History YMMV / ShinGodzilla

** The use of a CGI Godzilla in a Japanese film also harkens back to the similarly Toho-produced ''Always: Sunset on Third Street'', in which ''Shin'''s VFX vendor Creator/{{Shirogumi}} recreated the 1954 incarnation of the character for the opening scene.

** The random sequences in which Japanese characters (located in Japan no less) will speak full sentences to other Japanese characters ''in English''. Not only is it completely unnecessary, as they're shown conversing fluently in Japanese moments before ''and'' after these sequences, but most of the Japanese actors reading these lines are... not the best with their pronounciations, meaning any intended effect of making them appear flawlessly billingual falls flat on it's face within seconds

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: At several points throughout the movie, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b69Fku3ma68 a song]] with a similar drumline to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehX878lCKmo one from]] ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' plays. {{Justified}}, since the not only do ''Evangelion'' and ''Shin Godzilla'' share [[Creator/HideakiAnno a co-director]], but they were scored by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiro_Sagisu the same man]].

** Unintentional similarities to {{Website/SCP|Foundation}}-[[Characters/SCPFoundationSCP682 682]]: a massive reptilian entity that despises humanity, must be destroyed as soon as a conclusive means of doing so is found, and can alter its body in order to counter threats in an ItOnlyWorksOnce manner. Can't be killed by nuclear weapons, and only temporarily stopped using a liquid chemical substance. Bits that come off have to be destroyed to avoid making more of them. Described as the ultimate life form.

* TearJerker: The lyrics to "Who Will Know" are about suffering, possessing a strong sense of longing, and self-resentment. It is sometimes suggested by fans to be interpreted from Godzilla's perspective, as it follows one of the few scenes of sympathy shown for the monster, after being injured by the U.S. airstrike.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: During the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, a Japanese official from MHLW said that one won't infect others [[https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20200220-00010008-houdoukvq-soci if they don't cough like Godzilla]] (link in Japanese). While the government is reacting to the virus ''[[HeadInTheSandManagement like the government did against Godzilla]]''.

* SignatureScene: Godzilla unleashing his atomic breath on Tokyo at night [[spoiler:and then shooting said energy out out of his tail and spine.]]

** Unintentional similarities to [[Website/SCPFoundation SCP-]][[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-682 682]]: a massive reptilian entity that despises humanity, must be destroyed as soon as a conclusive means of doing so is found, and can alter its body in order to counter threats in an ItOnlyWorksOnce manner. Can't be killed by nuclear weapons, and only temporarily stopped using a liquid chemical substance. Bits that come off have to be destroyed to avoid making more of them. Described as the ultimate life form.

** Unintentional similarities to [[Wiki/SCPFoundation SCP-]][[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-682 682]]: a massive reptilian entity that despises humanity, must be destroyed as soon as a conclusive means of doing so is found, and can alter its body in order to counter threats in an ItOnlyWorksOnce manner. Can't be killed by nuclear weapons, and only temporarily stopped using a liquid chemical substance. Bits that come off have to be destroyed to avoid making more of them. Described as the ultimate life form.

* {{Woolseyism}}: And also overlapping WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: Both Latin American Spanish dubs, Mexican and Chilean, are notorious for rising the anti-American undertones of the film to quite visible levels, being more striking on the Chilean one with the Japanese-American Kayoko Ann Peterson, by making sound her somewhat more unlikable at first than the original Japanese version compared with the rest of the Japanese characters. Also, both dubs make the contempt toward Kayoko and the Americans more evident and audible, compared with the Japanese version, when the same contempt is more subdued due to [[ValuesDissonance cultural differences]]. This is justified in both cases, as both Mexico and Chile, just like Japan, have the same love/hate relationship with the U.S.[[note]]In the Mexican case, due to being the U.S. poorer southern neighbor and also being the loser of the UsefulNotes/MexicanAmericanWar, and in the Chilean case, due to the U.S. allegedly participation on topple down Salvador Allende's government, together with his death, and backing up Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship, along other things.[[/note]] To enforce this, both dubs are ''hellbent'' on calling the titular monster by its Japanese name, Gojira, just like the original Japanese version, being "Godzilla" only used when Kayoko and the Americans address the creature.

* HypeBacklash: ''Shin Godzilla'' is widely seen as one of the best made Godzilla films of all time. It won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Picture and is the highest grossing entry in the whole series, making it a quick fan favorite for many. So it’s not unusual to hear at least a few fans ([[AmericansHateTingle especially some western audiences]]) say that they found the film downright boring and uninteresting, believing the heavy focus on the political angle dragged the movie down and felt it was too distant from the past films mythos to consider enjoyable.

* {{Woolseyism}}: And also overlapping WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: Both Latin American Spanish dubs, Mexican and Chilean, are notorious for rising the anti-American undertones of the film to quite visible levels, being more striking on the Chilean one with the Japanese-American Kayoko Ann Peterson, by making sound her somewhat more unlikable at first than the original Japanese version compared with the rest of the Japanese characters. Also, both dubs make the contempt toward Kayoko and the Americans more evident and audible, compared with the Japanese version, when the same contempt is more subdued due to [[ValuesDissonance cultural differences]]. This justified in both cases, as both Mexico and Chile, just like Japan, have the same love/hate relationship with the U.S.[[note]]In the Mexican case, due to being the U.S. poorer southern neighbor and also being the loser of the UsefulNotes/MexicanAmericanWar, and in the Chilean case, due to the U.S. allegedly participation on topple down Salvador Allende's government, together with his death, and backing up Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship, along other things.[[/note]]

*** Related to the above, when the USA drops bombs on Godzilla and actually injure him, did he retaliate because he was angry (which would be understandable), or did he retaliate because he was ''scared''? Keep in mind this film completely ignores the [[Film/{{Gojira}} 1954 original]], so this is the very first time Godzilla has ever stepped foot on land. It's also probably the first time he's seen human life and civilization. He has no idea what they are or why they are treating him like a monster. When Godzilla attacks the humans, does he truly hate them, or is he just trying to survive? On the flip side, the actions of the Japanese are understandable, but just imagine how things might have been different had they shown Godzilla ''one ounce'' of kindness and understanding.

* AmericansHateTingle: Downplayed, but there. The film is largely considered one of the best films in the entire franchise in Japan (to the point where it won best picture at the Japanese Academy Awards), whereas it got a less enthusiastic (though mostly positive) reaction in some Western countries.

** Godzilla's GiantEqualsInvincible is questioned by fans. Many fans thought that due to his sheer 118 size and the traditional portrayal, Godzilla would be unanimously unstoppable, with no conventional weaponry that could possibly stop him, and the JSDF's assault is an example of that. Until he got dropped on by MOP bombs, which hurt him, and later [[spoiler:"Unmanned Zairaisen Bombs"]] knock him off his feet. Several fans ''really'' disliked for a creature like him to be taken down by that, often comparing him to [[Film/Godzilla1998 Zilla]], while others think is a more realistic approach, since stronger bombs were not used against him before. Others already thought the previous (American) Godzilla is stronger of the two, since he is not inconvenienced by ''any'' forms of weaponry, including ''nuclear'' that was implied to make him stronger. Furthermore, prior incarnations of the Japanese Godzilla have been injured by specially-made weaponry, and no prior incarnation of Godzilla has been hit by conventional weapons as powerful as [=MOPs=] but were instead assaulted with scifi weapons of inconclusive power (maser cannons whose beams look like lightning bolts and penetrator missiles made from fictional metals) or exposed to extreme conditions (like being caught under the weight of a tectonic plate or being struck by extinction event causing asteriods). [[spoiler:And even then the conventional weapons don't hit the nail, the specially-made coolants did. (''And'' this Godzilla still wreaks havoc for a while even after taking in some coolants.)]]

** Goro Maki opens up many questions about his true nature, since all we have is secondhand information. It's definitely clear he'd become embittered with humanity, since he obfuscated the solution in his notes on purpose. But to what extent was he involved in the events? The timing feels far too perfect for him to have killed himself without knowing that Godzilla was about to emerge, so did he predict it, or even actively ''cause'' it? This is something speculated on in the film itself, and never shown to us. We also never learn [[NeverFoundTheBody how he killed himself]], which leaves room for all kinds of questions as to whether he simply committed mundane suicide or killed himself in a way that involved Godzilla. One theory even suggests that he ''is'' Godzilla in some sense--"Who Will Know" certainly works well from his perspective.

* FandomRivalry:
** One between fans of this film and ''Film/Godzilla2014'' fans--or rather, the fans of ''Shin Godzilla'' that didn't like the American movie [[OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight because Toho didn't make it]], leading to the perception that this film is a "true" ''Godzilla'' movie [[NoTrueScotsman while the 2014 film is not]]. Fans of the 2014 movie are quick to fire back with the fact that ''Shin'' was made after the 2014 movie revived the franchise--which they also note that [[ApprovalOfGod Toho greatly enjoyed]], in spite of claims to the contrary by the ''Shin'' side of the equation--and have also criticized this movie for its tonal and pacing issues, in part out of backlash toward the behavior of the Toho-supporting crowd. On the other hands, supporters of Shin Godzilla note that the 2014 film lacks focus on the titular character, some questionable editing choices and the cast, while strong in some areas, weren't as compelling to focus on.

** Unintentional similarities to [[Wiki/SCPFoundation SCP-]][[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-682 -682]]: a massive reptilian entity that despises humanity and can alter its body in order to counter threats in an ItOnlyWorksOnce manner. Can't be killed by nuclear weapons, and only temporarily stopped using a liquid chemical substance. Bits that come off have to be destroyed to avoid making more of them. Described as the ultimate life form.

* WinTheCrowd: For people that were not on board with Godzilla's look due to the initial side view of his head, they were won over by the scowling face from the front. It got even better with the reception of the film in Japan.

** Godzilla's GiantEqualsInvincible is questioned by fans. Many fans thought that due to his sheer 118 size and the traditional portrayal, Godzilla would be unanimously unstoppable, with no conventional weaponry that could possibly stop him, and the JSDF's assault is an example of that. Until he got dropped on by MOP bombs, which hurt him, and later [[spoiler:"Unmanned Zairaisen Bombs"]] knock him off his feet. Several fans ''really'' disliked for a creature like him to be taken down by that, often comparing him to [[Film/Godzilla1998 Zilla]], while others think is a more realistic approach, since stronger bombs were not used against him before. Others already thought the previous (American) Godzilla is stronger of the two, since he is not inconvenienced by ''all'' forms of weaponry, including ''nuclear'' that was implied to make him stronger. Furthermore, prior incarnations of the Japanese Godzilla have been injured by specially-made weaponry, and no prior incarnation of Godzilla has been hit by conventional weapons as powerful as [=MOPs=] but were instead assaulted with scifi weapons of inconclusive power (maser cannons whose beams look like lightning bolts and penetrator missiles made from fictional metals) or exposed to extreme conditions (like being caught under the weight of a tectonic plate or being struck by extinction event causing asteriods). [[spoiler:And even then the conventional weapons don't hit the nail, the specially-made coolants did. (''And'' this Godzilla still wrecks havoc for a while even after taking in some coolants.)]]

** [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_wrZXRYuryc Persecution of the Masses]], a dark, foreboding piece that encapsulates Godzilla’s status as a ''God Incarnate''.
** [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CrXTS10h2WI Who Will Know]], a tragic song which relays the horrible story on what it’s like to live as Godzilla.

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped:
** The film's message is that people must come together in a time of crisis. Politicians won't do jack when said crisis is at their doorstep, and the Prime Minister had so much in his hands, he can't even control it. When Godzilla goes full-blast with his Atomic Breath, guess who dies and who lives? Ultimately, Rando was able to come up with a plan that has ''successfully'' stopped Godzilla, making him the second human being who was able to do so with his careful planning.
** A very heavily one overshadows the entire film, and that's the other side of point: Tragedy begets consequences and consequences begets tragedy, an Anvil that hasn't been used since the original ''Film/Godzilla1954''. Goro Maki's tragedy hangs over the entire film and the movie doesn't hide this. By ignoring one's tragedy, you basically caused the events to happen as they were. By ignoring Maki and censoring his work, Japan ''and'' America are at fault for not helping a man whose wife is dying of radiation sickness. As a result, a giant behemoth you tried to keep secret is on the loose. That's the entire point of this film.

* HarsherInHindsight: One of the main problems is how the government's bureaucratical hodgepodge made responding to the threat of Godzilla unnecessarily slow and inefficient. Sounds oddly prophetic, considering the United States' less than effective response to [=COVID-19=].