A Giant Warrior Descends on Tokyo (2012)
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A Giant Warrior Descends on Tokyo (巨神兵東京に現わる Kyoshinhei Tōkyō ni Arawaru, lit. "Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo") is a 2012 tokusatsu kaiju short film directed by Shinji Higuchi and written by Hideaki Anno, with visual effects supervised by Atsuki Sato. Funded by Studio Ghibli and produced by the Tokusatsu Lab and khara, it is based partially on both Hayao Miyazaki's 1982 manga Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and the 1984 Topcraft film adaptation, depicting an alternate version of the Seven Days of Fire in which the titular Giant Warriors wipe out human civilization in the present day.
The film was made as a demonstration of practical effects techniques for the "TOKUSATSU - Special Effects Museum" exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, which opened on July 10, 2012. An extended version entitled A Giant Warrior Descends on Tokyo: Theatrical Edition (巨神兵東京に現わる 劇場版 Kyoshinhei Tōkyō ni Arawaru: Gekijō-ban) was given a Japanese theatrical run beginning November 17 of that year, playing before Anno's Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo.
Plot
During an average day in Tokyo, the narrator is shocked by the arrival of her brother, who has been away at college. He tells her that a great disaster is coming and the city will be destroyed tomorrow. She exclaims that it is just a rumor being spread around the internet, but her sibling insists. He explains that before every disaster there is an omen or warning that precedes it. The narrator becomes frightened and believes the person in front of her to be an imposter. He tells her that he is the omen and that she should carefully decide how to react to this event before vanishing before her.
Meanwhile, glowing spores have descended upon Tokyo, eventually coalescing to form a Giant Warrior, an enormous being that hovers above the city. The narrator explains that gods are not only creators, but also destroyers, which is why humans worship them. The giant being begins aimlessly walking through Tokyo as the city's inhabitants look on. Suddenly, it stops and its mouth opens to reveal a device that unleashes a horrifying beam that ravages Tokyo, destroying the entire city and leaving a mushroom cloud in its wake.
The narrator explains that the world has a set life span and that, if it were up to humans, life would be prolonged indefinitely. Despite its inhabitants' objections, the Earth itself called upon the Giant Warrior to initiate the Seven Days of Fire which will end the planet's existence. She believes that if the Earth took seven days to create, it will take just as long to destroy it.
As the entire legion of Warriors descend upon the ruins of Tokyo, the narrator says that she will forego what the gods have planned and is awaiting what will remain after they have destroyed Earth.
Staff
Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.
- Directed by Shinji Higuchi
- Associate director Katsuro Onoue
- Written by Hideaki Anno
- Giant Warrior created by Hayao Miyazaki
- Executive producers Hideaki Anno, Toshio Suzuki
- Produced by Takeshi Kobayashi
- Associate producers Nobuo Kawakami, Makoto Hashida, Ikki Todoroki
- Technical producer Tetsuo Ohya
- Music by Taisei Iwasaki
- Cinematography by Keizo Suzuki, Keiichi Sakurai
- Edited by Atsuki Sato; Hidemi Ri (theatrical)
- Production design by Toshio Miike, Masato Inatsuki
- First assistant director Kensei Nakayama
- Special effects supervisor Katsuro Onoue
- Visual effects supervisor Atsuki Sato
Cast
Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.
- Megumi Hayashibara as narrator (voice)
Appearences
Monsters
Gallery
- Main article: A Giant Warrior Descends on Tokyo/Gallery.
Alternate titles
- Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo (literal translation)
Videos
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Trivia
- A model of a broken Tokyo Tower from the Heisei Gamera trilogy was considered for reuse in this film. The model was ultimately displayed at the theaters where the film was released.[1]
External links
References
This is a list of references for A Giant Warrior Descends on Tokyo. 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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