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| The crew examining the damage of Godzilla |
I am not a big fan of Godzilla films. Nevertheless when I heard that Godzilla Minus One was going to take place in post-war Japan, I had to watch it. I must say, it is the best Godzilla movie I had ever watch.
In this post I will be examining the alternate historical scenario of Godzilla menacing postwar Japan and see how realistic the film portrays it to be.
Synopsis
As the World War ends with the Japanese surrender, former pilot Shikishima returns to Tokyo to find that his parents were killed by the firebombing of Tokyo. He finds solace in a random stranger Noriko and the two raised an abandoned baby Akiko. Shikishima gets a job as a naval minesweeper.
Although Japan has begun its reconstruction, Godzilla appears to wreck Japanese shipping vessels before making landfall. After killing many Japanese civilians, the remnants of the Japanese pilots (including Shikishima), soldiers and sailors come together to defeat Godzilla.
What was accurate
Horrors of war
The portrayal of postwar Japan was quite good, showing the devastation of the allied bombing. Many individuals lost family members and it was not unusual for strangers to band together to start new lives. This was covered in the movie as Shikishima finds a new family in two strangers, Noriko and Akiko.
The treatment of ex-military
Upon his return from Japan, Shikishima was blamed for Japan's postwar plight by his neighbors and the community. In reality this was often the fate of the Japan's military postwar. They were seen as responsible for putting the country in this situation and the start of the rebuilding was called Year Zero.
What was inaccurate
Equipment
Some of the equipment used were not available to the Japanese. For instance, four Type 4 Chi To medium tanks were shown in the film. In real life only two were made.
The four destroyers shown in the final battle, the Hibiki, Yukikaze, Yukaze, and Keyaki, were not all available to the Japanese in 1947. Only the Keyaki was left with the Japanese postwar, while the rest were given to the Allies as repatriations. Hibiki was given to the Soviet Union, Yukikaze was given to the Republic of China (Taiwan), while Yukaze was given to the British.
The initial cruiser sent to defeat Godzilla, the Takao, was already sunk as a target ship in 1946.
Lastly, the ejection seat was touted as common knowledge during that time. Only a few planes could have installed one, much less the one portrayed in the film.
Japan alone
Another inaccurate hypothetical was the United States leaving Japan to fend for itself against Godzilla. Bear in mind that this was the start of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Abandoning their allies at the start of the war would have been a big blemish to the prestige of the United States.
Furthermore, Japan was under the administration of Douglas Macarthur. Being a prideful man, it would be highly unlikely he would allow Japan to be abandoned in its time of need.
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