Shobijin (Godzilla: Tokyo SOS)
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Godzilla's bones must be returned to the sea. If they're not, then Mothra will declare war on the human race. Naturally, we don't want that war to happen... And neither does Mothra.
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— Shobijin (Godzilla: Tokyo SOS) |
Hio (ヒオ Hio) and Mana (マナ Mana), known collectively as the Shobijin (小美人 Shōbijin, lit. "little beauties"), are tiny twin priestesses of Mothra who appeared in the 2003 Godzilla film Godzilla: Tokyo SOS.
Relatives of Mothra's original priestesses, Hio and Mana appeared to Shinichi Chujo along with Mothra in 2004 to warn that the first Godzilla's bones, used as the basis for the anti-Godzilla weapon Kiryu, must be returned to the sea, as life must be lived in the time nature allows. They claimed that Mothra would defend humanity from Godzilla in Kiryu's place, but said Mothra would be forced to declare war on mankind if the bones were not returned. They ultimately assisted Mothra, her larvae, and Chujo's nephew and Kiryu mechanic Yoshito in the battle against Godzilla.
Name
The name "Shobijin," a romanization of the Japanese Shōbijin (小美人) meaning "little beauties," originates from the 1961 film Mothra, in which it is applied to the original fairies by the character Zenichiro Fukuda. The Shobijin from Godzilla: Tokyo SOS were the first theatrical incarnations of the characters to use this name in close to 40 years, as the previous versions of Mothra's fairies from Godzilla vs. Mothra and the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy were instead called "Cosmos" and "Elias," respectively. They are also the first of Mothra's fairies identified as Shobijin to be given individual names: Hio and Mana.[4] These names were chosen by director Masaaki Tezuka, and are contractions of their respective actresses' names, Chihiro Otsuka and Masami Nagasawa.[6]
The book Godzilla Dictionary [New Edition] distinguishes these fairies as Shobijin (Third Generation) (小美人（3代目） Shōbijin (Sandaime)), after the First and Second from the Showa era as played by The Peanuts and Pair Bambi, respectively.[5] Peculiarly, the Godzilla Toho Giant Monster Pictorial Book gives their name in English as Saint Fairy, in contrast to the Showa Shobijin whose name is given as simply "Fairy".[1]
Personality
Hio and Mana primarily act as envoys for Mothra; they are deeply concerned for the natural order, but are also determined to prevent Mothra's possible war with humanity should they fail to return Godzilla's bones to the sea. This desire to protect humanity was highlighted in their decision to assist Yoshito Chujo on his mission to repair the downed Kiryu despite their request for the mech to be returned to the ocean, possibly acknowledging that Mothra's larvae were outmatched in the battle or that helping Kiryu defeat Godzilla would allow the mech to fulfill its intended purpose and thus allow humanity to return Godzilla's bones to the sea.
Origins
During their initial visit to the Chujos, Hio and Mana state that the fairies Shinichi met in 1961 were from "our family" (私たち一族 watashi-tachi ichizoku). This relation is reiterated in external sources such as Godzilla: Tokyo SOS's contemporaneous theater program, Fantastic Collection, and Super Complete Works.[refs 2] However, earlier in their conversation, Shinichi and the new Shobijin speak to one another as though they have met before; they greet him by saying (as translated in Sony's subtitles), "It's been a long time, hasn't it?" and he later reassures Yoshito, "They're old acquaintances," to which the Shobijin respond, "So you do remember us, sir?" This exchange has caused some sources to misunderstand Hio and Mana as being the same fairies from 1961, namely Godzilla Dictionary and its New Edition. The book reasons, "They may be the same Shobijin as the First Generation, as they tell Shinichi Chujo, 'It's been a long time,' but their height and faces are different. It is also possible that they have inherited the memories of the First Generation [Shobijin] through telepathy."[5]
History
- Godzilla: Tokyo SOS (2003)
Millennium era
Godzilla: Tokyo SOS
Forty-three years after his expedition to Infant Island, linguist Shinichi Chujo, alongside his nephew Yoshito and his grandson Shun, were unexpectedly visited by the tiny fairies Hio and Mana. They revealed themselves to be relatives of the original Shobijin that Chujo had met all those years ago and explained that they came with an urgent request: that Godzilla's bones be sent back to the sea. The skeleton of the original Godzilla had been used in the creation of the giant mech Kiryu, which prevented its soul from finding rest - but the Shobijin insisted that life needed to be lived in the time nature allowed, and humans could not change that. They assured Chujo's concerned family that if the new Godzilla ever returned, Mothra would protect them. Before departing with Mothra, however, the Shobijin warned that if their request was denied, Mothra would be forced to declare war on humanity for interfering with the natural order. They left behind a stone with Mothra's symbol, which Shun later used to help him summon Mothra after Godzilla appeared in Tokyo.
As Mothra fought against Godzilla, the Shobijin sang to Mothra's egg on Himago Island. After telepathically hearing the dying Mothra's cries, the egg hatched before the Shobijin, who were shocked to witness two larvae emerge. The larvae promptly left for Japan to assist their mother, with the Shobijin joining them. The adult Mothra later died in battle in front of her offspring while Kiryu was also deployed, though the mech was severely damaged in its bout against Godzilla, requiring the aid of a mechanic - Yoshito. On his way to Kiryu, Yoshito became trapped in a collapsed underground tunnel and lost his case. While searching through the rubble, Yoshito noticed the Shobijin appear before him, prompting him to insist that they could discuss Godzilla later. Instead, the fairies silently located the case using their telekinetic abilities and showed him the way out. Thanks to Yoshito's actions, Kiryu was repaired and went on to assist Mothra's larvae in defeating Godzilla. The original Godzilla's spirit took over the machine, flying Godzilla out to sea before plummeting into the ocean to rest for all eternity. With their mission successful, Hio and Mana departed Japan with the Mothra larvae.
Abilities
Telepathy
Like most versions of the Shobijin, Hio and Mana share a telepathic bond with each other and Mothra. They can also speak to others through their minds.
Telekinesis
Hio and Mana are capable of levitating and moving objects with their minds alone.
Video games
- Godzilla Defense Force (2019) - Android and iOS
Godzilla Defense Force
In the face of a great Xilien invasion, various incarnations of Mothra's fairies appear as unlockable allies who can join forces with the player and the Earth Defense Force against the Xiliens' monsters. This includes Hio and Mana alongside the Cosmos, the Elias, and various other versions of the Shobijin.
The Shobijin ('03) in Godzilla Defense Force
Gallery
- Main article: Shobijin/Gallery.
Trivia
- Masami Nagasawa and Chihiro Otsuka would go on to reprise their roles as the Shobijin one year later in Godzilla Final Wars, albeit as a separate incarnation of the characters with no relation to this incarnation.
- Hio and Mana are the only film version of Mothra's priestesses to not appear on Infant Island, though they do mention the island by name when speaking to Shinichi Chujo. They instead appear on Himago Island, though it is unclear if they reside there.
Notes
- ↑ Some sources round down to "about 20 centimeters."[6] The Godzilla: Tokyo SOS theater program uses this measurement in its synopsis, but 21 centimeters in the Shobijin's profile.[7] Godzilla Against Type-3 Kiryu (Mechagodzilla) Completion explains that the "about" is due to the height difference between actresses Masami Nagasawa and Chihiro Otsuka. During that book's creation, a photo of the actresses was attempted to be accurately printed at the Shobijin's size, the result of which was Nagasawa (Mana) measuring ~20.8 cm and Otsuka (Hio) ~20.1 cm.[6]
- Grouped references
References
This is a list of references for Shobijin (Godzilla: Tokyo SOS). 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]
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Bibliography
- Toho Stella, ed. (13 December 2003). Godzilla: Tokyo SOS (theater program). Toho.
- Shimazaki, Jun; Tomoi, Taketo; Kobayashi, Yuji (30 December 2003). Fantastic Collection - Godzilla: Tokyo SOS. Asahi Sonorama. ISBN 4-257-03688-5.
- Matsui, Satoshi, ed. (1 January 2004). Godzilla: Tokyo SOS Super Complete Works. Shogakukan. ISBN 4-09-101493-3.
- Nakamura, Satoshi; Shimazaki, Jun (1 April 2005). Godzilla Toho Giant Monster Pictorial Book. Shogakukan. ISBN 4-09-280052-5.
- Nomura, Kohei (7 August 2014). Godzilla Dictionary [New Edition]. Kasakura Publishing. ISBN 978-4-7730-8725-3.
- Hazawa, Masato (21 December 2016). "Mana and Hio Are in Your Home Too!". Godzilla Against Type-3 Kiryu (Mechagodzilla) Completion. Hobby Japan. ISBN 978-4-7986-1353-6.
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