TBF, Mags, you have been doing a lot of the heavylifting for the quest, so this will be in good hands.
To be clear to everyone, this is just me burning out on imagination of the quest, since my muse has been hitting me over the head a lot with so many different ideas that I just can't find myself too interested in this.
I'll still hang out here, though, since this still does have a sepcial place in my heart.
I'd like to thank you all for making this a wonderful experience while it lasted.
I'd also like to thank @Magoose, @Fluffy_serpent, and @Martin Noctis for doing so much to help prepare and write this quest. I couldn't have done it without you all.
So... it is 1981, and we haven't had a Mike Eisner Omake Challenge!
The Challenge is as follows:
Quinton Tarintino has a script that he has been working on crime novel script, so... lets see it. (A pitch for one of Tarntino's films)
Sam Raimi wants to have a new Evil Dead script and has been pestering Paul and Wes to help him. (Evil dead Part 2 pitch)
Meanwhile in Universal: Sid is ready to unleash his newest most diabolical scheme yet. And Mike is ready to can that faster then Joseph on a bad reviewer. (An Omake involving Sids master plan and how mike picks it apart, while pointing out its merits.)
Django: Unchained, here we come!
(The Klan scene is genuinely one of the funniest fucking things I've ever seen in a movie and I still go back and rewatch it with my family sometimes)
I'll handle this one since it won't be especially time consuming for me, I don't have much else going on right now(other than school), and it's easy work since my computer screen got damaged.
Meanwhile in Universal: Sid is ready to unleash his newest most diabolical scheme yet. And Mike is ready to can that faster then Joseph on a bad reviewer. (An Omake involving Sids master plan and how mike picks it apart, while pointing out its merits.)
Django: Unchained, here we come!
(The Klan scene is genuinely one of the funniest fucking things I've seen in a movie and I still go back and rewatch it with my family sometimes)
I'm more partial towards The Rock or Crimson Tide (which is why I asked if him being uncredited count). But, if the people want Django, then I can do that.
Django: Unchained, here we come!
(The Klan scene is genuinely one of the funniest fucking things I've ever seen in a movie and I still go back and rewatch it with my family sometimes)
I actually think that Reservoir Dogs would be the best film. It's the perfect beginner film for Quentin Tarantino in that it establishes the key aspects of his style such as the long nothing conversations, casual swearing and violence, character introspection, unconventional non-linear storytelling, etc. It's a great starter film because it's just in a couple locations and a bunch of actors talking to each other and I think something like Django is way too ambitious for a young untested Quentin Tarantino. Reservoir Dogs walked so Pulp Fiction could run and Tarantino could run a marathon for the rest of his career.
I actually think that Reservoir Dogs would be the best film. It's the perfect beginner film for Quentin Tarantino in that it establishes the key aspects of his style such as the long nothing conversations, casual swearing and violence, character introspection, unconventional non-linear storytelling, etc. It's a great starter film because it's just in a couple locations and a bunch of actors talking to each other and I think something like Django is way too ambitious for a young untested Quentin Tarantino. Reservoir Dogs walked so Pulp Fiction could run and Tarantino could run a marathon for the rest of his career.
I actually think that Reservoir Dogs would be the best film. It's the perfect beginner film for Quentin Tarantino in that it establishes the key aspects of his style such as the long nothing conversations, casual swearing and violence, character introspection, unconventional non-linear storytelling, etc. It's a great starter film because it's just in a couple locations and a bunch of actors talking to each other and I think something like Django is way too ambitious for a young untested Quentin Tarantino. Reservoir Dogs walked so Pulp Fiction could run and Tarantino could run a marathon for the rest of his career.
What do you think of Crimson Tide or The Rock? He is uncredited in those, but I think those could also fit very well. The second one more since it's a very simple movie, but with great character developement and amazing action.
GENRE: Horror/Comedy
SUBGENRE: Supernatural/Dark Comedy
FORMAT: Movie
SET UP: A young man named Ashley Williams takes his girlfriend Linda to a secluded cabin in the woods where he plays back a professor's tape recorded recitation of passages from the Book of the Dead. The spell calls up an evil force from the woods which turns Linda into a monstrous Deadite, and threatens to do the same to Ash. When the professor's daughter and her entourage show up at the cabin, the night turns into a non-stop, grotesquely comical battle for survival.
Ash Williams and his girlfriend, Linda, take a romantic vacation to a seemingly abandoned cabin in the woods. While in the cabin, Ash plays a tape of archaeologist Raymond Knowby, the cabin's previous inhabitant, reciting passages from the "Book of the Dead", Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, which he has discovered during an archaeological dig. The recorded incantation unleashes an evil force (also known as the Kandarian Demon) that kills and later possesses Linda, turning her into a "deadite". Ash is then forced to decapitate her with a shovel and bury her in a shallow grave near the cabin. At dawn, the evil force throws Ash through the woods. He briefly becomes possessed by the demon, but when day breaks, he is inexplicably returned to normal.
He attempts to flee the area but finds that the bridge to the cabin has been destroyed. The spirit chases him back to the cabin, where Linda's revived head attacks him and bites his hand. He runs to the shed, where her headless body attacks him with a chainsaw, but he overpowers and slashes the deadite Linda to death. His right hand becomes possessed and tries to kill him, and he severs it with the chainsaw before attempting to shoot it with a shotgun, but the hand mocks him and ultimately escapes. Meanwhile, Knowby's daughter Annie, and her research partner, Ed Getley, return from the dig with the missing pages of the Necronomicon, only to find the destroyed bridge. They enlist repairman Jake and his girlfriend Bobby Joe to show them another route to the cabin, where they find an embattled Ash covered in blood. Thinking that he murdered Annie's parents, Annie and the others lock him in the cellar.
The four new arrivals listen to the rest of Knowby's recording, detailing how his wife Henrietta was possessed by the Kandarian Demon, and that he killed her and buried her in the cellar. Henrietta, now a deadite, possesses Ed; Ash dismembers him with an axe. Bobby Joe tries to escape, but demonically possessed trees attack and drag her to her death. Annie translates two of the Necronomicon's pages before Jake turns on them and throws the pages into the cellar, forcing them at gunpoint to find Bobby Joe. Ash becomes possessed once again and attacks Jake. Annie retreats to the cabin and accidentally stabs Jake (mistaking him for the possessed Ash) before Henrietta kills him. Deadite Ash tries to kill Annie, but returns to his normal self upon seeing Linda's necklace.
With Annie's help, Ash modifies the chainsaw, attaches it to the stump of his right arm, and cuts the shotgun's barrel. After finding the missing pages of the Necronomicon in the cellar, Ash kills Henrietta. The trees outside begin to destroy the cabin. Annie reveals that she has only read the first half of the incantation and attempts to finish the second half. As she reads it, Ash's severed hand uses a Kandarian dagger to stab her in the back. She manages to complete the incantation before succumbing to her wound. The incantation opens up a whirling temporal vortex which not only draws in the demon, but also Ash and his Oldsmobile Delta 88.
Ash and his Oldsmobile land in the Middle Ages. A group of knights confront him and initially mistake him for a deadite, but are quickly distracted when a real harpy-like deadite appears. Ash blasts it with his shotgun and they hail him as a hero who has come to save them, causing him to break down and scream in anguish.
Bruce Campbell as Ashley Williams
Sarah Berry as Annie Knowby
Dan Hicks as Jake
Kassie Wesley as Bobby Joe
Denise Bixler as Linda
Snowy Winters as Dancing Demon Linda
Richard Domeier as Professor Ed Getley
John Peaks as Professor Knowby
Lou Hancock as Henrietta Knowby
Ted Raimi as Possessed Henrietta
William Preston Robertson as the voice of the Evil Dead
Quick update, Kaiser Chris has agreed to take over the Tarantino Pitch since I'm currently swamped with another Pitch that just hit me out of nowhere, and I'm not sure how long this Challenge is. Sorry guys, you know how inspiration works.
Quick update, Kaiser Chris has agreed to take over the Tarantino Pitch since I'm currently swamped with another Pitch that just hit me out of nowhere, and I'm not sure how long this Challenge is. Sorry guys, you know how inspiration works.
I actually think that Reservoir Dogs would be the best film. It's the perfect beginner film for Quentin Tarantino in that it establishes the key aspects of his style such as the long nothing conversations, casual swearing and violence, character introspection, unconventional non-linear storytelling, etc. It's a great starter film because it's just in a couple locations and a bunch of actors talking to each other and I think something like Django is way too ambitious for a young untested Quentin Tarantino. Reservoir Dogs walked so Pulp Fiction could run and Tarantino could run a marathon for the rest of his career.
There are three things I always remember from that movie. The argument about tipping in the restaurant, the musical torture scene, and the final Mexican standoff. It was a great movie.
Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
Written by: Hayao Miyazaki, Haruya Yamazaki
Produced by: Tetsuo Katayama
Production Studio: Tokyo Movie Shinsa
Distribution Studio: Toho (Japan)/Buena Vista Distribution(International, North America)
Welp, you always knew that sooner or later there'd be a new challenger to defy Dreamworks and try to place themselves as the king of animation. With Blue Sky Studio's floundering failure in Ice Age, you and Dreamworks kind of got a bit arrogant and hyperfocused on the rivalry and Disney. All the while, one man was determined to stand out in the rising crowd of animation and make his mark as a legend unbeholden to Sunrise and Dreamworks. That man's name was Hayao Miyazaki, and with his debut film Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, the man had already proven himself a peer to all of Dreamworks' directors. All of this coming from a film that was part of the same series where it's live action counterpart was a pretty meh slapstick when released by Lucasfilms. And by Toho of all people!
Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro followed the continuing adventures of Arsene Lupin III, a gentleman thief and legendary criminal mastermind who is the grandson of legendary thief Arsene Lupin of French literature. This Lupin seems to follow the same continuity as Lupin III: Part 1 (A Part 2 was produced from 1977-1981) with the film featuring a seasoned and more heroic Lupin from the beginning of Part 1. Origins out of the way, Lupin in the beginning conducts a great heist with his partner Jigen, but the two are dismayed that the money they stole was all counterfeit. Wanting both revenge and to commit the heist of the century, Lupin leads Jigen to the origin of the counterfeit money, the tiny Italian nation of Cagliostro where he plans to rob the Count of Cagliostro from his massive fortune. On the way, the two run into a runaway bride who is actually the princess of Cagliostro being forced into a marriage by its sinister count. The princess also has history with Lupin where years prior she saved his life after a heist gone wrong and helped set Lupin on a better path. When Princess Clarise is kidnapped by the count, Lupin becomes determined to be her hero and rescue her, turning his heist into a rescue operation with the aid of Jigen, the stoic samurai Goemon, the femme fatale thief Fujiko Mine, and his traditional nemesis Inspector Zenigata.
So the live action Lupin III that Lucasfilms released in its early pre-Star Wars days was simply a goofy slapstick fess that was more silly nonsense than a heist film, a point which turned many potential viewers off as "Japanese weirdness". Castle of Cagliostro was the complete opposite in that it was a genuine work of art. Oh it's not like there was no comedy, there was plenty with Lupin's antics. But it was simply a part of the film instead of dominating and and there was so much more with the movie being a great action/heist thriller, like a true modern adaptation of the Lupin books andgiving you similar vibes to Indiana Jones from the cuts you managed to see.
First off what has to be mentioned is the animation which is simply GORGEOUS. Miyazaki seemed to take Dreamworks films being a painting per frame and turn it up a notch in terms of quality. While the character design and animation is a bit plain, the majority of the craft goes to the background with the setting having animation frames that seem like real high quality impressionist paintings. What's even more impressive is how Miyazaki throughout the entire film does something that Dreamworks mostly left for critical scenes, drawing high detail in wear, tear and texture on the surfaces of backgrounds, making the film feel truly lived in and alive. It's also to great benefit that the film is set in Italy, one of the most beautiful nations in the world with the film reminding you a lot of the good times you and the family had.
You're overall a high fan of the design with the color palettes in the contrasting light and dark motifs along with the mixture of medieval and fantasy elements for the setting and Cagliostro cast giving the effect of watching a fairy tale live on screen thanks to the whimsical adventure. Makes sense that the design is the best part because apparently Miyazaki writes his scripts after drawing the storyboard, so the story literally revolves around the art.
The animation maintains a consistently fluid and fast paced style that lends itself great to the choreography while in slow and dramatic scenes the camera focuses on lingering wide scale shots which make sure to incorporate the beauty of the backgrounds. Your two favorite scenes from the movie are the car chase and the climax of the final battle, the former probably being the best vehicular chase you've seen period outside of Star Wars' scenes and the latter being a very intense and high stakes duel across the castle. It makes a lot of sense why John and Ron chose this to influence Basil. The combination of a gorgeous and intricately detailed setting with fluid high quality sakuga make Lupin III a masterclass in both adventure and heist films.
The plot and characters are were the story strays from perfection and where John Henry, Hiawatha and even Basil is undeniably superior. It's not as if both are bad, but it's not as perfect as it could be. It's hard to describe, but while the plot is some of the best work for its genres, it's hard to stand out on its own without the animation and tone enhancing it if it makes sense, with the story stripped of its franchise ties being a bit generic and lacking the grand epicness of Star Wars.
The characters, at least the Lupin side of the cast while good on their own do have a case of franchise ties where if you go into Lupin III blind, then depending upon your tastes it can be difficult to get invested without experiencing the rest of the franchise. Lupin himself is a standout character with a lot of charm and coolness as the dashing and witty gentleman thief who always manages to outthink and outfox his way out of any bind. He's a really likable and engaging character you can't help but root for supported by this Tony Oliver's performance. Lupin's friends and Zenigata are all entertaining and likable rogues (hero for Zenigata) on their own, but they are rather static characters who don't get to stand out on their own too much save for Zenigata and his mission to bust the counterfeit. The Count and Clarisse play their roles well as the scheming evil noble and the virtuous damsel, but they don't step beyond their roles. Excellent for carrying the plot, but not the same level of iconic as Lupin and the gang. When you compare the characters to the deeply human and relatable cast of Dreamworks movies, it's clear the latter comes out ahead, though that being said Lupin III is still leagues better than many animated casts.
Castle of Cagliostro came out in Japan around Christmas season of '79 to a respectable 5 million, something which would be abysmal in America even in the '60s, but respectable here with more than double its budget and having very strong critic and audience reception. It was absolutely insane that this gorgeous masterpiece was done on 2.3 million, but you had to remind yourself that Dreamworks paid its animators damn good wages and Castle of Cagliostro was an extreme outlier from a genius and dedicated workers, not the norm. That would have been the end of it since with the live action Lupin's meh box office performance, Toho didn't have faith with international distribution. Of course, like the last time, Disney had to meddle again with your agenda, particularly with Basil's distribution.
The last time Dreamworks released Hiawatha and John Henry, Disney tried to blunt the ticket sales with a re-release of one of their classics, Sleeping Beauty and Peter Pan respectively. This did jack shit to stop Dreamwork's success and their re-releases made less than a million in gross each. Disney would likely go three for three with their strategy if applied again regardless of Basil's quality. However, Miyazaki himself had apparently been hounding Disney to distribute Lupin III in the states, and Disney just formed a major partnership with the film's distributor in Toho. Wanting to further bonds with treacherous Toho as well as to test what people will like in anime, Disney decides to support its distribution at the same time as Basil of Baker Street. If nothing else, it would draw away some money from Basil as well as serving a test case for what kind of anime people want in America.
While Lupin III didn't overshine Basil, it did share some of the spotlight with a healthy 40 million gross, making it have a better performance to Ice Age. Audiences and critics were in agreement that it was an excellent showcase of animation and a fantastic and whimsical heist thriller that like many Dreamworks movies, was a great showcase of the medium's potential and how animated films can go beyond the traditional Disney tropes, with particular praise for the animation and Lupin himself. You have a gut feeling that it prevented Basil from crossing 200 million at the box office, but you can understand and honestly it was well deserved, later being accompanied by 10 million across the greater globe. Probably the main reason why it wasn't a direct financial peer to Disney and Dreamworks was due to the fault of Lupin being the latest addition in a decade long franchise and most Americans not being aware of Lupin III's existence before the film's release. Plus there were the factors of Lupin III not having a direct Disney or Dreamworks brand and being more adult in appearance than the traditional Disney or Dreamworks film. The fact that it did so great was just impressive in and of itself.
Also, Mary seems to like it a lot. As a thank you for taking her family along to the red carpet for Basil, Cat took Mary with her children to see Lupin III in theaters after some assurance that it was acceptable for kids from Roy. Mary had a pretty good time, even if it wasn't a "Daddy drawing movie" and for a while she included heists in her games where her and Kermit were master thieves working with the twins and pets to steal cookies or other sweets and toys from you and Carrie. Cute, and at least Mary was safer this time.
And of course, Disney had to have the last laugh by teaming up with Toho to produce a VHS run for Castle of Cagliostro. Done in response to John Henry and Basil's VHS successes and what you suspect to be internal politics at both Toho and Disney, the former to work with Sony for massive VHS release of their catalog in the West and the latter to further push the board to open the Disney vault. Like Basil, Lupin III took on a life of its own on VHS releases. It was a must have for animation fans and weaboos as a cool action movie and even adults without kids could rent the movie and have a good time. It would draw in 140 million in VHS sales over the 80s as one of the most popular non-Dreamworks Japanese films, proving that you didn't have to be under the Dreamworks umbrella to make good anime.
In spite of its somewhat humble success, Castle of Cagliostro has proven to leave a huge footprint and legacy even so soon after its release. It's hailed as being one of the Four Horseman for the Animation Renaissance along with War of the Worlds, Mobile Suit Gundam, and John Henry. No longer was animation just cutsey, wholesome family magic that only caters to little kids. It's a medium for all ages with any and every story up for being told with bold, experimental and mature storytelling being welcome while animation itself can no longer just exist, but be a beautiful art as it was in the early days of Disney.
Castle of Cagliostro seems to have a huge assortment of fans in American animation who labor with it as an inspiration and try to match the potential and wonder of Miyazaki. One major case within your own company is John Lasseter who outright states that Castle of Cagliostro is his favorite movie period and he wants to start making Pixar films that can be just as good and innovative. Disney is taking further notes for their ongoing and future productions, reminding themselves that they don't have to be just Dark and there's all kinds of magic in storytelling. They've also expressed heavy interest with Toho for a continued sponsorship of the Lupin franchise with Disney securing the broadcast rights for Lupin III Part 2, which was also worked on by Miyazaki. Something tells you that they want the show as part of a block for older audiences.
Blue Sky has even more pressure for Transylvania. Dreamworks is pumped and eager to make Zeta Gundam even more awesome. And in Japan, Hayao Miyazaki has become something of a rockstar in the anime industry for finding massive success on his own without being a member of Sunrise or Dreamworks, even if his financial and global acclaim occurred two years after release.
Miyazaki was the current topic of your conversation with Tomino as you were taking a break from your latest line recording, the two of you watching Michael Kospa and Mark play off each other for an episode.
"So this Miyazaki guy, he hates my guts?" You ask Tomino in Japanese as you take a sip of tea from a thermos. You usually hate tea, but it was Carrie's suggestion to help with any voice strain. It wasn't the best flavor, but damn did it help calm your vocal cords after a session.
Tomino bobbed his head side to side, unsure of how to phrase it, "Well...I...um-yes." Tomino said simply, making you laugh.
Tomino was sharing with you a story of how when he was in Japan working on Astro Boy with Sunrise, that he saw Castle of Cagliostro and after being amazed, personally went to Miyazaki's home and tried his best to recruit him from Dreamworks. Apparently, it was a spectacular failure, mainly out of Miyazaki's apparent hatred and loathing for you.
"Why? Is he a Communist or something?" You were definitely public enemy number one for any followers of Marxism, the worst thing to happen to the ideology since the Paris Commune.
Tomino shook his head, "No, not that. He said and I quote, 'Bruce O'Brian is a warmongering self-righteous imperialist hypocrite'. He heavily despises your work with the O'Reilly Foundation and your political adventures, along with loathing the existence of Dracula and the death it caused."
You gave a confused and disgusted look at that information, "So he hates that I support veterans who serve their country and help them and their families survive, along with Dracula helping a nation to throw off the shackles of tyranny? He is aware of the absolute nightmare that Ceausescu's Romania was right? Warmongering Imperialism? I help families get away from wars and I want strong and healthy partnerships with our foreign subsidiaries and partners. It was Toho who stabbed us in the back." You ranted.
Tomino nodded, "I know. I don't think he hates the existence of America or denies the charity you do. It's just....Miyazaki-san like me is a child of the war. We all react differently to the pain we endured in our childhood. I want to make stories of ordinary people standing up against evil, humans reaching understanding with one another and moving forward, and rising above pain and suffering. Miyazaki-san seems to hold a strong distaste for all things with war and violence. He was rather...colorful in his criticism about how Gundam's story was a vehicle for the American military."
"I mean, Gundam has many themes and plots of how the Federation is flawed and its aggression and poor treatment of the colonies is partially responsible for the war. War is not meant to be glorious and Amuro and his friends are forced to fight against an ultimate evil when there is no other choice, and the fact there is a war is a tragedy." You state, with Tomino smiling at your media literacy and understanding of his work.
"I don't get that, he hates violence and yet Lupin III has a ton of violence in it." You state with annoyance.
"Ah, but never once in the movie does Lupin or his friends kill. Lupin wins by using his mind and outthinking the Count whose demise was of his own greed while Lupin's motivations were noble and purely heroic. The movie has violence, but it is not a violent movie." Tomino explained, and you couldn't help but agree with that analysis.
"Plus there may be some genuinely irrational dislikes, like how Miyazaki-san thinks you are a horrible actor, which is just insanity." Tomino says in scandal, making you laugh at the absurdity.
"Please for the love of the Lord, tell me this man is not gonna work for Disney." It was bad enough your genius author sister was with the house of mouse, but Cat's writing with Miyazaki's animation would be a nightmare.
Tomino shook his head, "No, he is currently working on a manga and told me he wants to found his own anime studio, though there is always the chance Disney may distribute his other films like Lupin. I've read the manga's three volumes, it is rather good so far, though a strange setting." Tomino informed.
You breathed a sigh of relief, that was definitely a major bullet dodged. Though unfortunately, whatever films he makes will probably lead to Disney getting some nice fat stacks in revenue. Oh how you long for the days when the House of Mouse was ignorant of foreign animation.
"It is quite a shame, as he is a talented artist and he did say he liked John Henry and wanted more animation to follow our creativity and quality. I think he respects the labor but is clouded by personal sentiments. If he just worked with us or Sunrise, he could see the good of the company and that you are a good man." Tomino said, then gave a heavy sigh.
"O'Brian-sensei, what do you wish to do about this?" Tomino asked you.
You looked at the Director in the eye, "What do you mean?"
"About Miyazaki-san, he is a rival, the best in Japan outside of Sunrise, and he hates you with a burning fire. We may do battle with this man for many years to come." Tomino warned.
You shrugged your shoulders, "Just let the man work, our films will compete with his, and we'll win through our quality." You say simply, slightly surprising Tomino.
"I don't mind competitors, it's natural in film and TV. I used to despise Universal's existence just as much as Miyazaki hates me, but now I accept that they aren't going to just go away, and I treat them as a foe to best. The only people I really hate in this world is the Chinese Communist Party. So long as someone doesn't try to hurt me and my family and friends, then they are just a rival.
I don't want our competition to be more successful than us, but having good competition I think is good for everyone. It inspires us to never be content, keep innovating and being at our best like Dreamworks' rivalry with Disney. When they do succeed and through stories we didn't think of, we learn and grow from it and move forward as better and learned artists. We're learning much from Lupin III, and if Miyazaki continues being rigid that means we shall make the art he refuses to."
Tomino nodded in appreciation, "Well said O'Brian-sensei."
Honestly I am constantly feeling bad about how he dislikes us.
The man is a genius after all and amazing artist....
Edit: I kind of want to issue a challenge to him... One to do a counterpoint to what he feels is our work.
Also negaverse quest with the players mostly just having a hate boner fueled by one guy decrying our everything as evil and war sounds funny in a morbid sort of way
At first, I was ready to despise him all the same. Yet, after much research on him, his work, and his beliefs, I think I've come to understand the man a bit more. He was truly marked (and probably traumatized) byt the war and what happened to his country. Despising war, and any who tries to glorify it in any way is a common response I guess. As much as I wish it wasn't so, I guess that we are going to have to live with Miyazaki hating our guts.
And, paraphrasing Bruce, there's worse fates than having Miyazaki as a rival. If anything, I see it as a freaking honor to know that we are facing an opponent of such caliber as Hideo Miyazaki.
In the meantime, we better ste up our game here. Miyazaki already admitted he like John Henry (Oh to be a fly in the cinema when he saw it!), so we need to make more movies of such quality...
Shinichi Nakamoto did not consider himself an impulsive man. As a matter of fact he would not consider himself the kind of employee that would try to rock the boat either; growing up, his parents had instilled in him. Don't make a fuss, make sure to study hard, always follow the orders of your superiors, the opportunity is there for those who work hard...lessons that he'd breathed and lived for during his time at school, during his time at college, and during his time at work.
It had served him well; once his time studying was over he went right to the workforce at a modest company that promised great growth and stability for him in the future. Sure, he had to work grueling hours, deal with most problematic demands, and more nights than usual he would be too tired to do most of anything save for relax on the weekends, if he was not called for an emergency situation. But that was fine, it was expected; same as with his father who would usually arrive tired from work, he was now following the same steps as his family had ever since the end of...the war. It was not something that had ever concerned him in the end.
This was his life, and he was content with it.
So how did it all go wrong?
He thought about it as he sat in a Coffee Shop in the middle of the day. His prospects gone to shit, his current work now being limited to just what he can get on a day-to-day basis from part time jobs in programming and technician jobs in repairing computers, and his reputation suddenly being soiled as he was labeled a "troublemaker" by his original company. How did it got to be this bad?
Frankly speaking, the only think he could think of was of the man who'd just gave him the one shot he might just have in order to get a living, even if it meant uprooting from his current home and trying to live now in the United States.
His best friend Jonouchi Sagara.
Both of them had been the outcast kids back in school. Himself due to his shyness and Sagara due to his unashamed interest in Manga and drawing, which caused him to be called to the principal's office more than once as he kept on doodling during class. Many times he'd been told not to hang out with him, but since his grades had not suffered, nor was that exceptional a student for teachers to take an interest, in the end he was left alone. Besides, hearing Sagara speak about manga and anime was a welcome reprieve from his studies, making him feel he was involved in something grander for at least a while.
After College they remained in contact, even if it was sporadic. Sagara had decided to try his luck at drawing and animation, feeling the chance to bring his favorite cartoons towards the little screen. Shinichi often tried to dissuade him, to tell him that it would be safer to enter the labor force in any other capacity than the animation industry, yet Sagara always laughed it off, sure that he would make it big following his dreams. Well, it all came as he'd told him. In their meetings Sagara was always looking tired, there was always talks about how much he had to work, how little he got to sleep, and how often he felt that in the end all they did was just so limited for all that they've worked.
It did shame him that at those moments he felt some satisfaction, though he always remained a good support for his friend as he tried to convince him to leave it and try again, that he could help him get a job at the company he worked in. Hudson was always looking for more people to expand after all, and their current expansion for the Videogame packages from personal related computer projects meant that they could always use more people.
But his friend was stubborn, and remained at his post. You did not have much hope for whatever might happen at his workplace, after all, what were the odds that Sunrise Studios would break what was the norm in Japan?
Pretty good apparently if you happened to be bought by the newest sensation around the world. Lucasfilms was a name that many had heard of due to Star Wars, and if you hadn't then you clearly lived under a rock. He'd gone and seen the movies when he had his days off and it did live to the hype, he also heard the news of their sudden turn against Toho, even though he did not have much interest in it beyond knowing that from now on their films would have a different distributor.
But he would hear everything about the sudden buyout of Sunrise, and their change in the working culture of their animators, as Sagara would not shut up about them whenever they meet. no longer did he seem tired, disheartened, or just ready to collapse; instead he looked healthier than before, with a reinvigorated passion and energy, ready and willing to share on every little thing that he'd worked in. How he'd managed to animate a Gundam segment, how he got to join a group to Paris to draw on the city for the Miraculous anime, how he got to help design a Kaiju for Pacific Rim...
It went on and on and on. And though at first he was happy for his friend, it did not take long for another emotion to take its place.
Envy.
Why...why did he have to work such unreasonable hours when Sagara didn't? Why did Hudson had to squeeze all their employees dry every single day until all they could do was go home to sleep? Why did he have so few free time when in comparison to Sunrise? Why? Why? Why?
It just didn't end there though, it was like he was seeing everything clear for the first time, noticing the small incongruities that just seemed to plague him every day and night as he could not reconcile them together. Sagara spoke of a labor that while intensive it nonetheless allowed him to not break his body working on it like he'd always believed it necessary. He spoke of being happy to go to work, and then being happy to go back to his family. He spoke of benefits, travels, and chances for hard work being rewarded with more than just more hard work until you get older like many other companies did...
It burrowed under his mind all together until he could hold it in no more. Until he finally snapped. Until he finally called out to his boss as another day of staying late for unpaid labor once more left him utterly exhausted as he finished the small script for a proof of concept.
Until said outburst got him fired, blacklisted as a troublemaker, and made him a near pariah in the few places where he could find temporary work.
It had been about a year. A year of constant meetings and job interviews, a year of meeting Sagara and being offered help much like he'd once done so, a year of failures when finally he could hold no longer and had to beg his friend for an opportunity. One that he now held in his hand.
LucasArts Entertainment.
A new Videogame Division, a new place to work at, a new chance at a new life, a new chance at what Sagara had told him was possible in a new working environment. For a moment he hesitated, remembering his parents advise, what they taught him growing up, what everyone said was necessary to be successful.
Then he thought on the injustice and lack of remuneration, on the blacklisting, and the newfound opportunities to be found...and he knew what he would have to do. Preparing his papers and his luggage was a chore, but one that he could do for a new future. Furthermore, he would not be going empty handed. The small proof of concept was still in his hands, and he was sure that it would make for a good game, and a better enticement for being hired. He would need a name though, and his mind just kept on going to...
Videogame Pitch: Bomberman
Set Up: Bomberman is a robot engaged in the production of bombs. Like his fellow robots, he had been put to work in an underground compound by evil forces. Bomberman found it to be an unbearably dreary existence. One day, he heard an encouraging rumor. According to the rumor, any robot that could escape the underground compound and make it to the surface could become human. Bomberman leaped at the opportunity, but escape proved to be no small task. Alerted to Bomberman's betrayal, large numbers of the enemy set out in pursuit. Bomberman can rely only on bombs of his own production for his defense. Will he ever make it up to the surface? Once there, will he really become human?
Game Developer: LucasArts Entertainment Director: Shinichi Nakamoto Genre: Arcade, Maze, Strategy.
The player must navigate Bomberman through a maze by destroying soft blocks and enemies with his bombs. Hidden in every stage is one Power-Up that will either increase his blast radius, speed, or the number of bombs he can lay at one time, among other things. Each stage also features 1 secret item that can be uncovered under special conditions. To clear a stage, the player must find the exit that is hidden under one of the soft blocks and defeat all the enemies in order to open it. If a bomb blast touches the exit after it is exposed, more enemies will be generated out of it. There are 50 levels in total, and a password system can be used to continue the game.
Bomberman: The eponymous character, he wears overalls, has a visible mouth, hair, and a white hat with a red feather, he also had a white horizontal stripe on his back. Having grown tired of making bombs in an unnamed underground empire and deciding to escape after hearing a rumor that a robot can become human, Bomberman faces against the many enemies on his path to freedom. He can produce bombs to fight them, as well as using power ups to increase his abilities.
Balloom: They resemble balloons, hence their name. They are limbless with a string connecting to the bottom, and have beady eyes and a smile. They also have a very unpredictable movement pattern. Ballom has two colors: pink when normal and red when aggressive. It takes one hit to defeat.
Beaker: He moves quickly and randomly. It will move toward Bomberman when he is nearby. It is not likely to get stuck in walls and can be incredibly troublesome. It is the second enemy to be encountered. Beaker is associated with the Fire-Up power-up, and as such will spawn when the stage Exit containing the power-up is bombed, or when the power-up is destroyed. It takes 1 hit to defeat and yields a score of 200 points.
Blockhead: It is a red barrel. It is found on some levels after the Beakers, and it moves at a slightly fast speed with a bouncy animation. It is not hard to kill, but it can be tricky. Blockheads are not smart, even less intelligent than Balloms and they won't try to chase Bomberman, preferring to move from the left to right, sometimes switching to up and down. They commonly get stuck in walls.
Minbow: They Are orange smiley faces that move like fast Beakers. These are encountered after the Blockheads. They will commonly pursue Bomberman if he's nearby, though they do also get stuck if he's hiding nearby. They are associated with a Soft Block Pass power-up, and as such will appear when the stage Exit containing the power-up is bombed, or when the power-up is destroyed.
Amebea: An amoeba-like enemy. It moves slower than all other enemies but it can move through Soft Blocks. It's cyan-colored, just as the Beakers are. Amebea is very smart, as it will commonly attempt to chase Bomberman and evade bombs. Amebea is associated with the Remote-Control power-up, and as such will spawn when the stage Exit containing the power-up is bombed, or when the power-up is destroyed.
Floatsam: It is typically a red (sometimes pink) ghost octopus that moves through Soft Blocks. They are encountered after the Amebeas. They chase after Bomberman, like Amebea, Beaker, Minbow, Foton and Tiglon (mostly/sometimes they do, sometimes they don't), but due to their wall-pass abilities, they can cause problems.
Tiglon: It moves faster than most enemies, except Foton, which is even faster, passes through Soft Blocks and more dangerous, and is able to avoid bombs. It often pursues Bomberman. Its behavior and appearance is kind of similar to Minbow, leading to assume that the two enemies could be somehow related, though Tiglon has ears, white cheek fur and fangs, and is a tiger.
Foton: It is a dangerous red to pink coin enemy. Foton moves very quickly, passing through Soft Blocks and constantly pursuing Bomberman. It is the most dangerous enemy. They're associated with the Invincibility Power-up and as such, will appear if said power up is blown up by a bomb, or the exit of a level with this power up present is bombed or worse, if the timer reaches zero. It will harm the player on collision.
A.N.: So, seeing who worked the most on the series, I noticed that the concept was made just around the time when we bought Sunrise and started changing the working culture, or at the very least showing that there was a different way. I figured that perhaps Shinichi would see the changes (more on his friend's side) and think just why is it that he has to work so hard for so little remuneration...and the rest was history.
Honestly I am constantly feeling bad about how he dislikes us.
The man is a genius after all and amazing artist....
Edit: I kind of want to issue a challenge to him... One to do a counterpoint to what he feels is our work.
Also negaverse quest with the players mostly just having a hate boner fueled by one guy decrying our everything as evil and war sounds funny in a morbid sort of way
Eh, I'm pretty chill with it. No matter how good of a person Bruce is and what kind of movies and shows he makes, some people will just not like him or even hate him for one reason or another, it's a part of life. Miyazaki hates us because of his childhood trauma and Bruce's life meeting all of his major triggers. There is practically nothing we can do to get Miyazaki to like us without fundamentally changing who Miyazaki is as a person and it's too late in his personal life and career to influence him like say how we did with Mike and George.
I really don't want to change Miyazaki's opinion of Bruce through Omake like the John Lennon one as I don't think anything could earn such a move, and I think Miyazaki's opposition to us serves as a good lesson in that sometimes talented or good people will work against Lucasfilms and Bruce doesn't need everyone to be his friend or like him. Heck, my major motivation for writing this omake was to set up Studio Ghibli as a rival to Dreamworks and prevent anime from being monopolized by Sunrise.
Best case for Miyazaki's opinion on Bruce is probably strong personal dislike, but begrudging personal respect for our craft, but it won't come soon. I think Miyazaki as a rival for us and Tomino could be very fun and its not like us being successful requires Miyazaki to be brought down or be a bad person. Castle of Cagliostro is a huger success here, Miyazaki gets international acclaim early, and it's not like he's going to hurt Bruce personally. We just got competition is all.
At first, I was ready to despise him all the same. Yet, after much research on him, his work, and his beliefs, I think I've come to understand the man a bit more. He was truly marked (and probably traumatized) byt the war and what happened to his country. Despising war, and any who tries to glorify it in any way is a common response I guess. As much as I wish it wasn't so, I guess that we are going to have to live with Miyazaki hating our guts.
And, paraphrasing Bruce, there's worse fates than having Miyazaki as a rival. If anything, I see it as a freaking honor to know that we are facing an opponent of such caliber as Hideo Miyazaki.
In the meantime, we better ste up our game here. Miyazaki already admitted he like John Henry (Oh to be a fly in the cinema when he saw it!), so we need to make more movies of such quality...
Yeah we kind of sealed ourselves when we founded the O'Reilly Foundation and starred and produced Star Wars. G.I Joe and Gundam certainly won't help. So long as we get Miyazaki to transition from hate to dislike that's a win for me. Dude is a genius but a very messy and flawed person.
You know, I wonder if in the future his son Goro would try to work at Sunrise. Miyazaki was very distant with his children and has overall been described as a poor parent, especially his harsh criticism of Goro's work as a director. I could see Goro, who is 14 right now, developing a love for Bruce and Lucasfilms at first out of teenage rebellion, and then genuine admiration for the art. When it comes to either working in his father's company as a shadow and always being compared while dealing with the harsh conditions, or working for a company that is practically a utopia and creating some of the best anime, Goro might go with Sunrise.
Right now we have a plethora of corporate rivals but not really enough creative rivals. I want to showcase that more now that Bruce is an A-lister not only as an actor, but as a Director so there's bound to be some filmmakers who disagree with Bruce and want to be better than him. We got that in Miyazaki and Cimino, and I think another showcase is Stanley Kubrick, who I think Bruce would despise as a person from just how awful his filmmaking conditions are for the cast and crew in stark contrast to Bruce who wants his films to be made safely with everyone to be happy and fulfilled.
In regards to John Henry, I think that as of now, it's being viewed as basically the Lion King of Dreamworks in a sense. It's their best movie so far, and is hailed by many as the greatest animated film ever made. This is partly due to John Henry having the best score in quality and reception, along with its massive near one billion box office. I think most people working in animation love John Henry for its storytelling and its seen as the blueprint for how to make a modern animated movie.
I never wrote that Miyazaki dislikes Basil of Baker Street. In terms of Miyazaki's opinion of Dreamworks, my opinions are these. He has very mixed opinions on Hiawatha due to the war aspects, probably leans to dislike but Hiawatha himself wins by forgiving his parents killer and forming the Iriquois by being the great communicator, so lots of stuff he likes and dislikes. Really likes John Henry due to it being a story about a man building a better life for his family and fighting against an oppressive system along with breaking down prejudice. Probably thinks Basil is decent, likes the inspirations though I'm unsure if it would be something he would deeply enjoy.
Alright, after finishing my pitch I suddenly got another boost to finish this for the challenge. I'm going to be honest; I think that the rock or Crimson Tide might have worked better (and I have mentioned it many times now), but the challenge was for a Crime story, and I feel that starting it all with Tarantino's first movie and success fits perfectly for him. besides, I still have fond memories of when I was in high school, and me and my friends decided to do a home film about a possible sequel to both this and Pulp Fiction for our class.
It was...something alright.
Anyways, i like this movie well enough, and I think we can have a blast letting Tarantino try and make it.
Thus, I give you:
Movie Pitch: Reservoir Dogs GENRE: Neo-Noir/Crime/Thriller SUBGENRE: Drama/Suspense/Gangster
FORMAT: Movie
Set Up: Six thugs, who are strangers to each other, are hired by a crime boss, Joe Cabot, to carry out a diamond robbery. Right at the outset, they are given false names with the intention that they won't get too close and will concentrate on the job instead. They are completely sure that the robbery is going to be a success. But, when the police show up right at the time and the site of the robbery, panic spreads amongst the group members, and two of them are killed in the subsequent shootout, along with a few policemen and civilians. When the remaining people assemble at the premeditated rendezvous point (a warehouse), they begin to suspect that one of them is an undercover cop.
Lawrence "Larry" Dimmick/Mr. White: Lawrence Dimmick is a long-time friend of Los Angeles crime boss Joe Cabot and his son, "Nice Guy" Eddie Cabot. Joe Cabot informed Dimmick of a telegram about a diamond heist, which Dimmick accepted. He was teamed up with five other guys, and given color coded names. He is a fairly moral guy, who feels that he has to protect people who have been wounded, such as Mr. Orange. He also believes that waitresses deserve to be tipped. He despises the police, not thinking of them as "real people".
Played By: James Caan Alternate: Paul Newman
Freddy Newendyke/Mr. Orange: He is an undercover cop for the Los Angeles Police Department. He is tasked with arresting L.A. crime boss Joe Cabot, and to do this, he has to pretend he is a criminal and be accepted into Cabot's gang. Joe Cabot gives Newandyke the code name Mr. Orange. Mr. Orange becomes friends with Mr. White. During the diamond heist, Mr. Orange is shot in the stomach, and he bleeds from this wound for most of the film.
Played By: William Petersen Alternate: Richard Gere
Victor "Vic" Vega/Mr. Blonde: He is an enforcer, right-hand and close friend of Los Angeles crime boss Joe Cabot, and his son 'Nice Guy' Eddie Cabot. Victor is offered a diamond heist by the Cabots which he accepted. He was teamed up with five other men and given color-coded names. It was soon revealed to his accomplices that Mr. Blonde was a sadistic psychopath who enjoyed torturing cops. He is a very dangerous man, with sadism, without compassion and has a casual attitude when it comes to homicide.
Played By: Mickey Rourke Alternate: Kurt Russell
"Nice Guy" Eddie Cabot: He is the son of Joe Cabot and is good friends with Mr. Blonde. He is also an aggressive mob underboss and leads a gang of armed robbers for a heist along with his father, Joe Cabot. He also has a Hispanic bartender as a friend called Carlos. After recruiting and giving the gang of men their color-coded nicknames, they head off for breakfast before the heist. However, the heist goes wrong when the cops show up earlier than anticipated
Played By: Bill Paxton Alternate: Jim Belushi
Mr. Pink: He is a gangster that was hired by Joe Cabot and his son. He dislikes the color assigned to him, preferring to be called "Mr. Purple" instead. He is known for his cynical opinion of tipping waitresses and being a contradictory professional, asking to trade names with Mr. White. He has known Joe Cabot as a youth and believes that Joe had something to do with the set-up. He recalls one time when he wanted to refuse to do a job but didn't because of the money.
Played By: Brad Dourif Alternate: James Woods
Marvin Nash: He is a police officer who worked for the Los Angeles Police Department. Five months before the jewelry heist, he meets Freddy Newandyke, a cop working undercover to arrest L.A. Crime boss Joe Cabot by working undercover as a criminal in Cabot's gang. After the jewelry heist goes wrong, Mr. Blonde captures and kidnaps Marvin and puts him in the trunk of his car. Afterwards, he is tortured by the gang before being killed by Eddie.
Played By: Dennis Quaid Alternate: Eric Roberts
Joe Cabot: He was the man who organized the diamond heist, and was also the father of Nice Guy Eddie. In his earlier years, he was himself a gangster who did the kinds of jobs that he organized. He was long-time friends with Mr. White and Mr. Blonde. Mr. Pink knew him since Pink was a kid. Joe doesn't enter the warehouse until the end of the film, which cops nearby were waiting for him so they can then make their move.
Played By: Lawrence Tierney
Detective Holdaway: He is friends with Freddy Newandyke, and works with him to bring down Joe Cabot and the robbers. He meets up with Freddy in a diner, who tells him about the robbers. He then gives Freddy an amusing anecdote to tell the robbers about a situation with cops in a men's room, telling him to deliver it in detail.
Played By: Billy Dee Williams
Mr. Blue: He is an old man, who is seen smoking a cigar at the diner. After escaping from Karina's Wholesale Diamonds, he entered a movie theatre where he was then shot by the police.
Played By: Lee Marvin
Mr. Brown: He is a young man hired for the heist. He is shot in the head by a cop but he survives the wound as he eventually gets in a getaway car with White and Orange. Unfortunately, he crashes into a car due to his wound.
Played By: John Malkovich
A.N.: So, the actors are just the one that came to me out of the top of my head. Also, since we are supporting him, I don't think he will need to limit himself, but I still think he should somewhat. His original work was perfect in a way because he had not enough budget and had to find new ways to tell the story. I just hope he can still do so now.
Honestly Miyazaki being a rival will certainly help push our own animation studio to do its best and vice versa. The man is determined and thinks he can win against Basil (and honestly, he has the chops to do it) so why not enjoy this competition?
All the while, one man was determined to stand out in the rising crowd of animation and make his mark as a legend unbeholden to Sunrise and Dreamworks. That man's name was Hayao Miyazaki, and with his debut film Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, the man had already proven himself a peer to all of Dreamworks' directors and you're not ashamed to admit it, made a movie that was superior to both Hiawatha and Basil of Baker Street, just below John Henry due to the latter's superior story and characters.
Good update but this part bugs me the way Bruce seems to denigrate his own directors, animators and movies. Also I know Miyazaki is brilliant due to hignsight but this is Miyazaki's debut in an unkown studio and Bruce seems to already believe it will be a direct competitor to all of Dreamworks/Disney, for all the world could know this was a fluke/flash in the pan. Like I know meta-wise Miyazaki is going to be the big bad of our animation wing of the company but we can built it up instead of instanly giving him all the praise in the world.
