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It's a Gamera movie! After the first film clawed its way to release and found modest success, Daiei was ready to go all the way and give Gamera a second chance at the big screen, this time with an enemy monster to fight all his own, Godzilla style. No guests this week or for a while, as Season X is a purely Derek and Charlotte affair! Social Media Derek on Bluesky - @derekvandyke.bsky.social Charlotte on Bluesky - @dollblood.garden

It's EXTREMELY not a Godzilla movie. We begin our sidebar into (echoey voice effect) SEASON X to cover the Gamera series with the 1965 black and white original Gamera, the Giant Monster. Gamera is, famously, the most enduring of Godzilla's knockoff competitors, and we'll be looking at how Gamera grew up in the shadow of the Bigger G, and whether or not it ever comes to stand fully beside him. No guests this week or for a while, as Season X is a purely Derek and Charlotte affair! Social Media Derek on Bluesky - @derekvandyke.bsky.social Charlotte on Bluesky - @dollblood.garden

With major scheduling conflicts tying up recording on the next 5 episodes (the Netflix trilogy, King of the Monsters, and Godzilla Vs Kong) we're hitting the "break glass in case of emergency" in order to keep the show on the rails. Listen in for a candid discussion between the two of us about our plans for the show going a bit off the rails, and how embracing a knockoff may be able to save us. Social Media Derek on Bluesky - @derekvandyke.bsky.social Charlotte on Bluesky - @dollblood.garde

It's... not even a Godzilla movie? Okay, hold that thought until the credits are done rolling. Following in the footsteps of Legendary's Godzilla reboot, King Kong returns to the scene with his own Vietnam War era reimagining intended to prep the stage for a future crossover. And cross over they very much would... but not yet. We're joined this week once again by podcaster and frequent collaborator Case Aiken from Certain Point of View. We've appeared on his shows Men of Steel, Another Pass, and The Word from Tomorrow. The whole CPOV network comes with a Castle Bravo endorsement at this point, go check them out! Social Media Derek on Bluesky - @derekvandyke.bsky.social Charlotte on Bluesky - @dollblood.garden Case on Bluesky - @caseaiken.bsky.social

It's... not even a Godzilla movie? We take our first ever break from the schedule to talk about Pacific Rim, a movie that ISN'T Godzilla but made such an impact on general audiences that it paved the way for Legendary's Godzilla releasing a year later. The two were basically seen as companion films for a long time, and for years many were convinced that Legendary would end up folding Pacific Rim into the Monsterverse alongside Godzilla and Kong. It's still relevant to Godzilla's history, and it's a bonus episode, and the movie absolutely rips, so why not? We're joined this week by podcaster and frequent collaborator Case Aiken from Certain Point of View. We've appeared on his shows Men of Steel and Another Pass, and Derek will be making a future appearance on new limited series The Word from Tomorrow. We've got more in the tank planned with Case for Castle Bravo as well, so go check him and his network mates out over at CPOV! Social Media Derek on Bluesky - @derekvandyke.bsky.social Charlotte on Bluesky - @dollblood.garden Case on Bluesky - @caseaiken.bsky.social

It's not a sequel to anything! Again! Following Legendary's total reimagining of Godzilla in 2014, Toho joined forces with acclaimed anime writer and director Hideaki Anno (of Evangelion fame) to direct their own completely standalone reimagining of a Godzilla movie, unconnected even to the original. What we got is an impeccably made, gripping film that has an awful lot to say about Japanese and global politics while maybe not being the most coherent about what it's getting at. It's the movie Derek has been dreading since we started, and it's finally here. We're joined this week by friend of the show Blaine Klutchko. Blaine brings necessary heat to the episode, and ended up bringing some of the best debate and disagreement the show has ever had. Man, we love when art inspires strong emotions in all of us. Social Media Derek on Bluesky - @derekvandyke.bsky.social Charlotte on Bluesky - @dollblood.garden Blaine on Bluesky - @morbidlycurious.bsky.social

It's not a sequel to anything! The Americans get another crack at Godzilla, bringing the king of the monsters back after a decade-long hiatus. The result is a movie that would launch one of the only successful cinematic universes in modern Hollywood, the uneven but thoroughly interesting "Godzilla". Come for Bryan Cranston, stay for... well, not Bryan Cranston, sadly. We're joined this week by writer and PR man Camilo Olmedo. Unfortunately he does not rep the Big G, which would be the easiest (or hardest?) job in existence. Social Media Derek on Bluesky - @derekvandyke.bsky.social Charlotte on Bluesky - @dollblood.garden Cam on Bluesky - @greeneggzandcam.bsky.social

It's not a sequel to Tokyo SOS! Or, for that matter, a sequel to Godzilla vs Destoroyah, so stop saying that! It's truly the end of an era as we come upon the infamous Godzilla: Final Wars, a movie that decided that whatever it was going to be, it was going to be a lot of it. Featuring the most kaiju we've seen in a movie so far, and almost as many references to modern American blockbusters, Final Wars hits the ground running and refuses to slow down long enough to think about how it's going to pull off this next part. We're joined this week by writer and journalist Ashley Schofield. You can look for her book "VA-11 Hall-A: Design Works" when it releases in 2026. Social Media Derek on Bluesky - @derekvandyke.bsky.social Charlotte on Bluesky - @dollblood.garden (changed since recording) Ashley on Bluesky - @ashlikeadragon.bsky.social

It's... a sequel to Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla! Toho's reimagining of Mechagodzilla was a hit, and for the sequel they decided to amp up the star factor with a fan favorite who Mechagodzilla had never had a chance to meet: Mothra! This movie takes full advantage of this setting's unusual take of "the Showa era but Godzilla was only around for the first movie" to give us a world where Mothra has not been seen since the events of her original film, and she's here to steal the show. We're joined this week by friend, writer, podcaster, and returning guest, Atma Phoenix! Atma stepped up to bat on short notice in a busy holiday season, and it was fantastic to pal around with her again. Social Media Derek on Bluesky - @derekvandyke.bsky.social Charlotte on Bluesky - @dollblood.garden (changed since recording) Atma on Bluesky - @atmasweapon.com

It's been a long gap and a tumultuous summer. As we warm the machine back up for full production, we look back on the movies we've covered so far and casually chat about how many of them have stuck with us over time. It's a light episode, but it got electrons to start moving through brainmeats. We'll be back soon with the next full episode. Social Media Derek on Bluesky - @derekvandyke.bsky.social Charlotte on Bluesky - @dollblood.garden

It's not a sequel to GMK! The Millennium era of Godzilla sees yet another "fresh start" that only acknowledges the original film, but weirdly also a bunch of other connected non-Godzilla movies of the Showa era. Boot up your DNA computers, because the latest model of Mechagodzilla is here to grace the silver screen once again with a drastically different take that was immediately beloved by fans. We're joined this week by friend and journalist Samuel Tolbert. Sam is good folks, and this won't be the last time you hear from him on Castle Bravo. Hint hint. Social Media Derek on Bluesky - @derekvandyke.bsky.social Charlotte on Bluesky - @dollblood.garden (changed since recording) Samuel on Bluesky - @samueltolbert.bsky.social

It's not a sequel to Godzilla vs Megaguirus! Okay, that part's more obvious than last time. Today's movie is one of the most highly regarded in the franchise, and certainly the one with the longest title (just call it GMK). It's the darkest, most mean-spirited movie in the franchise so far, rocking a totally different creative crew from anything we've seen on a Godzilla movie before, and love it or hate it you certainly won't forget it. We're joined this week by returning guests and fellow cohosts of Super Deluxe GamesCast, John and Brittney. Everybody's mental health is bad, but the energy we're bringing to this recording is FROGGY. Social Media Derek on Bluesky - @derekvandyke.bsky.social Charlotte on Bluesky - @blood.doll.church John on Bluesky - @magitekdad.bsky.social Brit on Bluesky - @peachia.bsky.social

It's not a sequel to Godzilla 2000! The often underlooked Godzilla vs Megaguirus brings over most of the creative team behind Godzilla 2000, and sure SEEMS like it should be a sequel, but it very specifically isn't! Setting the stage for a VERY strange new millennium of Godzilla, Godzilla vs Megaguirus gives us prehistoric black hole dragonflies and inexplicable flooding of Tokyo 1. Polish paleontologists will never stop haunting us. We're joined this week by our first guest of the season: journalist Eric Switzer, editor and producer over at TheGamer. We asked him what it felt like to wait literal years to get to talk about this movie, and all we got was nervous laughter. Social Media Derek on Bluesky - @derekvandyke.bsky.social Charlotte on Bluesky - @blood.doll.church Eric on Bluesky - @epicswitzer.bsky.social

WELCOME BACK TO LIZARD CHURCH! Derek and Charlotte return after a healthy absence to kick off a new season of Castle Bravo. We had almost as much of a break as Godzilla himself, who was put back to work ASAP after the backlash to TriStar's first American Godzilla film. Godzilla 2000, released in 1999 (because what do numbers mean), received a huge western marketing push and a rare theatrical release. How does this edgy reboot of an edgy reboot fare? Episodes in Season Four will be coming more sporadically as we work around our own increasingly chaotic schedules, but we're officially back in business, baybeeeeeee!

The season three finale is here as we tackle one of the most infamous blockbusters of the 90s. It has loomed over our heads for several episodes, languishing in development hell, but the 1998 Tristar Godzilla is finally here. Hollywood Disaster Film magnates Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich bring their crew from Stargate and Independence Day to bring audiences a movie almost as big as its marketing deals were. It's the movie that forced a rapid course correction from Toho, but is it finally time to give the original American Godzilla a second chance? We're joined this week by two guests. First, former SDGC cohost and former Paused for Popcorn host Jeff Meier. Second, and returning once again, Case Aiken from the Certain Point of View network.