#and godzilla entering that scene | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

astoundingbeyondbelief · 2 months

Text

Kaiju Week in Review (February 11-17, 2024)

vimeo

Warner Bros. unfurled the second trailer for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which seems to be going over much better than the first. There are multiple glimpses of the ice Titan Shimo throughout, and an even briefer look at Mothra reflected in Jia's eye. (My favorite shot, of course, is Kong decking Skar King as he's holding out Suko like a wriggling shield.) The rough shots from trailer #1 still look rough, but at least the new footage is more impressive.

The new issue of Empire (how fitting) has a short article on GxK—the big revelation there is that Godzilla Evolved is pink simply because that's director Adam Wingard's favorite color. Collaborations are also popping up. Circle K is offering a movie-branded sandwich, chocolate bar, and Froster drinks/cups. Godzilla and a seriously wizened Kong are also entering the mobile game Lords Mobile.

I don't know much about Oscar politicking, but Takashi Yamazaki's strategy of bringing a model Godzilla with him everywhere he goes seems like a winner. Both appear in the "class photo" taken of all the nominees at the Oscar Nominees Luncheon. At the same event, Yamazaki and Godzilla met with Steven Spielberg, who told Yamazaki he had seen Godzilla Minus One three times. Posting their photo together on Twitter, Yamazaki said he had "met God."

Toho's English Godzilla YouTube channel also uploaded a six-minute video on Minus One's VFX, with a focus on the various ways the production was able to shave off costs. Officially translated behind-the-scenes featurettes for Toho Godzilla films are a rarity, a sign of how badly they want that little gold statue. It's worth watching just for Yamazaki scooting his chair around the office.

youtube

Shout! Factory's onslaught of old Toei tokusatsu films on its streaming service turned out to be a prelude to offering them all on disc. The Classic Tokusatsu Collection Blu-ray set includes Planet Prince (1959; called Prince of Space), Invasion of the Neptune Men (1961), Watari the Ninja Boy (1966), The Golden Bat (1966; called Golden Ninja), Magic Serpent (1966; called Dragon Showdown) , Ninja Scope (1969), and Terror Beneath the Sea (1966). None have ever been released on English-friendly Blu-ray before; some haven't even made it to DVD. The set is $70 and limited to 2,500 copies.

Major caveats seem to accompany every English-language release of vintage tokusatsu these days, and unfortunately this set's no exception. Despite the existence of English dubs for at least some of these films (two of them riffed on Mystery Science Theater 3000), only Terror Beneath the Sea is dubbed; the rest are Japanese-only. And the dubbed Prince of Space well-known to MiSTies was actually an amalgamation of Toei's two Planet Prince films, only the first of which is present here. (Even the first film seems like it's going to be in upscaled standard-def, going off the streaming version.) No special features in the production description either, although one person who got the set early reports that at least one trailer is included (for Invasion of the Neptune Men).

IDW has announced still another Godzilla miniseries, Godzilla: Skate or Die. First-issue description:

It's Australian skater punks versus Varan and the King of the Monsters in this thrilling debut issue by writer/artist Louie Joyce (A Fistful of Pain)! Four years ago, four best friends and die-hard skaters found the perfect location for a DIY skatepark. After months of hard work, they created the world’s sickest spot that they could enjoy for the rest of their lives… That is, until the ferocious Varan appeared in the middle of central Australia and started making a beeline for their beloved park. Why is Varan on a rampage? Why did Godzilla just appear off the coast? What does their beloved skate spot have to do with this? And most importantly…what are these punks willing to do to save it?

Sounds like there's a lot of author appeal here, as Joyce is Australian and calls the tale "inspired by all the amazing DIY spots I've had the privilege of skating[.]" And a meaty role for Varan is a pleasant surprise.

Perhaps inspired by the success of Troll on Netflix, we've got another Scandinavia giant monster movie on the way. Kraken will be directed by Pal Oie (Dark Woods) from a script by Vilde Eide. No cast yet, but here are the plot details divulged by The Hollywood Reporter:

[T]he thriller will follow Johanne, a marine biologist who encounters several strange occurrences while researching a fjord, including the brutal deaths of two local teenagers. “At the bottom of Norway’s deepest fjord rests a mythical monster as large as a mountain, with a myriad of arms ready to crush and devour anything they can grab,” the film’s synopsis reads.

Krakens are certainly having a moment in giant monster stories right now, between Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken and the three that somehow wound up connected to the Monsterverse. (To wit: Na Kika was originally called Kraken, the unnamed antagonist of Skull Island bore the same name internally, and the guardian of Atlantis in the Justice League crossover comic is a Kraken as well.) This seems like a more back-to-basics approach.

#godzilla x kong the new empire #godzilla #king kong #shimo #skar king #kraken #godzilla skate or die #godzilla minus one #shout factory

45 notes · View notes

jocia92 · 21 days

Text

Dan Stevens in an exclusive interview (Google translated)

Hollywood star Dan Stevens can currently be seen in the blockbuster “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” in cinemas. The film is currently topping the box office charts and is number one worldwide. We met the charismatic actor in Los Angeles and talked to him about his current film, his next two projects and his choice of roles.

April 5, 2024 by Grace Maier

Can you share with us your first reaction when you were offered a role in Godzilla x Kong: The new empire? It's always a pleasure to work with the same people several times, but this time it was extra special as Adam Wingard, the director, is an old friend. I was also invited to play with an even older friend, Rebecca Hall, as well as Brian Tyree Henry, who I have known and admired for years. It felt like I was being asked to play with friends.

What was it like entering the universe of these iconic monsters? Did you have any ideas or expectations? It's a fun task to be asked to stretch one's imagination to the size of such cinematic titans! I've worked with CGI on an epic scale before, so it wasn't too foreign, and I was surprised at how many practical locations we had.

How did you prepare for your role in this blockbuster? Were there any unique challenges or exciting moments during filming? It was really exciting to shoot in the Australian outback, in the Daintree rainforest - this incredible ancient jungle. That sense of adventure on the way to work every day, passing crocodiles along the river banks, waiting for pythons to be removed from the set, really fueled the mood for the Hollow Earth walk in the film.

“Godzilla x Kong: The new empire” promises to be an epic clash. Without giving too much away, can you give us a hint as to how your character fits into the plot? Trapper is initially brought in to help Kong with his toothache - he is a vet for all Titan creatures - and is then approached by Rebecca Hall's character, Dr. Andrews, invited to the mission. He's a kind of happy, carefree Han Solo type, good to have around, tirelessly optimistic and impressed by little.

The film contains a lot of CGI and visual effects. What was your experience like acting in such an environment and how did it differ from previous roles? I've worked with this type of thing before so it wasn't too scary. I actually really enjoy working with a VFX team and helping to create something using our entire collective imagination. It's truly incredible to see what they achieve long after you've left the process.

Were you a fan of the Godzilla or Kong films before joining this project? How does it feel to be part of their legacy? I feel like I've known these characters my whole life: they are such an integral part of cinema history. I've loved seeing them in all their different iterations over the years and of course being asked to perform alongside them - and even fix their teeth - is a huge honor!

The film will have some intense action scenes. Can you describe one of your most memorable moments while filming these scenes? While it's not the most intense scene, the way my character is introduced - rappelling from a floating vehicle into Kong's mouth to perform large-scale dental work - was one of the more exciting stunts I had to do!

How do you think fans of the franchise will react to Godzilla x Kong: The new empire? What can they look forward to most? I want them to enjoy the ride! You'll see things you've never seen before and meet some fantastic new creatures and characters, but also maybe some familiar fan favorites...

You also have the film "ABIGAIL" coming out in April. Can you tell us a little about filming and what audiences can expect? This is a completely different kind of thrill! Essentially, it's a vampire ballerina heist movie - you know the kind - directed by the Radio Silence guys, Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, who specialize in a particularly wacky brand of horror-comedy that I love .

“CUCKOO” will also be released in the summer. What particularly interested you about this film? Tilman Singer, the director, is a truly exciting new voice in cinema - he has a very distinctive style that is so captivating and artfully disturbing. I was also very curious to work with Hunter Schafer, the lead actress of Cuckoo, who is such a bright and brilliant artistic soul.

Your career is so dynamic. How do you go about choosing a role? I crave variety, challenge and surprise, so I'm often guided by the search for those things, but it can also be a certain quality in the writing, a desire to work with certain directors or actors. It's different every time!

#godzilla x kong: the new empire #godzilla x kong #abigail 2024 #cuckoo 2024 #abigail #cuckoo #dan stevens #l'officiel liechtenstein #interview #godzilla x kong spoilers

22 notes · View notes

xoxardnekoxo · 9 months

Text

Movie Review: The Barbie Movie

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Somehow I managed to see the live action Barbie movie on opening weekend! It took a couple of days, but I made it!

Who isn't familiar with the most iconic fashion doll of all time? Without Barbie, there would be no fashion dolls. Since her introduction in 1959, the one-sixth scale doll has taken over the world with more than 200 careers and at least twice as many fashions and accessories.

But enough about that. Let's get to it. This is a movie review, not a doll review.

The teaser trailer turned out to be the opening of the whole movie, and I love it. Yes, there have always been dolls for little girls to play with. But until 1959, when Barbie entered the plastic world, the only dolls girls had were baby dolls or paper dolls. So basically dolls were a way of preparing girls for a future of motherhood and housekeeping. Okay, that's fine, if that's what you truly want.

So we see all the girls playing with their dolls and suddenly this Godzilla-like doll just pops up out of nowhere, prompting the girls to throw and smash their baby dolls in favor of this new toy. Then we get to a transition scene showing various women in Barbie attire - and they're all actual clothes that have existed over the decades! They even threw in one of the new Fashionista wheelchairs in there and one of the most recent vet fashion packs. When this movie comes out for purchase, I'm totally taking notes of what all outfits I see.

Enter Barbie Land. We've seen a lot of it in the trailers, but I'm still super amazed at the set design. Major props to those guys! They literally designed and built Barbie-size houses and created a layout/cul-de-sac of them in order to recreate them in life size. And there's literally dollhouses! Every Barbie home has a back wall and maybe a side wall or two. The front is always open, so every Barbie can see into every other Barbie's house at all times. Just like a real dollhouse! And inside those houses are various plastic pieces of furniture and decor, along with some stickers. Yep, there are food items in the fridge that are actually stickers, and the stove is also a sticker. Heart-shaped waffles, a slide that spirals down into a pool at floor level with painted water, stationary ocean waves, etc. It's literally a real-life plastic world. I love that! Barbie movies and shows in the past portray Barbie as though she were a real person, and of course her house reflects that. This movie is saying Barbie is a doll and is treating her as such.

The houses also have no stairs in them, so the dolls magically float from floor to floor in their homes, just like how girls move them between rooms. And getting dressed entails seeing an outfit already planned out and magically appearing on the Barbie. Brilliant!

So this all sounds like a cute movie, right? Well, it is, but keep in mind - this movie is rated PG-13 for "suggestive content." When I first heard that, I was like, what..... Not that it bothers me, but this is a movie about the number-one fashion doll in history, and fashion dolls are catered more to young children than anyone. So I was wondering what in the world this suggestive content would be. I would soon find out.

During the narrator's introductions, we meet Barbie's very first friend, Midge. Who, sadly, is no longer even in the Mattel lineup after being discontinued in 2004. You all know the story, right? Midge and Allan (later Alan) got married in 1990 or so, and in 2002, they were reintroduced with their three-year-old son, Ryan, and their infant daughter, Nikki (yes, that was her name - it just came later). Well, Midge came with a magnetic detachable pregnant belly that little Nikki was inside. People flipped at the thought of kids playing with a pregnant doll, saying it encouraged teenage pregnant. (Yeah, okay, sure.) So Mattel re-released her later with Nikki and no belly. That story was mentioned in the movie. Other recalled/cancelled/controversial dolls also made an appearance in the movie, including the infamous Earring Magic King and Sugar's Daddy Ken, along with Growing Up Skipper, Teen Talk Barbie, and Video Camera Barbie. So the movie is educational too! :D

Anyway, we're soon introduced to Ken, who's literally introduced as only being happy when he's noticed by Barbie. After all, he was created just to be her boyfriend. So Barbie's at the beach with all the other Barbies, and everyone is vying for Barbie's attention, including other Kens. So the main Ken decides to show off his surfing skills, only to bang right into the stationary wave and embarrassingly fly back into the sand. This starts a verbal squabble between him and another Ken about "beaching off." Yeah, they're talking about beaching each other off, saying things like "You can't even beach yourself off, I'll beach you off any day," etc. Yeah, say it fast enough, and it totally sounds like something else. There's part of your suggestive content right there. Then Barbie jumps in with, "No one is beaching anyone off!"

Then it's a disco party at the Dreamhouse. Well, one of them, since they're all Dreamhouses. Everything is all fine and dandy, dolls are dancing around in perfect sync, etc., until suddenly Barbie says, "Do you ever think about dying?" But she quickly rectifies this and the party continues. Then she and Ken are outside and Ken asks if he can stay at Barbie's house for the night, to which she asks why. "Because we're boyfriend and girlfriend." "What would we do?" "I honestly don't know." We all know what the implication was...

But it's Girl's Night... as it is every night, so Ken has to leave. "It's Barbie's Dreamhouse, not Ken's Dreamhouse." Ouch.

So, that whole death question thing? It prompts some less than satisfying events, including Barbie waking up with morning breath, having a cold shower (in a house with no water, mind you), a burnt waffle, and - gasp! - flat feet.

Yep, she no longer stands on her toes! Not sure why that was such a huge issue because dozens of Barbies have been made with flat feet, even back in the 90s (including Hot Skatin' Barbie, who makes an appearance later).

So when Barbie explains this to the other Barbies, they tell her she has to go see Weird Barbie, aka the Barbie who was played with too roughly. Kudos for this design lol, Kate McKinnon is portrayed as a doll with a dress covered in Crayon stains, cut/burned-off hair, marker scribbles on her face, always doing the splits, etc. She also owns the dog Tanner, another discontinued Mattel product of a dog that would eat a treat and then poop it out (it was recalled due to magnets getting swallowed by kids). She explains to Barbie that something must be happening with the girl who is playing with her in the Real World, and so she must travel there to see what the problem is to make everything go back to normal - and to not get cellulite!!! Yep, Weird Barbie points out that there is now cellulite on Barbie's thighs, and she's like:

Yep, it's real. Run. So anyway, Barbie then gets in her undersized Corvette (yep, even the Barbie car in the movie is under-scaled compared to real life cars - the windshield is shorter than her head lol) and heads for the Real World with a stowaway Ken in tow. When they get to California (where Mattel's headquarters are), they're both wearing their Hot Skatin' outfits from the mid-90s. That was some great nostalgia.

Skating through LA looking like, well, a couple of dolls, people start staring at the two, and Barbie is getting cat-called. Ken is too, by some guys LOL. When they come up to a group of construction guys, they say sexist remarks and Barbie literally says, "It sounds like you're saying a double entendre, but I don't have a vagina, and he doesn't have a penis." Yeah, Barbie literally said the words vagina and penis.

Eventually the two decide to maybe ditch their skating outfits, so instead don some matching western attire. Yeah, they just happen to find a random shop with a pink western women's outfit and a matching one for guys.

Barbie is searching for the girl responsible for the weird things happening to her in Barbie Land, so Ken goes off on his own and discovers that, in the Real World, men hold all the power and are more than accessories, unlike in Barbie Land. He sees male cops on horses, male presidents on dollar bills, male doctors, etc. He grabs a bunch of books and reads up on this, and he's heading to meet back up with Barbie to tell her about this, except she's been found by Mattel execs (who are aware of two dolls that escaped Barbie Land - much like a baby-sitting Skipper many years ago) and escorted to HQ. So Ken returns to Barbie Land with his newfound information.

Barbie eventually escapes the Mattel suits (led by Will Ferrell, who is playing, in my opinion, his only decent role in a film ever) and is rescued by the girl she was looking for. Well, the girl's mother - it was her mother who prompted the events, not the girl. In any event, the three of them head back to Barbie Land and discover it to be completely taken over by the Kens. Yep, Ken turned Barbie Land into a patriarchy. That word is even used multiple times.

The Barbies are now cheerleaders cheering for the Kens, serving them drinks (yep, beer included), etc. The Dreamhouses have become Mojo Dojo Casa Houses, and none of the Barbies are in charge anymore. So no Barbie president, doctor, scientist, etc. Turns out Ken was having an existential crisis. He then tells Barbie that it's Boy's Night at his house, and it's Boy's Night every night.

So this causes Barbie to spiral into a feeling of failure and depression. Oh, and as all of this is happening in Barbie Land, it trickles into the real world. So Ken's masculine houses and cars start popping up in stores, as does a commercial for Depressed Barbie.

Weird Barbie brings Barbie and the humans to her place, where we're introduced to the other aforementioned outcast dolls. We even get a live-action demonstration of Growing Up Skipper (turn her arm and her breasts grow).

Then the mother gives an inspirational speech that pretty much snaps all the Barbies out of their brainwashed funk. Now, why did they allow all the Kens to take over to begin with? Well, as the mother explained, it was like a virus - the Barbies had no defense over such a thing because it wasn't fathomed to ever even happen. But anyway, one by one, the Barbies return to their former selves and remember who they were. The Kens have planned a vote to change the Barbie Land constitution, so the Barbies band together to basically set the Kens against each other in order to take back Barbie Land. Yep, a movie about a plastic doll turned into a governmental conflict.

The main Ken and the other "beach off" Ken are pretty much rivals in this movie, so each one leads a group of Kens into an all-out brawl. And by brawl I mean they're throwing plastic arrows at each other, bashing each other with tennis rackets, etc. We even see some on hobby horses charging into battle.

Somehow, that winds up in a musical number and then they realize it was voting day. Yeah, too late. They show back up to the cul-de-sac (there is a Monty Python reference here, as they're totally fake-riding horses and making clacking sounds) where the Dreamhouses have been restored to their former glory. Ken is like, "Do these houses look a little more... dreamy?" President Barbie comes down the stairs and says, "That's because they're Dreamhouses, motherf*****." Yep, just like that. They bleep out the second half of that word, but we all know what she meant.

So then Barbie and Ken need to resolve their issues. Ken loves Barbie, but she only sees him as a friend. And Ken says he isn't sure what his role is, only that he was created to be Barbie's boyfriend. "It's always Barbie and Ken, never just Ken." So Barbie tells him that he needs to discover who he is without her. Then the Mattel suits walk in and get ready to close off the portal between the two worlds, when Barbie says she doesn't know what her ending is. And then we're treated to a meeting with Ruth Handler, the creator of Barbie herself. (Not the real person, obviously, but still a great tribute.) Ruth designed Barbie to not have an ending. She's always changing and evolving. That's the point.

But Barbie says she doesn't feel like Barbie anymore. So Ruth takes her to a private area and talks to her, and Barbie basically asks if she can become a human. Why, I don't know. She's a perfect doll in a perfect world, and the human world is a mess. We all know it. That's why we have dolls!!! But yeah, so, Barbie, the number one fashion doll in the world, becomes a human. She takes the name of Ruth's daughter, Barbara (true story, as that's who Barbie was named after), and meets up with the mom and daughter again. The movie literally ends with Barbie (Barbara Handler) saying, "I'm here to see my gynecologist."

Yep, that's the end. Then we get to see pictures of actual dolls featured in the movie (not all of them, but most of them), including the controversial ones. That was a nice touch for anyone unfamiliar with the history.

So, will there be a sequel? Obviously they left it open for one. That's the norm for movies these days. My thoughts? I wasn't entirely sure what I was expecting, but I had kept hearing that the movie has a lot of messages catered toward the government and society as a whole. For instance, when Barbie meets the girl she thought she was there for, the girl tells her that, despite what she believes and what she was created to be, Barbie is a doll that represents a backwards feminist movement and unrealistic body proportions. Basically everything Barbie haters say about her. Mattel knows this is said about their biggest product, and they put it in the movie LOL. Then the whole patriarchy thing, and the feeling of not knowing yourself. It's all there. It's not just a movie about a doll.

So, overall, I did enjoy the movie, but there were some things we could have gone without. The whole vagina/penis thing? How does Barbie even know what those words are, honestly LOL. Noticeably absent were her sisters - we did see Growing Up Skipper, but that's it. And she was one of the discontinued dolls. Allan is in the movie, and there's only one of him as opposed to multiple Kens. He even says that all Ken's clothes fit him, because that's literally what was on the doll box in real life. That was funny. As for the musical numbers, I found them unnecessary. They didn't add anything to the story - only runtime. But I absolutely love the set design and all the clothes, especially the real ones that were created before this movie existed. I think Margot Robbie was a great choice for Barbie. I remember when this was first leaked years ago, there were rumors about Amy Schumer playing Barbie. OMG that would have been a disaster. I can NOT see her playing Barbie. She's just... not Barbie. LOL. And though I wasn't on board with Ryan Gosling playing Ken at first, as he just seemed too old, it actually wasn't bad. And it wasn't going to deter me from seeing the movie.

Overall, I'll give the movie 8/10. Wasn't perfect but I did enjoy it. If there is a sequel, I'm sure I'll see it too!

P.S. No, the song Barbie Girl isn't in the movie. I don't think Mattel is a fan of it because it supposedly makes fun of the doll, or so I read. LOL

#xoxardnekoxo #spoiler alert #movie review #Barbie #Barbie the movie #Barbie 2023 #Barbie movie 2023 #Margot Robbie #Ryan Gosling #Barbie Roberts #Mattel #Ken #Ken Carson #Barbie Land #the real world #Greta Gerwig

25 notes · View notes

paladin-of-nerd-fandom65 · 6 months

Note

Superfam Halloween headcanons ?

- Clark and Lois are both the Frankenstein Monster and the Bride respectively, Kara is Sadako from Ringu, Conner’s Ash Williams of the Evil Dead series, Chris is Son Gohan from Dragon Ball and finally Jon would be a werewolf

- Chris and Jon carried about 5 large bags as their routes for Trick Or Treating extend across nearly all major urban and suburban neighborhoods at Metropolis along with Hamilton County. Out of their total collection of treats this year, about 45% were chocolates (Snickers, Kit Kate, Reese’s, etc) 15% lollipops and remaining 40% being a variety of all sorts.

-Kara and Conner meanwhile visited a party at Conner’s school entering its costume contest. Conner was blowing it out of his butt so much boasts with his peers fully expecting Kara and Jim to come out on top. He had good reason to boast as the two worked extensively hard for their costumes and genuinely impressed the crowds. Unfortunately for him, while Kara got second place, Conner himself bested out of the polls, losing first place to a 9th grader who cosplayed as Godzilla via an equally if not far more impressive rubber suit, just like they do in the movies themselves. Kara joked in her mind once that Conner was so fuming at that loss, she can roast marshmallows over his head

- Clark and Lois meantime attended a small party of their own at the Daily Planet, seeing the majority of the staff there also in costume for the occasion. Notably, they saw Jimmy wearing a good Doomsday costume while Cat Grant was a Vampire and their boss Perry White was Julius Caesar (as per his catchphrase “Great Caesar’s Ghost!”)

- Later once the family is regathered back home, it’s an all too familiar tradition, a marathon of the classic Universal Monsters. Chris, even after so long taking part in this tradition, can’t help but get some chills when watching Dracula’s introduction scene.

Happy Halloween @camo-wolf May God Bless

#clark kent #lois lane #kara zor el #connor kent #chris kent #jonathan samuel kent #halloween #jimmy olsen #cat grant #perry white #daily planet

16 notes · View notes

gold-rhine · 1 year

Note

Something funny to justify archon skins: What if there's an event in were Zhongli is chosen to play a part in a play BUT the play is about Morax and his deeds in the past so...

Zhongli dressed as himself but no one else but him and a few others know it (Venti is laughing his ass of at the sight)

so there's like a liyue community event about like both honoring the old gods and about how in the new era mortals are stepping up to fill their shoes, you know, the general liyue theme. and they hold like contests for representing the gods and Hu Tao enters Zhongli as Rex Lapis bc she fucking knows who he is and is a giant troll. He's like "I would PREFER NOT TO", but she's "I'm your boss, old man :3 Go do it >:3". He tries to fail the vote and there are comedic shenanigans, but ofc he wins and has to play himself. It's very meta and is about coming in terms with ppl's ideas of him which are not actually true, but he cannot change his image now and he has to play the role of how mortals see him

Xiao is playing himself without humans knowing who he is, bc Hu Tao used Traveler to rope him in and because his arc about integrating into mortal society has to be the most awkward and uncomfortably out of his comfort zone thing ever. He has to do a small dance section, which he originally protests wildly, but secretly pleased to do it bc always wanted to dance, and it goes great and everyone loves it. Ganyu is playing cloud retainer which she also didn't choose to.

Ning enters and everyone thinks she's gonna play some beautiful goddess, but she chooses Azhdaha. Keqing is voted to be Guizhong which is fitting bc she's also a spunky innovator, but this makes it incredibly awkward for Zhongli bc she sends half of the time fangirling about rex lapis and the other half giving Zhongli "constructive criticism" about how he can improve his Rex Lapis impression. Ganyu and Keqing have cute gay scenes together, while Ning is not cooperating at all and is just godzilla-stomping around and roaring at every chance while Zhongli stands there with a thousand yards stare.

in the end Ning says it was a clever scheme to shift public perception of her from the conniving manipulator, but in reality she was just sick of being a strategic mastermind all the time and reveled in an opportunity to just hulk out in brute strength and have fun. Beidou says it was hot and she liked seeing that side of Ning, they flirt.

cloud retainer is here as an honored adeptus guest, and she fucking decimates both Ganyu and Zhongli for their bad performances, but compliments Xiao. xiao has a small tet-a-tet talk with the traveler about how he's surprised that both the dance went well and that he liked doing it, how he thought that as a yaksha he can only be good for fighting, but turns out he can be a part of smth beautiful that brings ppl joy. traveler reassures him that he was great and encourages him to try finding himself, it's v cute and it's the logical step in my dream scenario of xiao's arc eventually culminating in him becoming a theater dancer

#rhine talks #genshin impact

29 notes · View notes

danwhobrowses · 2 years

Text

The Sandman - Quickfire Thoughts

So after a series of sporadic binges between Netflix tussles I've finished The Sandman. Having gone into the adaptation of Gaiman's comic fairly blind I had barely any expectations, but here's what I thought of it

Spoilers for the show of course, you were warned

As much as I don't want to invoke the wrath of Gaiman - who also frequents the tumblr - negative points for not fitting Enter Sandman in the entire show.

A strange observation but, is it me but ever since Game of Thrones Charles Dance seems to only do small or low-screentime roles now; Godzilla King of the Monsters, Dracula Untold and now Sandman, he's great but because he's great it's curious that he doesn't do many long-term roles

Dream's casting was great, and props to Tom Sturridge for carrying an aura of menace and power in the first episode while butt naked

One of the very few things I knew of The Sandman comics was ol' toothy eyes, The Corinthian, and boy howdy was Boyd Holbrook fantastic, he's one of the five characters, including Sturridge as Dream, I feel dominates every scene they're in, he's a great charismatic but manipulative villain

The Gregory stuff made me sad, the show did have a fair amount of moments where it's meant to be sad and uncomfortable, but at the same time I don't want to be that sad or that uncomfortable

Liked the river scene, it's super artsy and dark. I wish we had more of that from this series, stuff like in this gif where Dream is as chilling as any nightmare he created, would've liked to see more of the Fates too

I do love some Jenna Coleman, been a fan all the way back since she debuted on Emmerdale, but, it didn't feel like her role in her episode was enough to necessitate the Constantine nod. Jenna could've been a regular sorcerer, or even an immortal Johanna. I dunno I think I just kinda hoped to see Matt Ryan reprise as John, especially since DC is killing the Arrowverse. Maybe DC didn't wanna play ball or Neil has S2 plans for her, but we needed more of Jenna to establish Johanna.

Speaking of potential Season 2, Hell. The Hell Episode was great, mainly because of standout no.3: Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer. Tom Ellis' Lucifer series wasn't something I quite got into, I heard rumblings of it ending dumbly, but Christie's Lucifer is amazingly sinister but in a quiet way, they know who they are so they don't need to threaten, but there is that twinge of sadness and longing that Dream exploits in their Oldest Game

Though 'anti-life' felt like a cheat, I did like the Oldest Game. The wink nudge of Lucifer picking a direwolf but then, by my interpretation, Morpheus choosing hope to corner Lucifer into submitting rather than become something that would diminish their own hope. Matthew the raven gets props as well for giving Morpheus the inspirational pep talk

24/7 was one of those cases where it was a great episode but one I was greatly uncomfortable with, sometimes my own fault like forgetting that Bette's son is in college. But this does explore why John Dee's views on a perfect world is twisted and the Ruby is not safe in his hands, I did feel especially bad for Bette

Oh, John Dee is no.4, David Thewlis man. As much as Dee was unnerving, apathetic, and calculating, Thewlis did a great job in showing the childlike innocence that had been contorted by his sheltered life and manipulation, there is poetic irony that he wants a world of honesty but consistently deceives himself.

Episode 6 was perhaps my favourite, among my comic knowledge was the presentation of Death in Gaiman's story as a joyful punk rock girl who is full of life, Kirby Howell-Baptiste did a great job. I did of course feel extra sad when she approached the cradle, instant thoughts of 'no, not the baby!' in my mind, I don't know enough of her character to wonder if she still feels burdened by the abruptness of some people dying but there can be time for that later

What made it my favourite though was the Hob storyline, it was just nice and wholesome really and it explored more of Morpheus' ever-shrinking distance from humanity

The Vortex storyline I wasn't as sold on as the 'Morpheus reclaims his powers' storyline, it was still good but it did sit in the real world more than the fantasy

I enjoyed the whole house of people and Lyta, and how they all supported Rose in her search for her brother, plus the connection with Unity to merge the storylines together

Probably what made me not so connected to the Vortex storyline in spite of it having the Corinthian be the main villain is the nature of the Vortex, we're told very little about its nature and the 'I don't know' answer does feel weak, she is powerful just because

Morpheus also seems to take two steps back on his character development too, to go from Death telling him that they are not better than humans, should learn to take people's help and him accepting that he and Hob are friends to 'I will use this Vortex, a threat to the dreaming and waking world entirely just to bait some rogue nightmares' and also dismiss Gault's suggestion that even nightmares can change and want did feel like he was undoing his own work

Didn't quite like the Rumpelstiltskin vibe he was giving out with saying he'd come for Lyta's baby too, there could've been at least a bit more compassion or explanation, instead it served as a 'misunderstanding' trope to distance Rose from Morpheus

The ending was solid, albeit one which could've used a bit more explanation. Desire was a character we saw so little of - much like Cain and Abel, whose dynamic reminded me of Hilda and Zelda in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina - and even though we have them outright tell Despair that they are the mastermind of Morpheus' imprisonment and the Vortex arc, we don't actually see any of their actions, just an off-comment by Unity that clocks Morpheus in on the deception.

I feel like, while Gaiman may've intended to keep the audience out of loop, it may've served better to see Desire perform at least one action that guided the plot around, even if it was just to twirl a fake mustache, and explain how they intended to use the Vortex to be Morpheus' undoing, since there seems to be rules for not killing an endless' kin not established in the series (that I recall anyway) was the plan, but since I don't understand what that would lead to it's hard to understand the threat.

Overall I liked it, going in mainly blind I do have my questions but we had a great cast all doing really well, and I want to see more of it, so it laid some strong groundwork we can hopefully build towards.

56 notes · View notes

pb-dot · 7 months

Text

Film Friday: Pacific Rim

My last Film Friday got devoured by the Needs To Finish Editing beast. I figure it's time to get back on it or the Can't-Be-Arsedosaurus is going to devour this habit entirely. Today I have my mind on my monsters and my monsters on my mind, so let's talk a bit about monsters, Kaiju to be more precise, and the giant robots that fight them in Pacific Rim

So earth is being invaded by giant semiaquatic lizard monsters called Kaiju, which is a bad time for all involved except possibly the Kaiju . Instead of devolving into secterian violence and short-sighted ass covering, however, humanity takes the NERV approach to the problem and builds some goddamn giant robots called Jaegers to show the aliens that humanity is not going down without a fight. It is, however, not easy for a regular-sized human being to pilot one of those darn things, and to lessen the load of the body-melding technology that makes it all work, each giant robot has not one, but two pilots, working in hopefully perfect tandem.

The most interesting part about Pacific Rim for my money is how absolutely confidently the movie establishes and delivers its world building. The entire setup in the above paragraph is delivered in the start of the movie, and there's very little dwelling on any of it. Other stories would've had ponderous origin stories or lengthy exposition that they desperately try to justify by having characters walking, or ideally running, and talking, or having a character that just don't know anything about anything.

Not pacific rim though, it sits you down and goes "Ok, here's the shit you need to know and some symbolism to boot, now things gone screwy and Our Guy needs to do some hero stuff." It's perhaps not the Saving The Cat-approved approach, but you know what? I admire how TCB it is, it seems like Guilermo Del Toro really wanted to get to his giant robot story, and didn't want to waste any time to get there.

In general, the movie is full of efficient storytelling like this. The Drift, which is to say the shared mind state that the pilots enter to control the Jaegers is an instant character backstory revealer, allowing both the characters and the movie as a whole to spend less time on it. No need to wonder what the hell Mako's problem is, we saw a montage about it just a few seconds ago, and both the characters and we know that there is a difference between knowing what a problem is and knowing how to deal with it, so there's no real drop in the interpersonal drama because of it either.

Anyway, I have gone WAY too long in this here essay about the Giant Robots Fighting Godzilla-movie without talking about either at any length. So, let's get nerdy on it why don't we. The Kaiju vs Jaeger scenes are spectacular, the Kaiju designs are all fun and unique but visually unified enough that they very much read like a united force. It does, admittedly, stretch the suspension of disbelief that these monsters are all unique and yet get custom names mere seconds after being spotted, but I like to believe there's one Kaiju nerd in the cellar of the Shatterdome whose sole job is coming up with code names for the monsters.

As for the Jaegers, I will say this is the closest a bipedal combat robot big enough to use a cargo ship as a wooden sword has come to making sense. The VFX and especially compositing is excellent for the time it was made, and there's some very real-feeling weight to how they move and some close-enough-to-real physics to their abilities and weapons that makes them feel very present. The same is true for the Kaiju, but we've seen giant godzilla monsters pull that trick off before, so it's not so impressive although I will admit the fight scenes do benefit from both parties feeling like they belong.

If I may diverge from my usual formula here, I feel I must say this, and this seems like as good a place as any. Holy fuck is this movie a blessing for the bisexuals in the audience. Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi, playing protagonists Raleigh and Mako respectively, are attractive people, hope I'm not blowing anyone's minds there, but their chemistry in this movie is just Something Else, and it's honestly developed in a way that I see way too seldom.

It isn't just that they're good actors doing good work either, although I'd argue they are, but a question of being given good material. There is a relationship between these two, this, I would claim, is unambigious. That said, exactly what these two are to each other can be curiously hard to pin down. I still can't tell if it's romantic, sexual or platonic in nature after many re-watches, but whatever it is, it's great and intense in a way that's hard to describe. In some ways they even seem a bit like rivals, like how Raleigh sasses Mako for disproving of his sparring partners and Mako shooting back that it's Raleigh's bs she's disapproving of. In a lesser movie, this would've been awkward or played out with a joke. In this movie, which is great, our two heroes duke it out in a sparring match that is charged with some kind of energy that, if nothing else, tells us that these two will either make each other better or way way WAY worse

Actually, while we are talking about queerness, let's keep it up for a spell. It isn't explicit, but I personally find the relationship between excitable Kaiju Nerd biologist Dr. Geiszler and choleric stick-in-the mud mathematician Dr. Gottlieb deliciously queer. It could be their impeccable Bernt & Ernie-vibes, as expertly portrayed by Charlie Day and Burn Gorman, respectively, or how they both realize that their goals of understanding the Kaiju requires that they each cede grounds to each other and their respective fields and risk life and limb for each other in an experience that changes them forever. It's not an open-and-shut case as far as I'm concerned, but I like it better when read to be queer, so it's worth a mention.

Before I close, I will indulge in another thing I don't do often. In general I try to avoid arguing with the nitpickers and the plothole brigade of the world because that's an endless drain on my limited mental resources, but there is one particular such plothole that have been bothering me for a while. At a particularly dramatic point in the movie Mako and Raleigh deploys a retractable sword to deal with a flying Kaiju, which, apparently, has the CinemaSins wannabes of the world pipe up shrilly to ask why they didn't use the sword before in the prolonged Kaiju battle that this exceedingly anime move ends.

The interesting part about this plothole is that there are two good answers to it that coexist in my mind. For one, they didn't need it, as the Jaeger's other weapons did just fine, arguably better than a sword would, and in the time before Kaijus coming out two at a time, running out of ammo for the Big Very Sufficient Plasma Cannon just wasn't a problem. For the other, the world building actually explains this one, as the opening exposition montage mentions that the blood of the kaiju is hazardous and the source of some sort of malady nicknamed Kaiju Blue. Now since this is a movie, punching and kicking yields only small amounts of blood, while swords all but exsanguinate people on the first stroke, so better to stick with punches and kicks and the occasional self-cauterizing plasma burn. Now, as to why our heroes didn't deploy The Anime Weapon a bit earlier in the process of being dragged into the stratosphere, I couldn't tell you. I could argue that the added altitude could make the kaiju blood disappate over a wider area and thus prove less of a problem, but odds are good this one's just for dramatic effect, which I'm honestly fine with.

Anyway, to try to wrap this up. If my gushy, infodumping tone wasn't a clear indication, I love Pacific Rim. It's a movie that doesn't try to self-consciously excuse its genre trappings, it goes "yeah, kaiju, you know those, giant robots you know those, let's have some fun with it." Despite being made out of many familiar parts, it's arranged in a fresh and exciting way, and the joyous love the filmmakers show for the source material goes a long way to making it approachable. This is the greatest translation of old nerdy interests into a fresh new IP since Star Wars, and it makes me sad that it didn't transform the industry in a similar way. It's what nerd cinema should have become in the time of global streaming, but alas, the passionless nerd pandering turned out to be easier to make and, probably, more profitable. Alas, what could have been, I suppose. At least we'll always have that kickass Ramin Djawadi soundtrack.

#peebs recommends #pacific rim #cinema #movie

2 notes · View notes

miyanagateru · 1 year

Text

hiiii im home. you know it hadbeen well over a decade since i last saw godzilla against mechagodzilla and i certainly did not remember kiryuu fighting like that. when she entered the scene sending godzilla flying with a shoulder tackle like some dbz shit. it felt like she was half a step away from warping around and obliterating godzillas meridians

#machine dreams

2 notes · View notes

newbeginninghealinginstitute · 6 months

Text

Empowering Healing: Women's and Childhood Trauma Therapy in Boca Raton

Healing from trauma is a courageous journey, and in Boca Raton, it's a path paved with empowerment and support. In this blog post, we'll explore the world of women's and childhood trauma therapy in Boca Raton, shedding light on the empowering strategies and resources available to help survivors of trauma find strength and resilience.

The What: Understanding Trauma Therapy

Imagine that dealing with trauma was like trying to take down Bruce Lee. You wouldn't just run at him flailing your arms around, would you? Heck no. You'd need a strategy. Trauma therapy is that strategy. One time, my friend had a boxing match with an inflated giant wife-mic device (don't ask), and I gave him a revolutionary strategy - dodge, duck, dip, dive and... dodge. It's kind of like that with trauma, you need a plan of attack.

Undeniably, trauma therapy can be an emotionally-gargantuan endeavor and can take on many facets. Be it cognitive behavioral therapy, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) or even the expressive therapies like music and art; all have found myriad places in the arena of trauma therapy. I mean, New Beginning Healing Institute to help people across the state achieve better women's and childhood trauma therapy in Boca Raton. Keisha Henry is the best trauma therapist. Contact our office today

The Where: Boca Raton & Trauma Therapy

New Beginning Healing Institute in Boca Raton has become quite the focal point for trauma therapy, especially for women and children. Now, why is Boca Raton important? Well, for starters, in this picturesque slice of Florida, therapists are going above and beyond to create genuinely empathetic and supportive environments which are akin to diving into a pile of puppies - warm, fuzzy, and oh-so-comforting!

Let me paint this scene for you: You're walking through a beautiful palm-lined street in Boca Raton. The sun sets in the distance, painting the clear blue sky with hues of pink and orange. You enter a quaint clinic filled with warm smiles, calming music, and an aroma of fresh lavender calming the nerves. This comforting haven is nothing like the sterile, cold and intimidating clinical settings that would make even Wolverine queasy. Love that about Boca, really! Putting the 'human' in 'human services', you see.

A Focus on Women: Empowering The Empowered

In the realm of trauma therapy, special attention is often given to women. Not without good reason, though! Women are known to be more susceptible to certain types of trauma, particularly those resulting from interpersonal violence. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not branding women as victims here. In fact, one of my favorite sayings is "Women are like teabags. You don't know how strong they are until you put them in hot water". And boy, those ladies in Boca Raton are brewing a strong cuppa!

There's a reason why trauma therapy for women in Boca Raton is gaining momentum, and it has everything to do with the city's innovative, holistic treatment approaches. Boca Raton's trauma therapists don't just focus on overcoming the past traumas, they go one-up on that - they aim to empower women, enabling them to navigate the world confidently, without fear.

Prioritize The Young Ones: Advocating For Childhood Trauma Therapy

Ah, the kiddos. They are the most vulnerable to trauma, and it's a responsibility we bear to protect them and nurture their mental health. Childhood trauma isn't a 'one size fits all' Godzilla situation. No siree, it isn't!

Childhood trauma therapy in Boca Raton New Beginning Healing Institute takes a customized approach. There's no cookie-cutter regimen! Each child’s story is given due respect, and the therapy is designed around their unique experiences and healing pace.

#Trauma #Trauma Therapy #childhood trauma #trauma counseling #trauma therapist #Empowering Healing of trauma

0 notes

the-hype-dragon · 11 months

Text

about 200 pages into No Exit, which I bought last year after seeing the trailer for the movie adaptation

(this post is long and rambling)

let me preface this by saying I don't read a whole lot of thrillers because the genre doesn't impress me in general. I loved Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs but I consider those horror novels instead of just straight thriller novels. for all I know No Exit is a very typical thriller but if all thrillers are written like this I will just go on being unimpressed by the genre

iirc I remember reading some review saying it was like a Stephen King book... correct. Taylor Adams makes as many Thing of the Cultural Moment references as King does, which instantly makes the book very dated. it was published in 2017 (though my paperback is copyrighted for 2019, so I was under the false impression it was much more recent lmao). there is a Pokemon Go! reference early on, a reference to the 2014 Godzilla movie, and a Max Payne (!!!) reference much later, all delivered in a very "how do u do fellow kids" kind of way lmao

also in typical King fashion the villains are so over the top they're unbelievable and the writing is about as subtle as a brick to your face

case in point: the symbolism is very in-your-face and not very clever. the author also enjoys smacking you in the face with "revelations" that are just "see I did a clever thing, reader!" In one scene the villains are kidnapping a child, the dumb one is wearing a zombie mask and the smart one is wearing a werewolf mask, because get it, the dumb one is the other villain's minion, and the smart one seemed good at first but he's really a monster in disguise do you get it

one of them saying he wanted to be a magician when he was a kid would have been clever foreshadowing if it was not similarly bashed over your head how clever the author found it lmao

the main character is equal parts kind of clever and very stupid, but her few smart moments rely entirely on the villains being too dumb to figure out that she would do something to try and fool them. yes even the smart one is too dumb to figure out when she is obviously playing them

on the positive side this book can be really funny and I feel like Adams actually has a decent sense of humor... the only problem is there are also moments that are funny in a way that feels very unintentional

somehow I am supposed to believe two other characters don't notice how evil the villains are or that they are unaware of things like three characters being absent all at once, multiple times. they are all stranded in a rest stop during a snowstorm btw

there are a couple moments where it feels like neither the author nor the editor read real closely because the protagonist has a thought and two seconds later (literally, a page-and-a-half later) the villain says the same thing and she acts like this is a huge revelation. gorl WHAT

in perhaps another sign of the book's "age" (it was published in 2017!) one of the bad guys is a porn addict and we are supposed to find this creepy... while I agree with this we have unfortunately entered an age where calling out a dude's porn addiction is seen as a hate crime lmao

I like the middle-aged side characters, they are charming in a typical "embarrassing middle aged people" kind of way. I could tell the book is written by a man when the (female) protagonist calls the older woman "frumpy" lmao

since I still have about 200 pages to go however (and I haven't looked at spoilers) I'm still holding out hope that a really dumb story one of the villains told very early in the book has some pay-off later. he got his thumb nearly amputated in a door hinge when he was a child so here's hoping some freak door hinge accident is what takes him out!!!

#rambling #book thoughts

0 notes

c-40 · 1 year

Text

A-T-3 105 Algorithm & Blues Pt.3

いち、に、さん、し

Image by Walter Velez from when Japanese cars were entering the American market

'According to DJ Chintam—the co-author of Wamono A To Z records guide, and co-curator of last year’s Japanese jazz funk and rare groove comp—the concept of wamono didn’t exist before the mid-’90s: “Playing Japanese music in DJ sets was almost taboo,” he once told Resident Advisor. But the UK rare groove scene, which sent evangelists hunting after obscure funk, soul, and disco, prompted him to start scouring for domestic records at the turn of the century' - Pitchfork. These are the same diggers that went out hunting for Northern Soul records, they same that compiled the compilations of the late 1980s and 1990s (A-T-3 079 A-T-3 080 A-T-3 081)

My Truth

My personal interest in Japan is, I assume, similar to many people growing up in the UK in the 1980s. Japanese cartoons on TV like Battle Of The Planets and Ulysses 31 (I bought a bootleg of the soundtrack it in the early 2000s), sci-fi characters like Godzilla and Ultraman, and arcade games from Space Invaders to Out Run to Street Fighter II (Red Bull’s excellent Diggin The Carts web series is worth a shout). Japanese arcade games were a massive influence on me, not just the graphics but the cabinet artwork, the sound and gameplay too like BurgerTime, Bomberman, or Bubble Bobble. They felt like a small window into Japan

My experience of Japan and music when I was young, like many others in the UK, suffers from multiple personality disorder. I was born when Biddu/Carl Douglas's Kung Fu Fighting reached number 1 on the UK singles chart. Growing up there was the music in anime (although we just called them cartoons) and video games, period dramas that often use oriental folk music or a pastiche of (as I've said I became aware of Ryuichi Sakamoto through his film music), then their was the imitation of Japanese culture by western pop acts like Turning Japanese by The Vapours and Japanese Boy by Aneka, this was when advertising and the presence of Japanese imports on shop shelves and in showrooms began calling for attention to Japan. By the time I was a teenager I was listening to John Peel who would play bands like Shonen Knife and Pizzicato Five

Throughout the 80s there was a fashion for ‘Japanisme’ on record sleeves. Sheffield design studio Designers Republic began incorporation elements of Japanese graphics into their artwork for the group Pop Will Eat Itself, this developed into one of the styles tDR are known for, in the 1990 tDR created an imaginary Japanese corporation called Pho-Ku. In their way tDR were trying to subvert marketing slogans, Japanese iconography and characters were incorporated into the designs not only for their own charm but as symbols of what is sometimes called hyper-capitalism. From the late 1980s I'd pick up bits of Japanese artwork wherever I could, this might be reproductions of high art or ephemera. In 1991 Akira got a theatrical release in the UK, as an art student I was watching Tetsuo: The Iron Man and it's sequel. I enjoyed Anime and manga (I think Ranma ½ was the first series I got into) and I'm a fan of Superflat

The video for Madonna' released's single Rain (written with Shep Pettibone) was released in 1993, and appeared to have sleek and minimal contemporary Japanese aesthetic to it which I loved. Ryuichi Sakamoto plays the video director in it. This aesthetic is made explicit in Chris Cunningham's 1997 techno orientalist Ghost In The Shell inspired video for the Bjork single All Is Full Of Love

I remember seeing all the CDs on display in Japanese shops and knowing there was gold hidden in there. I will buy anything that looks interesting. YMO, Ryo Kawasaki, Logic System were probably the first older Japanese artists I went looking for

Interest in 'City Pop' and Japanese ambient music in America is written about as if it has happened over night but, it's nothing new, it goes all the way back Ue o Muite Arukō (or Sukiyaki) a Japanese record sung by Kyu Sakamoto that American veterans took to number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1963. Slick Rick takes the melody and incorporates it into the Doug E Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew classic La Di Da Di

Tracks like YMO's Firecracker was popular with Black American audiences, Bboys were into Riot In Lagos, and in Planet Rock G.L.O.B.E, Pow Wow, and Mr Biggs get the house to repeat "ich me sun chi" [ichi ni san shi]. Bambaataa's love of Kraftwerk is well documented so this is probably definitely lifted from Numbers by Kraftwerk

My attraction to Japanese culture was the science fiction and fantasy. Wu-Tang: An American Saga tells the story of RZA and Ghostface Killah's love of martial arts movies and RZA's genius move to sample those films and their sound effects, and boo-yaa the rest as they say is history with Japanese samples and references cropping up in hip hop, R&B, jungle and all their derivatives until the end of time. Wu-Tang were the first hip hop act to go all in, it wasn't subtle was it, in many ways you could compare Wu-Tang to UK synth pop like Japan, Wang Chung, the rock group Asia and other 1980s groups that referenced elements of Japanese culture. Over the last decade or so anime and manga have become mainstream in the US and rock and pop acts are also paying attention to Japanese culture

Tamao Koike - Automne Dans Un Miroir produced by YMO, slower and translated into French b side of Kagami No Naka No Jugatsu which is also great

youtube

Go Misawa- Jigoku Kara no Shisma and some nice anime soundtrack popular with hip hop producers. It's from the anime Devilman

youtube

Go Misawa - 悪魔人間 (デビルマン) - 不動明

youtube

#1983 #tamao koike #yellow magic orchestra #ryuichi sakamoto #haruomi hosono #yukihiro takahashi #go misawa #synth pop #soundtrack #tokyo #japan #80s music #Youtube

0 notes

astoundingbeyondbelief · 5 months

Text

Kaiju Week in Review (November 12-18, 2023)

The first two episodes of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters were officially released on November 17, but Apple gave me a stellar birthday present by dropping them in the last few hours of the 16th in my timezone. So far it's living up to the hype. Now, as one of the five people who remember Surface, I wasn't expecting much kaiju action on a TV budget. Fortunately, the characters are compelling (and many of the actors unfairly attractive), while the kaiju make the most of their handful of scenes. With more room to breathe than most Godzilla stories, it's able to show what it means to live in a world of nigh-indestructible nightmares like few before it. Subsequent episodes will continue to drop on Fridays (with an asterisk?), except for this week, which will see a premiere on Wednesday instead, I guess because of Thanksgiving.

Between Godziban, his stint as a Godzilla Battle Line juggernaut, Godzilla: War for Humanity, Godzilla Voxel Wars, and the upcoming Brave Like Godzilla picture book I think I forgot to talk about before, it's clear we've entered the Second Age of Minilla. Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp, IDW's first original Godzilla graphic novel, will give him another prime role. The plot:

This fresh Godzilla OGN proves that kaiju are for kids. Especially the ones who’d rather befriend beasts than fight them. As an aspiring cartoonist, Zelda has always dreamed of attending an art summer camp, and this year she finally gets to go! But when she arrives to Make It Summer Camp, she’s horrified to see the easels and sketchboards have been replaced with dodgeball and calisthenics. The camp is under new, suspicious management that’s turned it into an extreme sports nightmare. Determined to salvage her summer, Zelda escapes to a secluded corner of the island. Here she can finally draw in peace. At least until she stumbles into a portal to a fantastic world! Welcome to Monster Island, Zelda! There she makes a connection with baby kaiju Minilla and discovers the beauty of these legendary creatures. However, all is not well on Monster Island. Great evils are stirring and if Zelda can’t protect their home, the kaiju will unleash their wrath on the world.

Rosie Knight (writer) and Oliver Ono (artist) previously worked together on Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Battra, an intriguing tale with terrific monster art that I thought needed more pages than the Rivals format affords. Looks like IDW agreed. They've really got us nerds by the throat with this premise too. Releasing August 13, 2024.

Read Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Mechagodzilla. Not very good.

Mechagodzilla also looks to feature heavily in the first Rivals issue of 2024, although it's titled Mothra Vs. M.O.G.U.E.R.A. Johnny Parker II is writing, Winston Chan is illustrating. The logline:

Mothra is a great protector and friend to humanity, but not everyone believes the monster is always going to be on our side. When an anti-kaiju group controlling the powerful robotic Mechagodzilla and M.O.G.U.E.R.A. attacks Mothra’s home, it’s up to a few brave souls, an injured Mothra, and a little extra robotic help to save the day!

#godzilla #kaiju week in review #monarch legacy of monsters #idw #minya #comics

43 notes · View notes

thedrag0nking · 1 year

Text

7:20 A.M. The Lunar City

Within the city of the moon rabbits where billions continue rebuilding their entire city from the horror invasion that have passed but unknown to them, a greater threat will emerge sooner than they realized and when they emerged fron their very nightmares it is the day the lunarians will receive a very grim reminder, the reminder of their dark pasts where blood is in their hands for the great sacrifice of gensokyo. Earthquakes began to rumble causing the ground to break beneath their feet while the earth shook.

' K K K K R R A A A C K K ! '

Emerged from the ground the gigantic pillar appeared into the city revealing to be the kaiju Utsuho Reiuji with vengeance upon her mind emitting a powerful EMP that crushes their entire defenses temporarily and gave the signal for the rest of her allies to come in and wreak havoc. Many moon rabbits run for their very lives panicking and screaming in terror as the very thing they have made are here to punish them.

Defenses crumbling down, people running and screaming for their very lives the rest of the kaiju came swarming in with death and pestilence inflicting upon them starting with the golde spider, using her ability to spread every horrific disease known to man, ebola, anthrax, the bubonic plague, and so much more killing them by the billions while she climb onto a large building that is the large building of New Moon Corp as she jabbed her appendages through the building and tear it down.

New Moon Military forces arrived into the scene to combat the kaiju but right behind them is the misfortune type kaiju Hina who appeared out of the blood feasting upon the misfortune while spreading that misfortune upon the enemy causing them all to falter, suffering technical difficulties causing more casaulties in the line of the fight. The kaiju blasted the lunarian military to shreds with her misfortune beam from her long arms.

Fire and destruction begun to rain from the sky for the immortal phoenix type kaiju the broken one, Mokou Fujiwara entered into the scene flying through the sky at such tremendous speed, shattering the buildings to pieces and causing fiery storms to appear due to the speed and ability to create and unleashed power flames and deadly heat waves from her powerful wings. Mokou wants the moon rabbits to know how it feel to suffer, as she suffer from the hands of the lunarians.

Brutal, destructive yet cunning the oni type kaiju Suika Ibuiki appeared stomping and smashing everything in her path from the buildings, military forces and even their powerful defenses that are design to knock back against the giant monsters of the land but with their defenses shut down by Okuu and her EMP blast shutting off all techn in a limited amount of time Suika slammed her fists into the anti-Kaiju defenses crushing them apart.

Queen of all insect kind, the spreader of the plague of locusts Wriggle Night bug stands there on top of one of the buildings as she watched her allies inflicting their suffering upon the moon rabbits the kaijufied night bug unleashed a swarm of japanese hornets right in her command, swarming the poor moon rabbits without hesitation attacking and stinging them all over their face with extreme prejudice.

Lastly the one in charge of the madness the exterminator Type Reimu Hakurei and her companion Marisa Kirisame watched the chaos unfold while making sure that all of them suffer greatly. She watched the men, the women and the children die in this very nightmarish scenario. It's proof that they are here now before they could do anything to save gensokyo, they're here to settle scores with their great enemy. The moon rabbits and oh they haven't forgive them, not at all in fact.

Why they're here and not at war against the makai beasts is because with the previous failure with Oborojime going rogue Belial had no option but send the kaiju back to bring things back to balance by themselves going against the ancients. But not before the kaiju cause one of the worst war crimes in gensokyo history. By turning the lunarian city into a pile of rubble for today is the day of the monsters. Where Giant monsters all out attack.

#{ Musing: Reimu Hakurei }#{ Musing: Marisa Kirisame }#{ Musing: Suika Ibuiki }#{ Musing: Hina Kagiyama }#{ Musing: Utsuho Reiuji }#{ Musing: Mokou Fujiwara }#{ Musing: Wriggle Nightbug }#{ Musing: Yamame Kurodani }#{ Judgement }#{ The Stonewall }#{ One Bad Day }#{ All To Blame }#{ Mother Nightbug }#{ The Immortal Phoenix }#{ The Golden Spider }#{ Giant Monsters All Out Attack }#{ The Destruction Of The Lunar City }#{ Space Kaiju VS Ancients }#SoundCloud

1 note · View note

monstermaster13 · 1 year

Text

Oats and Corey in…

Transylvanian Vacation.

Oats and Corey both shared the same love of monsters that their friend Melanie ‘Mel’ Sanders did…and of course visiting Weta Workshop helped spark their love for making monsters, one afternoon the duo were playing a game of mad scientist when Oats asked Mel..’Where do monster stories come from? What inspires a horror writer to write what they write?’ ‘Sometimes it’s all based on a real piece of history.’ ‘Really?’ ‘Yes, would you like to learn all about how monsters are made?’ ‘Oh yes..we went on a vampire adventure recently and would like to learn all about vampire lore and in particular where it started.’ ‘Well I know just the place for you, follow me boys.’

Mel gestured for the boys to follow her, as she showed them to a doorway which opened in the wall of their bedroom and the duo followed her, they entered the doorway as their bed transformed into a hearse and the duo went on a ride to Brasov, Romania. Corey had heard stories about this Romanian city and that it was home to superstition and to vampires, which excited him as the duo jumped out and arrived.

Oats was confused when he saw it at first…’Mommy, you said this place was dark and scary, where are all the monsters?’ ‘Yes…I did say it was home for many horror stories we know and love.’ ‘But it’s so normal.’ ‘Maybe the monsters won’t show up until it’s dark.’ Corey scratched his head for a bit before going for a look-around and that’s where he saw a group of people from the city.

“Excuse me, do you know where we can go to hear about a monster story?”

“A monster story?”

‘Yes…that’s right.’ ‘You know, like a Frankenstein story?’ One of the townsfolk laughed at Oats, he whinnied in a reaction that suggested he was offended at what they said. ‘What?’ ‘Oatsie, why are they laughing at you?’ ‘I don’t know, I just asked a question.’ ‘Well you’ve only been here now and you’re asking a point break question like that?’ ‘What?’ ‘You asked about Frankenstein’s monster.’ ‘Yeah…’

“Wait wait…this is Transylvania, don’t you want to ask about Dracula?”

“Good one.”

“What about the creature from the Black Lagoon?”

Corey laughed for a few seconds before looking over…’That’s pretty funny.’ ‘I’ve got Godzilla in the back room?’ ‘Ooh, another good one.’ ‘How about the blob?’ The duo headed out with Mel and headed over to Bran Castle to begin their adventure.

Bran Castle looked perfectly normal, Mel always told them that’s where vampires came from and that it was famous for being used as a spooky scene setting but Oats was confused…he couldn’t see anything spooky about it, that is until they walked into the castle and looked around, it was very dark except for the torches on the walls that stood alight, he used his magic to produce a light which helped them to see as they walked through the hallways and corridor.

Oats held onto Mel’s hand as the trio walked around, seeing all the sets and noticing all the creatures dancing around, including some undead beings and some ghostly dancers wearing masquerade masks, the two arrived at the dining room and saw some of the furniture floating, walking over to the foyer they saw some sculptures that looked like they were alive and some gargoyles. ‘Okay…now we’re getting to the spooky stuff.’ Then they came across a path which lead to a bedroom area where they saw coffin shaped beds and then they followed another path which lead to a room with several coffins.

That’s where our equine friend saw some vamponies (vampiric ponies) waking up from their naps, one of them was a gothic pony princess who floated to Oats and tried to flirt with him before attempting to hypnotize him. Corey came across another path, which in turn lead to the ballroom where the ghostly dancers were, Mel bravely stepped up to help the duo with the ghostly dancers by putting on a song number.

‘Oh, the night is my world

City light painted girl

In the day nothing matters

It's the night time that flatters

In the night, no control

Through the wall something's breaking

Wearing white as you're walkin'

Down the street of my soul

You take my self, you take my self control

You got me livin' only for the night

Before the morning comes, the story's told

You take my self, you take my self control

Another night, another day goes by

I never stop myself to wonder why

You help me to forget to play my role

You take my self, you take my self control

I, I live among the creatures of the night

I haven't got the will to try and fight

Against a new tomorrow, so I guess I'll just believe it

That tomorrow never comes

A safe night, I'm living in the forest of my dream

I know the night is not as it would seem

I must believe in something, so I'll make myself believe it

This night will never go

Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh

Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh’

Oats twirled around as he joined in and as he did, he became a vampiric/gothic version of himself that was dressed as Doctor Frank N Furter and Corey also joined in…becoming a floating vampirus (vampire virus) microbe as they performed with the dancers.

‘Oh, the night is my world

City light painted girl

In the day nothing matters

It's the night time that flatters

I, I live among the creatures of the night

I haven't got the will to try and fight

Against a new tomorrow, so I guess I'll just believe it

That tomorrow never knows

A safe night, I'm living in the forest of a dream

I know the night is not as it would seem

I must believe in something, so I'll make myself believe it

This night will never go

Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh

You take my self, you take my self control

You take my self, you take my self control’

The group danced and sang and performed for the ghostly dancers and the monsters as the vampire ponies sang along, soothed by Oats’s voice, the vampire pony princess from earlier looked over at him. ‘Wow, you are such a talented horse. I am sorry I tried to hypnotize you earlier. I just wanted a friend to play with.’ Oats blushed as he kissed the princess. Corey noticed some more bats as he saw one of them take on the form of a humanoid shape, and he knew this was Dracula himself, or specifically the Hotel Transylvania version of him…’Yep, this Dracula sounds like Adam Sandler and/or Brian Hull alright.’

Corey also noticed Drac had his friends Wayne the Werewolf (and his wife and their pups), Mavis, Johnny (and their son Dennis), Griffin, Murray, and even some new monster characters. Oats was excited to meet Mavis as he flew over to her and introduced himself. They heard wolves outside but Wayne told them…’nothing to be scared of, those are my cousins.’

Dracula announced that it was time for a monster party as Corey and Oats cheered, a group of half undead musicians performed on stage as games and festivities took place including going on haunted tours, learning about vampire stories. Corey and Oats even take part in a couple of musical numbers. They had so much fun that they didn’t want to leave…which luckily they didn’t have to, at least not until later.

A couple of hours later the party ended and the group headed out as they saw a mad scientist experimenting on a creature, but there was no lighting…’Why is there no lightning?’ ‘Lightning? Pah. He doesn’t work with lightning, he hates it, he works with all this other stuff.’ Corey chuckled as they hopped back into the hearse their bed turned into and headed out again but not before saying goodbye to their monster friends.

They took off in the hearse and headed back home to their house in Nile Road, where the duo got out and had another playtime session where they pretended to be monsters, and Oats put on his special performance of Sweet Transvestite for everyone. That evening they had dinner and after dinner they listened to music and relaxed.

When it was time for bed they all snuggled up and closed their eye, as they did their bed took on the form of a carriage with a gothic design as they went on a monster researching journey through the city of Brasov. But if you think that’s the end of their adventures, once again…another adventure may have ended but another one will begin.

They had a monster researching journey in the city of Brasov in their dreams and had a funky monster party, with the other microbes and some halloweeny/spooky webkinz pets joining in on the fun. ‘This town certainly doesn’t say a town in fear does it?’ ‘Oh no Corey, I definitely don’t think so…I think it’s cute.’ ‘Yeah, transylvania’s kind of cute.’

The next morning they all put on a special play/performance based on their trip to Brasov. ‘Do you know what song sums up our journey?’ ‘Transylvania 6-5000.’ ‘Hit it…’ A ghostly musician band popped up and played the theme song from the movie of the same name as they all danced and had a lot of fun.

But as mentioned above, this isn’t the end to their adventure, stay tuned for The 2022 Halloween Spooktacular, ‘Corey and Oats: Koala Rescuers’ ‘Corey and Oats in Dreamland.’ And ‘Oats’s Magical Flower Garden.’

0 notes

makeste · 3 years

Text

an index of Horikoshi Kouhei interviews

these are organized by date, oldest to newest, and I’m including a brief bullet-point summary of each to make it easier to look up specific interviews by content.

also, please note that although I haven’t spoiler tagged this post, the interviews from roughly 2019 onwards include some spoilers, so please watch out for those if you’re anime-only or otherwise not caught up with the manga. that said, the other interviews I think are all good.

putting this below a cut to keep things tidy.

interview with Horikoshi Kouhei and Kishimoto Masashi, May 2015

(note: this is not the actual interview word-for-word, but includes the highlights)

Horikoshi talks about being a fan of Naruto when he was growing up

Horikoshi says he was inspired by the way Kishimoto shows emotion through drawing hands, and that he loves drawing hands thanks to Naruto

Horikoshi mentions that Gaara is his favorite character and that he really liked the Chuunin Exam arc

Kishimoto praises BnHA and says he knew it would be a hit when he read the second chapter

they talk a bit about the worldbuilding and the process of creating a story where 80% of the population has superpowers

they discuss Naruto and Sasuke’s rivalry and Horikoshi mentions that he found it “frustrating” and that he really liked the Valley of the End and thought it would be the end of the series. he says it was very emotional

they talk a little about the stress of writing manga and about the toll it takes on mental health

pre-anime interview, April 2016

talks about his reaction when he found out BnHA was getting an anime

talks about how the series originally came about

says that BnHA is the story of Izuku and All Might and that their story is the “vertical axis” which runs through the main story

says there is also a “horizontal axis”, which is the side characters and quirks and all of the other elements that he considers to be the “fun part” of the story which mellows out the darker aspects of the vertical axis

mentions that he really likes drawing and writing Bakugou

mentions Deku vs Kacchan 1 as one of the early highlights in the series for him

talks about Ochako being someone who has a more cheerful relationship with Deku, which balances out some of the heavier aspects of Deku and Katsuki’s relationship (again, horizontal vs vertical axis)

mentions that if he could pick any quirk he’d pick a “no need for sleep” quirk

talks about reading Dragon Ball as a child

mentions that he really likes American comic book heroes, especially Spider-Man

mentions Goku and Spider-Man as the two that come to mind when he thinks about heroes and what it means to be a hero (specifically, that Goku is the “win” aspect and that he brings reassurance to everyone, while Spider-Man is the “save” aspect who helps other people)

talks about hearing Deku and Bakugou’s voices in the anime for the first time, as well as Ochako, Iida, and All Might’s voices

another pre-anime interview with konomanga.jp, April 2016

(note: this interview is in Japanese, but Google translate does a servicable job with it)

talks more about Spider-Man, including his favorite costumes and comic artists

gives some American comic book recs

mentions that he likes Godzilla and Gamera and always goes to see those movies

talks about his Star Wars influences

talks about his favorite manga as a child -- Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Naruto

talks about becoming a manga artist, and about some of his influences

says that he likes drawing monsters, creatures, and villains, and says that he really liked drawing the panel where Tomura made his first appearance at USJ

talks a little about composition and frame movement in his work, and about the challenges of drawing a weekly manga

mentions that he knows what the story ending will be, but hasn’t yet figured out how to connect the dots to that point

interview with Horikoshi Kouhei and Umakoshi Yoshihiko in BnHA: Ultra Archive, May 2016

(note: Umakoshi is the anime character designer for BnHA. also, this interview was part of the Ultra Archive character book, so you’ll have to scroll a bit through its other contents in order to get to the interview.)

they talk about the process of creating the BnHA anime and sketching out all of the character designs. Horikoshi says the anime character model sheets look just like how he draws them

they talk about Horikoshi’s obsession with drawing hands lol. Horikoshi mentions that the way Mike Mignola (the creator of Hellboy) draws hands was a big influence

they talk a lot about art and drawing in general

Horikoshi talks about Ochako’s character design a bit

they talk about the differences between drawing manga and doing animation

Umakoshi talks about his first impressions of BnHA

Horikoshi mentions that he still has a lot of ideas for characters and quirks that he hasn’t been able to implement yet

they talk about the different character designs and which ones they find easy, difficult, and fun to draw

they talk for a fair amount of time about Iida’s character design

Umakoshi talks a bit about other anime he’s worked on

they talk about the character of All Might, and Horikoshi ominously says that All Might’s future will be “a fairly sad affair”

interview with Natalie Comics, June 2018

talks about the 4th anniversary of BnHA, and the release of BnHA: Two Heroes

talks about the Basement internship arc and mentions that it was challenging for him to write

talks about the question “what is a hero?” and how he defines heroes

mentions Mina, Sero, and Shouji as characters he would like to/plans to feature in the future, and mentions that he already has a story planned featuring Shouji

talks about the popularity of the series

talks a little about Koike-san, his first editor

talks about Two Heroes and its development and story

talks about club activities at U.A., and which clubs Deku and Katsuki would be in

talks about his mom and about some of his childhood experiences which inspired scenes in the manga

talks about why he became a mangaka

talks about what percentage of the series is completed, mentions the original planned length was about 30 volumes but that it has obviously surpassed that

mentions that he has an idea of how the last arc will be planned out

interview with Horikoshi and Eiichiro Oda, August 2018

Horikoshi talks about being a fan of One Piece and mentions he even sent artwork to Oda which was included in one of Oda’s galleries

they talk more about OP and about favorite arcs and how it’s influenced Horikoshi’s work

Oda compliments Horikoshi’s art and they talk about cover artwork and coloring (Horikoshi mentions he uses Photoshop)

Horikoshi talks a bit about BnHA Two Heroes

Horikoshi again mentions that he originally thought BnHA would be about 30 volumes (Oda says he should shoot for 50 but Horikoshi laughs and says he’s not sure he can do ten years)

they talk about how fucking long OP is and how manga stories tend to expand once the story starts taking off

Interview with Anime News Network at SDCC, August 2018

talks about his love of American comics, especially Spider-Man, and says that American comics are a lot more mainstream in Japan nowadays thanks to all the superhero movies

talks about how he got started as a manga creator

talks about being inspired by Dragon Ball, and that All Might in particular was inspired by Goku

talks a bit about the process of creating characters

talks about Bakugou’s popularity and that it took him by surprise at first

mentions that he doesn’t have the stamina for BnHA to be a long series like One Piece

interview with Cinema Today Japan, December 2019

(update: here is the link to @hanashimas‘ translation which is more accurate)

talks about Deku and Bakugou’s characters and their attributes

mentions that at the start of the story Bakugou thinks Deku is above him, so he tries to act intimidating and superior to overtake him

(ETA: apparently this is a mistranslation; he actually says that he intended for Bakugou to be a character who was “above” Deku so to speak, who Deku would eventually surpass. he then goes on to talk about his realization that Bakugou could actually have a much more interesting character arc, which of course we have since seen play out.)

mentions that he planned to have Bakugou and Deku improve on two separate vectors as they entered U.A.

mentions Deku vs Kacchan 1 as a turning point where he had some realizations about Bakugou’s character that humanized him for him

mentions that he always knew Bakugou wouldn’t turn evil and “would never lose to the darkness”

says the scene where Katsuki takes Kirishima’s hand at Kamino was bittersweet because it showed Bakugou’s growth, but also showed the ongoing gulf between him and Deku because Deku knew that Katsuki wouldn’t take his hand

mentions that Bakugou still needs to apologize to Deku

says that Kirishima, Kaminari, and Mina are among the easiest characters for him to draw because they take the initiative and get the other characters excited and help pull the story forward

mentions that he always hears Nobu’s voice in his head now when writing Bakugou

talks about the characters being high school kids still, and that when he expanded on their families he was conscious of that -- “I wanted to show that these protagonists are still children after all”

interview in Volume R (booklet that was released along with Heroes Rising), December 2019

talks again about his manga influences and what inspired him to become a mangaka

talks about the experience of getting his first manga published

talks about what inspired him to write BnHA

has an interesting quote where he talks about the vaguely desperate feeling of “trying one last time”, which was weighing on his mind when he created BnHA, and which also played into Deku’s motivations in the first chapter

mentions All Might as being a character that he’s attached to

talks about his reactions to the anime, the overseas popularity, and the first movie

talks about his heavy involvement in the production of Heroes Rising

talks about designing and creating the bad guys for Heroes Rising

talks about the creation and character design of Hawks and mentions that the original character design was going to have a bird head lol

mentions that Hawks will have a relatively big influence on the story in the future

talks about how the ending of Heroes Rising was his original planned ending for the series

talks about Bakugou’s character development which leads up to that moment

talks about the conclusion of the series, and that all of the characters will come together in the end

interview with all of the past editors of the BnHA manga, March 2021

(note: this is another interview that’s not translated word for word, but summarized. also this interview was with just the editors, not Horikoshi himself.)

they talk about the early reception to the manga, and Horikoshi’s reactions

they talk about the individual moments early on when they realized that the series would be “amazing”

Yoritomi mentions that Horikoshi came up with the designs for most of the Billboard Top 10 pro heroes at the last minute lol

including Hawks (all Horikoshi had decided on prior was that he was going to be “cool” and would be a spy)

everyone praises Horikoshi’s character designs in general

they talk about the start of the anime and that whole process

they mention that Horikoshi cried watching both of the movies

they talk about the overseas popularity of the series

each editor lists their favorite episode of the anime

they talk about Horikoshi sacrificing his original manga ending to be used in Heroes Rising

they talk about that one ending theme song in season 4 that showed the pro heroes’ childhoods, and that Horikoshi had the anime team change Hawks’s to match the backstory he had planned

they talk about the upcoming season 5 and send final messages to the fans

interview in the MHA Drawing Smash Exhibition Pamphlet, April 2021

Horikoshi talks about the art in the exhibition and about the process of creating the artwork

he mentions that the piece with Deku rescuing a falling Ochako took the longest to draw

he says the drawing of All Might was the most fun to draw for him

that’s pretty much it, this one is very short lol

interview in Jump GIGA Spring 2021, April 2021

talks about which characters will play an important role in the final act. specifically mentions Hawks, Ochako, Shouji, Shinsou, Monoma, and Sero

“many characters’ actions will converge into a single one, so maybe the best way to say it would be ‘keep an eye on all of them!’“

says that for Hawks’s flashbacks and the Todoroki family’s past, he was influenced by Sion Sono’s works

mentions that the drawing of Deku and Ochako from the MHA Drawing Smash exhibit isn’t directly related to the main story, but that while drawing it he kept in mind how their relationship would develop if he explored it deeper

says he had the final act (or at least the chapter 306 reveal part of it) vaguely planned for a long time, but started to think about the specifics in volume 21 during the Endeavor vs High-End fight

says he’s already decided on the ending, and that “the path to it has been longer than I initially expected, but the main elements that I’ve decided before starting the series are still the same”

Q&A trivia from Vol. W World Heroes’ Mission, August 2021

(and alternate translation by aitaikimochi)

talks about All Might not having many friends among the pro heroes (but says he’s become “slightly attached” to Aizawa since he started teaching at U.A.)

describes what Bakugou, Tsuyu, and Mineta’s rooms look like

talks about Jirou and Momo’s relationship and the kind of things they like to talk about when they hang out together

says that Shouji’s face will eventually be revealed, and that he is “not sure” about Hagakure’s :’)

talks about the types of YouTube videos Shouto watches (pretty insightful answer which is equal parts sweet and sad)

says that Midnight’s classes were the most popular among the students

says U.A.’s robots once rebelled against their creators (lol wtf)

says his three favorite movies are Akira, The Ring, and Spider-Man: Far From Home. he says Akira in particular is his bible

and that’s it for now, but I will update this post with future interviews as they are posted, and if anyone has links to an interview I’ve missed please let me know.

#horikoshi kouhei #horikoshi kouhei interview #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha reference #makeste reads bnha

304 notes · View notes