Frankenstein Conquers The World (1965)

Starring Tadao Takashima, Nick Adams, Kumi Mizuno, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Koji Furuhata
Directed by Ishiro Honda
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The ever-beating heart of Frankenstein's monster grows a new body around it which swells to gigantic size, and while scientists and the military pursue it, a new monster emerges to threaten Japan. 

Although the film culminates in the expected giant monster fight, this is still a bit of a departure among Toho's kaiju productions, and a bit moodier and darker than I was expecting, but all for the good I think.  I loved the film's prologue, which traces the path of the preserved heart of the Frankenstein monster from a Nazi laboratory to a Japanese laboratory in Hiroshima, just before the city is bombed, which sets up the radioactive rebirth and growth of the monster.  This sequence is really well done, with a nicely designed German castle set, and good special effects for the dangers faced by the German and Japanese submarines transporting the heart.  Nick Adams, paired again with the lovely Kumi Mizuno, provides another stalwart lead, although he doesn't quite get to show as much emotion or personality as in Godzilla Vs. Monster Zero.  I liked Furuhata's characterization of Frankenstein's monster as he grows from a young boy to an immense giant, and freed from the need for a monster suit, the actor brings some lithe energy to his wrestling of the creature Baragon.  Many of Toho's best craftsmen worked on the film, from director Honda to composer Akira Ifukube, and special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, and it shows.

Matango (1963)

Starring Akira Kubo, Kumi Mizuno, Hiroshi Koizumi, Kenji Sahara, Hiroshi Tachikawa
Directed by Ishiro Honda
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After a yacht is wrecked by a storm, the passengers and crew make it to an island where they learn the mushrooms are radioactive, and may have transformed other people on the island into creatures.

An impressive film from Ishiro Honda, very different from his kaiju productions, offers an interesting mystery story among the drama of the castaways looking for a way to survive, and although there are indeed mushroom creatures to behold, their reality within the plot line falls under doubt, with hallucinations or dream visions also taking place.  Honda and his writers use the castaways in the familiar but effective structure of a microcosm of humanity, with the conflict exposing which characters are pure of heart and which are driven by greed or antagonism.  The special effects and suit actors, although employed less than in a kaiju film, are well-presented, but I found the film's creepiest moment to be the eerie laughter that accompanies the growth of the mushrooms in the island's rain.

The War Of The Gargantuas (1966)

Starring Russ Tamblyn, Kumi Mizuno, Kenji Sahara, Nobuo Nakamura, Jun Tazaki
Directed by Ishiro Honda
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

When a giant monster from the sea emerges and attacks, it's thought to be the benevolent creature created by scientists from a young ape, but the ape monster returns to battle the new creature. 

As my friend Dan Day Jr. confirmed, this kaiju film from the Toho studio has somewhat of a tenuous connection with the prior feature Frankenstein Conquers The World for while the dubbed version of the film I watched referred to it as "Frankenstein," there's quite a few differences in the creature from that film and the ones we see here.  The two creatures on display in this outing are giant hairy apes, colored brown and green respectively, one of which can apparently breathe and survive underwater.  Once I got past that initial confusion, I found this to be an enjoyable monster romp, with the creature scenes well-staged so the monster-suited actors were believable as giants, augmented by giant hand props and good special effects.  Although there were a few sequences where I could tell model work was being used, the gargantuas' climactic battle in which they crush quite a few buildings looked as authentic as the time and budget would allow.  I've heard a number of people opine that American actor Russ Tamblyn was a disappointment and perhaps didn't take the role seriously as the film's central scientist.  I agree he was a bit stiff but didn't find that he detracted from my enjoyment of the film all that much.  I wouldn't place it among my favorite kaiju productions, as I thought the combat and destruction scenes overwhelmed the story at times, but Akira Ifukube's score was a plus, and Honda's sure-handed direction and the quality of the special effects were also of merit.

Godzilla Vs. Monster Zero (1965)

Starring Nick Adams, Akira Takarada, Jun Tazaki, Akira Kubo, Kumi Mizuno
Directed by Inoshiro Honda
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Aliens from the mysterious Planet X ask the Earth for the help of their giant monsters, Godzilla and Rodan, to save their world from "Monster Zero," but they may have other motives as well.

Although the film features quite a bit of giant monster action, the creatures are almost a sidelight, with the main conflict being between the sinister aliens from Planet X and the space pilots (Adams & Takarada) who are wise to their covert shenanigans.  Although Adams is one of the film's protagonists, he adds quite a bit of humor to the film as well, with an at times outlandish Brooklyn accent.  The special effects by Eiji Tsubaraya are again first rate, with not only Godzilla, Rodan, and "Monster Zero" showcased, but also some impressive flying saucers, although some wires are visible.  When the monsters do fight, it's entertaining and the devastation they cause is balanced with lighter moments like Godzilla jumping for joy after driving off an enemy.