Who is the woman to Gengo that is with him in the beginning at the restaurant, the one he calls a "hard bitch"? Sister? Secretary? Girlfriend?
Same question with regards to Machiko and the Japanese hippie guy? Are they brother & sister? Boyfriend & girlfriend?
None of this is ever explained in the film.
Yeah, I was kind of shocked the English dubbing used the term "hard bitch" in a 1972 Godzilla movie! Usually, when people are brother and sister in a Godzilla movie it is clearly stated, just like the girl who stole the tape said my brother is being held against his will in the Godzilla tower. I would guess the comic book artist and the "hard bitch" are boyfriend & girlfriend, and the chubby hippie dude and tape stealer are probably just friends.
shareI've only seen the original Japanese version,
so I have no idea how it's translated to English in the dubbed/subbed versions.
But from the conversation between Tomoko and Gengo when she first appeared,
I can tell she must be his manager in some agency.
When she begun looking for the next possible job for him,
Gengo said "Hey wait, I want to take some break."
And she replied "You are not in the position to ask such.
Mind you, I'm handling an unsuccessful project team, which is not an easy job."
This implies she's in charge of several unprofitable talents like him.
As for Machiko and Shôsaku (the 'hippie guy'),
it's not very clear but I agree with jcollin3k: they are mere friends.
When they introduced themselves to Gengo, they only told their names.
If he was her boyfriend or anything special (such as brother),
it's unnatural that they didn't mention it.