is a 2012 Japanese '' kaiju'' short film directed by

Shinji Higuchi is a Japanese filmmaker and storyboard artist. He is one of the most successful Japanese filmmakers and the top ''tokusatsu'' film director. Higuchi became known for his work on '' Gamera: Guardian of the Universe'', for which he won the Specia ...

. A

live-action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ...

prequel and spin-off of

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Japanese animated feature films, and is widel ...

's 1984

anime film is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

''Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'', the film is a co-production between

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and h ...

, Special Effects Laboratory Co., Ltd, and Khara, Inc. In the film, a woman from

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

recounts how her city was obliterated within hours by giant divine warriors.

Plot

As mysterious orange spores appear in

, an unnamed female resident of the city receives a strange visit from her brother who tells her that the city will be destroyed tomorrow and she should leave beforehand. Due to her belief that it is merely a rumor on the internet, she dismisses his warning and does not inform her fellow city residents of the supposed danger. The following day, the orange spores combine over Tokyo to form a Giant God Warrior hovering in the sky. As the being descends upon the city, it shrinks to the size of a large building. After observing its surroundings, the warrior opens its mouth to reveal a weapon that shoots red bullets and a purple laser beam called the proton beam. A direct opposite of the Genesis creation narrative is displayed onscreen as the city is destroyed. An army of Giant God Warriors then can be seen walking holding spear-like objects in a blazing Tokyo. Following this event, the warriors launched an event known as Seven Days of Fire, which destroyed most of the human civilization on Earth and recreated the planet's ecosystem.

Production

Design

The design of the film's giant creature was provided by

, from his manga series '' Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind''.

Special effects

The film was

's first

production and features exclusive use of digital composition techniques and special effects technology. Some of the miniatures used in the film were previously constructed, used, and stored at

Toho Studios is a Japanese film production company that is a subsidiary of Toho Co., Ltd. Founded in November 8, 1971 as , the company originally served as a spin-off of Toho's original production department, and produced over 160 films. In December 2020, ...

, Marbling Fine Arts, and Special Effects Laboratory Co., Ltd.

Release

Theatrical

''Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo'' received a theatrical release in Japan on November 17, 2012, preceding '' Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo''. Director

decided to add new sound effects and give the Giant God Warriors new computer-generated wings in the final scene of the film for its theatrical release.

Reception

Accolades

On February 23, 2013, the film received the VFX-JAPAN Award for CM, Hakuten Video Division.

Notes

References

External links

* *
Official web page for the film's exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
2010s Japanese films 2012 short films 2012 films Studio Ghibli Khara Kaiju films Tokusatsu films Films directed by Shinji Higuchi Films set in Tokyo 2010s Japanese-language films {{2010s-Japan-film-stub