And US release (to at least some degree) December 1st!
The new film's title is pronounced (and sometimes spelled) in English, "Godzilla minus one". It may be pronounced Gojira "minus one" in English, too, as in the trailer shown below.
I've known for a while Toho was working on their first live-action G-film since
Shin Godzilla in 2016. (Toho has since released an animated film trilogy -- not great in my estimate -- and an animated series -- somewhat better and very high concept -- all through Netflix.)
The film was completed last year, with post-production continuing through this year, and the first trailer and poster dropped yesterday. Or rather this isn't the full trailer, only a teaser trailer:
A little to my surprise, I had an actual nightmare about that trailer last night!
The goal of the filmmakers is to create the film they thought the original creators would have made in 1954 if they had the tech and the freedom to criticize the US and Japan both more freely. (ShinG, by the way, is a political satire but also a thesis on how humanity has managed to win so hard in the struggle for dominance on the planet by being a political species.)
The next Legendary "Monsterverse" live-action entry,
Godzilla x Kong: the New Empire will arrive early next year. It's been a lonnnng time (1964 iirc) since two live-action Godzilla films will release within 4 months of each other! I'll set up a thread for that when its trailer arrives, probably with the upcoming Comicon.
Fun fact, the guy that directs the Godzilla vs Kong pictures is a friend of mine's brother. We used to play Warhammer 40k with him as a youth, and he'd make up rules for Godzilla.
That said as much as I'm happy for Adam's success, this looks better than the Legendary movies and more up my alley.
After watching that trailer I got a warm fuzzy feeling inside. This looks good and a definite must see!
The nice thing about Godzilla, is you can do lots of different things with him (and his adjacent properties). They don't always work out, or mileage may vary (I like Singular Point a lot better than most people, although I had to adjust my expectations for what the show was supposed to be doing). But there must be something about a sea-going fire-breathing theropod that scratches a dragon-itch in our lizard-brain. So to speak. :Nerd:
I think I understand what you're saying about our expectations for what a story should be vs. what it turns out to be. We're heavily influenced by childhood memories of the original Toho productions.
That, and
Singular Point was not really a Godzilla story. It was really a Jet Jaguar story, and a very cool one from that perspective.
As a 'Godzilla' story, it's only two films one of which only has Godzilla for a few seconds toward the end doing nothing but swimming threatening (while looking more like the Toho kaiju Titanosaurus), and the other of which has Godzilla barely doing anything interesting (though he often looks nifty -- only at the end like "Godzilla" -- while accidentally threatening all of reality.)
The story put as simply as possible ("simply" :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:) is a high-concept joke based on solving the old plot convenience from Godzilla vs Megalon, of how Jet Jaguar could "program himself to grow taller". The end result is that the monsters and their fights (such as they are, only really being detailed fights when JJ is involved) are
really about the subroutines of a hyperdimensional computer trying to predict the future: the subroutines learn that all reality will (apparently) end at a particular point in time, and start competing with each other to resolve that problem, using mutated forms of prehistoric creatures from an alternate Earth; whereas the subroutine-set which becomes Jet Jaguar starts out working based on cooperation rather than competition. What the subroutines really calculated was the end of their own existence as a future event, which they interpreted as the end of all reality, which drove them desperately insane trying to compete to resolve the problem. JJ stays sane by cooperating with its own subroutines, as well as with the humans who created this problem to begin with.
None of that is explained very clearly in the series, at any time, leaving viewers to piece it together ourselves.
Compared to
that, having a giant mutated dinosaur tear up post-war Tokyo is a refreshing simplicity which has its own themes to explore as much as desired.
For anyone reading this who hasn't seen the anime (on Netflix) and who thinks I must be exaggerating its weirdness: 1) you may not know much anime ;) and 2, here's the trailer and the opening credit sequence.
I was not aware of Single Point. I'll have to check it out if it's still on Netflix.
Still is! -- wish they'd publish to Blu, but that'll be years.
Here's the full music video of the title sequence (3+ minutes) -- never saw it before today, myself:
Don't worry, it's just as much of a non-spoilery artistic mess as the opening title sequence.
Again, though, keep firmly in mind (as the full title music video stresses in itself) -- that series should be named
JET JAGUAR: SINGULAR POINT (guest starring some other Toho kaiju including special guest final boss Godzilla.) :Nerd:
Meanwhile, Dangerville discusses some new images of G-1.0 released for merchandising. This is the full design in all its glory, released rather early all things considered! (Note that rumors on the plot suggest there's a non-mutated version of Godzilla in the film as well, though whether it's a separate creature or not isn't clear yet.)
The trailer teaser, released a couple of weeks ago (edit I mean July 12th good grief time flies), includes some footage not found in the full first trailer which released yesterday. Worth watching both!
The director has several nods not only to G2014 (he's a big fan of the Toho/Legendary Monsterverse films), but to Jaws!
The Japanese film rating board has already seen it and given a General Audiences rating, which probably means no blood or sex per se, only unremitting terror. :ThumbsUp:
It's weird going to the official Toho YT channel to see the trailers for this dark, somber nihilistic thriller tucked between ongoing 3 minute episodes of a story using actual Godzilla kaiju toys, produced for small children. Not
surprising, for anyone familiar with the mood whiplash Toho likes to use on this property, but weird.
There's a popular fan theory, based on supposed story/production leaks, that the 'icon' for the poster portrays the
other Godzilla for the film, a more peaceful female creature slain by one or another military (or during a naval fight in late WW2), which is why the dorsal plates look so different -- and the belly might be dripping blood and guts. (And maybe even an unborn child.) Thus Godzilla's freakish rage against humanity. (And one of several reasons why the film is subtitled "minus one".)
He does look angry about something doesn't he? I thought he'd maybe calm down after we quit all that nuclear testing we used to do out his way.
Quote from: JasonPratt on September 05, 2023, 12:01:57 PMThere's a popular fan theory, based on supposed story/production leaks, that the 'icon' for the poster portrays the other Godzilla for the film, a more peaceful female creature slain by one or another military (or during a naval fight in late WW2), which is why the dorsal plates look so different -- and the belly might be dripping blood and guts. (And maybe even an unborn child.) Thus Godzilla's freakish rage against humanity. (And one of several reasons why the film is subtitled "minus one".)
Yes, I immediately went there. Trying to imagine the mechanics... kangaroo style?
That would have been a measurable seismic event :ROFL: :ROFL:
So I have seen the film in first release yesterday afternoon at 4:30 local time!
I fraternally anticipate questions. Minor spoilers.
HOW GROGGY IS IT?
Starts in early 1945 with a Kate dive bomber (I think) landing on a swiss-cheese dirt island runway. A lot of late-war kit, modified for early post-war in some cases, including some disarmed destroyers, the heavy cruiser Takakoa (if I spelled that correctly), some Japanese tanks, and a push-propeller bomber interceptor. No American or British kit, exactly, although a famous sub's death is referenced. (The Tang? -- it's the one which goes down fighting a swarm of Japanese destroyers, simulated at the WW2 museum in New Orleans. I'm at work, can't do refs at the moment. In this continuity, it survives the war but doesn't survive you know who. {g} Same for that Imperial heavy cruiser.) The late-war, post-war aesthetic is VERY strong.
DOES THE US GET INVOLVED?
No, and neither does GB. This makes less than no sense because (as somewhat spoiled in early ads) G does destroy numerous US ships offscreen. MacArthur wants to help Japan, but due to rising tensions with Stalin, he's diplomatically forbidden to send any task forces to stop the destruction of his own nearby fleet elements!! Honestly, it would make more sense for the US to claim some kind of rogue actor is threatening all navy units in the area and have the Soviets help hunt it down, providing some early glasnost. But it wouldn't fit one of the main themes of the film.
AND WHAT WOULD THAT THEME BE?
That however well-meaning they might be, you can't trust governments to help you -- neither the Japanese nor the American, in this case. Normal people, including former soldiers, have to get the job done themselves.
NORMAL PEOPLE COME UP WITH SOME SUPER-SCIENCE TO WIN, LIKE THE OXYGEN DESTROYER?
Nope! -- they come up with some useful basic physics for the win (such as it is). In that sense, it's a hard science-fiction film, dealing with comic-book physics. I rather appreciated that. {g}
DOES THAT MEAN THERE'S A SEQUEL POSSIBILITY?
Yes, although Toho doesn't have any plans yet.
DOES THE HARD SCIENCE FICTION INCLUDE FREEZING GODZILLA AS SPOILED ALREADY IN EARLY TRAILER SHOTS?
Without answering that question yes or no, I'll note that the shot of G's face kind of sparking a little while looking frozen, has nothing whatever to do with anything including G being frozen.
WAIT, DOESN'T THIS FILM MOSTLY TAKE PLACE DURING THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION?
Yea, verily. They're around, and being kind of helpful for civilians trying to rebuild their lives, but unseen.
AND THE US DOESN'T GET INVOLVED EVEN ON LAND OR LAND-BASED AIR?
Nope. This is an admitted plausibility weakness for the film's plot design.
ARE THERE OTHER PLOT DESIGN WEAKNESSES?
The film's plot structure is pretty tight until the final act, at which point the time-space cues get very wonky in the editing. Sometimes that's for convenience, other times I suspect the final plot was restructured and fx were repurposed. In at least two cases toward the end, I can tell that fx which should have been used for the start of G's attack on Ginza were ported back to the start of the final action sequence (which includes the ship being thrown bodily ashore, shown in the trailers.) There's so much of this that it took me out of the film a few times.
ARE THE EFFECTS GOOD?
For a relatively low-budget film, they're amazing. Godzilla is much more active than in recent Toho productions. That includes his first appearance early in the film, which wasn't spoiled in early trailers (though I've been avoiding later trailers.)
SOUND EFFECTS?
Also good. This film doubtless benefits from being seen on the best screen and sound-system available. In my case that wasn't possible, and I sat too close to the screen so I lost some of the effect (ironically). It was like the projector's bulb was too dark, although I'm about half sure that they don't even use bulbs anymore.
IFUKUBE'S ORIGINAL MUSIC?
Present in a few scenes, but only one seems appropriately used. Weirdly, one of Ifukube's Mothra cues is used several times during the attack on Ginza, for example!! (The main Mothra song, used several times in Legendary's Godzilla King of the Monsters a few years ago, wasn't written by the original series main composer.) The rest of the film's score is pretty low-key, sometimes designed like a Japanese horror movie (which is appropriate).
SPEAKING OF THAT, ARE THERE OTHER KAIJU IN THE FILM?
In order to manage expectations, I'll spoil here that only Godzilla is in the film. He does start out smaller and more vulnerable, but still looks and acts pretty much the same throughout the film. He just gets bigger along the way.
DOES YOUR REPORT OBSCURE THE EXISTENCE OF MORE THAN ONE GODZILLA IN THE FILM?
Nope. Only one Godzilla, too.
SO THAT FAN THEORY ABOUT THE FILM'S LOGO LOOKING LIKE A DIFFERENT GODZILLA WITH ITS GUTS BLOWN OUT AND POSSIBLY EVEN LOSING A CHILD...???
If that was ever part of the plot, it's gone now. Godzilla is apparently awakened by some minor Japanese military activity on Odo Island (where traditionally he's found at first in the films), and then moves elsewhere to nap. Coincidentally under the Baker/Charlie underwater nuclear test (unless the Americans had found where he was sleeping and were trying to kill him with that, which the film doesn't even hint at.)
IS GODZILLA AT LEAST A GOOD CHARACTER IN THE FILM?
He has a lot more character than in Toho's recent attempts since the Millennium films. All his character is unremittingly hostile to humanity, although one time he just strides along out in nature chilling out (and inadvertently hitting some farmer houses in passing.)
SO WAIT, IS THERE ANY EXPLANATION FOR WHY "THIS MONSTER WILL NEVER FORGIVE US" AS THAT LINE GOES IN THE TRAILERS?
That line is not in the film, so far as I recall -- and I was waiting and listening for it. No explanation is given other than basic attitude. He's a sea-going therapod predator after all, although he never eats anything, including people he kills while he's more naturally sized. He doesn't even bite them in half, just throws them around with his mouth!
OTHER CHARACTERS AND CHARACTERIZATION?
All human actors are at least fine, some great! Characterizations are well-written. The main character deserves some best actor awards, no kidding.
I've got a question for you!
Is there a Dr. Serizawa or Emiko character in the film?
Thank for your review as well. Debating on whether to see this or Napoleon LOL!
There is a young woman as love interest, if that's what you mean by Emiko. There is not a love triangle; the relationship doesn't even exist at all at the start. She attaches herself to the plot in a somewhat natural way (from the circumstances) as the film goes along. Her importance to the plot isn't as an emotional connection to actively convince someone to get off his butt and win already. She saves the protagonist at one harrowing point, and inspires him to at least try for a long-shot win in the process (though that takes a few days). I thought the love story was very well done.
This reminds me (by connection) to another theme of the film: that killing yourself for a no-win situation, even for the sake of your honor (much moreso someone else's honor) is foolish, but sacrificing yourself to save other people is truly heroic, and it's important to know this difference -- a difference which values life. This in turn connects to the thematic difference between governments and a community: the community acts to value each other's life, even in a high risk situation, while governments can't focus at that level -- at best they can only focus on the people as an abstractive goal. Thus, even though there isn't much chance of success, the goal at the end isn't only to win if possible, but for everyone to come home alive. Whether or not that succeeds, it's a real difference and helps a lot with the morale of the final assault force (specifically noticed by characters in the film) as well as audience engagement.
Is there a Dr. Serizawa? -- I'll assume you mean like in G54/55, not the modern Legendary film series. There's a scientific expert who's involved in at least 2/3 of the story, but he isn't a super-genius like Serizawa, and he doesn't have he same characterizations at all. From reviews I've heard and read, he's the standout favorite character, and I might agree. He's the guy who calls the final volunteer assault group to focus on everyone coming back alive, by the way. The protagonist is (understandably) depressed for practically all the film, for various reasons, but his supporting characters (mostly) counterbalance that: the scientist is one of them.
To cite the Omniviewer's recent non-spoiler review: a big thematic difference between Shin and G-1, is that the former film almost always treats human life as cheap. This film always treats human life as valuable, from the beginning through the end, and that's a huge factor in the drama.
Ryan's review linked here:
Yup, I definitely meant this Dr. Serizawa, not the new one of recent movies.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QJ_sEDVtIBY/YBdMgd_6nCI/AAAAAAAAdJI/UzAkvWbgTWoaL6FlnJR-cXThDZUy3Sf_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/pio.jpg)
By the way, Emiko is next to him. His love interest and triangle love affair.
I think the love interest meets the scientist once on screen, possibly once in her life until the end of the movie -- the scientist arrives for dinner and acts like he hasn't been there before. I doubt one of them even speaks to the other. No romance between them.
I see. I'm going to have to see the movie for myself then. Based on everything you've revealed I kind of got the impression that this movie doesn't have a classic 1950 - 1970 vibe to it.
I'm old friends with Adam Wingard's brother, and Adam said that it was the best Godzilla film ever made, even above the original and his films.
So yeah, gonna see it Tuesday.
Saw it on Tuesday. I dunno about movie-of-the-year, but I enjoyed it.
Some of the translation was pretty spotty though.
does this tie in to the Monarch series at all?
Quote from: GDS_Starfury on December 07, 2023, 04:17:38 PMdoes this tie in to the Monarch series at all?
No.
But based on the response I imagine it's the launching point of a new era of Toho continuity.
It's got a J7W Shinden fighter in it. What more do you need?
(Although whoever did the translating for the subtitles kept calling it a "Shinden local jet fighter").
Tohoku actually anonymously commissioned a replica to be built for a museum in Japan with the secret proviso that they could use it in the movie.
There's a Japanese girl who does model-building videos on YouTube. She went to check out the replica so she could compare it to her model.
Quote from: W8taminute on December 01, 2023, 09:38:12 PMI see. I'm going to have to see the movie for myself then. Based on everything you've revealed I kind of got the impression that this movie doesn't have a classic 1950 - 1970 vibe to it.
Aside from the 1954 original it does not have any Showa era vibes per se, no.
Meanwhile, it won the box office here in America that week. Which was admittedly only a 17 million haul; but then again the film only cost 15 million (in US dollar value). It stayed booked for an extra week. There are rumors that Toho will put it up for Oscar consideration!
Quote from: JasonPratt on December 07, 2023, 08:07:45 PMQuote from: W8taminute on December 01, 2023, 09:38:12 PMI see. I'm going to have to see the movie for myself then. Based on everything you've revealed I kind of got the impression that this movie doesn't have a classic 1950 - 1970 vibe to it.
Aside from the 1954 original it does not have any Showa era vibes per se, no.
Meanwhile, it won the box office here in America that week. Which was admittedly only a 17 million haul; but then again the film only cost 15 million (in US dollar value). It stayed booked for an extra week. There are rumors that Toho will put it up for Oscar consideration!
Minus One is a great monster flick. Just saw it with the wife. We both liked it. And neither of us usually likes monster movies. Some really great character development, and a story that makes you feel for the characters. Yes, I think it could win an Oscar or two.
The only real hole in the story for me was that it takes place during the Occupation, and the Americans are nowhere to be found. The movie throws out a few lines saying the Americans don't get involved with Godzilla because they are worried about provoking the Soviets... What ever happened to realism in monster movies? :tickedoff:
Quote from: ArizonaTank on December 23, 2023, 04:34:08 PMThe only real hole in the story for me was that it takes place during the Occupation, and the Americans are nowhere to be found. The movie throws out a few lines saying the Americans don't get involved with Godzilla because they are worried about provoking the Soviets... What ever happened to realism in monster movies? :tickedoff:
It's understandable. The director, Yamazaki has some nationalist leanings and they wanted a fully Japanese film showing Japan fighting without the need for American help. There's a strong feeling among Japanese Kaiju fans that the Americans have coopted their national semi-mascot enough with the Legendary Pictures films and the Tristar abomination.
^Wow. I am not into these movies nearly as much as some here (ahem Pratt) but the idea of Japanese nationalism being put into the mix is fascinating.
Quote from: Gusington on December 23, 2023, 07:05:22 PM^Wow. I am not into these movies nearly as much as some here (ahem Pratt) but the idea of Japanese nationalism being put into the mix is fascinating.
Yeah, there was a bit of concern that Yamazaki would take the opportunity to take quite a few swipes at the Americans of the 40's in the film but it seems he just wanted to remove them from the equation and not make them a problem.
Yamazaki's done a few things like remove the international coalition portion from Space Battleship Yamato to show all Earth Forces in the film being entirely Japanese, and The Eternal Zero is a pretty heavily pro-WW2 Japan picture.
I suppose one could say it's not a lot different from what a lot of American filmmakers do, or anyone's really.
Lets be real, if the film decided to be realistic, the JSDF was virtually a nucleus when the film was set, little more capable of anything beyond a police force and if a giant radioactive dinosaur had attacked in the late 40's the Americans would be doing virtually 100% of the fighting and MacArthur would've gone into full military governor mode. That's not something that'd be entertaining for Japanese audiences to watch.
There's an upswelling of nationalism going on in Japan these days. My Japanese friends tell me that nostalgia for life during the economic boom of the 80's is very popular right now. Bars, shops, restaurants, and fashion are all reflecting the trend with lots of retro themed items and services. 80s music and anime are big now too.
I suspect some of it is a reaction to the soft push by the Japanese government and media for opening up the borders and allowing mass immigration. With the dwindling population, Japanese are worried that they're losing their culture and way of life and the idea of opening the country isn't seen as a positive. Recent negative incidents with foreign tourists and YouTubers have gone viral and are further pushing the sentiment.
Quote from: Silent Disapproval Robot on December 23, 2023, 07:38:36 PMThere's an upswelling of nationalism going on in Japan these days. My Japanese friends tell me that nostalgia for life during the economic boom of the 80's is very popular right now. Bars, shops, restaurants, and fashion are all reflecting the trend with lots of retro themed items and services. 80s music and anime are big now too.
Yeah, my ex-wife taught in Japan for two years before we got married. She's got some stories.
I miss it terribly and wish I hadn't left.
Japanese nationalism isn't completely foreign to Godzilla films, although Ishiro Honda the original writer/director of much of the first half of the Showa Era (1954 onward into the early 70s) wanted to get away from nationalism into international cooperation. Still even in his films, the military presence is almost entirely Japanese, with the exception of an American cruiser group blasting Godzilla (ineffectively) from offshore in the American edit of Mothra vs Godzilla (known in America as Godzilla vs the Thing). The nationalism ramped up notably during the second film series, known as the Heisei, specifically with its 3rd film (or 4th counting the original G54), Godzilla vs King Ghidora where the plot centered on jealous Americans from the future trying to derail a coming nationalist resurgence by Japan from economically and culturally dominating the world! Consequently, this film and the rest of the Heisei series afterward took about 15 years to get legitimate North American releases. (Amusingly, Tri-Star got the rights to do so as a side-effect of their 1998 American Godzilla film.)
That being said, in this case I'd argue this film is NOT in fact nationalist. Rather it's populist: people cannot trust governments to take care of us, so we have to dare to be awesome and find ways to deal with catastrophic problems ourselves. The Japanese government is restricted to donating four disarmed (!) destroyers for the final plan. (The experimental interceptor, the Shinden, is owned privately by a collector trying to get it running as a hobby.)
My Japanese is rusty, but still good enough to pick up the differences between the subtitles and the spoken Japanese lines. I think the most "nationalistic" thing in "Godzilla Minus One" was the scene where the main character, a 'failed' kamikaze pilot, returns to his parent's house. The neighborhood is bombed out, and his parents are dead. The neighbor, a middle-aged woman who also lost her family berates the main character. She blames the destruction on him and his fellow soldiers, because they 'didn't do their job.' No hint of remorse that the militarists had started the war in the first place.
Japan has had plenty of nationalistic movies over the years, and I am not certain they reflect any actual change in nationalism in society as a whole. I studied at a Japanese university. At the time, one of the major movies was titled "Dai Nippon Teikoku (The Great Japanese Empire)." It had some very nationalistic, and even anti-American scenes in it. Out of the many, many, many Japanese I knew at the time, with just a few exceptions, most of them really didn't care about the themes in the movie. Today, the movie is all but forgotten. Interestingly, you can find the full movie on youtube, but unfortunately without subtitles. Link below:
Over the years, there have been many other films... But these generally had more subtle nationalism. The best example is "Eternal Zero," a movie that the former conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (who was assassinated a year-and-a-half ago), praised. Unfortunately, the full movie isn't available anywhere online in English (youtube does have a version dubbed in French). Anyway, here is the trailer:
Yes, there has been a backlash against the foreign social media types filming themselves behaving badly in Japan. I think there is a long tradition of Japanese backlash against boorish foreigners; of course the media has changed over the years. I could bore everyone with pages and pages of examples. Anyway, it doesn't strike me as anything new, or different from what you would find in other countries, including the US.
Frankly, I would welcome a bit of positive Japanese flag-waiving. I worked for a time in Japan, and did my US Army Reserve time as a liaison with the Japan Self-Defense forces. It was sad in a way, because while Japan is a highly valued ally, Japanese society still had so little regard for their own armed forces. I worked with many fine folks who were not appreciated at all for their contribution to society. These days however, with China's push toward regional hegemony, Japan does seem to be coming out its shell.
^Great post. Do you have Japanese ancestry?
Quote from: Gusington on December 26, 2023, 02:45:56 PM^Great post. Do you have Japanese ancestry?
Thanks.
No, I just learned Japanese at university. I then went into the US Army, and knowing I could speak Japanese, the bureaucracy sent me places like Bayonne, New Jersey and El Paso, Texas. So when I got out of the Army, I found a nice IT job with an American company in Tokyo. After another job in Hong Kong, I eventually came back to the States.
Interesting.
My wife, one of the brightest people I have ever met, attempted to learn Japanese during undergrad, before I knew her. It broke her - she could not do it and stopped trying after one semester.
Learning Japanese is one of two things she has failed at during her entire life.
I was able to speak it decently while I lived there but I've lost a lot. I study via Duolingo for 20-30 minutes a day but it just isn't coming back. I have been watching Japanese movies and anime to practice listening. When I lived there, I could follow 75-80%. Now it's 25% on a good day.
Very frustrating.
Can you read and write Japanese too?
My kanji isn't great. I can read about 1500 characters but I have trouble with the different readings when they combine.
Quote from: Gusington on December 26, 2023, 09:07:57 PMInteresting.
My wife, one of the brightest people I have ever met, attempted to learn Japanese during undergrad, before I knew her. It broke her - she could not do it and stopped trying after one semester.
Learning Japanese is one of two things she has failed at during her entire life.
I have heard the same thing from others, even those who had many languages under their belt.
Japanese just clicked with me somehow, and the immersion really helped as well.
For me it was German and Russian that really kicked my rear. After three years of studying university level Russian, I went to a movie, and couldn't understand a thing.
In Japanese the Kanji characters are a problem, and it does take study to keep up with them. These days however there are some great online learning tools like Wanikani that I recommend.
Like Silent Disapproval Robot, I comfortably knew about 1500 characters when I worked in Japan. Today, maybe half that.
Another issue with Japanese is that English uses a Subject -> Verb -> Direct Object pattern. Japanese switches that us and uses Subject -> Direct Object -> Verb. That can throw English speakers off for a while, until they get used to it.
Anyway, probably starting to derail the thread too much...
Quote from: Gusington on December 26, 2023, 09:07:57 PMLearning Japanese is one of two things she has failed at during her entire life.
I remember when I knew shorthand in high school and being able to read, write and speak Hebrew.
now not at all.
^Me too with the Hebrew.
Now I just cut phat rhymes in English.
A little more derailing...
Arizona Tank,
The aspect of Japanese I found the hardest was the way that it's taught from classrooms to self-learning books, to online programs. In my opinion, they all go about it in a way that makes learning functional Japanese harder and the learner than has to "unlearn" what was taught and reprogram themselves.
For native English speakers, the Japanese language is unusual in that, unlike English, there is not much emphasis placed on time-based tenses. Verbs in Japanese tend to conjugate based on cause, effect, desired effect, outcome, and levels of politeness.
All verbs ha d a base or "plain" form and you conjugate them by adding a suffix depending on politeness levels and usage context. There are dozens of possible stems (even more once you add in slang and regional dialects).
I think they should teach the plain form of each verb first but they don't. Instead they teach the neutral polite form as the default.
Eg.
To read: plain form 'yomu'
polite form 'yomimasu'.
You spend all this time learning verbs that are already conjugated using this neutral polite form. The thing is NOBODY in Japan speaks using this form outside of a classroom.
You then have to go back, relearn the plain form of each verb, how to conjugate them (fairly easy since 99% all conjugate in one of 2 ways. Very few irregular verbs in Japanese) and then learn what all the various conjugated forms are and how and when they're used.
The levels of politeness are, for me, very difficult to wrap my head around. Different verbs forms and pronouns are used based on who the listener, the speaker, and the object of conversation are and their relationships to one another.
At any rate, if anyone here is studying a different language, I found ChatGPT to be a very useful tool.
Once you learn how to tell ChatGPT what it is you want it to teach you, it can be very effective.
ChatGPT, teach me Japanese using Godzilla movies!
"Would you like me to include anime?"
Uh, sure, that's fine.
"Would you like me to be topless?"
What the hell??
"Would you kill someone for me? I could make you very happy."
{pulls the damn plug}
And the Oscar goes to.... "Godzilla Minus One" for SFX.
https://gizmodo.com/godzilla-minus-one-just-made-kaiju-history-with-its-osc-1851321387 (https://gizmodo.com/godzilla-minus-one-just-made-kaiju-history-with-its-osc-1851321387)
Should have been at least nominated for other things, but I sure don't reject the win. :Nerd:
Quote from: JasonPratt on March 11, 2024, 08:56:04 PMShould have been at least nominated for other things, but I sure don't reject the win. :Nerd:
Well said. +1
I am not really a monster movie fan, but I thought 'Minus One' was great.