TRANSNATIONAL KAIJU : exploitation, globalisation and cult monster movies

From relatively humble beginnings in a King Kong -inspired Japanese studio picture, the kaijū eiga has developed into a global genre. While the origins of giant kaijū – the term often preferred to ‘monster’ – remain firmly rooted in Japan, the figure has become a transnational spectacle. This book explores how kaijū went global, from the adoption of Godzilla movies in translation to the appropriation of cultural material across borders. With reference to the genre’s global development, its exploitative Western circulation and the labour of fans, the book examines how genres with deep national roots can become transnational phenomena. Cover Title Page Copyright Contents List of Figures Acknowledgements Introduction: ‘Every Country Has a Monster’ What is the Kaijū Eiga? Cult Movies Transnational Cinema Transnational Kaijū 1. National Films, Transnational Monsters Kaijū and the Japanese National Imaginary Carl Denham’s Giant Monster The Lost World and the Beast Kaijū Emerge 2. The First Monster Boom Kaijū at Tōhō Kaijū at Daiei Kaijū at Shōchiku, Nikkatsu and Toei Shōchiku Nikkatsu Toei 3. Exchanging Monsters: Korean Kaijū The Kaijū Meme Kaijū Head West Kaijū on the Korean Peninsula Kim Jong-Il’sKaijū Kaijū in New Korean Cinema 4. Distributing Kaijū: Localisation and Exploitation National Cinema: Quality and Trash Popular Cinema to Exploitation Film Long Live the King Cozzilla The Return of Steve Martin 5. ‘Paul Bunyan Never Fought Rodan’ Appropriation, Borrowing, Exchange European Kaijū Hollywood Kaijū Kaijū Mockbusters Kongsploitation 6. Legendary Monsters Legendary Entertainment Marked/Unmarked Transnational Cinema Pacific Rim The Great Wall Pacific Rim: Uprising Into the MonsterVerse Conclusion: The Limiting Imagination of Transnational Monsters National Kaijū Nostalgia and Fandom References Index Examines the ways in which the kaij? eiga has developed into a global genre