GODZILLA: THE COMPLETE ANIMATED SERIES DVD DVD

I taped this entire show when it aired on Australia's Network Ten in 1999 and watched these episodes repeatedly. In 2004, I accepted an online acquaintance's offer to send copies of my tapes to his friend in the UK so that he could transfer them to region free DVDs. While I was satisfied with those VHS to DVD transfers, I have long waited for the complete series to be officially released on DVD. That day has finally come, and I couldn't be happier.While these DVDs have no subtitles or extras, the set is more than I could have hoped for. The picture quality is superb, vastly superior to that of my old VHS recordings (which for the most part I thought had great picture quality, albeit with some occasional video artefacts and Channel 10 logos). In fact, thanks to these official DVDs I am can see tiny details in the picture that I never saw before. Sharp edges of character outlines and the like. Details that were blurred or merged in my VHS recordings. And that's despite my VHS recordings being 576i vs these DVDs 480i. The DVD cover could have done with individual compartments for each disk, instead of just stacking the disks on top of each other. But I find that to be little more than a minor inconvenience.Many people have criticized the 1998 movie for its deviation from its Japanese roots. Namely Godzilla not breathing fire or fighting other monsters, and getting killed off with missiles. I liked the movie. But for those who didn't, this series more than makes up for it. Everyone I know who hated the movie has had nothing but positive things to say about the cartoon it spawned. Here Godzilla breaths atomic fire (and yes, his spines light up just before he takes his shot). He fights other giant monsters or giant robots in every episode. And, importantly, he survives bomb blasts, missiles, volcanoes, avalanches, you name it.Plot wise, the TV show continues from where the 1998 movie left off. It's revealed that Nick Tatopoulos returned to Madison Square Garden with the military and accidentally stumbles across the last of the first Godzilla's eggs just before it hatches. The baby imprints on Nick, seeing him as his surrogate father. This second Godzilla grows old and still imprinted on Nick proceeds to follows him wherever he goes to protect him from other giant monsters popping up out of the wood work.Nick forms an organization devoted to tracking down these giant mutants for research purposes and to, if necessary, eliminate them. The team consists of two characters from the film: Doctors Elsie Chapman and Mendel Craven (played by Vicki Lewis and Malcolm Danare in the film respectively, the latter reprises his role here); and two new characters: Randy Hernandez, a college student and research assistant to Nick who serves as the team's IT expert and hacker); and Monique Dupre, a French intelligence agent sent by Phillip Roaché whose modus operandi seems to be "destroy all monsters on sight".While none of the ToHo monsters like Mothra or King Ghidorah are featured in this series, Godzilla's animated opponents are more than worthy to be considered iconic in their own right. Such creatures include El Gusano Gigante, a giant six-eyed, spiny earthworm that feeds off poisons and can burrow through rock; the Crackler, a giant bug/lizard like entity composed of electromagnetic energy that shoots electricity; Skeetera, a giant mosquito that grows larger as it sucks up other mutant's blood and is able to steal the abilities of any mutant whose blood it feeds on; and Crustaceous Rex, a giant walking squid/crustacean hybrid that spits tar and has tentacles coming out of its chest.Interestingly, some of these animated mutations seem to be inspired by various ToHo monsters. With Megapede, the giant bees, and other mutant insects being inspired by Mothra; the man-eating plants are obviously a reference to Biolante; and the corpse of the Godzilla from the 1998 movie is resurrected as a cyborg - clearly a nod to MechaGozilla. The "Competition" episode really peaked the homage to Toho: seeing the animated Godzilla go up against a gigantic robotic ape (with realistic skin coverings) always reminds me of "King Kong vs Godzilla".Actually, I think this series may have inspired later Godzilla movies. The Cyber-Godzilla (or Cyber-Zilla if you prefer), was probably the inspiration for Kiryu, the Millennium version of MechaGodzilla which was built around the bones of the 1954 Godzilla. There was also an episode in which Nick and Monique go inside Godzilla's blood stream in a mini sub to battle giant germs infecting him. This is similar to a scene from "Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack", in which one of the protagonists travels inside Godzilla via mini-sub to plant a bomb. And on two separate occasions in the series, the human characters go scuba diving onto the giant monster itself as it moves through the sea: Nick and Monique riding Godzilla in "D.O.A." and Randy and Monique riding the Cryptocleidus in "Monster Wars Part 2". Watching these scenes now I can't help but wonder if they inspired a certain scene from "Godzilla vs Megaguirus". Ironically, this animated Godzilla has even defeats quite a few opponents, such as Rhinosaurus and Skeetera, in much the same way the Japanese Godzilla defeated "Zilla" in "Godzilla: Final Wars" - one quick swipe of his tail.In addition to the ToHo-inspired characters, other monsters seem to be based on mythology with a cult following of their own. For example, The Loch Ness monster and Quetzalcoatl both make appearances. It's truly epic to see these creatures in a Godzilla show.Inspirations and homages aside, the fight scenes between Godzilla and the monsters are always a sight to behold. And the series takes place in so many different places around the world that it never gets boring. One episode we may see Godzilla battling monsters in New York, the next we may see him duking it out in Jamaica tearing down cliffs and pulling up sunken ships, the next he may be on a tropical island, then battling monsters undersea, then he might be back in the city pulling down buildings and hunting down his enemies.As I said before, I liked the 1998 movie and never really had any problem with the characters therein. Although some people apparently did. I encouraged a friend to watch this show recently and one of the things he said about it was, and I quote: "All the annoying characters from the movie are corrected here." Let me tell you, they certainly have been given quite the upgrade. As much as I liked Mathew Broderick, I have to say that Ian Ziering portrays this animated interpretation of Nick as a far more sophisticated scientist and even warrior with pure leadership skills. When he's not in the lab talking techno and giving orders to his team mates; he's out in the field commanding Godzilla, and even wielding rifles whilst dodging explosions and monster attacks. I'd be happy to call this guy "boss" any day of the week.Audrey Timmons is also portrayed more sophisticated here too. Whereas in the film she was this blond nobody constantly feeling sorry for herself and trying to get ahead, here the series takes full advantage of her self-confidence that she developed by the end of the film. She's portrayed as a savvy and intelligent reporter who is determined to get two things - the story of the century and Nick. I like to think of her as April O'Neil from the 1987 TMNT, but with brains.I was actually surprised that Elise Chatman and Mendel Craven were given such large roles in this series, considering that they were just secondary characters in the film. But Elise's sarcastic remarks and Mendel's on-the-spot inventing make for great entertainment.The dialogue scenes contain a lot of fun techno babble and each character interacts with each other in their own quirky way which lead to many hijinks. Craven is always pissed at Randy for reprogramming his robot N.I.G.E.L. Elise always spouts sarcasm and casually flirts with Nick - much to the aggravation Audrey, while Nick just seems to ignore Elise's flirting. And Randy keeps trying to make his moves on Monique and fails repeatedly.And again, the human characters also put up good fights of their own. Trying to take down the creatures with their own weapons or inventions. There are plenty of monsters as big as a buildings for Godzilla to fight. But there are also a few human sized monsters like giant rats or insects for the human characters to try and outrun or open fire upon. So you have the best of both worlds: you got monster battles and human retaliation. Even the smaller mutants attempt to take on Godzilla. In one episode human-sized rats climb all over him in an attempt to take them down, and in another episode human-sized termites did the same.In all honesty, any nitpicks that I really have with this show are minor. I personally would have liked to see more of Nick and Audry's relationship in this series. Fortunately though, their time away from each other is actually addressed in a few episodes. But I was a little disappointed by the lack of screen time for certain other movie characters. Phillippe Roache was relegated to only three episodes; Lucy was mentioned (indirectly or directly) in a couple episodes but never seen; while Sergeant O'Neal was conspicuously absent without explanation. It's also a little odd that Kevin Dunn's character was a US Army Colonel in the movie, and despite the first episode literally continuing from right where the film ended he's been demoted to Major (maybe for blowing up Madison Square Garden?).As imaginative as the designs of Godzilla's adversaries are, a few of these mutants could have benefited from some better names. Sure we have creatures like El Gusano Gigante, Crustaceous Rex, Rhinosaurus, D.R.A.G.M.A., etc. But then we have creatures are simply called "Giant Bat", "Giant Chameleon", "Giant Turtle", "Giant This", "Giant That". These aren't names, these are what they are! And speaking of monsters, at times the show tries to play a juggling game of who will play a more significant role in bringing down the monster of the week: Godzilla or the human characters. For example: in episode 2 it is clearly Godzilla who brings down the giant squids and defeats Crustaceous Rex; while in Episode 3 it is Randy and Mendel's computer virus that ultimately stops the Nanotech Microbe Colony, not to mention Nick who dropped the virus into the creature. But regardless of who defeats the creatures, the battles are always spectacular.Really, those are the only gripes that I have with the show. And if they are as trivial as that, you can't go wrong. The only major thing wrong with this show was that it only lasted for two seasons. As much as I enjoyed "Godzilla 2014", I would have much rather seen a live action continuation to this series. It is also kind of depressing that ToHo has renamed the American Godzilla "Zilla", but again the ToHo films have had so many reboots and alternate continuities that it's hard to keep track of what's considered canon anymore. But regardless of what ill memories people may have of the film, or what ToHo calls this monster, this animated interpretation of Godzilla will forever be my Godzilla. That memory is now forever preserved on DVD, and I highly encourage everyone to get that DVD and relive this truly epic saga.

The DVD gets the job done. I've checked out multiple episodes on multiple discs, they all work well. There's pretty much no special features. But the DVD is functional. It includes 40 episodes, thankfully including the two unaired episodes (both of which are solid entries).However, the DVD does have the episodes out of order, the DVD does not have it organized by the original broadcast order. Since this series is mostly monster of the weeks, this won't be a big problem. The original broadcast order itself wasn't perfect, with eps like Area 51 seemingly being set in season 1 when it actually aired in season 2. In short, there's really no right way to watch the show.Now, I want to talk about the series itself. 40 episodes in total. I personally love the animation. Its made from the same studio who animated Extreme Ghostbusters and the Men in Black series. I really dig the style and its perfect for action.Godzilla is joined by a group of scientist investigating mutations. 5 scientist in total with the help of a robot named N.I.G.E.L. Before I go over the individual characters, I want to say that each of the main cast is very likable. Its fun to spend time with these characters. They all seem to get along, and those who don't, change and grow. They all have some time to shine.Nick Tatopoulos is returning from the 98 film. This time portrayed by a new actor with a redesign. He feels like a completely different character then the meek, nervous Nick we saw in the film. He's very "take charge" in this series and acts like a competent leader. In the series, He is Godzilla's adoptive father, since the lizard imprinted on him. A dynamic that could have been developed more (that's one complaint I have for the series).Nick is joined by Mendel Craven. He's also returning from the 98 film, but this time the original actor for Mendel returns too. Mendel is often sickly and fussy. But he is incredibly smart, the relationships he develops with Randy and Elsie are some of the best parts of the show. And we even see a cool future version of him in an ep. He's a standout character. He might seem like a "wimp", but he'll surprise you. He's also the creator of the robot N.I.G.E.LElsie is really funny, with a dry sense of humor. She develops a sweet relationship with Mendel. I do wish the series had given her a bit more focus, but she's great whenever she's around. She was also from the 98 film, but has a new actor here.Randy is a new addition to the franchise. He's fun, can surprisingly be sweet at times. He can be a pain in the butt, but you get the sense he has a good heart. His friendship with Mendel is great. But his relationship with Monique could use some work. It feels like just a physical attraction and lacks substance. Randy is the one who's always cheering Godzilla on, which is neat, and he's also very very good with computers.Monique is cool. She's a french agent assigned to look over HEAT and Godzilla. It feels like a natural expansion of the French characters in the 98 film. She can kick ass, and easily is the second in command of the group. She may be cold (sometimes the writers write her too cold, and forget nuance) but you do get the sense she cares for people.N.I.G.E.L. the robot is an important member of the crew, with many different functions proving his worth. Randy constantly messes with his voice to annoy Mendel. Its a running gag that N.I.G.E.L. is demolished each episode.Now the big iguana himself, Godzilla. They kept with the 98 design but slightly modified it. I actually really lik the 98 Godzilla design, so of course I like this. Godzilla feels like a good blend of his Toho roots and the 1998 version. He has the atomic breath, which is very useful, but unlike Toho's Godzilla, this Godzilla's atomic breathe is green instead of blue. He can burrow really well like the 98 version. He also has the agility of the 98 version. He's taking monsters down like the Toho Godzilla, even acting as a hero like the Showa era Godzilla and the Hanna Barbera Godzilla.If you're a Godzilla fan, there are a ton of references here. They mention giant lobsters (like Ebriah), Cyber-Godzilla is very similar to Showa era and Millennium era MechaGodzilla, there's a monster that is just like Hedorah, a brief appearance of a monster very similar to Anguirus, a version of monster island appears on the show, the Monster Wars three parter is clearly inspired by Destroy All Monsters, Destroy All Monsters is name dropped. I have not seen these Toho movies, but apparently one monster resembles Megaguirus (from the Millennium era) and another resembles Battra (from the Heisei era). I'm sure there are things that I missed. But this show obviously did its homework. It takes inspiration from what's come before to create something new, while not ignoring/belittling the controversial 98 film which spawned this cartoon.Briefly I want to mention some side characters. Audrey is from the movie but she's very annoying here. She's the love interest of Nick, but each episode feels like another reason they should just separate. She is a returning character from the movie, but with a new actress. Hicks is back, a military general from the movie even played by the same actor. He seems to trust Nick in the series, but isn't given too much to do. His inclusion is nice to see tho. Cameron Winters is a fun villain. A genius who hates Nick and knows a lot about robotics (and monster mind control). A solid villain.A lot of the stories feel like they could be for a genre show intended for a teen or older audience. And the show never talks down to children (it avoids harsh language or gore). It treats its audience with respect.The monsters for these stories can be really interesting. The designs are solid. Tho the series does rely on bugs a bit too much for adversaries.A few stand out episodes include Future Shock, End of the Line, and Monster Wars. But average episodes can be wickedly entertaining with usually a cool new monster and focus on the likable leads.The weakest episode is S.C.A.L.E. which kind of shows the monsters (which at this point were often seen as large animals) being treated inhumanly on monster island. With way too small enclosures, shock collars, and government tests. It just takes some of the fun out of it, and its nowhere near as charming as Showa era Monster Island.So my complaints would be that episode, I find Audrey annoying, a little more variation for the monsters, some work done with Monique & Randy's romance, and some development with Nick and Godzilla relationship. Since the series was cancelled, there was no real ending. The 98 film and the cartoon series continuity never gets a continuation or finale. But this design of Godzilla does appear in Final Wars and some of the Godzilla comics, just renamed as a new character "Zilla".The good parts are solid episodes, good monster designs, likable leads, respecting the source material (both the 98 film and the Toho series), having some relationship actually develop (though sometimes it reverts back to what it was prior), monster fights, pleasing animation, and being fun. I recommend the series. If you're a fan of Godzilla, the 98 film, giant monsters, or genre shows then do yourself a favor, and watch this show!

This all could have been on two blue rays in a better definition , but whatever no complaint. It's worth the purchase especially when it's on sale for ten bucks can't go wrong When I Finished watching the entire series three times over I gifted it to my friends kid because I hate SpongeBob that's not a cartoon it's rot. I gifted this to my friend's kid along with rusty boy robot and Digimon. I will repurchase when there's a blu-ray of Godzilla animated series.Because it's only one season.Many desks and it could have been a little better.But I'm not complaining.It just takes up space when it could be on one disk in a higher cleaner HD Instead of every four episodes then got switch discs. Great thing about watching cartoons from your youth As an adult you can relax fall asleep 😴