When Does "Godzilla Returns" (1996) Take Place?
"Godzilla Returns" is an adventure horror (kaiju) novel written by Marc Cerasini that released October 26, 1996. So when is "Godzilla Returns" set?
It takes place in the year:
We know this because early on in chapter one the unnamed narrator says, "The Cold War was over, and the United States was no longer the enemy - technically. Yet the Russians still watched the Americans, and the American Navy still followed the Russians." The American-Soviet Cold War lasted from March 12th, 1947 AD to December 26th, 1991 AD so it must be during or after December of 1991 AD.
1998 AD
We know this because early on in chapter one the unnamed narrator says, "The Cold War was over, and the United States was no longer the enemy - technically. Yet the Russians still watched the Americans, and the American Navy still followed the Russians." The American-Soviet Cold War lasted from March 12th, 1947 AD to December 26th, 1991 AD so it must be during or after December of 1991 AD.
More specifically, when Nick Gordon is showing Brian Shimura around the nightlife in the Roppongi neighborhood of Tokyo, Japan, the narrator specifically tells us, "A club called the Lexington Queen was surrounded by rockers." The real-world nightclub Lexington Queen changed its name to "LEX TOKYO RED CARPET(NEW LEX)" in January of 2015 AD. So it must be before or during January 2015 AD.
Specifically, Brian tells Nick, ..."my original internship was to cover the Winter Olympics in Nagano"... and Nick responds, "But they were held four months ago." The real-world 1998 Winter Olympics were held in Nagano, Japan from February 7th, 1998 AD to February 22nd, 1998 AD. So it's currently May of 1998 AD at the beginning of the story.
2.1,998 + 4 months = 6.1,998.
Furthermore, the main action begins in chapter two with a time and place subheading reading "May 12, 1998, 7:16 P.M. New Tokyo International Airport Narita, Japan".
Later, the twenty-second chapter includes yet another time and place marker that declares it is now: "June 19, 1998, 1:23 A.M. Somewhere over Tokyo". So it seems it is June of 1998 AD at the end of the tale. There is a section labeled as an epilogue but its time setting subheading claims it is still June of 1998 AD.
Additionally, chapter one forms a prologue that's referenced during the main action when Nick brags about his reporting to Brian, "It was a good one, too. Two years ago, a Russian nuclear submarine sank off the coast of japan, in very deep water"... So we know the prologue takes place in 1996 AD.
6.1,998 - 2 = 6.1,996.
Furthermore, chapter one begins with a time and place setting subheading of its own that reads "May 3, 1996, 4:53 P.M. The Pacific Ocean". So presumably it is May of 1996 AD.
