#toshiko fujita

[haveyouseenthisseries-poll]

[seventeenlovesthree]

Listening to Joshua Seth swooning over voicing Tai once more just made me realize once again: Taichi Yagami is a very special character, who has a great impact on the people who play him.

Joshua Seth (English dub, OG), who calls this role his "life's work".

Natsuki Hanae (Japanese dub, Tri/Kizuna), who was so anxious about getting the role right, doing it justice.

Gaku Matsumoto (Japanese stageplay), who went on about how much Digimon means to people.

Toshiko Fujita (Japanese dub, Adventure+02), who still kept on voicing him until the end, even if her voice got weaker.

Florian Knorn (German dub, OG), who flew back from Austria and came back from retirement to voice him.

Zeno Robinson (English dub, reboot), who audibly put his entire heart into this role...

This boy is special.

[silalcarin]

It's been 7 years since Yuko Mizutani passed away, and yet whenever I watch the OG Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02, it sometimes hurts to hear Sora talk, specifically because I know that Yuko is gone. 😢 She's still deeply missed. And I just love this fanart of Sora gaining angel wings while Taichi (her best friend) and Yamato (her future husband) gently push her towards Heaven.

And, since Yuko died from breast cancer in 2016...

And Toshiko Fujita (the original voice actress for Taichi Yagami in Adventure, Adventure 02, and Xros Wars) also died from breast cancer in 2018...

And Kouji Wada (the singer who performed all of the opening theme songs and some of the closing theme songs and insert songs for Adventure, Adventure 02, Tamers, Frontier, Savers, Xros Wars, and Adventure Tri) died from nasopharynx cancer in 2016, a month before Yuko...

And Takanori Arisawa (the music composer for Adventure, Adventure 02, Tamers, and Frontier) died from bladder cancer in 2005...

All I can say is: FUCK CANCER.

Additionally, since I first started watching Digimon via the English dub, years before I had access to the original Japanese version, I personally want to acknowledge and commemorate the staff members of the English dub who have also passed away:

Paul Gordon (the music composer for the English dub of Adventure, Adventure 02, and Tamers) died from heart disease/heart failure in 2016.

Bob Papenbrook (who played various voice roles for the English dub of Adventure, Adventure 02, Tamers, and Frontier) died from chronic lung problems in 2006.

Mike Reynolds (the original English dub voice actor for Old Gennai in Adventure and Adventure 02, as well as a screenwriter for a few episodes of Adventure) died from undisclosed circumstances in 2022 (although, considering he was 92 when he passed away, it was most likely due to natural causes/old age).

Philece Sampler (the original English dub voice actress for Mimi Tachikawa and Iori Hida in Adventure, Adventure 02, and Adventure Tri, as well as a few smaller roles in Tamers, Frontier, and Savers, such as Alice McCoy and Nanami) died from a heart attack in 2021.

Robert Axelrod (the original English dub voice actor for Wizarmon and Armadimon in Adventure and Adventure 02) died from long-term complications from spinal surgery in 2019.

Michael Lindsay (the original English dub voice actor for Jou Kido and Greymon in Adventure and Adventure 02, as well as Gottsumon in Savers) died from undisclosed circumstances in 2019.

May you all rest in peace. 🙏

[nobbykun]

Artist - 藤田淑子 (Fujita, Toshiko) Song - ははうえさま (Hahaue-Sama) [Eng. "Dear Mother" ("Ikkyū-San" Ending Theme)] Release Date - November 1975

Anime: 一休さん (Ikkyū-San)

Listen 🎶

My blog: Showa Music Library https://nobbykun.tumblr.com/

[seventeenlovesthree]

I would actually have to look deeper into this, but let's say that it's NOT exactly unusual to use names from production members. My favourite thing to dive into was how the parents of the children were named after some of the voice actors.

Yuuko Mizutani (Sora's and Yuuko's Japanese VA): Yuuko Yagami, Taichi's mother

Toshiko Fujita (Taichi's and Toshiko's Japanese VA): Toshiko Takenouchi, Sora's mother

Kae Araki (Hikari's and Kae's Japanese VA): Kae Izumi, Koushirou's mother

Masami Kikuchi (Jyou's, Jyou's brothers' and Masami's Japanese VA): Masami Izumi, Koushirou's father

I was looking up names for a Digimon/Pokemon fandom swap. Since Ash and Gary are named after real people in Japan, I wanted to incorporate that element. And while I was looking up anime staff-

"Daisuke". Hey, where have I heard that name before? Oh. Yeah.

Interestingly, Daisuke Kawakami only did planning on 02, and wasn't a producer. Not sure how much of a demotion this is in the anime industry, or if it is one at all. But he was definitely still working on the show. Not sure if Motomiya was actually named after Kawakami but it seems likely.

@seventeenlovesthree @shihalyfie Was this officially confirmed anywhere, or is this just a Game Theory?

(Also bonus- "Taichiro Fujiyama" might have funneled into the teacher character Mr. Fujiyama. I know his name wasn't the inspiration for Tai's though- that's the V-Tamer manga.)

[skonksrus]

Stardust Elegy (スターダスト悲歌), the insert song in Patalliro Stardust Project and the B-Side to Run Away on vinyl.

I quite enjoy it but it's a bit difficult to find so I figured I'll share it here for those interested in listening to the full song.

[shihalyfie]

From my understanding the new voices for the four 02 characters in Kizuna ended up very well received - especially Daisuke. Do you happen to know how the Tri voice cast was received in Japan?

From what I remember, it was about as good as you can expect. Voice actor changes done when the original voice actor is still accessible tend to be inherently controversial (even with the 02 quartet, they still were), and at the time, it wasn't formally revealed that Fujita Toshiko had actually been approached and declined due to poor health (it had to be kept a secret at the time on her request, which, according to Seki, put the tri. producers in a really awkward position). But most people were able to figure out what happened just by logical inference: some of the voice actors had retired, and the rest were swapped out for "consistency", especially since the Digimon voice actors were retained while the kids' were the only ones changed out. Some people did argue that "you could have at least gotten the ones that weren't retired!", but I think most people got it.

So, putting aside the people who were trying to stage a boycott over it or something:

I know Tamura Mutsumi's performance as Koushirou was particularly well-praised (this was before she ended up becoming super famous in the industry, since she's now really popular), and because of that quite a few Digimon fans were thrilled to hear her as Hiro in Ghost Game. It's probably the tri. performance I've consistently heard the most praise about, including even rave reviews from people who otherwise disliked the series itself.

There were people who said that Hanae Natsuki's timbre for Taichi was too distracting (on top of him not sounding much like Fujita at all, he was already a really famous voice actor by that point, so everyone recognized him as "Hanae Natsuki" too easily), but even those people all said that his actual acting ability as Taichi nailed his personality very well.

Hosoya's Yamato also got good reviews, which is interesting because he was also already a famous voice actor by this point, but I think it's because his timbre already enough in common with Kazama's that it didn't feel too weird.

Ones people were kind of iffy on were Mimi (although this also had a relationship with the way she was written in tri., I noticed people had fewer issues with her in Kizuna), Takeru, and Hikari (this one may be partially because both voice actors ended up breaking out into the industry shortly after in very different kinds of roles). Although this one I admit there might be some bias; I personally also think these were the ones that feel closest to miscasted to me, so maybe there was some confirmation bias from me noticing when others talked about it...

While we're here, in regards to the 02 quartet, Daisuke (especially Daisuke, dear goodness) and Miyako are generally well-received, but people tend to be more iffy on Ken and Iori. In the case of Ken, though, when you have the incredibly legendary Park Romi as his original voice actress, and when his new voice actor is Lounsbery Arthur who has his own distinctive voice, reputation, and fanbase, I think you were inevitably going to get some kind of complaint of uncanniness in some direction somewhere...

[romisora]

"Because you are here" - Alfredo image song translated lyrics

"Kimi ga irukara" or "Because you are here" character image song from the Romeo's Blue Skies official soundtrack, sung by Alfredo (Toshiko Fujita)

Translated lyrics after the cut, I edited a DeepL translation with my own knowledge to improve accuracy. There might still be a few errors, but it should be a pretty close translation overall.

“Because you are here” translated lyrics

When I look back,

I see your warm eyes

"Hang in there," You say to me,

I'm not alone

Your smiling face is watching over me,

I can rest my tired wings,

And take to the sky again

Because you are here, chasing the wind,

I can fly anywhere

Every time I look at you, the power to dream big,

Is born again and again in my heart

No matter what, my dearest friend,

You will always be, my dearest friend

Before I knew it,

Precious memories,

Grew little by little,

Even on the most disheartening nights,

Even on the coldest mornings.

What the two of us have overcome together,

I will never forget

Because you are here, facing the wind,

I can hold my chest high

We believe in the same dream,

Let’s follow it into the future, together

No matter what, my dearest friend,

You will always be, my dearest friend

Because you are here, chasing the wind,

I can fly anywhere

Every time I look at you, the power to dream big,

Is born again and again in my heart

No matter what, my dearest friend,

You will always be, my dearest friend

[medea10]

My Review of Cat’s Eye

How did I get into this anime? Oh, just another case of curiosity hitting me. I’m still on a mission to watch more animes that came out in the 70s and 80s. Plus, I do recall a couple second skit from Lucky Star that referenced this series.

Yeah, I see what you did there, Lucky Star!

The Kisugi sisters (Hitomi, Rui, and Ai) run a café named Cat’s Eye during the day. By night, they are secret cat burglars known as Cat’s Eye. The fact the police didn’t put two and two together that these two correlated is beyond me. Plus, the police station is really close to the Cat’s Eye café. Like, next door! Seriously, how do you not…?! That’s like having Jeffrey Dahmer open a restaurant named “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Human” right next door to the police station.

Then you have Toshio Utsumi. He’s a detective for the police department investigating all the burglaries made by Cat’s Eye. He’s also dating Hitomi Kisugi. Seriously, dude? Toshio has been foiled at every turn by these cat burglars. Cat’s Eye don’t steal just any old art item, everything they steal has one connection. They were all made by an artist named Michael Heintz and this man just happens to be Hitomi, Rui, and Ai’s biological father. With each item collected, the girls feel they are one step closer to finding their father. Do the girls find their father? Does Toshi catch Cat’s Eye? Let’s find out!

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: Made in 1983, this anime got a later release in the west by distributor Nozomi Entertainment. And in more recent years, Cat’s Eye has gotten on streaming sites including Crunchyroll, Tubi TV, Amazon’s Freevee, and Retro Crush. And just my luck, Crunchyroll got rid of Cat’s Eye right in the middle of me watching it. There is no English dub if you’re wondering. At least when it comes to the original series. There’s a City Hunter movie as well as a Lupin III special where Cat’s Eye appear. They both have dubs…and they’re different from each other. The sub surprised me with several voice actors I seem to know including the late Kenji Utsumi. I have to say, I enjoyed his comedic performance as the chief. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

*Hitomi is played by Keiko Toda (known for Anpanman and Osono on Kiki’s Delivery Service)

*Rui is played by Toshiko Fujita (known for Tai on Digimon, Alfredo on Romeo’s Blue Skies, Matilda on Trapp Family Story, and Big Mom on One Piece) [R.I.P.]

*Ai is played by Chika Sakamoto (known for Yaten/Star Healer on Sailor Moon Stars, Nuriko on Fushigi Yugi, and Agumon on Digimon)

*Toshio is played by Yoshito Yasuhara (known for Aoshi on Rurouni Kenshin and Louis XVI on Rose of Versailles)

SHIPPING: So, the big ship here is between Hitomi and Toshi. The two have known each other since high school and maybe even before that. But can this ship truly set sail when one of them is trying to catch a cat burglar and the other is the actual fucking cat burglar? I guess it helps that Toshi is dimmer than a 3-watt bulb and really can’t put two and two together.

Now these two do progress, but not by much. There is an episode where Hitomi and Toshi do get engaged. Unfortunately, it’s only going to stay at an engagement. The reason behind that is Toshi says he doesn’t want to marry Hitomi until he captures and arrests Cat’s Eye. Good luck with that, because Cat’s Eye has duped you every chance you even got close to them. We do get a wedding episode, but it was just a fake wedding between Toshi and Hitomi to do a sting operation to get Cat’s Eye. Didn’t work!

Despite the fact that these two have gone out since high school, they sometimes act awkward during some crucial moments. Like the time Toshi stayed with the girls and shared a room with Hitomi. I know Hitomi is nervous because she and her sisters have special rooms dedicated to Cat’s Eye and possibly a few stolen items. But there’s such a thick layer of bashfulness here. Not to mention the flirting Toshi does every now and then. He isn’t a full-blown pervert like some other notorious anime characters, but he does have a weakness for blonde women. And Hitomi does let her jealousy show at nearly every moment. Do they actually hook up in the manga? I don’t know. I doubt it. But I’m going on my doubts I just listed with this ship.

HALFWAY POINT: So, about 30+ episodes into the series, we notice a few things happening to help turn this slow-moving cog of an anime. First of all, Toshi and Hitomi finally got engaged. But as always, work will always trump relationships. Toshi will only marry Hitomi if he catches Cat’s Eye. But duh, Hitomi is Cat’s Eye so how the fuck is that gonna work. She and her sisters are already one step ahead of Toshi and the police.

Well, it looks like Toshi added two extra brain cells! He decided to look into all of the pieces of work stolen by Cat’s Eye to see if they have a connection. Yes, they do! They’re all by Michael Heinz. Unknown to all, but to Rui, Hitomi, and Ai, that is their missing father. Toshi tries to learn more about the elusive artist, meanwhile the girls get a hot tip saying that Heinz is in Paris. That only lasted for one episode, now they’re back in Japan.

Yeah, despite getting a bad-ass new opening theme and a short-lived costume change for Cat’s Eye, the show goes back to the formulaic plot of Cat’s Eye stealing a piece of art work and foiling the police for another 30+ episodes. Now don’t get it twisted. There are some episodes that are pretty good. There are a couple of episodes where Toshi does suspect Hitomi of being Cat’s Eye. He gets close, but then something absurd happens and Toshi drops the suspicion. Toshi’s workmate Asatani never did drop her suspicion of Hitomi and the others though.

ENDING: Okay, do we get a conclusion? Do we move away from the crime of the day for Cat’s Eye? Does Toshi and the other detectives catch the elusive cat burglars? Are Hitomi and her sisters finally revealed to be Cat’s Eye? Do the girls get a special clue about their mysterious father?

Imagine if you will, the girls are about to steal a valuable diamond and announce their crime in their usual way. And Toshi has been given the ultimate, final warning from the chief where he has to arrest Cat’s Eye this time or be fired from being a detective. Now imagine that Toshi finally catches Cat’s Eye and learns that it has been Hitomi, his fiancé all along. Hitomi let’s herself be caught because she knows Toshi’s career is on the line this time.

Keep imagining because none of that happened for real. This was all part of a play written by Ai. Wow, what a shitty pay off for the series finale. I’m sorry, you keep people on the line for 72 episodes of the same old song and dance. Cat’s Eye commits the crime. The police department is incompetent. Cat’s Eye steals the priceless art item. And then when you get to the 73rd episode of the series, the finale, it’s all part of Ai’s play. And Ai is the worst person in the world to have make a school play about Cat’s Eye. First of all, she has almost slipped her tongue about being Cat’s Eye on numerous occasions throughout the series. We can chalk that up to her being young and stupid. And second of all, SHE’S PART OF FREAKIN’ CAT’S EYE!

From what I heard; the manga does end much differently. I would have chalked it up to the anime ending with a weird ending in order to entice fans to read the manga. It might have been that, but then you notice that both the anime and the manga ended in 1985. In fact, the manga ended six months before the anime. Okay, I have no theories on that. All I know is that the anime has no conclusion whatsoever. Toshi still doesn’t know that his girlfriend and her sisters are really Cat’s Eye. The notorious art thieves he’s been trying to capture this whole time! Hitomi and her sisters still haven’t nailed down the whereabouts of their elusive father. And apparently, there’s still many more pieces their father made that are scattered around art museums all over Japan and beyond. Yes, Cat’s Eye the anime is over��but Hitomi, Rui, and Ai live on.

In 2019, another retro anime by the name of City Hunter reemerged on the scene with a new movie. And wouldn’t you know it, Hitomi, Rui, and Ai appeared in the film as Cat’s Eye. Strange, right? It is until you realize that the creator of City Hunter is also the creator for Cat’s Eye. Amazing to hear and see these girls in our updated animation of whatever the hell period this is. Of course, Toshiko Fujita had already passed away by the time this movie came out so, Rui is now played by Hitomi’s seiyuu Keiko Toda. Add to that, the girls of Cat’s Eye have English voices in this movie.

And more proof that this is not over, in 2023 Cat’s Eye had a crossover with Lupin III. Don’t get too excited for a conclusion here either. Crossovers are not canon to the main story. I have severe doubts that Lupin III even knew Cat’s Eye’s father or that both animes coincide with each other for real. It’s probably to celebrate Cat’s Eye’s anime anniversary as 2023 marks 40 years. Anything else I should say about the movie? Nostalgic music, weird hearing an English dub, and tripped up by the animation. Seeing anything compared to it’s 40-year-old counterpart is severe whiplash. The English voices here are different from the City Hunter cameo the girls had four years prior. And in the Japanese Cast, they got Rica Fukami to do Rui’s voice this time.

After sitting through 73 episodes with no big pay off, no catch, and no ultimate conclusion, I can’t really give this a glowing recommendation. Only to say that if you’re curious to see a vintage piece of media, maybe consider watching a few choice episodes. I’m sure there’s some wad on Reddit that has a list of episodes to watch without being bored with the same running gag over and over again. And yeah, for the men in the audience, you might be enticed by the sex here. Hitomi and Rui are bombshells. And yeah, Rui is another character I would go gay for.

In the meantime, every episode is available on Freevee through Prime Video as well as Retro Crush and Crackle. The newly released Cat’s Eye vs. Lupin III movie is also on Prime Video.

[modstarfell]

Fangan muse list

Muse means characters you roleplay as/write for

DR Blowback DR Another SDRA2 Despair Time Project Edens Garden Rebirth

Blowback: Annabelle Akeru Yozora Chinami Hasami Kana Ise Kanjiro Hayamoto Kazuki Watanabe Mai Yurino Mikihiko Koyasunaga Misako Rokuhana Ryo Koumori Seina Datenashi Shozo Asayoru Tato Shigami Torae Akatsubaki Toshiro Takahara Yosaku Fujita Yukari Koime

Danganronpa Another: Aiko Maeda (and Mr.Maeda to some extent) Akane Taira Ayame Hanato Haruhiko Kobashikawa Hikaru Ando Juu Kinjo (and Ms.Kinjo to some extent) Kakeru Yamaguchi Kanata Inori Keisuke Iranami (and family to some extent) Kinji Uehara Kiyoka Maki (and Rika/Yuzuki to some extent) Kizuna Tomori Midori Yamaguchi Mikako Kurokawa Minako Tomori Mitsuhiro Higa Rei Mekaru Ryutaro Maki Satsuki Iranami Teruya Otori Tsurugi Kinjo Yamato Kisaragi Utsuro

SDRA2: Emma Magorobi Hajime Makunouchi Hibiki Otonokoji Iroha Nijiue Kanade Otonokoji Kokoro Mitsume Mikado Sannoji (Both real and AI versions) Monocrow (and 'original' by Yuri) Nikei Yomiuri Setsuka Chiebukuro Shinji Kasai Shobai Hashimoto Sora Yoruko Kabuya Yuki Maeda Yuri Kagarin

Despair time: Ace Markey Arei Nageishi Arturo Giles Charles Cuevas David Chiem Eden Tobisa Hu Jing J Rosales Levi Fontana Min Jeung MonoTV (and Mai to some extent) Nico Hakobyan Rose Larcoix Teruko Tawaki Veronika Grevenshchikova Whit Young Xander Matthews

Project Edens Garden: Damon Maitsu Diana Venicia Eva Tsunaka Grace Madison Kai Monteago Mara (and Cara to some extent) Toshiko Kayura Wolfgang Akire

Rebirth: Ayumu Fujimori Akira Tsuchiya Aruma Todoromi Kasumi Izumo Kazuomi Samejima Kego Sakuma Maiko Kagura Marin Mizuta Mikoto Itsuki Misuzu Aisaka Mitsunari Koga Narumi Osone Nico Himuro Saiji Rokudo Seishi Yozogawa/Zen Katagiri

[legendheroes]

Y'know, i love crossovers a lot. But since Fujita Toshiko passed away I can't keep hoping for more of those in official form -- at least not in animation form.

Why? Because... I don't want to see anyone else voicing the original kid Taichi, i loved her voice acting in 02 a lot (yes, i keep thinking the best OG timeline Taichi is 02 Taichi) to the point i feel it would be a big task to whoever comes to voice kid Taichi in her place.

"the reboot Taichi VA could do it!!" Yes, I know, and i'd cheer for Sanpei Yuuko, i loved her role in this new rendition of Taichi, but i don't want them to dump the original Taichi on her and have the fanbase disliking it. (yes, i'm overthinking here, it just i've seen people disliking the reboot that i don't know if they wouldn't hate on this as well)

Considering some peeps have a big massive beef with ▽ to the point they just loathe Kizuna (and possibly 02TB in the future), i don't think it would be a good idea to call Hanae again for a crossover if they use YA Taichi instead, y'know? So it would be a bad idea as well...

Anyway, what i'm saying here is... My wish to see a cool crossover again with full voice acting in animation is over. I'll be thankful for XW's crossover scenes and treasure it.

I'll be satisfied with any other format wo voice acting, or just fanmade art/fanfiction though.

[bg12sofia]

And here in Portugal Michel Simeão, as well as the entirety of the cast, voiced Kizuna and barely got paid for it.

Listening to Joshua Seth swooning over voicing Tai once more just made me realize once again: Taichi Yagami is a very special character, who has a great impact on the people who play him.

Joshua Seth (English dub, OG), who calls this role his "life's work".

Natsuki Hanae (Japanese dub, Tri/Kizuna), who was so anxious about getting the role right, doing it justice.

Gaku Matsumoto (Japanese stageplay), who went on about how much Digimon means to people.

Toshiko Fujita (Japanese dub, Adventure+02), who still kept on voicing him until the end, even if her voice got weaker.

Florian Knorn (German dub, OG), who flew back from Austria and came back from retirement to voice him.

Zeno Robinson (English dub, reboot), who audibly put his entire heart into this role...

This boy is special.

[digimon-pokemon-swap-au]

This is another PokeDestined and her partner. Meet Faye and Ekanmon! In Japan, Faye is named Fujita, after Toshiko Fujita.

Gender: Female (she/her)

Age: 14

Height: 4’7”

Weight: 99 lb.

Crest: Love

Partner: Ekanmon (she/her)

Faye calls herself the group’s “big sister”, but rarely if ever does heavy lifting. This fashionista hates hard work and would rather get everything done the easy way. She is a supportive shoulder for the younger children, providing advice when their emotions get the better of them. Her love outshines her laziness, manifesting as a Crest to empower her Pokemon, Ekanmon.

While Faye tries to stay all smiles for the others, she has nightmares of another, wicked self. Not even Ekanmon knows the crimes she’s committed in her dreams. At the very least, Collin is there with her, or a version of him. Not that she’d ever tell him, but she harbors deep feelings for the older boy…

(Full transparent art of Faye in the readmore)

[docrotten]

WICKED CITY (1987) – Episode 230 – Decades Of Horror 1980s

“Well, I’d hoped that hospital had some sexy nurses or something, but … they were all gross men. Total sausage fest. It was suffocating.” Wait. He suffocated on sausage? Join your faithful Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Crystal Cleveland, and Jeff Mohr – as they take a trip to unknown lands and their second anime, and wind up in Wicked City (1987).

Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 230 – Wicked City (1987)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

While protecting a signatory to a peace treaty between their peoples, a male human and a female demon discover that their mutual attraction may be the key to unifying their worlds.

  Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri

Writers: Hideyuki Kikuchi, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Norio Osada

Art Direction: Kazuo Oga

Selected Cast:

Yûsaku Yara as Renzaburo Taki (voice)

Toshiko Fujita as Makie (voice)

Ichirô Nagai as Giuseppe Mayart (voice)

Takeshi Aono as Shadow (voice)

Mari Yokô as Kanako / Spider Woman (voice)

Tamio Ôki as Hotelier (voice)

Kôji Totani as Jin (voice)

Yasuo Muramatsu as President (voice)

Kazuhiko Kishino as Healer (voice)

Arisa Andô as Prostitute (voice)

Asami Mukaidono as Temptress (voice)

Ikuya Sawaki as Ken (voice)

Masato Hirano as Monk (voice)

Gregory Snegoff as Taki (USA dub) (voice) (as Greg Snegoff)

Mike Reynolds as Mayart (USA dub) (voice)

Gaye Kruger as Makie (USA dub) (voice)

Edie Mirman as Kanako (USA dub) (voice)

Jeff Winkless as Shadow (USA dub) (voice)

David Povall as Hodgkins (USA dub) (voice)

Alexandra Kenworthy as Secretary (USA dub) (voice)

Eleni Kelakos as Temptress (USA dub) (voice) (as Eleni Kalakos)

Robert V. Barron as President (USA dub) (voice)

Steve Kramer as Male Coworker (USA dub) (voice)

Jason Klassi as Ken (USA dub) (voice)

Melora Harte as Female Coworker (USA dub) (voice)

Frank Catalano as PA (USA dub) (voice)

And now for something completely different. Who’s up for some classic dark fantasy action horror anime? Shall we travel along with the Grue-Crew to Wicked City (1987)? The film is based on the first novel of Hideyuki Kikuchi’s “Wicked City” series titled Wicked City: Black Guard (1985). It is also the solo directorial debut of Yoshiaki Kawajiri who is also responsible for Demon City Shinjuku (1988), Ninja Scroll (1993), and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000) among others. Wicked City has it all: supernatural demons, secret agents, tentacled monsters, and . . . well, you’ll figure it out. And then check out what the Decades of Horror 1980s Grue-Crew think of this out-there anime. Enjoy!

At the time of this writing, Wicked City is available to stream from Tubi, Pluto TV, HiDive, and Retrocrush. The film is also available as a Blu-ray disc from Discotek Media.

Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Crystal, will be Frankenstein Island (1981). Yes. She went there, and soon, the rest of the Grue Crew will be going there as well, for better or for worse.

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans – so leave them a message or comment on the Gruesome Magazine Youtube channel, on the Gruesome Magazine website, or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.

Check out this episode!

[byneddiedingo]

Yoshiko Okada in No Blood Relation (Mikio Naruse, 1932) Cast: Yoshiko Okada, Yukiko Tsukuba, Toshiko Kojima, Shin'yo Nara, Fumiko Katsuragi, Joji Oka, Ichiro Yuki, Shozaburo Abe, Tomio Aoki. Screenplay: Kogo Noda, based on a novel by Shunyo Yanagawa. Cinematography: Eijiro Fujita, Suketaro Inokai, Masao Saito.  Before it settles down to become an intense domestic drama, No Blood Relation begins with a sequence of comic action: Gen (Shozaburo Abe), a goofy-looking purse-snatcher, is being chased through the streets until he collides with a man who holds him until the crowd catches up. Forced to strip, Gen reveals that he doesn't have the purse on him, and the cops send him away with his pants falling down around his ankles. But the man who caught him is actually an accomplice, Keiji (Ichiro Yuki), who hid the purse on himself when they collided. Keiji is the brother of a big Hollywood movie star, Tamae (Yoshiko Okada), who is returning that day to Japan for the first time in years, and Keiji and Gen see their chance for the big time as flunkies for Tamae. Her reason for returning home is to reclaim her daughter, Shigeko (Toshiko Kojima), whom she abandoned shortly after her birth. Her husband, Shunsaku (Shin'yo Nara), remarried, and his new wife, Masako (Yukiko Tsukuba), has proved to be a devoted mother to the little girl. Unfortunately, Shunsaku's business is about to go under, owing to his bad management and some shady deals that get him sent to prison. His mother, Kishiyo (Fumiko Katsuragi), is bitter about not only his business failure but also because this means they'll have to move out of their big house into a poor neighborhood. So when Tamae comes in search of her child, Kishiyo takes her side against Masako, leading to an intense battle between the birth mother and the one who is ... well, that's the point of the title. Masako fortunately has a defender, Masaya Kusakabe, whose relationship to the family is enigmatic: He's just returned from Manchuria, and since he's played by the handsome Joji Oka -- a sharp contrast to the plain and dour Shunsaku -- we begin to suspect that there's more to his relationship with Masako than meets the eye, though that part of the plot never pans out. No Blood Relation is a very effective tearjerker, with Naruse's characteristically hyperactive camera panning and dollying and zooming in to provide emphasis at key moments, and it shows Naruse's mastery of silent filmmaking, carrying the story without an overabundance of intertitles.

[seventeenlovesthree]

Hey, I am happy to provide any kind of insight when it comes to Digimon and their characters and I'm glad if I could help you out a little! I am always intrigued to discuss VA choices, as I have done the same for Taichi's German VA in the past. Plus, what you said here is interesting if you consider that Natsuki Hanae initially thought he was more fitting to play Takeru or Koushirou...

Please have a VERY interesting read in this regard!

Here's a little snippet:

Mutsumi Tamura (Koushirou's VA): Did they decide you’d be Taichi from the very beginning? Natsuki Hanae (Taichi's VA): They did. Taichi’s role was the only one where they directly scouted out the actor they wanted. But personally, for me, my image of Taichi was the very energetic one played by (Toshiko) Fujita-san, and I didn’t think my voice would fit him very well. So I was actually the one to ask them, I’m willing to take Taichi, but don’t you think I might be better for someone like Koushirou or Takeru? But in the end, they had me play Taichi. Tamura: You must have been nervous. Hanae: I was! I was happy, but that came with even more pressure. I know they were the ones to cast me, but I was wondering if I could even pull this off well.

thanks to @seventeenlovesthree ive gain more of an understanding into dynamics in the og digimon cast that i really appreciate.

however, i am on an ensemble stars deep dive so its also really interesting. especially concerning natsuki hanae’s voice acting in it.

for taichi, he usually uses a deeper part of his regular speaking voice. singing voice is similar, in retrospect. it starts on A3.

for hiyori, he definitely puts on airs. like, once your familiar of what changes. it puts things in perspective. its slightly nasalier. the deepest note he sings is in Faith Conquest, which is F3. this song is also known for its high note which is E5.

lyric wise though, their character songs are interesting. in the case that I believe that it could be swapped and it would fit. hiyori literally means weather and he uses it as a pun.

fantastic days would follow the pattern from the previous character songs.

for their friendships, the long lasting relationships happened when they were younger. both around the age of 11. taichi with the 99 digidestined and hiyori with nagisa.

theyre both characters that are symbolized by the sun. and that turns complicated as they get older.

in the most important situations, as of tri-onwards taichi is known to overthink and hesitate to act. in saga, hiyori overthinks and in turn doesnt warn jun about whats going to happen in the event.

yknow i would have a lot more data but tri and kizuna are trauma piles. and i would have to make the full on character analysis posts on my other account to make a difference and include more.