Episode 111: ‘The Return of Godzilla’ | Ft. Neil Riebe and Andrew Wynja “The Ninja” | Godzilla Redux

Episode 111: ‘The Return of Godzilla’ | Ft. Neil Riebe and Andrew Wynja “The Ninja” | Godzilla Redux

From The Monster Island Film Vault by Moonlighting Ninjas Media

April 10, 2026 · 3h 6m · Season 5

About this episode

Nate discusses 'The Return of Godzilla' with guests Neil Riebe and Andrew Wynja, exploring its historical context and special effects.

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! Nate (technically) reaches the Heisei Era of ”Godzilla Redux” with The Return of Godzilla (aka ”Godzilla 1984”). He’s joined by kaiju author Neil Riebe (who saw it in the theatre!) and the ”unapologetic apologist” for the Heisei series, Andrew Wynja ”The Ninja.” They get into how this is the only true ”Cold War” G-film and offers a uniquely Japanese perspective that was almost completely lost in Roger Corman’s heavily re-edited Americanized version, Godzilla 1985. If history isn’t your thing, they also discuss the amazing special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano, Kenpachiro Satsuma’s first performance as Big G, and the incredible score by Reijiro Koroku, among other things. Strap in!

People in this episode

Host: Nate

Guests: Neil Riebe, Andrew Wynja

Topics covered

  • Godzilla
  • Heisei Era
  • Cold War
  • Japanese cinema
  • special effects
  • film history

Keywords

  • Godzilla
  • Heisei Era
  • Cold War
  • special effects
  • film history
  • Japanese cinema
  • Ninja

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Return of Godzilla, Godzilla 1984, Godzilla 1985

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