Raiga: God of the Monsters (2009)

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Deep Sea Monster films
Reigo: King of the Sea Monsters
Raiga: God of the Monsters
God Raiga vs. King Ohga: War of the Monsters
Raiga: God of the Monsters
The Japanese poster for Deep Sea Monster Raiga
Directed by Shinpei Hayashiya
Producer Hisako Iwai, Hajime Okano,
Shinpei Hayashiya,
Atsuko Iwai (executive)
Written by Shinpei Hayashiya
Music by Keiichiro Kitazono
Distributor CrossroadJP
Running time 80 minutes
(1 hour, 20 minutes)
Aspect ratio 1.78:1
Rate this film!
2.29
(7 votes)

Raiga: God of the Monsters (深海獣雷牙,   Shinkaijū Raiga, lit, Deep Sea Monster Raiga) is a 2009 tokusatsu kaiju comedy film, produced and distributed by Crossroad. It was released to Japanese theaters on August 15, 2009. The sequel to Reigo: King of the Sea Monsters, also written and directed by Shinpei Hayashiya, it was followed 10 years later by God Raiga vs. King Ohga: War of the Monsters.

Plot

A school of Bone Fish awakens the enormous sea monster Raiga. After he feeds on them, a Giant Devil Bone Fish confronts him, biting his throat. Raiga calls down lightning, killing his adversary and destroying a nearby tanker. Surviving Bone Fish attack a fishing boat. In Tokyo, unlicensed street vendor Hajime Edo and his three daughters Matsuri, Hibari, and Akari discuss his late wife. He insists he's been faithful to her memory, but they're skeptical. In the evening, his three friends appoint him treasurer of next year's festival, much to his chagrin. As they walk home, they watch lightning strike a beer cafe. At the Deep Sea Marine Life Research Center, a captured Bone Fish revives and kills a professor.

Hajime's daughters throttle him when they spot him with a woman, Masumi. That night, Raiga destroys a cargo ship in Tokyo Bay. At the Taito Defense Force Underground Headquarters, Commander Kito takes charge of the operation to destroy Raiga. As tanks would be held up by rush hour traffic, he dispatches fighter jets as the first line of defense instead. Raiga makes landfall, sending the Asahi Flame statue crashing down in front of Hajime and his friends. While the jets' cannons wound Raiga, his lightning shoots one down. They switch to missiles, indiscriminately firing them into the city. Nonetheless, enough manage to hit Raiga to force him to retreat.

Two months later, Hajime and his daughters are doing steady business with Raiga t-shirts. At dinner, Matsuri announces she wants to be an idol singer, but he scoffs at her. Bone Fish leap out of the Sumiga River and attack two of their friends, Nabe and Ryoko, as they walk home. While discussing the killings, a rakugo performer divulges that his father served on the Yamato during World War II when it battled another sea monster, Reigo. He notes that Raiga avoided destroying temples durings his rampage.

Raiga returns, derailing a train. Hajime is elated, seeing another moneymaking opportunity. Kito plans to land the killing blow against Raiga with cluster bombs, though the politicians fear a public outcry. Tanks shell Raiga; he retaliates with bolts of red energy from his hands. Hajime sends his daughters to a hotel while he and his friends patrol Benten shrine, though they suspect he's more interested in Madame Benten. An oversized tank called KAMIKAZE joins the fight, but Raiga destroys it after dodging its attacks. Hajime encounters Masumi and three of Matsuri's classmates, the latter convincing him to return to his daughters. However, he blurts out Masumi's name while mourning the destruction of the city, earning their ire.

The JSDF intensifies its attack on Raiga, toppling him, with a stealth fighter dropping cluster bombs. Suddenly, a second Raiga appears, shooting down the bombs and every aircraft in the sky. Kito calls for an all-out attack no matter the casualties, but the politicians overrule him, optimistic that the two monsters will return to the sea. Instead they do battle, devastating the Asakusa district with a beam lock. The newcomer is victorious and marks his territory before departing.

Hajime, his daughters, and his friends survey the ruins of Asakusa the next day. The men conclude that the monsters attacked to deliver a lesson about global warming, though the Edo sisters are skeptical. They resolve to hold a festival in Nabe and Ryoko's honor.

In a post-credits scene, the Edo sisters grow to Raiga's size and timidly battle him.

Staff

Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.

  • Directed by   Shinpei Hayashiya
  • Written by   Shinpei Hayashiya
  • Produced by   Hisako Iwai, Hajime Okano, Shinpei Hayashiya
  • Music by   Keiichiro Kitazono
  • Cinematography by   Toshiharu Nakagawa
  • Edited by   Yutaka Arai, Keiichiro Imamura
  • Production design by   Naoya Yoshida
  • Director of special effects   Shuichi Kokumai
  • Executive producer   Atsuko Iwai

Cast

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.

  • Yukijiro Hotaru   as   Hajime Edo
  • Miyu Oriyama   as   Matsuri Edo
  • Mao Urata   as   Hibari Edo
  • Manami Enosawa   as   Akari Edo
  • Hanji Yanagiya
  • Tokimatsu Sanyutei
  • Makoto Inamiya   as   Commander Kito
  • Mizuho Yoshida   as   Raiga


Appearances

Monsters

Weapons, vehicles, and races

Theatrical releases

  • Japan - August 15, 2009

Alternate titles

  • Reiga - The Monster from the Deep Sea (German DVD title)

Video releases

8-Films DVD (2017)

  • Region: 2
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: Japanese, German (5.1)
  • Subtitles: German
  • Special features: None

SRS Cinema VHS (2019)

  • Tapes: 1
  • Audio: Japanese
  • Subtitles: English
  • Notes: Limited to 50 copies.

SRS Cinema DVD/Blu-ray (2019)

  • Region: N/A
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: Japanese
  • Subtitles: English
  • Special features: "Making Raiga" featurette (62 minutes, no subtitles), trailers for the film and Reigo: King of the Sea Monsters
  • Notes: The Blu-ray edition is limited to 1,000 copies.

SRS Cinema/MVD Entertainment Blu-ray (2020)[1]

SRS Cinema Blu-ray (2022) [Reigo, Raiga, Ohga: Giant Monsters Attack]

Sequels

In 2019, a sequel named God Raiga vs. King Ohga: War of the Monsters was released.

Videos

Deep Sea Monster Raiga teaser
Deep Sea Monster Raiga trailer

Trivia

  • During Raiga's battle with the F-15Js, an American bystander identifies him as Godzilla. Hajime and his friends hurridly correct him.
  • The restaurant where Hajima and his daughters eat after selling Raiga t-shirts displays a poster for Reigo: King of the Sea Monsters.

References

This is a list of references for Raiga: God of the Monsters. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]

  1. "KAIJU CLASH DOUBLE FEATURE: REIGO AND RAIGA Blu-ray From SRS Cinema And MVD Ent In November". SciFi Japan. 2 August 2020.

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