end up piloting a new robot of their own. Always some kind of disposable henchmen type character that aids the main character Suit actors, people in the suits, typically play the same type of character for years at a time. IE: Red Ranger is typical the same suit actor, trading with other male rangers Super Sentai typically have a movie midway through. Power Rangers has had two movies thus far Power Rangers, the Movie (1995) Power Rangers (2017)     Notable Themes Much like Kamen Rider, each season has its own theme, with some themes repeating themselves.  These are some of the unique themes and first time seen: Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger - Dinosaur Theme Ninja Sentai Kakuranger - Ninja Theme Gekisou Sentai Carranger - Car Themed Denji Sentai Megaranger - Space themed Mirai Sentai Timeranger - Time Travel Mahou Sentai Magiranger - Wizards/magic Engine Sentai Go-onger - Talking Cars/animal vehicles Samurai Sentai Shinkenger - Samurai Tensou Sentai Goseiger - Angel Themed Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger - 35 Anniversary, Pirate Themed Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters - American FBI Ressha Sentai ToQger - Train themed Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger - Cube Animals Uchu Sentai Kyuranger - Zodiac, 12 rangers Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger - First series to follow two Ranger Teams     Other companies attempted to follow suit with popularity of Tokusatsu series. DIC brought in Denkou Choujin Gridman as Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad Saban also brought in Space Sheriff Shaider, Jikuu Senshi Spielban, and Choujinki Metalder as VR Troopers Saban also brought Juukou B-fighter and B-Fighter Kabuto as Big Bad Beetleborgs     Homework http://tracker.tvnihon.com/index.php?category=123 Episodes 1-4 of Kamen Rider Ex Aid Episodes 1-4 of Uchuu Sentai KyuuRanger  

We head into our final 2 films of the Showa Era of Godzilla, and introduce Mechagodzilla and King Caesar into the fold! Episode Guest: Jessica AlsmanThe Bob & Tom Show, DocHeadsComedy lover. Part of the Bob & Tom family. Geek out on stuff & thangs. Always overthinking. Sometimes on the radio. Follow JessicaTwitter: https://twitter.com/jnalsmanInsta: https://www.instagram.com/jessicaalsman/Podcast: […]

We head into our final 2 films of the Showa Era of Godzilla, and introduce Mechagodzilla and King Caesar into […]

We head into our final 2 films of the Showa Era of Godzilla, and introduce Mechagodzilla and King Caesar into […]

There are a LOT of Godzilla movies, and obviously some are better than others. Some are so good, in fact, that they could even be worthy of being called the honorable title of FILM. Here are my thoughts. Official site: Evilzombie.net EMAIL: Evilzombie@protonmail.com Show support if you want: https://anchor.fm/kaijulicious/support --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kaijulicious/support

     This week we get our Yakuza flicks on as Japanuary rolls full tilt into it's third week.     First up, Takashi Miike's Ichi the Killer. A psychotic man is used as a pawn in a Yakuza gang war while he is hunted by a sadomasochistic enforcer. Violence and  insanity explode on the screen in a grizzly and giggling way.     Then we take a look at the first in a massive nine entry series and a stone cold classic in its own right- Brutal Tales of Chivalry (aka Chivalrous Tales of the Showa Era). Ken Takakura is Seiji Terajima, a man just returned home from the war and immediately thrust into the leadership of his gang. Seiji is determined to not go into a war with their local rivals but he might not have much choice. How far can you push an honorable man?     All that and Dave forgets where he is, Tyler finds himself in a rap battle to the death, and Kevin finally opens a box set. Join us, won't you?Episode 137- Courtly Expectations of Homicide

We are back with the next Godzilla centered #MonsterMovieStompdown! We are continuing through the Showa Era of Godzilla films and drawing close to the end! Join us as we discuss Godzilla vs Gigan! A US TV Staple through the 70s and 80s and a true testament that a LOT can be done with a LITTLE!

It's here! The moment you've all been waiting for! Godzilla's Showa Era has come to an end, and now it's time for Eric and Alex to battle it out and rank each Showa Era Godzilla film. Tune in to see where your favorite film is ranked!

As Promised here’s Neil’s thoughts on Showa Era Godzilla Enemies post the Halloween rewatch of all the movies. This episode is a little on the shorter side as most top 10s but moreso due to heavy workload and stress around the holidays. We apologize if you don’t get as much of a fix as you might want.

ISSUE #54 - Justifying My Movie Collection. Week 18 of watching every Godzilla and King Kong movie before GODZILLA VS. KONG is released in March. And it's the FINAL film of the Showa Era and it SUCKS! The president of Toho finally gets the last laugh over all of us.

The first 15 Godzilla films, made from 1954 to 1975 during the Showa Era, were recently restored and released on Blu-ray and DVD by the Criterion Collection. For the premiere episode of 25YearsLater's first podcast, host and 25YL writer Tim Rosenberger will discuss some of the movies with fellow 25YL writers and Godzilla fans Katie Bienvenue and Gus Wood. This podcast is part of a three part package. Katie, Tim, Gus and 25YL writer Hawk Ripjaw also wrote and produced a video discussing the top 10 reasons to watch Godzilla's Showa Era. Finally, there's an article quickly covering all 15 films.

The next #MonsterMovieStompdown is here! This time we tackle the Battle Royale of Godzilla films with Destroy All Monsters!! Toho threw everything but the kitchen sink in on this one! This kaiju melee is a blast so don't miss this one as we breakdown this highlight of the Showa Era!!

SKREEONK!!! We couldn’t all get together for an episode this week so Neil’s at it again with another top 10 episode. This time he’s talking about his ratings for the top 10 enemies that Godzilla fought in the Showa Era (the first 15 movies for those of you who don’t know). He’s doing this before re-watching all of the movies for our upcoming 2 part episode on those same Godzilla movies for October. He’ll release a smaller update at some point after that to see how his opinions have changed from Nostalgia.

Tyler, Chris and Beth discuss the final three films in the Showa Era of the Godzilla franchise. Godzilla vs Megalon, Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla and Terror of Mechagodzilla. How do these hold up compared to the rest of the series? Let these three nerds tell you!

Tyler, Chris and Beth discuss the final three films in the Showa Era of the Godzilla franchise. Godzilla vs Megalon, Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla and Terror of Mechagodzilla. How do these hold up compared to the rest of the series? Let these three ne

Eric Sayour and Arlen Harrow are joined by Hunter Davenport yet again to discuss Godzilla in is his prime stride, The Showa Era. Movies discussed: Destroy All Monsters (1968), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974). Season 2 Theme "88mph" by Le Matos Available Everywhere | Go to https://wp.me/p5GngZ-3hH | https://anchor.fm/s/7f2bb04/podcast/rss | 

The Showa Era is a massive cultural and economic development period in Japan but its icons are often skipped over in your average trip around Tokyo. There are plenty of small, family owned coffee shops that encapsulate this post-war era's reconstruction, and they all have their quirks, from coo-coo clocks to handmade pastries. So take a step back in time with Emily to shops that are more than your average mainstream corner cafes.

In 2016, Emperor Akihito announced he intended to step down from the throne because of his age and declining health.  Now, with just two weeks until Akihito’s son Naruhito becomes the country’s 126th emperor and with the name of the new Reiwa Era announced, Deep Dive asks: What does it mean to be Emperor of Japan, and what can we expect from the next person to sit atop the Chrysanthemum Throne?  Sakura Murakami joins Oscar Boyd to discuss. We had a lot of fun finding early Showa Era songs that run in the breaks in this episode. In order they were: * "Southern Bride" by Meiko Takamine * "Koiwa Umibe De" by Mitsuko Watanabe * "Sendo Kawaiya" by Kikutaro Takahashi Thanks to Dr. Kenneth Ruoff, author of several books on Japan's Imperial Family, for contributing to this podcast.

What's more powerful than smashing your groin on an electrical tower when dropped by Rodan? Dan and Brennan kicking off their countdown to Godzilla: King of the Monsters by discussing the Showa Era monster fest classic, Ghidora the Three Headed Monster! Hey, dongles, contact us - you know you want to: corruptedyouthpod@gmail.com Please rate and review - we want to know how we're doing! Show your support of the show and look cool doing it by picking up a Corrupted Youth t-shirt and/or other goods at https://www.teepublic.com/user/gridcurrent Opening music courtesy of Corpse Show Creeps - thanks, guys! Closing music: Godzula by M.O.D.

I am thrilled to bring you this interview with Keizo Murase, a kaiju suit-maker from the showa era and beyond. I originally met Murase in 2016 when he was a guest at Monsterpalooza. I did a poor job of coordinating interview options and ended up not sitting down with him at all during that trip. […]

Rubber monsters! Cardboard sets! Tiny buildings and cars which get trampled by weird things! Moths in space! What more could you want? Join Jody and James as they go through all of the dropkicking, happy dance and overall... Read More

The Showa Era comes to a close as Godzilla protects the earth from the "Terror of Mechagodzilla."

We kick off our giant Godzilla series with the Showa era! Special guest, and friend of the show, Chris Cannavo joins us to discuss the king of the monsters in the big green guy's first 15 films. The original 1954 masterpiece all the way through 1975's Terror of Mechagodzilla.

On this episode of DKN Podcast, Kent and Jason dive right in to the final film of the Showa Era in the Godzilla Franchise, TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA! Afterwards,Kent reviews the film DEMEKING while Jason finally reviews the Marmit 1984 Godzilla figure! If you have any questions or comments for the co-hosts to read aloud on the show,...Continue reading

On this episode of DKN Podcast, Kent and Jason dive right in to the final film of the Showa Era in the Godzilla Franchise, TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA! Afterwards,Kent reviews the film DEMEKING while Jason finally reviews the Marmit 1984 Godzilla figure! If you have any questions or comments for the co-hosts to read aloud on the show,...Continue reading

Original Duology (1954-1955) Godzilla (1954) Godzilla Raids Again (1955) Revival (1962-1968) King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966) Son of Godzilla (1967) Destroy All Monsters (1968) Champion Series (1969-1975) All Monsters Attack (1969) Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) Other Toho Kaiju Films Rodan (1956) The Mysterians (1957) Varan (1958) The Three Treasures (1959) Mothra (1961) Gorath (1962) Atragon (1963) Dogora (1964) Frankenstein vs. Baragon (1965) The War of the Gargantuas (1966) King Kong Escapes (1967) Latitude Zero (1969) Space Amoeba (1970) Princess from the Moon (1987)