Out of all the cartoons we had back then, Godzilla was one of the best, with its vibrant art style, new adventures every episode, and amazing soundtrack to combine it all.

The opening sequence, with its bold music, still sticks in the mind. But is it really as good as we remember, or is it just nostalgia?

Godzilla: The Series (1998)

I went back searching for an answer to that question and watched the whole series again. Not only because I wanted an analysis, but also because I wanted to have that experience again, and it still holds up pretty well for an animated series that launched in 1998.

Godzilla: The Series is a direct spin-off from the 1998 Godzilla movie, which is often cited as a bad movie. Someone on IMDb reviewed the movie as a big-budget B-movie. Another stated that it is a fun movie and is less terrible than people say it is. However you put it, the movie has a pretty bad rating, and most people online say that the best thing about this movie is the spin-off animated series that came out of it.

The team

If you are a 90s kid, chances are you are well acquainted with the team. The team is called HEAT, which stands for Humanitarian Environmental Analysis Team.

The team is led by Dr Nick Tatopoulos, who is also the ‘adoptive father’ of Godzilla, along with Dr Elsie Chapman, who is a sarcastic palaeobiologist, and Dr Mendel Craven, who is portrayed as a cowardly and ‘allergic to everything’ engineer/chemist. Randy Hernandez, another team member who often makes comical remarks, is an intern who works under Nick and is an expert hacker. The last addition to the team is Monique Dupre, a French agent of the DGSE who is sent there to keep an eye on the team and Godzilla.

And last but not least, N.I.G.E.L.; a robot built by Dr Mendel that would get destroyed in every episode, and all that would be left was the head.

The episodes

In an average episode, the team would investigate or confront a new mutation (or monster) and try to solve it using their expert knowledge. Of course, things often go south, and then comes the G-Man: Godzilla, to save the day. A fight erupts, and Godzilla usually loses the first round. Then the team regroups, throws around their theories, tries to find a solution, and then confronts the monster again, this time winning as they combine their attempts with Godzilla’s brute force.

What stands out

A number of things about this series stand out. The depiction of Godzilla is different from the movie it is based on. For example, Godzilla is much more intelligent and agile in the animated series than his predecessor. He has the signature ‘Nuclear Breath’ that was not present in the movie. Godzilla also shows emotional intelligence.

The series has a few recurring villains, the most significant one being Cameron Winters, who is present in some of the best episodes, such as ‘The Winter of Our Discontent’, ‘An Early Frost’, and ‘Lizard Season’.

The overall writing and dialogue are decent, but it’s the art style that catches the eye. Episodes like ‘What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been’ are quite admirable and a breath of fresh air for a show like this. Imagine an episode where Godzilla is infected by a giant bacterium, and the team has to go inside Godzilla’s body to fight the bacteria ‘manually’. The idea was interesting back then, and it still sounds pretty cool.

Of course, there are flaws, but for an animated series from 1998, it can still stand on its own, and no, it’s not just the nostalgia talking.

Why don’t you look up an episode and see for yourself?