Negadon review: A fusion of amazing visuals and story

Negadon: The Giant Planet Monster - A New Frontier in Special Effects Films

■ Public Media

Independent Production

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Release date

2004

■ How it first appeared

CoMix Wave Films Inc.

■Frequencies

25 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

Jun Awazu

■ Director

Jun Awazu

■Works

© Jun Awazu/CoMix Wave Films

■ Story

The near future is the 100th year of the Showa era (2025 AD). The world's population has exceeded 10 billion, and an international space development project, the Mars Terraforming Project, is underway. One day, a space freighter, the Izanami, crashes in Japan on its way back from Mars. The monster Negadon, which was aboard, awakens! Negadon is a cold-blooded, vicious, murderous space monster with only a destructive instinct. Can humanity defeat him? In this hopeless situation, a middle-aged man, Narasaki Ryuichi, steps up. He is a legendary authority on robotics who lost his daughter in an accident during an experiment 10 years ago. To keep his promise to his late daughter, and to protect the future of science and humanity, Narasaki sets out in the unfinished humanoid general-purpose walking heavy machinery robot, the MI-6 Miroku Unit 2. Thus begins a fierce battle between Narasaki and Negadon that will shake the world!

■Explanation

"Negadon, the Giant Monster of the Planet" is a work by Awazu Jun, a young man who has been drawn to the world of special effects movies, including the original Godzilla, since he was a teenager and is fascinated by monsters. As the world's first monster movie made entirely with CG (no live action footage is used in this film), this work is a film that can be called a "new era special effects" film, with a uniquely developed video effect called the "Awazu Filter" that evokes the quality of film from the 1950s, and a filming method that uses miniatures.

*Quoted from the official Comix Wave Film website

■Cast

・TV announcer, narrator, Masafumi Takashi

■ Main staff

・Original story, script, and direction: Jun Awazu ・Music and sound effects: Shingo Terasawa ・Theme song lyrics: Kenjiro Kato ・Theme song: Akane Yumoto ・Guest CG artist: Makoto Miyahara ・Casting coordination: Tsuyoshi Yano ・Design cooperation: Makiko Oishi ・Solo (part of the BGM) : Yasuko Hasegawa

■ Main Characters

・Ryuichi Narazaki An authority on robotics. He currently lives in seclusion. He lost his daughter Emi in an accident.
Masatsugu Yoshizawa is Narazaki's former research assistant. He asks Narazaki, who is living in seclusion, to resume his robot research.
Narazaki Emi: Narazaki's daughter. Died in an accident.

■ Main robot items

・Showa 100 In this world, the era name "Heisei" does not exist. This is because it is created with the appearance of looking into the future from the past, and also because the word "Showa" was necessary for this work. As with the Y2K problem, there may be some kind of computer trouble in Showa 100, when the number of digits increases by one.
・World population is 10 billion The current population is just over 6 billion. It is said that it will actually reach 10 billion around 2050 (it is said that the population will be around 8 billion in 2025, the year the story is set). In any case, the increase in the world's population will become a serious problem in the future. Food and water shortages, mass consumption of energy, and other serious issues that affect the survival of humanity. Incidentally, Japan is ranked 8th in the world in terms of population.
・Mars Terraforming Plan A planetary modification plan that NASA is actually planning. It is a plan to make Mars the same environment as Earth and to migrate humans there in the future. Various methods have been proposed, such as dropping thermonuclear bombs on the dry ice blocks called polar ice caps to artificially create a greenhouse effect and raise the temperature, using microorganisms, and using black matter, but all of these methods will take a long time, 100 to 200 years, to completely terraform Mars.
Needless to say, Japan's robotics technology is very advanced. Giant humanoid robots, once a fantasy, will surely appear in the future. The question is whether there is a demand for them, but once terraforming begins, large-scale civil engineering work will be carried out, so there is a good chance they will happen.
Space Monster Negadon A monster with powerful destructive powers. It awakens when the space freighter "Izanami" crashes in Japan on its way back from Mars, and begins its invasion of Tokyo.
・MI-6 Unit 2 A robot created by Ryuichi Narazaki, an authority on robotics, using the crystallization of science. Narazaki uses MI-6 Unit 2 to face the space monster Negadon.

■ Theme songs and music

・TM1
・Natural Color Dream: The Sky of 1975
Lyrics: Kenjiro Kato; Music: Shingo Terasawa; Singer: Akane Yumoto

Review: A new era of special effects film "Planet Giant Monster Negadon"

"Negadon: Giant Monster" is highly acclaimed as a work that has opened up new horizons for special effects movies. Director and original author Awazu Jun has been fascinated by special effects movies since childhood, and it is clear that he poured his passion into this work. The film, which was made entirely with CG, uses the "Awazu Filter" to reproduce the film quality of the 1950s, bringing the atmosphere of good old special effects movies back to the present day.

The story is set in the near future, in the year 2025 (Showa 100). The setting, where the world's population exceeds 10 billion and a plan to terraform Mars is underway, skillfully incorporates science fiction elements while reflecting the progress of real science and technology. The plot, in which the space freighter "Izanami" returning from Mars crashes in Japan and the monster Negadon awakens, is a classic special effects movie twist, but also offers new surprises.

The protagonist, Ryuichi Narazaki, is an authority on robotics who lost his daughter in an accident, and the story depicts his fight for revenge and to protect the future of humanity. Narazaki's character has a complex inner world where his knowledge as a scientist and his love as a father intersect, evoking deep empathy from the audience. The MI-6 Miroku No. 2 that he pilots is an unfinished robot, but by engaging in a fierce battle with Negadon, it symbolizes the possibilities and limitations of science.

The CG technology in this film is at a very high level for an independent film of the time. In particular, the design and movement of the Negadon combines realism with the strangeness that is unique to monster movies, creating a strong visual impact. In addition, the scenes that are filmed using miniatures are moving as a homage to special effects films.

The music is also an important element that enhances the appeal of this work. Shingo Terasawa's music and sound effects heighten the tension and drama, and the theme song sung by Akane Yumoto, "Tennenshoku no Yume ~Showa 90 Nen no Sora~" ("Tennenshoku no Yume ~Showa 90 Nen no Sora"), conveys nostalgia for the Showa era while also singing of hope for the future.

Recommendation: A must-see for fans of special effects movies

"Negadon: Giant Monster" is a must-see for fans of special effects movies. It is the world's first monster movie made entirely with CG, and is full of technical innovation and love for special effects movies. In particular, fans of Showa-era special effects movies will find the visual effects created by the Awazu filter nostalgic. For science fiction fans, the depiction of the Mars terraforming plan and robotics will be of interest.

Furthermore, this work is not just entertainment, but also has deep themes by depicting the progress of science and technology and the ethical issues of human beings. Through Ryuichi Narazaki's characters, you will be forced to think about the power and limitations of science, and human dignity.

This film condenses the appeal and new possibilities of special effects movies into a short 25-minute film. It is a must-see for anyone who wants to know the history of special effects movies, is interested in the evolution of CG technology, and simply loves monster movies. "Negadon: Giant Monster" has opened up new horizons for special effects movies, and is sure to impress and amaze viewers.