#Yokai Daisenso

[lensflarenz]

Ryuunosuke Kamiki recently celebrated his 30th year. So here are some cosplay pics from that movie where he first had a leading role.

[crossoverworldtree]

Terrors in the Night

Wild Huntsman (10-Point Quality) - The Wild Hunt is a hunting party of all sorts of monsters and creatures of the night, traveling the sky like a living storm, and hunting down prey that crosses their path. When they catch a target without immediately killing them, they are given a choice: Join or Die.

Those that Join the Wild Hunt can be called up into it whenever the Wild Hunt is called up (usually by a Hunt-master, be it the Erlking or Odin, or powerful ghosts). The Hunt grants the power of Flight at 3 times their normal speed and cloaks the target in armor of shadows equal to their Willpower, as well as giving them a weapon that deals their Willpower x Strength in damage if melee, and Willpower x Dexterity if ranged. What form it takes, and what skill it posses, varies from person to person, as the magic of the Hunt tailors itself to them. The magic also allows them to traverse both air and water at no penalty, and at the same speed.

The Hunt itself acts as a 1 Point contact, but also a 3 point obligation. The hunt can be deadly even for the hunters, otherwise, where's the fun?

Being a Wild Hunt Leader increased the Contact to 5, provides Intellectus for the Hunt and a Banner to command the Hunt. It also can confer status, but that is not always the case. Being able to call the Hunt is a difficult Willpower test that musts gain at least 3 success levels. This costs 25 Points.

Hyakki Yagyo Ichiin (5-Point Quality) - The Wild Hunt of the Yokai is less a hunt and more a raucous party of chaos and destruction. The Night Parade of 100 Demons is usually called for a party, but has occasionally been called for battle against supernatural evils.

That are not Yokai, naturally.

Members of the Night Parade gain the ability to fly ethereally through the sky at their normal movement speed, as well as a 4-Point contact for the Night Parade itself. Members can call on it, but it is not a 100% guarantee they'll show up to fight. To party? Sure. To fight? Eh, might need some convincing. Individual Yokai can be befriended or at least calmed by demonstrating membership in the night parade as that is a position of strength and respect. So they are more open to doing favors for a member. This comes with a 2 point Obligation (their parties can be rough, and there's the whole fight to protect the supernatural wilds of Japan thing).

[bijita-q]

This week I look at Takashi Miike’s 2005 Children’s fantasy The Great Yokai War.

[tsartomato]

妖怪大戦争 [Yōkai Daisensō] (2005)

English subtitles.   It's a modern CGI-tokusatsu film, and a kids film with cartoony sound effects, and a morbid graphic violent bad drama with traumatic scenes.

[namesisfortombstones]

Kaiju Khristmas

December 14th: Spook Warfare, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, Mothra '96, Yongary 2001: Yongary vs. Cyker, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla '02, and King Kong '05

[horrorjapan]

[raffleupagus]

Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare 妖怪大戦争 (1968)

[kamikiism]

The chosen Kirin Rider at 11 years old. This is Kamiki’s first movie lead role and for which he won the Rookie of the Year award at the 29th Japan Academy Prize.

[Countdown] D-11 to our Kamiking’s 23rd birthday

[durzawalker]

From the Vault: Kamiki

  Kirin Rider — The Great Yokai War, aka Yokai Daisenso (2005)

Tadashi Ino: A normal kid, chosen by the yokai of Sakaiminato as the new Kirin Rider, a protector of all things good.

Kirin Rider's ability is a callback to Kamigawa's Kirin Cycle, tweaked to apply to all instants and sorceries rather than just Kami/Yokai magic.

AsianWiki Page Here

[deeyune]

The Great Yokai War

Directed by Takashi Miike, based on the series "Teito Monogatari" by Hiroshi Aramata

IMDB Page Here

AsianWiki Page Here

  Takashi Miike is completely insane. Granted, I am sure those with some familiarity of the director and his works already know that.

The director was known for making gangster movies during the 90s. Since then Miike’s films have become crazier, more extreme, and more depraved. Western audiences developed a cult following for his splatter films, given his approach was similar to directors like Quentin Tarantino and David Cronenberg.

Unlike those two film figures though, Miike was never afraid to tackle other genres. The Bird People of China, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, and Ninja Kids!!! are “tame” compared to his more famous works, yet Miike never compromised his trademark touches.

I found Miike in my mind when I saw The Great Yokai War, so far the only movie he made that I ever watched.

Tadashi lives with his grandfather and aunt in Sakaiminato. During the local festival, he is entrusted with the mantle of Kirin Rider, the warrior in charge of protecting all things good. He was reluctant to accept the title at first, and yet Tadashi found himself urged by the native monsters, also known as yokai, on a quest to reclaim the Great Tengu’s sword and fulfil his role.

It was perfect timing, too. Katō, a dark wizard embittered by humanity (specifically Japan), has been abducting and torturing yokai, infusing them with hate and setting them loose on the unsuspecting populace. Zealously assisted by the spider woman Agi, Katō plans to dispatch his ultimate monster Yomotsumono on Tokyo and cause widespread destruction. It sounds like a tough job, but then again Tadashi cannot deny he had an interesting summer vacation.

Ryûnosuke Kamiki plays Tadashi in his first leading role. He showed complete commitment under the outrageous direction of Miike, despite being submerged, frosted, badly scratched, and not to mention scared senseless. While it was true that Kamiki yelled and shrieked his heart out most of the time, there were many instances that showed signs of his talent. The phone exchange with his mom at the beginning of the film for example was poignant. And you can really feel the intensity when Kamiki hacks through the hate-charged monsters with the Great Tengu’s sword.

Etsushi Toyokawa plays his part with subdued malice, true to the past cinematic portrayals of Katō Yasunori. Working with minimal dialogue and gestures, Toyokawa’s Katō appears elegant and introspective, as if always focused on plotting humanity’s downfall. His controlled acting is balanced by Chiaki Kuriyama’s active and sadistic portrayal of Agi.

Miike’s epic is defined by his use of CGI and stop motion puppetry. These gave the monsters a ridiculously cartoonish feel, and there were times I felt like smiling rather than cowering when Tadashi faces the unnerving metal goons. Thankfully Miike compensated with even more craziness: by getting extras to don make-up and costume and participate in the Great Yokai Party, thus providing contrast to the already absurd visuals.

The overall ridiculousness of The Great Yokai War conceals the makings of a decent adventure story. Fans of the fantastic beasts, ranging from light fare like Pokemon, to the terrifying menagerie in Inuyasha or even GeGeGe no Kitarō, can appreciate the variety of monsters that Tadashi encounters. For those intending to follow the path of Takashi Miike, this movie is a good jumping point to his vision.

[tsartomato]

妖怪大戦争 [Yōkai Daisensō]

English subtitles. It is a weird fantasy film. A half of it is a tired slap stick comedy for laughs and a half of it is pretty morbid. In one scene we see a kappa being humiliated in another a dog is brutally killed (off-screen, with uncomfortably long dying scream) and no one pays attention to it. There are scenes with child actors and they go like all movies for kids go. So some treasure…

[namesisfortombstones]

Good Lord! The end of tonight’s “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” looked like the end showdown of “Spook Warfare”!

[eastwesttreaty]

I miss this movie D: Awkwardest yet somewhat most hilarious and epic Asian movie I have ever seen... complete with cheesy monsters that somehow make the movie fun :P

And I just found out the actor who plays the little boy is Kamiki Ryunosuke... whose voice hasn't actually changed much after puberty o-O;;

But I need to watch this film again. This needs to be on Netflix なう.