Interest
Godzilla's Monsters Face Off in Televised 'General Election'
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
A Godzilla focused television program will rank the titular monster and his fearsome foes against one another on November 12. A survey collected the opinions of 10,000 participants to come up with the winning results.
The program is a comedic take hosted by the comedy duo Bakushō Mondai (Hikari Oota and Yūji Tanaka) and singer Eiji Wentz. Godzilla fans Shirō Sano (actor) and Kon Arimura (radio personality) along with Godzilla film series actors Tokuma Nishioka, Yumiko Shaku, and Noboru Kaneko will appear in the program.
Kanto local broadcasting is planning a whole "Godzilla Week" to take place from November 6-9 as part of its Onegai! Ranking program. Voice actress Kana Hanazawa, who plays the heroine in Polygon Pictures' Godzilla: Kaijū Wakusei anime film that opens on November 17, will make daily guest appearances on the show. Last year's Shin Godzilla film directed by Evangelion's Hideaki Anno will also air on television, as will the Crayon Shin-chan collaboration anime Shinnosuke vs. Godzilla. Shin Godzilla will air on November 12 and Shinnosuke vs. Godzilla will air on November 10.
Godzilla is also taking over the TV Asahi building where statues of the monster from Shin Godzilla and Godzilla: Kaijū Wakusei are on display. Guests can stand between the two fearsome creatures for pictures. In between the two Godzilla's is a footprint plate that visitors can step on to hear Godzilla roar. The exhibition will remain open until November 16.
Godzilla's dominance is extending beyond the screen and onto local railways, dōjinshi, theme park rides, and a festival in Kabukicho. The monster has since been granted a Blue Ribbon Award and a permanent home in Shinjuku.
The "Godzilla General Election" is just the latest to playfully mimic AKB48's huge yearly event. Other recent 'General Elections' include Pokemon and web manga.
Source: Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web
