You've seen books dedicated to the special effects of Japanese monster movies, but this is perhaps the first tome to take an in-depth look at both the writers and the writing process behind these films. This book charts the wild developmental process of all of Japan's many monster films. Learn how Gamera was born when the Daiei Studios president looked out his airplane window and saw a cloud shaped like a turtle; how began as ; and how Ultraman originally started out with the name and design of one his future opponents! Discover a floppy-eared Godzilla; a blue-scaled, rainbow-winged King Ghidorah; and a transforming Mechagodzilla! Marvel at roots as a Japanese co-production called ; puzzle at a version of Godzilla 1985 starring Leslie Nielsen rather than Raymond Burr; thrill to Mothra's secret origin in , and be amazed at Miki Saegusa's surprising backstory in an early treatment for . And that's not all, this book has bios on writers like Shinichi Sekizawa, Niisan Takahashi, Yukiko Takayama, and Kazuki Omori; plus appendices including a comprehensive script guide and comparisons between the films and their manga adaptations!