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Jimmy’s Notes on Episode 84: John LeMay vs. ‘Mighty Peking Man’

… Huh? I’m supposed to be writing a blog? Oh! Sorry, Kaiju Lovers, I was distracted by Kaguya. She’s looking mighty fine today…for reasons. Ah-hem…. Anyway, episode 84 on Mighty Peking Man was an interesting one. John LeMay and I continue to keep the hatchet buried, but my new mic is still hot garbage. Gah! Despite these distractions, I still did my due diligence and took notes on this episode in my iconic riff-tastic way. Let’s get into them.

  • Nate going off topic? That’s new.
  • It’s easy to confuse the woman’s and ape-man’s names—but not they themselves!
  • Nate, you’re a terrible, terrible person for reasons other than forgetting Johnny’s Chinese name. Which, by the way, is Chen Zhengfeng.
  • The G-Fest filmmakers are Dojo Studios. You should know this because you’re cameoing in a crowd scene in their new film.
  • I watch this flick for Ms. Kraft, too. Don’t most straight guys, weird or otherwise? (Not that I’m saying I’m weird…because I am…but not that kind of weird, I swear!)
  • Kaguya hit me because of this movie…but not while watching it…I don’t want to talk about it.
  • It’s nice that great minds like mine and John’s think alike about a Hong Kong giant ape-man movie.
  • Slander? I’ve seen your search history for “podcast films,” Marchand! You sure you’re sticking to the “no porn” rule?
  • We need a larger number of angry anti-rapist kaiju. We’d have a hell of a lot fewer problems then.
  • Teruyoshi Nakano and I were best friends. We had a shared love of explosions. Why do you think Venus blew up?
  • From Wikizilla: “Director Keizo Murase originally conceived of the idea for Brush of the God while making The Mighty Peking Man, following a suggestion that he write a film for Hong Kong producer Chua Lam.”
  • Low-hanging fruit and monkeys? Not your best joke, John.
  • I didn’t stand a chance?! Against who?! EXPLAIN YOURSELF!
  • I searched for a feminist essay on Mighty Peking Man. Sadly, I don’t have access to a scholarly database, and this is all I could find on Google Scholar. Perhaps they haven’t discovered this film yet? (Let’s keep it that way).
  • It’s pronounced “ka-zem” not “cha-zem” John.
  • Take it up with Capt. Gordon about the Asylum stealing my Mechani-Kong Mk. II plans? How about Raymund! Michael will be hearing from my lawyer!
  • I may or may not have been on the Empire State Building looking for the woman with the Peking Man bones…I don’t want to talk about it.

Join MIFV MAX on Patreon to read Nate’s leftover research notes for this episode!

In our next few episodes, we’re taking some unexpected divergences. For “Godzilla Redux,” we aren’t doing Destroy All Monsters…because reasons. No, The Cel Cast joins us for more Godzilla: The Series coverage with the three-parter “Monster Wars.” Then we do a special episode on The Whale God, which was just released by SRS Cinema. Daniel DiManna joins Nate for this because they were supposed to be included on the blu-ray’s special features. They’ll explain. Then the World Tour continues when we go from here in Hong Kong to South Korea to catch Yongary (I) and discuss his film, Yongary, Monster from the Deep.

Until next time, remember…we shall overcome!

Social media:

#JimmyFromNASALives      #WeShallOvercome                #MonsterIslandFilmVault

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Episode 84: John LeMay vs. ‘Mighty Peking Man’

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! The most cited man on MIFV, John LeMay, returns for his all-but-mandatory-at-least-once-a-season appearance to discuss the second Shaw Bros. film we’ve covered this season: Mighty Peking Man. This infamous cult classic was a favorite of director Quinton Tarantino, and it’s easy to see why: it’s sleazy yet weirdly artsy. It feels like an exploitation film at points—especially with the gorgeous Evalyn Kraft running around in nothing but a goatskin bikini—but the special effects are remarkably well-executed thanks to Keizo Murase. Since it’s John’s favorite “Kongsploitation” movie, that is the first of two Toku Topics this episode, with the other being the Peking Man fossil, which partly inspired this flick.

Check out this episode’s epilogue, “Davida and Goliathon”!

Read “Jimmy’s Notes” on this episode here: https://monsterislandfilmvault.com/?p=2166

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip.

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Ted Williams, Wynja the Ninja, Brad “Batman” Eddleman, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Edwin Gonzalez, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, Robert Kidd, and Leon Campbell! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop). NEW MERCH NOW AVAILABLE!

This episode is approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Timestamps:

  • Introduction: 0:00-8:08
  • Entertaining Info Dump: 8:08-15:49
  • Toku Talk: 15:49-1:15:58
  • Podcast Ad (Bots, Bugs, and Babes): 1:15:58-1:17:03
  • Toku Topic (“Kongsploitation” and the Peking Man fossil): 1:17:03-1:50:06
  • Outro: 1:50:06-1:57:57
  • Credits: 1:57:57-end

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault     #MightyPekingMan            #monsterislandworldtour

© 2023, 2024 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

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Jimmy’s Notes on Bonus Episode #15: ‘The Abominable Snowman’ (1957) | Ft. Matt Walsh

I took the day off thanks to Matt Walsh’s generosity, and let me tell you, his money was well-spent on a day of sightseeing with Kaguya. If you’d like to see what we did, check out my post (tweet?) on Twit-X (which, as Nate says, sounds like the name of a Star Wars character). Regardless, once we returned to our mecha-home away from home, I listened to the AOD (audio on demand) of the bonus episode on The Abominable Snowman (1957), and I have some notes.

  • I was almost fooled by Matt’s impression of Matt. Kaguya, on the other hand, well, she needed me to explain some things. She’s still more perceptive than the internet, though. I’m amazed we weren’t bombarded by hate mail. That says a lot about the Kaiju Lovers. 😊
  • I missed pizza?! (bleep)it!
  • The (in)famous Yeti episode is #55, which you can listen to here.
  • “Faclemped.” Ha! I’m adding that to my daily vocabulary. It’s one of several words that Matt should submit to a word-of-the-day calendar.
  • “Baron Fronkensteen.” Now, I’d pay to see Gene Wilder play the Hammer version of the character.
  • Mr. Cushing will always be Tarkin to me, too. I grew up in America and Japan in the decades leading up to Star Wars, so I didn’t catch these British films.
  • Curse of Frankenstein grossed $8 million overall, which was 70 times its production budget. The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms grossed $5 million against a $200,000 budget.
  • Normally, I throw shade at John, but he and I are mending things now. I do miss the cross-platform flame wars, though.
  • The sequels to The Creature from the Black Lagoon were released in 1955 (Revenge of the Creature) and 1956 (The Creature Walks Among Us), and not the ‘60s, Nate! Do your research! I’d have caught that live.
  • The lowest British movie certificate at the time was “U” for “unrestricted.”
  • Tucker is no Nick Adams! My spirit will beat yours!
  • Can we hire Matt for the opening? “Cures what ails ya?” “The diabetus?” The man has a career in commercials waiting to happen.
  • Untamed Youth wasn’t an Ed Wood movie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untamed_Youth.
  • I can confirm the composer of this film is Humphrey Searle.
  • “Scumbucketry.” Again, word-of-the-day calendar.
  • I couldn’t find a “Chandler the Magician,” but I did find Chandu the Magician. It’s a 1932 American film, though. Perhaps Mr. Guest misremembered?
  • Nate does use a Howard Hawks style of podcasting. Trust me, we’ve gotten complaints about it. I try my best to fix it in postproduction for the podcast editions of episodes.
  • I do have a strange appreciation for Caroline Munro, er, Starcrash. It truly is the second-best Star Wars knockoff. 😛
  • Can we trademark “Raquel Welch Effect”? We know a really good lawyer.
  • That’s nine episodes of Godzilla: The Series, Nate: three in episode 45, three in bonus episode 11, and now three in an upcoming episode.

Be sure to read Nate’s research notes on the MIFV Patreon!

Speaking of the next episodes, John LeMay soon returns to discuss Mighty Peking Man (our second Shaw Bros. episode this season), which is known for a blonde hotter than Anne Darrow. (Fight me!) Then, as I said, The Cel Cast returns to discuss the three-part Godzilla: The Series epic “Monster Wars” in place of Destroy All Monsters as part of “Godzilla Redux.” Because reasons.

Until next time, remember…we shall overcome!

Social media:

#JimmyFromNASALives      #WeShallOvercome                #MonsterIslandFilmVault

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BONUS – MIFV MAX #27: ‘Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color’ | Ft. Damon Noyes, Daniel DiManna, Christopher Riner, and Elijah Thomas (Abridged)

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! In this excerpt from the latest episode of the (usually) Patreon-exclusive livestream podcast, Nathan invites his creative team (plus Elijah Thomas, who crashes the show later) on to discuss the new black-and-white edition of Godzilla Minus One. Is it a different enough experience from the original—or is it even better? These questions are answered in yet another Minus One-fueled blockbuster episode of MIFV!

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip.

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Ted Williams, Wynja the Ninja, Brad “Batman” Eddleman, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Edwin Gonzalez, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, and Robert Kidd! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop). NEW MERCH NOW AVAILABLE!

This episode is approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault     #Godzilla            #GodzillaMinusOne   #GodzillaMinusColor

© 2024 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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5th Wednesday Bonus Episode #15: ‘The Abominable Snowman’ (1957) | Ft. Matt Walsh | Patreon

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! You know him and you probably hate him—our guest today is none other than Matt Walsh! Okay, it’s not that Matt Walsh. This one shaves and isn’t a millennial curmudgeon. Anyway, because this Matt Walsh is a madman, he jumped on the joke tier on Patreon, “Jimmy’s Intern,” to discuss 1957’s The Abominable Snowman, making this MIFV’s first Hammer film…and its third yeti film. (Nate only had a mild case of PTSD). Nate was pleasantly surprised to see that this film, which stars Grand Moff Tarkin himself, Peter Cushing, was far more philosophical and thoughtful than he expected. You’re in for a spirited bonus episode that fits right in with the Monster Island World Tour…even if Jimmy gets the day off.

Read “Jimmy’s Notes” on this episode on the MIFV website: https://monsterislandfilmvault.com/index.php/2024/02/13/jimmys-notes-on-bonus-episode-15-the-abominable-snowman-1957-ft-matt-walsh/

Sound effects sourced from Freesound.org.

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip.

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Ted Williams, Wynja the Ninja, Brad “Batman” Eddleman, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Edwin Gonzalez, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, and Robert Kidd! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop). NEW MERCH NOW AVAILABLE!

This episode is approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Timestamps:

  • Introduction: 0:00-17:27
  • Main Discussion: 17:27-1:48:58
  • Outro: 1:48:58-2:03:51
  • Credits: 2:03:51-end

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault     #monsterislandworldtour            HammerFilms

© 2024 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

  • Abominable Snowman, The. Blu-ray special features by Shout!Factory:
    • Commentary with Filmmaker/Film Historian Ted Newsom
    • Commentary with Director Val Guest and Screenwriter Nigel Kneale
    • In Search of the Yeti – An Interview with Author/Film Historian Jonathan Rigby
    • “Trailer from Hell” Featuring Commentary by Filmmaker Joe Dante
    • World of Hammer Episode “Peter Cushing”
  • “Abominable Snowman, The.” IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050095/.
  • Abominable Snowman, The (film).” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Abominable_Snowman_(film).
  • “Hammer Film Productions.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammer_Film_Productions.
  • Warren, Bill. Keep Watching the Skies!: American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties, The 21st Century Edition. McFarland. 2016.
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Episode 83 Epilogue: “Kung Fools”

Nate decides to do some film curation in Hong Kong–with Hannibal Chau. Jimmy escorts him to the Bone Slums to meet the black market dealer and discovers a reel containing the 1999 cut of Reptilian. So, he does what any kaiju film curator would do: he steals it. But Chau won’t have any of that!

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip.

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Ted Williams, Wynja the Ninja, Brad “Batman” Eddleman, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Edwin Gonzalez, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, and Robert Kidd! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop). NEW MERCH NOW AVAILABLE!

This episode is approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault     #MonsterIslandWorldTour

© 2023, 2024 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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Jimmy’s Notes on Episode 83: ‘Son of Godzilla’ | Ft. Neil Riebe

Two episodes in, and I’m already annoyed with my new mic. I spent too much money to replace it, and unfortunately, the eBay seller I bought it from doesn’t do returns beyond 30 days. Plus, I purchased it just before I was wrongfully imprisoned. Oh well. Kaguya doesn’t think I sound as “sexy” on it (she’s still learning what that means). Given that we’re on the road in Hong Kong and I’m the only one with the technical knowledge and skills to maintain my “patchwork mecha,” as Nate calls it, I’m too busy to do anything about it.

But I do have time to share my notes on episode 83, the “Godzilla Redux” on Son of Godzilla with Neil Riebe.

  • I just can’t win with my mics (as I explained above).
  • I’ve avoided a colonoscopy for years. I keep telling doctors they won’t find anything up there. I doubt I brought anything back with me from Venus…I think.
  • “This Island Indiana”? Wasn’t that a mockbuster made by the Asylum about 65 years too late?
  • I love the A-Team! It was my favorite show back when I was moonlighting as a substitute Blue Bioman! I may have even modeled my gunplay after the show…which explains why my marksmanship was terrible.
  • King Kong Escapes was episode six.
  • Plural of Kamacuras is…Kamacuri, according to Dr. Hermann Gottlieb.
  • I’ll submit Neil’s theory about the glacier and Solgel and Skull Islands to the Monster Island scientists. He might get a Nobel Prize in Kaijuology.
  • I’ll also submit Nate’s “Rip Van Minya” theory to them. He probably won’t get a Nobel Prize…because Minya.
  • Nate is basic. Who knew?
  • “Momzilla”? “Dad bod”? I’m confused. But so are the people who think Godzilla is female.
  • And the Japanese think Americans made Godzilla fat…have you seen the suit in this?!
  • Jar Jar?! WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME?!
  • This is the episode of crazy fan theories! I should’ve offered one. Hmm…Oh! Minya is the Antichrist. (Well, that’s what some fans think…).
  • I’d have preferred Kumi Mizuno in this, obviously. I mean, have you seen my girlfriend? Hubba-hubba!
  • “Height” not “heighth,” Neil!
  • Psycho released in 1960, seven years before this, Nate! Do your research!
  • Come on, Marchand, have you seen Brooke Shields in The Blue Lagoon? (Just don’t tell Kaguya I said that).
  • Kazue Kiba gets second billing as a screenwriter in the credits.
  • Danny already made the Tofu Fury Jaeger joke last episode. I still like Neil’s idea that it should be ¾ the size and two-times the firepower, though. I’ll get on that once we return to the Island.

Check MIFV MAX on Patreon to read Nate’s leftover research notes!

Our next episode is actually an impromptu bonus episode sponsored by Matt Walsh (no, not that Matt Walsh). Since he’s a madman who jumped to the $100 joke Patreon tier called “Jimmy’s Intern,” I have the day off for that recording. Nate should be able to manage…maybe. Kaguya and I will go sightseeing in Hong Kong. Then we get back to the World Tour in episode 84 with Shaw Bros.’s infamous Kongsploitation movie, Mighty Peking Man (aka Goliathon). There’s a huge ape-man in it? I only remember a hot blonde. (Again, don’t tell Kaguya I said that). My former nemesis John LeMay joins us for that. Then we get back to “Godzilla Redux” in episode 85…but not with Destroy All Monsters (because reasons). No, it’s Godzilla: The Series – “Monster Wars” with The Cel Cast.

Until next time, remember…we shall overcome!

Social media:

#JimmyFromNASALives      #WeShallOvercome                #MonsterIslandFilmVault

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Episode 83: ‘Son of Godzilla’ | Ft. Neil Riebe | Godzilla Redux

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! Neil Riebe makes a dangerous journey to Hong Kong to join Nate for another “Godzilla Redux” with Son of Godzilla. This film was made in the “Year of the Kaiju,” 1967, and along with King Kong Escapes, was Toho’s big contribution to it. The studio’s “B team,” led by director Jun Fukuda, returned to helm this island adventure…that infamously introduced fans to “the Jar Jar Binks of the Godzilla franchise,” Minilla (aka Minya). But it also has some impressive insect kaiju. Believe it or not, this was made as a date movie…for very Japanese reasons! All this and more in the latest MIFV!

Listen to this episode’s epilogue, “Kung Fools.”

Check out “Jimmy’s Notes,” the official follow-up blog to this episode!

Sound effects sourced from Freesound.org.

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip.

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Ted Williams, Wynja the Ninja, Brad “Batman” Eddleman, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Edwin Gonzalez, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, and Robert Kidd! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop). NEW MERCH NOW AVAILABLE!

This episode is approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Timestamps:

  • Introduction: 0:00-5:51
  • Main Discussion: 5:51-1:43:19
  • Outro: 1:43:19-1:54:03
  • Credits: 1:54:03-end

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault     #Godzilla            #SonofGodzilla          #GodzillaRedux

© 2023, 2024 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

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Special Report #6, Part 2 – Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (Eps. 7-10 & Final Thoughts)

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! In the part two of a two-part compilation of weekly podcasts originally made for MIFV MAX members on Patreon, Nate breaks down and analyzes the first six episodes of AppleTV+’s MonsterVerse series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. It starts off strong, but like many Americans, it gets squishy in the middle. The flashback storyline is definitely better than the “present day” (2015) story arc, but both Wyatt and Kurt Russell are impressive playing the same character in two time periods.

Continued from part 1: https://monsterislandfilmvault.com/?p=2092.

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip.

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Ted Williams, Wynja the Ninja, Brad “Batman” Eddleman, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Bex from Redeemed Otaku; Jake Hambrick, Edwin Gonzalez, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), and Jonathan Courtright! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop). NEW MERCH NOW AVAILABLE!

This episode is approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Timestamps:

  • Episode 7, “Will the Real May Please Stand Up?”: 0:00-27:14
  • Episode 8, “Birthright”: 27:14-1:06:17
  • Episode 9, “Axis Mundi”: 1:06:17-1:42:08
  • Episode 10, “Beyond Logic”: 1:42:08-2:14:49
  • Final Thoughts: 2:14:49-2:26:19
  • Credits: 2:26:19-2:28:04

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault    

© 2023, 2024 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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