For generations the Godzilla franchise has been enjoyed by worldwide audiences, rapidly growing in its expanse from a small manga series into the worlds longest running movie franchise, consisting of a whopping thirty-seven movies. Since its debut, writer Ishirō Honda has included many subtle yet macabre themes like “the uncanny” that can be analysed through the gothic lens. Psychologist Sigmund Freud specifies that the uncanny is ‘that class of the terrifying which leads back to something long known to us, once very familiar’, so for example, in the original Godzilla film this familiarity can be seen through the nuclear warfare symbolizing Japan’s relations to other countries in the First and Second World War. ¹ On top of this, Godzilla, the titular anti-hero is an extended metaphor for the horrors surrounding war, as this can be seen from the initial film up to the present. The newest title ‘Godzilla Minus One’, focuses on Japan attempting to reconstruct from “zero”, after the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, yet, this is halted by the emergence of Godzilla who reaps further chaos on civilization, hence the title ‘Minus One’. Even the weapons featured in this film are traditional to the Second World War including sub-machine guns, jet fighters and tanks – nevertheless, these offer a futile protection to the populace ultimately standing as a forewarning against prospective wars.

Arguably, another theme present in the franchise is the conflict between nature and science which is seen in many iconic gothic novels from Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ to Robert Stevenson’s ‘Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’. Honda employs the trope of the “mad scientist” to break down the boundaries between ethical science and simply meddling with nature by playing “God”. In the original ‘Godzilla’ film both of the leading scientists play up to this role to some degree. Firstly, the character of Doctor Yamane holds the desire to study Godzilla as his “own specimen” in spite of its assault on Tokyo, this can be perceived by viewers as a selfish hubris and an attempt at playing “God” as he only acts in his own best interest. Secondly, the character of Serizawa despite playing the archetype of the good doctor is also somewhat subject to the “mad scientist” trope, with his facial disfigurement being revealed as a repercussion from living through the Second World War, ‘if not for the war, he would still have his eye’. Because of his hatred towards his own creation, it is implied that Serizawa plays the role of the “benevolent God” fearing the potential threat it could pose to humanity. Unlike the other doctor, Serizawa acts with selflessness hiding his destructive creation that’s justly titled, The Oxygen Destroyer from society by ultimately sacrificing himself alongside Godzilla.

Similar to other monsters like werewolves, vampires and ghosts that are quintessential to gothic stories, Godzilla is impossible to kill by conventional methods. Like stakes or silver, the Oxygen Destroyer presents itself with some similarities in its magical and elusive features. This is augmented by the 2016 film, Shin Godzilla which bares some undeniable resemblances to traditional gothic. For the foremost, the setting shares some comparison to Dracula, who comes from the cryptic land of Transylvania and then travels to London to reign chaos, whereas the monster mystically emerges from the sea to then travel to Japan to reap havoc. Scholar Paige Allen clarifies this describing how ‘these monsters come from nature [like Godzilla], from the past, from our own creation, or from within’. ²

Finally, despite being depicted as a “monster”, alike other gothic narratives, Godzilla nonetheless begs sympathy from the audience. For instance, Frankenstein’s creature does this by being rational and the Opera Ghost does this through undergoing redeeming feats. Evidently, this is shown later on in the progression of the franchise in ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ in which Godzilla evolves into a heroic force in order to protect Japan from other Kaiju’s, all-the-same, the monster still reveals the magnitude of its power, rightfully claiming the position of “King of the Monsters”. This can be viewed as a metaphor for Japan’s ever-changing relationship with other countries.

In conclusion, for many reasons the ‘Godzilla’ franchise can be applied to the gothic lens, from its innately tragic characters to the setting itself to the covert allegory behind its eccentric monsters. With almost a century worth of movies, manga and stories that are still applicable to the contemporary it is justifiable how ‘the “meaning” of gothic will in important ways remain constant over time, and yet that “meaning” will change too’. ³

 

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Bibliography:

David Punter, ‘Japanese Gothic’, Blackwell Publishing (2012), A New Companion to the Gothic (wiley.com) (Accessed 05/12/23).

Joyce M. S. Tompkins, ‘The Popular Novel in England’, (1932).

Michael J. Blouin, ‘Japan and the Cosmopolitan Gothic: Spectres of Modernity’, (2013).

Paige Allen, ‘Key Elements of Gothic Literature & Film’, (2016).