Don’t Call Me Elvis: Johnny Spoiler, Italian Brainrot, & the Wrath of Daimajin
Somewhere between sideburns, sunglasses, and the crime of buying pizza at a gas station, I have developed a recurring problem: people keep comparing me to Elvis.
It’s never when I’m onstage.
It’s never when I’m doing something impressive.
It’s always in public, mid-transaction, when witnesses are present.
And once someone says it out loud — “You look like Elvis” — the room shifts. Now I have to respond. Now strangers are judging whether I deserve the comparison. Now I’m being weighed against the King of Rock & Roll while holding a slice of gas station pizza that could absolutely end my life.
Honestly? I’d rather be compared to Italian Brainrot characters. At least that feels honest.
Anyway — I like Elvis.
I sing more like Johnny Cash.
And this week’s movie feels like Stand By Me if Kurosawa replaced bullies with demons and King Kong showed up at the end.
Let’s talk about Wrath of Daimajin (1966).
Wrath of Daimajin (1966): Samurai, Kaiju, and Pure Vengeance
Wrath of Daimajin is the third and final entry in the 1966 Daimajin trilogy, a series that blends feudal Japanese drama with kaiju-scale monster mythology. Directed by Kazuo Mori, the film follows a group of boys trying to survive a brutal mountain journey while rescuing their enslaved fathers from a tyrannical lord.
This lord isn’t just evil — he’s industrial-strength evil. He forces villagers to work in sulfur pits deep in a place literally called Hell’s Valley. Escape attempts are punished by being dumped straight into molten sulfur. This movie does not mess around.
The villagers believe their only hope lies in Daimajin, an ancient stone god who sleeps in the mountains. But praying to Daimajin is dangerous — anger him, and his wrath is indiscriminate.
What follows is:
Rock slides
Dangerous rope bridges
Blizzards
Drownings
Hypothermia
And one of the most emotionally devastating second acts in 1960s monster cinema
This isn’t a monster movie that saves the pain for the finale. The pain comes early. And it earns the ending.
Stand By Me… But Everyone Might Die
What makes Wrath of Daimajin special is its child-centered perspective. The main characters — Suru-kitchi, Kin-ta, Dai-so-gu, and the youngest brother See-go — aren’t heroes. They’re kids trying not to die in a world run by violent adults.
That’s why the comparison hits:
Stand By Me, but instead of searching for a body, they’re trying not to become one.
By the time Daimajin finally awakens, you’re not cheering for spectacle — you’re begging for justice.
And when Daimajin rises?
His stone body becomes flesh and blood
His armor changes, gaining ornate detail
He feels less like a monster and more like a god who has had enough
When he plunges his massive sword into the overseer, it’s not thrilling — it’s cathartic.
A Hidden Gem With a Weird American History
Despite being released in 1966, Wrath of Daimajin:
Was never theatrically released in the U.S. during the 1960s
Didn’t receive an English dub until 2012
Was mislabeled on VHS in the 1990s as Return of Daimajin (which is actually the second film)
All three Daimajin films were shot at the same time but released months apart — April, August, and December of 1966. Somehow, the third one still hits the hardest.
Usually by part three, franchises are tired.
This one is furious.
Final Verdict: Binge Now
Wrath of Daimajin is:
Tragic
Brutal
Surprisingly emotional
And one of the best examples of kaiju used as moral judgment, not just destruction
I was stunned. I was glued to my seat. I was angry every time the movie got interrupted.
That’s a Binge Now.
And as for the rest of the episode?
We also talk:
Mickey Rourke and the cruelty of fame
Why actors hide in day jobs
Surf Ninjas (because of course we do)
Denzel Washington’s Déjà Vu
And why I am not, will never be, and do not want to be Elvis
The comparison stops here.
The buck stops here.
The episode stops here.
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🎬 Episode: Don’t Call Me Elvis: Johnny Spoiler, Italian Brainrot, & the Wrath of Daimajin
