Post by Torgaman on Jul 12, 2010 15:26:10 GMT -8
GIGAN THE UNAOTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY
GRADUATION DAY 1969.
Gigan was on cloud 9 as he received his diploma from the Tokyo Academy of Kaiju Arts. He posed with fellow graduates Megalon and King Caesar as family members snapped pictures of them. During the festivities a tall, lanky ma approaches them and hands them his card. "My name is Teruyoshi Nakano. I work at Toho. I think you three will be perfect for our kaiju films!" which was the best news they could have had. Just fresh from graduation and they were already being offered film roles in Toho, the major leagues. Sadly it would have to wait as special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya would pass away shortly after that, leaving a deep void in kaiju cinema.
THE BIG BREAK 1972
The phone rang in Gigan's tiny apartment."Hello?"
"Ah Gigan!!!" the caller repied. "I'm Nr Nakano, do you remember me? I still want you for my films.! I have a script which I think you could play a part in.You'll star with Godzilla, Ghidorah and Anguiras. Does that interest you?"
"You're kidding right? Of course I'm interested!!!" A chance to work with the legends of the business. How often does that occur? Gigan raced to meet with Nakano and signed a contract for his first film.He met with producer Tomoyuki Tanaka who looked over Gigan dubiously and remarked to Nakano " I hope he isn't a flop like your last great 'discovery' Hedorah the Smog Monster." Gigan didn't let the comment get him down. He was running on all cylinders hyped about becoming a movie star.
The feeling would not last. Once crank in commenced on the film his life became a nightmare. He would have to get up at three a.m. to be outfitted with oversized hooks over his hands, an idea the folks at the prop department came up with. "You need a schtick", they told him. Godzilla had his dorsal plates, Ghidorah his three heads and Anguiras had his spiked shell, so Gigan would have hooks instead of hands. They were heavy which hampered his acting and he had to be very careful he didn't smash any buidlings before camers rolled. His co-stars didn't make things any easier. Godzilla wasn't into the movie, he would show up hours late, do one take and and leave with his "people". Ghidorah was drunk ninety nine percent of the time and gaining weight every day. It would take up to four crewmen to hoist him into his flying harness, then as he dangled over head he would puke all over the set, stkinging up everything. Anguiras kept to himself, rumor was he was only interested in the big payday and would go back into retirement after completing the movie. He had retired from films before in '55 after GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN preferring acting on stage as opposed to movies. He had been coaxed out of retirement by Eiji Tsuburaya for DESTROY ALL MONSTERS and did it only as a favor to Eiji, and when Eiji fell ill Anguiras did GODZILLA'S REVENGE as a tribute to the old man. Tanaka managed to goad Anguiras into doing this movie, GODZILLA VERSUS GIGAN, with a big payday, almost as good as Godzilla and Ghidorah's paydays. Gigan, being the rookie, was being a fraction of what the other three veteran monsters were making.
Things got worse once the film opened. Due to Godzilla and Ghidorah's lack of effort Nakano was forced to use stock footage from previous films to make up for their lack of scenes; and the critics blasted the movie for this reason and box office dropped. Of course Tanaka didn't blame Godzilla or Ghidorah. They were his close, personal buddies. The blame fell solely on Gigan who Tanaka reffered to as "Just another Hedorah." To make matters worse when the movie was released in the USA to avoid any more embarrasment Gigan's name was removed from the title, now being changed to GODZILLA ON MONSTER ISLAND. Gigan spent whatever money he made on the film on sake and hookers.
A SECOND CHANCE 1973
Despite Tanaka's objections Nakano still felt Gigan could be a star. He cast Gigan in the next film, bit in a limited role [ Tanaka's doing ] but Gigan didn't mind. He was reunited with his best friend from the academy, Megalon! Like Gigan Megalon had his hands covered this time with drill bits and the two would "accidentally" get them wrapped up in the skirts of passing ladies.The two had a blast on the set. Sadly things at Toho weren't so great. There was an even smaller budget for this film, meaning everyone would be forced to work for less money, including Godzilla himself. This didn't sit too well with the super movie star so he went awol for most of the filming. Tanaka instead hired an ugly robot named Jet Jaguar to fill in for Godzilla, rumor was the old man had discovered him pumping gas. The tin can had no real acting ability but seemed to be the star of the film. The two kaiju revelled on not pulling their punches on Jaguar during takes. When Godzilla finally did arrive he went into his usual routine; one take and out the door.
Needless to say the film flopped. Tanaka didn't blame Jet Jaguar, after all he cast him in the movie. Besides the stupid robot disappeared after filming wrapped, probably went back to the glories of pumping gas. Again Tanaka blamed Nakano's new "Stars" Gigan and Megalon. "You idiots couldn't sell buckets of water to an audience that was on fire!!!", he yelled. Megalon took it pretty hard and soon seemed to vanish without a trace. He would later be found dead in an Osaka hotel room, from a gunshot to the head. The police ruled it a suicide, a dubious conclusion since no gun was found in his hand or in his room; yet the police weren't interested in any possiblity it could have been foul play. Gigan was devastated by the news.
ON THE BOOB TUBE 1974
Gigan had received a letter from a wrestling promoter to use him in some gimmick matches. It was quite common for many film kaiju to go into the sport after their movie careers had expired. Varan was the first, back in the sixties. Sensing a profitable gimmick promoters quickly hired more unemployed movie monsters. However some kaiju found it demeaning, believing it to portray a negative image for other kaiju. Gigan swore he would never do it but money was tight. He wasn't paid much for GODZILLA VERSUS MEGALON and there was no residuals from the low box office. He had to earn money somehow. He reached for the phone to call the promoter and just then the phone rang. "Gigan it's me Nakano!!! I have a part for you!"
"I don't know. Old Man Tanaka blames me for two flops."
"Tanaka isn't here. This isn't for a Godzilla movie. It's a tv show. If everything goes well, it can turn into a reoccuring role."
Reoccuring role? That meant plenty of work, plenty of money. Plus no Godzilla! He met the other day with Teruyoshi Nakano to discuss the show. "It's about a giant hero called Zone Fighter, a superhero from space. The evil aliens have trapped him in a car at the junkyard and meanwhile they send a monster to trash Tokyo. That's your part."
"Ok I'm in!" Gigan felt things would go better for him on television. Many kaiju had great t.v. careers on shows like ULTRAMAN. He reported to work the next day and received a jolt. The script had been changed! His attack on Tokyo had now been written out. And to make things even worse Godzilla was now going to be in the episode!!! Gigan charged into Nakano's office and and froze in his tracks. Inside with Nakano was old man Tanaka, director Jun Fukuda, Godzilla and a robot that vaguely resembled Godzilla. His moment of weakness having passed Gigan bellowed "What the hell is the meaning of this?!?! I didn't sign up to work with Godzilla again!!!"
"You are out of line", Tanaka spoke fiirmly."You should thank us for giving you another opportunity. On the other hand Godzilla has a huge film coming up, a twentieth anniversary film. We need to keep him in the public's eye to hype the new film. The film will also feature our new star MechaGodzilla."
"This tin can?!?! Didn't you learn your lesson with Jet Jaguar?!?"
Tanaka was about to tell Gigan off, but even before he could open his mouth MechaGodzilla let out a volley of projectiles from his fingers. Gigan became as pathetic as a duck in a shooting gallery trying to avoid the fireworks. When it was done the wall behind Gigan looked like swiss cheese. Tanaka smiled "You see, unlike you, MechaGodzilla has star potential, plus he treats his boss with the proper respect. Now if you please step outside we are discussing a movie which doesn't invlove you." Gigan exited humbled and ashamed. He was sure he heard Godzilla snicker as he left the room.
As the day ended there was only one more scene to shoot; the big battle with Zone Fighter. Just then the scriptgirl handed him a sheet of paper. "What's this?"
"Re-write."
A re-write? There was only one scene left! As Gigan read the paper his jaw dropped. He was being killed off! He cornered Nakano and demand an explanation. "You blew it big time!" was Nakano's answer. "Tanaka didn't like your attitude in there. I'm lucky he didn't fire me!!! After tonight your contract with Toho expires. In other words you just got canned!!!"
Gigan had it rough from then on. No company would have him. Not even TOEI.
THE KO HEARD AROUND THE WORLD 1996
Gigan tried the wrestling bit but soon tired of it, particularly since there was no insurance to cover medical expenses. The late seventies and early eighties were particularly rough on him and he did sporadic tv appearances being a celebrity judge on talent shows and gameshows. The money was barely enough to cover his rent. Then Kengo Satsuma entered his life. Kengo was a small time agent who specialized in representing actors who were out of work, the has-beens. It hurt Gigan knowing he now had to be dealing with the Saint of the Has-beens.
"Hey Gigan baby it aint all bad", Kengo crooned. "Toho is going to be starting a new Godzilla series real soon. Let me go talk to those guys and I'll get you back int the door baby!"
A few weeks later Kengo reappeared. "Uhm Gigan...it aint as peachy as we thought. Although Tanaka wanted to work with Rodan and Ghidorah again he blew up when I mentioned your name."
"So no more film roles huh?" Gigan snorted. "Thanks for nothing,pal!!!"
"Hey it aint a total waste!" Kengo backpedalled. "Look Toho wants to put out merchandising not only from the new movies but the old ones as well. Toys, books, trading cards, video games you name it. If they want to use your likeness they have to pay you royalties. I got the contract set up. Just sign it and you'll be making money without having to lift a finger."
Money you make without lifting a finger can hardly be called that. Though Gigan did indeed earn royalties they were flimsy particularly since he wasn't in any of the newer movies. Gigan was barely able to pay off his bills. He approached Kengo again who had another plan.
"America baby!! The States!!! Look your old movies over there were big! We can make good money over there doing convention appearances like that fat guy who played Batman in the sixties! There's a show over there called MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 that ran your movie GODZILLA VERSUS MEGALON and it was one of their biggest espisodes. They are holding a convention and they originally asked Godzilla to attend, well you know how ol' atomic socks is he wanted really big bucks so they offered his spot to you. Look man let's just go down there and do it and be a hit and it will lead to more conventions in America. Lots of money to be made!"
Gigan didn't like the idea but welcomed the prospect of making a bit more money. He and Kengo flew to the US to appear at the convention for MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 or MST3K for short. He didn't know anything about the show so he didn't know what to expect. Most of the day he was secuestered in his hotel room since he would be the "main attraction" at the night's big event, a screening of the GODZILLA VS MEGALON episode at a local theater. Gigan arrived at the theater and was ushered into the buidling through the back and told to remain offstage while the film played. As it ran he became confused since he heard voices speaking over the english dubbing, and they were mainly offering snide remarks on the film. Soon the seated audience joined in with the voices of the "black sillouttes" onscreen making the most obnoxious jokes regarding the movie. Gigan felt an uneasy bowel moviement coming on. "Take it easy and have fun" was the only remedy Kengo Satsuma offered him. Just then the film stopped and he heard the PA announce his name calling him onstage. Gigan expected thunderous applause as he stepped out but was instead met with laughter and more snide remarks from the audience. He flew all the way from Japan for this?!?! He stepped off the stage in disgust. At that moment an obnoxious attendee shouted "At least Megalon was smart enough to blow his brains out!!" which was the wrong thing to say. A photographer with a quick trigger thumb snapped the picture at the precise instant Gigan's right cross landed squarely on the heckler's glass jaw, sending him to la-la land. The picture was on the front news of every major newspaper and tabloid rag the next day, within two days it was plastered on the evening news in every city in America. There was a major backlash against anything having to do with Japanese monsters, whom many now called Anti-American. Parents held Godzilla bonfires burning videotapes of Godzilla movies and toys of Japanese monsters. Even the politicians got into the game, with the Republicans calling for a complete ban on anything kaiju and wanting the kaiju themselves banned from entering the country, the Democrats demanded a heavy taxation on any merchandise related to kaiju. Toho was seeing potential revenue go up in smoke right before their eyes. "It's a good thing Tanaka's already dead" claimed producer Shogo Tomiyama. "If he had lived to see what Gigan did he'd keel over right here and now!" Toho had to do damage control fast. They decided on a goodwill campaign to the US was in order and sent none other than Godzilla himself to appease the Americans with a trip to the White House. Once there he met with President Bill Clinton and did the obligatory hand shake for the press, afterwards the two presumably had a "locked door" meeting in which rumors ran rampant that the meeting included Geisha girls, sake, and reefer; though none of these rumors could be substantiated. Godzilla's trip to the US was considered a success and his fellow Japanese kaiju were still allowed entry to the US for convention appearances. All except Gigan who was considered persona non grata after the MST3K debacle.
THE COMEBACK KID 2004
Gigan was feeling stiffled by Toho's contract. He was barely making ends meet with royalties and he wasn't being cast in any of the newer Godzilla movies. Meanwhile other studios had relauncehd the careers of their monsters with the resurrection of the Gamera film series which was receiving rave reviews from critics both in Japan and in America, as well as the countless ULTRAMAN and POWER RANGER spin-offs. Gigan couldn't capitalize on this because Toho's contract forbade him from working for rival studios. Through the grapevine Gigan learned that DAIE studios would be taking the Gamera character back to his roots of defending kiddies everywhere from big mean monsters but they would keep the high production values and quality effects work from the nineties films. Kengo freaked when he heard the news. "Have you gone loco man?!?!?" he growled. "Why do you want to work with kids?!?! That's the golden rule in showbiz, don't make movies with kids, dogs or Pauly Shore! It's career suicide!"
"Career suicide is living off of royalties from action figures,Kengo!" Gigan replied.
"Toho won't let you. The only way that will happen is if they let you out of your contract and they won't since they are making money off of your likeness!"
That's it!!! Gigan finally knew what he had to do. He had to drastically alter his image so much that it no longer resembled that from his old movies!!! He went on a strict diet and work out routine, managing to lose alot of weitght. He replaced alot of his scales with armor plating and to complete the transition died his skin a goth black.
A few weeks later Kengo showed up at Gigan's appartment. "Hey man I got some great news!!! Toho's doing another Godzilla movie and this time they are pulling out all the stops throwing in everything including the kitchen sink. They're putting the band back together again man. The ol' guys are coming back. They're even bringing back Hedorah the Smog Monster. Hey where are you man?!?!"
Gigan walked out of his dressing room and Kengo hit the roof. "JEEEZZZZAAAAAZZZZ!!! What did you do to yourself man?!?! I got Shogo Tomiyama and director Ryuhei Kitamura coming over in a few minutes to discuss putting you in the new movie and you do THIS?!?!"
"I'm tired of living off of royalties and emtpy promises. This will most likely get me fired and then I can go to work on the Gamera film series."
Just then both Shogo Tomiyama and Ryuhei Kitamura walked into the apartment. Tomiyama was not pleased. "What is the meaning of this? Our contract specifies that you cannot alter your image in any way. This is a breach of contract!"
"It's PERFECT!!!" cried Kitamura. "This is EXACTLY the look I want for the new movie. Goth is in!!! Shogo write this guy a new contract!!! I want him in a major role in the new movie!!!"
Kengo smelled blood in the water "Hey don't forget this was my idea!"
"Shut up, Kengo." quipped Gigan.
Gigan went to work once again on the new Godzilla movie titled GODZILLA FINAL WARS. Many of the monsters from the older movies made an appearance, even Anguiras was lured back, but Gigan's role was noticably bigger than most, particularly when compared to Hedorah the Smog Monster who was only seen in a quick cameo. Even Gigan's old academy chum King Caesar was cast in the movie. Filming went off without a hitch, even Godzilla was professional on set, rumor had it he had been to AA and had cleaned up his act. At the premiere party Gigan and King Caesar were reminiscing when Gigan felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Godzilla. The star outstreched his hand and shook Gigan's own hand. "Solid work there,Gigan" Godzilla said. "You did great. Old Man Tanaka would be proud."
EPILOGUE 2009
Gigan retreated from the spotlight after GODZILLA FINAL WARS. The film received mixed critical reviews and the box office was modest enough but not big enough to be considered a smash hit. This time however the blame fell on Godzilla, who after fifty years in the business showed signs of wear and tear. Despite the film coming up short of it's expected success Gigan came out shining. Most critics believed his role to be the highlight of the film and fans raved about Gigan's new Goth look. This time out Gigan got a substantial payday plus the royalties from the merchandise were more substantial since he was included in the new film and there were plenty of toys, trading cards, etc to hype the film.
Gigan avoided the limelight by moving to Mexico, where I recently bumped into him. "My royalty money goes alot further here than it does in Japan or in the US. Did you know everyone around here knows Ultraman but they have hardly ever heard of Godzilla except from that awful American version? I'd love to rub that in his face! But I won't. I have moved on and am happy here."
"No regrets?"
"I can't change the past, just live in the present and for the future."
"If you could change anything at all, what would it be?"
"That Megalon were here enjoying the good life with me."
THE END
story by Raul Cruz Torgaman
GRADUATION DAY 1969.
Gigan was on cloud 9 as he received his diploma from the Tokyo Academy of Kaiju Arts. He posed with fellow graduates Megalon and King Caesar as family members snapped pictures of them. During the festivities a tall, lanky ma approaches them and hands them his card. "My name is Teruyoshi Nakano. I work at Toho. I think you three will be perfect for our kaiju films!" which was the best news they could have had. Just fresh from graduation and they were already being offered film roles in Toho, the major leagues. Sadly it would have to wait as special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya would pass away shortly after that, leaving a deep void in kaiju cinema.
THE BIG BREAK 1972
The phone rang in Gigan's tiny apartment."Hello?"
"Ah Gigan!!!" the caller repied. "I'm Nr Nakano, do you remember me? I still want you for my films.! I have a script which I think you could play a part in.You'll star with Godzilla, Ghidorah and Anguiras. Does that interest you?"
"You're kidding right? Of course I'm interested!!!" A chance to work with the legends of the business. How often does that occur? Gigan raced to meet with Nakano and signed a contract for his first film.He met with producer Tomoyuki Tanaka who looked over Gigan dubiously and remarked to Nakano " I hope he isn't a flop like your last great 'discovery' Hedorah the Smog Monster." Gigan didn't let the comment get him down. He was running on all cylinders hyped about becoming a movie star.
The feeling would not last. Once crank in commenced on the film his life became a nightmare. He would have to get up at three a.m. to be outfitted with oversized hooks over his hands, an idea the folks at the prop department came up with. "You need a schtick", they told him. Godzilla had his dorsal plates, Ghidorah his three heads and Anguiras had his spiked shell, so Gigan would have hooks instead of hands. They were heavy which hampered his acting and he had to be very careful he didn't smash any buidlings before camers rolled. His co-stars didn't make things any easier. Godzilla wasn't into the movie, he would show up hours late, do one take and and leave with his "people". Ghidorah was drunk ninety nine percent of the time and gaining weight every day. It would take up to four crewmen to hoist him into his flying harness, then as he dangled over head he would puke all over the set, stkinging up everything. Anguiras kept to himself, rumor was he was only interested in the big payday and would go back into retirement after completing the movie. He had retired from films before in '55 after GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN preferring acting on stage as opposed to movies. He had been coaxed out of retirement by Eiji Tsuburaya for DESTROY ALL MONSTERS and did it only as a favor to Eiji, and when Eiji fell ill Anguiras did GODZILLA'S REVENGE as a tribute to the old man. Tanaka managed to goad Anguiras into doing this movie, GODZILLA VERSUS GIGAN, with a big payday, almost as good as Godzilla and Ghidorah's paydays. Gigan, being the rookie, was being a fraction of what the other three veteran monsters were making.
Things got worse once the film opened. Due to Godzilla and Ghidorah's lack of effort Nakano was forced to use stock footage from previous films to make up for their lack of scenes; and the critics blasted the movie for this reason and box office dropped. Of course Tanaka didn't blame Godzilla or Ghidorah. They were his close, personal buddies. The blame fell solely on Gigan who Tanaka reffered to as "Just another Hedorah." To make matters worse when the movie was released in the USA to avoid any more embarrasment Gigan's name was removed from the title, now being changed to GODZILLA ON MONSTER ISLAND. Gigan spent whatever money he made on the film on sake and hookers.
A SECOND CHANCE 1973
Despite Tanaka's objections Nakano still felt Gigan could be a star. He cast Gigan in the next film, bit in a limited role [ Tanaka's doing ] but Gigan didn't mind. He was reunited with his best friend from the academy, Megalon! Like Gigan Megalon had his hands covered this time with drill bits and the two would "accidentally" get them wrapped up in the skirts of passing ladies.The two had a blast on the set. Sadly things at Toho weren't so great. There was an even smaller budget for this film, meaning everyone would be forced to work for less money, including Godzilla himself. This didn't sit too well with the super movie star so he went awol for most of the filming. Tanaka instead hired an ugly robot named Jet Jaguar to fill in for Godzilla, rumor was the old man had discovered him pumping gas. The tin can had no real acting ability but seemed to be the star of the film. The two kaiju revelled on not pulling their punches on Jaguar during takes. When Godzilla finally did arrive he went into his usual routine; one take and out the door.
Needless to say the film flopped. Tanaka didn't blame Jet Jaguar, after all he cast him in the movie. Besides the stupid robot disappeared after filming wrapped, probably went back to the glories of pumping gas. Again Tanaka blamed Nakano's new "Stars" Gigan and Megalon. "You idiots couldn't sell buckets of water to an audience that was on fire!!!", he yelled. Megalon took it pretty hard and soon seemed to vanish without a trace. He would later be found dead in an Osaka hotel room, from a gunshot to the head. The police ruled it a suicide, a dubious conclusion since no gun was found in his hand or in his room; yet the police weren't interested in any possiblity it could have been foul play. Gigan was devastated by the news.
ON THE BOOB TUBE 1974
Gigan had received a letter from a wrestling promoter to use him in some gimmick matches. It was quite common for many film kaiju to go into the sport after their movie careers had expired. Varan was the first, back in the sixties. Sensing a profitable gimmick promoters quickly hired more unemployed movie monsters. However some kaiju found it demeaning, believing it to portray a negative image for other kaiju. Gigan swore he would never do it but money was tight. He wasn't paid much for GODZILLA VERSUS MEGALON and there was no residuals from the low box office. He had to earn money somehow. He reached for the phone to call the promoter and just then the phone rang. "Gigan it's me Nakano!!! I have a part for you!"
"I don't know. Old Man Tanaka blames me for two flops."
"Tanaka isn't here. This isn't for a Godzilla movie. It's a tv show. If everything goes well, it can turn into a reoccuring role."
Reoccuring role? That meant plenty of work, plenty of money. Plus no Godzilla! He met the other day with Teruyoshi Nakano to discuss the show. "It's about a giant hero called Zone Fighter, a superhero from space. The evil aliens have trapped him in a car at the junkyard and meanwhile they send a monster to trash Tokyo. That's your part."
"Ok I'm in!" Gigan felt things would go better for him on television. Many kaiju had great t.v. careers on shows like ULTRAMAN. He reported to work the next day and received a jolt. The script had been changed! His attack on Tokyo had now been written out. And to make things even worse Godzilla was now going to be in the episode!!! Gigan charged into Nakano's office and and froze in his tracks. Inside with Nakano was old man Tanaka, director Jun Fukuda, Godzilla and a robot that vaguely resembled Godzilla. His moment of weakness having passed Gigan bellowed "What the hell is the meaning of this?!?! I didn't sign up to work with Godzilla again!!!"
"You are out of line", Tanaka spoke fiirmly."You should thank us for giving you another opportunity. On the other hand Godzilla has a huge film coming up, a twentieth anniversary film. We need to keep him in the public's eye to hype the new film. The film will also feature our new star MechaGodzilla."
"This tin can?!?! Didn't you learn your lesson with Jet Jaguar?!?"
Tanaka was about to tell Gigan off, but even before he could open his mouth MechaGodzilla let out a volley of projectiles from his fingers. Gigan became as pathetic as a duck in a shooting gallery trying to avoid the fireworks. When it was done the wall behind Gigan looked like swiss cheese. Tanaka smiled "You see, unlike you, MechaGodzilla has star potential, plus he treats his boss with the proper respect. Now if you please step outside we are discussing a movie which doesn't invlove you." Gigan exited humbled and ashamed. He was sure he heard Godzilla snicker as he left the room.
As the day ended there was only one more scene to shoot; the big battle with Zone Fighter. Just then the scriptgirl handed him a sheet of paper. "What's this?"
"Re-write."
A re-write? There was only one scene left! As Gigan read the paper his jaw dropped. He was being killed off! He cornered Nakano and demand an explanation. "You blew it big time!" was Nakano's answer. "Tanaka didn't like your attitude in there. I'm lucky he didn't fire me!!! After tonight your contract with Toho expires. In other words you just got canned!!!"
Gigan had it rough from then on. No company would have him. Not even TOEI.
THE KO HEARD AROUND THE WORLD 1996
Gigan tried the wrestling bit but soon tired of it, particularly since there was no insurance to cover medical expenses. The late seventies and early eighties were particularly rough on him and he did sporadic tv appearances being a celebrity judge on talent shows and gameshows. The money was barely enough to cover his rent. Then Kengo Satsuma entered his life. Kengo was a small time agent who specialized in representing actors who were out of work, the has-beens. It hurt Gigan knowing he now had to be dealing with the Saint of the Has-beens.
"Hey Gigan baby it aint all bad", Kengo crooned. "Toho is going to be starting a new Godzilla series real soon. Let me go talk to those guys and I'll get you back int the door baby!"
A few weeks later Kengo reappeared. "Uhm Gigan...it aint as peachy as we thought. Although Tanaka wanted to work with Rodan and Ghidorah again he blew up when I mentioned your name."
"So no more film roles huh?" Gigan snorted. "Thanks for nothing,pal!!!"
"Hey it aint a total waste!" Kengo backpedalled. "Look Toho wants to put out merchandising not only from the new movies but the old ones as well. Toys, books, trading cards, video games you name it. If they want to use your likeness they have to pay you royalties. I got the contract set up. Just sign it and you'll be making money without having to lift a finger."
Money you make without lifting a finger can hardly be called that. Though Gigan did indeed earn royalties they were flimsy particularly since he wasn't in any of the newer movies. Gigan was barely able to pay off his bills. He approached Kengo again who had another plan.
"America baby!! The States!!! Look your old movies over there were big! We can make good money over there doing convention appearances like that fat guy who played Batman in the sixties! There's a show over there called MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 that ran your movie GODZILLA VERSUS MEGALON and it was one of their biggest espisodes. They are holding a convention and they originally asked Godzilla to attend, well you know how ol' atomic socks is he wanted really big bucks so they offered his spot to you. Look man let's just go down there and do it and be a hit and it will lead to more conventions in America. Lots of money to be made!"
Gigan didn't like the idea but welcomed the prospect of making a bit more money. He and Kengo flew to the US to appear at the convention for MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 or MST3K for short. He didn't know anything about the show so he didn't know what to expect. Most of the day he was secuestered in his hotel room since he would be the "main attraction" at the night's big event, a screening of the GODZILLA VS MEGALON episode at a local theater. Gigan arrived at the theater and was ushered into the buidling through the back and told to remain offstage while the film played. As it ran he became confused since he heard voices speaking over the english dubbing, and they were mainly offering snide remarks on the film. Soon the seated audience joined in with the voices of the "black sillouttes" onscreen making the most obnoxious jokes regarding the movie. Gigan felt an uneasy bowel moviement coming on. "Take it easy and have fun" was the only remedy Kengo Satsuma offered him. Just then the film stopped and he heard the PA announce his name calling him onstage. Gigan expected thunderous applause as he stepped out but was instead met with laughter and more snide remarks from the audience. He flew all the way from Japan for this?!?! He stepped off the stage in disgust. At that moment an obnoxious attendee shouted "At least Megalon was smart enough to blow his brains out!!" which was the wrong thing to say. A photographer with a quick trigger thumb snapped the picture at the precise instant Gigan's right cross landed squarely on the heckler's glass jaw, sending him to la-la land. The picture was on the front news of every major newspaper and tabloid rag the next day, within two days it was plastered on the evening news in every city in America. There was a major backlash against anything having to do with Japanese monsters, whom many now called Anti-American. Parents held Godzilla bonfires burning videotapes of Godzilla movies and toys of Japanese monsters. Even the politicians got into the game, with the Republicans calling for a complete ban on anything kaiju and wanting the kaiju themselves banned from entering the country, the Democrats demanded a heavy taxation on any merchandise related to kaiju. Toho was seeing potential revenue go up in smoke right before their eyes. "It's a good thing Tanaka's already dead" claimed producer Shogo Tomiyama. "If he had lived to see what Gigan did he'd keel over right here and now!" Toho had to do damage control fast. They decided on a goodwill campaign to the US was in order and sent none other than Godzilla himself to appease the Americans with a trip to the White House. Once there he met with President Bill Clinton and did the obligatory hand shake for the press, afterwards the two presumably had a "locked door" meeting in which rumors ran rampant that the meeting included Geisha girls, sake, and reefer; though none of these rumors could be substantiated. Godzilla's trip to the US was considered a success and his fellow Japanese kaiju were still allowed entry to the US for convention appearances. All except Gigan who was considered persona non grata after the MST3K debacle.
THE COMEBACK KID 2004
Gigan was feeling stiffled by Toho's contract. He was barely making ends meet with royalties and he wasn't being cast in any of the newer Godzilla movies. Meanwhile other studios had relauncehd the careers of their monsters with the resurrection of the Gamera film series which was receiving rave reviews from critics both in Japan and in America, as well as the countless ULTRAMAN and POWER RANGER spin-offs. Gigan couldn't capitalize on this because Toho's contract forbade him from working for rival studios. Through the grapevine Gigan learned that DAIE studios would be taking the Gamera character back to his roots of defending kiddies everywhere from big mean monsters but they would keep the high production values and quality effects work from the nineties films. Kengo freaked when he heard the news. "Have you gone loco man?!?!?" he growled. "Why do you want to work with kids?!?! That's the golden rule in showbiz, don't make movies with kids, dogs or Pauly Shore! It's career suicide!"
"Career suicide is living off of royalties from action figures,Kengo!" Gigan replied.
"Toho won't let you. The only way that will happen is if they let you out of your contract and they won't since they are making money off of your likeness!"
That's it!!! Gigan finally knew what he had to do. He had to drastically alter his image so much that it no longer resembled that from his old movies!!! He went on a strict diet and work out routine, managing to lose alot of weitght. He replaced alot of his scales with armor plating and to complete the transition died his skin a goth black.
A few weeks later Kengo showed up at Gigan's appartment. "Hey man I got some great news!!! Toho's doing another Godzilla movie and this time they are pulling out all the stops throwing in everything including the kitchen sink. They're putting the band back together again man. The ol' guys are coming back. They're even bringing back Hedorah the Smog Monster. Hey where are you man?!?!"
Gigan walked out of his dressing room and Kengo hit the roof. "JEEEZZZZAAAAAZZZZ!!! What did you do to yourself man?!?! I got Shogo Tomiyama and director Ryuhei Kitamura coming over in a few minutes to discuss putting you in the new movie and you do THIS?!?!"
"I'm tired of living off of royalties and emtpy promises. This will most likely get me fired and then I can go to work on the Gamera film series."
Just then both Shogo Tomiyama and Ryuhei Kitamura walked into the apartment. Tomiyama was not pleased. "What is the meaning of this? Our contract specifies that you cannot alter your image in any way. This is a breach of contract!"
"It's PERFECT!!!" cried Kitamura. "This is EXACTLY the look I want for the new movie. Goth is in!!! Shogo write this guy a new contract!!! I want him in a major role in the new movie!!!"
Kengo smelled blood in the water "Hey don't forget this was my idea!"
"Shut up, Kengo." quipped Gigan.
Gigan went to work once again on the new Godzilla movie titled GODZILLA FINAL WARS. Many of the monsters from the older movies made an appearance, even Anguiras was lured back, but Gigan's role was noticably bigger than most, particularly when compared to Hedorah the Smog Monster who was only seen in a quick cameo. Even Gigan's old academy chum King Caesar was cast in the movie. Filming went off without a hitch, even Godzilla was professional on set, rumor had it he had been to AA and had cleaned up his act. At the premiere party Gigan and King Caesar were reminiscing when Gigan felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Godzilla. The star outstreched his hand and shook Gigan's own hand. "Solid work there,Gigan" Godzilla said. "You did great. Old Man Tanaka would be proud."
EPILOGUE 2009
Gigan retreated from the spotlight after GODZILLA FINAL WARS. The film received mixed critical reviews and the box office was modest enough but not big enough to be considered a smash hit. This time however the blame fell on Godzilla, who after fifty years in the business showed signs of wear and tear. Despite the film coming up short of it's expected success Gigan came out shining. Most critics believed his role to be the highlight of the film and fans raved about Gigan's new Goth look. This time out Gigan got a substantial payday plus the royalties from the merchandise were more substantial since he was included in the new film and there were plenty of toys, trading cards, etc to hype the film.
Gigan avoided the limelight by moving to Mexico, where I recently bumped into him. "My royalty money goes alot further here than it does in Japan or in the US. Did you know everyone around here knows Ultraman but they have hardly ever heard of Godzilla except from that awful American version? I'd love to rub that in his face! But I won't. I have moved on and am happy here."
"No regrets?"
"I can't change the past, just live in the present and for the future."
"If you could change anything at all, what would it be?"
"That Megalon were here enjoying the good life with me."
THE END
story by Raul Cruz Torgaman
