After the year 2020 has given us, I needed something to look forward to. The Universe has responded in a way I never expected: a new Godzilla series on Netflix. Hallelujah! The new series Godzilla: Singular Point features art by Bones and Orange with a Godzilla redesign by Eiji Yamamori.

Series animation will be produced by ‘bones’ makers of the best superhero anime ‘My Hero Academia’ (sorry, ‘Young Justice’) as well as several of other of my absolute favorites including the famed ‘Full Metal Alchemist’ and the over-the-top psychic shenanigans in ‘Mob Psycho.’

They will be fusing their hand-drawn animation with Orange’s CG animation style. I know Orange from the sci-fi series Dimension W, a futuristic story about powerful corporations controlling extradimensional energy and the weirdly compelling anthropomorphic animals in ‘Beastar’ dealing with that age old question: Can herbivores really be friends with carnivores?

The legendary Eiji Yamamori will be drawing a new look for everyone’s favorite radioactive super-lizard, Godzilla, King of the Monsters. To round out this list of heavy hitters, the series is going to be directed by anime veteran, Atsushi Takahashi.

The trailer clip hints that we might be seeing a proto Jet Jaguar. (Squeeee!!!) Jet Jaguar is a heroic mecha first appearing in Godzilla vs Megalon (1973). I think Jet Jaguar was the first time I ever saw a mecha on television. I was about seven or eight and it had such an effect on me, endearing Godzilla movies to a nostalgic zone deep in the little kid we all have in us.

The animation is beautiful. Rodan does a flyby and he never looked so good. Several other kaiju make brief appearances and sketches I have found of the cast, as well as the Netflix promotional art features at least eighteen cast members so this won’t just be the usual kaiju fights associated with Godzilla. The video shows lots of intense staring by the Human cast. <Gasp>

There may be character development; characters who engage in conversation which has a meaningful existence after fifteen minutes and we may have to remember it later. And kaiju fights.

Did I say Jet Jaguar (Squeeee!)??

Ahem. Enjoy this incredible trailer and if we’re lucky there will be at least one more before the series airs in April 2021.

Can life get any better? Technically, yes. But we’ll likely be damned glad to see Godzilla in April, assuming nothing happens to its schedule due to the coronavirus. Stay safe out there.

Godzilla: Singular Point (April 2020)
Produced by: Toho Co., Ltd.
Animation Studios: Bones Inc, Orange Co., Ltd.Directed by: Atsushi Takahashi
Animation Character designs by Blue Exorcist’s Kazue Kato
Godzilla design: Ghibli animator Eiji Yamamori

-30-