The six chapters are broke down as following: "Chapter I: The Birth Of Gojira" talks about the first movie and the establishment of an icon. "Chapter II: The Godzilla Franchise" explains everything there is to know about the tewnty six sequels to the original Gojira. "Chapter III: Understanding the monster" tries to analyse why Godzilla is so appealing and why everyone knows him. "Chapter IV: The Making Of An American Icon" explains why, of all places, Godzilla made a name for himself in America, and why he is cemented in American culture. "Chapter V: A Personal Godzilla" analyses the fans of Godzilla, why they love him, and just how much they love him. And finally, "Chapter VI: Godzilla's Spawn" talks about the moviemaking trend started by Godzilla, from the equally loveable Gamera to the american-made Godzilla.

Quite frankly, I never was so interested by a book that didn't feature a story. It is written with a lot of insight and might make anyone who reads it a Godzilla fan. Now, where can I find those movies?

8 of 9 found the following review helpful:


JUST BUY IT......  Nov 25, 2006 By Richard J. Oravitz
This is a really great fun read written by a lifelong fan of THE BIG-G. As a Godzilla fan myself, I find this book to be an insightful overview of not only the films but also of the times when these films were made. Tsutsui covers his subject with style and humor, informative without being academic. This is both a FRIENDLY read and a WELL WRITTEN history of Godzilla and his affect on pop culture then and now. Buy this book. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

2 of 2 found the following review helpful:


Godzilla In Our Hearts  Feb 01, 2007 By Kevin Jennings
Godzilla On My Mind is a wonderful celebration of the movies, the myths and the magic of Godzilla. Professor Tsutsui writes with both candor and passion about the "monster" so many of us love, exploring the connection so many fans have made with Godzilla over the years. It is clear that he loves Godzilla, yet he is able to look with a keen mind and critical eyes at the movies themselves, as well as the cultural phenomenon that has swept over the world.

His style is clean and engaging, even when he swims in the "deep waters" of "what it all means". At it's core, "Godzilla" is far more than a man in a rubber suit thrashing about on a set of miniature buildings in a series of "kid's movies". Tsutsui teaches without "preaching" as he explores the cultural differences between what Godzilla "means" in Japan, as well as in America and other nations.

Even if you are a casual fan, you will find much here to enjoy. If you want to learn more about the "king of the monsters" this is the book for you.

1 of 1 found the following review helpful:


Had potential  Apr 06, 2011 By Mr. Thomas R. Vanslambrouck "gvamp"
I've known about this book for several years now and have heard nothing but bad things about it. Well I finally decided to take the plunge and rent this from the local library and see if the negativity was deserved and I'm sadden to report that yes it was. The author claims to be a Godzilla fan but has no qualms with calling the films cheesy and mocking the fans. He comes off as a closet fan who doesn't really want people to know he likes Japanese monster movies. I especially didn't care for his comments on attending the popular G-Fest where he seemed almost ashamed to have attended it.

As for the layout of the book I really had to struggle to read through it, Mr. Tsutsui's writing seemed to drag on and on despite being a short book I felt like I was reading one of my college textbooks. In fact there where several occasions where I'd stop reading and look up at the page number to see how far I've read only to find out it's been a couple of pages.

Another negative I found with this books he kept referring to several of the Japanese men and women who worked on these films by last name then first name. Example Akira Ifukube became Ifukube Akira. Was this done intentionally or was he generally confused about the name of the person he was referencing? If it's the latter then how come American names weren't referenced in the same matter?

I really wanted to give this book the benefit of the doubt and ended up coming out disappointed. He did touch on some interesting things and made me recollect to a simpler time of being a child going into stores that sold VHS tapes seeing a Godzilla flick I didn't have yet and bugging my parents to purchase it for me. That's what the book gets two stars. Because it touches on interesting aspects of the character but ultimately falls flat. Avoid this book but if you're curious check to see if you're local library has it.

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