#i will bring up tokusatsu every chance i get | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

recentanimenews · 4 years

Text

IN-DEPTH: Neon Godzilla Evangelion, The Horrors of Hideaki Anno

"Something broken or deficient comes more naturally to me. Sometimes that thing is the mind. Sometimes it is the body."

-Hideaki Anno, creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion

"Monsters are tragic beings; they are born too tall, too strong, too heavy, they are not evil by choice. That is their tragedy."

- Ishiro Honda, director of Godzilla

Image via Amazon Prime Video

Horror is born of trauma. The pop-culture monsters we fear and are fascinated by tend to reflect our very real anxieties. Frankenstein tells the story of scientific progress so explosive that it risks leaving humanity behind. It Follows creates a nightmare vision of looming intimacy and the potential for unknowable disease. Leatherface, hooting at the dinner table with his brothers in rural Texas, was the child of economic angst, the crimes of Ed Gein, and of President Nixon's threat of a "silent majority" forcing Americans to reconsider whether or not they really knew their neighbors.

And Godzilla? Well, Godzilla is a metaphor for a bomb. A bunch of bombs, actually. But more important than that, he represents loss — the loss of structure, of prosperity, of control. Godzilla is our own hubris returning to haunt us, the idea that in the end, we are helpless in the face of nature, disaster, and even our own mistakes. We, as a species, woke him up and now we have to deal with him, no matter how unprepared we are.

Hideaki Anno understands this.

In 1993, he began work on Neon Genesis Evangelion, a mecha series profound in not just its depiction of a science fiction world but in its treatment of depression and mental illness. It is a seminal work in the medium of anime, a "must-watch," and it would turn Anno into a legend, though his relationship to his magnum opus remains continuous and, at best, complicated. It is endlessly fascinating, often because Anno seems endlessly fascinated by it.

In 2017, he would win the Japanese Academy Film Prize for Director of the Year for Shin Godzilla, a film that also won Picture of the Year, scored five other awards, and landed 11 nominations in total. Shin Godzilla was the highest-grossing live-action Japanese film of 2016, scoring 8.25 billion yen and beating out big-name imports like Disney's Zootopia. In comparison, the previous Godzilla film, Final Wars, earned 1.26 billion. Shin Godzilla captured the public's attention in a way that most modern films in the franchise had not, returning the King of the Monsters to his terrifying (and culturally relevant roots).

So how did he do it? How did Anno, a titan of the anime industry famous for his extremely singular creations, take a monster that had practically become a ubiquitous mascot of Japanese pop culture and successfully reboot him for the masses? How did Godzilla and Neon Genesis Evangelion align in a way that now there are video games, attractions, and promotions that feature the two franchises cohabitating? The answer is a little more complex than, "Well, they're both pretty big, I guess."

To figure that out, we have to go back to two dates: 1954 and 1993. Though nearly 40 years apart, both find Japan on the tail end of disaster.

Part 1: 1954 and 1993

On August 6th and August 9th 1945, two atomic bombs were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively. These would kill hundreds of thousands of people, serving as tragic codas to the massive air raids already inflicted on the island nation. Six days after the bombing of Nagasaki, Japan would surrender to the Allied forces and World War II would officially end. But the fear would not.

Within a year, the South Pacific would become home to many United States-conducted nuclear tests, just a few thousand miles from Japan. And though centered around the Marshall Islands, the chance of an accident was fairly high. And on March 1, 1954, one such accident happened, with the Lucky Dragon #5 fishing boat getting caught in the fallout from a hydrogen bomb test. The crew would suffer from radiation-related illnesses, and radioman Kuboyama Aikichi would die due to an infection during treatment. For many around the world, it was a small vessel in the wrong place at the wrong time. For Japan, it was a reminder that even a decade after their decimation from countless bombs, atomic terror still loomed far too close to home.

Godzilla emerged from this climate. Films about giant monsters had become popular, with The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and a 1952 re-release of King Kong smashing their way through the box office, and producer Tomoyuki Tanaka wanted to combine aspects of these with something that would comment on anti-nuclear themes. Handed to former soldier and Toho Studios company man Ishiro Honda for direction and tokusatsu wizard Eiji Tsubaraya for special effects, Godzilla took form and would be released a mere eight months after the Lucky Dragon incident.

Image via Amazon Prime Video

It was a success, coming in eighth in the box office for the year and it would lead to dozens of sequels that would see Godzilla go from atomic nightmare to lizard superhero (and then back and forth a few times). America, sensing profits, bought the rights, edited it heavily, inserted Rear Window star Raymond Burr as an American audience surrogate, and released it as Godzilla: King of the Monsters! It was also very profitable, and for the next 20 years, every Japanese Godzilla film got a dubbed American version following soon in its wake.

Years went by. Japan would recover from World War II and the following Allied Occupation and become an economic powerhouse. But in the late '80s, troubling signs began to emerge. An asset price bubble, based on the current economy's success and optimism about the future, was growing. And despite the Bank of Japan's desperate attempts to buy themselves some time, the bubble burst and the stock market plummeted. In 1991, a lengthy, devastating recession now known as the "Lost Decade" started. And the resulting ennui was not just economic but cultural.

The suicide rate rose sharply. Young people, formerly on the cusp of what seemed to be promising careers as "salarymen," found themselves listless and without direction. Disillusionment set in, both with the government and society itself, something still found in Japan today. And though people refusing to engage with the norms of modern culture and instead retreating from it is nothing new in any nation, the demographic that we now know as "Hikikomori" appeared. And among these youths desperate to find something better amid the rubble of a once-booming economy was animator Hideaki Anno.

A co-founder of the anime production company Gainax, Anno was no stranger to depression, having grappled with it his entire life. Dealing with his own mental illness and haunted by the failure of important past projects, Anno made a deal that would allow for increased creative control, and in 1993, began work on Neon Genesis Evangelion. Combining aspects of the popular mech genre with a plot and themes that explored the psyche of a world and characters on the brink of ruin, NGE would become extremely popular, despite a less than smooth production.

The series would concern Shinji Ikari, a fourteen-year-old boy who suffers from depression and anxiety in a broken and terrifying world. Forced to pilot an EVA unit by his mysterious and domineering father, Shinji's story and his relationships with others are equal parts tragic and desperate, and the series provides little solace for its players. Anno would become more interested in psychology as the production of the series went on, and the last handful of episodes reflect this heavily.

Image via Netflix

After the original ending inspired derision and rage from fans, Anno and Gainax would follow it up with two sequel projects (Death & Rebirth and The End of Evangelion), and NGE's place in the pantheon of "classic" anime was set. Paste Magazine recently named it the third-best anime series of all time. IGN has it placed at #8 and the British Film Insititute included End of Evangelion on their list of 50 key anime films. The exciting, thoughtful, and heart-breaking story of Shinji Ikari, Asuka, Minato, and the rest has gone down in history as one of the best stories ever told.

So what would combine the two and bring Godzilla's massive presence under the influence of Anno's masterful hand? As is a miserable trend here, that particular film would also be spawned from catastrophe.

Part 2: 2011

"There was no storm to sail out of: The earth was spasming beneath our feet, and we were pretty much vulnerable as long as we were touching it," said Carin Nakanishi in an interview with The Guardian. The spasm she was referring to? The 2011 Tohoku earthquake, the most powerful earthquake in the history of Japan. Its after-effects would include a tsunami and the meltdown of three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The death toll was in the tens of thousands. The property destruction seemed limitless. The environmental impact was shocking. Naoto Kan, the Japanese Prime Minister at the time, called it the worst crisis for Japan since World War II.

It took years to figure out the full extent of the damage. Four years after, in 2015, 229,000 people still remained displaced from their ruined homes. The radiation in the water was so severe that fisheries were forced to avoid it. The cultivation of local agriculture was driven to a halt, with farmland being abandoned for most of the decade. And though the direct effects of it varied depending on how far away you lived, one symptom remained consistent: The inability to trust those who'd been sworn in to help.

"No useful information was being offered by the government or the media," Nakanishi said. Many voiced a fear that the government had not done its decontamination job properly or would not continue to help them if they returned to their former homes near Fukushima. Some felt the people making decisions were far too distant to truly understand what was going on. Many thought that the government had underestimated the danger. In a survey taken after the Fukushima meltdown, "only 16 percent of respondents ... expressed trust in government institutions." In most of these stories, citizens stepped in to help, feeling as if they had no other choice. Eventually, his approval ratings dropped to only 10 percent and Naoto Kan stepped down from his role as Prime Minister.

And what of Godzilla and Anno at the time? Well, the former lay dormant, having been given a 10-year hiatus from the big screen by Toho after the release of 2004's Godzilla: Final Wars. And though he'd show up in a short sequence in Toho's 2007 film Always Zoku Sanchome no Yuhi, they kept good on their promise. But Godzilla fans did not have to worry about a drought of Godzilla news. American film production company Legendary Pictures was busy formulating their own take on him, having acquired the rights a year before.

Meanwhile, Anno's post Evangelion life consisted of ... a lot more Evangelion. Though he'd direct some live-action films, his most newsworthy project was a series of Rebuild of Evangelion titles, anime films built with different aims (and created with a different mindset) than the original series. Departing Gainax in 2007, these would be created under his newly founded studio, Studio Khara.

Image via Netflix

And while it's obvious from the contents of Evangelion that Anno is interested in giant monsters and giant beings in general (Evangelion is pretty chockful of them), this fascination would only become more open. In 2013, he'd curate a tokusatsu exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, one that showcased miniatures from Mothra to Ultraman to Godzilla himself. About the exhibit, Anno would write:

"As children we grew up watching tokusatsu and anime programs. We were immediately riveted to the sci-fi images and worlds they portrayed. They put us in awe, and made us feel such suspense and excitement. (...) I think our hearts were deeply moved by the grown-ups' earnest efforts working at the sets that dwelled deep behind the images. (...) The emotions and sensations from those cherished moments have lead us to become who we are today."

For the presentation, he'd also produce a short film called A Giant Warrior Descends on Tokyo, with the monster based on a creature from Hayao Miyazaki's — his old boss and an inspiration to Anno, along with the man that Anno would accompany on a trip to the Iwata prefecture to show support for communities wrecked by the Tohoku earthquake — Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind manga. It was directed by Shinji Higuchi, an old collaborator of Anno's at Gainax who had served as Special Effects Director for Shusuke Kaneko's stellar Gamera trilogy in the '90s.

And though Higuchi would shortly go on to direct two Attack on Titan live-action films, their partnership would continue. Because in 2015, Toho announced they would team up to co-direct Godzilla 2016.

Part 3: 2016

Hideaki Anno has often thought of the apocalypse.

In an interview with Yahoo! News in 2014, he'd tell the interviewer he "sincerely thought that the world would end in the 20th Century," and that his fear of a nuclear arms race and the Cold War had heavily influenced Evangelion. However, his creative process isn't just permeated by man-made threats. "Japan is a country where a lot of typhoons and earthquakes strike ... It's a country where merciless destruction happens naturally. It gives you a strong sense that God exists out there."

This focus on earthly intervention by a divine presence is definitely a theme in Evangelion, but it also applies to Godzilla, a borderline invincible behemoth that was created to remind man of its mistakes. It's this kind of provoking thoughtfulness (among other things) that might have alerted Toho Studios of Higuchi and Anno's potential proficiency in re-igniting the slumbering Godzilla franchise. "[W]e looked into Japanese creators who were the most knowledgeable and had the most passion for Godzilla ...Their drive to take on such new challenges was exactly what we all had been inspired by," Toho would say of the pair.

Image via Amazon Prime Video

It was a few years in the making, though. After the creation of Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, Anno fell into depression, causing him to turn down Toho's 2013 offer of the Godzilla project. But thanks to the support of Toho and Higuchi, Anno decided to eventually take them up on it. However, he did not want to repeat how he felt past filmmakers had been "careless" with Godzilla, stating that Godzilla "exists in a world of science fiction, not only of dreams and hopes, but he's a caricature of reality, a satire, a mirror image." Higuchi was also passionate about the project, saying, "I give unending thanks to Fate for this opportunity; so next year, I'll give you the greatest, worst nightmare."

Rounding out the NGE reunion with Shin Godzilla would be Mahiro Maeda, a character designer who would provide the look of Godzilla, and Evangelion composer Shiro Sagisu. Sagisu's music often includes motifs from Evangelion and the work of Akira Ifukube — who scored many classic Godzilla films — and is a great match for the monster. It's powerful stuff.

youtube

Anno's main concern was rivaling the first Godzilla, a film that remains effective to this day. So, in order to "come close even a little," he "would have to do the same thing." Thus, after over 60 years of monster adventures, Shin Godzilla became Godzilla's first real Japanese reboot, following a long line of films that were either direct sequels or had ignored the sequels to become direct sequels to the original. It would carry many of the same beats — monster arrives, people struggle to figure out how to stop it, they eventually do. The end. But unlike many Godzilla films, in which bureaucratic operations took a backseat to the scientists that would eventually figure out how to stop (or help) the Big G, they were front and center here.

And the depiction was often less than kind.

Instead of confident and sacrificial, the politicians found in Shin Godzilla are ludicrous in their archaic behavior, seemingly more concerned with what boardroom they're in than the unstoppable progress of the beast destroying their city. Most of their actions are played for comic relief, a tonal clash with the stark backdrop of the 400-foot-tall disaster walking just outside their offices. Multiple references are made to the Tohoku earthquake, the tsunami, and the Fukushima meltdown — including the waves that follow Godzilla as he comes ashore and the worry over the radiation Godzilla leaks into the land he travels across. One plot point even includes Japan grappling with the potential use of an atomic bomb on Godzilla from the United States, showing that over seventy years after the end of WWII, nuclear annihilation remains a terrifying prospect.

In the end, only a team organized by a young upstart that's mostly free from the processes of his slower, befuddled elders can save the day. That said, "save" isn't really the right word. Echoing Anno's statement that Japan is "a country where merciless destruction happens naturally," Godzilla is only frozen in place, standing still in the middle of the city, a monstrous question left to be solved. Whether it's Godzilla or a disaster like Godzilla, it is a problem that you must deal with, prepare for, and rebuild after. It will always be there.

That said, the film isn't just a parody of quivering government employees out of their depth in the face of a cataclysm (distrust in the goodwill of authority figures is a theme also omnipresent in Evangelion). It's also a really, really rad monster movie. Godzilla is a scarred, seemingly wounded creature, his skin ruptured and his limbs distorted. He is not action-figure ready, even as he evolves into forms more befitting of total annihilation. As the Japanese military increasingly throws weaponry at him, he transforms to defend himself, emitting purple atomic beams from his mouth, his back, and finally his tail. Higuchi and Anno's direction is often awe-inspiring, whether the camera is tilted up to capture Godzilla from a street-level view, or panning around a building to face him head-on. Godzilla feels huge.

Image via Amazon Prime Video

Its this combination of ideas and execution that would cause Shin Godzilla to sweep the Japanese Academy Awards in 2017, and, excuse my pun, absolutely crush it at the box office. But an incredible movie wouldn't be the end of it. In fact, while Shin Godzilla was a successful Anno creation, it hadn't yet gone to battle with Anno's other most successful creation.

Not yet anyway.

Part 4: 2018

A few months before Shin Godzilla's release, Toho announced a "maximum collaboration" between Godzilla and Neon Genesis Evangelion, a team-up that first manifested itself in art and crossover merchandise. Art with the logo for NERV (the anti-Angel organization from Evangelion), with the fig leaf replaced by Godzilla's trademark spines showed up on a subsite for the Shin Godzilla film.

Meanwhile, video game developers Granzella and publisher Bandai Namco worked on City Shrouded In Shadow, a game where you played as a human trying to survive attacks from various giant beings, including some from the Godzilla universe and some from Evangelion. And though this wasn't specifically tied to Shin Godzilla — Godzilla looks much more like his design in the '90s series of movies, a monster style that was the go-to branding look for years after — it did make the idea of the two franchises co-existing in similar spaces a little less alien.

The big one came in 2018 when Universal Studios Japan declared that the following summer, it would be home to a meeting of the two titans in "Godzilla vs Evangelion: The Real 4-D." This ride/theater experience would give audiences a firsthand look at a clash between the EVA units and Godzilla. However, just as the horror of the original Godzilla had been diluted through various sequels that saw him becoming Japan's protective older brother, and just as the crushing melancholy of Evangelion feels a little less sad when you see Rei posing on the side of a pachinko machine, this ride would also be a reframing experience.

Godzilla is a threat, at first, as the Evangelion units zip around, blast him, and try to drop-kick him. But then, out of space, Godzilla's old three-headed foe King Ghidorah emerges. The golden space dragon provides a common enemy for the group and they work together to eliminate it. Godzilla, seemingly forgetting why he showed up to the ride in the first place, trudges back into the sea. He is now a hero, his spot as Earth's Public Enemy #1 seemingly neutered.

To this day, news of theme park attractions that bear the Shin Godzilla design consistently pop up, including one ride where you can zip line into Godzilla's steaming open mouth! But Toho doesn't seem open to a live-action sequel that many see as the obvious next step (though they would produce a trilogy of anime films that take place in a different monster timeline). Instead, they opted for beginning a kind of Godzilla shared universe, like the extremely popular Marvel Cinematic Universe. And Anno and Higuchi have moved on to their next revitalizing effort: a reboot of Ultraman.

Wes Craven, the director of A Nightmare on Elm Street once said, "You don't enter the theater and pay your money to be afraid. You enter the theater and pay your money to have the fears that are already in you when you go into a theater dealt with and put into a narrative ... Stories and narratives are one of the most powerful things in humanity. They're devices for dealing with the chaotic danger of existence." The creators at Toho certainly gave people that with Godzilla, just as Anno did with Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Image via Amazon Prime Video

But horror films are also entertainment, and soon these monsters are sequel-ized and commodified, losing their edge to the point that new minds are brought in to reboot them and help them move forward. It's a process we've repeated since people began telling stories to one another thousands and thousands of years ago. They help us confront the worst aspects of ourselves and of our worlds. It's what makes them vital. We need them. Like the next evolution of monsters sprouting from Godzilla's tail in the final frame of Shin Godzilla, the horror genre reaches out, grasping for fears that we have and fears that will one day come.

For more Crunchyroll Deep Dives, check out Licensing of the Monsters: How Pokemon Ignited An Anime Arms Race and The Life And Death Of Dragonball Evolution.

Daniel Dockery is a Senior Staff Writer for Crunchyroll. Follow him on Twitter!

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features.

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

5 notes · View notes

aion-rsa · 4 years

Text

Tokusatsu Streaming Guide: Where to Watch Kamen Rider, Ultraman, and More

https://ift.tt/2VR6eGr

Ten years ago a fan of Tokusatsu (Japanese special effects shows, mostly superheroes) could have never imagined the access we’d have to these programs today. Back then official releases of anything outside of the American adaptations, particularly Power Rangers, seemed like a far off dream. However in the past few years especially there’s been a slow trickle of Toku shows becoming available to stream in North America.

In the last few months though that trickle became a waterfall as several new services have quickly become mainstays, finally allowing Toku fandom to finally enjoy their favorite shows legally. This also allows more casual fans a chance to experience these shows for the first time and that’s who this guide is mostly for. If you’re curious about the wider world of Tokusatsu and need a place to start, this guide should cover your bases for the many kinds of Toku series out there.

Just as a note, we are only discussing shows that are legally available. This also isn’t a comprehensive list. Many of the streaming services mentioned below have multiple Toku series available, we’re just picking a small sample. With that in mind, let’s dive into this ocean of Toku, shall we?

Kamen Rider (1971)

Available on TokuSHOUTsu (Shout Factory TV/tubi/Pluto)

The release that shocked and delighted Toku fans, the original series in the long running Kamen Rider franchise may be old but that doesn’t detract from its enjoyment. This is Toku in its purest form. Incredible fights, trippy special effects, bizarre monsters, and a strikingly bleak backstory for the main character.

Hongo Takeshi is kidnapped by the evil Shocker and transformed against his will into a cyborg. Worrying if his humanity is intact, Hongo still fights for justice as Kamen Rider. It may seem simplistic in our modern age of superheroes but there’s something enduringly appealing about Hongo’s quest to stop evil despite the wrongs that were inflicted on him.

Plus, come on, you can’t beat those trumpets that come in for damn near every music number. Highly recommend if you’re down for old school heroics or just want to enjoy some trippy 70’s TV.

Zyuranger (1992)

Available on TokuSHOUTsu (Shout Factory TV/tubi/Pluto)

Many people reading this are no doubt aware of Power Rangers, especially the original Mighty Morphin series. If you want to rock your world, you gotta check out the Super Sentai series Zyuranger. It’s as far from MMPR as you can imagine, with a team of dinosaur-evolved humans from 170 million years ago brought into the present day.

Power Rangers and How It Adapted From Super Sentai

By Shamus Kelley

TokuSHOUTsu: Kamen Rider, Ultraman, and Super Sentai Coming to Streaming

By Shamus Kelley

The differences between it and MMPR will be the main draw for most and as you watch the series you’ll be impressed just how much the producers of Power Rangers were able to take this footage and remold it for America.

Ultraman Mebius

Available on TOKU

You can’t do a list about Tokusatsu without giving love to one of the big three, Ultraman. While the franchise’s original series sadly isn’t streaming (but you’ll be able to soon), you can’t go wrong with the 40th anniversary season Ultraman Mebius. Following the adventures of the rookie Mebius, the Ultra comes to Earth and joins up with the attack team (hilariously out of context) named GUYS. Mebius, GUYS, and even a few characters from past Ultraman series, fight off giant monsters attacking Earth.

The Challenge of Bringing Ultraman to America

By Shamus Kelley

Comics

Marvel Reveals Ultraman Details

By Shamus Kelley

Both a great introduction for new fans and rewarding for long time Ultra fans, Mebius is a fantastic show to jump headfirst into the hero that’s larger than life.

Garo

Available on HiDive

If you want something off the beaten path of the big three Tokusatsu franchises, Garo might be right up your alley. Feeling a bit darker than other Toku (and not just because much of the action taking place at night or in darker spaces), the series follows Makai Knight Kouga Saezima attempting to protect humanity against the evil “Horrors.” Along the way though he encounters Kaoru, who is set to die in 100 days, and he sets out to try and save her.

Everything from the look of the series to the designs of the Garo suit feel different from Sentai, Kamen Rider, and Ultraman and if you aren’t feeling the more traditional vibe of those series Garo might be right up your alley. It’s also the first in a very long and surprising franchise so if you like it, there’s a lot more to get into.

Space Sheriff Gavan

Available on Toei Tokusatsu World Official

The first of the not as often remembered Metal Heroes franchise (although some of the series in it were adapted into VR Troopers and Beetleborgs), Gavan stands out for just how wild it is from the jump. Sure there’s the story about Don Horror (wonder if he’s a bad guy!) trying to destroy Earth and Retsu Ichijouji (Gavan) being sent out to stop him but that’s all icing on the cake.

American Tokusatsu Shows: VR Troopers

By Shamus Kelley

American Tokusatsu Shows: Big Bad Beetleborgs

By Shamus Kelley

Metal Heroes have a reputation for bonkers visuals along with great action and Gavan delivers in spades. From the opening seconds of the first episode we’re greeted with Gavan standing atop a robot dragon standing against a gloriously lush background of outer space. Lead actor Kenji Ohba is also stunning in his action scenes and he puts even the superheroes of today to shame with just how good he is in these hand-to-hand fights.

Love action? Love weirdness? Want to be cool and not go with the obvious choices? Gavan might be for you!

Android Kikaider

Available on Toei Tokusatsu World

An absolute smash hit in Hawaii that’s still talked about to this day, Kikaider is more classic ’70s Toku action if Kamen Rider wasn’t enough for you. Following the heroics of robot Jiro against the (obviously) evil DARK, the main draw of the series is not just the delightfully over the top action but also the compelling conflict between Kikaider and evil robot Hakaider.

We should also mention that while the first two episodes of all series on Toei Tokusatsu World are subtitled, further episodes that will be uploaded won’t have them and it’s being left up to fans to subtitle the rest. Even without subtitles though, Kikaider’s action should more than keep your attention.

Dynaman (Night Flight Dub)

Available on Night Flight Plus

Easily the strangest entry on this list, Night Flight’s Dynaman isn’t just the seventh entry in the Super Sentai series. Oh no, it’s a little known dub of the show that aired on USA Network’s Night Flight program in the ’80s. It’s a gag dub through and through and mostly relies on pop culture jokes and (and we’re being generous here) outdated humor.

Still, it’s a peek into one of the earliest examples of Toku being brought to America on a large scale. For that alone it’s worth checking out, especially for those interested in the history of Toku in America and exploring the “what if” of imagining this getting popular instead of Power Rangers.

Gridman The Hyper Agent

Available on TOKU

Bold proclamation to make, but Gridman has the absolute best design of any Tokusatsu hero ever. It takes what worked well enough for Ultraman but added extra detail in all the right places to create a truly iconic look for a hero.

Gridman follows three hip computer kids (Naoto, Ippei, and Yuka) whose videogame superhero is taken over by the interdimensional Gridman who then combines with Naoto. The computer hero fights against the digital monsters of the evil Kahn Digifer in some of the best looking fights of all the series we’ve mentioned. Some shows might have better action overall but the look of the computerized world of Gridman can’t be beat.

American Tokusatsu Shows: Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad

By Shamus Kelley

SSSS. GRIDMAN Episode 1 Review: Awakening

By Shamus Kelley

The show may look familiar to some American fans as its footage was used in Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad. Gridaman also experienced a revival in the form of the SSSS.GRIDMAN anime, which redid some of the concepts of the original series with a few easter eggs to Syber-Squad for very hardcore fans.

Special Rescue Exceedraft

Available on Toei Tokusatsu World Official

Look, I’m going to be real with you. I’ve only seen the first two episodes of Exceedraft. I have no idea if the whole series is good. What I can tell you though is that the first episode is straight up the most batshit wild episode of any Toku I’ve ever seen. It’s like if someone took the plot of Speed and said:

“Aha, let’s do this but condense it down to 20 minutes, add in some shiny superheroes, and make it way more intense.” Also, the title of the episode is “The Kindergarten Bus of Death.” Just watch it. If you watch nothing else on this list, watch this episode. It’s Toku on, well, speed and it’s fantastic.

Jetman

Available on TokuSHOUTsu (Shout Factory TV/tubi/Pluto)

What if Super Sentai, but a soap opera? It’s not that Tokusatsu had never had soap opera elements before or after this series, but Jetman took that idea to a level that’s still being talked about today. When Red Ranger Ryuu’s partner is killed in an attack by the (say it with us now) evil Vyram, the powerful “Birdonic Waves” are unleashed on four unsuspecting civilians. Ryuu recruits them and they become the Jetman team.

With strong characterization from the start, Jetman stands out by jumping into the romance between team members as Ryuu struggles with his growing attraction to White Ranger Kaori. It’s standard soap opera stuff, with a love triangle thrown in for good measure (which would have been better if Kaori was given more agency), but if you love those tropes then Jetman might be the series for you.

As we said earlier, this is only a small sampling of some of the shows available on streaming sites in North America. What are some of your favorite Tokusatsu series that are available to watch and which ones do you hope are picked up in the future?

The post Tokusatsu Streaming Guide: Where to Watch Kamen Rider, Ultraman, and More appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/323lmEt

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

1 note · View note

shoudesuka-mechadork · 5 years

Text

Week of Toku Ladies Day 3: OTP

I want to be humorously aggressive about this (IE, ‘Sit the fuck down kids I’m gonna tell ya’ll about my OTP), but that is kind of a worn trope.

So. When I say this, please understand that, spiritually, I am yelling as I write all of this.

I call this ship “Picture Perfect”. It was my first tokusatsu OTP, and, if I am being honest here- I still feel it strongly 10 years later.

It all starts...with a gift.

Goodness. But where do I begin? There’s so much I want to say about these two.

I suppose I should start with some of the elements that make this ship as good as it is. There are a couple of ingredients at play in this particular cocktail that repeatedly kick my ass whenever I think about it.

Personal interactions.

There is a constant back and forth between Tsukasa and Natsumi. It feels like half of their dialogue with each other is just picking at one another. Despite the fact that they haven’t known each other (I instinctively wrote ‘done it’, good lord I’m trying to keep this SFW) very long, the way they talk about one another makes it seem otherwise.

Another thing that betrays it, at least in my eyes: their body language. Tsukasa is an extremely flippant, aloof individual. Despite that, Natsumi, repeatedly, gets him to stumble, or change the subject. She’s the only one in the show who can make him do that.

Look at Natsumi in this gif. She’s checking him out. Look me in the eyes and tell me otherwise.

...I will also acknowledge her realizing, “Wait, he looks ridiculous” half a second later.

Speaking of dress...I find it interesting that the moment Tsukasa gets the chance to do it, he puts Natsumi in a maid outfit. I know he’s not exactly the best person to trust with power, but...worth pointing out, right?

Choice and Fate

I have already made mention in my previous two posts about how Natsumi and Tsukasa are bound to one another. When Tsukasa is erased, she’s the one who leads bringing him back. She finds both the Decadriver and the K-Touch (which was hidden away by her alternate self, no less). As seen above, Natsumi is the only who can stop him.

That is certainly fate.

But I believe, also, that there’s a bit of choice in the matter of these two. Decade has two themes: choosing your own path, and one’s purpose.

I don’t exactly remember when reference is made to it (I want to say it’s in the first episode), but when Natsumi first found Tsukasa, the only thing he knew about himself was his name. He was lost. She was his guiding hand. She gave him direction.

I strongly believe that the hand holding out the famed magenta Blackbird Fly to him in the opening is her.

Tsukasa could have chosen to reject it. He could have built his identity around something else. Anything, really. Even before he had the Decadriver again, he already had his wardrobe center around magenta.

He chose to be a photographer (well, try to). He chose to let that color define him.

Not only that, but that camera? It defines his identity. Throughout the show, no matter how many outfits he’s put into, no matter what roles the worlds give him, the camera stays. It always does.

In the movie, when he finally accepts his role as Destroyer of Worlds, it’s the one thing cast aside. At that point, he is only Decade.

Even now, 10 years later- it’s still a part of him. Curious, isn’t it?

It’s something he takes care of. It’s something he cherishes.

She gave it to him.

Typically, I don’t like pairings that are made up by fate. But there’s more than just fate at play with these two. There’s natural attraction. There’s choice.

Yes, it’s true, Natsumi was the only one who could stop Tsukasa. But she chose to become Kiva-la. She chose to stop him. It wasn’t just Destiny’s Play (HAH).

She chose to believe in him when he was erased. She chose to remember in spite of everyone forgetting him.

To wrap this all up, I’m going to put the scene that hurts me the most. Every time I watch it, it’s like a punch to the gut.

Remember how Natsumi said the Hikari Studio was Tsukasa’s world- his home?

What was the first place he went when Dai-Shocker didn’t need him anymore?

How ironic...the one place meant for him to be, given to him in spite of rejection...is the one that rejects him after he hurt it.

Natsumi chose- and so did he.

#Week of Toku Ladies #Natsumi Hikari #Tsukasa Kadoya #Kamen Rider Decade

42 notes · View notes

my-yuujin · 5 years

Text

Ryusoulger Solo Interview from Mynavi: Obara Yuito

――Five months has passed since the production announcement meeting of Ryusoulger in February 2019. It means, it has been about half a year since the start of filming. I would like to ask Obara-san who, while young, has changed by absorbing various things in such short period of time. What change exactly do you feel in this last half year?

I think it’s how I feel about the role I play. I start to be able to understand, what Towa would do in every situation. At first, the way I acted, was more like grooming myself to be “similar” to the character named Towa. But now, I kind of know in advance, what action that Towa would take. I can feel, the character I play has dyed me with his color. Also, everyone told me, that my face has changed. Though, I myself don’t know which part that has changed (laughs).

–Isn’t that mean, you gradually get stronger while working on Ryusoulger’s filming?

It may be so. Because they said that I now have refined expression.

–Kishida Tatsuya-san who portrays Towa’s older brother, Banba, did say that Obara-san’s current age right now was indeed the moment when people learn various things to change.

I see my face in the mirror every day, so I can’t objectively see how it has changed. As I don’t feel any big changes…, to my eating pattern, for example. I have to be careful so any changes that happened won’t change my daily life rhythm.

――You already have acting experience, as you also have appeared in some TV drama before. But, being your first time to portray a Tokusatsu hero, do you have any role model that you look up to as a hero?

For me, my “hero” is my older brother.

-So, just like Towa who admires Banba, Obara-san also in reality has an older brother of his own.

Yes. I’ve grown up admiring my older brother who is 2 years older than me. Since I was little, I think of my older brother as someone who is always loved by anyone. Or rather, his personality makes people naturally come close to him. His charm that always attracts people around, makes me think that it really is different from anything I possess. Now, as I get chance to play a hero, I want to be someone like my brother, who is loved by a lot of people. So I’ll keep trying hard.

–Towa’s brother, Banba, also deeply cares for his younger brother, as they have always been together for a long time. And Towa is an honest boy who respects his big brother. Towa’s characterization as “a little brother”, feels like Obara-san’s own personality being reflected as it is, doesn’t it?

It’s because my brothers are both refined men, even though one of them is being my brother because of his role (laughs). Kishida-san is also a really dependable person, and treats me like his little brother. I think that’s why we both can naturally bring out the “brotherly feel” of Towa and Banba pretty well. The brothers almost always take actions together, so we often have more dialogue just between us. “Let’s perform this act like real brothers would do!” That’s how Kishida-san and I feel when we head towards the shooting site.

-Towa and Banba made first appearance as Ryusoul Black and Ryusoul Green in “4 Weeks Special Super Sentai Strongest Battle!!” before Ryusoulger’s first episode broadcast. They only began to play active role in episode 3. They basically always took different way from the trio childhood friends; Kou, Melto, and Asuna; to find any clues about Druidon.

Yes. In those episodes when we just appeared, Kou and Towa always competed with each other, but there weren’t many scenes when Towa interacted with Melto or Asuna. Still, as fellow Ryusoulgers, I think there will be some episodes involving his interactions with other than Nii-san (Banba) or Kou. The sixth ranger, Ryusoul Gold/Kanaro also has made his appearance, so I want to get involved with everyone on the team. Because Towa had completely become friends with Kou, when I look at the pictures of our rivalry in the episode 3 and 4, I feel somewhat nostalgic (laughs).

–In episode 8, “Singing Voice of Miracle”, after Kou and Melto successfully deceived Wyzul, there was a scene when Towa smiled as he did a high five with Kou. It surely left the audiences with a strong impression.

That scene was “full of passion”, even for me. The high five happened after Kou and Towa’s sparking rivalry, after all. When shooting, I wasn’t directed to act friendly, or something like that, towards Kou. My body just naturally moved, following the story’s flow. I think it was a good scene that expressed how Towa has completely opened his heart to Kou, Melto, and Asuna.

――What is the most important part from Towa that can’t be removed when you’re playing him?

It’s his confidence thinking that he’s stronger than everyone, except Banba. He thinks that he already has more experience by fighting alongside Banba. I’m always aware to be careful at playing that part of Towa that sees everyone as below him. Specifically, it’s about showing enough cheekiness, instead of being too quiet.

――I heard that the five Ryusoulger all have different personalities compared to their actors. Do you also feel the same?

Yes! I was surprised when I first heard about Towa. Since I’m more a quiet type, I thought that there were no parts in me that were similar to Towa. Like being confident, cheeky…, I’m nothing like that. “Ahh, so he’s this kind of character?” so I thought. But that’s why it is fun to act as him. I’m also grateful that his position among his friends, makes him a good character.

-Even though the brothers, Towa and Banba, always moved separatedly from Kou, Melt, and Asuna at first, you seem to have already become friends with the other actors.

Because I am the youngest one, it made me worried when I first entered the circle, but I was glad that we got along very quickly.

–Is it the “Prohibition of using Keigo (polite speech)” that you have told us about at the production press conference, which gave you better opportunities to be closer to everyone?

I basically tend to speak in Keigo, both to older and younger people. When I entered Ryusoulger circle, I ended up doing the same, and a staff told me to quit using Keigo. After all, we’re all going to be companions in works for at least one year. Keigo is prohibited, in order to avoid being stiff and to make everything more understandable. Still, I was not certain whether “—kun” is part of Keigo or not. So when I talked to Tsuna-kun, I called him “Tsuna” without honorifics. Everyone was surprised and went “EEEEHHHH??”. They told me, “You could just call him ‘Tsuna-kun’ there. It’s okay.” (laughs)

――Because you are more settled when speaking politely, it’s difficult to suddenly talk with such straight-forwardness. I guess it is the reason why the older people regard Obara-san as “responsible”. For Obara-san who is thought that way, which one among these older actors, is the most different in term of personality compared to their role?

Maybe, it’s Ichinose (Hayate)-kun. He’s usually very cautious about everything, very serious, and thinks about lots of things in advance. But Kou is a character who makes decisions on the spot and acts immediately. I think that’s a very wide gap between them. And because of that, he seemed to be struggling playing as Kou at first, but he soon was able to catch the role and make it as his own.

-Do you sometimes call each other by nicknames?

We did decide beforehand, who to be called what. Kishida-san has always been “Tatsu-nii”, so we naturally go with that. For Ichinose-kun I call him “Haya-chan”. And then, Tsuna (Keito)-kun was like “Call me Kei-chan too!”. For Osaki (Ichika)-san, I always went with “Osaki-san” as it is. But she protested, “Too stiff!”. So I decided to go with “Icchan” lately. Calling everyone with nicknames sure can erase spaces between us, or rather, it makes easier to have talks with them.

――Ryusoulger has knighthood as its theme, so it shows great features such as beautiful swordplay performed by the actors. Do you do daily practice for each action scene? In some episodes under Director Sakamoto Koichi, who specializes in dynamic action, everyone has to perform some intense movements. What do you think about doing action scenes?

I only had practice once before shooting. Just doing some “rolling” or basic sword movement. In episode 7 and 8 under Director Sakamoto Kouichi, the suit actor came to the shooting site, and taught me action moves needed for that day’s shooting. It’s pretty much like: the Drunn Soldiers came attacking, and then I faced them and went “Ryusoul Change!”. I would try to do those movements I was just taught, right on the spot. Because the theme was “Knight”, and I also get chance to hold a sword, I want to show the coolness of swordplay. So I pretty much love doing those intense actions. Stlll, it’s very difficult to remember some complicated movements, and try them on the spot. When performing them myself, I realized again the greatness of those suit actors. They really are professionals.

–After episode 7 and 8 under Director Sakamoto, it seems that action scenes before transforming are increasing, doesn’t it?

It sure does. I heard there would be a lot of bare action scenes in the future. Even Kishida-san had to perform back flip using trampoline. I’m also having fun doing more actions that I’ve never done before, such as jumping over tables and chairs. Among Ryusoulger members, Towa moves the most and always flies around, so I would like to continue to learn and perform bare actions more.

―“Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger THE MOVIE: Time Slip! Dinosaur Panic!!” surely will show us how much Obara-san has grown up. Please tell us some highlights regarding Towa in this movie.

At the climax scene, there would be a part where Towa shows “emotions” that he doesn’t usually show. Red was separated from the other, so Ryusoul Blue, Pink, Black, and Green have to move on theirselves. As his friends begin to lose spirits, Towa gives a “push” to them. Towa has to bare emotions he has never shown in TV series. Director Kamihoriuchi (Kazuya) even told me, “Towa, just lose control of yourself!”. I think the highlight is how Towa’s “passionate side” being expressed in this movie. When I arrived at the shooting site, my resolution was “The way I convey my lines must be able to move my friends’ hearts!” So I want everyone to give attention to these lines.

The movie has a lot of contents. When I read the script, I was so surprised that there were so many elements even though the running time was only 30 minutes. The story itself is very touching, so I hope everyone can watch it as well.

-With the movie release, the story development of the TV series has also become something to look forward to. What kind of thing would Obara-san want to do as Towa in the future?

Because a strong new comrade, Ryusoul Gold/Kanaro (Hyoudou Katsumi) has appeared, I want Towa to show that he too, doesn’t want to be defeated by him.

Up until now, Towa always trusts his brother. They fight together against Druidon, with a strong bond that has formed between them. But what will happen if that once strong bond is strained…? I think, if there is a story like that, the relationship between these two could get even deeper than before. Also, I would be happy if Towa, as the youngest one, gets to pull everyone together. To show that part of him which can be dependable, even when he’s alone. I want to show Towa’s figure that still has lots to grow up. I want to earnestly keep playing as Towa, hoping he’d really be involved in such stories.

source: news.mynavi.jp/article/20190803-ryusoul/

#kishiryu sentai ryusoulger #ryusoulger #obara yuito #towa #ryusoulger interview #my translation

19 notes · View notes

yeonchi · 6 years

Text

Doctor Who Series 11 Review Part 2/10: The Ghost Monument

Air date: 14 October 2018

The second episode of Doctor Who Series 11 is here and I have to say, I’m liking the Thirteenth Doctor already. Most of the negative pre-series thoughts I have on her are out of the way for now, but I’ll keep a look out for anything strange in that regard.

I am aiming to get each review out during the middle of the week, preferably on Wednesdays, but since I am usually pre-occupied (or distracted) with other things, this isn’t a guarantee.

This week’s spoiler-free thought is not really that spoiler-free, but whether you’ve watched this episode or not, you’ll probably get this reference if you’ve watched a certain tokusatsu series - “This is all Tim Shaw’s fault!”

Regardless, this review will contain spoilers if you keep on reading.

New titles

There were no opening titles in last week’s season opener, but the new titles made their debut in this week’s episode.

The new titles for this series aren’t as dynamic compared to those of previous series. They just feel like they’re over and done quickly. There’s an obvious mirroring effect this time around, which is similar to some Classic Series openers, specifically those of the First and Second Doctors. Like the theme, it’s pretty obvious that the inspiration for the titles has been taken from the Classic Series. They’re not bad, in my opinion.

Where we left off and some background to this episode

We last left off in the last scene of the previous episode, where the Doctor accidentally teleports herself, Graham, Ryan and Yaz into space. They are then picked up by two ships, piloted by Angstrom (Susan Lynch) and Epzo (Shaun Dooley), who are heading to a planet that is apparently named “Desolation” - the closest to a name that anyone knows.

While Angstrom lands on the planet with Graham and Ryan, Yaz finds herself witness to the Doctor bickering with Epzo (like an old married couple, as they say, but not quite) as his ship crashes onto the same planet.

This planet is the final stage for the final Rally of the Twelve Galaxies, a race that the Doctor compares to the Paris-Dakar Rally, hosted by Ilin. With Angstrom and Epzo being the Rally’s finalists, their target is to get to something called the “Ghost Monument”, which has been appearing in the same place every thousand solar rotations. This “monument” is revealed to be the TARDIS, which was originally at the location where the Doctor and her friends were found; the planet had fell out of its original orbit.

“This is all Decade’s fault...”

I’ve found Epzo’s character in this episode to be similar to the main character of Kamen Rider Decade, Tsukasa Kadoya. From my observation, Epzo seems to be a more cynical version of Tsukasa, considering his cocky and apathetic attitude in this episode.

Where Tsukasa was teaching aesops to the AR World Riders in Decade, Epzo has become the one who learns these lessons himself. He gradually becomes a bit nicer towards the end of the episode, but I don’t know if he’ll take the lessons he learnt to heart considering that he suddenly disappears at the end of the episode. However, if it’s any consolation, Angstrom and Epzo learn a bit about sharing, given that it was Epzo’s cigar that saved them from the Remnants.

Ilin’s character also reflects Tsukasa, but more during his time as the Great Leader of Dai-Shocker. The way in how he treats the participants of the Rally comes towards Tsukasa’s unforgiving nature. Eventually, the two characters are “put in their place”, though in Ilin’s case, it was a case of Angstrom and Epzo wanting him to recognise the two as equal winners of the Rally, while in Tsukasa’s case, he was betrayed by the true enemy of the All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker movie.

“...or is it Tim Shaw’s fault?”

Given Epzo’s bickering with Angstrom, you would have thought that either they or their races, the Muxterans and Albarians, were in a feud, but it turns out to be even deeper than that, because we learn in this episode that half of Angstrom’s family were killed by the Stenza in a systematic cleansing, including her wife (did I mention that she’s also lesbian? At least she doesn’t repeat that fact throughout the episode), with the rest of her family driven into hiding on the planet Albar. This parallels Kamen Rider Ryuki’s Ren Akiyama in that their characters are fighting for their loved ones, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make here.

In fact, what I really wanted to say was this: “Curse you, Tim Shaw! This world was destroyed because of you and your people!”

I get the feeling that the Stenza are part of this series’ story arc - that gives me more excuses to ironically blame Tim Shaw whenever they’ve done something bad to some people. This is going to be the running gag of this review series now and the even funnier thing is that I’m doing this while Kamen Rider Zi-O is airing in Japan - a series that has been lauded by fans as “Decade 2.0″. No, I’m not sorry for bringing Japanese tokusatsu into this and I don’t regret it.

In addition to this, the planet Desolation was also conquered by the Stenza, who used others to create and test many weapons, including the Remnants and SniperBots that are seen in this episode.

During the scene where the Doctor and the others are confronting the Remnants, we hear a mention of “the Timeless Child” when one of the Remnants extracted it from the Doctor’s memories. If this is going to be another thing like “the Hybrid” in Series 9, then I’m probably going to be disappointed. Regardless, the story arcs in this episode were introduced subtly; until this week, you wouldn’t have thought that the Stenza would have something else to do in this episode.

Anyway, I’m honestly hoping that Tim Shaw will become the leader of the Stenza by the finale, provided that the DNA bombs haven’t destroyed him by that point; although a few contrivances may have to be made in that regard. If that happens, then my running gag for this review series will have reached its peak - Decade 2.5, anyone?

With regards to Ryan and the theme of family

Ryan’s character development has been demoted to having a minor part in this episode. This time, we additionally focus on his relationship with his step-grandfather, Graham, who he still doesn’t seem to recognise as a proper family member. Ryan’s grandmother, Grace, is also mentioned in this episode as they reflect on her death towards the end of the previous episode. The funny thing is that according to the Doctor Who Wiki (TARDIS Data Core), Grace’s actor, Sharon D Clarke, has been listed as a recurring character for Series 11, which means that there is a chance that we will be seeing her again in this series, whether it be in flashbacks or something much more serious.

Ryan’s dyspraxia is also briefly repeated in this episode in the form of a slight dread of ladders. It’s great to see the Doctor encouraging Ryan to overcome his condition (by having him remember facts about acetylene) and I hope that we can see some improvement in this situation by the end of this series.

Imagine unironically thinking that every video game skill works in life-or-death situations. When the Doctor and the others are confronted by the SniperBots, Ryan takes a gun from a fallen SniperBot and uses his “skills” in Call of Duty to shoot down the robots, only for them to get back up right after. His shouting during this scene is reminiscent of raging kids in the voice chat of FPS games, while the scene overall is a good premise for the Doctor to teach the others about her “no guns” policy.

The theme of family is an underlying theme in this episode, just as it was (albeit more subtly) in the last. Aside from the relationship between Ryan and Graham, we hear about Epzo’s “tough love” relationship with his mother, Angstrom’s motivations for joining the Rally (which I explained earlier) and a bit about Yaz’s family, to which Angstrom tells her that she should never take them for granted.

The new TARDIS

Like with everything else, I’ve steered away from any leaked materials, so this is the first time that I’m seeing the new TARDIS for myself.

The new console room’s lighting resembles that shown in Series 1 and 2, albeit orange. The “round things” are now hexagonal things in honeycomb formations while the beams are reminiscent of the old coral console room used during the Ninth and Tenth Doctors’ runs. The time rotor in the centre column does not go up to the ceiling and is no longer transparent, so no moving parts can be seen inside it. Also, there is a food dispenser now - a custard cream dispenser, in fact, if the Doctor Who Wiki is to be believed. The sign on the door of the TARDIS is now white text on black, the St John Ambulance badge is gone and there are slight shade modifications on the exterior.

I think the new TARDIS is alright; once again, it’s a significant deviation from previous TARDISes. Not the best in my opinion, but not the worst either (I don’t really have a place for “worst TARDIS console room” in my head).

Other general thoughts

You know the Venusian aikido the Doctor does in this episode? Yeah, to me, that’s more like an intergalactic Wuxi Finger Hold (though not really). I honestly doubted that it was a real technique until I did a quick search and found this clip from the Third Doctor’s era. Until now, I thought Venusian aikido was more like this; I guess I was mistaken.

The way Ilin mentioned not to touch the water, I thought something like the Flood from The Waters of Mars was in it. In actuality, there were flesh-eating microbes in it, so it’s similar to the Flood, but not the same.

Some things I missed in the last episode

After looking at a few things, I realised that there were a few things I had to address. However, I don’t want to edit the previous post because either then I would need to post the link to my pages again or you would miss out on what I had left out. Therefore, if there is anything I’ve missed in one episode, it will be briefly covered in the review for the next.

So I’ve learnt that this series has been filmed in a 2:1 (18:9) aspect ratio, also known as Univisium, using anamorphic lenses. The inventors, namely Vittorio and Fabrizio Storaro, created it in 1998 to unify all future TV and cinema movies into the one aspect ratio. In the linked Wikipedia link, you can see what movies and TV dramas have been filmed in this format.

There was also “Salad Guy” throwing bits of his salad at Tim Shaw, as some people have pointed out, so that’s a thing.

With the “no guns” scene in this episode, I should have also pointed out this line from the Doctor: “Only idiots carry knives”. This episode and the last reinforced the Doctor’s values so that the audience is reminded of them as she gradually tells her new companions/friends about them.

Summary and verdict

We are likely heading into a story arc involving the Stenza and “the Timeless Child”. This will probably be something to look forward to, whether they are resolved in this series or the next.

I think there were other things I wanted to write about, whether they were from this episode or the last, but I might have forgotten about them since I took too much time to write this. Oh well, no need to worry.

This is another good episode overall, which introduces what the first episode left out. The red flag situation is the same as last week - they’re most likely throwaway lines.

Rating: 7/10

We’ll be heading into history next week as I review the third episode, Rosa. Stay tuned!

#doctor who #doctor who series 11 #thirteenth doctor #doctor who series 11 review #thirteenth doctor review

1 note · View note

damoviemaestro · 6 years

Text

The Movie Maestro’s Reviews: Godzilla (2014)

Directed by Gareth Edwards Written by Max Borenstein and David Callaham Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn, Bryan Cranston

If you don’t already know, than you will soon find out just how much of a tokusatsu and kaiju film fanatic I am; just the fact that I refer to those films by their actual subgenre terms and not just as “Godzilla” movies should begin to account for that. With this known, hear me on this: Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla is the redemption American filmmakers and audiences have been seeking since the first fumble Roland Emmerich’s film made with the Big G’s legacy. It’s probably even the best Godzilla film since the original 1954 classic. It certainly is among a prestigious few that feels like it belongs in the same class.

Edwards probably had the toughest job imaginable ahead of him when he accepted the job directing this film. Having only directed one film beforehand, even if it was the critically acclaimed Monsters, this must not have instilled a lot of confidence in the fanbase. Boy, were they wrong. Everything about his gargantuan vision is perfectly suited to the King of the Monsters, and in many ways improves upon what Ishiro Honda and Tomoyuki Tanaka envisioned for their God of Destruction over 60 years ago.

However, to talk to the average moviegoer who claims to have “watched Godzirra movies back in the day,” you’d think this movie was a sin against God. “There’s not enough Godzilla!” “It’s boring and pretentious!” “Not enough monster fighting!” These are the usual complaints I heard from behind the concession counter when this film was still in theaters.And sorry, but all of these arguments betray a lack of true love for the titular creature and what he represents. Godzilla is best understood not through the prism of the seemingly-countless Vs. series of films from 1956 on (and don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of entertainment to be had there), but through the dark iris of 1954’s Gojira.

As expanded upon in The Long Take’s excellent comparison video, Edwards’ Godzilla opens the story with a disaster related to the headlines of the time: the Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown becomes the Janjira tragedy, just as the Lucky Dragon incident informed and inspired the opening of Honda’s film. And then the new film branches off: while Tanaka’s Godzilla was always a response to unchecked nuclear testing and aggression, the title monster having been awakened and severely scarred by a nuclear bomb, Edwards’ Godzilla is impervious to the bomb--indeed, to all human attempts to destroy him. The new Godzilla represents the entirety of nature’s response to mankind’s stupidity and arrogance, effortlessly swatting away the best of our weapons and soldiers in his single-minded quest to destroy this film version’s nuclear allegory, the MUTOs.

With this, the writers achieved a distancing from the old anti-nuke allegory in a perfect way that doesn’t negate those fears; it expands upon them, bringing every human action against Mother Earth into sharp, uncompromising focus. From there, all the nitty-gritty narrative plot points become borrowed from the best of the unmade Godzilla films. The MUTOs are discovered within the carcass of another Godzilla-like creature, just like in Jan de Bont’s 1994 script. The MUTOs themselves are constantly evolving; another lifting from Godzilla vs the Gryphon. The final battle takes place in San Francisco–hello, Godzilla 3D. It’s as if the filmmakers wanted to reward us for waiting through the deaths of all of those promising projects by giving them a chance to shine through this one.

And then Edwards takes over, drawing out the suspense of the main set pieces Spielberg-style, keeping the camera fixed on a human-eye vantage point. Whether watching Godzilla stomp his enemy from a hovering helicopter shot or the male MUTO swooping by from a 40th-story window, not a single shot aimed at the monster is not in documentary style. There were a few moments where I felt like I was watching a Jurassic Park sequel.

And now comes one of the bigger complaints, and one that is hard to ignore: the human characters. Everyone gives a great performance, from Strathairn’s by-the-book command to Cranston’s tortured, obsessive search for the truth. The problem is that they all don’t do much. No character achieves the status of a true protagonist with any control or influence over the plot through their choices. Ford is the only one who comes close, but in the end, still fails in his mission to destroy the monsters, opening up the film to a major structural criticism. But within the context of tokusatsu cinema, this does seem to be a main feature, and certainly helps advance the central theme of mankind as an insignificant virus afflicting the earth that was always meant for Godzilla’s kind. Looking back to the original film, the exact same problems exist: too many people who do nothing but watch, slack-jawed, in terror of the monster. Only one, Dr. Serizawa, is the man of action, defeating the beast in the end. Ford is now that character, but is infinitely more relatable to the target audience of predominately white, middle-class men in the audience as a soldier and a father–another aspect of American cinema. Make of that what you will.

I could go on and on, but I trust my point is made, or at least begun. Godzilla is more than the majority of its predecessors. It is the first successful reboot, from any country or filmmaker, of the original film. There are a handful in the Japanese series that are worthy followups (and Shin Godzilla comes pretty damn close), but none captures both the fear and wonder of the unknown, and the sheer power of Allmother Nature like this one. Like the incredible, bone-rattling roar of the Big G himself, Godzilla makes a mighty impression.

Now bring on KOTM.

#The Movie Maestro #film review #godzilla #gareth edwards #max borenstein #aaron taylor johnson #elizabeth olsen #ken watanabe #sally hawkins #david strathairn #bryan cranston #kaiju #tokusatsu #sci-fi #giant monsters #allegory #legendary godzilla #monsterverse

1 note · View note

bog-o-bones · 6 years

Text

Kaiju Forecast - 2018

The new year is quickly approaching us and kaiju fans certainly will have their plates full next year. Here’s a list of some of the major movies, events, merchandise and more to look forward to in the coming year!

Movies

Obviously the main tent-pole film of the year will be Legendary’s Pacific Rim: Uprising due out on March 23rd. The sequel to arguably the forefather of the New Kaiju Boom has seen plenty of ups and downs during it’s development, including a terrifying “indefinite hiatus” stamp placed upon the film in late 2015. Thankfully, the film has marched on through production and features the return of fan favorite characters from the first film as well as a new team of Jaeger pilots, led by Star Wars and Attack The Block’s John Boyega. Although a few trailers and promotional ads have been released, kaiju groupies can probably expect a surge in marketing around February.

Second banana (no pun intended) to Uprising is New Line’s Rampage loosely based on the popular city-crushing game franchise. Another film that’s spent time in Development Hell, Rampage stars perennial popcorn flick favorite Dwayne Johnson and will be unleashed April 20th to theaters everywhere.

One can’t forget about the King of the Monsters either. The second installment in the anime trilogy will make landfall in Japan on May 5th, titled Godzilla: The City Mechanized for the Final Battle (whew). Initial details remain scarce bar the inclusion of Mechagodzilla (who can be seen in the poster above). International fans may also get the chance to view the first installment in the series on Netflix, although no details for that are available either, aside from a continuously fluctuating date on the film’s Netflix Instant listing.

Tsuburaya’s latest entry in the Ultraman franchise will be seeing it’s traditional theatrical film in the form of Ultraman Geed: The Movie. Abroad fans of the show will most likely have to wait for a fansub service to translate the film in order to see it, but it may also be subject to a small theatrical screening like it’s predecessors Ultraman Ginga S: The Movie and Ultraman X: The Movie, although those were released to coincide with the Ultra series’ 50th anniversary. Never give up hope, though!

Of course, one can’t also forget about the ever-so-secretive Cloverfield franchise, which supposedly launches it’s third film in the semi-anthology series on February 2nd. Tentatively titled God Particle, the film has been pushed back three times from its initial October 2017 release date, leaving some to speculate if it is even going to come out at all. The Cloverfield franchise is noted for its heavy use of alternate-reality games for its marketing, but God Particle has seen effectively nothing so far, even when we’re less than three months away from release. Only time will tell, however.

Not necessarily a kaiju film, but it does feature the 8th Wonder of the World and may or may not feature Ultraman and the third incarnation of Mechagodzilla, Based on a thoroughly bland and tasteless early teen novel, Ready Player One is basically this generation’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit only for “geek culture” (hard gag) and...you know, bad. Kaiju fans will most likely want to wait for the YouTube compilation of all the references instead of wasting $9.00+ on a movie ticket to see some giant monster action.

Also supposedly on the docket is a film adaption of the above novel, Steve Alten’s Meg which features a surviving prehistoric Megalodon terrorizing some form of human society (you can tell I’ve read the book, can’t you?). Yet another film stuck in development hell, although the production for this film is at least two decades old. Supposedly principal photography has been completed on this film, but who the hell knows.

Television

While Tsuburaya is most definitely working on the next main installment of the Ultra series, a short series in the style of Ultraman Retsuden or Ultraman Zero: The Chronicle will be aired starting January 6th. Ultraman Orb: The Chronicle follows the history of the titular Ultra’s alter ego Gai Kurenai. Unlikely to be picked up by Crunchyroll like it’s original show, Ultra Fans will most likely want to stalk fansub sites to view this series.

Another of Tsuburaya’s toku heroes will see an animated revival next year with Studio Trigger’s Gridman anime based on a short shown at the Japan Animator Expo in 2015. Titled SSSS Gridman, named after the original show’s Americanization Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad, the show will be released in the Autumn of 2018. Also related to Gridman, the original show is being broadcasted to nearly-impossible-to-document-channel Toku starting this December.

Aside from Ultraman and Gridman, I don’t know of any other kaiju-related television shows happening next year, so to not leave this section sparse, I should probably mention Kamen Rider Build, which while technically not kaiju based or a 2018 release, is tokusatsu-related and will be continuing into the new year. I know nothing aside from the basics of Kamen Rider, but according to the wiki it will be the last Rider show to be fully broadcasted during the Heisei era, as the next series will run into 2019 when Emperor Akihito will abdicate the throne to his son Prince Naruhito, thus beginning a new era of Japan.

Events

It would be heresy to discuss kaiju-related events and not bring up the quintessential annual kaiju con G-FEST! Next year’s convention looks to be an absolute banger and the entire guest list and schedule hasn’t even been announced yet! In attendance next year are Akira Takarada, best known for his role as Ogata in the original 1954 Godzilla film as well as his other roles throughout Toho’s library. Joining him will be Megumi Odaka, known as Miki Saegusa in the Heisei Godzilla series. This is her first G-FEST in over fifteen years, having attended back in 2000. Fans will most definitely not want to miss this event! G-FEST 2018 will be held July 13th - July 16th at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare in Rosemont, IL.

San Diego Comic Con has always been the number one hotspot for pop culture news every year, and 2018′s convention is definitely one kaiju fans want to keep their eyes peeled to. The highly anticipated sequel to Legendary’s Godzilla reboot has wrapped filming and it’s extremely likely that the film will have some sort of presence at next year’s SDCC. Whether this means a panel with the cast and crew or a trailer is anyone’s guess, but considering it’s the last major convention before the film’s release (with the possible exception of New York Comic Con in October), it’d be insane of Legendary not to promote the film here. San Diego Comic Con will take place July 19th - July 22nd at the San Diego Convention Center.

On a slightly smaller note, Monsterama is a convention in the Atlanta, GA area that seems like your average horror/monster fan convention. Of special note on the guest list to kaiju fans is Matt Greenfield, former president of ADV Films and current president of Kraken Releasing. Both companies are notable for releasing many kaiju films to DVD & Blu-Ray in the west. Kraken’s latest tokusatsu releases include The Return of Godzilla on Region 1 disc for the first time, and Garo, the creation of character and monster designer Keita Amemiya. Fans will want to keep their ears open for this convention as new information regarding possible new releases from the company could be revealed.

Merchandise

The S.H. MonsterArts line continues releasing highly-articulated and accurate representations of characters from the Godzilla franchise, including the first non-Godzilla Showa character in the form of Mechagodzilla. Reissues of the infamous Shin Godzilla figure and the sought-after SpaceGodzilla and Little Godzilla are also in the pipeline. And of course, the highly anticipated release of the 2002/2003 KiryuGoji design as well. Mechagodzilla has been licensed by BlueFin to see a stateside release, but the others will remain Japanese exclusives.

Continuing the theme of super-articulated figures, the S.H. Figuarts line will be seeing a surge of Ultra-related figures next year. On the docket are too many figures to list (see the Ultraman Wiki article) but of special note are the kaiju Antlar, Pandon, Twin Tail and Gudon (seen above). No release dates for any of the kaiju have been revealed, but it’s very likely these monsters will see release in the coming year.

In the world of vinyl figures, chances are Bandai will produce figures for the Godzilla anime sequel, but of special note are new releases in the Movie Monster Series line for 2003 Kiryu and Biollante! This marks the first vinyl figure of Biollante since the original 1990′s deluxe-sized figure. Despite the lack of pictures, the low price of only 1500 yen means collectors will not want to miss out on this one.

Pacific Rim Uprising continues to dominate off the screen with a highly anticipated line of figures from Bandai’s Robot Spirits line. All six of the film’s main Jaegers will be released for less than $40 each (and imported to America via BlueFin) and are easily available for pre-order from mainstream sites like Amazon and BigBadToyStore. Tamashii also plans to release an expensive yet extraordinarily accurate Gipsy Danger figure through its Soul of Chogokin line as well as vinyl representations of the kaiju enemies in the newly revitalized Sofubi Spirits line.

Alternatively, Diamond Select Toys is putting out their own line of Pacific Rim Uprising figures of the Jaegers and the kaiju. These figures appear to be more in-tune with what NECA released for the first film, so those who want similarly scaled figures have that option. DST is also releasing articulated kaiju, for those who aren’t satisfied with Bandai’s vinyl offerings.

Continuing with American companies, NECA has been hard at work sculpting new figures for their Classic Godzilla line. Nothing new has been revealed yet and information is reportedly coming at ToyFair in February, although NECA is notorious for not keeping their word on reveals for their non-80′s properties. Part of this has to do with Toho’s infamously strict licensing policies which resulted in NECA being only allowed to do Godzilla suits in their line as opposed to supporting monsters as well. NECA also revealed that they do not have the rights to create figures based on the 2019 designs of Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah leaving the likely scenario being similar to Pacific Rim Uprising’s toys, with Bandai doing S.H. MonsterArts figures of the three kaiju to be distributed in America via BlueFin.

In late 2017, Criterion secured the streaming rights to fourteen Showa Godzilla films, comprised of the films Classic Media released in their Toho Master Collection, Media Blasters’ two-film library of Destroy All Monsters and Godzilla vs. Megalon, and the out-of-print Son of Godzilla and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974). The films are currently available for streaming on the FilmStruck service, but Criterion has implied that they are interested in a physical release sometime in the future. Nothing concrete has been revealed yet, so fans will want to keep an eye on Criterion’s monthly Future Releases updates to see if any of these films make the cut.

Finally, kaiju artist and fan extraordinare Matt Frank is drawing an officially licensed Redman manga! From the previews shown, it appears to be taking on more of a dark tone than the original show. No word on a US release yet (although it’s likely copies will be offered at his G-FEST Artist Alley table).

With each passing year, the kaiju fandom grows bigger and bigger and more and more kaiju-related media is being released every month. It’s truly a new age for the genre and definitely the best time to be a fan. Here’s to a happy 2018!

#kaiju #2018 #daikaiju #kaiju fandom #daikaiju fandom #godzilla #redman #ultraman #criterion godzilla #criterion collection #bandai #robot spirits #tamashii nations #pacific rim #pacific rim uprising

77 notes · View notes

retrokid616 · 9 months

Text

orym just rider jumped! i know leap still!

#orym is a kamen gods damn rider #shin kamen rider #orym is the goat #cr spoilers #live blogging #bells hells #campaign 3 #critical role #tokusatsu #kamen rider #i will bring up tokusatsu every chance i get #initiative #kombat time

7 notes · View notes

randomwoohoo · 6 years

Link

Howdy! Here comes the fanfic series of Zootopia Tokusatsu AU!

Tokusatsu = a genre of Japanese live action audio-visual entertainment usually, but not always, involving super heroes/heroines comabtting evil monsters. For example, super sentai (Power rangers), masked riders and metal heroes.

Hope you enjoy it~

Fanfiction.net link

Synopsis: 3 years after Nick and Judy started working together as police partners, Zootopia was encountering a threat, the monsters called Savages. ZPD (Zootopia Police Department) and DIB (Defense Intelligence Bureau) co-founded SCU (Savage Control Unit), the special task force with sole purpose to exterminate Savages. Nick and Judy were senior police officers but they tended to tackle the monsters a lot by becoming one, an armored hero mixed between fox and rabbit, Hybrid. The new cases, chaos and henshin heroes arrived!

A fleeing sports car came to a screeching halt. Officer Judy Hopps and Officer Nick Wilde exited their patrol cruiser then approached a street racer. “Sir, you were going 115 miles per hour. I hope you have a good explanation.” Judy informed.

However, when the driver’s window moved down, the lawbreaker was revealed to be… “Flash? Flash? Hundred yard dash!?” Nick took off his shades to get a good look at the driver. It was Flash the sloth.

“. . . N i c k” Flash called out the brand new cop’s name at a seriously slow pace.

That was the first assignment of Nick and Judy as partners. It felt like yesterday although it had already been three year since back then. In the morning at the Zootopia Police Department headquarters, there were some minor changes here and there, new faces, transferred employees, some… had gone...

“All right. Everybody! Sit! Today, I have an important announcement.” A mammal standing at the podium was no one other than Chief Bogo, a male Cape buffalo and the chief of the Zootopia Police Department or ZPD for short.

“Sir, aren’t you tired from being a chief for many years? Consider settling down?” The fox senior police officer teased his supervisor.

“It’s too early to get rid of me, Wilde.” Chief quipped as a response to the first and still the only one fox cop in the department, Nick Wilde, which got a laugh out of others in the bullpen. This playful behaviour had become a routine at work. It lightened up the mood and helped reinforcing a positive impression towards the fox.

Bogo put on glasses to read the report in his hoof. “Ahem. Y’all might have already known. Just to remind you, the missing mammal cases that occurred these recent years in the Canals, the Meadowlands, the Nocturnal District, Outback Island, Sherwood and Bunnyburrow-” He paused to glance at one officer after he mentioned her hometown. Senior Officer Judy Hopps, who shared a front roll seat with her partner Nick, was listening attentively. Moreover, she seemed tense. It was understandable for Bogo. He breathed in and resumed. “Just now, there is progress in those cases. Police from other precincts found clues that lead to Zootopia. A few of you are needed to work on them. Treat ’em as your priority. Assignments!” The buffalo was about to give assignments but he felt the urge to emphasize current situation. “Oh by the way, if anybody encounters Savage , escort citizens in the area, contact SCU and stay away from Savage. Understand?”

“Yes’sir” Every police in the bullpen burst out in reply, not exactly every single one.

Bogo inspected Judy being quiet. She averted her eyes when they met with Bogo’s. He knew immediately what was on her mind. “Officer Hopps. Parking duty.”

The bunny cop went all alert. “What!? Chief-” She wanted to argue. However, Bogo interrupted. “Now… do you understand?” He repeated intimidatingly.

.--. .- .-. - -. . .-. ...

“This is ridiculous! Can’t believe after all these years, I got assigned a parking duty again!” Judy grunted. At Downtown street, she and her partner, Nick Wilde, were standing next to a patrol car that Chief let them drive instead of meter maid cart because of current city situation… It would be dangerous, not fast enough to escape...

“Chill, Fluff. Besides, if either of us is supposed to complain. I should be the one since I tag along with you.” Wearing sunglasses, Nick swirled a cup of coffee in his paw.

“You don’t have to say that. I’ve felt bad already.” Judy sighed, feeling blameworthy that she was a reason the fox was punished as well… He would not let her go through hard time alone. That sort of made her happy, yet also built up a guilt.

“Hey, we are duo through thick ’n thin no matter what, Carrots. And where is your positivity? Couple of years ago, you still found a way to challenge ourselves doing this kind of tasks. Aren’t ya gonna write hundreds of tickets or something?” This was not the first time they were assigned a parking duty together but as Nick stated, Judy used to bring out a spirit to any assignments.

“I will if it’s possible! Look! There are scarcely few cars on street!” The bunny pointed out their surroundings. Road was clear, not many cars running or parking, which was probably what they expected when Bogo intended to keep them far from the battleground. Therefore, he gave them this disciplinary penalty for acting stubborn.

“Consider this taking things slow then.” The tod sip his coffee. “Snarlbucks blueberry coffee is delish.”

Judy put on a half-smile. She loved her partner’s blueberry obsession but the smile turned to frown. “How can I slow down? The city is-”

“Go ahead, patrol, Judy, my dear.” Old lady voice attracted the doe’s attention, causing rabbit ears to flick. Judy turned around to greet. “Officer Mabel!” An elderly female goat meter maid, walking with a cane, waved the hand to greet back. “Don’t be worried. I can cover for you two. It has been a light work since nobody dares to roam the streets anyway.” said Mabel.

Judy grinned and ran to open the driver door of police car. “Thank you, Officer Mabel! Call us if anything happens! Nick! Get in a car!” The bunny ordered, yet Nick tarried. “Hang on~ I wanna appreciate some peaceful moments more-” He was going to take another sip. A door of passenger seat was opened from the inside, a bunny paw reached out and grabbed his tie. “Hurry!” Judy crawled from driver seat to passenger seat and opened the door to get her partner who struck a pose outside the cruiser. She dragged him in. The fox staggered into a car. “Mah coffee!” almost dropped his cup. They closed the doors in unison then the doe started the engine.

“Good luck” Mabel wished two officers luck as they departed.

- .... .. -.-. -.- / .- -. -.. / - .... .. -.

After hours of patrolling around Downtown and Rainforest district, both arrived at Cliffside Asylum. There were a group of mammals yelling at a guard. Bunny cop turned off the engine to take a look.

“You folks ain’t allowed to come in here!” A wolf guard stopped teenage camera crew at the gate. The crew was consisted of bear, fox, rabbit, raccoon and skunk.

“C’mon! We’re not messing around!” A bear, holding a camera, shouted. A skunk flipped a script and assisted protesting. “We’re here to film a documentary.” Juveniles clamored. A rabbit buck brought out a phone to record a video. “This building is wicked! It was involved in former-mayor Lionheart mammal abduction and Savage-”

“No video!” The guard swatted buck’s phone away, standing ground to say no to the youngsters.

Judy monitored the fuss, speaking nonspecifically. “Ever since then, this place has been forbidden. Suspicious-”

“Hold your horses! Forget about investigation. Even the high ranked police strenuously get a warrant.” Removing his shades, Nick interjected. The mentioned fact distressed the doe. She moaned while staring out the window. Shortly afterwards, Judy jerked, making Nick flinched. He shifted his focus to the same direction as his partner, spotting other raccoon going through the gate when wolf guard was busy dealing with camera crew.

“The thing is, you don’t need a warrant if you have probable cause-” Judy stated then Nick added promptly. “And you saw a potential criminal sneaking in.”

“Bingo~” The doe exclaimed. “Sly bunny~” Tod commented.

“Let’s go. And don’t forget your driver!” She said.

“How can you carry it with you all the time?” He questioned. “I have my own method.” Bunny responded. Nick and Judy got off the car and used this chance while the guard being distracted to sneak into the complex.

Inside the asylum, which had dramatically changed, wrecked and abandoned, demolished walls, ceilings and floors, equipments and stuff scattering all over the place, blood stain…, the raccoon intruder held a flashlight in his mouth as he rummaged through a crumbled laboratory. “Where is it? Geez...” Raccoon expressed annoyance. He kept searching though his jaw felt sore from holding the flashlight. But he turned down the light and ducked under a table when he heard some noise, peeping who or what was coming. Two police officers, fox and rabbit, more than enough to identify who they are, scouted about. Nick pointed at one direction and moved his paw in and out, suggesting he should go that way. Judy shook her head to reject Nick’s suggestion. She pointed at Nick, drew her paw in and tapped her chest with index finger, advising him not to separate but stick together.

Shoot! Cops!! At least, it’s mammal. I can grab it quickly and get out of here before- Speaking of the devil, the most terrifying thing Raccoon wished he did not encounter emerged.

The partner’s ears captured a scream. They rushed to the source of sound, surprisingly bumping against the intruder. Apparently, he was fleeing from something and there was no need to guess because it followed the raccoon not far behind. Its pupils were glowing in the dark. The duo instantly perceived what it was.

“RunRunRunRunRun!!” Judy commanded incessantly. They raced down the hallway, avoiding tripping concrete wreckage.

“Still some left in here? Good grief~” Nick grumbled.

“Savage ...” Judy called a monster that was after them, the mammal-like purple creatures which had threatened Zootopia since one year ago, their behavior resembled the fierce feral animals. Therefore, they were named Savage. This one looked similar to a jaguar. However, it had the exoskeleton covering its body and a strip of long fur lined down its spine. Its saliva dripped everywhere while it was chasing police and civilian on all four.

“Bunny! Aren’t you a cop? Shoot it!” Raccoon bawled.

“I have only tranq gun and it doesn’t work on them!” Judy’s lethal weapon was confiscated when she received an assignment that those types of weapons are not necessary.

“Use mine.” Nick gave Judy a pistol. “H-How?” Puzzled, the doe inquired. Subsequently, tod riposted. “I’m not the one getting punished. remember?” Both beamed at each other. Judy grasped Nick’s pistol. It is a bit too big for her paws but she could work on it. Nick offered his firearm since Judy is a better shooter than him. She started firing on Savage which was pursuing them.

“For the last time, no means no! You can’t go in-” The wolf guard addressed the final warning to the teenagers before ears perked up to catch the roar from the asylum. Wolf rotated to get a glimpse, three mammals running away from Jaguar Savage . “Okay, you kids do whatever you please. I gonna call SCU.” Guard and camera crew split.

“You! That way!” Judy told the raccoon, pointing different direction. They made it out of building, still Savage kept hunting them.

“Don’t leave me, Coppah!” He whined. Nick swiftly corrected raccoon’s thought. “We will decoy that monster. Now, go!” Fox stressed. The raccoon hesitated. He eventually escaped to hide around the corner of the asylum.

“Finally, we’re left alone.” The doe heaved a sigh of relief. “Ready, partner?” She stopped abruptly, so did the tod. They about-faced the monster and brought out the devices. “Here we go again” Nick was mentally prepared. Both put them over the front middle of waist.

The devices are identical, arm-sized black machine with purple 1.25 inch diameter flat circle at the center, maroon motorcycle handlebar on the right half and silver syringe having a 45 degree tilt. The devices extended the belt to wrap around the wearer's waist.

Nick pulled the syringe which has spring mechanism. It was drawn back automatically after he let it go. “ DRAW BLOOD ” Nick’s device spoke robotically. Blood filled in Nick’s syringe then it teleported into the syringe of Judy’s device. Judy pressed the syringe which sprang out on its own. “ INJECT ” Judy’s device spoke robotically as well. Fox’s blood was injected into rabbit. He fell asleep standing up, lying unconsciously on the ground.

Savage was charging at the duo. Rabbit uttered. “Transform!” Then she twisted the device’s handle anticlockwise with her right paw. “ IGNITE ” Judy’s device spoke. The handle was twisted back by the spring mechanism. It released purple steam, followed by the hot purple mist explosion. Savage halted, viewing the mist swallowing the bunny whole. In the thick fog, device core illuminated, two amethyst headlamps shone up where Judy eyes are. The mist was fading, revealing a flamingo red full suit head-to-toe bio armoured Hybrid between a fox and a rabbit, obvious Judy’s body type, soft metal long rabbit ears, red long fluffy fox tail made of spikes instead of fur, light green torso with blue stripe on front dividing left and right, grayish-tan lower body except flamingo red feet, stylish headlights for eyes and fangs with a pair of buck teeth pattern on muzzle.

Savage ’s instinct commanded it to assault the new threat. The monster stormed towards the armoured figure. Hybrid sprinted off, dodging to the right side, landing a right hook on Jaguar Savage ’s shoulder, knee bashing its throat. Savage angled its head upward. Hybrid palm struck monster’s chin.

“You punch like a bunny.” Judy jestingly criticized Nick who chuckled at a pun. How can he help it? He was literally in the bunny body…

The monster bounced back, trying to attack the fox-mixed rabbit once again. Judy protracted the right paw claw, pivoting 360 degree, lacerating Savage’s face. It bellowed in agony. “And you are ferocious.” Tod remarked. “Like a fox~” Doe added. “Oy! That’s all you. Tenderness runs in my blood.” He protested.

Savage veered off, hurtling toward a defenseless sleeping fox. Nick gasped “It’s going after my body!” He panicked. Judy pushed the syringe. “ ACTIVATE ” The belt voiced. Hybrid zoomed at an incredible pace, breaking through the wind, each step sent the dust flying everywhere, catching up with the monster in a trice. Hybrid hopped, trampling on Savage ’s back. It paused due to a severe blow, giving an opportunity for Hybrid to retrieve Nick’s body. Judy was carrying the fox to the side of building. She laid him down where it must be safe from harm. “Dang! I look good even when I’m napping.~” Nick complimented his presence. He rubbed his chin but Judy intervened. “Cut it out already! We’re far from done with that Savage.”

When Hybrid returned, the monster had disappeared. “See! We’ve lost it!” The doe blamed the tod. “Relax, Carrots.” Nick pushed the syringe. “ ACTIVATE ” Hybrid’s ears perked up, harking the sounds of environment, tracing its location. “That way!” Duo shouted.

- .-. .- -. ... ..-. --- .-. --

Jaguar Savage escaped from Cliffside Asylum and reached South Canyon. However, a trope of armed mammals were blocking a road. They were wearing tactical gears, bulletproof uniforms and face shield helmets, SCU logos are embroidered on back and right chest.

“Ready!” A white stallion signaled. SCU agents rifles properly. He continued. “Aim!” They target Savage . “Fire!” Horse bawled. The agents opened fire on the monster. It stood sideways to avoid the probable damages. Its shell deflected the bullets yet it began to fracture after the several hits. SCU team is specialized in exterminating Savage. They hastened to track down and eliminate the target as soon as they were contacted by a wolf. The jaguar was about to withdraw. “Quick! If it climbs up that hill, we won’t be able to follow it!” Stallion warned.

“Mine Mine Mine Mine~” The repeated yelling earned agents’ attention. It was as loud as or even louder than the gunshot noise. They stopped shooting to take a gaze. A weird rabbit knight was heading towards their way. Actually, it was the running bio armoured bunny fox hybrid. “Don’t ya steal my kill!” said Nick. Judy twisted the device’s handle anticlockwise again. “ CRITICAL BREAK ” Hybrid accelerated to the point of becoming a red blur with amethyst light lines alongside from the eyes. Hybrid leaped when getting close enough to Savage and roll front flip in mid-air. The partners double kicked the monster’s flank. The impact shattered its exoskeleton. The protracted bunny feet claws were inserted through the shell cracks, digging in Savage ’s flesh. Hybrid shoved the monster away, landing backflip on a ground. Every part of Savage was evaporating as it was dying.

SCU gaped at an armoured mammal. “Applause~ Applause~ No need to thank me~ Just doing my job.” Nick babbled. “Freeze, Hybrid !” They did not get a round of applause. Instead, the agents were pointing the rifles at Hybrid . “I would love to stay but… Gotta dash!” Nick waved a paw. Judy, giggling at a fox’s frisky nature, took control of the body, skedaddling. Horse directed. “Fire tranq dart! Fire!” They shot nonstop at Hybrid, who pressed the syringe, “ACTIVATE” vanishing into thin air. “We lost them again!” White horse neighed after Hybrid evaded the special force once again without any traces.

“Let’s meet at the car.” Judy advised, holing up over the hill despite being on the road below merely second ago. “Roger~ See ya, Carrots~” Nick agreed. She pulled the syringe. Blood was drawn and teleported to other syringe as Judy detransformed. The suit let out purple steam then disappeared. Her body and clothes were back to the state before Nick and she fought the monster together.

.- --. .- .. -.

“Hello, this is Jim Tuck.” Just invading the prohibited area, saved by police and hiding behind the side of asylum from the monster, the raccoon made a phone call. “No, I haven’t got a thing yet-” He jerked away from his phone because his interlocutor brawled aggressively. “What was I supposed to do!? Savage almost killed me! Look! Just give me more time, okay?” He stayed silent for seconds, hearing the answer. “Good! Deal! Bye!” He hung up and sighed.

“Tough luck huh?” The voice startled Jim. He turned to find the fox officer. Jim tried to bolt but the tod could seize raccoon’s wrist first. “Chill out~ I’m not here to arrest you. In fact, I think I can lend you a paw...” Nick apprised.

- --- / -... . / -.-. --- -. - .. -. ..- . -..

#zootopia #zootopia tokusatsu au #zootopia fanfiction #zoomorphia #As a wildehopps shipper The moment will come This story gonna long and wild #100th post

2 notes · View notes

furederiko · 7 years

Photo

"Go back to being the Big Bro I cared about!" Blood vs bond, true brotherhood is put to the test... only in Kyuranger episode 20.

- As the title suggests, our new episode picks up directly with the fight between Stinger and Scorpio. It's praiseworthy that Stinger wants to settle thing by going solo, to not endanger more Kyurangers. But clearly he's acting reckless all over again. He might be forgetting that technically Scorpio has been powered-up by Don Armage to be a Menaster-level, and a single Kyuranger couldn't stand a chance against one. Basically... it's suicide. His good intention to prevent others from catching fire like Champ backfires too. Obviously, Commander Xiao is heading towards his location alongside last week's away team (minus Balance, who is instructed to handle the Orion), even if their goal is to retrieve the Argo Navis Kyu Globes. At the same time, Kotarou heads out from the HQ, vowing to the nearly-completed Champ to save Stinger. Everyone's walking towards danger nonetheless! - To even out the battle, Stinger poisons himself to perform some kind of... power-up. Antares, is a secret technique passed down in his tribe. It boosts the power and durability, but with the cost of the user's own life. Not really useful, because as I've mentioned, he's no longer dealing with a regular Scorpio. Then again, it gives just enough time for Leo Red's team to arrive, and actually takes back the Puppis Kyu Globe from Scorpio's hand. The baddie spends too much time doing maniacal-laugh anyway. LOL. TRIVIA: Antares is the brightest star in the Scorpius Constellation. It's also the name of Scorpio Milo's deadliest attack in "Saint Seiya", which in a way, works similarly too. Don't act surprised! You know that this show does take plenty of reference from that TOEI Animation series, right? - Oh wait a sec, turns out there's another casualty in this battle *sigh*. Ophiucus Silver reacts quickly and freezes Scorpio with his glare, but in return leaving himself out in the open. So when Scorpio easily breaks the spell... Naga becomes his next victim. Fortunately, he's not as 'bad' as Champ. Not content with that, Scorpio takes his own brother as hostage, using him as leverage for the Kyurangers to hand over Puppis. The Kyurangers (including Kotarou) then discover a secret message that Stinger left behind, via the #29 Capricorn Kyu Globe. Describing the side-effect of Antares, Stinger is committed to sacrifice himself to prevent his friends from getting hurt. Clearly, Kotarou is angry to hear him doing such selfish act and runs off into battle. Lucky is thinking the same thing, because he believe they can't give up trying to save Stinger. - But since this is Tokusatsu, before they can even figure out what to do, the new fleet of Consumarz lands on Earth. Scorpio even broadcasts Fake-News putting the blame for Earth's destruction to the Kyuranger. Oucch!! Looks like someone has been studying under Mr. Trump...*sigh*. Balance continues his work to babysit the Orion, as well as three of its injured member (Garu, Raptor, and Naga), while Xiao and the others depart to confront Scorpio. Their mission, to rescue a comrade, and hopefully Earth at the same time. Can they do that, while Earthlings are furiously parading, protesting and demanding the Kyurangers to take the responsibility? - Quick flashback time! Stinger realizes that the search for strength have warped Scorpio's mind. He also feels that his weakness is the cause to this 'devilish change'. Aaawwww. Sadly, Scorpio admits that he have always tried to be strong for his sake only. Not for others, not even for his little brother who used to look up to him. And then he poisons Stinger into a Zombie. Dang it... evil prick is EVIL! - Speaking of evil prick, the Earthlings are pretty much the same. Kotarou tries to reason with them, to bring them to their senses, but it's no use. These jerks start throwing rocks and things at the team instead! I don't know about you, but this is a moving scene. Spada being a gentleman by shielding Hammy from the mob. Lucky preventing them from injuring Kotarou, who is one of their own. And then he reminds the boy, who's embarassed to see how pathetic his own kind is behaving, that they do it just because they are scared. What a striking metaphor to the situation we're dealing in real life right now! Because yes, many times people discriminate others who are 'different' due to their own hidden internal fear. It's indeed a powerful moment for the team. - Draco Commander has to take care of the giants (two Indavers, plus a Consumarz later on) with Chamaeleon Green and Dorado Yellow using Ryutei-Oh (hey, there has to be a mecha battle somewhere, right?), so it's up to Leo Red and Ursa Minor Skyblue to deal with Scorpio. Nope, correction... Scorpio and Zombie-Stinger! Of course, the division is to be expected. Leo Red deals with Scorpio, while Ursa Minor Skyblue tries to break Stinger from the brainwashing. - The latter is the gut-wrenching one, because clearly double-jacked-up Zombie-Stinger is way too powerful for the youngest Kyuranger to deal with. Zombie-Stinger is beating Ursa Minor Skyblue senseless! But that doesn't faze Kotarou. He's determined to save Stinger, because Stinger is "the big brother that I'm proud of!". Holy camoly... GOOSEBUMPS. The chills of seeing Kotarou evading Stinger's attacks to inject an antidote... is indescribable. Not unlike Stinger, he'll do anything to get his Big Bro back! And that HUG... wow, I think some smoke just gets in my eyes. - Also, it's truly a brilliant touch to have the presence of Champ's Kyu Globe serving as the final piece of the puzzle (spoiler alert... the robot's waking up!). Particularly because Stinger is currently in the position of complete opposite to what Champ wanted him to do. This is where an outspoken person like Lucky fits right in. Sure, some would argue that Stinger hasn't necessarily had a good amount of team-bonding moment with the band to justify his view on 'friendship'. But do consider the camaraderie they've developed during those many off-screen missions. Beside, Stinger is pretty much the average Japanese-tsundere of the team. It makes sense that he's hiding his true emotion underneath the 'cool' facade, right? After all, the message of this episode is, 'You are stronger because you have friends'. In my opinion, it's conveyed nicely...

Overall: Kyuranger is not a flawless show. Many times it's great, sometimes it's really good, and other times it's just okay ('okay' and not 'bad', the lowest score I've given so far is still above 7). It's as fluctuative as my mood swing... and/or my financial condition. Yet when it's involving emotional beats? It hits all the right spot, and delivers with flying colors. The story might be focused on Stinger, a closure to his solo arc. But I believe Kotarou owned it, and turned it into his focus episode! He's totally the MVP, as his actor demonstrated one-heck of an amazing acting chop. For real, those emotions overflow? Aaaah... the FEELS!!! This boy's definitely going places after this, you can count on it. Balanced with intense and fierce action sequences, the question of morality, and the message of sacrifice for friendship... this was undeniably one of the series' finests. Next week: Curtain call for Scorpio! Back in Black!! And the Immortal Bird arrives...!!! PS: After the episode, there was a Summer Movie campaign for #18 Herakles Kyu Globe. It was then followed by the first official commercial for Phoenix Blade & Phoenix Shield, packaged with the #12 Phoenix Kyu Globe! Over-Time didn't include them in their fansub, but it's not wrong to say that three new Kyu Globes actually debuted last Sunday. One more thing, starting in October, the Super Hero Time will have a new air-time, and that includes the Super Sentai franchise. TOEI announced yesterday, that "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" will be moved from 07:30AM JST into 09:30AM JST. I know that October is still 3 months away, but you might want to update your schedule accordingly right away...

Episode 20 Score: 8,4 out of 10

Visit THIS LINK to view a continuously updated listing of the Kyutama / Kyu Globes. Last Updated: July 2nd, 2017 - Version 2.06. (WARNING: It might contain spoilers for future episodes)

All images are screencaptured from the series, provided by the FanSubber Over-Time. "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" is produced by TOEI, and airs every Sunday on TV-Asahi. Credits and copyrights belong to their respective owners.

#tokusatsu #SuperSentai #kyuranger #uchu sentai kyuranger #uchuu sentai kyuranger #review #melancholymoments #friendship

2 notes · View notes

allspark · 6 years

Text

The Allspark.com recently had a chance to speak with Transformers and Godzilla artist Matt Frank about his upcoming new comic book “Redman: The Kaiju Hunter” and find out more about the title and the brand as well! But first, here is a description of Redman from the US-based distributor, Night Shining, Inc.:

Trapped in a desolate and yet somehow familiar world populated with an vast array of the ferocious beasts known as “Kaiju,” Redman continues his endless Red Fight, battling tirelessly to cull the monsters. With each fierce battle, the mysterious, blood-splattered “hero” sinks closer to his prey, ready to strike. This while a sinister form watches and records his every move…

The original Redman television series from Tsuburaya Productions debuted April 24, 1972. It ran for 138 episodes, ending in October of the same year. Its penchant for unusual treatment of its main hero as well as for the creatures he dispatched each episode led to the show finding status as a cult hit and internet phenomenon. Now artist Matt Frank (Godzilla, Transformers) and colorist Gonçalo Lopes (Bio Wars, Dodge City) bring the tokusatsu hero back to life in the pages of a new comic series and no kaiju is safe!

Allspark.com: Thank you for your time for talking to us about Redman. While we understand there is a dedicated cult following for the series, it’s not a widely known TV show here in the US. Can you give a short explanation what it’s about?

Matt Frank: So the way I’ve been describing Redman to potential readers is “You remember Ultraman? He’s like that if you mixed him with the Punisher!” Redman was a live action segment of a children’s variety show in Japan circa 1972. Tsuburaya Productions had already enjoyed great success with their Ultra series, and by 1972 had expanded their roster of shows and characters beyond the Heroes of M78. Redman stands out for being strangely, beautifully bleak and surprisingly violent. The lack of dialogue and short, vicious brutality of the show lead to an unintentionally oppressive atmosphere, and when fans rediscovered it after Tsuburaya uploaded the series to YouTube in 2016, tokusatsu and kaiju fans fell in love with it.

A: If you know, what gave Tsuburaya Productions the motive to try to revive Redman?

M: I believe it must have been the YouTube activity. Uploading the series to YouTube found a new fandom that devoured the look and feel of Redman. Noting the popularity Tsuburaya made a few Redman events, or at least one, in Japan. They even put the series out on dvd, if I recall correctly. So they’re aware of this cult following for this weird, offbeat, almost Adult Swim style show. How did you get involved with the relaunch/comic? – My publisher in Japan, Phase 6, has already had solid success adapting the IDW Godzilla comics that I worked on. The company owner, Andrew Hall, saw Redman on YouTube. He was already a tokusatsu fan but he immediately loved the memetic quality of the show, not to mention the potential of expanding on the show’s setup. He approached Tsuburaya, and they agreed almost right off the bat! Andrew and I foresaw great promise in our partnership, so he wanted me to headline the comic, especially since I’m so familiar with tokusatsu.

A: What can we expect out of the comic? Other than Kaiju carnage of course.

M: I would describe the themes of the series to be madness, demunanization, but also perseverance. Redman isn’t a monster. He’s a hero. Or he used to be. There’s a reason he is the way he is. But if I dig too deeply into why he is what he is, I run the risk of ruining his mystique and inherent appeal. There’s a lot of mystery in the comic that I encourage everyone to interpret and become engrossed in.

A: What’s the release schedule for future volumes?

M: I’m currently working on volume 2 which should be out in Japan later this year. I’ve got at least 2 more planned!

A: We’ve seen your artwork on pins and t-shirts to accompany the comic books. Can you give any hints what’s next up for related merchandise?

M: Oh man, the things I’ve seen! There’s a lot of potential for fun things that maybe even have a retro-Japanese collector quality to them. You’ll see!

A: Lastly, would you care to share anything else about Redman that fans might want to hear?

M: If you love kaiju, and Japanese super heroes, this is right up your alley. Especially if you want something that has history, but a totally unique feel. It’s also one of the best looking books I’ve worked on. Gonçalo is a coloring master and follows my direction incredibly well. Please check it out! You won’t be disappointed!

A: Thanks again for your time!

Readers can find out more about the comic and place a pre-order here: OfficialRedman.com The first volume of the comic is 5 chapters, 128 pages long. It is actually seeing release in Japan today (May 30th local time), and the English language release is next month. The first 100 pre-orders of the English language version will get a special edition foil collectors’ trading card. We’re being told that they are closing in on a sell out though, so get those pre-orders in quick!

Also as mentioned, Night Shining, Inc. are offering a pin set of Redman vs. Arstron on their site. The set can even be bundled with the comic pre-order for a few dollars savings.

And, lastly for the current merchandise, they have a Red Bubble store with five t-shirt designs available in multiple styles and colors: https://www.redbubble.com/people/night-shining

You can check out a 5-page preview of the comic below, and follow the latest news on the Redman Facebook page or the Night Shining, Inc. Twitter.

Don’t forget to discuss Redman in our Kaiju and Tokusatsu threads in the General Discussion Forum.

Allspark.com Interview – Redman: The Kaiju Hunter Writer/Artist Matt Frank The Allspark.com recently had a chance to speak with Transformers and Godzilla artist Matt Frank about his upcoming new comic book "Redman: The Kaiju Hunter" and find out more about the title and the brand as well!

#Kaiju #Kaiju Hunter #Matt Frank #Redman #Toku Hero #Tokusatsu #Tsuburaya

1 note · View note