Guillermo Del Toro’s ‘Pacific Rim'

[areaseven]

In other news, a Japanese film company will release their Kaiju film next year. The twist is that the most effective way to defeat a Kaiju isn't by Jaegers or coastal walls; all you need is Mitsu Dan.

Earth Defense Widow (地球防衛未亡人)

Edited December 27, 2013 by areaseven

[jenius]

Wow... that was.. special.

[Twoducks]

In other news, a Japanese film company will release their Kaiju film next year. The twist is that the most effective way to defeat a Kaiju isn't by Jaegers or coastal walls; all you need is Mitsu Dan.

Welll... that was certainly thinking outside the box.

[Max Jenius]

You forget I've been watching anime for thirty years. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: if this was an anime, with no changes except for the medium, it wouldn't even warrant it's own thread on these forums.

3/5 means I enjoyed it for what it was: robot porn.

I just saw this movie & totally agree. I think that the creators had a checklist of big robot tropes & tried to do everything at once. The two-pilot setup kind of bugged me, too... but not that much. I liked it ok, but probably won't watch it again. Not on purpose, at least.

[myk]

In other news, a Japanese film company will release their Kaiju film next year. The twist is that the most effective way to defeat a Kaiju isn't by Jaegers or coastal walls; all you need is Mitsu Dan.

WTF?

[areaseven]

"There are things you can't fight, acts of God. You see a hurricane coming, you have to get out of the way. But when you play this cover, suddenly, you can fight the hurricane. You can win."

[Old_Nash]

WTF?

Soft-porn kaiju old style mvovie...

[Hikuro]

that reminds me, I gotta bug a co worker, he's had my damn 3D Blu ray for almost 2 months!

[VF-15 Banshee]

WTF?

So it was beauty that killed the beast...

[renegadeleader1]

So it was beauty that killed the beast...

Except usually in those movies the super heroine gets the crap beat out of her.

[VF-15 Banshee]

Except usually in those movies the super heroine gets the crap beat out of her.

That's not a good prize...

[renegadeleader1]

That's not a good prize...

I hope you aren't taking the "gets the crap beat out of" part literally.... ewww.

The whole super heroine fetish thing is big over there, I can't really call it pr0n because often there's not even any nudity, just usually things like a female ultraman or all female power rangers teams that usually end up defeated, and slapped around with all the acting and harshness of a pro wrestling match. :shrugs:

[areaseven]

Christmas has been good.

[areaseven]

[Sebastian]

I got the 18 Inch toy for my Son… It is just an oversized 7 inch figure IMHO. Limited pose ability, All plastic and PVC mostly, details are decent (for a 10 inch toy)….

You cannot compare that Neca figure to some real collectors models you can get.

[wm cheng]

Yep, I saw it but was so disappointed... even the hands aren't articulated, just a dumb fist at this size?! I wish some Japanese company will take this subject up and do it justice!

[Kanedas Bike]

Yep, I saw it but was so disappointed... even the hands aren't articulated, just a dumb fist at this size?! I wish some Japanese company will take this subject up and do it justice!

That's too bad, and I agree that the different Jaeger types need a proper DX release.

-b.

[Bariaburu Faita]

Yep, I saw it but was so disappointed... even the hands aren't articulated, just a dumb fist at this size?! I wish some Japanese company will take this subject up and do it justice!

Given how offensive they made the movie to Japanese, I highly doubt it will happen.

[wm cheng]

Oh, I didn't know... how was it offensive to Japan? I'd like to know the Japanese reaction to it.

[renegadeleader1]

Oh, I didn't know... how was it offensive to Japan? I'd like to know the Japanese reaction to it.

1.No Japanese robot played a major role.

2.Japanese girl falls for American soldier.

3.Chinese are show in heroic light.

4.American saving little Japanese girl.

5.No strong Japanese male hero.

Those are a few things that would offend the Japanese people in a film about giant robots. Its mostly the Chinese thing though.

[sketchley]

1.No Japanese robot played a major role.

2.Japanese girl falls for American soldier.

3.Chinese are show in heroic light.

4.American saving little Japanese girl.

5.No strong Japanese male hero.

Those are a few things that would offend the Japanese people in a film about giant robots. Its mostly the Chinese thing though.

The Japanese people aren't that small minded, you know.

Have you seen "Rising Sun"? That movie had a lot of anti-Japanese sentiment, and (if memory serves), Japanese viewers didn't react negatively to it.

If an overtly anti-Japanese movie doesn't provoke a response, how could a brainless action movie do it?

That said, I'm curious what makes Bariaburu Faita think that it is offensive (I haven't seen the movie).

Edited January 9, 2014 by sketchley

[renegadeleader1]

The Japanese people aren't that small minded, you know.

Have you seen "Rising Sun"? That movie had a lot of anti-Japanese sentiment, and (if memory serves), Japanese viewers didn't react negatively to it.

If an overtly anti-Japanese movie doesn't provoke a response, how could a brainless action movie do it?

That said, I'm curious what makes Bariaburu Faita think that it is offensive (I haven't seen the movie).

When it comes to China yes Japanese citizens can be that small minded. BBC did a poll that found only 5% of Japanese citizens viewed China in a positive light, and 64% negatively. When Pacific Rim dropped on Japan they were in the middle of a bad spat politically with China stemming from the 2012 trawler incident, the dispute over several islands in the gulf of China, and the fact that China is cutting the rate of raw materials exported to Japan and focusing more on its own consumption hurting Japan's economy. Its easy to see now why Pacific Rim would offend the Japanese people.

[DuelGundam2099]

Did taking place in Hong Kong most of the movie also contribute to this by any chance? I'm curious.

[renegadeleader1]

Did taking place in Hong Kong most of the movie also contribute to this by any chance? I'm curious.

In a way yes.

To give you an idea of how bad things are between the nations you should read this.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101300803

Basically two weeks ago the Japanese primeminister visited the shrine dedicated to the Japanese killed in WWII because his popularity was flagging. He knew it would tick off the Chinese because several people convicted of war crimes against them are also enshrined there. Pissing off the Chinese makes him look good in the eyes of his people and gave him a boost in approval even though the US admonished him for poor judgement.

[Kanedas Bike]

Blah, blah politics.

Where are the box-office numbers for Pacific Rim in Japan? That would be a more telling sign of how the movie was received in Japan.

-b.

[renegadeleader1]

Blah, blah politics.

Where are the box-office numbers for Pacific Rim in Japan? That would be a more telling sign of how the movie was received in Japan.

-b.

http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&country=JP&id=pacificrim.htm

It made only 14 million in Japan and ranked 5 there its opening week. Both Mexico and Russia outdrew Japan. In China it made over 100 million.

[Kanedas Bike]

http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&country=JP&id=pacificrim.htm

It made only 14 million in Japan and ranked 5 there its opening week. Both Mexico and Russia outdrew Japan. In China it made over 100 million.

Cool, then that certainly supports that the Japanese market may have felt a certain way towards Pacific Rim compared to other markets.

Still, that's too bad I think enough people would support a well designed, well put together releases from the movie to make it worth someones time and energy to put one out.

-b.

[electric indigo]

Maybe the Japanese are smarter in their taste for movies, especially if these movies rip off/pay homage to their core pop culture icons?

[myk]

Maybe the Japanese are smarter in their taste for movies, especially if these movies rip off/pay homage to their core pop culture icons?

Good point. Conversely, if Toyota or Nissan tried to build a Corvette I'm sure it wouldn't sell very well here in the United States, either...

[anime52k8]

Yep, I saw it but was so disappointed... even the hands aren't articulated, just a dumb fist at this size?! I wish some Japanese company will take this subject up and do it justice!

I think we need to roll this whole thing back a second and address the implication that only the Japanese are capable of making a decent toy of anything. Now that I find mildly offensive.

[Kanedas Bike]

I think we need to roll this whole thing back a second and address the implication that only the Japanese are capable of making a decent toy of anything. Now that I find mildly offensive.

Sure, maybe we can petition McFarlane toys to tackle the project.

-b.

[anime52k8]

Sure, maybe we can petition McFarlane toys to tackle the project.

-b.

how about an Australian desiging toys for a Hong Kong based company based on designs from an american movie?

I'm just saying.

[Kanedas Bike]

Sure.

And 3A crossed my mine but I realized I didn't want to spend $ 1,000 on Gypsy Danger.

-b.

[wm cheng]

Wow! I never knew the tensions were so high. It will certainly make me think twice about ever visiting Japan (being Chinese).

All I knew about it were stories my father told me about the Japanese occupation during WWII and how they tortured and killed his parents (my grandparents) in front of him to make an example to the town - in fact both my mom and dad experienced first hand the brutality of their occupation first hand (they will take their hatred to their deaths). It's been a constant sore point in my relationship with my parents that I had taken an interest in Japanimation - especially when I wanted to learn Japanese (never did due to them). In fact we never had anything made in Japan growing up (except my Macross toys and books) - we had a huge argument when I bought my first car, a used Honda Accord. There is a lot of hatred with the Chinese of the older generation towards the Japanese, but I had no idea there was similar feelings going the other way? What do they hate the Chinese for?

LOL! anime52K8 - goood one!!!

Well, NECA was definitely a disappointment - Hot Toys look great, Sideshow looks great, but you can't really play with them. Who are these great American toy companies?

[Bariaburu Faita]

Ouch! I find myself guilty of making an over simplistic generalization, and causing some drama. The reality is there are many people with many differing opinions about Pacific Rim in Japan. The first reaction I saw first hand was after I saw it in the theaters, a pair of younger mecha fans were excitedly talking about it at the bus stop nearby. They were there for the mecha porn and story and characters were not important to them.

But later talking to Kaijyu fans, they felt they didnt get the spirit of the genre right. Kaijyu being the spirit of the earth retaliating against nuclear weapon use by humans. And Pacific Rim showing the usual American bias of nuclear weapons being the solution to save the world. That bit is also offensive to the general population of japan. Even nuclear power use for propulsion of the mecha is a bit offensive now due to fukushima. I found an article in english that sums it up pretty well:

http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/opinions/how-pacific-rim-got-kaiju-wrong.php

Also, the actress that plays Mako, Rinko Kikuchi, is not very popular:

http://kotaku.com/will-japan-finally-adore-this-pacific-rim-star-5968393

As previously mentioned, Japan did not have a Jager survive till the end, while China did. Younger people dont seem to mind so much, but Adults seem to take it harder. And it seems the movie was very popular in China, earning 10 times more than what it did in Japan.

And since the Adults control most of the toy companies, they might feel the same. But there is hope, if they are mecha fans first, and that overrides their other biases.