[READING RESPONSE] Tsutsui W.M. (2010). Oh No, There Goes Tokyo

Tokyo seems to be the ideal target practice location for all nations and beyond within the film universe, whether it is devastating wars or monsters the size of skyscrapers, Japan has constantly been under attack. However, this narrative is not altogether just fiction as the history of Japan seems to support it.

 The idea of destruction and reconstruction strongly matches the connotations of Tokyo for the rest of the world. Tokyo is seen to be the hub of developing and functioning on the bleeding edge of technology. However, the issue with the bleeding edge is that it is ‘bleeding’. This can be referenced to Godzilla which was originally narrated as “A fire-breathing behemoth terrorizes Japan after an atomic bomb awakens it from its centuries-old sleep”. This highlights the consequence of constant advancements in technology and yet still portrays the cultural essence of Japan. It has almost become an identity for the nation to be under the attack of natural destructive forces, except in this case the film industry has personified this as Godzilla.

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1 thought on “[READING RESPONSE] Tsutsui W.M. (2010). Oh No, There Goes Tokyo

  1. Chak Chung says:

    You have shown some understanding of Japan’s national identity and the country’s constant need to adapt to destructive forces and how Godzilla represents a personified form of these forces. To elaborate, the reading focused upon the non-chalant and optimistic response from Japan to these disasters manifested in their visual culture and the genre of “secure horror”.

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