Byrd, Matt, Kevin and Lux discuss the recent anime adaptation, Kaiju No. 8, based on the best selling manga by Naoya Matsumoto. The show is a co production between heavy hitters like Khara, Toho, and Production I.G., and directed by Shigeyuki Miya and Tomomi Kamiya. It tells the story of a world where giant monster attacks are a regular occurance. One evening a small creature flies into the mouth of a kaiju cleanup crew member named Kafka, giving him the ability to transform into the half human/half kaiju hero Kaiju No. 8! But while Kafka attempts to join the anti-kaiju Defence Force, he struggles to keep his secret as the threats get bigger and bigger. Join us as we talk about the show, but first, we give a brief recap of G-Fest 2024!

Byrd, Kevin and Justin interview author Zack Davisson (Yurei: The Japanese Ghost, Ultimate X-Men) about his new book The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Yokai. We get into his research method and fascination with Japanese folklore, as well as how the book came about. We also topics such as his translation work translating Japanese manga (most notably the work of Shigeru Mizuki), his work for Marvel Comics and Lucasfilm, and his previous books about Yurei and Kaibyo (supernatural Japanese cats), whether kaiju should be considered yokai, and more! Relax and join the conversation! The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Yokai will be available July 2, 2024 wherever books are sold.

Byrd, Matt, Kevin and Lux discuss the recent Netflix animated film, Ultraman Rising! The first American Ultraman production in nearly 30 years follows a baseball player named Kenji who moonlights as everyone's favorite silver giant Ultraman to defend the planet from giant monsters. One day he comes in possession of a baby monster and has to adjust his life to being the creature's parent, while the KDF science team try to hunt it down. In addition to our review, we discuss the film's early development as a non-Ultraman story and how it fared in being updated to be Ultraman, the problem with Netflix's approach to new releases, how it works as an entry point into the franchise, and more! So how did this entry in the long running series fare? Listen and find out!

Byrd, Lux and Kevin discuss the recent Netflix series, Parasyte: The Grey, (directed by Train to Busan's Yeon Sang-ho). This Korean spin-off of Hitoshi Iwaaki's classic Japanese story follows a supermarket clerk named Su-in, who is partially possessed by a parasite named Heidi, as she teams with a gangster named Kang-woo to evade the rest of the alien body snatchers, as well as The Grey, a special ops unit tasked with exterminating all parasites. How does the show live up to the rest of the franchise? Listen and find out! But first, we discuss the announcement of Grant Stupore (I Am Mother) as the director of Legendary's next Godzila/Kong film, as well as the news of Toho and Korea's Wow Point collaborating on a new Human Vapor tv series. Relax and join the conversation!

Byrd and Matt discuss the Asylum's latest monster mockbuster, Ape X Mecha Ape: New World Order. The third film in the "Ape vs." series sees the giant ape Abraham and his mechanical doppelganger Mecha Ape go up against Kulalu, a Cthulhu knockoff summoned by a doomsday cult to wipe out humanity. How does this compare to other Asylum efforts? Listen and find out! But first Matt gets us caught up with his thoughts on Godzilla x Kong and gives an update on the state of the podcast. Listen and enjoy the show!

With a new Planet of the Apes movie in theaters, Byrd, Tom and Kevin decide to take a look at Japan's attempt to cash-in on the franchise. This Sandy Frank Entertainment-produced compilation film was made up of footage from Tsuburaya Productions 1974-1975 series, Time of the Apes, about a group of children and a scientist who find themselves shot forward in time to a future taken over by apes. We'll discuss this forgotten oddity as well as the series that spawned it. But first, we give our thoughts on the Planet of the Apes series as well as the latest Monsterverse news and the new Godzilla arcade game. Relax and enjoy the show!

Byrd is joined by Lux, Tom (of the Final Forum Dragonball Podcast), and Trev (of the Failure to Franchise Podcast) to talk about the new film Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire! This new entry in Legendary Pictures' Monsterverse is another crossover between the two monster icons, as they go up against the threat of the evil ape Skar King and his army of apes and the frost monster Shimo. Along the way, Kong forms a bond with the young ape Suko. We'll talk about the production history as well as give our thoughts on the film. But first, we discuss Godzilla Minus One's recent Oscar win! Kick back and enjoy!

Our pals Trev (frequent KT guest) and Chris over at the Failure to Franchise podcast had Matt and Byrd on their show to discuss Godzilla 1998! We discussed how it came to be, memories of living through the marketing and release of the film, the backlash to it, and the lasting effects it had on the franchise. Did the movie impact the series for good or bad? Is it as bad of a movie as people say? How does it hold up all these years later? Listen and find out!