Transnational Kaiju

Exploitation, Globalisation and Cult Monster Movies

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by Steven Rawle

Type: Studies
Subject: Genre > Fantasy
Keywords: Japan, monsters, globalization, cult films
Publishing date: 2022
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Language: English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Hardcover • 296 pages
6 x 9 ¼ inches (15.5 x 23.5 cm)

ISBN

978-1-4744-7580-8

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Book Presentation:
Examines the ways in which the kaijū eiga has developed into a global genre
• Focusses on a largely non-Hollywood genre
• Examines the ways in which globalisation has contributed to the spread and popularisation of the genre
• Explores the means by which fandoms contribute to the understanding of global genres
• One of very few academic texts to treat the kaijū eiga seriously

From relatively humble beginnings in a King Kong-inspired Japanese studio picture, the kaijū eiga has developed into a global genre. While the origins of giant kaijū – the term often preferred to ‘monster’ – remain firmly rooted in Japan, the figure has become a transnational spectacle. This book explores how kaijū went global, from the adoption of Godzilla movies in translation to the appropriation of cultural material across borders. With reference to the genre’s global development, its exploitative Western circulation and the labour of fans, the book examines how genres with deep national roots can become transnational phenomena.

About the Author:
Dr Steven Rawle is Associate Professor in Media Production at York St John’s University.

Press Reviews:
Across six chapters, [Rawle] provides in-depth analyses of the first Godzilla movie and the subsequent monster-movie boom in Japan; kaijū film in the two Koreas; the Western localization of Japanese kaijū films and production of domestic variants; kaijū as cult and exploitation cinema; and kaijū in Hollywood. [Rawle] does a good job of detailing the complex relationships—economic, industrial, and semiotic—between national cinema and transnational culture. Its study of international film distribution networks is particularly strong.– C. Brienza, CHOICE

Across six chapters, [Rawle] provides in-depth analyses of the first Godzilla movie and the subsequent monster-movie boom in Japan; kaijū film in the two Koreas; the Western localization of Japanese kaijū films and production of domestic variants; kaijū as cult and exploitation cinema; and kaijū in Hollywood. [Rawle] does a good job of detailing the complex relationships—economic, industrial, and semiotic—between national cinema and transnational culture. Its study of international film distribution networks is particularly strong.– C. Brienza, CHOICE

Since its 1954 debut, Godzilla’s heritage has undergone numerous makeovers. Steve Rawle has written an indispensable book on the many inspirations and transitions of the Kaiju. Detailing dozens of Kaiju films, Rawle gives an exquisite outline of the conditions of global connectivity and cultural appropriation that have coloured the cult phenomenon’s national and international travels, and of the themes that travel spawned, making Transnational Kaiju’s essential reading for fans, critics and scholars of what is still the best monster ever.
– Ernest Mathijs, University of British Columbia

In a break from previous literature on the subject, Steven Rawles provides readers with what could be considered the authoritative work on how a niche genre of film tapped into a central mythos and transcended national borders to become a global phenomenon. Well-researched, it has enough information about kaiju-eiga films to remain interesting and accessible to recently joined fans of the genre, while at the same time giving veterans fresh subject matter to explore.
– Joe McIntee, UK Kaiju

In Transnational Kaiju, Steve Rawle charts, with authority and rigour, the provenance and global development of this most culturally rich of popular genres. Attuned to both its local specificity and cultural elasticity, Rawle’s analysis is far-reaching in its assessment of the kaiju eiga as a truly transnational phenomenon.
– Kate Egan, Northumbria University

See the publisher website: Edinburgh University Press

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