SHIN GODZILLA In Theatres NOW

Tuesday, October 11 marked the North American theatrical premiere of SHIN GODZILLA (occasionally known as GODZILLA RESURGENCE). I originally saw it the night of the premiere in Shinjuku on July 28 (something I'll detail in the future, as Ive been putting off doing my big write-up of my first trip to Japan). That screening was at 1am, and I had my big tub of Godzilla popcorn, and enjoyed the movie... except for the obvious lack of subtitles. Though I got the gist of the film, I needed a second viewing and better understanding of the plot.

Not long after American theatres started announcing showtimes, I confirmed with my local Alamo Drafthouse that they would be showing it. I knew if any theatre in Kansas City would be showing a movie like this, it would be them. They originally planned three screenings but recently added a fourth. I bought tickets a month in advance and got some prime seats.

I went to the first, Tuesday night screening at 7:30pm. I invited my mom as well, as she is also a fan of Godzilla. Before the movie, the Alamo had their pre-show features, consisting of things like Godzilla trailers, BAMBI MEETS GODZILLA, and other random bits.

Me at the Alamo Drafthouse theatre.

As for the film itself, I can say while I loved the experience of seeing it in Japan, I had a greater appreciation and understanding of it the second time, with subtitles, and anticipating particular scenes so I could pay more attention to the details. When Godzilla's (final form) design was first revealed, I wasn't a huge fan of it, but it's really grown on my since. I'm looking forward to the (hopeful) release of an X-Plus rendition of it. His earlier fo
rms are also quite bizarre, and quite shocking the first time you see them (I had never seen them prior to my first viewing), but are interesting. I'm not sure what, if any, scenes actually used traditional special effects, but either way, I found the effects in general to be very good and convincing. As Toho had touted, the movie has a massive cast of characters and bit players, of them in particular I recognized Akira Emoto who was Akira Yuki in GODZILLA VS. SPACEGODZILLA. The ending, which I won't spoil, came as an abrupt surprise to me, because most discussion about it in the movie I wasn't able to understand.

The score was an interesting one, by Shiro Sagisu, who also scored EVANGELION, but admittedly the only other work of his I'm personally familiar with is his score to MAGICAL SHOPPING ARCADE ABENOBASHI. His music works good in this film, with several very memorable tracks, though a few are a bit repetitive (at least, that's easier to note if you're just listing to the soundtrack CD itself, which I purchased at Tower Records in Shibuya). Stock Ifukube music is used as well (the original tracks, not re-recorded) and used to pretty good effect, culled from GODZILLA '54, KING KONG VS. GODZILLA, TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA, and interestingly enough, BATTLE FROM OUTER SPACE. The end credits are a compilation of several other Godzilla film themes.

Earlier this year, a so-called company named New World Cinema strongly alluded that they had the rights to SHIN GODZILLA, but that eventually turned out to be a flat-out lie, what they were thinking is beyond me. It was eventually announced, to my surprise, that Funimation had picked up the rights with intent for limited theatrical distribution. As a longtime anime fan, I have plenty of their DVD/BD releases, have seen several theatrical screenings, and met them at conventions; I knew the movie was definitely in competent hands. The subtitles were good; Of course I can't tell for certain if the translation itself was correct, but considering they're in the anime business of decades, I trust them. Of particular issue was the fact there was frequently onscreen text (such as character titles and locations, done to such excess I assumed it may have been an intended joke?). All of these were subtitled alongside the dialogue. Interestingly, after the whole exchange concerning the USA calling the monster Godzilla, and the Japanese "translation" being Gojira, the later is regularly used throughout the rest of the movie. Concerning Funimation's inevitable home video release down the road, my biggest question is whether or not Toho will have them use one of their own international English dubs, or if Funimation will request and/or be allowed to make their own. Funimation's anime dub work is always very good, though I've never heard a live-action film done by them. I've met many of the voice actors that work for them, and some in particular I would love to hear in SHIN GODZILLA.

Overall, it was a great experience. The house was packed, and the audience seemed to love it. My mom liked it, though she says she's still more partial to the older Godzilla. The next couple screenings at the Alamo are rapidly selling out. I'd like to attend one but due to circumstances, it's unlikely. Kudos to Funimation for making this available in the US, especially on the big screen, and so SOON after Japanese release (less than two and a half months!). And a special thank you to Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, for giving us their unusual, but fantastic and fresh take on Godzilla.

LUCKY STAR: The Complete Series on BD/DVD

Back in 2008-09, Bandai Entertainment released LUCKY STAR to DVD in the USA. I bought up all the limited edition releases, deluxe boxes containing DVDs with alternate covers, bonus CDs, and T-shirts I could never wear. Bandai went under, and now, some years later, Funimation has rescued the license (alongside HARUHI SUZUMIYA, coming soon), and re-released the series to both DVD and also Blu-ray. My little review here will more or less critique the release, not the show, which is every bit as good as I remember.

Slipcover (left) and insert (right). The imagery is the same on both.

I should start by saying, this is a BD/DVD combo, a concept personally I am not a fan of. I have no particular need for the DVDs (especially considering the fact I have all the original Bandai releases). I wish they'd have just given two separate options. I HAVE known some people to sell off the DVD or BD discs, but that may be a problem here, you'll find out why under the Extras.

Video/Audio: The show looks and sounds great. Very colorful. No complaints.

Subtitles: The subtitles are locked on the BD edition when on the Japanese version. Boo.

Reverse-side cover art.

Extras: There's a pretty decent collection of extras here, a few items not on the original Bandai releases, and a few exclusive to the American DVDs. The main issue is, some of the extras are ONLY on the DVDs, and some are only on the BDs. Meaning, if you're one of those people that sell off the discs you don't want... you're gonna have to keep them if you want those bonuses. Unless I'm incorrect, I believe all of the extras from the Bandai releases are replicated here, including English voice actor interviews which are quite interesting.

Extras come in the form of:
-Both BD/DVD: The OVA (no dub, same as the Bandai release), On-Screen Text Reference Guide*, US Trailer (Funimation)
-BD only: Lucky Racer "Checker Flag in Akihabara & Lucky Racer Highlight", Radio Kansai's Public Recording of "New Lucky Channel"
-DVD only: Promo Clip, The Adventures Of Minoru Shiraishi Parts 1-11, English Voice Cast Interview Parts 1-3

Packaging: Instead of a chipboard artbox, Funimation opted for a double-thick standard BD case with a slipcover, and reversible insert. Nothing terribly exciting. The discs are decorated with the same hand-drawn stars shown on the cover, no character art. No characters on the cover spine, which is a disappointment for me. The reversible cover has a different front image culled from the Bandai "Anime Legends" complete series release, and the back replaces the show description with an Extras listing.

 

If you're new to LUCKY STAR, or just want to upgrade to BD, I highly recommend this release. Here's looking forward to Funimation's grandiose box set of HARUHI SUZIUMIYA in September!

For more info on LUCKY STAR as well as viewable episodes, check out the official site.