The Kaiju Transmissions Podcast
by Kaiju Transmissions Podcast
Join hosts Byrd and Matt as they discuss all things giant monsters, tokusatsu, and Japanese fantasy films. We'll also cover comics, cartoons, toys, books, and more! Come here for a regular dose of everything from Godzilla and Gamera to King Kong and Ray Harryhausen to Ultraman, and everything in between!
Episodes
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GeGeGe no Kitaro in Live Action (2007-2008)!
For Byrd, Lux, and Kevin nurse their Halloween hangover by talking about two live action films from the 00s based on the long running yokai manga, GeGeGe No Kitaro. We've done Kitaro episodes every fall, but this is our first foray into the character's live action iterations, discussing 2007's...
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Dracula and Frankenstein Go To Toei!
To celebrate Halloween, Byrd, Trev, Kevin and Lux talk about Toei Animation's Tomb of Dracula (1990) (aka Dracula: Sovereign of the Damned) and Monster of Frankenstein (1991) (aka Frankenstein: Legend of Terror), both collaborations with Marvel Comics to adapt their retrospective comic books.…
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Daiei Gothic Vol. 2- The Demon of Mt Oe (1960), The Haunted Castle (1969), The Ghost of Kasane Swamp (1970)
Byrd, Lux and Kevin discuss three more gothic horrors from Daiei Studios (recently released in the excellent Daiei Gothic Volume 2 blu-ray set from Radiance Films). Daiei would often combine the period drama and folk horror genres to create a unique brand of gothic cinema that was a staple of…
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Hiruko the Goblin (1991)
As our October horror viewing marches forward, Byrd, Matt, Lux and Kevin disusss Shinya Tsukamoto's 1991 film, Hiruko the Goblin. After Tsukamoto had an international breakout success with his indie Tetsuo The Iron Man, he was offered a much bigger budget to helm this adaptation of Daijiro...
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Dark Water (2002 + 2005 Remake)
Byrd, Matt, Lux and Kevin keep the Halloween spirit by looking at Hideo Nakata's J-horror classic, 2002's Dark Water, as well as the 2005 Hollywood remake starring Jennifer Connelly. After the success of Ring and the global explosion of Japanese horror, Kadokawa tried to replicate their previous...
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Jigoku (1960) + News Roundup + Spoiler Free Godzilla Minus Zero Review
Byrd, Lux, Matt and Kevin kick off our October Halloween episodes with a discussion about Nobuo Nakagawa's classic Jigoku (aka Japanese Hell, aka Inferno, aka Sinners of Hell) from 1960. The film follows two friends who accidentally kill a yakuza in a hit and run. It just so happens that they're...
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Brush of the God (2026)
Byrd, Tom, Lux and Kevin discuss Brush of the God, the first and only film directed by late kaiju suit maker Keizo Murase. The semi-biographical film tells of a recently deceased tokusatsu suit maker whose granddaughter is sucked into a fantasy world of fantastical creatures and has to fend off…
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The End of Oak Street (2026) (SPOILERS)
Byrd, Matt and Trev discuss the recent dinosaur film The End of Oak Street from writer/director David Robert Mitchell (It Follows). The film stars Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor as parents who have to protect their family from rampaging dinosaurs when their suburban neighborhood is inexplicably...
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G-Fest 2026 Recap
Byrd, Tom and Kevin discuss their experience at this past month's G-Fest convention. We discuss the guests, the panels, cosplay, the film festival (including our thoughts on Yoshikazu Ishii's new kaiju film Gladio). As always, we talk about our highlights from the weekend, some of the new things...
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Human Vapor (2026)
Byrd, Kevin and Lux return to discuss the recent Netflix mini series, Human Vapor, a reimagining of Toho's classic 1960 "mutant" film from director Shinzo Katayama (Gannibal, Missing) and writer/producer/showrunner Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan, Parasyte: The Grey). This version opts for a brand…
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20th Century Boys Trilogy (2008-2009)
Byrd, Kevin and Lux discuss Toho's live action adaptation of 20th Century Boys, the beloved manga by Naoki Urasawa (Monster, Pluto). It tells a story over several decades of a group of childhood friends that reunite when they realize a doomsday cult led by a masked leader named Friend is using...
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Monarch: Legacy of Monsters- Season 2 (2026)
Byrd, Matt and Kevin discuss the recently concluded second season of Apple TV's Monsterverse series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. This season follows Monarch as they track the new monster, Titan X, deal with interference from the tech corporation Apex, and reckon with personal conflicts along the...
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More Kongversation: Author Ray Morton Returns!
Byrd and Kevin welcome back returning guest and author Ray Morton to the show to talk about the newly revised and expanded second edition of his monumental book King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon! Originally published in 2005, the book covered all things Kong up to just before the release of...
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Troll 2 (2025)
After a lengthy hiatus, we return as Byrd, Lux, and Tom talk about the recent Norweigan film Troll 2! No, not THAT Troll 2, but the sequel to Netflix's 2022 film Troll. The film picks up with the characters from the prior film returning to research another giant troll that has been captured by…
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Sadako vs. Kayako (2016)
Byrd, Kevin, Tom, and Lux (with a cameo from Trev) follow up our Ju-On mega-pod with the film that pitted Kayako against J-Horror's other top star, the Ring's very own Sadako. While the film was originally announced as an April Fool's joke, the online excitement over the possibility left...
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Ju-On (the Grudge): The First Four Films
If you just aren't ready for Halloween season to be over, join Byrd, Tom, Kevin, Lux, (and Trev, kind of) for a talk about one of Japan's biggest horror franchises, Ju-On (also known as the Grudge)! This introduced the vengeful ghost Kayako and her son Toshio to the horror world and they have…
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Mad Monster Party? (1967)
Happy Halloween! Byrd, Lux, Tom and Kevin get together to discuss Rankin-Bass' stop motion Halloween feature, Mad Monster Party. Dr. Frankenstein (voiced by Boris Karloff) is about to retire and invites the classic monsters to his castle for a party where he will announce his successor. Among the...
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Daiei Gothic! Ghost of Yotsuya (1959), Snow Woman (1968), Bride from Hades (1968)
Byrd, Tom and Lux discuss three classic horror films from Daiei Studios (recently released in the excellent Daiei Gothic blu-ray set from Radiance Films). Ghost of Yotsuya, Snow Woman, and Bride From Hades are all based on famous folk horror stories that have been adapted many times over the…
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Hakaba Kitarō (2008)
Byrd, Lux, Tom and Kevin take a look at another entry in the prolific yokai franchise, GeGeGe No Kitaro franchise. This time we talk about 2008's Hakaba Kitaro, which was a darker take on the material. This changes Kitaro from a good natured yokai ambassador to a mischievous anti hero starring in...
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Gill-men Attack! Humanoids From the Deep (1980), Dragon Blue, (1996) and Monster Island (aka Orang Ikan-2024))
We kick off another spooky October at KT with Byrd, Kevin, Tom and Lux having a discussion of several films featuring murderous gill-men. Ever since 1954's classic Creature From The Black Lagoon, the trope of a murderous half man/half fish has been entertaining filmgoers on a semi regular basis.…
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Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League (2025)
Byrd, Matt, Kevin and Lux come together again to talk about the recent anime film Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League. The sequel to 2018's Batman Ninja sees the Caped Crusader and his allies in an another dimension in which Japan is ruled by a Yakuza consisting of evil versions of his Justice League...
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G-Fest 2025 Recap
Another year, another G-Fest in the books. Byrd, Kevin and returning guest Connor recount their experience at this years G-Fest convention. G-Fest XXX (!) was the thirtieth in the convention's long running history and as always we talk about the panels, the guests, and our overall opinions of how...
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Godzilla vs. Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers II (Comic Book- 2024)
Byrd, Matt and Kevin discuss and review the recent comic book crossover Godzilla vs. Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers II (written by Cullen Bunn and drawn by Baldemar Rivas). The follow up to IDW and Boom!'s 2022 crossover once again sees the Power Rangers in a multiversal adventure as they once…
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Writing Godzilla's Biography with Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski (Live at G-Fest 2025)
Live from G-Fest 2025, Byrd moderates this in depth discussion with authors Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski (Ishiro Honda: A Life In Film) to discuss the stories behind the researching, writing, and publishing of their new book Godzilla: The First 70 Years: The Official Illustrated History of the...
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Jurassic World Rebirth (2025)
After a Spring hiatus, Byrd and Matt come back to discuss Jurassic World Rebirth, the newest entry in the Jurassic Park franchise directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla 2014, Monsters, Star Wars: Rogue One). This entry follows a group of mercenaries (led by Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali)...
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Takashi Miike Toku Heroes: Zebraman, Zebraman 2, and Yatterman + Godzilla Pop-Up Book Review
Byrd, Tom, Kevin and Trev discuss a trio of tokusatsu superhero films from acclaimed director Takashi Miike (Great Yokai War, Ultraman Max, Audition, Ichi the Killer). First we have 2004's Zebraman, a parody of Japanese superhero shows that sees a father in a mid life crisis take up the mantle of...
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Bullet Train Explosion (2025)
Byrd, Matt, Lux and Kevin discuss Shinji Higuchi's recent Netflix film Bullet Train Explosion. Higuchi's latest revamp of an old tokusatsu IP is a remake/sequel to Toei's 1975 classic disaster film The Bullet Train. Like its predecessor, the story revolves around a bomb on a bullet train, which...
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Chinese Kongsploitation!
Byrd, Lux and Matt reach back down into the bottom of the barrell to discuss three obscure recent King Kong knock-offs from China, made to cash in on the recent Monsterverse films. In recent years, China has been churning out dozens and dozens of low budget straight to TV/streaming cheapie…
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The Harryhausen Sinbad Trilogy
Back from the holiday break, Byrd and Matt set their sights on Ray Harryhausen's classic series of Sinbad films; the 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1957), the Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973) and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977) are still among the most celebrated fantasy films of all time. After...
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The History of Carnosaur with Joseph Palinkas!
Byrd sits down with author Joseph Palinkas to discuss his new book, the History of Carnosaur. The book covers the history of the franchise, which was launched by Roger Corman to cash in on Jurassic Park. We talk about the conception of the book, the background of the Carnosaur films, living…
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GeGeGe No Kitaro Sampler: The 70s, 00s and 2020s.
Byrd, Lux, and Kevin nurse their Halloween hangover with another episode covering everyone's favorite yokai boy-hero Kitaro! The long running franchise created by Shigeru Mizuki catapulted Japan's folkloric creatures into pop culture and still runs strong to this day. We look at another sampling…
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Ring: The First Four Films
Byrd, Trev, Lux and Kevin take a deep dive into Sadako's well to discuss the first four Japanese theatrical films in the Ring franchise: Ring (1998), Spiral (1998), Ring 2 (1999) and Ring 0: Birthday (2000). In addition to a lively talk about all four films and the film makers involved, we…
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Wicked City (1987 Anime & 1992 Hong Kong Live Action)
Our October horror shows roll on as Byrd, Tom, and Kevin are joined by Chris Marti (musician alias "Cosmic Monster" and co-writer of The Author vs. the Werewolf) to discuss the fantasy/horror of Wicked City! Based on a series of novels by Hideyuki Kikuchi (Vampire Hunter D), Wicked City is about...
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The House Where Evil Dwells (1982)
Byrd, Tom and Lux are back to take a look at the 1982 semi-obscurity The House Where Evil Dwells. This haunted house shocker is a co-production made with assistance from the legendary Toei studios. It was directed by Kevin Connor (The Land that Time Forgot) and stars Edward Albert, Susan George,...
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Alien From the Deep (aka Alien From the Abyss) (1989)
Byrd, Tom and Trev kick off our annual October horror series with the Italian creature feature Alien From the Deep, directed by Antonio Margheriti (Cannibal Apocalypse). Although seemingly made to cash-in on both Aliens and the Abyss, the actual plot is anything but. It tells the story of some...
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Brutal Thrashing Kaiju Metal: Interview with Lord Kaiju of Oxygen Destoyer
Byrd and Lux sit down with guitarist/vocalist Lord Kaiju, founder of the kaiju themed heavy metal band Oxygen Destroyer. We discuss his roots as both a kaiju and metal fan, how he came up with his brand of death-thrash, the strength of the Seattle rock music scene, how the Gamera trilogy helped...
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Book Review: Godzilla Returns (1996)
Byrd, Kevin, Lux and Tom go back to 1996 to talk about Godzilla Returns by Marc Cerasini, the first novel in a short lived series of books by Random House. In the mid-90s, Random House signed a deal with Toho and released books for different age groups. This would include children's picture…
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The Podcast That Time Forgot: Dinosaurs, Doug McClure and Amicus!
Byrd, Matt, Lux and Jared discuss four British sci-fi adventure films featuring b-movie actor Doug McClure fighting all sorts of giant rubber beasts! We discuss three Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptations from Amicus Productions- This includes the lost world dinosaur escapades The Land that Time…
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Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong (Comic Book Review)
Byrd, Tom, Trev and Kevin discuss the recent DC/Legendary Comics' crossover. The mini-series, written by Brian Buccalatto (Injustice, The Flash) and drawn by Christian Duce (Detective Comics, the Flash) sees the Justice League do battle with Godzilla, King Kong, and other titans ofthe…
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Kaiju No. 8- Season 1 (2024) + G-Fest Recap
Byrd, Matt, Kevin and Lux discuss the recent anime adaptation, Kaiju No. 8, based on the best selling manga by Naoya Matsumoto. The show is a co production between heavy hitters like Khara, Toho, and Production I.G., and directed by Shigeyuki Miya and Tomomi Kamiya. It tells the story of a world...
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Yokai, Yurei and More with Author Zack Davisson!
Byrd, Kevin and Justin interview author Zack Davisson (Yurei: The Japanese Ghost, Ultimate X-Men) about his new book The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Yokai. We get into his research method and fascination with Japanese folklore, as well as how the book came about. We also topics such as his...
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Ultraman Rising (2024)
Byrd, Matt, Kevin and Lux discuss the recent Netflix animated film, Ultraman Rising! The first American Ultraman production in nearly 30 years follows a baseball player named Kenji who moonlights as everyone's favorite silver giant Ultraman to defend the planet from giant monsters. One day he…
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Parasyte: The Grey (2024)
Byrd, Lux and Kevin discuss the recent Netflix series, Parasyte: The Grey, (directed by Train to Busan's Yeon Sang-ho). This Korean spin-off of Hitoshi Iwaaki's classic Japanese story follows a supermarket clerk named Su-in, who is partially possessed by a parasite named Heidi, as she teams with…
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Ape X Mecha Ape: New World Order (2024)
Byrd and Matt discuss the Asylum's latest monster mockbuster, Ape X Mecha Ape: New World Order. The third film in the "Ape vs." series sees the giant ape Abraham and his mechanical doppelganger Mecha Ape go up against Kulalu, a Cthulhu knockoff summoned by a doomsday cult to wipe out humanity.…
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Time of the Apes (1987)
With a new Planet of the Apes movie in theaters, Byrd, Tom and Kevin decide to take a look at Japan's attempt to cash-in on the franchise. This Sandy Frank Entertainment-produced compilation film was made up of footage from Tsuburaya Productions 1974-1975 series, Time of the Apes, about a group…
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Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)
Byrd is joined by Lux, Tom (of the Final Forum Dragonball Podcast), and Trev (of the Failure to Franchise Podcast) to talk about the new film Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire! This new entry in Legendary Pictures' Monsterverse is another crossover between the two monster icons, as they go up…
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Godzilla (1998) Retrospective w/ Failure To Franchise Podcast
Our pals Trev (frequent KT guest) and Chris over at the Failure to Franchise podcast had Matt and Byrd on their show to discuss Godzilla 1998! We discussed how it came to be, memories of living through the marketing and release of the film, the backlash to it, and the lasting effects it had on…
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The Whale God (1962) + News Roundup
Byrd and Matt discuss Daiei's 1962 period monster movie, The Whale God (aka The Killer Whale). Directed by Tokuzo Tanaka (Zatoichi series), with a script written by Kaneto Shindo (Onibaba, Kuroneko) based on the novel by Koichiro Uno, it tells the story of a whaling village in the early Meiji...
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Translating the Original Godzilla Novels with Jeffrey Angles!
Byrd, Kevin and Justin interview poet and Japanese literary translator Jeffrey Angles about his recent translations of Shigeru Kayama's 1955 novelizations of Godzilla '54 and Godzilla Raids Again (now available for the first time in English via University of Minnesota Press). We talk about…
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Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters (Season 1- 2023-2024)
Byrd, Matt and Tom discuss Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, the recent MonsterVerse spin-off series on Apple TV+. The story flashes between the 1950s and the 2010s as it follows the founding of the Monarch organization (introduced in 2014's Godzilla reboot) and two siblings trying to untie their...
About this show
Join hosts Byrd and Matt as they discuss all things giant monsters, tokusatsu, and Japanese fantasy films. We'll also cover comics, cartoons, toys, books, and more! Come here for a regular dose of everything from Godzilla and Gamera to King Kong and Ray Harryhausen to Ultraman, and everything in between!
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Kaiju Transmissions Podcast