I'm watching movies set in 2025, and of course a highlight of this very specific genre is Pacific Rim. I was very much looking forward to this rewatch, and I had a lot of fun. But I also noticed something new about the Gipsy Danger Jaeger
I has an attachable head. Interesting
And, of course, the Rocket Punch!
(Gosh. When I first saw this, the shear hilariousness of the scene almost kicked me out of my cinema seat!)
It's just like in that old anime show.
However, Mazinger Z has a way cooler hangar. So maybe the Shatterdome Construction Committee should have watched this little gemstone here:
Movies I Adore: Project Dreams - How to Build Mazinger Z's Hangar
Gosh, I love these guys. And that's just the opening credits.
Although, truth be told, one should not watch Project Dreams for its special effects. Because these opening credits seem to have devoured almost the whole special effects budget. Still. Worth it.
Oh, and it's not a superhero movie, in case you thought that. What it is? And why I love it so much? Well, follow me after the cut to find out. Or, just watch the whole movie at JFF Theater. Online. For Free!
"If it's not superhero stuff, then what are those guys doing in the opening credits?" you may ask yourself. And of course the answer is "They're from marketing." The marketing branch of a huge Japanese construction company, to be precise. And to find a new approach for ad campaigns, the leader of this team decides to open up a fantasy marketing division, where the company provides serious and plausible estimates for proposals from fictitious clients. And the first client shall be: Gennosuke Yumi, from the 1970's anime tv show Mazinger Z. Who needs a hangar for some huge mecha. So. Holes need to be drilled. Huge sliding doors under a lake need to be built. And an almost impossible jack-up platform needs to be planned. To save a ficitious earth. And to remind people why we need engineering.
And gosh, I love this movie. I love it for three simple reasons:
It demonstrates a burning passion for engineering. To me, this is the most important point of the movie, and one I was absolutely not emotionally prepared for. And neither were the marketing branch protagonists: In order to get an actual, plausible estimate, they of course need to consult experts from all fields of construction. Experts who are not only shown as competent in their field, but as passionate for their profession. As an audience member, one learns a few new things about soil, dams, and hydraulics, but much more importantly, one can get a glimpse into how proud these professionals can be for their work, how important their expertise in any field of engineering can be for society, and how thankful they can be for the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and passion in new ways (like, planning some old children's TV show mecha hangar). This, unsurprisingly for a movie about a marketing team, is marketing at its best. It's marketing with a burning heart.
It's so darn fun to watch. This reason is a simple one, and the one that drew me in right after reading the synopsis. Adult men and women play with toys, and that's great to watch. Many scenes show how the marketing team or the experts they talk to treat a children's TV show like a serious source, making professional estimates about how to solve completely fictitious problems. A specialist for tunnel construction plans a huge excavation at the foot of Mt. Fuji, with minimal disturbance for the surrounding nature. A dam builder thinks about how to most cost-efficiently build huge hangar doors below a lake. Three different engineering teams try to crack the problem of a jack-up platform that can lift a huge mecha in less than ten seconds and also is able to move horizontally in case of emergency. And all that is not portrayed as silly, it's shown as people having fun. And I absolutely adore that. (There are some silly parts in the movie, too, of course. But they're not there to ridicule anyone.)
It's a deeply humanistic story. This point always steals my heart. Marketing experts go out and talk to people. Some of them already have a background in engineering, others don't. And those how don't will develop a passion of their own for some field of engineering, just by the power of contagious passion. Go out and listen to people. Everything will be just lovely, if we start to understand one another. Gosh, I'm a sucker for this kind of story.
Project Dreams - How to Build Mazinger Z's Hangar is an invitation to two hours of enthusiasm for, fun with, and insights into all field of engineering, all wrapped into a lovely little story about how cool it would be if we built a hangar for some child show robot thingy. 9 out of 10 points.
And don't forget, you can watch that movie free of charge right now (and until the end of April) on the Japanese Film Festival's new streaming platform JFF Theater:
They also show School Meals Time Graduation currently. Another absolute favorite of mine. For very similar reasons. And because I crave that protagonist.
