Man… I could write a book about what I've learned purchasing, and later… (ahem), acquiring GIGA titles. I've wanted to review some of them over the past few years, but the prospect is overwhelming for so many reasons, not the least of which is deciding which ones to choose. Thanks to the discovery of the site which dare not speak its name, dubbed “Godzilla” by A Canadian, master of euphemisms, everyone now has access to thousands (yes thousands!) of GIGA titles at varying levels of quality and compression and in every video format known to man. Some are 3 GB monsters; some are barely 200 KB. Many are split into 3, 4, or even 5 parts, though be aware that the last one is usually a BTS doc featuring the lead actress taking a shower, grinning maniacally and waving at the camera as if to prove she survived the experience.

So probably the first thing to know about buying… um, – acquiring – GIGA films is to go to Godzilla and browse what's available there. Believe it or not, with well over 2000 selections to choose from, it's still not the entire GIGA catalogue. In fact, GIGA has dropped many of their earlier titles, so if no one pirated them, they may well be lost to history. However, I'd guess Godzilla has well over 80% of GIGA's stock available for download. If you've got a hearty appetite, I suggest you splurge on the server upgrade fees so you don't go mad trying to get everything that catches your eye. Trust me, even the fastest, no-limit internet connection won't save you. If you are more selective, I think the site still supports free access. You can even cross reference the GIGA home page for more info. BTW, the whole gargantuan enterprise (which also includes the more numerous PG-13 Zen videos) is known as Akiba, which has to be one of the largest video producers on the planet. LA porn outfits pale by comparison.

As for the piracy aspect, I can't stress enough that shopping at Godzilla is illegal, immoral and will undoubtedly damn you to hell. That said, purchasing directly from Akiba or buying shrink-wrapped DVDs (the legal and only other viable alternatives) will force you to remortgage your home and leave you with either a DRM encoded file that dies when your computer does or a disc which likely won't play on your hardware. That is if you are left with anything at all – buying from Japanese web sites is not for the faint of heart. So if ever there was a good rationalization to indulge the pirates, this is it. Just be careful. Some of these guys are charging just as much as GIGA for inferior bootlegs. If you're going to be a criminal, go feed Godzilla. After all, he's cheap and he means well… and heck, you shouldn't be watching this shit anyway.

So much for the mechanics. So how do you know what to buy?

Here are a few interesting facts I've picked up doing business directly with GIGA, spending over $1000 and losing half of what I bought, before Godzilla showed me up for the putz I was in the early days.

First, GIGA is basically a vendor targeting superheroine-obsessed, Japanese adults longing to see their favorite comic babes victimized in every possible way. In North America we have Wonderwoman, Supergirl, that chick in the Avengers, a couple of X-Women, a long-dormant Batgirl and… am I missing anyone? In Japan, there are enough superheroines to repopulate Detroit. They come in so many flavors and in so many gaudy outfits that I can't even begin to list them. I have no idea what any of them do or what their powers are, but in the GIGA universe, apparently all these girls are based on counterparts in the even larger world of PG rated characters. The only ones I recognize are Cutie Honey and Pink Ranger. To make things even more complicated, most of these heroines can transform into various alter-egos – so one minute you're looking at a helmeted android with an electrified suit covering her entire body, and the next she's wearing a bra, panties, boots, a cape, and nothing else. It's a mess.

So that leads to the next fact. No one watches GIGA films for the astute character development and intricate plots. What is important, is that virtually every star of these videos (and in most cases, to keep things simple, there is only one star), she will be absolutely stunning. Sure, some have longer legs or bigger boobs, but once the girls lose their helmets and some or all of their clothing, you will fall in love. Who cares that you know nothing about her or why every other character is trying to rape her or tear her to pieces, you can spend the long boring interludes (and there will be more than a few) sucking on the eye candy.

Onwards. Yes, GIGA films are violent. Beyond anything you will see in porn from other countries. This is JAV material after all. But unlike Attackers, FA-Pro, Cinemagic and their ilk, GIGA violence has a comic-book feel (duh) which makes the action both more extreme and somehow more PC all at the same time. The violence comes in two flavors: rape and torture. This is where many folks will have to choose carefully, as most films lean heavily in one direction or the other.

If you are a rape fan, you are in luck, as GIGA has clearly decided to satisfy you at the expense of those who prefer torture. When I first bought GIGA vids 4 or 5 years ago, I'd say the ratio was 3-1 in favor of rape. Now, it's about 20-1, meaning that like other JAV producers, Akiba has toned down the brutality – perhaps due to government edict or maybe a public backlash. In either case, it seems that rape is more acceptable in Japan than pounding a girl into a bloody pulp, especially when it's clear she reluctantly begins to enjoy the sexual violation (which happens a lot).

Don't get me wrong, in the current releases there is still plenty of rough stuff as well as penetration (pixilated of course) and (thank God for Japan) lots of bondage, but none of this comes close to the torture-fests that GIGA was producing two-plus years ago. Fortunately, though Akiba has pulled most of the extreme material, Godzilla still has much of it available, albeit not always at full resolution.

If you're still reading this and your primary interest is rape, and you don't mind your victims dressed like a French maid, a cowgirl, a bug-eyed power ranger, or a rabbit-eared furry, you need no more help from me. Just go to Godzilla, shoot into the barrel and odds are you'll hit something you'll like. Both GIGA and Godzilla offer lots of previews (GIGA even has a trailer for every film), so you can browse the two sites and have a pretty good idea what you're getting into. Good luck.

If you're like me and prefer the torture films of days gone by, you might need a little more help. Here's what to look for.

Before GIGA copped out, grabbed its ball and went home, it had two subsidiaries known as Zeus and Gallop, both of which specialized in harder edged output. Zeus was shut down for good, but many of its titles are at Godzilla, where they can be searched independently of other GIGA videos. This is a good thing, because the Zeus videos contain (by far) the most violent, OTT content (as well as a few things you really don't want to see… trust me on this). Aside from the handy Zeus search option, you should keep an eye out for product codes starting with “J”. All Akiba videos have a product code which includes a three or four digit sequence of letters followed by a two or three digit number. The letters are a good clue to the content and can be critical in helping you identify what you want. The numbers are sequential indicators to denote which video in the series you are looking at. Sounds more German than Japanese, but it works, sort of.

Of course, with thousands of titles, there are dozens of series. Again, if you want rape (Why are you still reading this? You're done. Move on.), I can't help you much because most of the series focus on your favorite theme. If you want torture, might I recommend the following codes…

• TBB: (The “suppression” series. Non Zeus, so kinda lightweight, but still being produced. Currently 73 are available.)
  
• TBBH: (Heavy duty version of TBB. Only six in the series including #1, the well-known Minotaur impalement.)
  
• JOVD: (Occasionally heavyweight torture from Zeus. Notice the “J”. Hit and miss. Still being issued but not as Zeus titles.)
  
• JMSZ: (Only a few of these Zeus videos were produced. #03 and #04 are two of the most extreme GIGA titles. Ever.)
  
• JSPR: (Zeus again. Only six in the series. These are unique as they do not feature superheroines. Still, all are extremely violent, though a few have little or no nudity.)
  
• JHZD: (More Zeus with lots of blood and torture. Not sure how many are available, but it's not a lot.)
  
• ATHB: (A bit of an outlier. Many titles star detectives or wrestlers rather than superheroines, and there often are some incredibly brutal fight scenes. Most feature lots of GIMP but your mileage may vary.)

If you're still with me, I know what you're thinking. Where are the pictures? Where are the reviews? Well, if you've read all this, you'll know it's not easy to figure out where to begin. My hat's off to Elkcreek, Dr. Yuya, and A Canadian, all of whom have somehow managed to find something in the GIGA continuum worthy of analysis and description at the GIMP. You'll find several of their excellent write-ups in the Japanese section in GIMP Movie Reviews.

I'm not sure this rambling intro for novices is much help, but I'm sure what would be more appreciated would be specific recommendations. Still, with so much to choose from, I need to know what the local crowd is looking for. Maybe other GIGA fans can chime in and add to or correct my observations.