Ep. 054: Requiem from the Darkness & Monsters University

[Chris]

Chaos Theater Ep. 054 - "Requiem from the Darkness & Monsters University"
- Download Now: 64 kbps - 149 mins, 38 sec. (2:29:38) 205.50 MB

Special Guest Host: Kristina Pino (Monsters University)

Segment Breakdown for this Episode:

01. Intro: "What We've Been Up To" and "Slaying the Sacred Cow"
Runtime: 0:00:01 - 0:41:13

02. Discussion: "Requiem from the Darkness"
Runtime: 0:41:32 - 1:01:47

03. Discussion: "Monsters University"
Runtime: 1:02:08 - 1:38:22

04. Outro: "Audible recommendations", "Chaos Theater Mailbag" and "Internet whoring"
Runtime: 1:38:42 - 2:21:49

It's a creature double feature on this latest episode. First, we catch up on what we've been doing, then chomp on a burger slider on the matter of the Twelfth Doctor. Then we discuss the creepy horror anime series Requiem from the Darkness. Special guest Kristina Pino then joins us from Japan to discuss Pixar's latest movie, Monsters University, along with its accompanying short. We then close out the show with Audible recommendations and your questions from the Mailbag. Next time, we're whipping candles in creepy castles as we discuss the many games of Castlevania.

Music Featured in this Episode:
"Boing Zoom DAKOTA!" from Rock Candy 1 by Shadow
"Children of the Clone" from Children of the Clone by Jim Guthrie
"Heart of the World" from Children of the Clone by Jim Guthrie
"Light Flute" from Children of the Clone by Jim Guthrie

Sponsors & Special Offers:
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[Arbiter GUNDAM]

Before I listen, I'm going to guess that the Slider has to do with the internet freaking out about the Twelfth Doctor?

[Chris]

You guess correctly.

[LightningCount]

Whoa, Requiem from the Darkness. I hardly knew that was still in the anime consciousness. I'll have to check this out when I've got enough time to listen.

The future Castlevania show will be very interesting...but hopefully you'll give those N64 entries a fair shake. The way they're sometimes glossed over or shoved under a rug in most retrospectives is shameful. They were largely a victim of over-ambition slamming against scheduling and technology, along with shifting fan expectations in the wake of the decidedly different Symphony of the Night; but point for point, those N64 titles are easily the most daring, forward-thinking, and yet series-faithful 3D titles of the franchise, and some of the most atmospheric to boot. They linked the strategic and death-defying "action-platforming" that defines the series with just enough change-up exploration that became a part of the series early on, particularly with Simon's Quest, and did so in a 3D realm. If that N64 formula had more time to be polished over future titles, instead of Konami reinventing the wheel several more times while borrowing heavily from franchises with different identities (Devil May Cry, Uncharted, God of War, Shadow of the Colossus, etc) to "fit in" with mainstream trends at the cost of its own gameplay identity, Castlevania would still have some clout, IMO.

[Chris]

I can tell you now that I unfortunately can't speak to the N64 titles as I never played them. That'll depend on Pedro and our special guest.

[Destiny_Gundam]

Looks like the Otter of Offerings has made the news.

[Chris]

We told you all he didn't mess around, but you didn't want to listen!

[sakurangel]

requiem of darkess is avaliable on netflix thanks to funimation(soubro) àt the moment.
For part of castlevanias for N64, theircard good in them own way.Specialy the second game Legacy of darkness with is one of my favorites i the whole series. Heck call be crazy, but invmy eyes Legacy is better than bouth ps2 games..n

[Destiny_Gundam]

The problem with your Hangover idea is that Cap, Wolverine, and Deadpool can't get drunk because of their powers.

[tHeWasTeDYouTh]

requiem of darkess is avaliable on netflix thanks to funimation(soubro) àt the moment.
For part of castlevanias for N64, theircard good in them own way.Specialy the second game Legacy of darkness with is one of my favorites i the whole series. Heck call be crazy, but invmy eyes Legacy is better than bouth ps2 games..n

hell yeah man thanks gonna watch it

[The Fowl Sorcerous]

The problem with your Hangover idea is that Cap, Wolverine, and Deadpool can't get drunk because of their powers.

just ruin the fun why don't you.

But why has the Paycheck setup never been used for a point and click adventure game? A pocketful of mundane crap and a series of puzzles seems like a match made in heaven for the genre. Explain!

[Chris]

But why has the Paycheck setup never been used for a point and click adventure game? A pocketful of mundane crap and a series of puzzles seems like a match made in heaven for the genre. Explain!

To a certain extent, this was done in Flashback: The Quest for Identity as you start off an amnesiac and have no clue what to do with the junk you have. But I'd like to see something more like what you're saying.

[Arbiter GUNDAM]

Chris, you said, "take a quick bake," again.

[Chris]

Chris, you said, "take a quick bake," again.

Then maybe you should do so, depending on your local laws.

[LightningCount]

All right, I finally listened to the Requiem from the Darkness feature. I saw this show because SyFy ran it on TV with Gundam 00's reruns a few years back. I had heard whisperings of it before then, and believed it to be much, much older than 2003 given its content and style, but never actually saw episodes of it before SyFy aired it. (In fact, when I saw it, I still thought it was older than a 2003 show).

Like Gundam 00, I'm sure some useful transition scenes were cut out for commercial time, but I got the gist of it. Like Pedro, I'm not sure I really got every little bit of it. For that matter, I'm not sure I recall or ever understood the end game, though I remember the main characters taking orders from some sort of giant eyeball or something and dealing with a parallel crew of baddies on an island. (Weren't the main characters like Ogin, Mataichi, etc ultimately trying to release themselves/rebel from the service of their boss?). I kept hoping that their opponents would give them a little more of a challenge, especially at the end.

Anyway, despite being foggy on certain details then and now, I will concur that it is quite a striking show...and also supremely disturbing. Horror is not my cup of tea, but the art direction/character design, excellent English voice cast, and fascinating main characters (especially Mataichi) and show premise kept me watching. The formula did get a little tiring/overwhelming for me, but then, again, I'm not a huge horror genre fan by any means. You know what this reminded me of tonally? All those really weird and disturbing '80s horror anime based on books by Hideyuki Kikuchi and the like. It felt like a throwback to that ugly grit, but done in a more artsy, painterly manner. I felt heavy inks were another piece of its identity besides the mix of colors. I thought some of the art references you brought up were also appropriate, though.

Now, I watched it on SyFy, so I didn't hear the ending song; but I rather liked the opening song. I felt it fit in such a way that it made for a nice, complementary juxtaposition. The song has a deep yearning to it that is supposed to be applied to distant loves, I think, but it also speaks to the yearning of the characters throughout the show, and the funky/jazz sound expresses the bizarre nature of the show, which presents these dark moral judgment tales that spiral into colorful encounters and supernatural interventions. I took it in the same way I do the wild musical juxtapositions one finds in Castlevania, where sometimes the message of the genre music overcomes the genre of music itself when paired with something strange. Some of the lyrics include: "Constantly searching, still can't find, ever illusive peace of mind. Sometimes it's near, but slips away. And I'm faced with another day." That fits the tragic, cyclical flow of the show.

Though, the element of "love" to the theme could also speak to the unattainable love story between the writer and Ogin, who are trapped in different worlds. I like when anime song choices take risks like this to find broader strokes of the story. I'd like to think it's a hallmark of clever anime, but maybe it's just luck.

This definitely isn't a show for everyone, and your discussion definitely reminded me that on the whole, it's not something I'd want to sit through again by any means; however, I can't deny that it has some very interesting elements, is a solid production, and is different. There's been some Gothic anime creep-fests in the last decade or so, but this had a little more of a twisted, old-school vibe with its settings, subject matter, and visuals. The aspects I liked, noted earlier, were very memorable. The other stuff, especially some episode topics you brought up, was just way too far out for my stomach. Very hard to watch those things. It's really not a show for me, but I did watch it as it aired on SyFy out of curiosity, and I'll give it some props. But I can't stress enough, you really need to have a good deal of interest in gross-out horror to really enjoy this as a whole, or a super objective mind that can just take it for the writing and art.

[Mu La Flaga]

Getting around to replying to some older eps.
Anyway, sorry for the TLDR Borderlands 2 Mailbag entry
Shame Pedro didn't play it longer to a certain point and with some of the interesting DLC add ons.

As for Marvel movies and Ultron and Kang, well I meant what your actual opinion of him is.
If you reckon he would've been workable or if he would have any legal snarls potentially with Fantastic Four due to his name.

And nice to hear you have upcoming plans for discussiing Man of Steel, as well as The Wolverine.

Good to hear Kristina on, even if I can't offer any opinions on Requiem and Monsters U.