Arigato, Ultraman
I genuinely couldn't wait for a second longer in viewing this, I've been so excited for its release for so long that when some heroes leaked it to the internet during October I was over the moon, yet equally annoyed due to the fact I was already dedicated to Spooky Season at the time. But finally, my time has come and Shin Ultraman is everything I hoped it would be and more.As the threat of giant unidentified lifeforms known as "S-Class Species" worsens in Japan and just when the JSDF and SSSP are pushed to the breaking point, a silver giant appears from beyond Earth's atmosphere.
In this house, we do not stand for Shinji Higuchi erasure, dude had just as much input in the creation of this as Hideaki Anno so it feels morally wrong to completely exclude him from any and all credit he deserves. This film is fucking raw and equally gorgeous, with so many shots of note but the scene of "Ultraman" standing amongst the burning ruins of a city goes hard. Also worth noting is that if you only went to see this or Shin Godzilla due to Anno's name, maybe rethink how you are approaching these movies, just saying.
There's a conscious production design decision by the duo to make Shin Ultraman look as if it was in its genesis and absolutely not concerned with reaching the modern "standards" of polished reboot looks is such a refreshing take. Shin Ultraman looks the part of a brilliant piece of tokusatsu media, a fresh reboot for a new generation and a love letter for long-time fans as both Higuchi and Anno are themselves.
Like Shin Godzilla before it, the visual effects are fantastically stylised. There's a clear love for the original designs and a clever little riff on the reuse of the Shin Godzilla CG model if you know your Ultraman. Shirō Sagisu returns as the composer for the second time, beautifully enhancing the original works of Kunio Miyauchi while adding in works left unused from both Shin Godzilla and of course, fucking Evangelion.
There's so much to be said about the overwhelming success of this film, for a time the highest-grossing film of 2022 in Japan alone and currently sitting at the most commercially successful Ultraman film beating out my beloved Superior 8 Ultra Brothers. It stands tall as one of the finest examples of both a reboot and a piece of Ultraman media, although perhaps not as tall as Brave Love Tiga.
The film doesn't really want to spend time with the politics of its predecessor, as Higuchi has stated in interviews "if we just did the same thing, it's kind of pointless". More power to the man, but the film isn't without a small political commentary on the Japanese government and how they would delineate a situation like this.
There's a little commentary on humanity's place in the universe, and whether we've proven ourselves worthy of continuing as a species. This messaging isn't always elegantly executed but, like so much of the film, it's presented with such enthusiastic sincerity that it's hard to resist. The world may sometimes be a terrible, frightening place, but Shin Ultraman argues that a little decency can still go a long way. I fucking love it, roll on Shin Kamen Rider!
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Pulpy Comic Book fiction done right
While he left our beloved Shinji Higuchi to handle directing duties on Shin Ultraman, Anno focused his efforts on Shin Kamen Rider and it's very much cut from the same cloth as its predecessors. Fast, stylish, cartoony and oh-so-charming, it opens with action and never slows down, not even afraid to fully embrace the camp and horrific qualities of its source material.I'll admit this is the tokusatsu property I am least familiar with (at the time of writing I've seen ZO, J, Shin Prologue and, more substantially, Den-O and Fuuto PI), but even to a more casual fan of the series, you can easily follow what is ultimately re-imaged episodes of the original show stitched together into a movie. I'm yet to watch the original but the number of side-by-sides I was seeing on Twitter after clips of it were leaked, shows that Anno really does take pride in his childhood influences.
Hyped stylised like the previous Shin movies, there's some very overbearing and pretty redundant CGI in places where practical effects would have been preferable and even cheaper, but it fits the same tone and energy of its predecessors. Anno's direction is great and features the same variety of angles and strange composition choices that make these so visually engaging. The hyper-choreographed fight scenes also help immensely, unafraid to go all the way to 11 with squishy violence.
With regular Anno collaborator Shirō Sagisu committed to Shin Ultraman, in steps Anime composer Taku Iwasaki and boy, does he do a stand-up job. I'm definitely gonna have to get the soundtrack to this the moment it's released, so many styles of music all coming together in a seamless blend of beauty.
While I ultimately feel that Shin Ultraman is the best of these Shin movies so far, Shin Kamen Rider is a very close second. Anno goes hell for leather here, amounting to a beautiful love letter to one of the grandfathers of Tokusatsu, having fun but not poking fun and fully embracing his inhuman worldview he's only ever touched upon in previous movies.
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The original Kamen Rider Shin
What could have been a great deconstruction of the Kamen Rider franchise sadly falters due to its bare-bones plot, wonky writing and unlikable stock character archetypes. It's one of the only Kamen Rider productions to feature direct creative input from the original creator, Shotaro Ishinomori, the film takes a large amount of influence from the original manga run as well as Kamen Rider BLACK's manga.The film was intended as a treat for more adult fans of Ishinomori's original works by Ishinomori himself but due to his death in 1998, the series planned to continue the story of this prologue never developed leaving Shin in a weird limbo of existence. The problems presented in this film could have easily been ironed out had it been given the chance but the final product is extremely stiff and somewhat bland compared to the likes of ZO which would release the next year.
I'll be honest, I like a lot of this film's production aspects, the music is frankly brilliant and it is that nice transitional period between the synth-heavy 80s and hard rock 90s; the gore and practical effects are simply top-notch with a seriously gnarly transformation sequence almost like it was ripped from a Cronenberg film with a design of the titular character being equally Cronenberg-esque.
Overall, the film is a curious example of when early 90's visceral science fiction met a classic Tokusatsu franchise. Still worth watching but with tempered expectations.
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The weaker of the Amemiya duology
Easily the weaker of Keita Amemiya's two Kamen Rider films, but J does many things that ZO doesn't. Kamen Rider J skips out on the backstory of its Rider and instead leaves the questions till later opting for the action-first approach. The creature designs are suitably Amemiya with the direction and music as great as they always are, I could have done without the annoying little sidekick as it felt like Amemiya was trying to draw in a younger crowd with it, given the costume design of Zu it feels like the exact opposite, she possesses considerable dommy energy.Was this review helpful to you?
Love a bit of Amemiya
Given that Shin Kamen Rider is coming out next year, I really needed to dive into another of the big three Tokusatsu shows and this was usually the one pointed to as one of the best entry points of the franchise, Kamen Rider ZO is another fantastic film by Keita Amemiya that I can check off my watchlist. ZO feels like the by-product of what would happen if you threw Sam Raimi and Shinya Tsukamoto into a blender together, it's kinetic filmmaking and highly disturbing design that would give even someone like Guillermo del Toro nightmares. Brilliantly shot, written, scored, staged and acted, this is one of the best 48-minute-long films I've ever seen and has me eager to explore more.Was this review helpful to you?
Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars
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The missing link
Legend of the Stars feels like that missing link between Heisei Godzilla and Heisei Gamera, striking an otherworldly and transcendental balance in re-imagining Ultra Q for a whole new generation and who better to helm it than the franchise's most unique voice, Akio Jissoji. Legend of the Stars could realistically be considered the 2001 of the tokusatsu genre, mainly because this movie is pretty much a metaphysical examination of existence in a similar vein to Kubrick's film, just way more dialogue-heavy. It doesn't always hold together but Jissoji's visualisation is greater than the sum of its shakey parts, his direction and camera work are constantly engaging and ever-shifting with no two shots being the same. Combining aspects of Japanese mythology and a sci-fi mystery, Legend of the Stars is very much worthy of your attention even if you haven't seen the original show, it just drags its feet towards the end as if struggling to fill time and you'll have to put up with some substandard DVD mastering if you want to see it, it's crying out for an HD release. Come on Tsuburaya! Do it!Was this review helpful to you?
So much hair
One of the better kaiju throwbacks I've seen in recent years, Geharha: The Dark and Long-Haired Monster owes a lot to the bigger name franchises containing a wealth of references and homages interspaced amidst its quirky camp. A short made-for-TV production by one of the more prolific modern Ultraman directors, Kiyotaka Taguchi, barely clocking in at 20 minutes in length, it's a fabulous little gem. The effects are a charming mix of old-school tokusatsu techniques and hilariously low-brow CGI which often add to the short's comedic value. While the stock library of music from the late Akira Ifukube fits quite nicely, Geharha is over just as it really starts to get going, leaving you wanting more and ripe for expansion in a feature-length presentation.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
unfortunately transmisogynist.
could have been good but it's unfortunately transmisogynist. the two mains tell a presumably closeted trans woman that she's in the wrong bathroom, they steal her wallet and hotel room key. they break into her hotel room and plunder her wardrobe. one of them says, "why does he want to be a woman? being a woman is boring." I missed this at first; it's a bit blink and you'll miss it if you don't know what to look for. but recognising the transmisogyny changed the entire context and it ruined the film for me.on top of all this, one can argue that this film is also ableist by vilifying a deaf person...
see also: https://letterboxd.com/imuira/film/green-night/
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Rating
Similar enough to the anime, the movie adaption deals more with the swords past.I rate the movie more as a 7.8 not lower and not higher.
The acting and plot was decent for a movie of this type but you don’t see anything about the anime in the movie that would rank the movie higher. You don’t see any of the sword summoning and the main character sword is the only high-grade sword that you actually see.
Besides this, the movie is actually pretty decent which is why I rate it at a 7.8. The effects are good and the plot fits and is new to Touken story line.
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Remake well done
First off, I didn’t even know it was a remake of a Korean 2010 movie, but I can just imagine how the visual effects back then, 13 years ago, it might be a bit crude but in 2023 the effects are more fluid, so that’s a plus!I watched this movie with the expectation that it would be another help-ghost-fulfill-wishes movie like Robert Downy’s Hearts and Souls, but to my surprise it was different. The twist at the ending makes the perfect sense. Not to mention, the acting is so good. The main lead seriously can switch from one character to another.
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Fun light-hearted survival comedy
A fun comedy that I wasn't expecting to be this good. Refreshing to see a film on the post-apocalyptic world where everything doesn't immediately go to mayhem and last man standing type deal. They did really good at getting a balance between entertaining and heartwarming adventure given the circumstances of the world maybe ending. The scenery in this movie shows was really good showcasing the Japanese landscape, making the backdrop on their journey pleasant to see even during a global pandemic (which is kind of weird but keeps you attentive haha). The director's decision to keep the tone of the movie light-hearted was good thinking even with the more intense post-apocalyptic dramas where it's survival of the fittest and immediate chaos with trying to outlive the bad guys for the entire movie.All in all Survival Family is a great watch that combines a family comedy with the urgency of survival, making it an entertaining and fun sit down when pandemic movies don't always ending up leading that way.
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The comedic style didn't really work for me (didn't make me laugh) but it was consistantly applied throughout by the actors and director. There was a lot shown for the sex scene, but it’s also done in a comedic vein and I didn't find the way it was approached very enticing.
Edited: The Hangul that shows up by each person at the end are not speech bubbles (as I originally thought) but the names of the character / actor.
I won't rewatch.
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This is serious
Everyone who tried to buy or sell something on classified ads websites can relate to this movie. Personally I was scammed once when selling something, and almost when trying to buy a console but I can see and detect scammers on a daily basis whenever I scroll the adds online. There are too many scammers out there. Unfortunately they always use new tactics and we should all be careful when shopping and leaving our personal information online. This movie is a great warning for that."Target" is a very interesting and suspenseful triller. There are some typical Korean movie cliches inside but they didn't bother me because the story was very compelling and moved quickly. It kept my interest all the time and I would certainly recommend it to everyone.
Btw. anyone here want to buy my Sony MHC V13 Sound System? ㅎㅎ
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This review may contain spoilers
General Spoilers below. Bittersweet and open-ended but well done 11min short. Very good acting and great nuances in the different tensions ebbing and flowing between the two leads. It was very believable that they had a history (though it's not explained in detail) and had complicated feelings.
I really want to go further into the story of these two. The ending is maybe, possibly, slightly hopeful- despite many years passing, they both seem to still be a bit stuck on each other. Just as the dish they made didn't "taste quite right" without the lemon, they are still missing each other in their lives.
I probably won't re-watch (unless they happened to film more of this story, then I would definitely keep watching).
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A sweet story that will warm your heart
"Restart After Come Back Home" sits at the very top of my rewatch list, it is a gentle and comforting story that I never get tired of revisiting from time to time.I have to admit I am a bit biased towards a countryside setting, it feels quite nostalgic and I always appreciate the beautiful scenery.
I am not by any means a cinephile and I am not familiar with the technical vocabulary. However, as a layperson, I can say that I really liked the photography and its colouring. I also found the pared back filming tecnique really lovely and suited to the tone of the story.
The score is very nice and fitting, I especially liked what I think is the main theme with its "flute-like" melody.
I am a sucker for a good grumpy/sunshine pairing and I think they handled the relationship development quite well. We get to know the sunshine character's backstory and see what lies under his always-happy façade. Conversely, we see the grumpy character slowly showing his sweet side and his fierce loyalty.
We even got a couple of pecks, which is always a pleasant surprise in a Japanese BL.
I really liked Furukawa Yuki and Ryusei Ryo's acting, they were especially good at conveying subtle emotions with their eyes and expressions. I have to say that the scene at the Tokyo playground always gets me teary-eyed.
I highly recommend this little gem of a movie!
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