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William Tsutsui. Godzilla On My Mind: Fifty Years of the King of Monsters. Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. 228 pages; $12.95 paperback.
Black-and-White Rampage
The echo of reverberating footsteps of some gigantic beast, its terrifying roar, and the fiery, atomic blast of its breath destroying all in its path was brought back to life for me from a distant nostalgic memory while reading William Tsutsui's entertaining and informative book, Godzilla On My Mind. My first experience with the beast was, of course, as a child, when I witnessed its black-and-white rampage on television one afternoon. I was enthralled by the destruction and the ability to somewhat, at that early age, identify with this atomic mutant. And it is this identification, argues Tsutsui, that has established Godzilla's popularity and longevity in world cinema.
"Understanding the appeal of Godzilla, when all is said and done," Tsutsui states, "means understanding ourselves." Godzilla on My Mind attempts to examine that understanding, albeit from a devoted fan's perspective. This fan-based, personal perspective (Tsutsui begins by recounting his Halloween experience as a child costumed as the Japanese pop icon-"When I was nine, I wanted to be Godzilla" is the opening sentence) prevents the book from becoming a dry academic tome in trying to understand the aesthetic and intellectual response to Godzilla. It also adds considerably to the readability and enjoyment of the...