Godzilla has ravaged Japan so many times, it’s practically a seasonal occurrence. The King of the Monsters is truly a force of nature, and he basically does whatever he wants. But what if Godzilla had free reign on Earth for several thousand years? Later this year, the first ever Godzilla anime film will debut in Japan and it’s going to offer up several intriguing questions about the title character and his new world.
Polygon Pictures has revealed that the Godzilla anime will be called Godzilla: Kaiju Wakusei in Japan, and in the U.S., it will be known as Godzilla: Monster Planet. Along with a new poster for the film (which reveals the lead human character, Haruo), the premise for Monster Planet promises a Godzilla story unlike any that we’ve ever seen before.
The last summer of the 20th Century. That day, the human beings learn that they are not the only ruler of the planet Earth.
The appearance of the giant living creatures “Kaiju†and the ultimate existence that destroys all monsters: Godzilla. Through the battle against kaiju that lasted for half a century, human beings have experienced continuous defeat, and finally plan to escape from the Earth. And in 2048, only those who were selected by the A.I. managed under the central government boarded the inter-sidereal emigrant spaceship “Aratrum†to head for “Tau Cetus eâ€, the planet beyond the distance of 11.9 light-year. However, the environmental condition differences between that of the Earth and Tau e, which they finally arrived after 20 years were far beyond the predicted numbers, and was not an environment considered to be habitable by human beings.
The young man on the emigrant ship, Haruo–who saw his parents killed by Godzilla in front of his eyes when he was 4 years old–had only one thing in his mind for 20 years: to return to the Earth and defeat Godzilla. Shut out from the possibility of emigration and with the living environment in the ship deteriorating, the group of “Earth Returnists†led by Haruo became the majority, and determined to head back to Earth through a dangerous long-distance hyperspace navigation. However, the Earth they have returned to has already passed the time of 20,000 years, and has become an unknown world, with the ecosystem reigned by Godzilla.
At the end, will human beings win back the Earth? And what will Haruo see beyond his fate?
The most immediate question that arises is this one: is Godzilla immortal? We’ve always known that everyone’s favorite giant lizard was unique, but surviving 20,000 years on Earth suggests that his life cycle is far beyond that of any other creation. Has Godzilla continued to evolve in that time? That may explain why Toho hasn’t yet shown us what Godzilla looks like in this movie. There is also the question of whether Godzilla can reproduce. The much-maligned American Godzilla from 1998 suggested that the title character could have offspring without a mate. While that film has largely been ignored, that could be the way to explain away any offspring that Godzilla has in the future.
The description mentions that other monsters were present on Earth when humanity left in the middle of the 21st century, but it appears to be deliberately vague about whether the kaiju are still around when Haruo and his companions return to Earth. Although given the “Monster Planet” title, we’d bet on seeing more than just Godzilla in the future. And unlike Big G, some of his famous opponents may be more suited for reproduction and evolution. Even Godzilla can’t kill them all!
Godzilla: Monster Planet will get a theatrical release in Japan, before heading to Netflix in the US later in the year.
What do you think about the premise of Godzilla’s first anime movie? Let out a mighty roar in the comment section below!
Image: Toho
