Well, if I was a supervillain, this is the part where I would say,
I learned a valuable lesson during the episode 24 broadcast. Apparently, Dorats aren’t as aggressive as I thought they’d be. And I even fed them some gamma rays before unleashing them on Nathan’s friend Joy Metter. (However, I didn’t feed these little winged gremlins any radiation after midnight because we know how that turns out). Her dogs’ good vibes must’ve calmed them or something.
Perhaps I do need to try something “scarier” next time, as Joy joked, to truly test her mettle since she keeps acting like she’s a master swordsman (“swordswoman”? “swordsperson”? Damn you, political correctness!) Sadly, anything else would probably get me in trouble with the Board for endangering a tourist, but I’ll think of something.
Anyway, let’s get on to my notes from the episode:
- I will admit, the new Board-mandated uniforms are growing on me. Pink is the new orange.
- I neglected to include the IMDB scores for the first two Daimajin films in the Entertaining Info Dump. Oops. They’re 6.7 and 6.4, respectively.
- It’s “Sama-no-suke,” not, “Sama-na-suke.” But hey, none of you grew up in Japan like I did.
- I’ll give Joy credit for one thing: we can agree that Anakin Skywalker is as charming as a brick in Attack of the Clones.
- It’s “Dodohei,” not, “Todohei,” Nathan. You think he’s a dog from Kansas?
- Yes, Joe, Ryuta does have an arm. Two of them, in fact.
- I can make an argument that Frozen is a kaiju movie: the big snowman. If Half Human counts….
- Nathan, it’s “Iwamatsu” not “Imatsu.”
- I’m pretty sure “Heian” is pronounced, “hay-on.” You know, like “Heisei” (“hay-say”).
- It’s “kami” not “gami,” Joy.
- Yawns, last I checked, were by definition audible, Joe.
- I didn’t realize this until now because I liked the Star Wars reference, but the third film is Daimajin Strikes Again not Back. Also, Nathan used the wrong title for the DVD cover he used on the blog post just like ADV did. Oh well.
And now, in fulfillment of my contractual obligations, here’s Nathan’s leftover notes:
The Film
- Barr says it “explores the clash between tradition and modernity, between peacefulness and warmongering.”
- The first two films put a premium on the “old ways” of worship. Are we supposed to sympathize with the persecuted nobles, villagers, and Daimajin?
- Interesting that the characters don’t bow before passing through the torii gate.
- We get some foreshadowing with Daimajin’s face glowing red. Said to be a sign of misfortune and his anger.
- In this, the priestess is also the dead lord’s daughter. The characters are combined.
- Daimajin is fond of mountains. (I would correct him by saying he’s on an island in this one, but it’s at least mountainous. –Jimmy)
- Ifukube’s music shines in this score.
- The priestess calls Daimjain “Kamisama.” Is this the Japanese word for the Christian God? (That’s what most westerners think. It makes sense since it would translate as “Lord God” or “lord of the gods.” Or at least “lord of the kami.” –Jimmy)
- “They have taken our statue but not our soul.” –Sayuri (Probably the best line in the film. –Jimmy)
- I think Juro would’ve been better off killing Danjo. (Actually, he kept him alive for leverage. –Jimmy)
- “Juro’s in the well?!” (Call Lassie! Or Teddy Kong! –Jimmy)
- There is some added suspense thanks to the statue being shattered.
- Another divine warning with the soldier in a boat stabbed with a rock. This gives a kid the chance to set Katsushige free.
- Sayuri hanging on the cross and praying—offering her life to Daimajin—echoes the Christ story. Then she cries and her tears awaken him. The wind extinguishes the fire.
- The statue emerges whole from the water. He appears 61 minutes into the 78-minute movie.
- This reminds me a bit of the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal.
- They try to blow up Daimajin again, and this time it doesn’t work. The shot of him in the smoke is great.
- His footsteps are ominous.
- Sayuri’s tears fall from her face to her praying hands to the lake water, and Daimajin dissolves into water.
Toku Topic
- SHRINES: “The etymology of the early word for shrine, yashiro 社 is thought to have meant a temporary structure (yashiro 屋代) erected for worship, in the same way that nawashiro meant a hut for raising seedlings, and an ajiro meant a spot for drying fishing nets.” Festivals would be held there. “Accordingly, the concept of the sacred also changed from one in which kami were thought to be visiting deities (raihōshin) that descended at set times each year, to one in which the kami resided permanently in the shrine as a tutelary of its parishioners.”
- SHRINES: “By contrast, another term denoting a shrine, miya 宮, is believed to derive from the honorific expression for a building (miya 御屋). Until the early Heian period, however, few shrines were permitted the status of miya, and of the 2,861 shrines listed in the Engishiki’s “Register of Divinities,” only eleven are included in this category.”
- SHRINES: “The earliest type of shrine architecture is seen in the shinmeizukuri style of the Shōden (honden) of the Grand Shrines of Ise, and the taishazukuri style of the Izumo Shrine’s honden. The former originates in the style of grain storehouse used to store rice, while the latter is based on the style of ancient dwellings in the Izumo area. Both styles are reflected in ancient palace architecture, and eventually they were used in permanent shrine buildings, becoming the source for more complicated styles….”
- SHRINES: While governors got more involved with the festivals centered around kami worship in medieval Japan, this system dissolved as warrior families arose, and “ancient imperially granted shrine lands (shinryō) and other lands commended by secular houses were gradually transformed into the system of estates known as shōen. Under this system, powerful shrines tried to ensure their territorial integrity by commending their lands to the imperial house or other power clans who acted as ‘rights holders’ (honjo) for the land. … “At the outset of Hōjō Yasutoki’s Jōei shikimoku (1232) appears an exhortation to keep shrines in good repair and to be diligent in worship, and this became a maxim for future generations. This pattern was also incorporated and continued in the Edo shogunate’s laws regulating shrines and their priests, the Shosha negi kannushi hatto of 1665. On this basis the shoguns and daimyō bestowed “vermilion-seal” or “black-seal” land grants upon important shrines and diligently contributed to the rebuilding or repair of shrine buildings.”
- SHRINES: 70% of Japanese people visit a shrine at least once a year at New Year. This is called Hatsumōdë.
- TORII: Most are made of wood and painted red, but a few are black or made of stone. (This was brought up in the episode, but I left it in this blog to explain why they’re red. While torii were once white for sacredness, they are painted red because to the Japanese that is the color of vitality and protection against evil. It had a practical reason, too. Red paint contains mercury, which preserves the gate. –Jimmy)
I’m glad that was easier than in past weeks. Thanks, Nathan!
Next Wednesday, you’ll hear an episode featuring my former online nemesis Michael “The Kaiju Groupie” Hamilton (MIFV Patron and co-host of the Kaiju Weekly podcast, among other things), who discusses Dogora, the Space Monster with Nathan. Then the Metters return to finish the “Daimajin Days” with Daimajin Strikes Again.
Also, this month is our first anniversary (hoo-ah!), so Nathan will be joined by Danny DiManna of the Godzilla Novelization Project for a special bonus episode to celebrate.
Join us!
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