Yôkai daisensô (2005)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Takashi Miike

Writers:

Hiroshi Aramata (novel)
Takashi Miike (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

6 August 2005 (Japan)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Horror

Plot:

This is the story of a young boy who moves to a small town after the divorce of his parents. At a local festival...

Plot Keywords:

Japan | Machine | Based On Comic | Manga | Supernatural Power

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Ryûnosuke Kamiki	...	Tadashi Ino (as Ryuunosuke Kamiki)
Hiroyuki Miyasako	...	Sata
Chiaki Kuriyama	...	Agi
Bunta Sugawara	...	Shuntaro Ino
Kaho Minami	...	Youko Ino
Riko Narumi	...	Tataru Ino
Etsushi Toyokawa	...	Lord Kato Yasunori
Kiyoshiro Imawano	...	General Nurarihyon (as Kiyoshirô Imawano)
Mai Takahashi	...	Kawahime, the River Princess
Masaomi Kondo	...	Shojo, the Kirin Herald (as Masaomi Kondô)
Sadao Abe	...	Kawataro, the River Sprite
Takashi Okamura	...	Azuki-Bean Washer
Naoto Takenaka	...	Lamp-Oil
Ken'ichi Endô	...	Ou Tengu
Renji Ishibashi	...	Ou Kubi
Toshie Negishi	...	Sunakake Baba
Asumi Miwa	...	Rokuro-Kubi
Hiroshi Aramata	...	Demon Prince
Natsuhiko Kyôgoku	...	Demon Prince
Shigeru Mizuki	...	Demon King
Toshiya Nagasawa	...	Abe no Seimei
Shirô Sano	...	Sata's Editor
Akira Emoto	...	Screaming Farmer
Minori Fujikura	...	Bake-Neko
Mame Yamada	...	Noderabô
Hiromasa Taguchi	...	Ippon Tadara
Tokitoshi Shiota	...	Mouryo / Gozu
Rei Yoshii	...	Yuki Onna
Miyuki Miyabe	...	School Teacher
Yu Tokui	...	Police Officer
Kanji Tsuda	...	Tadashi's Father
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Honkon
Tôru Hotohara
Itsuji Itao
Arimasa Ôsawa
Salmon Sakeyama		(as Sakeyama Saamon)
Mao Sasaki	...	Sune-kosuri (voice)
Yôji Tanaka	...	Yoichi's father

Directed by
Takashi Miike

Writing credits
Hiroshi Aramata		(novel)
Takashi Miike		(screenplay) &
Mitsuhiko Sawamura		(screenplay) &
Takehiko Itakura		(screenplay)

Produced by
Fumio Inoue	....	producer
Tsuguhiko Kadokawa	....	executive producer: Kadokawa Eiga

Original Music by
Kôji Endô

Cinematography by
Hideo Yamamoto

Film Editing by
Yasushi Shimamura

Production Design by
Hisashi Sasaki

Makeup Department
Kakusei Fujiwara	....	special makeup effects artist

Sound Department
Peter 'Duck' McDonald	....	sound mixer
Jun Nakamura	....	sound

Casting Department
Natsuhiko Kyôgoku	....	casting: monsters

Other crew
Miyuki Miyabe	....	production consultant
Shigeru Mizuki	....	production consultant

Production Companies

• Kadokawa Eiga K.K.
• Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV)

Distributors

• Media Blasters (2006) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Shochiku Company (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Siren Visual Entertainment (2006) (Australia) (DVD)
• Tokyo Shock (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Versus Entertainment (2006) (Spain) (DVD)
• e-m-s the DVD-Company (2007) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Tottori Film Commission  film commission

Also Known As:

The Great Yokai War (Canada: English title) (festival title) (International: English title) (UK) (subtitle)
Hobgoblins & the Great War (literal English title)
Spook Warfare
The Great Hobgoblin War (literal English title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for fantasy violence and scary images.

Runtime:

USA:124 min | UK:104 min (Leeds International Film Festival)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Japan

Company:

Kadokawa Eiga K.K.

Trivia:

When a gigantic turtle-like yokai flies over the city, a man dismisses it by saying "it's only Gamera" - Daiei Studio's well-known daikaiju hero.

Quotes:

Red-Hooded Yokai: Rejoice! It would seem we have won the war.
Youkai Daiou: Won the war? Don't be a fool! There is a limit even to foolishness. Wars must not happen. They only make you hungry.

Movie Connections:

References Daikaijû Gamera (1965)

Turn off your brain and don't question what you see--just watch and be amazed

This film is a bit reminiscent of the German film, THE NEVERENDING STORY because a child is magically transported to a strange land in order to be a hero. However, due to far superior modern technology, puppets and CGI are used to make an amazingly realistic looking world--one that will blow your socks off due to its realism and scope.

I enjoyed this film, but boy was it a chore at first! Unfortunately, for most Westerners, this film is one you might give up on very quickly or dismiss it since everything in the film seems so odd. However, give it a chance. Don't think or try to understand everything you see--just allow the story to unfold and you will most likely enjoy the film.

In many ways, this is exactly the sort of advice I'd give to adults who watch Miyazaki's SPIRITED AWAY because it is very similar and features tons of Yokai (Japanese mythical spirits). The big differences between the two is that THE GREAT YOKAI WAR is live-action and SPIRITED AWAY is much more child-friendly. While I do think THE GREAT YOKAI WAR was intended mostly as a kids' movie, in the USA, most parents would not want to show this to younger kids because it's so violent, scary and features some adult behaviors. So who is the audience in the West? Well, older kids and adults who appreciate foreign films with non-Western themes and composition. This is a rather narrow audience, indeed!

While you are watching, look for all the strange little touches. In fact, you could watch the film dozens of times and notice different tiny things each time. A few of the funny references I liked were the comment about Gamera, the scene that came with the comment "KIDS: Don't Try This At Home" as well as the use of Kirin beer to allow a person to actually see the Yokai (hmm,...perhaps that scene should have also contained this warning)!

By the way, director Takashi Miike is a hard one to pin down stylistically, other than to say that none of his stories I've seen have seemed "normal". Some of his films are rather disgusting and disturbing and I hated them (especially AUDITION and ICHI THE KILLER)whereas some of them are magical and among the best films I've ever seen (THE HAPPINESS OF THE KATAKURIS). One thing for sure, it's hard to watch one of his films and not have a strong reaction one way or the other.