What to Do With the Dead Kaiju? (2022) *spoilers*

Life in Japan changes drastically when a Kaiju appeared and rampaged through cities before it died mysteriously. While people rejoice and bask in relief, the giant corpse left behind begins to slowly rot and bloat, as government and military officials are concerned with something new they do not understand.

While the Self Defence Force which normally handles national crisis like natural disasters, they are ill equipped to handle something of alien nature. A ‘Special Forces’ consisting of scientific and combat experts was formed as a task force to handle the studies and safe disposal of the Kaiju. 

The Prime Minister declares a state of emergency for the safety of everyone asking people to stay indoors as much as possible as there are still things about the Kaiju that is unknown such as the increasing thermal temperature of the Kaiju and the presence of contagious fungus around the remains.

Three years later, the scientific research is still underway and the people have grown restless from the home quarantine issues and protests against the government for the military draft of its citizens to combat a possible Kaiju threat as many soldiers have died during the first incursion.

The government is facing an economic crisis facing budget constraints to rebuild its country from the destruction of the Kaiju attack and after three years of isolation that some of its cabinet propose that the Kaiju remains be used as a tourist attraction for people around the world to cover the costs of recovery.

Arata Obinata (Yamada Ryosuke) of the Special Forces is assigned as the commander of the clean up operations and work alongside his former team member and love interest, Yukino Amane (Tao Tsuchiya) who now works for the Department of Health as the Kaiju remains now falls under her jurisdiction.

Yukino is still perplexed by Arata’s disappearance three years ago, the same time the Kaiju dies. Further investigation revealed that a mysterious asteroid-like light hit the Kaiju which might have killed it, the same light Yukino went to investigate which caused her to be dismissed from the Special Forces.

Arata is defensive everytime Yukino tries to probe his past sensing that something is at play. Yukino began to learn of rumours of a “Chosen One” which was said to have killed the Kaiju, a mysterious being of light, which was revealed later at the end to be Arata. 

It’s meant to be a comedy parody of Tokusatsu genre like Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman. A film that is not meant to be taken seriously, although the film does have its potential to be a serious one like Shin Godzilla. The depiction of the Special Forces is similar to SSSP of Shin Ultraman.

We’ve seen countless Kaiju films that show Kaiju rampaging through the cities and humans fighting back by conventional means or using Jaegers (Pacific Rim) or relying on another mysterious being (Shin Ultraman). But none of them focus on the aftermath and the logistical challenges of the clean up operations.

The one aspect of this film that I find to be actually interesting where you see the government officials debating issues from finance, health, foreign affairs and military operations to safely dispose of the Kaiju remains and the budget constraints for such a massive operations and to rebuild its destroyed cities.

Although there are certain jokes made by the Prime Minister and his cabinet which I find excessive and unnecessary, the plot is actually good. It’s clear that the film is heavily influenced by the latest Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman. I honestly did not expect that ending with a silhouette of an Ultraman-like being.

Nonetheless, it’s a fun show to watch. I like how they portray the unglamorous part of cleaning up, the ground crews, engineers and soldiers involved while waiting for the slow replies of the government, giving you a glimpse of how such people are involved in the clean up operations after every natural disaster.

The first bit of the movie reminds me of when Covid-19 pandemic first started where the world appears to stopped for a moment where everyone stayed home, people were panicking and hoarding items from the grocery stores, people protesting, and soldiers being activated to assist in lockdowns. 

You asked it, right? What do I think when killing. I wish the buzzing in my ears would disappear. I can always hear a sound in my ears. That sounds disappears, when I’m swinging a knife….

Yamada Ryosuke as SEMI “Cicada”
Grasshopper (2015)

It seems you have a problem.

A drama like that , please!

[NEWS] Congratulations to Yamada Ryosuke as he won the Newcomer Actor Award at the prestigious 91st Kinema Junpo Award for his role as Edward Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist, and Atsuya in Miracles of the Namiya General Store. It’s Yamada’s 3rd newcomer award ever since he debuted as a movie actor in 2015. 

Note: Kinema Junpo Award is one of the oldest film awards from Japan’s oldest film magazine, judged and voted by a body consists of film critics and film reporters.

Source: twitter @warnerjp & kinema junpo website

Momikeshite Fuyu episode 1 - Yamada Ryosuke