#Toru Nakamura

[stuff-diary]

Drawing Closer

Movies watched in 2024

Drawing Closer (2024, Japan)

Director: Takahiro Miki

Writers: Tomoka Yoshida (based on the novel by Aoi Morita)

Mini-review:

When it comes to Japanese sad/tragic romances, I know I can blindly trust Takahiro Miki. His soft, dreamy visual style always makes for a pleasant experience, and it also emphasizes the story's emotional core. But still, he somehow managed to surprised me with this one: it might just be his second best film, after Your Eyes Tell. The characters and their relationship are beautifully developed. And, since the ending is quite clear from the beginning, you end up appreciating every single moment they share, no matter how unimportant it may seem. Pretty much the entire cast does a fantastic job, but I want to highlight Natsuki Deguchi; her luminous screen presence is quickly turning her into one of my favorite new gen Japanese actresses. To sum up, Drawing Closer is a must-watch for all fans of tearjerking, tragic romances.

[nirbanox]

Shin Kamen Rider (2023)

Directed by Hideaki Anno

[bioskoop]

[idleminds]

[benchwarming]

i expressed to @sycamoretrees my interest in watching a few njpw matches and bc she is my beautiful wonderful friend she curated a full programme based on my specific interests (skill, sexual tension, comedy, hiromu) 🥹

if u would also enjoy some high-quality wrestling matches feat. horniness and laffs, i can confirm this is a great assortment:

hiromu takahashi vs. will ospreay @ wrestle kingdom 2020 (x)

kota ibushi vs. toru yano @ g1 climax 2021 (x)

stephanie vaquer vs. azm @ windy city riot 2024 (x)

el desperado vs. hiromu takahashi @ best of the super juniors 2020 (x)

kota ibushi vs. shinsuke nakamura @ wrestle kingdom 2015 (x)

[scenesandscreens]

Shin Kamen Rider (2023)

Director - Hideaki Anno, Cinematography - Osamu Ichikawa & Keizō Suzuki

"I will save humanity in my own way. I am Kamen Rider… Number… Zero."

[roskirambles]

Horror Movie of the day: Kwaidan (1964)

What are ghosts? How do they manifest when show up? It could be in the guilt of a samurai, who left his wife in order to advance his position by remarrying to the daughter of an important family only to try and come back to his lost love. It could be a woodcutter's fear after surviving an encounter with the Yuki Onna, woman of snow, in the condition he keeps this encounter to himself. Maybe it's in the strange aura the Emperor has when asking a blind musician to perform for him in an univiting court. Or maybe, they could be found in the distorted reflection a warrior sees in his cup of tea. These are the stories from the beyond.

Directed by Masaki Kobayashi and based on a collection of traditional stories compilled by Lafcadio Hearn, this is arguably still the ultimate ghost anthology to ever come out of Japan. It quite intelligently favors the psychological angle for the characters who experience the stories, which enhances the illogic and fright of the supernatural terrors they face while also landing them exquisite thematic depth. It's a set of four separate strong scripts that could survive even with lesser visuals.

That isn't to say the movie isn't a visual treat, however. With a lavish production design, it isn't afraid of playing loose with the visual realism where it finds it fitting, using fairly obvious but strongly expressionistic set designs where the backgrounds are clearly painted. And since all these are traditional folkloric stories, this aesthetic qurik lends them a theatre-like quality as if you were watching a Noh play, while also having some absolutely STELLAR cinematography and a breathtaking color palette that fits the mood of each story.

It's on the long end with a little over three hours of runtime, but this just means every story gets it's proper due and it's all the more worthy for it. This isn't just a horror classic, it's an absolute must watch for any enthusiast of the art of cinema.

[shinnakafan384]

I found this on Pinterest. I wanna know the context! 😂

[diversamenteintelligente]

(via SEI MESI E UN ANNO)

Se non ci si sofferma solo sulla prima patina del film, si scopre che aldilà della solita storia d'amore adolescenziale, si parla attraverso le metafore di vita, di morte, di speranza e di accettazione della caducità della vita.

[joearlikelikeswrestling]

[crazyasianlove]

Fermat no Ryouri Ep. 10 Final (Sub. Esp)

DESCARGAR O VER ONLINE AQUÍ

[asknarashikari]

No, I meant, Nakamura and Morishita using the GoBusters ranger keys to become Blue Buster and Yellow Buster respectively. (maybe the gokaiger let them have it or whatever) What would the wounded and out of commission Go-Busters' reaction is going to be?

I don't think they'd really be that shocked. It's not really seen often, but some of the episodes do show that majority of the EMC members- Toru and Miho included- are trained to handle threats if necessary. While most of them act as technical support to the GoBusters, the EMC is still paramilitary organization, which does imply that most of its personnel may get combat training of some type.

In one instance, the GoBusters were getting ready to be transported into the sub-dimension when their base was invaded, and Toru and Miho- alongside the commander and the engineers who took care of the Buster Machines- all took up arms to deal with the threat themselves.

People also kinda forget that despite being on the back-end of things, Toru and Miho have nerves of steel to match the GoBusters'. These two literally stayed at their stations while the whole base was blowing up and didn't stop working until Hiromu, Youko and Ryuuji called in to say they were back. That's badass in of itself.

Also, it's worth noting that Hiromu is terrified of Miho lmao

[idleminds]

[madamshogunassassin]

New York Undercover Cop AKA New York Cop[1993] Directed By: Toru Nakamura

[imasallstars]

INTERDIMENSION FESTIVAL: IDOLM@STER★♥LOVE LIVE! UTA GASSEN

Information regarding the first IJIGEN FES 2023 live has been revealed! The live will occur in the TOKYO DOME on the 9th and 10th of December 2023. This first fes will feature three branches of IDOLM@STER performing with four branches of Love Live!

The voice providers participating in this stop are as follows:

DAY 1 ONLY

IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS 　Kotomi Aihara (Shiki Ichinose), Hiromi Igarashi (Anzu Futaba), Asami Takano (Frederica Miyamoto), Yuki Nakashima (Yuuki Otokura), Yuko Iida (Kanade Hayami), Honoka Inoue (Nanami Asari), Sumire Uesaka (Anastasia), Aya Suzaki (Minami Nitta), Miyu Tomita (Akira Sunazuka), Ru Thing (Syuko Shiomi), Teru Ikuta (Natalia), Hina Tachibana (Nagi Hisakawa), Nanami Yamashita (Yui Ohtsuki) IDOLM@STER MILLION LIVE 　Haruka Yamazaki (Mirai Kasuga), Azusa Tadokoro (Shizuka Mogami), Machico (Tsubasa Ibuki), Momo Asakura (Serika Hakozaki), Kotori Koiwai (Tomoka Tenkubashi), Atsuki Nakamura (Roco Handa), Emi Hirayama (Reika Kitakami), Yui Watanabe (Nao Yokoyama) IDOLM@STER SHINY COLORS 　Karin Isobe (Kogane Tsukioka), Chisa Suginuma (Mamimi Tanaka), Anna Yamaki (Sakuya Shirase), Shio Watanabe (Yuika Mitsumine), Yuina Mizuki (Kiriko Yukoku), Honoka Kuroki (Amana Osaki), Ryoko Maekawa (Tenka Osaki), Noriko Shibasaki (Chiyuki Kuwayama), Yuu Wakui (Toru Asakura), Rio Tsuchiya (Madoka Higuchi), Saran Tajima (Koito Fukumaru), Miho Okasaki (Hinana Ichikawa), Azusa Shizuki (Nichika Nanakusa), Aya Yamane (Mikoto Aketa)

DAY 2 ONLY

IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS 　Ayaka Ohashi (Uzuki Shimamura), Ayaka Fukuhara (Rin Shibuya), Sayuri Hara (Mio Honda), Amina Sato (Arisu Tachibana), Tomoyo Kurosawa (Miria Akagi), Hana Tamegai (Risa Matoba), Makoto Koichi (Haru Yuuki), Asaka Imai (Chie Sasaki), Natsumi Haruse (Kaoru Ryuzaki), Misaki Kuno (Nina Ichihara), Yuri Komori (Koharu Koga), Mina Nakazawa (Yukimi Sajo), Maki Hanatani (Kozue Yusa) IDOLM@STER MILLION LIVE 　Aimi (Julia), Miku Itou (Yuriko Nanao), Ibuki Kido (Kana Yabuki), Arisa Kori (Kaori Sakuramori), Yuri Komagata (Sayoko Takayama), Rie Suegara (Fuka Toyokawa), Saki Minami (Tsumugi Shiraishi), Rikako Yamaguchi (Rio Momose) IDOLM@STER SHINY COLORS 　Hitomi Sekine (Mano Sakuragi), Reina Kondo (Hiori Kazano), Mayu Mineda (Meguru Hachimiya), Hiyori Konno (Kaho Komiya), Haruka Shiraishi (Chiyoko Sonoda), Mariko Nagai (Juri Saijo), Wakana Maruoka (Rinze Morino), Akiho Suzumoto (Natsuha Arisugawa), Yuki Tanaka (Asahi Serizawa), Eri Yukimura (Fuyuko Mayuzumi), Sayaka Kitahara (Mei Izumi), Rina Kawaguchi (Luca Ikaruga), Haruna Mikawa (Hana Suzuki), Rena Ozawa (Haruki Iketa)

DAY 1&2

AQOURS (LOVE LIVE! SUNSHINE!!) 　Anju Inami (Chika Takami), Rikako Aida (Riko Sakurauchi), Nanaka Suwa (Kana Matsuura), Arisa Komiya (Dia Kurosawa), Shukai Saito (You Watanabe), Aika Kobayashi (Yoshiko Tsushima), Kanako Takatsuki (Hanamaru Kunikida), Aina Suzuki (Mari Ohara), Ai Furihata (Ruby Kurosawa) NIJIGASAKU SCHOOL IDOL CLUB 　Aguri Ohnishi (Ayumu Uehara), Mayu Sagara (Kasumi Nakasu), Kaori Maede (Shizuku Osaka), Miyu Kubota (Karin Asaka), Natsumi Murakami (Ai Miyashia), Akari Kito (Kanata Konoe), Coco Hayashi (Setsuna Imura), Maria Sashide (Emma Verde), Chiemi Tanaka (Rina Tennoji), Moeka Koizumi (Shioriko Mifune), Shu Uchida (Mia Taylor), Akina Homoto (Zhong Lanzhu). 　Support Member: Hinaki Yano (Yu Takasaki) Liella! (LOVE LIVE! SUPERSTAR!!) 　Sayuri Date (Kanon Shibuya), Liyuu (Keke Tang), Nako Misaki (Chisato Arashi), Naomi Payton (Sumire Heanna), Nagisa Aoyama (Ren Hazuki), Nozomi Suzuhara (Kinako Sakurakoji), Akana Yabushima (Mei Yoneme), Wakana Okuma (Shiki Wakana), Aya Emori (Natsumi Onitsuka), Yuina (Wien Margarete), Sakura Sakakura (Tomari Onitsuka) HASUNOSORA SCHOOL IDOL CLUB 　Nirei Nozomi (Kaho Hinoshita), Kokona Nonaka (Sayaka Murano), Nina Hanamiya (Kozue Otomune), Kotoka Sasaki (Tsuzuri Yugiri), Kanna Kan (Rurino Osawa), Kona Tsukine (Megumi Fujishima)

[thumpypuppy]

what sort of other game soundtracks or composers (especially indies but either way) have inspired your work?

Oh gosh, this is such an amazing question!!!

Personally I (Lindar) have so so so many inspirations because I'm a music lover, I'm 37, and I've been playing video games as far back as I can remember.

So first and foremost I have to give a shout-out to Lena Raine because back in like… 2016(?) I was trying to take my studio to a more professional level and invest in some stuff beyond what just comes with any given DAW, so I reached out to her and she was kind enough to answer my dozens of questions and talk shop with me. She is ultimately why Studio Thumpy Puppy has its current sound. I don't know her personally, but she was an absolute sweetie to me, extremely helpful, and y'all know she writes banger after banger track.

Gotta mention Ben Prunty, who is an absolute legend in indie soundtracks.

Met Disasterpeace at Day of the Devs 2016 along with a bunch of other legends in the scene and what an encouraging sweetheart!

Of course I'm a huge fan of Sadie Greyduck who is one of my composers! Go check out her Bandcamp or look for her on streaming services!

Love me some Darren Korb. Honestly like every Supergiant game has been a banger, but it wouldn't be the same without those soundtracks.

On that note you can't go wrong with Danny Baranowsky. Love me some Necrodancer!

Also y'all gotta check out M Gewehr (MWGewehr on birdsite).

Also gotta mention 2Mello who does amazing work and makes some of the funkiest beats.

Of course if we're talking about 2Mello we gotta mention Hideki Naganuma! UNDERSTAND! UNDERSTAND! THE CONCEPT. OF LOVE!

Oh gosh and then Winifred Phillips does amazing work.

While we're here I know she's not a game composer but go listen to Wendy Carlos!

Then there's like… all of the various people across games like Doom, Quake, Borderlands, etc. Sasha Dikiciyan, Jesper Kyd, Mick Gordon…

Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy), Kiochi Sugiyama (Dragon Quest), Yoko Shimomura (Street Fighter), Takashi Tateishi (MegaMan II), Hip Tanaka (Metroid, Earthbound), Koji Kondo and Toru Minegishi (Legend of Zelda), Daisuke Amaya (Cave Story), Eirik Suhrke (Downwell), Daisuke Ishiwatari (Guilty Gear), the sound team on Sonic Adventure 2, Masato Nakamura (Sonic 2), Brad Buxer et al (Sonic 3&K)…

So let's also take into account that a lot of the game soundtracks that have inspired me over the years are influenced by things that aren't game soundtracks, because those are a relatively recent invention, so we have to talk about how Plantasia by Mort Garson is a direct inspiration for Ocarina of Time and "Dancing Mad" from FF6 is literally just Tarkus from Emerson, Lake & Palmer. A *lot* of early game composers were just prog nerds who listened to like… ELP, King Crimson, Rush, Yes, Magma, Van Der Graaf Generator, Camel, Caravan, Gentle Giant, Soft Machine, Gong… and then also a lot of more popular 80s rock that I'm not gonna list out…

The history of music is absolutely wild and there's so much inspiration out there it's absolutely baffling. Go listen to stuff you've never heard before, analyze it, understand what the appeal and aesthetic is, listen to the last 100 years of the pop charts and then learn where that music came from and who their influences were… go listen to motown! Listen to bebop and jazz and future funk and central Asian folk music and like… get out there and expand your horizons, because like… there's SO MUCH good music out there.