Godzilla has always been a powerful icon for Japan for its allegories about the horrors of nuclear testing and the devastating impacts it can have on the people. Under all the outrageously lengthy and repetitive politics, Hideaki Anno’s Shin Godzilla is an excellent depiction of government bureaucracy and how ineffective it can be in tackling emergency disasters.
Shots were taken from the 2016 film ‘Shin Godzilla’. All rights belong to Toho Co., Ltd. I do not own any of the material used in this video, nor has this video been monetised.
References used:
– https://www.businessinsider.com.au/godzilla-wwii-japan-nuclear-bombs-monster-kaiju-fishing-boat-2019-6
– https://www.polygon.com/2016/12/6/13856652/godzilla-japan-america-gojira
– https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3469005/
– https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2014/05/laws-and-regulations-passed-in-the-aftermath-of-the-great-east-japan-earthquake/
– https://www.britannica.com/event/Japan-earthquake-and-tsunami-of-2011/Relief-and-rebuilding-efforts
– https://japan.kantei.go.jp/kan/actions/201105/20kinkyu_e.html
– https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-politics-idUSTRE73A0HR20110411
– https://reliefweb.int/report/japan/current-situation-and-government-japans-response-4-apr-2011
– Abroad in Japan’s Fukushima Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDvKkG1FTbU&t=467s
– Accented Cinema’s Shin Godzilla Video Essay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDxmB2D9oDM
Thank you for watching!
source
Just to clarify, I contended that Shin Godzilla was NOT promoting authoritarianism.
I had read opinions that the film emphasised the government's responsibility in saving people, and disagreed with that interpretation.
Shin Godzilla demonstrates how ineffective government bureaucracy can be, and how powerful people can be when they're able to work collaboratively and solve a common goal efficiently. The film's protagonist and his team illustrate this best when they have to take over from the top officials, break away from the traditional chain of command, and instead work together to defeat the monster.
Well done, mate. A very intelligent take, and you’re right that Shin Godzilla has even more relevance now in the wake of the pandemic.
However, I don’t think you can read it as fascist. If anything, it’s libertarian in its view that people, unshackled from an over-indulgent, authoritarian bureaucracy, are less paralyzed in the face of disaster.