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Monsterland / Monster IslandMonsterland Monsterland was introduced in the 1968 film, Destroy All Monsters. The United Nations had decided to gather all the Earth's giant monsters and corral them into a single location, then keep them there. The Ogasawara Islands were chosen for the project and by 1999, Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, Anguirus, Gorosaurus, Kumonga, Minya, Baragon, Manda, and Varan were all present on Monsterland. Various security devices were installed on the island to make sure the kaiju didn't escape. Among the various devices were machines that sprayed different types of mist that Godzilla and Mothra shied away from, as well as a magnetic wall that prevented Rodan from flying away. All was well until the Kilaaks invaded, taking control of the monsters and breaking them free from Monsterland. After the Kilaaks were foiled, the monsters returned to Monsterland and have been living there since. Monster Island Monster Island first showed up in 1969's All Monsters Attack, in the dreams of a young boy named Ichiro. He dreamt of befriending Minya and watching him and Godzilla battle other monsters. In Ichiro's dream, the kaiju living on Monster Island were Godzilla, Minya, Gabara, Kamacuras, Kumonga, Ebirah, Anguirus, Gorosaurus, Manda, the giant condor from Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster, and Rodan (though Rodan goes unseen). Though, since this is just a dream, we cannot take this list seriously. For all we know, it is simply a list of Ichiro's favorite kaiju. In Godzilla vs Gigan (1972), we discover that Monster Island really does exist, and that Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, Anguirus, Minya, Gorosaurus, Kumonga, and Kamacuras all live upon it. We also see that Monster Island lacks any of the security devices that Monsterland possessed, as Godzilla and Anguirus are able to leave at will with no resistance. The next time we see Monster Island, it is one of many locations being wrecked by nuclear testing (Godzilla vs. Megalon, 1973). The chaos disturbs Godzilla, Rodan, and Anguirus. As Godzilla and Anguirus try to escape the explosions, the latter falls down a huge crevasse in the ground. In Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla (1974), after Godzilla loses his initial fight against Mechagodzilla, we see him resting on a beach during a thunderstorm. This locale is most likely Monster Island. Monsterland, Monster Island, and Continuity Though, chronologically, it's obvious that Monster Island comes before Monsterland, many fans are unsure when exactly the island comes into existence. It's obviously been formed, and has been around for quite some time, by 1972. But recall that nothing kaiju-related happened between the years 1967 and 1971 (Destroy All Monsters took place in the future, all of All Monsters Attack's monster scenes were a dream, and nothing at all happened in 1970). That, plus Godzilla simply appears in Godzilla vs Hedorah; he very well could have come from Monster Island. With that said, the following had to have happened between '67 and '72: This raises some questions. Why, or how, did Mothra leave Infant Island? The island had been the home of Mothra for eons, why leave? Did she leave on her own, or was she moved by the U.N.? Secondly, where were the Shobijin? Did they have any say in Mothra's relocation? How did Monster Island come about? Were the kaiju corralled to the island by humanity, or did the monsters go there of their own volition? Perhaps that is what happened; the kaiju moved to Monster Island, and the U.N. installed the security devices as soon as they could. It couldn't have been too soon, though, as Godzilla and Anguirus obviously had no trouble leaving the island, and did so many times. Also, at what point were Baragon, Manda, and Varan added to the island's roster? Though, as stated above, Manda is "seen" on Monster Island by Ichiro, none of them are on the island in reality in 1972, and most likely not by 1975, either. So their arrival on Monster Island had to have taken place between then and 1999. Also, what of the possibility that Monster Island and Monsterland are completely different locations? Godzilla vs. Megalon makes reference to "Far away Monster Island in the South Pacific," while in Destroy All Monsters, they say "Monsterland is close by!" If this is the case, how did the kaiju get from one island to the other? The Bottom Line Ultimately, it comes down to the writers. They obviously liked the idea of all the monsters living on the same island from Destroy All Monsters, and proceeded to use it in the following films, trying to work around the fact that it didn't show up until 1999 (changing the name to "Monster Island" in the process). The fact that Godzilla was laying around on Monster Island, ready and waiting to face off against the newest challenge, must have been worlds easier than coming up with a different way for him to enter the picture with each new movie. Indeed, by the time the Mechagodzilla films came around, Godzilla simply popped up whenever he was needed, without any explanation whatsoever. Monster Island in Godzilla: The Series Another version of Monster Island existed in , the sequel to Godzilla (1998). This incarnation was formed out of an island that was formerly the base of operations for the Tachyon aliens, at the suggestion of Major Hicks. This island eventually became the home to Crustaceous Rex, King Cobra, the Giant Bat, Skeetera, and Shrewster. Godzilla also visited the island occasionally, though because he travelled with H.E.A.T., never became a permenant resident. Large, cage-like apparatuses were installed on the island to keep the kaiju isolated from each other, and they remain on Monster Island to this day, though they have suffered a few casualties. In an alternate timeline, Monster Island fell under seige by the invincible Dragma creatures, and every kaiju there (including Godzilla) was slaughtered by their might.
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