All of this only to see Japan then lose the war in the most horrific and inhumane way possible with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. So Coming Out is essentially my ode to him, using characters and a medium he presented to me as a kid.”
Upon its release, the film was shared on social media by Toho, leading fans to conclude that—in Japan, at least—PFLAGodzilla is canon.
Why am I crying?
We all know early Kong had a weird obsession with the ladies that is based on American racist fetishism but that’s for another article.
Terror of MechaGodzilla (1975, dir. Notions of decency are discarded and minds eroded by baser, war-like mentalities.
The 4 Gayest Godzilla Movies
Listen, nerds, quit yer bellyachin’, and let me have my fun.
If you want more proof, name another movie of the past 60 years that introduces a scantily clad, ‘exotic’ female character to a group of young brash men and none of them make any advances or comments about her body. Ironically, it’s Godzilla that seems to take interest in her. Under the Flag of the Rising Sun is a film that ends on a note that is as frightening as it is contemplative, reminding us that the cost of war and human cruelty on a governmental level is as spiritual and moral as it is material.
“That’s forgetting bisexuality,” notes Black.
Tunnel—official creator of romantic Godzilla media—notes that Godzilla and Mothra may not be as close as many people assume: “Godzilla has emotions, but I don’t think the emotions are of a sapience level that, like, romance and love would come into the equation.” I ask if it is possible that Godzilla has an avoidant attachment style.
Its director, Kinji Fukasaku, was a media luminary that lit up the 70s cinema landscape with both war and crime films.
The crushing subdued emotion of Tatsuya Fujiwara’s performance as Shuya.
They’re subjected to senseless violence, and it’s a great mirror to the social violence levied against them.
And when Fukasaku’s adaptation came out, it was every bit as outlandish to the general public as the book.
In a lot of ways, monsters got me through.”
Will there ever be a definitive gender for Godzilla?
Would you like there to be?
Let me rephrase that. Kong (2021, dir. “I imagined Godzilla coming up over the hillside and just watching me do it and stomping along. And of course, we have Takeshi Kitano in a truly legendary performance as former class teacher turned psychotic game host Kitano.
Adam Wingard)
Did you know that Godzilla vs. It’s, in Fukasaku’s words, a “fable” about “the restoration of trust” in the hearts of those who resist manufactured despair. They are born too tall, too strong, too heavy … They do not attack people because they want to, but because of their size and strength, mankind has no other choice but to defend himself.” Honda also noted one of the strangest and most miraculous powers of the genre—after watching a misfit be attacked for what it is, audiences almost invariably end up siding with it.
For those living under a rock, Godzilla is one of the most, if not the most, iconic movie characters of our time, with over 30 movies, multiple shows, and countless other alternate media such as comic book series and video games, and no indication of stopping. While canonical queerness in such a long-running franchise is lacking, it still isn’t without its nuggets ripe for fan reads.
But here in the West, the giant atomic-breathing lizard god has been co-opted by a sort of macho-bordering-on-toxic masculinity. Growing up, I always took issue with this because I was a little girl who likened the angry dinosaur to her beloved protective wolf-German Shepherd mix pet—pissy, yes, but undeniably loveable and I suspect potentially cuddly (I also felt this way about Rexy in Jurassic Parkand the Xenomorph in Alien).
As I’ve grown older, and come into myself as a loud and proud dyke, I’ve had a lot of fun rewatching Godzilla movies and finding little glimmers of a queer read. I also enjoy (playfully) queering things in the suffocatingly heterosexual media landscape, and if the internet is any indication, I’ve learned I’m not alone (there are plenty of Reddit posts and viral tweets about Trans/Nonbinary Godzilla). Here, then, is a fun list for the girlies, gays, and theys of the kaiju fandom.
