Gogamezilla by AnrakuAnsaku

Now this is a figure I didn't see myself ever coming across. Fortunately I came across the right message board thread at the right time, which allowed me to zip over to eBay and pick this monstrosity up. What a blend of kaiju goodness it is!

Gogamejiras is a monster from a short series of animations on AnrakuAnsaku's website. I am not positive of the background of the character really, but the animations are pretty funny. He has elements of Godzilla with his overall lizard appearance, Gamera in that his feet fold up into rockets to boost him through the air, and an ugli fruit.

Goga seems like a real asshole in them as he just knocks down buildings, blows shit up and covers a man in a giant loogie missile at one point. You can see the animations at the following address:

http://www.anrakuansaku.com/gogameji.htm

[EDIT: As of June, 2008, this link seems to be broken. I'm not sure if the Anraku site will be coming back online, but I will leave my links to it here just in case it does!]


The company makes some pretty unique and old style monsters... most of which seem to be at least partially transparent and all to me have an almost kewpie doll feel to them. You can see the Goga in the top left here as well as some of their other beasts. AnrakuAnsaku has a sort of home made, do-it-yourself feel to their product which I think makes them all the cooler.

Header //5 out of 5//:

I really like the artwork included on the Goga header. Both sides are designed (and honestly I'm not entirely sure which one is the front now. It fits very well with the DIY, homemade vibe of the figure itself. The artwork is that of the website and black-and-white paper insert. I'm not sure what all the text says, but I like that Gogamezilla is shown in his assholey best.... knocking down a clock tower and blowing his breath weapon. The header appears to be printed very small scale probably on an inkjet printer or possibly a color copy, but when taking into account the limited availability of these sculpts, it really makes it feel somewhat like a punk rock zine made on the public library copier.

Sculpt //3 out of 5 technical and 4.25 out of 5 visual//:

I am giving this piece 2 scores here because there have been problems pointed out with the sculpt, but visually it is one of the more interesting toys I have seen.

The Gogamezilla in particular has some issues with the flashing... or the extra vinyl that fits inside another opening and helps to hold these hollow figures together... (I'm not sure if AnrakuAnsaku's other figures have this same issue) From what I understand from speaking with others, the flashing is often trimmed too short which causes the legs, tail, etc. to fit not so perfectly onto the body. I believe I may have lucked out on my particular Goga, because everything seems very solid. There are a couple small areas at the tail joint and the leg joints where the mold itself just doesnt fit right together... like the shapes are just not exactly the same, and that leaves some small gaps.

I could see some balance issues with this figure as well. Again, maybe I lucked out because mine seems very well balanced, but with such a large head and small legs, I could definitely see this figure tipping over. The oversize tail helps to balance also.

And a nit-picky complaint here... this figure takes up a lot of surface area. This really is an issue when shelf space is limited. There is no way for me to properly display him in my Detolf case.

Visually, this sculpt is very interesting. There is great texture in the skin, and his unique arms and head shape really help this piece to stand out amongst many Godzilla clones. With a head that resembles a grapefruit, it is hard to view this guy as evil. His appearance definitely brings a smile to my face. The sculpt of this really reflects the artist's drawings of the character well, capturing I think the hand drawn qualities in 3 dimensions. His dimensions also lend to the visual interest with his oversize tail, tiny claws, and bulbous head. The exposed ribs and smooth interior of the mouth add a little variety to the bumpy surface overall. Very nice visual piece.

Paint //N/A//:

My particular figure is unpainted, but there are many Gogas around that are. As you can see, mine does made from a bright transparent orange vinyl, when combined with the right angle light and the highly textured surface lead to some great coloration and shadows.

Coolness //4.5 out of 5//:

This is by far one of the coolest kaiju toys I own. It is very unique and a conversation starter whenever it pops up. I gave it a 4 simply because I compare this particular unpainted one with painted Gogas I have seen and also ones that have guts inserted. With guts and a sweet paint job, this one is easily a 5.

Value //2 out of 5//:

Given the scarcity of the AnrakuAnsaku figures in general, I think value becomes relative. It cost quite a bit, but I do not feel I was ripped off. The value here would be much higher if one could be obtained at retail I imagine. I know I paid well over that.

Overall //4.25 out of 5//:
Positives: Clear vinyl always wins me over, unique sculpt

Negatives: Pricey, joint issues, could be top heavy if parts aren't fitting on just right, GIANT footprint making it tougher to display with other pieces.

Gogamejiras (Gogamezilla) was one of the figures I just assumed I would never come across. I feel lucky that this one fell in my lap, and despite paying quite a bit for it, I think it will remain in my collection for quite some time.