The Kaiju Transmissions Podcast

Brutal Thrashing Kaiju Metal: Interview with Lord Kaiju of Oxygen Destoyer

Byrd and Lux sit down with guitarist/vocalist Lord Kaiju, founder of the kaiju themed heavy metal band Oxygen Destroyer.  We discuss his roots as both a kaiju and metal fan, how he came up with his brand of death-thrash, the strength of the Seattle rock music scene, how the Gamera trilogy helped him, and of course their new album Guardian of the Universe (out now!).

Check out Oxygen Destroyer's music and merch here: https://oxygen-destroyer.bandcamp.com/album/guardian-of-the-universe

Book Review: Godzilla Returns (1996)

Byrd, Kevin, Lux and Tom go back to 1996 to talk about Godzilla Returns by Marc Cerasini, the first novel in a short lived series of books by Random House.  In the mid-90s, Random House signed a deal with Toho and released books for different age groups.  This would include children's picture books, children's novels by Scott Ciencin, and young adult novels by Marc Cerasini.  Long out of print, these books have become almost a thing of myth, and have developed a nostalgic cult following over the years.  We'll talk about the first book in the line, as well as give our memories of being young Godzilla fans in the 90s, and how Godzilla merchandising has changed over the years.  So how does the first book hold up in 2024 without the nostalgia glasses on?  Listen and find out! 

The Podcast That Time Forgot: Dinosaurs, Doug McClure and Amicus!

Byrd, Matt, Lux and Jared discuss four British sci-fi adventure films featuring b-movie actor Doug McClure fighting all sorts of giant rubber beasts!  We discuss three Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptations from Amicus Productions- This includes the lost world dinosaur escapades The Land that Time Forgot (1974), its sequel The People That Time Forgot At the Earth's Core (1977), and the hollow earth adventure At The Earth's Core (1976).  We follow that up with the non-Amicus, non-Burroughs underwater actioner Warlords of Atlantis (1979).  All four films (from director Kevin Conner) are nostalgic cult classics to this day.  We talk Amicus history, talk derpy dinos, Caroline Munro, a hammy Peter Cushing, hypnotic bird-lizards, and more!  

Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong (Comic Book Review)

Byrd, Tom, Trev and Kevin discuss the recent DC/Legendary Comics' crossover.  The mini-series, written by Brian Buccalatto (Injustice, The Flash) and drawn by Christian Duce (Detective Comics, the Flash) sees the Justice League do battle with Godzilla, King Kong, and other titans ofthe Monsterverse after some multiverse tampering from the Legion of Doom.  What happens when Superman goes up against Godzilla?  What happens when Kong gets a Green Lantern ring?  All these questions and more are answered.  We'll give our thoughts on the comic as well as talk about some behind the scenes details, Godzilla crossovers we'd like to see, and more!   Relax and enjoy the conversation.

Kaiju No. 8- Season 1 (2024) + G-Fest Recap

Byrd, Matt, Kevin and Lux discuss the recent anime adaptation, Kaiju No. 8, based on the best selling manga by Naoya Matsumoto.  The show is a co production between heavy hitters like Khara, Toho, and Production I.G., and directed by Shigeyuki Miya and Tomomi Kamiya.  It tells the story of a world where giant monster attacks are a regular occurance.  One evening a small creature flies into the mouth of a kaiju cleanup crew member named Kafka, giving him the ability to transform into the half human/half kaiju hero Kaiju No. 8!  But while Kafka attempts to join the anti-kaiju Defence Force, he struggles to keep his secret as the threats get bigger and bigger.  Join us as we talk about the show, but first, we give a brief recap of G-Fest 2024!

Yokai, Yurei and More with Author Zack Davisson!

Byrd, Kevin and Justin interview author Zack Davisson (Yurei: The Japanese Ghost, Ultimate X-Men) about his new book The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Yokai.  We get into his research method and fascination with Japanese folklore, as well as how the book came about.  We also topics such as his translation work translating Japanese manga (most notably the work of Shigeru Mizuki), his work for Marvel Comics and Lucasfilm, and his previous books about Yurei and Kaibyo (supernatural Japanese cats), whether kaiju should be considered yokai, and more!  Relax and join the conversation!

The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Yokai will be available July 2, 2024 wherever books are sold.

Ultraman Rising (2024)

Byrd, Matt, Kevin and Lux discuss the recent Netflix animated film, Ultraman Rising!  The first American Ultraman production in nearly 30 years follows a baseball player named Kenji who moonlights as everyone's favorite silver giant Ultraman to defend the planet from giant monsters.  One day he comes in possession of a baby monster and has to adjust his life to being the creature's parent, while the KDF science team try to hunt it down.  In addition to our review, we discuss the film's early development as a non-Ultraman story and how it fared in being updated to be Ultraman, the problem with Netflix's approach to new releases, how it works as an entry point into the franchise, and more!  So how did this entry in the long running series fare?  Listen and find out!  

Parasyte: The Grey (2024)

Byrd, Lux and Kevin discuss the recent Netflix series, Parasyte: The Grey, (directed by Train to Busan's Yeon Sang-ho). This Korean spin-off of Hitoshi Iwaaki's classic Japanese story follows a supermarket clerk named Su-in, who is partially possessed by a parasite named Heidi, as she teams with a gangster named Kang-woo to evade the rest of the alien body snatchers, as well as The Grey, a special ops unit tasked with exterminating all parasites.  How does the show live up to the rest of the franchise?  Listen and find out!  But first, we discuss the announcement of Grant Stupore (I Am Mother) as the director of Legendary's next Godzila/Kong film, as well as the news of Toho and Korea's Wow Point collaborating on a new Human Vapor tv series.  Relax and join the conversation!

Ape X Mecha Ape: New World Order (2024)

Byrd and Matt discuss the Asylum's latest monster mockbuster, Ape X Mecha Ape: New World Order.  The third film in the "Ape vs." series sees the giant ape Abraham and his mechanical doppelganger Mecha Ape go up against Kulalu, a Cthulhu knockoff summoned by a doomsday cult to wipe out humanity.  How does this compare to other Asylum efforts?  Listen and find out!  But first Matt gets us caught up with his thoughts on Godzilla x Kong and gives an update on the state of the podcast.  Listen and enjoy the show!

Time of the Apes (1987)

With a new Planet of the Apes movie in theaters, Byrd, Tom and Kevin decide to take a look at Japan's attempt to cash-in on the franchise.  This Sandy Frank Entertainment-produced compilation film was made up of footage from Tsuburaya Productions 1974-1975 series, Time of the Apes, about a group of children and a scientist who find themselves shot forward in time to a future taken over by apes.  We'll discuss this forgotten oddity as well as the series that spawned it.  But first, we give our thoughts on the Planet of the Apes series as well as the latest Monsterverse news and the new Godzilla arcade game.  Relax and enjoy the show!