And it was unlike any monster movie before or since.
Nowadays, if one goes looking for King Kong's first appearance in a Japanese film, one will land on 1962's King Kong vs. Godzilla, the eighth film in the Toho Company's monster franchise, which saw the giant American gorilla face off against the iconic Japanese kaiju. While the outcome remains reliably true, Kong actually made not one, but two previous outings in Japanese cinema that are all but lost to history.
Godzilla, on the other hand, made his debut on October 7th, 1954, with Toho's premiere of Ishirô Honda's Gojira in Nagoya, Japan. Later releases, notably the American release in 1956, relabeled the film and its eponymous monster Godzilla. Made after World War II, the film demonstrated a transparent allegory for nuclear destruction, as the city-crushing Godzilla is born from and powered by radioactivity.
'Wasei Kingu Kongu' Was a Wild, Meta Comedy Despite being inspired by the American Kong, Wasei Kingu Kongu was not an action, adventure, or horror movie. Instead, it was a comedy, directed by comedic Japanese filmmaker Torajirō Saitō. The plot allegedly focused on a poor man named Santa , who falls in love with a rich woman named Omitsu . Omitsu's father, however, does not want his daughter to date a vagabond and arranges for her to marry a wealthier suitor.
Things Get Even Stranger In 'Wasei Kingu Kongu's Period-Piece Sequel The American King Kong and Wasei Kingu Kongu both did well enough in Japan for the latter to get a two-part sequel in the form of 1938's Edo ni Arawareta Kingu Kongu . This two-parter could better be described as a spin-off, or even a prequel, rather than a proper sequel. As the title suggests, it takes place in Japan's Edo period.
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