The T.A.P. Tag. Godzilla Edition

What’s the T.A.P. Tag?

---

So I was tagged by fellow blogger and anime enthusiast Yomu to partake in what is know as the T.A.P. Tag. The idea being that you write a collection of Japanese poems called Tanka about anime. But Yomu kindly allowed me to do some Godzilla themed Tanka’s since Godzilla is one of the main themes on my blog. I’m happy to have been accepted for this tag and shall hope to deliver.

How Will This Work?

---

So according to Yomu’s original post where I was tagged, there are certain rules as to how this tag works;

1. Headline your post with “The T.A.P. Tag!” and put “tanka” as one of your tags.
2. Make sure to link back to the original post that started the tag. (This tag was started by Luminous Mongoose.)
3. Make sure to mention the person who introduced the tag to you! (Already have but once again I was nominated by Yomu.)
4. Pick 1-3 of your favorite anime.
5. Write your tanka about the anime you’ve chosen. It’s fine if you decide to do only one or two if the schedule is tight.
6. A tanka has a set structure in its verse. The lines need a specific number of syllables in them. The order being 5, 7, 5, 7, 7.
7. Tag at least 3 or more bloggers you know, and get their creative muscles flowing.

However, Yomu kindly mentioned in my tag comment that I can do Godzilla themed tanka’s, which I greatly appreciate. So for my version of this tag, I’m going to gather a collection of various Kaiju from the Godzilla franchise and write tanka’s about them. With that said, lets get into these tanka’s

Shin Godzilla

---

Shin Godzilla is my favorite incarnation of the king of the monsters, and has so much artistic meaning behind it. For this tanka, I was inspired by the song Who Will Know (Tragedy) from the movie, which has a lot of themes that connect to Godzilla.

https://movieweb.com/godzilla-movie-universe-toho-plans/

---

Death is all there is

My pain lengthens ever more

Despise my makers

The world brought forth its worst blight

The smoke of past transgressions

---

CONTEXT: So the meaning behind it? Well it has a lot to do with what the linked song implies about Godzilla. It was created by nuclear waste and feels only pain and anguish in its existence. Godzilla loathes humanity for its creation of his grotesque abilities and is considered to be the earth taking revenge on humans for destroying it. The smoke at the end is a reference to a scene from the movie where Godzilla ignites Tokyo with a blaze of fire and smoke. *Phew* Well now that the first ones out the way, I can move on.

Godzilla Earth

---

Now transitioning into the Godzilla anime movies, we take a shot at Godzilla earth. Godzilla earth is the largest Godzilla to date, coming in at 900 feet tall and weighing 100,000 tons. For inspiration I simply looked at Godzilla’s size and power to gauge what I can say about it. This tanka will follow Godzilla Earth as the ruler of earth in the year 20,000 where the movie is set.

https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/godzilla-earth-planet-of-the-monsters-in-the-tournament-of-power-dragonball-super.625984/

---

Slumbering Mountain

A continent given life

Size beyond fathom

Power without a rival

Here rests the ruler of earth

---

CONTEXT: So this tanka is meant to showcase the sheer vastness of Godzilla earth. When you see him, you find it hard to comprehend his size and the power he wields puts other incarnations to absolute shame. When you think of the term King of the Monsters, you think about a creature that is above all, and cannot be matched by any other being, and to me Godzilla Earth encompasses this title perfectly.

Godzilla 2001

---

So this Godzilla is from Giant Monsters All Out Attack, which still holds the distinction of being the longest title of a movie I’ve seen. This Godzilla cements itself as my favorite in terms of lore. A Godzilla possessed by the souls of those killed in WW2, it’s weird but awesome. Anyway, into the tanka.

https://worldofthecore.wordpress.com/2016/07/25/godzilla-mothra-king-ghidorah-giant-monsters-all-out-attack-2001-review/

---

They forgot us all

They tried to erase the past

But we won’t let them

This monster shall remind them

Sins of days past shall remain

---

CONTEXT: For me, this Godzilla represents the misery of the past, and is out to remind the world what it means to suffer in the face of desperation. The horrors of WW2 can never be forgotten, and this Godzilla exists to remind the Japanese of the mistakes of the past. The people chose to forget the past and delved into a spiral of sin, reflected in the youth in the movie. But Godzilla reminds us that we need to remember where we’ve walked before we movie toward the future.

Conclusion

---

Anyway, that was it for this T.A.P. Tag, I had a blast with this one. Special thanks to Yomu for nominating me for this one, I appreciate being included in this tag. Now for my own nominations;

• The AniMessenger: I bet you could come up with some great Pokémon themed tanka’s. 🙂
• danzilla93: Maybe we can keep up with the Godzilla theme here.
• Kanradi: I belive you could make some really cool tanka’s, you certainly have a lot of anime to choose from.

Thank you for reading my post I hope you enjoyed it. If you did please consider leaving a like and following my blog for updates on future posts. Till next time.