Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon: Difference between revisions
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===English dub=== | ===English dub=== | ||
{{Cast | {{Cast | ||
|Jack Murphy|Prince [[Yamato Takeru]] | |||
|Chris Hilton|Emperor Keiko / Seiryu | |Chris Hilton|Emperor Keiko / Seiryu | ||
|Warren Rooke|Genbu | |||
|Rik Thomas|Tsukinowa / Kumaso Takeru | |Rik Thomas|Tsukinowa / Kumaso Takeru | ||
}} | }} | ||
==Appearances== | ==Appearances== | ||
===Monsters=== | ===Monsters=== |
Revision as of 20:41, 7 May 2020
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Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon (ヤマトタケル is a Yamato Takeru, lit. Yamato Takeru)1994 tokusatsu kaiju film produced by Toho. It was released to Japanese theaters on July 9, 1994.
Plot
The film begins with the birth of twin princes. One of the twins is named Osu, and is loathed by his father, the emperor of Yamato. The emperor is convinced that his loathing of Osu is a premonition, and he orders the shaman named Tsukinowa to kill the child. But his plans are thwarted by Amano Shiratori, the White Bird of the Heavens. The emperor's sister views this as a clear sign of divine intervention, and takes it upon herself to raise the young prince.
Years later, when Prince Osu has matured into a man, he is given pardon by the emperor and allowed to return to his father's castle. Unfortunately, not long after, his mother falls ill and mysteriously dies. This sends his brother Ousu into a rage, causing him to attack Osu, who defends himself and kills his sibling in the process. His father, furious at these events, orders his son to leave the castle and not return until the barbarians living in the Kumaso domain are dealt with. The prince makes dealing with these barbarians his top priority, and quickly takes off. He stops at a shrine on his way, where, after a quick battle, he befriends the beautiful but mysterious Ototachibana, who joins him on his journey. They, along with their companions Genbu and Seiryu, raid the barbarian castle, killing Kumaso Takeru and their god Kumasogami. Following this feat, the prince changes his name and becomes Yamato Takeru.
However, he still fails to win the acceptance of his father, and Yamato's aunt, warns him of a great threat looming overhead. The god Tsukuyomi is posed to return, endangering the Earth, and Yamato Takeru must prepare to halt this from occurring.
Staff
Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.
- Directed by Takao Okawara
- Written by Wataru Mimura
- Produced by Shogo Tomiyama, Tomoyuki Tanaka (executive)
- Music by Kiyoko Ogino, Glay, Yoshiki Hayashi
- Cinematography by Yoshinori Sekiguchi, Kenichi Eguchi
- Edited by Nobuo Ogawa
- Production design by Fumio Ogawa, Tetsuzo Osawa
- Assistant directing by Kunio Miyoshi, Okihiro Yoneda
- Director of Special Effects Koichi Kawakita, Takao Okawara (Kumasogami sequence),
- Assistant Director of Special Effects Kenji Suzuki
Cast
Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.
- Masahiro Takashima as Prince Yamato Takeru
- Yasuko Sawaguchi as Ototachibana
- Hiroshi Abe as Tsukuyomi
- Miyashi Ishibashi as Seiryu
- Bengal as Genbu
- Saburo Shinoda as Emperor Keiko, Osu's father
- Hiroshi Fujioka as Kumaso Takeru
- Yuki Meguro as Susano-o
- Akira Koieyama as Ousu, Osu's brother
- Keaki Mori as Osu's mother
- Koichi Ueda as
- Hurricane Ryu Hariken as Kumasogami
- Kenpachiro Satsuma as Yamata no Orochi
- Wataru Fukuda as Utsuno Ikusagami
English dub
Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.
- Jack Murphy as Prince Yamato Takeru
- Chris Hilton as Emperor Keiko / Seiryu
- Warren Rooke as Genbu
- Rik Thomas as Tsukinowa / Kumaso Takeru
Appearances
Monsters
Production
Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon was originally scheduled to go into production following the release of Godzilla vs. Mothra in 1992. The original story was a remake of Toho's 1959 epic The Three Treasures, but director Takao Okawara, mindful of the studio's plans for a trilogy, made numerous revisions, including the addition of the Imperial Regalia of Japan and Yamato Takeru's two companions.[2] He approached the material "not as a period piece, but instead as a futuristic drama imagined by people living in the past."
The final battle between Yamata no Orochi and Utsuno Ikusagami was significantly edited at the request of Toho executives, who felt the film was too long. A second scene of Yamato Takeru jumping onto one of Orochi's heads was also cut.
Gallery
- Main article: Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon/Gallery.
Soundtrack
- Main article: Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon (Soundtrack).
Alternate titles
- Yamato Takeru (Japanese title / alternate English title)
- Price Yamato (Alternate English title)
- Orochi, the Multiheaded Dragon (Alternate English title)
- Madra the Eight-Headed Monster (Madra die Acht-Headed Monster, German title)
Theatrical releases
- Japan - July 9, 1994
U.S. release
Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon was dubbed into English by a Hong Kong studio. Voice actors included Chris Hilton as Emperor Keiko and Seiryu, and Rik Thomas as Tsukinowa and Kumaso Takeru. The film went direct to video in the United States under its international title. ADV Films first released it on VHS in 1999, then on DVD in 2003.
Box office
Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon performed poorly at the Japanese box office, grossing only ¥800,000,000 with approximately 1,500,000 admissions.[3] By comparison, Toho's other 1994 kaiju film, Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, made ¥1,650,000,000. Its failure forced the studio to eventually abandon its plans for a trilogy, with a sequel scheduled for 1997 but ultimately cancelled.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon currently has a 30% Audience Score, based on over 1,000 ratings. Its average rating there is 2.9/5. The film remains fairly obscure among kaiju fans, in part due to its limited availability on home video. Toho Kingdom's Anthony Romero gave the movie a 1.5/5 rating, citing it as "pretty lackluster across the board" being "plagued by a weak script and a hollow cast of characters", with "bland acting, [and] special effects", and a musical score that "would have been more appropriate for a television show". However, he does state that the monsters featured in the film "were well done in terms of details," though they "are far less impressive once they are seen in motion". Writing for Alternate Ending, Tim Brayton took aim at its low production values, calling it "an early '80s European fantasy adventure with just enough of a distinct Japanese sensibility in the themes and dialogue to mark it out."
Videos
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Video releases
ADV Films DVD (2003)[4]
- Region: 1
- Discs: 1
- Audio: Japanese (2.0 Mono), English (2.0 Mono)
- Special Features: Trailers
- Notes: Out of print.
Though Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon is not available on Blu-ray, an HD version can be rented or purchased on the Japanese versions of Amazon Video and iTunes.
References
This is a list of references for Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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