Shin Ultraman(シン・ウルトラマン) Japanese Film Thoughts

    Shin Ultramaa is a 2022 film created in Japan that was directed by Shinji Higuchi(Shin Godzilla) as well as stars a beloved cast of Takumi Saitoh, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Masami Nagasawa, etc. The film become the six highest grossing film of 2022 in Japan, making over thirty million yen after it's theater run. 

       A group of scientist studying alien creatures known as Kaiju, witness a mysterious alien that seems to want to protect the human race and earth. He is known as Ultraman. How did he come to be on earth? Why?

     Shin Ultraman does the job of feeding all the long time fan addiction of over two hours. What I can say with certainty is that this film knows it's audience way too well. The plot takes this information to high points of action as Shin Ultraman has big fight scenes back to back for the first half of the film. I'm not a huge Ultraman fan myself, however, I can see the great appeal for why this would be such a great film. Story progression slides into a category of a television special. Well, an updated television special...... that has all the qualities of the original series. I've got to be honest here too. This isn't a film that I would watch if it wasn't for the cast. Original Ultraman never carried a lot of interests for me. There's tons to enjoy for fans of the classic hero though. About the last half and hour felt a tad bit rushed in my opinion. 

     Shots on location are the best when you're watching the action of the big monster's fighting. Certain parts of the film are big information dump sections but if you have watched other Kaiju films then you will be alright. I haven't see all the films and still knew most of the monsters. Effects were classic yet up to date somehow. 

    Shin Ultraman is a film that you should check out if you like East Asian cinema. It's not a decision that will hurt you in any way. Just don't expect the film to be a masterpiece like Shin Godzilla.  

Vash Hsu(徐暐翔) - Survive to Remember(躍) Chinese pop album Thoughts

 

    Vash Hsu is a Chinese singer that began his road to stardom in 2018 when he went on a music program and became runner up. He would continue to go on other programs from there where he gained fame for always being one of the best in the group of singers chosen. Survive to Remember is his debut album that was finally released this month. 

Tracklist

• 01黑 Void
• 02眼花 Flowers Growing From My Eyes
• 03我們到底算什麼 Distrustful Love
• 04沒有因為之所以 Just Because
• 05此生最美的錯 Best Mistake
• 06我不會接龍 What’s Next?
• 07被耽誤的 Could Have Been
• 08心和脈搏 Heart Beat
• 09越線 Tangled In Illusion
• 10躍 Survive To Remember

     Hsu's debut feels on the verge of wanting to remind listeners of what this singer can do. While at the same time, bringing in new listeners who might not know him. Survive to Remember wants to be a pop rock record however, a lot of rules on the Chinese music industry seem to be holding him because from executing this idea fully. This album instead becomes a ballad record most of the duration and it's not a bad thing. What i had a problem with was the high point of this album are very good. Those high points tended to be when Hsu was singing the pop rock tracks on the record. The ballad tracks blend well into the flow but, they do slow down the attractive aspects that would have been brought out more had he just went full rock and roll. I do understand that East Asia loves a good ballad or two. So do I when there's a fun build up with great vocals. Hsu gives this on some tracks in a way. I just didn't like hearing so many ballad tracks back to back like that.   

      Man can this guy belt out some high ass notes. When he's in there, he's in there on top of everything. I l love how he has such great control of the high part of his voice. Not only that, he's good had invoking emotion out of himself and others while having good vocal technique. 

   Survive to Remember has some tracks that I really enjoyed. Then some tracks that I would rather skip pass. This isn't a bad debut album for a singer to show what he brings to the table. 

Return To Seoul(Retour à Séoul) Korean Film Thoughts

 

    Return To Seoul is a 2022 film that was directed by Davy Chou has his second film. The film stars a cast of new faces and some older faces known well in Korea. Many reviews have raved about this film. Positive recommendations caused an Academy Award nomination at the 92th ceremony.  

   A Korean women takes an unplanned trip to South Korea. She is a Korean adoptee who was raised in France who never knew anything about her birth parents. Now she searches out her family for a sense of purpose. 

      Return to Seoul is a film that deals with a person'd true identity. The main character keeps saying all throughout the film that she is French. However, French isn't a race.... It's a nationality. Her idea was that she was somehow different from the Korean people that she had met during her visit. She wasn't any different from them race wise. France was just the place she was raised in. Many of the scenes had a hint of sadness in them because you're watching a women who is searching for the answers to who she is but, is somewhat in denial or doesn't realize how much pieces of herself is missing. The plot also has an added emotional layer that jumps in time. Emotional character development becomes like a shell for the main character to protect her weak heart. A black coat with slicked back hair, a white boyfriend, her weird relationship with her father, are all things that are used as defense system to protect against the fact that her mother's absence is killing her.  

    I loved that a big focus point of the filming process was the main actress. She made Korea seem so small since she was the main point in the mist of a bustling country. Especially that scenes when she walks around Seoul with the back leather coat on. 

   Return to Seoul is an emotional ride that's big on the dramatics. There's a sad feel of closure which seemed like a long time coming. Don't you love films that come across longer than they really are due to the emotional layers? 

Yamato Mori(森 大翔) - 69 Jewel Beetle Album Thoughts (j-pop/Rock)

 

   Yamato Mori is a Japanese singer that started his career performing guitar covers on Youtube. Most people didn't even know that he could sing until he started working on his album. 69 Jewel Beetle is Mori's debut album under A-Sketch label.

【Tracks】
M01： Prologue〜drift ice〜
M02：たいしたもんだよ
M03：剣とパレット
M04：明日で待ってて
M05：オテテツナイデ
M06：すれ違ってしまった人達へ
M07：歌になりたい
M08：台風の目
M09：最初で最後の素敵な恋だから
M10：いつか僕らは〜I Left My Heart in Rausu〜
M11： Epilogue〜evening calm〜

    My stumbling among Yamato Mori was a shocking one. I wasn't expecting to find another Japanese artist that's so young but seems like he's been performing for years. His debut shows a lot of versatility in the rock genre. Especially with his guitar playing, which rivals that of other Japan greats such as Fukuyama Masaharu, indie band Goodmoon(formally known as Taro&Jiro), and many more. Mori createds 69 Jewel Beetle with an idea that he's not trying to be the hardest rocking singer songwriter out here. He actually chooses to go the fun creative route instead, mix and matching guitar rifts and playing around with his strum speed. He even experiments with contrasting harmonies to somehow make it all sound well together. The random rap bar always get me every time.... 

  Mori sounds young when he sings.... I mean he was only just born in 2003. However, the charm his vocals brings to his songs completes the full package. His technique of vibrato is like other Japanese singers since, it's a style choice that many Japanese listeners like. 

    Yamato Mori is one of my favorite singers right now. His album shows the promise for his career in the future. He's only just begun. 

Hunt(헌트) Korean Film Thoughts

 

   Hunt is a 2022 Korean film that was actor Lee Jung Jae's director debut. The film was a success at the Korean South box office as well as at many foreign film festivals. Lee stars in the film with Jung Woo Sung. There are also guest appearances by Ju Ji Hoon, and Kim Nam gil. 

  The film has to do with three important events in South Korean history. They are the Gwangju Uprising, Rangoon Bombing, and the defecting of North Korean pilot Lee Woong pyung. These events tie together during the cold war between the two Koreas. 

    Hunt gives little context to the history that the plot is based off of. You get a little insert in the beginning of the film but after that, you get a story that could be passed off as an undercover spy story or something else. I don't really know to tell you the truth. Hunt is good at keeping the intensity going for the whole duration of the film. Everything is shoot outs, car chases, on top of explosions. There's so much action that you don't care much about what's going on with these characters. The only time you feel anything is when the torture scenes happen. Could I tell you anything about the story after watching hunt? Nope. not a thing.... Could I tell you my favorite action scenes? Yeah, I could. So much of the film is action with spotty context to a historical story. I've never watched a Korean historical film that didn't lay thick on the history and less on the action. Hunt's ending is a cut and paste of Park Hoon Jung's New World. Just without the girl..... 

  Hunt doesn't bring anything ground breaking to South Korean cinema. Hunt is a good time if you want mindless action wrapped up nicely as a history film.  Don't think too hard and this film will be a great watch. 

  The action scenes have a new stylish way of film different points of views which was really cool. I wish they had pay that much attention to detail in the script. Then. this film would have been a show stopper.