YHS on Monster Island - The Yong(ary) and the Worthless: A Look at South Korea Kaiju Films

YHS on Monster Island - Godzilla, Kaiju, & Tokusatsu!

Long before the South Korean film industry was putting out groundbreaking and critically beloved flicks like The Host and Parasite, they bestowed upon the world such epic daikaiju dumpster fires as Yongary, Monster from the Deep (1967) and War of the God Monsters (1985). The question isn't if the "The Tattooed Titan of Tokusatsu" Jacob Walsh and "The Mayor of Toku Toy Town" Jay Key enjoyed these two movies - it's if they survived them. Though Yongary's historical significance on the Korean film world is legitimate and undeniable, it provides little shelter from itchy monster dances, rectal bleeding, poorly hidden flame throwers, and thinly veiled metaphors regarding South Korea's geo-political views following the Korean War. It helps redefine the word "boring". But less than twenty years later, the world was treated to what can only be described as the cinematic interpretation of insanity in its purest form. Stock footage Tsuburaya monsters described as "dinosaurs". Bones that may or may not cause children to get sick. Uncomfortable emotional and physical abuse. A sociopathic pre-teen. And that baby scene...oh, that baby scene. Maybe there was a reason this film was lost.

In addition to traversing the landscape of South Korean kaiju, Jake and Jay discuss some hot news items such as the approaching Godzilla Day and the two huge announcements - the official Toho short, Godzilla vs. Hedorah (in honor of Hedorah's 50th anniversary), and Super7's tease of their next reveal (the first wave of Ultimates, maybe?). The two hosts also compare pick-ups; Jake flexes his cute credentials with a "pumpkin" Negora and LitGodzi Space Godzilla cup...Jay battles back with a cool MaxToyCo Ultraman and a set of Eiji Tsuburaya 100th anniversary finger puppets from Yutaka.