Shobijin (Chibi Godzilla Raids Again)
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- Chibi Minilla: “What about the telepathy thing? Like speaking on behalf of Chibi Mothra.”
- Shobijin: “Well, of course! We can understand M's every thought!”
- Chibi Mothra: “Eh, it's pretty hit or miss.”
- ― Shobijin and Chibi Mothra speaking with Chibi Minilla and Chibi Godzilla (Chibi Godzilla Raids Again episode 23, "Shobijin Slump")
The Shobijin (小美人 Shōbijin, lit. "little beauties") are tiny twin fairies who appear in the 2023 anime series Chibi Godzilla Raids Again. They are the best friends of Chibi Mothra and reside on Monster Island alongside juvenile kaiju.
Name
"Shobijin" is a direct romanization of the Japanese term 小美人 (Shōbijin), meaning "little beauties."
Personality
Unlike most other versions of the characters, the Shobijin in Chibi Godzilla Raids Again are portrayed as vain, bossy, and impertinent. Though Chibi Mothra is perfectly capable of speaking with the other monsters on the island, her shy nature has led the much more assertive Shobijin to act as her psychic interpreters, though they do not seem concerned with trying to accurately convey her thoughts. To protect Chibi Mothra's feelings, they take on a confrontational and rude tone when meeting Chibi Mechagodzilla, but quickly change gears and attempt to set Chibi Mothra up on a date with him after she appears to take a liking to him. Despite their efforts, they more often than not only manage to embarrass or upset Chibi Mothra.
When talking with others, they often speak as one in monotone voices, though they typically speak individually when angered or alone with Chibi Mothra. Additionally, the episode "Shobijin Slump" reveals that the Shobijin can disagree with one another and thus fall out of sync over petty arguments, such as what shallow qualities they look for in men.
History
- Chibi Godzilla Raids Again (TV 2023-) [episodes 3, 6, 11, 17, 23, and 25]
Chibi Godzilla Raids Again
"The Resplendent Maiden, Chibi Mothra"
On Monster Island, the Shobijin were showing Chibi Mothra how to apply makeup when Chibi Godzilla arrived to introduce newcomer Chibi Mechagodzilla to her. However, the Shobijin intervened and spoke for Chibi Mothra instead, with Chibi Godzilla explaining that they shared a telepathic bond. Following some rude comments by the Shobijin, Chibi Mechagodzilla expressed doubt that the Shobijin were accurately conveying Chibi Mothra's thoughts and became annoyed. Speaking with Chibi Mothra directly, Chibi Mechagodzilla assured her that she was already cute just as she was and did not need the makeup, leaving her flustered. Seeing this, the Shobijin then pivoted to hook Chibi Mothra up on a date with Chibi Mechagodzilla, embarrassing Chibi Mothra to the point of tears and causing her to release her poisonous scales that incapacitated the entire group, including the Shobijin.
"The Roaring Dragon, Chibi Anguirus"
Chibi Godzilla enlisted the aid of the Shobijin to translate the unintelligible roars of Chibi Anguirus. However, they merely claimed that Chibi Anguirus found them very attractive, which Chibi Anguirus denied. Though Chibi Godzilla and the Shobijin continued to throw out various possible suggestions for what Chibi Anguirus was saying, he ultimately ended up rejecting every single suggestion.
"An All-Chibi Monster Chorus"
The Shobijin joined several other monsters on a trip to Chibi Biollante's bar, where Chibi Biollante revealed that they offered karaoke. The Shobijin pushed for Chibi Mothra to sing "Mothra's Song", though the Shobijin ultimately took over before she even had a chance to begin, surprising the other chibi monsters, including Chibi Mothra herself. Chibi Biollante then revealed the karaoke machine's scoring system, which awarded the Shobijin an average score and suggested that they needed to work on their synchronization. The Shobijin were infuriated by this criticism, though they attempted to pass off their rage as Chibi Mothra's. Eventually, Chibi Biollante recommended that they all sing a song together, with Chibi Godzilla selecting "Godzilla's Theme", which had no lyrics and forced the group to hum the song. While irritated by the humming, Chibi Mechagodzilla resigned and impassively sung along in a monotonous voice. However, the group ultimately earned a perfect score.
Abilities
Telepathy
The Shobijin possess telepathic capabilities that allow them to psychically communicate with each other and the other monsters of Monster Island, especially Chibi Mothra. However, their attempts to translate the thoughts of Chibi Mothra and Chibi Anguirus are shown to be incorrect on several occasions and appear to be nothing more than either their own thoughts or outright guesses, leaving the true extent of their abilities a mystery. Furthermore, the Shobijin can even fall out of sync with each other and lose their ability to read each others' thoughts, though it seems that they can regain synchronization when giving into their anger.
Gallery
- Main article: Shobijin/Gallery.
Trivia
- The Shobijin's outfits in this series appear to draw influence from those worn by their Showa counterparts in Mothra and Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster.
- This is not the first time that the Shobijin have been depicted as residents of Monster Island instead of Infant Island, as they also lived on the island alongside kaiju in the comic series Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths.
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