A compilation of six of the earliest GMK drafts, as seen in the 2022 Japanese publication Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack Completion (ISBN: 9784798627793), and a follow up to an earlier article. The section covering these proposals in the book starts with its own foreword, which is included below.

As usual, VERY special thanks to Noah Oskow for the following translations!

~ Joshua S.

Included in this article is a collection of 12 early draft synopses for several Heisei (VS) Series Godzilla movies, including Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), and Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994). These translated synopses and subsequent images are from the special features of the Japan-only DVD releases of their respective movies. The descriptions paint a timeline on how the manuscripts subtly changed over time to the movies as we know them today, though most of the presented information may already be fairly familiar to international fans.

As usual, VERY special thanks to Noah Oskow for the following translations!

~ Joshua S.

A complete translation of one of the earliest available drafts for 2004’s Godzilla: Final Wars, as seen in the Japanese publication Godzilla: Final Wars Completion (ISBN: 4798631353). Though this early proposal differs from the final product in many ways, it’s easy to see just how many of the same beats it hits even this early in the movie’s planning stages.

Starting off this article is a brief breakdown of the earliest manuscripts and the dates they were completed, then following the proposal translation are snippets from other drafts, namely the monsters that were considered to appear and a brief rundown of the final battle in each draft. As usual, VERY special thanks to Noah Oskow for the following translation!

~ Joshua S.

A translation of a 4-minute video interview with screenwriter Kazuki Omori and special effects director Koichi Kawakita, from the special features of the 2002 DVD release Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992). It can also be found in the 2016 DVD re-release and 2019 Blu-ray release of the movie.

The video interview is divided into 3 segments, with Omori appearing in the 1st and 3rd, and Kawakita appearing in the 2nd. This interview headlines a “Making of Godzilla vs. Mothra” section of the special features, touching upon the history of events that led to the movie’s inception, and how the “bad” Mothra, Battra, came to be.

As usual, special thanks goes to Noah Oskow for the following translation! This article was made as something of a trial run, which can hopefully lead to more interesting discoveries from older video interviews like this down the road.

~ Joshua S.

A complete translation of the 150 page considered draft for Godzilla X Varan, Baragon and Anguirus: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, as seen in the 2022 Japanese publication Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack Completion (ISBN: 9784798627793). Following the story translation is a “staff message” interview with GMK modelers Fuyuki Shinada and Takuya Yamabe from the same book.

Director Shusuke Kaneko penned 3 early drafts – Varan x Baragon x Anguirus Giant Monsters All-Out Attack: Godzilla 2002, Varan X Baragon X Anguirus Giant Monsters All-Out Attack: Godzilla 2002 PROT2ND, and Godzilla 2002 ver.3 – before a significant amount of the story and characters were further fleshed out by Keiichi Hasegawa in his 49 page draft, Varan X Baragon X Anguirus: Godzilla Giant Monsters All-Out Attack.

In this 5th version of the story, much of the foundation has already been laid for the familiar characters Yuri Tachibana and her father, as well as a majority of the supporting cast. In previous iterations, the Gotengo (or equivalent) was to play an important role in defeating Godzilla, but the familiar superweapon would be phased out over time by the D-03-equipped Satsuma. The draft shared here would also be the final one to prominently feature Varan and Anguirus as the Yamato Guardian Monsters before the two were replaced by Mothra and King Ghidorah respectively.

As usual, VERY special thanks to Noah Oskow for the following translation!

~ Joshua S.

A complete translation of one of the earliest available drafts for 2016’s Shin Godzilla, as seen in the Japanese publication The Art of Shin Godzilla (ISBN: 490503308X). As an aside, this translation was the winner of a poll held on our Twitter account back in November 2020!

Many similarities between this and the final product are easy to spot, but there are also some wildly unusual elements that give this early draft a unique flare. Since this manuscript begins with its own preface, it may be best to let that do the talking. As usual, VERY special thanks to Noah Oskow for the following translation!

~ Joshua S.

Included below is a collection of nearly 40 synopses, ranging from translations of early movie drafts such as ones for Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) and Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999), to unrealized projects such as Bride of Godzilla? and Mothra vs. Bagan. When applicable, years and authors are also listed, and hyperlinks are available for easier navigation between the synopses.

VERY special thanks to author John LeMay for sharing this wealth of detailed information! A number of the stories shared are further elaborated upon in LeMay’s The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies: The Lost Films: Mutated Edition (ISBN: 9781701683945).

With that, we hope you enjoy some of the most ambitious and wildest ideas left on the cutting room floor.

Super Godzilla returns in the Reiwa era! A complete translation of an interview with Super Godzilla producer Masato Takeno, as found in the booklet for the Super Godzilla Original Soundtrack released this past September by CINEMA-KAN. From the boss monster selection to a lesson in game development, Takeno looks back on his time on the Super Nintendo title.

As usual, very special thanks to Noah Oskow for the following translation!

One of the lengthiest drafts on the site since Mothra vs. Bagan, a complete translation of the planning proposal Godzilla vs. Barubaroi, as seen in the Japanese publication Godzilla vs. Destoroyah Completion (ISBN: 4798615811).

Written by Hideki Oka, an assistant director for Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994) and self-named “Godzilla fundamentalist,” this proposal was chosen after Ghost Godzilla was retired in favor of a brand new monster to combat the Heisei era Godzilla. Compared to previous drafts, Oka’s takes a radically different approach, going into excellent detail breaking down the original Godzilla (1954), the importance of the Oxygen Destroyer in the series as a whole, the challenges of killing Godzilla in a believable fashion, and the significance of Barubaroi – culminating in a dramatic tale of death and rebirth.

Following the proposal is a “staff message” by Hideki Oka from the same book, as well as an article covering the reasoning behind the name change from “Barubaroi” to “Destoroyah” for the final movie. Formatting was kept as true as possible as it was presented in the book. As usual, VERY special thanks to Noah Oskow for the following translation!

~ Joshua S.

A translation of the planning proposal Space Super Monster King Ghidorah, as seen in the Japanese publication Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah Completion (ISBN: 4798621765).

Reportedly just one of many submissions for 1991’s Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, the idea was for staff members to bring to the table their own unique story themed around the battle between the two titular monsters. The proposal below, dated January 14th of 1991, was done by Shinji Nishikawa, while other confirmed submissions include authors such as Shinichiro Kobayashi, Takeshi Narumi, Takayuki Oguchi, and Haruhiko Mae.

As usual, VERY special thanks to Noah Oskow for the following translation!

~ Joshua S.

Though it ends abruptly, translated below is the memo Tomoyuki Tanaka’s Order for Ryuzo Nakanishi: Resurrection of Godzilla, as seen in the Japanese publication “Godzilla” Toho Special Effects Unpublished Material Archive: Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka and His Era (ISBN: 9784048544658).

A follow-up to Ryuzo Nakanishi’s Resurrection of Godzilla (2nd Draft), this memo from producer Tomoyuki Tanaka – written by his subordinate, Kenji Tokoro – describes an “adult fairytale” with mystery, mermaids, and two Godzillas. Nakanishi, a screenwriter who has worked on dozens of movies including The War in Space (1977), would eventually submit a 3rd draft for a “Resurrection of Godzilla” before Tanaka himself penned his own story, with Tanaka’s serving as the base for the finalized 1984 movie.

As usual, VERY special thanks to Noah Oskow for the following translation!

~ Joshua S.

The original rematch revisited – a translation of Continuation: King Kong vs. Godzilla, as seen in the Japanese publication “Godzilla” Toho Special Effects Unpublished Material Archive: Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka and His Era (ISBN: 9784048544658). Taking place sometime after the events of King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), the story introduces new human characters who get caught up in the inevitable grudge match between the world’s two most famous monsters. As usual, VERY special thanks to Noah Oskow for the following translation!

~ Joshua S.