Tag: Jimmys Notes

Jimmy’s Notes on ‘Episode 16: Bex vs. Rebirth of Mothra’

Published May 20, 2020

Now that I’ve recovered from my embarrassment of flirting with a happily married woman, I’ve collected my notes and Nathan’s assigned research mini-projects for our latest episode. Let’s get into it.

Tomoyuki Tanaka started producing films for Toho in 1945. His first was Three Women of the North.
Yell at you, Nathan, for mispronouncing a tiny robot dragon’s name? Nah.
It’s “Enter the Fist,” not, “Legend of the Fist,” Bex. (Even writing that sentence makes my eye twitch!)
The name of this film’s director is Okihiro Yoneda.
I should’ve reminded you it was a bulldozer, Nathan. Oops.
You want me to rant on Twitter about you boring me with your many theories about everything on the Island? Nah. I have better things to do with my Twitter. Like retweet stuff for Space Force.
It’s Yakushima, not Yukushima, Bex.
What? If Mothra’s powder can be an artificial sweetener, why can’t her webbing be used to season popcorn? It only makes sense. That’s what Dr. Chujo told me.
There were two Mothra props built for this film: one for close-ups and one for action shots. There were two Mothra Leo larva props (one of which was repurposed for GMK) and two for his Imago form. There was one Desghidorah suit and a flying prop near as I can tell.
The Godzilla film with a silhouette against the sun is Godzilla vs. Hedorah. Nathan neglected to mention for some reason.
Both of you call the Elias “twins” when they aren’t. Heck, Nathan even points out they aren’t twins! Consistency, man!

Nathan’s Leftover Notes – The Film

Mothra…appears right off the bat. Glitter and sparkles!
Title actually appears in English with her glyph as the O.
Within four minutes we see the Elias (fairies). They say, “Goodbye!” together, too.
Sadly, these are dubtitles.
The seal looks like Mothra’s glyph.
Classic wing problem. They don’t flap enough.
The beam attacks (for Fairy and Garugaru) sound like gunshots sometimes.
How’d Belvera tie up the Mom? (Magic. –Jimmy)
How does Belvera stay on Garugaru with how much he crashes? (Glue? Velcro? Static cling? –Jimmy)
They try to use a kite to fly the Elias to Belvera. Definitely child logic.
Did they need the seal to cure Fairy? (The answer is apparently, “Yes.” –Jimmy)
I gotta say: Desghidorah looks great. His emergence from the mountain is particularly good. He sounds like an angry elephant, though.
There was a line that didn’t get subtitled. No dub? Belvera ordering Garugaru.
Mothra has a Canary Cry? (What superpower doesn’t she have at this point? –Jimmy)
Now Mothra is in full-tilt mama bear mode!
Why didn’t you whip out the laser cannon the first time?!
There’s an image you don’t see every day: Mothra carrying the larva in flight.
Check out the OG cell phones. (I think I still have mine…. –Jimmy)
As usual, Mothra’s cocoon looks like a peanut. Selecting a cedar tree is significant because it is connected with Shinto and used as backdrops for No theatre. National identity, traditional values, and conversation.
I’m not sure Taiki’s bee stings and snake bites analogy is applicable here.
Belvera, I don’t think “mutated” is the right word.
What?! Post-credit?! Oh. No. What a tease. (This isn’t a Marvel movie, Nathan. Or a Masaaki Tezuka Godzilla film. –Jimmy)
The child characters have insights into a kind of “magic of nature.” They show the world through their eyes, and it shows the audience what the “post-bubble family life” is like. (Rhodes and McCorkle)

Nathan’s Leftover Notes – Toku Topic: Deforestation in Japan

“The situation started to change around 1570. By then, Japan’s population had increased to ten million people, and villagers’ needs for subsistence forest products had increased correspondingly. Large-scale military conflict during the 1500s required large quantities of timber for the armies. With the advent of the Tokugawa shogunate and peace, followed by rapid growth of cities and monumental construction projects for castles, temples, and shrines, logging increased during 1600s to a scale never before experienced in Japan. Conflict between villagers and rulers over the use of forest lands – subsistence products for the villagers vs. timber for the rulers – became more intense. By 1670 the population had increased to nearly thirty million, and with the exception of Hokkaido, the old growth forests had been completely logged. The supply of timber and other forest products was running out. Soil erosion, floods, landslides, and barren lands (genya) were becoming ever more common. Japan was headed for ecological disaster.” (Marten)
A “positive tip” came in 1670: “the central role of catalytic actions and mutually reinforcing positive feedback loops, local community, outside stimulation and facilitation, letting nature and natural social processes do the work, demonstration effects, social/ecological coadaptation, and using social/ecological diversity and memory as resources. It is difficult to single out the initial tipping point with certainty, but it seems to have derived from the centuries-old tradition of cooperation among villagers for protection against bandits, allotting rice fields and irrigation water, and storing rice. Until then, village cooperation had not extended to forest management, but villages started responding to the forest crisis by refining the management of satoyama secondary forests for subsistence needs (McKean 1982, 1986), and for the first time, planting sugi and hinoki plantations to help satisfy timber demands of the rulers.” (Marten)
Something that helped was the development of silviculture technology, which better managed the tree populations. “Itinerant scholars wrote silviculture manuals, and silviculture “missionaries” traveled around the country, spreading the new technology from village to village. The creation of managed tree plantations stimulated new social institutions for the ruling elite and villagers to cooperate on timber production in a way that provided villagers incentives to produce timber: yamawari (dividing use rights of village forest land among families), nenkiyama (long term leases of forest land to villagers by the government), and buwakibayashi (villagers producing timber on government land and sharing the harvest with the government).” (Marten)
People in the lumber industry called this the “buna massacre.” Artificial forests that once accounted for only 27% of Japan’s total forest land grew to over 44% by 1985. An estimated 17 million buna trees were cut down.
“Japan’s switch to imported wood, fossil-fuel energy, and chemical fertilizers for agriculture, in full swing by the 1980s, eliminated the demand for forest products from satoyama secondary forest and greatly reduced the demand for sugi and hinoki.” (Marten)
Other countries have had the same problems planting one or two species of trees: China, Brazil, Pakistan.
“It is using LIDAR (light detection and ranging) to map forestland and determine where to harvest trees, where to preserve landscapes and where to build resilience against landslides and runoff.” (Coca)
“Most of the cultivated pasture land (in Hokkaido) was abandoned and returned to the Japanese government from 1966-1977, as climate conditions in the area were not conducive to good crop yield. The shift from old growth forest to pasture left large areas of reduced soil fertility that trees were unable to recolonize. Due to a lack of a seed bank and competition with dwarf bamboo, human involvement was necessary to reforest the area. From 1978-2005 native trees with high growth rates were planted in plantations. It was mostly conifers that were planted in the area, but it has aided in the recovery of a conifer-broadleaf mixed forest.” (Wikipedia)

Dangit, Nathan, I’m an engineer, not an ecologist! Even as a man of science this was a bit of a slog to get through. No offense to ecologists, though. We have a few here on the Island studying the local plant life, and they’re good people. Although, they do have a weird fascination with Biollante.

Join us next week when Nathan discusses a very different film: The Last War (1961). Until next time, stay safe and stay healthy!

Follow me on Twitter: @NasaJimmy

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Jimmy’s Notes on ‘Episode 15: Battle in Outer Space (with Luke Jaconetti)’

Published May 6, 2020

After spending last week helping Nathan fight a PR war that makes my flame wars look like playground scuffles, I’ve finally finished my Jimmy’s Notes blog. Thankfully, we did have some content last week with a third bonus episode.

As you’d expect, being a former NASA engineer, I had a lot to say about Nathan and Luke’s discussion of Battle in Outer Space. Some of this I wish I’d brought up on the air. (I’ve been slacking off on that lately. This should be remedied). Anyway, that’s because Battle is the middle entry in Toho’s “pseudo-trilogy” (the first being The Mysterians), and is one of my favorite Toho tokusatsu films. Although, some of these bullet points were assignments given to me on the air by Nathan, so I’m contractually obligated to research them (something else I should try to do on the air more).

So, as Luke loves to say on Earth Destruction Directive, “let’s get into the notes.”

Ambrose Bierce is the author of the short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.”
The Japanese title for Ebirah, Horror of the Deep actually translates as “Big Duel in the South Sea,” not, “north sea,” Luke.
Okay. Ignore the third entry in the “pseudo-trilogy.” It’s only subtitled “The Jimmy From NASA Story.” 😛
Just to clarify: Nathan wasn’t saying The Mysterians took place in 1965. He was saying Battle in Outer Space took place in 1965. There seemed to be a little confusion.
Nathan and Nick (Hayden) talk about gaishan, which seems to be somewhat similar to nimowashi, in episode 6. (I hope I spelled those right).
The Sears Tower is now called the Willis Tower.
Did Luke make a Freudian slip and say, “Nude Japan Wrestling,” and not, “New Japan Wrestling”?! That’d be, well, a whole other promotion. That hopefully is just about getting back to how the Romans wrestled back in the day….
It’s hard to say if gravity and absolute zero are connected. Absolute zero, from what I can gather, is more of a mathematical concept than a scientific one. It’s never been achieved and probably can’t. Some say gravity isn’t affected by temperature while others say gravity would cause some release of energy, which creates heat as a byproduct and prevents absolute zero from being reached. It’s all theory, and this film was based on now outdated science (as Nathan pointed out). You can read more about gravity here.
One day, I will have the P-1 in my garage. It’s second only to the Gohten for me, and I can’t get that one, either. You’d think one of the people who helped build it and now has a huge garage to house it would have enough clout to acquire it. Oh well.
It’s “Takarada” not “Hakarada,” and “Kubo” and not “Kube,” Luke. 😛
Wow, Nathan was way off with Yoshio Tsuchiya’s filmography. He was in 1954’s The Invisible Man (Toho), Godzilla Raids Again (1955), Varan the Unbelievable (1958), and The H-Man (1958). Mind you, he played minor roles, but still, he did have tokusatsu credits between The Mysterians and Battle in Outer Space.
Yes. NASA has the memory of a goldfish when it comes to the Gohten. Or have I fallen into a bizarre parallel universe? 😛
Why don’t I work at JAXA? It’s a long story. I’ll tell it to you over a few drinks. Or after a few drinks. Maybe.
Luke and I had a good time in Malaysia. We stopped at this little “hole in the wall” restaurant in Kuala Lumpur where he tried some teh tarik and nasi lemak. We had to hightail it out of there because of…local trouble. (There are reasons I said during Nathan’s stream Friday that I’m not allowed some countries…).

Nathan’s Leftover Notes

It’s interesting hearing the foreign news reports “dubbed” in Japanese.
The stuff with Dr. Achmed is very X-Files-ish.
We see reps from India, F.R. Germany, Canada, and the Philippines. All dubbed in Japanese. The Canadian was played by actor frequently seen in Toho films. Terrible actors. (Japanese rep is Ryo Ikebe from Varan).
S250 = adamantium?
You know, these aliens blew up a space station, and you’re wondering if they’re peaceful. Just saying.
It’s a Walther PPK!
Give him the gun. Surrender. Then take it back and take a hostage? What?!
Did the ship just fly away after zapping Dr. Achmed? Was he teleported or vaporized? (Teleporters are dicey technology, let me tell you. -Jimmy)
How’d they figure out all this stuff about the Natal between scenes? (They read the script. -Jimmy)
Jimmy built a model of the SPIP as a kid. (Yes, that is true. –Jimmy)
Somehow, the g-forces are more intense than that. Is one guy stretching his face with his hands to simulate it? Their grimacing faces, says Galbraith, were a clichéd prediction that proved groundless. (G-force is something to scoff at, man! I should know. That’s why the Gohten was designed to resist it. -Jimmy)
Cool transition from shot of Earth to the moon.
Iwamura just magically breaks free, huh?
Ifukube’s music helps make these long sequences of exploring the moon go by faster.
The Natal base looks like siren.
The music when the SPIP crew attacks the base would be reused later in Godzilla films and become synonymous with it.
Dude has a rifle that can take out a Natal fighter! (I want this gun. For scientific purposes. -Jimmy)
Like Shiraishi, who served the Mysterians, Iwamura finds redemption in heroic sacrifice.
“Scientists lead the way.”
When the SPIP returns, the characters vanish.
The world comes together to pool its resources to build a combat rocket. Houses in Space Center in Texas. Houston? (That’s a nice place. I liked hanging out there. No problem. 😛 -Jimmy)
There is a little regret expressed over putting humans in rockets built for war. Very Japanese and Honda.
A Natal ship was in the office of the UFO Club president in Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster. (That guy is nuts! 😛 -Jimmy)
I could see this getting remade. Perhaps with better character work.
The futuristic space center was actually the recently built Japan National Sports Center.
Tsuburaya reused the Mysterian ship models for the Natal.

His Notes from the Ishiro Honda Biography

This marked Honda’s abrupt transition from a two-track film career to exclusively genre films.
“We tried making this film different in several ways. The Mysterians was a bit more fantastic in concept, so rather than filming with attention to realism, we made a lot of bright colors…In [Battle], our big point was to realistically portray how people would respond to an alien invasion. We simulated a real invasion.” –Assistant Director Koji Kajita
Given that The Mysterians was high on plot and this is high on action and thin characters, does this make it a prototype Heisei film? 😛
The film was released three weeks before the controversial Security Treaty (AMPO) was updated. This is reflected with American and Japanese astronaut crews. It’s also seen in this idealized world where the whole anti-Natal project is centered in Tokyo, showing Japan as an international player.
Real world science is in the film. The gravity beam was based on an article in a science journal that said an object’s gravitational pull could be negated at absolute zero. The spacesuits were modeled after cosmonaut suits. The rocket fighters were inspired by X-15’s, which had been unveiled by the U.S. in June 1959 (six months before the film’s release).
Honda and Tsuburaya cut some corners because of budget constraints. The attacks on Venice and the Panama Canal were illustrated unconvincingly instead of being depicted. On the other hand, the flying saucer attack on the moon was a less ambitious scene in the script. I guess they just allocated funds from one thing to another.
Toho’s founder died in 1957, and the studio was controlled more by the massive Hankyu Corporation, which had a stronger focus on the bottom line. This led to tighter budgets (as seen during the filming of Battle in Outer Space), and a greater focus on genre pictures due to their popularity. Honda would leave behind the dramas and light comedies he’d been making.

His Notes from Stuart Galbraith IV’s Book

Astronaut hats look like shower caps.
American editors removed the crowd’s line of “Banzai!” (Probably because of Japanese suicide soldiers).
Says the film exceeds American invasion films in showmanship and visual excitement.

His Leftover Space Race Notes:

“Space exploration served as another dramatic arena for Cold War competition. On October 4, 1957, a Soviet R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile launched Sputnik (Russian for “traveler”), the world’s first artificial satellite and the first man-made object to be placed into the Earth’s orbit. Sputnik’s launch came as a surprise, and not a pleasant one, to most Americans. In the United States, space was seen as the next frontier, a logical extension of the grand American tradition of exploration, and it was crucial not to lose too much ground to the Soviets. In addition, this demonstration of the overwhelming power of the R-7 missile–seemingly capable of delivering a nuclear warhead into U.S. air space–made gathering intelligence about Soviet military activities particularly urgent.” (History.com)
Japan:
- “Japanese space development was started by Tokyo University professor Hideo Itokawa. Many aeronautical engineers lost their jobs after World War II as aircraft development was banned under the US Occupation of Japan. This changed after the signing of the San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1951, which once again allowed the development of aviation technology. The seven-year stagnation of Japan’s aerospace industry had seriously harmed Japanese technical abilities.[1][2] To address this, Itokawa established an aviation research group at the Institute of Industrial Science of the University of Tokyo. This institution succeeded in a horizontal launch of the Pencil Rocket on 12 April 1955 in Kokubunji, Tokyo. The dimensions of the rocket were 23 cm (9.1 in) in length by 1.8 cm (0.71 in) in diameter.[3] [4]” (Wikipedia)
- “Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)…was formed on 1 October 2003. … Before the merger, ISAS was responsible for space and planetary research, while NAL was focused on aviation research. NASDA, which was founded on 1 October 1969, had developed rockets, satellites, and also built the Japanese Experiment Module. The old NASDA headquarters were located at the current site of the Tanegashima Space Center, on Tanegashima Island, 115 kilometers south of Kyūshū. NASDA also trained the Japanese astronauts who flew with the US Space Shuttles.[6]” (Wikipedia).

This was fun. But then again, I’m a sucker for space movies.

Join us next week when Bex from Redeemed Otaku discusses Rebirth of Mothra with Nathan in the first of a sub-series of episodes we’re calling “The Summer of Mothra.”

Follow me on Twitter: @NasaJimmy

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Jimmy’s Notes on ‘Episode 14 – Dallas Mora vs. Kong: Skull Island’

Published April 15, 2020

Having spent a few weeks bandaging my bruised ego after the Island’s Board of Directors bamboozled me, I’ve decided to channel my inner Joel Robinson by riffing Nathan and Dallas’ discussion of Kong: Skull Island. That always cheers me up. (That and Baby Yoda).

Here we go!

Dallas meant to say “Goji-Kong” and not “Goji-kun.” He gave our mascots/resident gremlins that “duo name” before the broadcast but misspoke on the air.
The actor from Godzilla (2014) and Avengers: Age of Ultron Nathan couldn’t remember was Aaron Taylor-Johnson. You lost some serious nerd points there, Marchand. (Also, he was the star of Kick-Ass).
IMDB does claim that James Conrad was likely named after author Joseph Conrad. It also mentions that Marlow was named after the protagonist in the author’s most famous novel, heart of Darkness. But this is IMDB we’re talking about here, so it may require a kaiju-sized grain of salt.
The Legendary Godzilla actually appeared throughout history and inspired mythologies, but this was between long naps. He was awakened by nuclear submarine on accident in 1954, which led to the Castle Bravo test meant to kill him.
Nathan neglected to mention that the town of Brookings, Oregon, has a 400-year-old samurai sword from a Japanese fighter pilot on display. Read about it here.
It was five months after the Cubs won (October 2016-March 2017). Nathan, you never were good at math-ing.
The name of Marlow’s Japanese friend was Gunpei Ikari. You lost some more nerd points there, Nathan.
The name of the Chinese actress was Jing Tian. Her role was originally larger, but it was reduced through cuts to the movie. Interestingly, in Chinese her role is described as “hua ping” which refers to a vase. As in an insignificant role.
The actor who played young Marlow and Marlow’s son was Will Britain.
No, I will not share the vacation photo I slipped into the slideshow briefing. The Internet couldn’t handle it.
It’s called a dump button, Nathan. “Drop button.” Sheesh!
Oldboy is no longer on Netflix, at least in the U.S.
Dallas, you said “literally” when you meant “figuratively”! I’m surprised Nathan didn’t chew you out for that. I would’ve said something, but it wasn’t that important.
Actually, from what I can tell, U.S. troop deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq are comparable to the Vietnam War. There’ve been 775,000 troops deployed at least once to Afghanistan. Mind you, those weren’t all at once. There were 340,000 U.S. troops stationed in and around Iraq when Baghdad fell in 2005, with 235,000 engaged in the war.
“Eight month hiatus” for the “Kong Quest” (ba-dun-ching)? More like seven months, Nathan (April-November). Again, you’ve never been good with numbers. 😛

And now to fulfill my contractual obligations, here are Nathan’s leftover notes:

The Film

Starts in WWII. Conflict between American and Japanese fighter pilot. Foreshadows Kong and Godzilla? The Japanese pilot is never seen after the opening, which is disappointing.
Young Marlow is a terrible shot.
“Skull Island: The land where God did not finish creation.” Interesting. “A place where myth and science meet.” Describes the MonsterVerse.
It’s implied that Hiddleston is also a disgraced soldier hardened by the war and the public.
Larson gives a much better performance here than in Captain Marvel. I actually like her here. She isn’t a block of wood.
This briefing scene is similar to one from Kong ’76. The island is also obscured by a perpetual storm, which is like the fog of ’76, but a little crazy.
How many helicopters are there? The number seems to shift.
I can’t help but think the close-ups of the Nixon bobblehead during Jackson’s Icarus speech and whatnot are meant to be commentaries on the war and foolhardiness.
Once they reach the island in 27 minutes, it really starts to feel like Apocalypse Now. That’s interesting because this film was largely shot in Vietnam. Director Vogt-Roberts became very fond of the country.
Kong’s anti-copter tree attack returns from King Kong Escapes!
This version of Skull Island has the most diverse wildlife. The giant buffalo is one of the most interesting.
The hollow Earth theory is brought up here for the first time.
I’ve been told the soldier being impaled by the bamboo spider was inspired by a film I never want to see: Cannibal Holocaust.
In this film we see Kong hunt.
The natives here are a bit odd. They have no crime or personal property (“beyond all that”). They don’t speak much. They have hallowed ground dedicated to Kong and will cut off people’s hands if they touch the wrong thing.
Kong is the god of the island, but the devils live below. “Kong is king around here.” Said like that because of copyright? This breaks the tradition of “King” not being given to him until he’s taken to civilization.
There’s still a wall like in most Kong films.
I feel sorry for this young guy. He wanders around alone for a long time and dies alone.
“The dangerous places are the most beautiful.” -Conrad
Like in 2005, Kong is lonely and the last of his kind, but he doesn’t seek companionship from a specific human. The closest is the tribe, which he protects.
The scientist getting dismembered by the lizard birds is…gruesome. Visceral.
“I’ve taken enough photos of mass graves to recognize one.” I don’t think this quite qualifies.
John Goodman gets killed off too soon, although he does help set up a cool set piece. He reminds me of the professor from Jurassic Park.
Man, that katana is sharp! It slices through lizard bird like paper!
There’s a lot of respect shown to the military and soldiers in this film.
In some ways, this film is an overcompensation for the perceived “problems” of G2014. The daylight complaint I’m tired of hearing. Some say it’s because it’s easier to hide SFX problems at night, but in this film, the characters aren’t brightly colored or have colorful attacks, so daylight makes sense.
FPS shots!
Kong is angry not only because his family is dead and he’s the last of his kind, but also because humans and Skullcrawlers keep invading his home. He attacks and kills humans intentionally because of this (unlike Godzilla). (Omni Viewer).
Packard dies just before Jackson can say his “famous line.”
1:37:00: Vertigo shot!
Once again Kong is caught in chains that he breaks. In this case, it wasn’t chains of captivity. Strength overcoming hardship. He then uses them and the boat rotors as weapons.
Kong saves Mason and golds her in his hand, but that’s the closest we get to classic Kong. Miraculously, she isn’t crushed in his hand when the Big One swallows Kong’s hand. Good thing she was unconscious.
Kong kills the Big One, it’s implied, out of gratitude for the protagonists helping him with Packard.
Director Vogt-Roberts wanted Kong to move like a mech, which is weird.
Vogt-Roberts went on a Twitter rant when CinemaSins released their video on the film.
Vogt-Roberts says he was reinventing the story not as man vs. nature but as man vs. god. Didn’t want to retell the beauty and the beast story.
Vogt-Roberts says in the 1970s, people were actively destroying myth, but these characters go where it still exists.
Kong needs to be huge to small his grandiosity, humans in the shadow of the colossus.
Vogt-Roberts says he loves flawed characters because that makes them interesting.
Vogt-Roberts did hope that people walked away wondering what role myth and nature play in their lives.
Early concepts were more gorilla-like, but Vogt-Roberts wanted him to be more movie monster, more Neanderthal-like.
ILM used komodo dragons, deer, and buffalo for reference for the Skullcrawlers. Looked at how deer and buffalo thrust their heads getting up.
Those working on the film say every Kong film brings with it technical innovation.
Most Americans know Vietnam through the war, and those photos were from the siuth. The north has completely different landscape. “Like a matte paiting.” –Vogt-Roberts
Brie Larson worked with real photographer and war correspondents. Her camera was real. She took photos on set. On blu-ray. Some used in film, some not.
Symbols painted on Iwi skin and woven into their clothing as form of communication and camouflage. They’re not indigenous. Collection of people who were stranded on island.
Post-credit scene wasn’t always in film. Vogt-Roberts believed in it, but it took a new technician who hadn’t seen the film before to say it should be included.

The Toku Topic

Soldiers grew more restless and doubted their purpose for being there and the government’s reasoning for doing so. Many suffered from PTSD and turned to vices like drugs. “On the collapse of U.S. morale, historian Shelby Stanton wrote: ‘In the last years of the Army’s retreat, its remaining forces were relegated to static security. The American Army’s decline was readily apparent in this final stage. Racial incidents, drug abuse, combat disobedience, and crime reflected growing idleness, resentment, and frustration… the fatal handicaps of faulty campaign strategy, incomplete wartime preparation, and the tardy, superficial attempts at Vietnamization. An entire American army was sacrificed on the battlefield of Vietnam.’” (Wikipedia)
ROTC enrollment dropped drastically from 191,749 in 1966 to 72,459 by 1971, and reached an all-time low of 33,220 in 1974,” depriving the military of much-needed leadership. (Wikipedia)
“In 1970, a joint U.S-South Vietnamese operation invaded Cambodia, hoping to wipe out DRV supply bases there. The South Vietnamese then led their own invasion of Laos, which was pushed back by North Vietnam. … The invasion of these countries, in violation of international law, sparked a new wave of protests on college campuses across America. During one, on May 4, 1970, at Kent State University in Ohio, National Guardsmen shot and killed four students. At another protest 10 days later, two students at Jackson State University in Mississippi were killed by police.” (History.com)
There was much insubordination among the ranks as the war went on (which sounds like the film when Packard’s men turn on him). “Ron Milam has questioned the severity of the ‘breakdown’ of the U.S. armed forces, especially among combat troops, as reflecting the opinions of ‘angry colonels’ (can you say Packard?) who deplored the erosion of traditional military values during the Vietnam War. Although acknowledging serious problems, he questions the alleged ‘near mutinous’ conduct of junior officers and enlisted men in combat. Investigating one combat refusal incident, a journalist declared, ‘A certain sense of independence, a reluctance to behave according to the military’s insistence on obedience, like pawns or puppets…The grunts [infantrymen] were determined to survive…they insisted of having something to say about the making of decisions that determined whether they might live or die.’ The morale and discipline problems and resistance to conscription were important factors leading to the creation of an all-volunteer military force by the United States and the termination of conscription. The last conscript was inducted into the army in 1973. The all-volunteer military moderated some of the coercive methods of discipline previously used to maintain order in military ranks.”
“President Ronald Reagan coined the term ‘Vietnam Syndrome’ to describe the reluctance of the American public and politicians to support further military interventions abroad after Vietnam. In the same speech, he voiced support for the war and its veterans, saying, “It is time we recognized that ours was, in truth, a noble cause. A small country newly free from colonial rule sought our help in establishing self-rule and the means of self-defense against a totalitarian neighbor bent on conquest. We dishonor the memory of 50,000 young Americans who died in that cause when we give way to feelings of guilt as if we were doing something shameful, and we have been shabby in our treatment of those who returned. They fought as well and as bravely as any Americans have ever fought in any war. They deserve our gratitude, our respect, and our continuing concern.”
“The Vietnam War POW/MIA issue, concerning the fate of U.S. service personnel listed as missing in action, persisted for many years after the war’s conclusion. The costs of the war loom large in American popular consciousness; a 1990 poll showed that the public incorrectly believed that more Americans lost their lives in Vietnam than in World War II.” (Wikipedia)

That’s everything for this week. My apologies for posting it late. With us pumping out bonus episodes to entertain and enlighten everyone in quarantine thanks to COVID-19, the episode took precedence over my blog.

Regardless, next week you’ll hear Nathan’s discussion of Battle in Outer Space—the second entry in Toho’s “pseudo-trilogy”—with Luke Jaconetti from the Earth Destruction Directive podcast. Then for the first episode in May, Nathan starts what could be called the “Summer of Mothra” with a discussion of Rebirth of Mothra with Bex from the Redeemed Otaku podcast.

Follow me on Twitter: @NasaJimmy

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Nathan’s Notes on ‘Episode 13: The Three Treasures (Mini-Analysis)’

Published April 1, 2020

I thought the number 13 being unlucky was just a superstition.

Until now.

Much like Yamato Takeru from The Three Treasures, I’ve been beset by misfortune after posting episode 13 of the podcast. During my livestream of Override: Mech City Brawl, Jimmy From NASA started a betting pool with the Island’s Board of Directors, the science team, and pretty much everyone else who worked here. It was based on my performance in the game—and he bet against me. And I played the game on hard mode. Jimmy made out like a bandit. He even cleaned out the Board. So much so, he used that money to buy Metageckon (the mech I used in the game) on eBay. That’s not the unfortunate part. He used his newfound leverage with the Board to make himself the host of MIFV! Now I’m his producer. This means I have to do the follow-up blog to last week’s episode on The Three Treasures and every episode after this.Jimmy was kind enough to give me his notes from the episode, which wasn’t much, so this blog will be relatively short. That’s probably good since the blog on episode 12 was as long as Peter Jackson’s King Kong!

Here’s all that Jimmy had on the episode:

There is some debate over whether Toshiro Mifune was a Christian. This Wikipedia discussion board questions it because he has a traditional Buddhist gravestone. He was the son of Japanese Christian missionaries who worked in China, and he had a traditional Methodist wedding, though. This Reddit thread (so take it with a grain of salt) says there was a rumor that he was part of something called the “Ikeda cult,” but that just seems to be the cult trying to claim a celebrity as a member to find legitimacy. (The post references the potentially inaccurate Wikipedia article, mind you).
What? I was tired from working in my garage all day! Of course I’d fall asleep watching a three-hour movie! I’m a busy man.
Nathan mispronounced the name of the eight-headed dragoon. It’s “Yamata no Orochi” not “Yamato.” I don’t think the dragon is part of the royal family. (But I could be speaking in ignorance. Weirder things have happened. I should know. I lived them).

My Leftover Notes from Watching the Film:

Credits over an eclipsed sun? “Land of the rising sun”?
“In the beginning…” Opening narration sounds biblical and mythical. Old woman.
These village scenes are reminding me of The Ten Commandments with the enslaved Israelites.
“Old stories are full of beautiful life.” -Old woman storyteller
The set design is incredible. Very DeMille.
A lot of court drama and intrigue.
Are the prince and Otomachibana meant to parallel the god and goddess from the beginning?
Day for night scene at river!
Torii gate is entrance to temple grounds. Like Hebrew temple or tabernacle.
This is a response to another numbered religious epic: The Ten Commandments ~ The Three Treasures.
Is that Hirata? I almost don’t recognize him.
Those fire effects were a little awkward.
A woman be stoned for loving a man from a different clan. Very ancient.
These people look Mongolian?
Kumaso (Takashi Shimura) is undone by his lust. Even checked for a man before this.
Kumaso tells the prince to kill him. He hesitates, then takes the prince’s sword and slits his own throat. Seppouku?
There are flashbacks to the gods as told by an old woman storyteller. Oral tradition.
What do they mean by “nag”?
I thought the prince and the gods would interact.
Criterion should release this.
“Laugh festival”? “Festival of laughter”?
While this festival seems like revelry, it is meant to bring the sun goddess (and light) back to the world.
The rooster’s crow when light and the goddess return.
Is there an intermission? Was it removed?
Yes. These myths are meant to parallel the prince. Susan-o = the prince. Susan-o’s tears drained all the world’s water. The prince’s mother says he must not be like him.
The flashbacks/stories increase as the film progresses.
“Orochi” just gets translated as “dragon.”
Last daughter transformed by Susan-o into hair braid for safety.
Orochi’s approach blows out torch. Nice!
Proto-Ghidorah! The heads do kinda flop around. They just appear to be heads. No body. In water. The glowing eyes are cool. Looks better fighting Susan-o. Nevermind. It has a body. He must have a magic sword or its heart or brain in in its tail. He pulls a sword from the dragon, which is now used to defend Japan. The prince now has it.
Just as Susan-o became a hero, so does the prince.
Mt. Fuji is active in this. Village elder says it protects them. The prince says the smoke reminds him of the evil in men’s hearts.
The location scenes are gorgeous.
Spectacular fire scene where the prince uses the flint from the bag given him as a gift to change the wind.
The smoke from Mt. Fuji turns red. Passion? Rage?
Like Susan-o, the prince is unloved by his father.
Yamato is a region.
A storm happens when the prince decides to return as a plebian to marry Otomochibani against his father’s orders. Wrath of the gods? Otomochibani says it is her fault for breaking her vow and angering the sea god. She throws herself overboard to placate him. Reminds me of Jonah and the big fish. A green light appears in the sea after she jumps. Her kimono floats up. The storm clears. Taken by the gods? “The princess has become my sacrifice.” Most supernatural thing that’s happened in the “present.”
This ambush is the film’s big climax. It’s spectacular. Nobody makes movies like this anymore. It isn’t quite Ten Commandments huge, but it’s still great. Cuts between on location shooting and sets.
The prince is killed and his soul rises in the form of a white crane. Mt. Fuji erupts. Even in death he is victorious. His wrath is poured out on his enemies. Symbolizes Japan. This was foreshadowed earlier. The effects for this are great. The compositing and everything. This is also like The Ten Commandments when the unrighteous Israelites are swallowed by the earth. And now he uses water from a lake to cause a flood and drown other enemies.
Oh, man…death by lava. Horrible.
I’m pretty sure lava is more viscous than that, but we’ll go with it.
The crane flies toward a rainbow, symbolizing how the prince enters the realm of the gods. The people follow the bird.

Yamato Takeru

In the original legends, Otomachibana was his wife and not a fiancé, but she did sacrifice herself to placate the sea god. Her comb washed ashore seven days later, and her tomb was built around it. He did later marry Miyazu.

I didn’t take notes from all my sources, so I recommend referencing my bibliography for the episode if you want to learn more. (I’m gonna miss writing those).