Mothra (story arc)
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Mothra (モスラ編 Mosura-hen) is the sixth story arc of the 1997 television series Godzilla Island. Written by Takahiko Masuda, it comprises the series' 41st through 50th episodes, which aired from December 1 to 12, 1997.
Episodes
| No. | Title card | Title (Japanese) |
Air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Television | YouTube | |||
| 41 |  |
"Mothra, Little Mothra" (モスラ、 |
December 1, 1997 | July 25, 2023 |
| 42 |  |
"A Suspicious Delivery" ( |
December 2, 1997 | July 27, 2023 |
| 43 |  |
"An Ominous Feeling" ( |
December 3, 1997 | |
| 44 |  |
"Give Our Natural Splendor Back!" ( |
December 4, 1997 | August 3, 2023 |
| 45 |  |
"The Birth of Hedorah" (ヘドラ |
December 5, 1997 | August 8, 2023 |
| 46 |  |
"Target: Mothra!" (モスラを |
December 8, 1997 | August 10, 2023 |
| 47 |  |
"Mothra's Tears" (モスラの |
December 9, 1997 | August 13, 2023 |
| 48 |  |
"Mourning Mothra" ( |
December 10, 1997 | August 17, 2023 |
| 49 |  |
"Mother Mothra's Parting Words" ( |
December 11, 1997 | August 22, 2023 |
| 50 |  |
"Fly, Mothra!" (はばたけモスラ) |
December 12, 1997 | August 24, 2023 |
Plot
- "Mothra, Little Mothra"
In her cave on Godzilla Island, a dying Mothra imparts some final words of wisdom to the larval Mothra Leo. Lucas translates a few of her actual aphorisms, then pretends that Mothra is praising him. Torema picks up the translation — "shape your own destiny," "don't run away from a challenge," and so on — but becomes distressed and leaves G-Guard headquarters. Commander Beisuke Jinguji follows her, asking if Mothra is reminding her of her own late parents. She confirms that her mother told her similar things. Lucas calls them back inside, as a meteor is approaching the island. Godzilla and Rodan watch it land in a tremendous explosion.
- "A Suspicious Delivery"
Jinguji remarks that the meteor impact has destroyed the island's underground wastewater treatment plant, but at least missed the nearby chemical plant. He explains to Torema that the latter is dedicated to "research[ing] the fusion of synthetic chemicals and nature." Its destruction would spread toxins throughout the island. Lucas reports that the "meteor" is alive, absorbing substances from the wastewater treatment plant. Torema suspects another of Zagreth's monsters. Just then, a food delivery worker drops off a meal for them, leaving a device under Jinguji's desk in the process. Both find her familiar, and Torema gives chase after stopping Jinguji from eating the food. She heads outside, only to find a fortuneteller. Godzilla roars as the meteor starts to glow.
- "An Ominous Feeling"
Noticing the fortuneteller's collar, Torema identifies her as Zagreth and trains her pistol on her. The Xilien's crystal ball glows purple as she predicts Godzilla Island's destruction. A distant explosion from the chemical plant pulls Torema's attention, and Zagreth throws off her disguise. Torema fires, but she teleports behind her, gloating over the bomb she planted. The island's monsters watch the chemical plant's destruction. The meteor glows again, and a pair of eyes appear on its surface.
- "Give Our Natural Splendor Back!"
A noxious cloud from the chemical plant forms over Godzilla Island, which the meteor intensifies. Jinguji orders Godzilla to destroy the meteor, but the smog it spreads fells him and the other monsters. Acid rain falls on them. Torema spots Zagreth's wiretap under the desk. A gloating Zagreth, now aboard the Vabaruda, listens in, only to hear Jinguji tell Torema that a toxic chemical neutralizing compound is now ready to deploy. She orders her ship to chase Torema's Panna Torte into the cloud.
- "The Birth of Hedorah"
The Panna Torte evades a laser barrage from the Vabaruda. Poison gas leaks into the latter during the fight, forcing Zagreth to dispel the gas with her own neutralizer. Torema hails her to boast, having deduced that she had the neutralizer already prepared to detoxify the island after taking it over. Zagreth directs her attention to the ground, where the meteor fully transforms into Hedorah.
- "Target: Mothra!"
Zagreth explains that the destruction of the wastewater treatment plant and chemical plant were both in service of growing Hedorah. The Smog Monster advances on Mothra's cave, as she and her child are the only kaiju on the island still able to fight. She flies out of the cave and blasts Hedorah with her antennae lasers; it retaliate with toxic gas and eye lasers, knocking her to the ground. Mothra Leo inches towards his mother as Godzilla gets Hedorah's attention with atomic breath.
- "Mothra's Tears"
Godzilla blasts Hedorah again, but collapses after it returns fire, still weakened. Hedorah sends Mothra Leo flying with another volley of eye lasers and chases after him. Mothra takes flight once more and picks up Hedorah. She ferries him to Mt. Gorath and drops him into the lava, but is unable to maintain lift and is consumed when the volcano erupts. Mothra Leo looks on with sorrow.
- "Mourning Mothra"
One month after Mothra's death, Jinguji and Lucas check in on Mothra Leo, who has been cocooned for the past three weeks. Lucas observes that Leo should have emerged already, and Jinguji theorizes that he's still grieving. Sitting next to the cocoon, Torema commiserates, but tells him he can't stay inside the cocoon forever. Just then, Mt. Gorath erupts and Hedorah peers out of the crater. Zagreth explains that Hedorah absorbed sulfur oxide from the volcano and is even more powerful now.
- "Mother Mothra's Parting Words"
With Hedorah looming behind her, Torema pleads for Mothra Leo to emerge. Godzilla saves her instead with a blast of atomic breath and wrestles with the Smog Monster. Torema calls Mothra Leo a coward for not joining Godzilla and asks what his mother would say. Echoing her inspirational words, Torema finally gets through to him. Particles of light flow out of the cocoon and coalesce into Mothra Leo's imago form. His wings expand and harden before he soars towards Hedorah, who now has Godzilla on the ropes.
- "Fly, Mothra!"
Mothra Leo's antennae lasers force Hedorah to back off of Godzilla. The King of the Monsters adds to the assault with his atomic breath. Zagreth is unconcerned, believing Hedorah will just absorb their attacks, but realizes they're slowly overloading it. Leo adds lightning from his wings, which fully solidifies Hedorah. Godzilla blasts the Smog Monster into dust, then crushes the red orb he finds in its remains. G-Guard hails their victory, Leo's first triumph as an imago. Mothra's ghost appears over Mt. Gorath to acknowledge Leo before fading away.
Cast
Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.
- Jiro Dan as Commander Beisuke Jinguji
- Maimi Okuwa as Torema
- Kaori Aizawa as Zagreth
- Shun Mizutani as Lucas (voice, as Kenichiro Shimamura)
- Yutaka Aoyama as narrator (voice)
Appearances
Monsters |
Weapons, vehicles, organizations, and races |
Videos
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Trivia
- Clips from Rebirth of Mothra II (1997) play over the end credits of every episode in this story arc; Toho opened the film in Japanese theaters the day after the arc concluded.
- Mt. Gorath is named after the runaway star Gorath from the 1962 Toho film of the same name.
- In Rebirth of Mothra 3 (1998), Rainbow Mothra would also drop an enemy monster into a volcano.
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