Toho Kingdom

Captain Aktion wrote:

LSD Jellyfish wrote:The ass shot is pretty much the height of it, serving absolutely zero purpose.

I've got a really good feeling I know why most people get...perturbed about that scene. But I'll refrain from saying.

Now, while I admit it's up for debate about how necessary the scene is, it does serve some narrative purpose. It clearly is set up to show that Yuki is a self-sufficient survivalist who's been "in the trees" for so long that he's either lost or just doesn't care about basic decorum, like covering his ass in front of people, and that these guys are totally contemptible to him. The immediate shot after or before, if I recall correctly, has the other two guys looking at him with a mix of frustration and bewilderment. It reinforces the differences between the three of them and it lays out that not only does Yuki not give a damn if "his ass is hanging out" but that he probably even gets a little kick out of provocation and sticking it to the "squares". The fact that the other two soldiers mean so little to him that basic things that we take for granted, like not sticking your ass out, are meaningless to him says something.

I get that an ass shot of a dude in the shower isn't necessarily something that belongs in a Godzilla film and I'd say that the naked breasts of a corpse aren't very couth either but I think the consternation over the butt-shot comes from somewhere other than quality or purpose. I mean, all the "yuck"s and "eww"s as form of critique say so.

Either way, that shot DID say more to me about the character than anything in Miki's entire plot said about her.

LSD Jellyfish wrote: Nothing against seeing a males ass, I've taken a figure drawing class and drawn plenty of male asses based on nude models.

I like your interpretation but if that was the case I feel as though there's better ways of doing it. Early on in the film there is some very choppy editing and transitions from plot point to plot point. The ass thing just kinda sums it up.

LSD Jellyfish wrote:Regarding the budget a lot of people complain about an infamous scene where Godzilla's tail goes up and you can see it falling apart. While it's true if you pause it you can notice it it's not really noticeable unless you're specifically looking for it and pause it. I'm not excusing it, I just feel like as with a lot of the films in the franchise it's the chosen scapegoat of the era. Even if it does have flaws and a small budget it still has a noticeably higher budget and effects than the Showa films.

Mr. Xeno wrote:I honestly find it funny to see so much bitching over a half-second long ass shot in what's only a 5-10 second long scene.

LSD Jellyfish wrote:

Mr. Xeno wrote:I honestly find it funny to see so much bitching over a half-second long ass shot in what's only a 5-10 second long scene.

It's more like that one scene represents a lot of stuff in GVSG that could be cut.

Captain Aktion wrote: Either way, that shot DID say more to me about the character than anything in Miki's entire plot said about her.

Captain Aktion wrote:

Captain Aktion wrote: Either way, that shot DID say more to me about the character than anything in Miki's entire plot said about her.

I love that nobody has taken up this challenge. She really is a useless character, isn't she?

g2vd wrote: Pretty much which is really sad actually. because the character had a ton of potential and it would have been really interesting to see the character develop through out the series, unfortunely much like everything else in the Heisei Series (Post Bio) is half baked I mean for example there could have been a really interesting discussion between her and the Cosmo in GVM, however she never really talks to them her whole purpose in every film after Bio is to come in stand around and do a little hand-waving just so the character can have slightly more purpose to the film than a Stan Lee cameo. I mean any interesting arcs or storylines with the character that could be done in the film are never thought of and she utlimately in most of the films serves very little purpose. seriously you could edit her out of GVKG and you really wouldn't notice anything just have her overlayed by somebody else in the opening of GVKG and you can effectively remove her from the whole film, and it would actually improve a scene like the Car Chase which basically shows just how little the charater or the actor did that had ANY kind of a impact on the whole film.

g2vd wrote:and it would actually improve a scene like the Car Chase which basically shows just how little the charater or the actor did that had ANY kind of a impact on the whole film.

Missingno. wrote:

g2vd wrote:and it would actually improve a scene like the Car Chase which basically shows just how little the charater or the actor did that had ANY kind of a impact on the whole film.

Umm, that wasn't Miki in the car chase scene. That was Emmy (played by Anna Nakagawa) in that scene. But I do agree with your post. Miki post-Bio was just "there" and didn't really contribute much, and in some cases like GvD, was in the way of something, such as trying to not let the other psychic (whose name I cannot remember at this moment) lure Godzilla Jr. to Tokyo to fight the flying Destroyah.

Captain Aktion wrote: But what about even having a character? Can anybody even begin to seriously guess at what Miki does in her free time? How does she feel about her powers? Did she go to school? Is she in the military or is she still a civilian?

Biollante was the only film where she really had a purpose and a role in the plot but even then she didn't have a character or an arc. When the Cosmos are a thing, why have Miki there if you don't even use her? When you already have the scientist lady in MG to connect with Little G, what purpose does Miki serve? It just goes on and on.

Israha wrote:I don't think Miki's lack of purpose in the later Heisei entries is that much of a problem. After all, it looks like she's meant to be just a recurring character to make the movies look more like direct sequels to one another, nothing more. And while I agree that giving her more background and personality wouldn't hurt anything, it wouldn't significantly improve any of the movies either.