Well, this is it, folks. End of an era. The Showa Era to be precise, and 1975’s Terror of Mechagodzilla closed the book on Godzilla for almost a decade. Unlike Destroy All Monsters, this wasn’t meant to be the end though. Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka wanted to cash in on the success of Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla with a direct sequel, which was greenlit within four months. The script comes from the rare woman screenwriter in the series, Yukiko Takayama, who won a contest. Seems like when Toho is out of ideas (or wants them on the cheap) they’ll just hold a contest, much to the chagrin of the studio’s writers and designers I imagine. This was Takayama’s first writing credit, and she would go on to write more professionally, but is the last woman screenwriter in the franchise (the only other woman, Kazue Shiba, having a co-writer credit on Son of Godzilla). 1975’s Terror of Mechagodzilla also features another feminine rarity in the franchise: some big honkin’ titties.

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