The Millenium series of Godzilla films started a running trend where they would re-boot the continuity with each film. It went like this for 4 in a row. But now, with a promising continuity lined up, Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. follows the plot threads that were set up in Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla. Still recovering from his attack, Tokyo is awaiting another sighting of Godzilla, while hurrying to repair Mechagodzilla after their climactic bout. But when two small farries appear to one of the crewman for the mechanical behemoth, the morality of all of Japan is called into question, with protector of life Mothra asking them to return the bones of the first Godzilla to the sea. With their choice to be scrap Mechagodzilla, or face the wrath of Mothra, Japan must hurry to choose, before they face more calamity. The general consensus within the fanbase for this one is that it’s not quite as good as the one that came before it. Is that true? Well, yes, but it doesn’t stop this one from being a quality follow-up. It does retread some of the same plot beats from the previous entry for no clear reason, as they don’t feel to amount to nearly as much, and they do write out the solid cast for a newer batch of characters, but that does not make this movie bad. As mentioned, Mothra herself appears in this one, and one of the characters is brought back from the original Mothra, giving it a great sense of continuity. But my favorite aspect of this film is what centers around Mechagodzilla. Taking the bones in the first place does seem like a smart idea, but it does raise a lot of ethical questions that the screenplay aptly addresses. Gojira was a film that was made to represent the horrors of the atomic and hydrogen bombs, with Godzilla being the physical manifestation of that. And now they built Mechagodzilla from the bones of the first, it brings the idea full circle; man tampered with and unleashed a power they never should have, and Godzilla was the repercussion for that. And now, they’re still tampering with the consequences of that, and still perverting the nature around it. I could go on for days and days about that aspect, because at it’s core, that’s what this series is all about. It was built around the perversion of nature, and as Doctor Malcolm called it, rape of the natural world. This series is always at it’s very best when it questions those ideas. When paired with good monster action as well, it’s always a treat. If you can’t already assume from my praise, I highly recommend checking this one out. It may not be perfect, but it’s a damn fine follow up. However, after poor box office returns, a sequel they tried to set up never got off the ground, still leaving some loose ends just laying around. I can only assume some alternate timeline got the conclusion this stretch of films needed.