Upon its release in 1954, the seminal Japanese monster disaster filmGodzilladebuted to explosive fanfare, leaving audiences around the globe astounded by the nuclear beast. In the years since, leading up to the release ofGodzilla Minus One, the interest in Godzilla, as well as the literal size of the character on-screen, has grown past the original Toho picture, eclipsing heights and expectations as a renowned franchise character and beloved cinematic centerpiece. America has also cashed in on the monster’s appeal, with Legendary Pictures recently including the reptilian monstrosity in itsfinancially lucrative MonsterVerse.
Throughout its seventy-year history, the lore of Godzilla has been fortified by a loose mythological backstory. Disturbed by nuclear testing, this prehistoric dinosaur-like terror is awakened and unleashes havoc on nearby cities as a quasi-punishment for a myriad of reasons. Historically, Godzilla has been described as an allegory for the threat of US militarism and impending nuclear warfare in a tense postwar political environment, with recent editions using the Godzilla framework to comment on mistrust of government, especially with the blatant mishandling of nuclear disasters.
Admittedly, the majority of the Godzilla filmography strays away from the social commentary found in the original kaiju picture, with the escapist action and destructive appeal taking priority over the inherent messages baked into the mythology. With 2023’sGodzilla Minus Onefrom Japan’s Takashi Yamazaki, the giant sea monster triumphantly returns to its humble origins.
While set in the immediate years following World War II,GodzillaMinus Onefeels like the most faithful rendition ofthe kaiju film. It positions the monster as a metaphor for national guilt and utilizes new sincerity to foster an intentional preservation of life in the future. Like the 1954 original,Minus Onecarries a deeper meaning that is easy to overlook.
Godzilla Minus One Features Themes of Guilt & Shame
Godzilla Minus Oneopens with timid kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima as he lies about a faulty engine to evade his deathly orders. Shikishima represents the fraught opposition to Japan’s fight to the death mentality itcarried throughout WWII, where disobeying your national duty could result in personal shame.
This is best felt through Sakura Ando’s Sumiko accusations towards Shikishima, alleging that his failures to execute his orders brought the karmic effects of the American atom bottom. Solemnly referred to as “the air raids” and glaringly apparent in the dusty city rubble, the aftermath of WWII reverberates throughout the surviving population with guilt and shame weighing down people like Shikishima and Sumiko. From a narrative standpoint,GodzillaMinus Oneis the direct antithesis toChristopher Nolan’sOppenheimer.
The film jumps forward year by year, documenting how the survivor’s guilt continues to fester and affect Shikishima’s mental clarity despite his optimistic attempts at rebuilding his life. He befriends another survivor of the air raids in Minami Hinabe’s Noriko, a young woman who unofficially adopted an orphaned infant in the air raid wreckage.
Together, they reimagine the future as a makeshift family. However, Shikishima struggles to reconcile with his suppressed shame. The growing threat of Godzilla’s return suddenly resembles Shikishima’s guilt, slowly amassing under the surface before it emerges with a gargantuan vengeance.
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This overwhelming sentiment of guilt and shame also resonates throughout the Japanese population. As the remnants of the Japanese navy haphazardly recruit former military personnel for their last ditch effort to exterminate Godzilla, they are met with opposition by the few who harbor mistrust towards the military and the Japanese authority.
Even throughout their preemptive preparations, members of the defense team openly question the reliability of science and logic. As a tenet of postmodernism, the mistrust of authority is comically highlighted with offhanded quips between military leaders and ironic jabs that garner chuckles in the audience. Ultimately, Godzilla represents the generalunease permeating postwarJapan, the hopeless nihilism brought by the war, and the heavy guilt carried by those who survived.
Godzilla Minus One Is About Forgiveness & Preserving the Future
Godzilla Minus One
Despite the eerie doom looming above, the impending arrival of Godzilla offers Shikishima and Japan as a whole an opportunity to seek forgiveness. While haunted by his failures as a fighter pilot, Shikishima hopes that fulfilling his orders as a suicide pilot will tragicallyavenge the mistakes of his past. His struggles to forgive himself hinder his ability to accept Noriko as his family; he is unwilling to propose to her despite their close relationship and incapable of foreseeing a future where he can be content. This unfolds as an unspoken national sentiment as the population of Japan struggles to forgive its government as a trustworthy beacon of the future, scarred by the failures of the past.
Using children and family as a symbol for a fruitful future, the new leaders of the defense team are eager to preserve human life, optimistically learning from their brutal history while hoping for a better tomorrow. Even when compared to the originalGodzilla, where Dr. Daisuke Serizawa sacrifices himself to take down the mighty monster,Minus Onemanages to keep Shikishima alive while successfully bringing Godzilla down.
An emergency eject switch, a concept foreign to the kamikaze pilots of WWII, is revealed to be installed in Shikishima’s jet plane. As he parachutes down, the defense cheers in gratitude, for Shikishima is unleashed from his guilt and shame and free to finally live for himself.
Related:Two Kaiju, Two Worlds: Understanding the Difference Between Japanese and American Godzilla Films
This metamodernist approach to the Godzilla trope relies on new sincerity techniques to rejuvenate an old story for contemporary purposes. Through its aforementioned irony and reproach to authority, the leaders of the defense team find new purpose through their dedication to forgiveness and renewing the future. Its hopeful messaging resonates well within the current news cycles as war continues to rage across the world. Through the thoughtful blend of historical context and genre iconography,Godzilla Minus Onereconciles national guilt through notions of forgiveness and dedication to the future.
