“Because… my war isn’t over yet” is a telling line in Godzilla Minus One. Whatever makes the film fascinating, and also problematic, is encapsulated here. It is spoken by the protagonist Shikishima (played by Ryunosuke Kamiki), a former World War II kamikaze pilot, when asked about failing to marry a romantic interest. Much of this kaiju film actually dedicates itself to Japanese daily life in the aftermath of World War II. The focus on human characters and drama in the films of this decades-long franchise has met some derision; viewers understandably prefer the big monster fights. The blockbuster American versions in 1998 and 2014 are the most guilty of such criticism.