Published by Kaiju Transmissions Podcast
Join hosts Byrd and Matt as they discuss all things giant monsters, tokusatsu, and Japanese fantasy films. Come here for a regular dose of everything Godzilla, Gamera, King Kong, Ultraman and everything in between!
Listen on Apple PodcastsByrd, Kevin and Lux return to discuss the recent Netflix mini series, Human Vapor, a reimagining of Toho's classic 1960 "mutant" film from director Shinzo Katayama (Gannibal, Missing) and writer/producer/showrunner Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan, Parasyte: The Grey). This version opts for a brand new story, although it still follows a man who has gained the ability to transform into gas and uses his powers to carry out a murder spree. We follow detective Kenji and reporter Kyoko as they uncover secrets involving unethical science, classism, yakuza, and really bad parents. How did we feel about this radical reinterpretation? Listen and find out! But first, we give our tributes to the late Sam Neil and Kaylee Hottle. Relax and enjoy the conversation!
Byrd, Kevin and Lux discuss Toho's live action adaptation of 20th Century Boys, the beloved manga by Naoki Urasawa (Monster, Pluto). It tells a story over several decades of a group of childhood friends that reunite when they realize a doomsday cult led by a masked leader named Friend is using elements from a story they wrote as children to carry out mass murder and position himself as a false savior of humanity. Throughout the trilogy, as Friend gains power and influence in the world, our heroes try to learn his true identity and stop him from world domination. There's giant robots, airborne viruses, underground freedom fighters, plenty of kaiju and tokusatsu references, and more! We'll talk about how the trilogy compares to the manga, the challenges of adapting such a sprawling story into film, and some of the real life events and cultural shifts that influenced the story. But first we discuss the recent passings of author Koji Suzuki, actor Kenji Ohba, and director/effects artist Yoshihiro Nishimura. Relax and enjoy the show!
Byrd, Matt and Kevin discuss the recently concluded second season of Apple TV's Monsterverse series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. This season follows Monarch as they track the new monster, Titan X, deal with interference from the tech corporation Apex, and reckon with personal conflicts along the way. Godzilla and King Kong make their requisite appearances, and we also discover new things about key places such as Axis Mundi and Skull Island. We talk about how we felt this season turned out, how it compares to the next season, and our hopes for a possible third season. Relax and enjoy the conversation!
Byrd and Kevin welcome back returning guest and author Ray Morton to the show to talk about the newly revised and expanded second edition of his monumental book King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon! Originally published in 2005, the book covered all things Kong up to just before the release of Peter Jackson’s remake. More than 20 years later, the great ape is more popular than he’s been in decades, thanks to the Monsterverse films and a wave of comics, cartoons, video games, stage plays, and more. Ray has spent years revisiting and updating the book—adding new material, expanding existing chapters, and bringing this definitive guide into the modern era. We dive into what’s been added and changed, and what it was like to revisit such a massive project. Along the way, we discuss the recent explosion of Kong content, explore lingering myths about the 1933 film’s infamous spider pit scene, attempt to untangle the confusing history of Kong’s IP rights, and touch on some unexpected backlash from Ray’s first appearance—plus much more. Relax and enjoy the conversation!
After a lengthy hiatus, we return as Byrd, Lux, and Tom talk about the recent Norweigan film Troll 2! No, not THAT Troll 2, but the sequel to Netflix's 2022 film Troll. The film picks up with the characters from the prior film returning to research another giant troll that has been captured by the government. When that troll escapes, another troll appears, setting up for a climactic battle between the two. So how did we feel? Listen and find out as we talk about the films numerous similarities to the recent Monsterverse films, holy water rockets, confusing lore, and a go on a big tangent on the OTHER Troll 2. Relax and join the conversation!
Byrd, Kevin, Tom, and Lux (with a cameo from Trev) follow up our Ju-On mega-pod with the film that pitted Kayako against J-Horror's other top star, the Ring's very own Sadako. While the film was originally announced as an April Fool's joke, the online excitement over the possibility left Kadakawa-Daiei Studio no choice but to bring the monster fantasy match to life. They recruited J-horror veteran Koji Shiraishi to write and direct. So does this crossover do justice to the two iconic ghosts? Listen and find out!
If you just aren't ready for Halloween season to be over, join Byrd, Tom, Kevin, Lux, (and Trev, kind of) for a talk about one of Japan's biggest horror franchises, Ju-On (also known as the Grudge)! This introduced the vengeful ghost Kayako and her son Toshio to the horror world and they have since become some of Japan's biggest horror icons. The series by Takashi Shimizu originally started with two shorts as part of the School Ghost Stories tv specials, which later spun off into two full length direct to video films, Ju-On: The Curse and Ju-On: The Curse 2 in 2000. They were successful enough that a third film, Ju-On: The Grudge was made for theatrical release in 2002, which led to the series becoming a global phenomenon (leading to Shimizu's own American remake starting a Hollywood branch of the franchise). It was quickly followed by Ju-On: The Grudge 2 and many more sequels after. As we discuss the first four movies and the history of the franchise, we'll discuss haunted houses, ghost children, time loops, and more! Grab your leftover Halloween candy and enjoy the conversation!
Happy Halloween! Byrd, Lux, Tom and Kevin get together to discuss Rankin-Bass' stop motion Halloween feature, Mad Monster Party. Dr. Frankenstein (voiced by Boris Karloff) is about to retire and invites the classic monsters to his castle for a party where he will announce his successor. Among the guests are the Frankenstein Monster and his bride, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Wolf Man, the Gillman, the Hunchback, the Invisible Man, the Mummy, and "It," a legally distinct stand-in for King Kong. This cult favorite was directed by Jules Bass and animated by the legendary Tadahito Mochinaga. We discuss the Rankin Bass holiday specials, enduring an annoying Phyllis Diller performance, the career of animator Tadahito Mochigana, whether the film could be considered anime and/or tokusatsu, and more! Relax and enjoy the conversation.
Byrd, Tom and Lux discuss three classic horror films from Daiei Studios (recently released in the excellent Daiei Gothic blu-ray set from Radiance Films). Ghost of Yotsuya, Snow Woman, and Bride From Hades are all based on famous folk horror stories that have been adapted many times over the years (and would influence much of the J-horror movement later on). These three films take those stories and apply Daiei's iconic art direction and production value of the time to create three memorable versions of classic ghost tales. What did we think? Listen and find out!
Byrd, Lux, Tom and Kevin take a look at another entry in the prolific yokai franchise, GeGeGe No Kitaro franchise. This time we talk about 2008's Hakaba Kitaro, which was a darker take on the material. This changes Kitaro from a good natured yokai ambassador to a mischievous anti hero starring in downbeat morality tales. How did we feel it compared to other versions of Kitaro? Listen and find out!
We kick off another spooky October at KT with Byrd, Kevin, Tom and Lux having a discussion of several films featuring murderous gill-men. Ever since 1954's classic Creature From The Black Lagoon, the trope of a murderous half man/half fish has been entertaining filmgoers on a semi regular basis. We take the opportunity to discuss three such films; Roger Corman's schlockfest Humanoids From The Deep, the Japanese b-movie obscurity Dragon Blue, and the recent Japanese/American/Singaporean/British/German co-production Monster Island (aka Orang Ikan). We talk the Corman legacy, the muddled production of Humanoids (which ties into its eligibility for this podcast), Doug McClure, horny fish monsters, fish-woman harems, and more! Relax and enjoy the conversation!
Byrd, Matt, Kevin and Lux come together again to talk about the recent anime film Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League. The sequel to 2018's Batman Ninja sees the Caped Crusader and his allies in an another dimension in which Japan is ruled by a Yakuza consisting of evil versions of his Justice League allies. The film sees director Junpei Mizusaki return, with new co-director Shinji Takagi (Ranma 1/2, Japan Sinks 2020) and returning screenwriter Kazuki Nakashima (Gekiranger, Kamen Rider W, Kill la Kill). So how does it compare to its predecessor? Listen and find out!
Another year, another G-Fest in the books. Byrd, Kevin and returning guest Connor recount their experience at this years G-Fest convention. G-Fest XXX (!) was the thirtieth in the convention's long running history and as always we talk about the panels, the guests, and our overall opinions of how the show fared this year. We also touch on the film festival lineup including the recent Ishiro Honda documentary, Hot Springs Shark Attack, and a whole slew of short films. Relax and enjoy the conversation!
Byrd, Matt and Kevin discuss and review the recent comic book crossover Godzilla vs. Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers II (written by Cullen Bunn and drawn by Baldemar Rivas). The follow up to IDW and Boom!'s 2022 crossover once again sees the Power Rangers in a multiversal adventure as they once again cross paths with Godzilla and other Toho monsters as they go up against Rita Repulsa as she threatens to destroy rangers in all dimensions. This time we also get Ranger and zord/kaiju hybrids. How did this sequel hold up? Listen and find out!
Live from G-Fest 2025, Byrd moderates this in depth discussion with authors Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski (Ishiro Honda: A Life In Film) to discuss the stories behind the researching, writing, and publishing of their new book Godzilla: The First 70 Years: The Official Illustrated History of the Japanese Productions, a brand new Toho commissioned book dedicated to the history of the King of the Monsters.
After a Spring hiatus, Byrd and Matt come back to discuss Jurassic World Rebirth, the newest entry in the Jurassic Park franchise directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla 2014, Monsters, Star Wars: Rogue One). This entry follows a group of mercenaries (led by Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali) tasked with gathering dino DNA for medical research by going to an island used for genetic experimentation. Along the way they meet up with a family they save during a Mosasaur attack. We discuss an endless amount of dinosaur chase sequences, the rushed production of the film, Snickers wrappers, Lays potato chips, and the death of the "director as auteur" in blockbuster film making. So how does this one compare to the last few entries? Listen and find out!
Byrd, Tom, Kevin and Trev discuss a trio of tokusatsu superhero films from acclaimed director Takashi Miike (Great Yokai War, Ultraman Max, Audition, Ichi the Killer). First we have 2004's Zebraman, a parody of Japanese superhero shows that sees a father in a mid life crisis take up the mantle of the titular character to fight crime and fend off an alien invasion. We then move onto 2010's gonzo sequel set in a dystopian future where Zebraman must face off against a power hungry pop singer. We cap things off by discussing his 2009 adaptation of the popular anime series Yatterman, about a pair of superheroes and their giant robot dog who thwart the evil plans of the Donboro gang. But first, Byrd reviews the recent official Godzilla Pop Up Book from Simon and Schuster Publishing. Relax and join the discussion!
Byrd, Matt, Lux and Kevin discuss Shinji Higuchi's recent Netflix film Bullet Train Explosion. Higuchi's latest revamp of an old tokusatsu IP is a remake/sequel to Toei's 1975 classic disaster film The Bullet Train. Like its predecessor, the story revolves around a bomb on a bullet train, which will explode if the train slows down under 100kph. Show how does Higuchi's latest fare in comparison to the original film and his other recent tokusatsu reboots? Listen and find out!
Byrd, Lux and Matt reach back down into the bottom of the barrell to discuss three obscure recent King Kong knock-offs from China, made to cash in on the recent Monsterverse films. In recent years, China has been churning out dozens and dozens of low budget straight to TV/streaming cheapie creature features. For this episode we'll discuss 2021's Monster Island, 2023's King Kong vs Giant Serpent (aka Battle of Snakes), and 2024's KingKong is Coming Back. In addition to offering our thoughts on the films, we also talk about China's recent b-movie boom. Relax and enjoy the discussion!
Back from the holiday break, Byrd and Matt set their sights on Ray Harryhausen's classic series of Sinbad films; the 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1957), the Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973) and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977) are still among the most celebrated fantasy films of all time. After getting tired of monsters tearing down landmarks, stop motion animator Ray Harryhausen decided to make a different kind of monster movie by drawing inspiration from the Arabian Nights folktales of Sinbad, a sailor who would go on swashbuckling adventures and fight monsters, sorcerers and more. We discuss the history of these influential films, and discuss how they hold up all these years later. We talk Cyclops, dragons, centaurs, troglodytes, and more! Relax and enjoy the conversation!