Godzilland
- ️Sat Jan 31 2015
Godzilland is a Japanese merchandising line based around the Godzilla franchise that ran from 1984 to the late 1990s supported by a series of four educational OVAs called Get Going! Godzilland and a children's comedy series Adventure Godzilland that promoted the releases of Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II.
Godzilland was primarily built around chibi-style versions of Toho's stable of kaiju in animated adventures, with live-action material using the Heisei suits mixed in. While Adventure Godzilland was primarily a kids trivia show utilizing film clips and featured sketches and dance parties with the suits, Get Going! Godzilland would be focused primarily on a young Godzilla's educational adventures on Monster Island with his kaiju friends under the watch of Mothra, with a live-action framing device of Godzilla and a human sister in a domestic setting.
While Godzilland has been retired, Toho has made newer SD forms of Godzilla such as Chibi Godzilla and the Godziban puppet series on YouTube.
Monster Island Buddies has produced a two-part history on Godzilland here
and here.
Tropes:
- Abridged Series: Sort of; Youtuber Super Sonic Warrior made a series of videos called "Godzilland Translated", which is a Gag Sub that basically operates like one of these, the first episode being here.
- Adaptational Heroism: King Ghidorah is one of Godzilla's friends in this series, in contrast to usual portrayals where he is his Arch-Enemy. He also has none of the Psycho for Hire qualities he's (in)famous for, due to the show's Lighter and Softer theme. Gigan also gets this, to the same degree and for the same reason. Downplayed with Mechagodzilla, who is less villainous here, but also the most antagonistic character in the cast.
- Age Lift: The series is depicted as taking place during Godzilla's childhood, so all the kaiju are depicted as kids. The only exception is Mothra, who is explicitly shown to be an adult and a mother of twin larvae.
- Animated Adaptation: Strictly speaking, this is the first Japanese animated adaptation of the Godzilla franchise.
- Berserk Button: Godzilla clearly doesn't like when his tail is injured.
- The Bully: Mechagodzilla, who likes to pick on people, kidnap them and force them to be his friend. Apparently because he doesn't have any friends.
- Canon Foreigner: The character Gojirin.
- Delightful Dragon: As mentioned above in Adaptational Heroism, King Ghidorah is one of Godzilla's friends, and he's just as friendly and lovable as the other kaijus. This can apply to Godzilla and Gojirin to a degree, if you think Dinosaurs Are Dragons at least.
- Inexplicably Tailless: In first two Get Going! Godzilland episodes, Rodan doesn't have his tail. But in the rest of series his tail is back.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Godzilla himself may get angry over small problems, but he does make up for his mistakes, along with being helpful towards his friends. Besides, Godzilla is mostly a Nice Guy on his good days.
- Lighter and Softer: Not since All Monsters Attack has Godzilla been so explicitly kid-orientated.
- Multiple Head Case: King Ghidorah's three heads sometimes bicker, such as in the episode where they fight over a cake at Godzilla's birthday party.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: When Mechagodzilla tearfully tells Mothra he bullied Gojirin, she sees he regrets doing so, doesn't get mad, and helps him apologize to everyone.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter: Literally the entire inhabitants of Monster Island are this, especially since they're essentially chibified and cartoonized versions of their live-action counterparts. It also helps that all of the Kaijus (sans Mothra) are young children. Speaking of Mothra, she is just as adorable as the other Kaijus.
- Roger Rabbit Effect: Sometimes, the animated segments where spliced in with the live-action recordings.
- Shout-Out: Godzilla looks the same as his Gojira-Kun counterpart.
- Spinoff Babies: The series takes place when Godzilla and friends (sans Mothra, who is an adult) were babies.
- Stock Footage: Mostly, from Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II.
- Super-Deformed: The kaiju in the animated segments.
- Team Mom: Mothra. She is seemingly the only adult in the cast and acts as the group's primary caretaker.
- Token Adult: Again, Mothra is the only adult in the cast, and is a friendly caretaker to the group.
- Toothy Bird: Averted with Rodan this time, as he is toothless like a real Pteranodon.
- White-and-Grey Morality: On one hand, Godzilla, Gojirin, Mothra, and the other Kaijus are clearly good guys, ranging from Jerk with a Heart of Gold to Nice Guy. Oh yeah, that includes King Ghidorah and Gigan of all kaijus, and we're deadass honest about it. On the other hand, the most antagonistic character is Mecha-Godzilla who serves as The Bully, but his motivation is that he simply wants friends.