Tsukioka is to flying over the ocean looking for schools of fish.  He finds a large school of tuna, and radios the location back to headquarters.  The word is relayed to a fishing ship at sea.  Hidemi is one of the radio dispatchers at headquarters.  On an open channel, they set up a date for that night. 

Tsukioka is dispatched to rescue Kobayashi, who encountered engine trouble while looking for schools of fish. After reuniting with his friend they become alarmed by loud, strange sounds.  They look up to find a giant bipedal monster fighting with another, four legged beast with a spiked, hard back and spiked tail.  The pilots escape when the monsters fall into the ocean and continue to battle underwater.

A conference is called with military officials and scientists.  One of the scientists says both creatures are from the same family of prehistoric fire monster. The bipedal beast is known as a Gigantis, the other is an anguilasorous.  He reads from a textbook that they may have been awakened by nuclear testing.  Dr Yamane, visiting from Tokyo says it will be impossible to kill the monsters.  He shows a movie with a Gigantis ravaging the city.  As the movie ends, Yamane says the Gigantis could only be killed by the oxygen destroyer, but the developer has died. He says, though, the monsters appear to be sensitive to light and could be lead away from the city.  

Planes, ships, and submarines are dispatched to seek the Gigantis, which has been spotted and appears to be heading to Shikoku.  Instead, Gigantis shows up in Osaka. Some flares dropped by airplanes distract Gigantis and he moves away. A group of prisoners is being transferred out of Osaka, when they overpower their guards and escape.  Following a high speed chase, their stolen truck slams through a barrier and crashes into a gas storage facility, catching fire.

Gigantis hears the explosion and is attracted by the flames. He makes his way back toward Osaka. Tanks and planes fire on him as he makes shore, but they are ineffective. He blasts one of the attack planes with his nuclear breath, causing it to crash.  The other creature, now called Anguirus, comes ashore and attacks Gigantis.  The military continues to fire on them as they fight.  Gigantis uses his fiery breath against Anguirus, having little affect, but catch the nearby buildings on fire.  The flames spread as the monsters continue to battle. The fight rages on with buildings crumbling as the monster fall on them.

Gigantis finally gains the upper hand by by biting into Anguirus neck.  Mortally wounded, Anguirus tumbles into the water.  Gigantis sets him on fire, causing more buildings to catch fire.  Gigantis leaves, but the city is in flames.

The fires die down by morning.  Osaka is in ruins.  Buildings are burnt, twisted, broken, and crumbled.  Very little is left standing.  Hidemi’s father makes plans to rebuild the ruined cannery.  He transfers Koabyashi to the Hokkaido branch, which will be temporary headquarters for the cannery.  Tuskioka and Hidemi stay in Osaka to help in the reconstruction. 

Now based in Hokkaido, Kobayashi is hard at work in his air search for fish.  Hidemi and Tsukioka arrive in Hokkaido and tel him the reconstruction is nearly complete. Gigantis is reported to have destroyed a fishing vessel. A world-wide alert is issued – Gigantis could strike anywhere, even the U.S.!

Tsukioka is flying over the ocean, and is among those involved in the search.  Back at headquarters, Kobayashi enters the radio room and ask for advice from Hidemi on what women want.  Tsukioka reports Gigantis is swimming toward Kamiko Island.  Kobayashi rushes off, leaving his notebook behind.  Hidemi opens it and discovers Kobayashi had been secretly in love with her. 

Kobayashi arrives at the island and takes over the watch so Tsukioka can return to report back.  He tells the military officials they can trap Gigantis into an inlet and then attack the monster.  The war planes and frigates leave to do battle with Gigantis, with Tsukioka now pressed into service with the air force.

Kobayashi reports back that Gigantis is making his way back to beach for the open ocean.  In an attempt to stall him until the military arrives, Kobayashi buzzes Gigantis.  Moments later, the military jets arrive and drop bombs on the beast, which fail to kill him. Kobayashi buzzes Gigantis again, who blasts at the plane with his nuclear breath, causing it to crash into a snowy mountain.  Tsukioka watches as his friend dies, but the resulting avalanch that partly buries Gigantis gives him an idea.  He instructs the fighter pilots to drop their bombs on the mountain in hopes Gigantis will be completely buried.  They drop bomb after bomb, but it’s not enough.  A tearful Hidemi reports to her father that Kobayashi has died.  The planes return to base to be armed with more powerful rockets.

The fighter jets return and begin launching rockets into the mountain.  An avalanche of snow and ice fall onto Gigantis. The beast, now neck deep, sweeps the sky with his nuclear fire, but to no avail.  Seeking revenge for the death if his friend, Tsukioka fires into the mountain once more. This finally buries the monster.  Tsukioka mourns Kobayashi’s death as he returns from his mission.  The nation prays for those killed by the beast and those killed in the attack on Gigantis.  Back in Osaka, Tuskioka and Hidemi are relieved – they can live their lives in peace.

original story by Shigem Kayama
screenplay by Takeo Murata and Sigeaki Hidaka
directed by Motoyoshi Oda (original Japanese version) and Hugo Grimaldi (U.S. version)
music by Masaru Sata (see notes below)

Human Cast: Hiroshi Koizumi (Syouichi Tsukioka), Setsuko Wakayama (Hidemi Yamaji), Minoru Chiaki (Kouji Kobayashi)

Monster Cast: Godzilla (AKA Gigantis), Anguirus

Notes: This was was originally released in U.S. theaters as Gigantis, The Fire Monster and was later renamed. The Japanese language version was released in 1955. The U.S. version of Yamane’s film includes a segment on the prehistoric lives of the Fire Monsters. This segment does not exist in the Japanese version. The Japanese version ends with Tsukioka flying back to headquarters following the death of Godzilla; the English version adds an epilogue with Tsukioka and Hidemi reflecting on the monsters and looking forward to a peaceful life. Other than this, the U.S. version had a few shortened scenes that did not significantly impact the storyline. Much of the original music from the Japanese version was replaced in the U.S. version. The U.S. version also opens with stock footage of missiles and nuclear explosions with a voice over warning about the dangers of nuclear proliferation.

LogBook entry by Robert Parson

A Japanese scientist has discovered that red berries, that grow only on one South Pacific island, has great medical benefits, but the islanders are reluctant to allow them to be exported. There is also a giant monster on the island. Pacific Pharmaceutical dispatches a team to the island to harvest the berries and and bring back the monster for an advertising gimmick.

A U.S. nuclear submarine crashes into an iceberg in the Arctic Circle. As the seamen attempt to escape a watery grave, they hear a horrific roar and flames race along the inside of the bulkhead. They have released Godzilla. A Japanese outpost in the North Pacific is destroyed by Godzilla.

A team from the pharmaceutical firm arrive at Faro Island to negotiate with the islanders. They are bought off with a transistor radio and a pack of cigarettes. The team hires some natives and mount and expedition to look for the monster. They hear a monstrous roar and flee to the village. A child is sent to retrieve some red berry juice to treat an injured team member. The storage building is attacked by a giant octopus! As the villagers attempt to fight it off and giant ape appears and wrestles with the octopus. It retreats to the ocean. The ape drinks up the berry juice stored in large pottery. He collapses in a drunken stupor. The natives rejoice. The team straps the ape, known as King Kong, to a raft to bring him to Japan. Experts believe Kong and Godzilla are instinctively drawn to each other in a fight to the death.

Kong flails about on the raft. Explosives on the raft are set off in an attempt to kill him, but he manages to escape, and heads to Japan to intercept Godzilla. They meet and toss boulders at each other. Kong is scorched by Godzilla’s nuclear breath and retreats. The Japanese Defense Force attempts to stop Godzilla’s march toward with a giant trench filled with gasoline, which leads him to fall into a pit surrounded by explosives! He picks himself up and continues on. A blockade of high-voltage lines is set up around Tokyo. After being shocked, he moves away. But now, Kong is running toward the city, which is hastily being evacuated. The electrical blockade fails to stop the ape, in fact the electricity seems to make him stronger.

Kong walks around Tokyo unchallenged. He picks up a train car, drops a woman into his hand, throws the car down, and carries her off. He climbs the Japanese Diet building. Missiles with red berry juice are fired above the great ape. He inhales the juice and collapses in a drunken stupor. The woman slips from his hand and she is rescued.

Godzilla is spotted at Mount Fuji, and a team of helicopters carry Kong there. When he is released, Kong slides down the mountain, slamming into Godzilla knocking the lizard off the mountain. When Godzilla returns, Kong ambushes him and grabs his tail. Godzilla brushes him, and forces him to back off with a blast of his nuclear fire. He resumes the battle and the pair grapple some more, with Godzilla managing to knock the ape to the ground. As Godzilla blasts Kong and the nearby countryside, an electrical storm builds up. The lightning rejuvenates Kong, who presses the battle even harder than before. They roll off the mountain into the ocean. Kong rises from the ocean and swims back to Faro Island. Godzilla is nowhere to be seen, but his fate is unclear…

Japanese screenplay by Shinichi Sekizawa / English screenplay by Paul Mason and Bruce Howard
directed by Inoshiro Hondo (Japanese – see notes below) and Thomas Montgomery (English)
music by Akira Ifukube (see notes below)

Human Cast: Michael Keith (Eric Carter), Harry Holcombe (Dr. Arnold Johnson), James Yagi (Yutaka Omura), Tadao Takashima (Osamu Sakurai), Kenji Sahaka (Kazuo Fujita), Ichiro Arishima (Mr. Tako)

Monster Cast: King Kong, Godzilla

Notes: Director Ishiro Honda was credited on screen as Inoshiro Hondo in several Godzilla movies when translated into the English language. For the movie’s U.S. release, Akira Ifukube’s original score was replaced by stock music from the Universal Studios library. The original Japanese premiere date was August 11, 1962.

LogBook entry by Robert Parson

In the aftermath of a powerful storm, rescue and recovery teams are cleaning up Kurata Beach on Iwa Island. Reporter Ichiro Sakai and photographer Junko Nakanishi and discover an unusual blob floating among the debris. Meanwhile, at another beach, a mammoth egg is floating offshore and a team of fishermen is sent to pull it onto the beach.

Professor Miura examines the egg, which is at least three stories tall, trying to shrug off questions from Sakai. Self-described “Great Entrepreneur” Kumayama orders Miura to leave the egg alone, since he purchased it from the islanders and plans on exploiting it for financial gain. Later at the hotel, Junko, and Muira are discussing the sale of the egg, and Muira says there’s nothing that can be done. They spot Kumayama entering the hotel and follow him to a room. The businessman turns over the contract for the egg over to Shiro Torahata, the president of Happy Enterprises, who unveils plans for a tourism center featuring the egg, where they will easily make at least “a billion dollars!” They are interrupted by the Shobijin, two young girls about a foot tall, who plead for the egg to be returned. They try to capture the Fairy Twins, but they manage to escape. Sakai enters the room, mistaking the rowdy search for the tiny girls for a fight.

Sakai meets Muira and Junko in a glen near the hotel, where he tells them he overheard the plans by Torahata and Kumayama. The twins approach the newspaper people and the scientist, and ask them to return the egg to Mothra Island. The island had changed dramatically for the worse as a result of nearby nuclear testing. A recent hurricane had caused the egg to wash away. The fairies advise the three that if the egg hatches the creature inside could cause “great damage” while foraging for food. Mothra, also known as “The Thing” also wants the egg returned. The reporters and the scientist are surprised to find a giant moth in the brush behind them.

At the construction site, Sakai, Junko, and Muira are trying to convince Kumayama and Torahata to turn the egg over to the islanders. The two businessmen will hear nothing of it, until they see the Shobijin, who are being carried in an ornate case. The girls again plead for the return of the egg, but instead the entrepreneurs offer to buy the girls to include them as part of the tourist attraction. The reporters and the scientist leave, taking the twins with them. Back at the hotel, Sakai promises to write a negative story about the business venture, but admits public opinion is powerless against the law. The Shobijin slip away. The three return to the glen, just in time to watch Mothra and the twins fly off.

The villagers who sold the egg are demanding payment in full for the remainder of the contract that has not yet been paid. Kumayama calls Torahata and advises him about the villagers’ demands. Torahata is willing to loan Kumayama the money the villagers demand if he uses his share of the company as collateral to secure the loan. Kumayama reluctantly agrees. Sakai is frustrated with the public ambivalence to his articles about the egg. Editor Arota pushes Sakai to try harder and be more compelling. Arota receives a newstip that Kumayama is trying to hatch the egg. Junko rushes in and tells Sakai that Muira needs to see him urgently.

Muira decontaminates Sakai and Junko, who are both radioactive. He tells them the mysterious blob they discovered following the storm is also radioactive. They return to the beach which has since been drained of floodwaters, to test for radioactivity. Junko has been trying to take a picture of the property, but the land has been moving. The ground heaves, and steam is released from underground. The Geiger counter ticks madly. A giant tail emerges from the ground, followed by the rest of Godzilla. He shakes off the dirt and walks off toward Nagoya.

In the industrial sector, Godzilla crashes through oil pipelines and belches his terrible atomic fire. An army of fire trucks heads to the fires as residents try to evacuate. Looking behind them in panic, they watch the beast pull down a giant tower. As he continues through Nagoya, he trips and falls onto a pagoda, wrecking it as he tries regain his footing. U.S. military officials conferring with Japanese officials say they will use the Frontier Missile, “the newest and most powerful rockets the unit has ever developed.” U.S. warships offshore try to contain Godzilla to a beach using the missiles. Godzilla is temporarily stunned, but gets up again to continue his rampage.

Muira, Sakai and Junko are sent to Mothra Island to ask for the creature’s help in defeating Godzilla. Because of the devastation to their island caused by nuclear testing, the islanders and the twins are hesitant to implore the Thing to help them. But Junko and Sakai appeal to their humanity and compassion. The Shobijin appeal to Mothra to assist, who agrees. But Mothra is dying and will not return. However, a new Mothra will be hatched from the giant egg.

Kumayama attacks Torahata, wanting his money back because the tourist attraction has failed. Pulling money out of the safe, Kumayama is shot in the back by Torahata. As Torahata tries to escape from the hotel, he is killed when Godzilla tears down the building. Godzilla smashes the egg’s incubator, causing the egg to roll away. Mothra shows up to protect the egg and the people of Japan, and uses a yellow dust to disable Godzilla. As he writhes on the ground, he blasts Mothra with his nuclear fire, mortally injuring the flying creature. Mothra manages to make her way to the egg to die.

With Mothra dead, Japanese Defense Forces attempt an attack on Godzilla. A line of electrical towers are powered up as the beast approaches. The “artificial lightning” serves only to annoy him, and he pulls some of the towers down. As the Shobijin sing to the egg, Godzilla struggles as he is trapped by nets and is zapped with more “lightning.” The high voltage overloads the system, shuts it down, and melts the towers, allowing Godzilla to escape his bonds.

The egg hatches! Two Mothra larvae emerge! They follow Godzilla as to Iwa Island. The larvae spin a cocoon onto Godzilla. He becomes fully cocooned by the spray and falls into the ocean. The larvae swim off to Mothra Island.

written by Shinichi Sekizawa
directed by Inoshiro Honda
music by Akira Ifukube

Human Cast: Akira Takarada (Sirou Sakai), Yuriko Hoshi (Junko Nakanashi), Hiroshi Koizumi (Dr. Miura), Yu Fujiki (Jirou Nakamura), Kenji Sahara (Jirou Torahata), Emi Ito (Shojibin), Yumi Ito (Shojibin), Yoshihumi Tajima (Kumayama)

Monster Cast: Godzilla, The Thing (Mothra), Mothra Larvae

Notes: This is the U.S. version of Godzilla Vs. The Thing. The movie was originally released in Japan as Mothra Vs. Godzilla in 1964. The Frontier Missile scene does not exist in the original Japanese language Mothra Vs. Godzilla; instead, Japanese audiences saw a scene of military officials laying plans and issuing orders for an attack on the approaching Godzilla.

LogBook entry by Robert Parson