Comments (Page 148)

Zoboomafoo/Jovian (RIP) was a Coquerel's Sifaka.

There was a family of ring-tailed lemurs that were recurring animals on the show named Ring, Tail, and Little Leaper (Yes, I remembered that from my childhood)

Zoboomafoo/Godzilla crossover, anyone?

haha i'm kidding,

zoboomafoo isn't a ring-tail-

The reason why I prefer CGI is the graphical details. The way Godzilla's pupils wriggled, his nostrils flaring and saliva sprinkling in his mouth while he roared. He just felt like a living, breathing creature. You can never make a sophisticated rubber suit to convey such a feeling. It's not just about realism, it's about the vividness of the iconic character himself. 

I don’t think that realism is against art or bad. Even fictional worlds can and should abide by their realism. I was just saying that CGI isn’t completely bad. And I think realism can help with the artistic value or message of the film. In Shin Godzilla, realism helped convey the message, The realistic CGI of Godzilla helps ground it in the world it’s in. I think if it had less realism with godzilla it’s message would have been depleted. Tokusatsu is great but it’s stiff and rigid. Shin godzilla’s movement resembles it, but has much more fluidity and articulation

Kattozilla,
But what if realism isn't the point?

See this is what a lot of people miss about tokusatsu, to paraphrase Shiro Sano from GMK, it's not about looking realistic. It's about mood and atmosphere.

Most western effects, especially Hollywood are about representational art. Whereas tokusatsu is about presentational art.

See, representational art demands that special effects must recreate our reality and trick the audience into believing it's real. It represents how something might be seen in our world.

But presentational art creates its own reality where the visual world is vastly different from our own. It "presents" its own reality--Not unlike stage theater. Do the sets and costumes in stage theater always look 100% realistic? Of course not. It's not suppose to. 

It's the same for Godzilla and the world that Tsuburaya created with tokusatsu. And this world allows stories that typically wouldn't work with representational art. It allowed all the crazy adventures with Godzilla, Gamera and Ultraman to exist.

Most western audiences believe that if something does not look "realistic" it must be a flaw. But that's not the case with ever culture. Because something doesn't look realistic, doesn't mean it's flawed, sometimes the goal is very different.

I think it's very important we examine the words of film historian/critic, David Kalat:

"That is not to say the effects look 'realistic,' but realism was not the point. American audiences conditioned to expect realism conclude that anything short of the goal must be a mistake. By contrast, Japanese art often values beauty, poetry, or fantasy above realism."

Practical Effects have a lot to them. But I do think that movies do have it have a level of realism to keep them from laughing it off. This can be achieved with practical effects of course, I love the blend of Tokusatsu and real life footage in the Hesei Gamera Series, but I do love the fluidity of the CGI used in KOTM, G 14, and GvK. It makes godzilla seem more alive. 

There's definitely a time and place for CG. But it doesn't need to be every movie ever for every single effects shot ever composed. I love the Tarantino and Nolan are at least two western filmmakers that use very little to zero CG in their films. It really helps break up the different look of special effects.

sonictiger

Interesting all those are from GvK. I don’t see KoTM or G 14. 

Anyway I don’t personally have a problem with CGI, but I do want to see more practical effects

sonictiger,
Very easily after those images. It's boring. It looks like every other CGI feature we see every weekend in whatever new blockbuster is being released. What's so exciting and new about something that's been used as a catch-all for thousands of movies in the last 20+ years? It just looks like every other movie out there.

Gman, how could anyone say CGI is boring?

Critics have no taste.

Lemme change some minds with some amazing CGI

bowser reminds me more of anguirus than godzilla. 

                    (i also really want these)

That's good

SarcasticGoji

I think CG is great with animated projects

There go my dreams of making CG animation.

I kid, I kid. Tokusatsu is still great.

Kattozilla,
Final Wars was still more tokusatsu than CG, but I don't mind it being implemented as a tool now and then. It's when it becomes a catch-all technique that it feels overused and, by extension, boring.

G. H. (Gman)

What about a blend kind of like Final Wars Did

SarcasticGoji,
Indeed. Who cares if it's not very popular. Most of my life Godzilla hasn't been very popular in the west, yet as tokusatsu it still sold out like hotcakes in Japan. Nowdays tokusatsu lives on more as a novelty and an artistic expression. Popularity isn't the point with it. Artistic integrity is.

Personally, I'd rather Godzilla go back to being a niche franchise that celebrates that aspect of Japanese culture, than just do what everyone else does. If it's not your thing? Then it doesn't have to be. There's five CG Godzilla titles for you in the meantime--One edging a little closer to tokusatsu than others, but CG nonetheless.

Tokusatsu is pretty nifty

7amey,
People still pay out the ears for Ultraman, Super Sentai and Kamen Rider. Besides, I don't really care how popular it is. Tokusatsu is more unique, special and artist than the fast-food, mainstream-ism of CG. Many filmmakers in Japan want to preserve tokusatsu for the artform, look and style. It's not about making something look realistic, it's about making it look unique unto itself. It's one of the reasons I got in to Godzilla and tokusatsu and it just feels more appropriate.

oh.  Nevermind then.

sonictiger

The “new look” in the as is the OG design. And No it’s not troubling, SP was started production at the same time as the Three godzilla anime films

Yes I know but promoting a newer look for their stuff that isn't SP is troubling

How about GIGAZILLA

sonictiger

You realize this is an ad for coffee. 

and it’s up to toho

Oh yeah, haha.

yep pretty godzillaie. even before that too, with giga bowser

Toho and WB just need to COEXIST

LOL

Kattozilla If you search up "Fury Bowser" you will know why people associate him with Godzilla.

no, YOU ARE a nintendo now. s o r r y.

these look awesome tho. it makes sense for Bowzilla the most, because people associate him with Godzilla for some reason in the first place

Note: On the 2nd paragraph, 2nd sentence, when I said "I've always been a Nintendo" I forgot to write "fan" after "Nintendo".

basically, ig

i havent seen it yet but i do have it

G. H. (Gman),

I doubt that much people would pay to see tokusatsu these days. CG can achieve everything tokusatsu can and do better, according to the director's vision. Also, building a miniature destructible city feels more costly than modeling one on a computer. 

Kattozilla,

You mean Godzilla: Final Wars?

mix of both perhaps?

7amey,
I'd be more interested in another tokusatsu production. We get enough CG cranked out in just about every Hollywood production ever.

If they are to make a film, they should use the latest technology, as demonstrated in Godzilla The Ride: Giant Monsters Ultimate Battle.

honestly I’m not too fond of this march theme

the pictures of inverted used used have divided it into pyramids

2nd trailer for sure. Liking the CGI in both, gets me excited to see what Japan dishes out for us next.