#Masaki Takahashi

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

GET ITTTTTTTTT

[spacy-snail]

The Godzilla Minus One team wore Godzilla-themed shoes for the Oscars red carpet

[thecraggus]

Godzilla Minus One (2023) Review

A back to basics approach with anything but basic special effects sees Godzilla Minus One add something special to the legend. #Review

[scarlets-insane-ramblings]

Noy just any Oscar, an America Oscar, Godzilla films have been winning Japanese Oscar's left right and center

[magicmorningmeteora]

H!P M3 Grand Prix '23 ~Weeks of October~

If you oshi anyone seen here, be sure to participate! Details can be found in the link below.

Subscribe to the main blog | Social Media + RSS Links | M3 Grand Prix page | Birthday List + Oshi Poll

[chii-chan-ashikaga]

[haropro-confessions]

I remember Tsunku saying more recently back in 2005 he wanted Sayu center and Reina vocal lead but UFA wanted to push Ai and Miki. That made sense, they were way more popular than those two. But the Mizuki push is unhinged because Maa was way more popular and even now Ayumi is most popular. Wtf are Tsunku and UFA thinking? No wonder so many fans are switching groups.

[rz-jocelyn]

[VIDEO] Musical JAMIE: The Musical "JAMIE" is Now Available to Watch Online

With the double cast of Morisaki Win and Takahashi Fuu as Jamie New, both versions of the Musical "JAMIE" have been made available to watch online.

Both versions feature Sato Ryuji as Dean Paxton.

NOTE: On the broadcast day, Yabe Masaki (the W-cast for Dean) had been a close contact of someone who had tested COVID-19 positive. During this time, Ryuji took on the role as an emergency replacement. Because of this, Ryuji performed for five consecutive performances on three consecutive days without a break.

PERSONAL HIGHLIGHT

Dean Paxton is a classmate of Jamie who bullies Jamie for being gay and for wanting to be a drag queen. However, Ryuji puts his own spin on the role, bringing to life a Dean whose confidence and popularity hides a boy who is as conflicted and insecure as the Jamie he bullies. 

Even as he watches Jamie grow into his own, Dean finds himself being pushed to the fringes, and we watch as Dean’s shields crumble, leading to the final explosive but also incredibly sweet confrontation between him and Jamie. 

Ryuji’s Dean has a subtly different relationship with Win’s Jamie and Fuu’s Jamie, and an incredible chemistry with both of them. 

CAST

Morisaki Win / Takahashi Fuu (WATWING) as Jamie New (W-cast)

Aran Kei as Margaret New

Tamura Meimi / Yamaguchi Nonoka as Pritti Pasha (W-cast)

Sato Ryuji / Yabe Masaki (DISH//) as Dean Paxton (W-cast)

Ito Kanoko as Fatimah

Ota Masaki as Mickey

Kawahara Kazuma as Sayid

Konishi Eito as Cy

Suzuki Emiko as Bex

Tano Yuuka as Vicki

Frank Rina as Becca

MAOTO as Levi

Higuchi Asami / Misaki Rion as Miss Hedge (W-cast)

Nagano Akihito as Tray Sophisticay, Laika Virgin

Keigo Yoshino as Tray Sophisticay, Hugo Battersby / Loco Chanelle

Izumi Yohei as Laika Virgin

Hosaka Chizu as Ray

Ishikawa Zen as Hugo Battersby / Loco Chanelle

Imai Kiyotaka as Jamie's Dad, Sandra Bollock

STORY DESCRIPTION

The Japanese version of the West End production "Everybody's Talking About Jamie", the Musical "JAMIE" follows the story of Jamie New, a 16-year-old teenager who fights against prejudice and bullying to become a drag queen.

TO WATCH THE STREAMS

Streams of both the Morisaki Win and Takahashi Fuu versions are available. Ryuji plays Dean in both versions. 

To watch the streams, please refer to this link: HERE

NOTE: VPN is required to watch the streams. 

Source(s): ( x , x , x , x , x )

[randomrichards]

THE BOY AND THE HERON:

Boy stewing in grief

Enters a world of life and death

Learning how to live

[weclassybouquetfun]

That's one for the history books.....

...well, it would have been had Lily Gladstone won. But awards season is OVAH! The Oscars have been handed out. Here are 2024's Best Actor, Actress, Supporting Actress and Actor winners.

They have joined a great club.

THEY ARE THE CHAMPIONS!

Best Picture OPPENHEIMER

Best Directing Christopher Nolan

Best Actor in a Leading Role Cillian Murphy

The elusive Malachy Murphy on hand.

Best Actress in a Leading Role Emma Stone

Best Actor in a Supporting Role Robert Downey Jr.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role Da’Vine Joy Randolph

*Issa Rae peeping in.

Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) American Fiction (Cord Jefferson)

Best Writing (Original Screenplay) Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet and Arthur Harari)

Best Animated Feature The Boy and the Heron

Best Documentary Feature Film 20 Days in Mariupol

Best International Feature Film The Zone of Interest

Best Animated Short Film War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko

Best Live-Action Short Film The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Best Documentary Short Film The Last Repair Shop

Best Cinematography Oppenheimer (Hoyte van Hoytema)

Best Costume Design Poor Things (Holly Waddington)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling Poor Things (Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston)

Best Original Song “What Was I Made For?” from Barbie (Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell)

Best Original Score Oppenheimer (Ludwig Göransson)

Best Production Design Poor Things

Best Film Editing Oppenheimer (Jennifer Lame)

Best Sound The Zone of Interest

Best Visual Effects Godzilla: Minus One (Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima)

GODZILLA heels is extreme commitment to the bit.

[demifiendrsa]

Oscars 2024 winners:

Best Picture – Oppenheimer

Best Actress in a Leading Role – Emma Stone, Poor Things

Best Directing – Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer

Best Actor in a Leading Role – Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer

Best Original Song – “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell, Barbie

Best Original Score – Ludwig Göransson, Oppenheimer

Best Sound – Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn, The Zone of Interest

Best Live Action Short Film – The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Best Cinematography – Hoyte van Hoytema, Oppenheimer

Best Documentary Feature Film – 20 Days in Mariupol

Best Documentary Short Film – The Last Repair Shop

Best Film Editing – Jennifer Lame, Oppenheimer

Best Visual Effects – Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima, Godzilla Minus One

Best Actor in a Supporting Role  – Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer

Best International Feature Film – The Zone of Interest (United Kingdom)

Best Costume Design – Holly Waddington, Poor Things

Best Production Design – Production Design: James Price and Shona Heath; Set Decoration: Zsuzsa Mihalek, Poor Things

Best Makeup and Hairstyling – Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston, Poor Things

Best Adapted Screenplay – Cord Jefferson, American Fiction

Best Original Screenplay – Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, Anatomy of a Fall

Best Animated Feature – The Boy and the Heron

Best Animated Short Film  – War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko

Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Da'Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Week in Review (March 10-16, 2024)

"It looks as though its Japanese producers, assisted by a stray American—fellow named Terry Morse, who is an alumnus of Hollywood's Poverty Row—made a close study of the old film, "King Kong," then tried to do substantially the same thing with a miniature of a dinosaur made of gum-shoes and about $20 worth of toy buildings and electric trains." —Bosley Crowther, reviewing Godzilla, King of the Monsters! for The New York Times

"The special effects are hardly special, but hey, what do you expect in a Japanese monster movie?" —Tony Kiss, reviewing Godzilla 1985 for the Asheville Citizen-Times

"Sure it's bad filmmaking. Sure it's a guy—actor Tsutomu Kitagawa—clad in a nearly vintage latex Godzilla getup and stomping through Tokyo, knocking down cardboard mini-buildings and upending toy-sized cars with his gnarly feet. But that's the point." —Bob Longino, reviewing Godzilla 2000 for The Palm Beach Post

Godzilla Minus One won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects at the 96th Academy Awards, sending a stunned Takashi Yamazaki (VFX supervisor), Kiyoko Shibuya (VFX director), Masaki Takahashi (3D CG director), and Tatsuji Nojima (VFX artist/compositor) to the Dolby Theatre stage. Said Yamazaki, reading from prepared comments in English, "To someone so far from Hollywood, the possibility of standing on this stage seemed out of reach." I could scarcely believe what I was watching myself, despite having given a presentation for a Wikizilla stream mere hours before on Minus One's very real chances of beating more expensive American contenders. Everything I said about its nomination goes triple for its victory; we'll be talking about this one forever. To those of us who remember when Godzilla was basically a joke in the American consciousness (including my Wikizilla colleague Darthlord1997, who had a speech of his own prepared), it's the ultimate vindication.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Takashi Yamazaki directed an ad for Ajinomoto about food waste which released this week. It features the unsubtly-named Foodlosslla attacking Tokyo and facing an Ultraman-esque defense team. As with Minus One, the ad's visuals are a clever combination of high-end (a detailed CG monster) and low-end (dropping plastic fruit on top of fleeing extras).

Last year, the 4Kids Flashback podcast interviewed Mike Pecoriello, producer and writer for the company's renditions of Yu-Gi-Oh! and Ultraman Tiga, and he delivered some major news about the latter. Although only 23 episodes of Tiga aired in the U.S., 4Kids dubbed the whole thing. At the time of the podcast's recording, he thought he made copies of all the episodes, but while that doesn't seem to be the case, he did provide 4Kids Flashback with the series finale. It's a good deal more serious than the episodes which aired, with the quips kept to a minimum. Let the hunt for the rest commence!

SciFi Japan has details on Kaiju Yarrow, a Japanese comedy doubling as a tourism ad for the city of Seki. The premise is very self-aware:

KAIJU YARROW! is set in Seki City, Gifu Prefecture. One day, 30 year old Ichiro Yamada, who works in the tourism department of a government office, is ordered by the mayor to produce a "local film.'' However, Yamada, didn't want to produce the typical "mediocre local movies'' that are everywhere nowadays, so he comes up with the idea of making a "monster movie'', which has been his life-long dream. However, his dreams develops into a major incident involving the city government...! Will Yamada be able to complete his life goal of making a monster movie??

Junichiro Yagi will direct; YouTuber Gunpee will star. Unknown quantities both when it comes to kaiju, so how this will turn out is anyone's guess.

Tickets for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire have gone on sale in the U.S.—and as a reminder, the brief GKIDS theatrical release of The End of Evangelion wraps tomorrow.

[servus-christi]

Godzilla Minus One wins the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

The First Godzilla film to win an Academy Award as well as the first to be nominated.

Congratulations! Masaki Takahashi, Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya and Tatsuji Nojima for all your hard work.

Congratulations to you too, big guy. 70 years in the business finally paid off.

[2013venjix]

To the academy, The cast and crew of Minus One, the men and women of TOHO, Kiyoko Shibuya, Tatsuji Nojima, Masaki Takahashi, and Takashi Yamazaki, My Brother to another mother #KingKong! My #MonsterVerse family in the states.

To my fans, you made this nearly 70 year old the happiest lizard on earth.

This one's for you! ⬇️

A ROAR OF TRIUMPH!

CALL ME GOLDZILLA!!

Love you all, GOOD NIGHT!!

-Godzilla🦖

[retrosofa]

We got a lot of trivia for Cutie Honey episode 22: “My Beloved Paradise Academy.”

Screenwriter: Masaki Tsuji

Art Director: Iwamitsu Ito

Animation Director: Shinya Takahashi

Director: Kazukiyo Shigeno

The animation director for this episode, Shinya Takahashi, has a history of working on Toei Animation’s early majokko series. He previously did the character designs for Himitsu no Akko-chan, Mahou no Mako-chan, Sarutobi Ecchan, and Mahoutsukai Chappy.

Takahashi would later do animation work for the 1995 PC-FX video game, Cutey Honey FX.

The principal of Paradise Academy is based on the grandfather from Go Nagai’s Kikkai-kun manga, which is also where the characters Alphonne and Pochi originated from. Kikkai-kun’s grandfather also served as the basis for the janitor Kiyohiko Todoroki in the Devilman anime.

The principal was voiced by Isamu Tanonaka, who had filled in for Keiko Yamamoto as Pochi in the previous episode. 

Goemon is based on Goemon Abashiri, the oldest son from the Abashiri Family manga. Goemon’s claim to fame is that he’s a “professional pervert.” Go Nagai’s assistant and good friend Ken Ishikawa was the model for Goemon. While he doesn’t appear in the original Cutie Honey manga, one of Honey’s (female) classmates is based on him. Goemon would make cameo appearances in New Cutey Honey, Re: Cutie Honey, and Cutie Honey Universe. 

Shunji Yamada (later known as Keaton Yamada) voiced Goemon in this episode only, while Sanji Hase played him for the remainder of the series. Hase was previously the King of Manaco in episode 16 and the occasional nameless Panther subordinate.

Naojiro refers to Goemon as "senkou" (先公), which is a rude way of saying "teacher." I suppose the best English equivalent is referring to an educator as "teach."

The “Yoshitune” that Danbei sings about is probably Minamoto no Yoshitsune, a military commander from the late Heian and early Kamakura periods.

Danbei’s “adorable nephew” Naojiro is another character borrowed from Go Nagai’s Abashiri Family. In that series, Naojiro was the second oldest son of the Abashiri family. His unique feature was being a cyborg.

In the original Cutie Honey manga Naojiro does not appear as Danbei’s nephew but instead as a girl named Naoko. Naoko is the gang leader of St. Chapel Academy, much like how Naojiro is the gang leader of Paradise Academy in the anime. According to producer Toshio Katsuta, he wanted to introduce Naojiro as a good contrast to Honey, unlike Seiji who he said was “silly and weak.” 

In this episode only, Naojiro was voiced by Hiroshi Masuoka, who previously voiced Demon General Zannin in Devilman and Hebitsubo in Dororon Enma-kun. For the remainder of the series Naojiro is voiced by an uncredited Shoji Nishizaki, who mostly did voice work in tokusatsu series. 

Naojiro would later make a cameo appearance in the second episode of New Cutey Honey.

While Paradise Academy does not appear in the original Cutie Honey manga, it is very much inspired by Go Nagai’s infamous manga, Harenchi Gakuen. Before he was reinventing the concept of magical girls and giant robots, Go Nagai was stirring up controversy with this 1968 series. Harenchi Gakuen or “Shameless Academy” was one of the first manga to be featured in the popular Weekly Shonen Jump. It featured ridiculous Benny Hill-like antics, excessive nudity, lowbrow toilet humor, crucifixion scenes played for laughs and made a mockery of the Japanese school system. There was such outage towards Harenchi Gakuen, PTA groups actually performed public burnings of the manga. Despite the controversies, Harenchi was immensely popular, which led to live action TV series and films. 

Paradise Academy’s name comes from the Abashiri Family manga. Originally, Paradise Academy was a prison-like middle school for aspiring young assassins and served as the setting for an early arc in the manga. A few of Naojiro’s classmates seen in this episode are taken directly from the Abashiri Family manga as well.

While attempting to evade Naojiro, Honey transforms into members of the baseball club, wrestling club and boxing club. As a boxer, she is only wearing shorts, shoes and boxing gloves. This is exactly how Kikunosuke dresses when she practices boxing in the Abashiri Family manga.

The self-proclaimed “Magician of Hell” was originally designed by Ken Ishikawa, who had her sporting more obvious magician motifs such as a giant top hat and bow tie. The “Great” in her name likely refers to a magician’s title.

Great Claw controlling Naojiro’s comrades with spider-like threads is possibly a reference to the Devilman manga. There are a couple of chapters involving a spider-like demon who controls the students of Nakado Academy and forces them to attack Akira and Miki. There is also an episode of the Devilman TV series which features a demon who controls human-like mannequins with spider threads.

This is also the only episode to not feature Panther Zora or Sister Jill.

That's all for episode 22!

[magicmorningmeteora]

H!P M3 Grand Prix ~Weeks of October~

Greetings, Citizens of the Universe!

It's time for the next voting phase of the H!P M3 Grand Prix.

If you oshi anyone seen here, be sure to participate!

Current Circuit

Semifinal Match 1

Round 5 Match 3 (redux) / Semifinal Match 2

OG Legend

Semifinal Match 1

Semifinal Match 2

Other Platforms

Google Form

Twitter

Instagram Story Highlight

Oh yeah, I must also mention something: Given that we're at the semifinals, this means that the results of these matches don't just determine the finalists. The losers of the respective matches will have one final chance at the podium in a third place match.

Good luck to your oshi (be she your kamioshi or otherwise)!

Thank you to those who voted and signal boosted.

Subscribe to the main blog | Social Media + RSS Links | M3 Grand Prix page | Birthday List + Oshi Poll