DOI: 10.1017/apj.2026.10077 ISSN: 1557-4660
Godzilla vs Kamikaze: Godzilla Minus One , Yamazaki Takashi, and the Revisionist Logic of Magical Futurity in a Multiverse World
Aaron GerowAbstract
The film Godzilla Minus One has sparked debates over whether it is an anti- or pro-war film, whether it rejects the kamikaze or rewrites history to enable Japan to win World War II. This article evaluates these arguments by relating the film to other works by director Yamazaki Takeshi, especially his kamikaze film The Eternal Zero . It argues that these films share an attempt to solve contradictions about war and memory through emotional affect and technology, using the gaze of characters to mark a magical futurity and suggest an implied multiverse where Japan can be both pro- and anti-war.