Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again by Shigeru Kayama (translated by Jeffrey Angles), 256 pages. University of Minnesota Press, 2023. $20.Language: PG13 (35 swears, 0 �f�); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG13BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLEAUDIENCE APPEAL: LOWAfter the war, people...
Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again by Shigeru Kayama (translated by Jeffrey Angles), 256 pages. University of Minnesota Press, 2023. $20.
Language: PG13 (35 swears, 0 �f�); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW
After the war, people are going about their lives again. Sailors are out working, and friends are going to concerts�until a monster from the sea ruins all those plans. Destruction and devastation has returned in the form of Godzilla, and no missile is a match for him.
In and of itself, Godzilla isn�t a very well written story. The story is choppy, and the characters�including Godzilla�and settings are inconsistent. What makes the story of Godzilla good is recognizing the monster as a metaphor for war. When the book is read through the lens of how people might respond to war, then it is interesting. Through that lens, an appearance of Godzilla is always a possibility.
All of the characters are Japanese. The mature content rating is for alcohol use. The violence rating is for blood and gore, gun use, persistent death, suicide, and fantasy violence.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen