Surprisingly awesome: “Apocalypse Meow”
posted at 6:28 pm on March 25, 2009 by Allahpundit
I saw this before Ace posted it but had the same thought: This may very well be the closest we get to a movie about American good guys fighting jihadi bad guys. According to Wikipedia, the original concept dealt with Vietnam but the setting’s been updated to the Iranian hostage crisis. Sure looks like Iraq or Afghanistan to me, but maybe even the Japanese need a bit of narrative distance to make it politically “safe” for audiences. Move the timeline back 30 years, make the characters rats and bunnies instead of people, and suddenly it’s safe to wage war on terrorists.
Some canny American distributor’s going to buy the rights, overdub it, and make a small fortune on DVD sales. Exit question: Are the cutesy-poo animals a fatal flaw? It worked for “Maus.”
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Comment pages: 1 2 Next »
It did work for Maus, but chiefly because there was a solid story behind the cutesy animals. From what I see here, I am filled with anticipation. Looks promising.
gryphon202 on March 25, 2009 at 6:32 PM
Ohh dooooooood! Want it!
ronsfi on March 25, 2009 at 6:34 PM
You’re slow AP I saw this earlier today. Rabbit snipers are cool, but rabbit sipers that speak Japanese are so cool that the only way they could be cooler is if they….wait for it….you know it’s coming….were robot rabbit snipers who could speak Japanese.
DFCtomm on March 25, 2009 at 6:36 PM
Nice transition to his secondary weapon. Video confuses Obama, he did not authorize this overseas contingency operation.
Howcome on March 25, 2009 at 6:37 PM
either way it’s immature.
sesquipedalian on March 25, 2009 at 6:37 PM
Cute bunnies killing terrorists with headshots. Leftists confused on who to cheer.
ignorantapathy on March 25, 2009 at 6:38 PM
I’m ready – looks good! Cutesy animals can bring it. I’m not just saying that because I am one.
thespottedowl on March 25, 2009 at 6:38 PM
Japan, fount of all things bizarre. And Japanese don’t need narrative distance from crap. They had a movie about large anthropomorphic raccoons who do battle with their gigantic testicles. And yes, I’ll bloody well link you.
TheUnrepentantGeek on March 25, 2009 at 6:39 PM
two words BAD ASS
superdave on March 25, 2009 at 6:42 PM
The original manga is pretty damn good. And quite pro-american even.
madne0 on March 25, 2009 at 6:43 PM
Desertship Down with RPGs.
whitetop on March 25, 2009 at 6:44 PM
Sorry, I saw nothing funny, ironic or cute. Been in combat…. the anthropomorphizing of animals bores me….. I’ll leave this thread to others…. sorry if I’ve offended… no wait… the hell I am!
MNDavenotPC on March 25, 2009 at 6:45 PM
SOO-WHEEEET!
OscarSchneegans on March 25, 2009 at 6:45 PM
Its sad when Japanese Animators know who is the enemy more than US congress Critters.
William Amos on March 25, 2009 at 6:45 PM
Special Ops Bunnies. kewl.
Wethal on March 25, 2009 at 6:45 PM
The link to the blog Ace provided mentioned this film doesn’t have funding yet and was possibly accepting donations. Follow the links if you want to contribute.
Personally, though, I’m so skeptical that I think the filmmakers will eventually show that the terrorist kidnappers are really being funded and organized by a group of white Americans who are trying to foment a wider war in order to either A)spread their neocon seeds, or B) increase the profits of their multinational corporation, known as Bunnyburton.
Nessuno on March 25, 2009 at 6:46 PM
Cutesy killers… surreal juxtaposition. Did any of them ever swim in a pond outside Plains, Georgia?
Kalifornia Kafir on March 25, 2009 at 6:48 PM
The Japanese word for rabbit is Usagi
USA- g.i.
Pretty cool
jjshaka on March 25, 2009 at 6:48 PM
Awesome. Makes me wish Kurosawa were still alive.
jimmy the notable on March 25, 2009 at 6:48 PM
Yeah AP, those graphics were sooooooo much better than the new Star Trek.
Amadeus on March 25, 2009 at 6:49 PM
I’d love to see one of those bunnies visit the FU Penguin guy.
KelliD on March 25, 2009 at 6:50 PM
Needs more blood, I could barely see it.
Darth Executor on March 25, 2009 at 6:51 PM
Which is why we need to rearm them.
ernesto on March 25, 2009 at 6:51 PM
Cute animals killing one another works for me.
myrenovations on March 25, 2009 at 6:52 PM
sweet! id like to offer my translation services for this worthy project!
homesickamerican on March 25, 2009 at 6:52 PM
And Watership Down. Those rabbits had some wicked bloodlust.
Mark V. on March 25, 2009 at 6:52 PM
Still doesnt beat “Code Guardian”
William Amos on March 25, 2009 at 6:53 PM
Major HEH!!!
BigWyo on March 25, 2009 at 6:54 PM
Here is the link to Code Guardian. It was taken down off the other link
William Amos on March 25, 2009 at 6:56 PM
Holy smokes. This ain’t your typical bug bunny cartoon. I like it!
portlandon on March 25, 2009 at 6:57 PM
AWESOME.
The manga is pretty good. Ace was wondering earlier why it’s called Cat Shit One; it’s because the Vietnamese were represented by cats. The French were pigs, lol. I’ll buy it on DVD when it comes out, as long as it’s subbed (Dubbing always leads to epic fail).
Emily M. on March 25, 2009 at 6:57 PM
Just think what Takashi Miike could do with it.
rw on March 25, 2009 at 6:58 PM
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-03-20/apocalypse-meow-manga-gets-cg-anime-series-from-anima
The wikipedia Character depiction list gave me a chuckle. I really can’t wait though.
Arabs = Camels (?) If you take a look at the back of their shirts during the binocular scene there is a hole for the hump(s).
MechFighter on March 25, 2009 at 6:59 PM
What the hell did I just watch?
YoungAmerican on March 25, 2009 at 7:00 PM
Uh-oh. Then I need to torch that last sushi place I ate at.
whitetop on March 25, 2009 at 7:00 PM
Good call.
Mike D. on March 25, 2009 at 7:00 PM
Where are the cats?
I want to see this guy take out a jihadist.
keep the change on March 25, 2009 at 7:02 PM
That was great, but there were no cats to be found. Was the Clinton State Deepartment tasked with the translation?
Maus was awful. A tale of self-hate and intense stupidity.
progressoverpeace on March 25, 2009 at 7:04 PM
Bad ass Usagi.
Awesome.
jencab on March 25, 2009 at 7:06 PM
Here’s your sniper cat
keep the change on March 25, 2009 at 7:08 PM
This is totally awesome!
Iblis on March 25, 2009 at 7:10 PM
Dude, that,s Unagi for Eel.
ronsfi on March 25, 2009 at 7:13 PM
Please explain how animals were able to learn Japanese, which is a very difficult language.
Attila (Pillage Idiot) on March 25, 2009 at 7:13 PM
Im sorry that was just too cute for words.
DeathToMediaHacks on March 25, 2009 at 7:13 PM
CGI productions are time consuming and expensive–not as expensive as a live action flick, but you’re stil talking millions of dollars and years of work. I’m betting the 3-minute “trailer” is just a proof of concept video that leaked to YouTube.
I’m not trying to be a killjoy, but if they’re still “planning” this thing, the “investors” will force a leftist worldview into the storyline and ruin whatever we’ve seen in this short trailer that we like…
That is, unless the investor turns out to be Andrew Breitbart.
ScottMcC on March 25, 2009 at 7:24 PM
War.. has changed.
triple on March 25, 2009 at 7:29 PM
The bunny getting shot trying to escape made me sad; the special ops bunnies kicking serious terrorist ass made me smile.
I have no problem with stuff like this – but I’m not the average person, so my view is slightly skewed.
Anna on March 25, 2009 at 7:29 PM
oh yea I hear this isnt going to be a movie, but a series in winter 09
triple on March 25, 2009 at 7:29 PM
That was weird.
What do they mean no animals were hurt? I saw with my own eyes the most intelligent bunnies ever get shot and blood spurt right out of them!!!! That bunnie is dead I tell you!
petunia on March 25, 2009 at 7:31 PM
If I remember correctly, it’s only a Cat II language – languages are rated from Category I to Category V, with the first being the easiest to learn and getting progressively harder from there (based on a native English speaker’s perception). Then again, they’re bunnies, maybe it’s their native language (what sound does a rabbit make anyway?).
Anna on March 25, 2009 at 7:32 PM
Didn’t you watch? They speak Japanese and one of them has a very sexy voice! You learn something everyday.
petunia on March 25, 2009 at 7:34 PM
I was expecting to show it to my son, 8, future Army Military Strategist for the Pentagon. (I swear I dare you to challenge him on any Halo games or Age of Empires, take your pick). We don’t have an Xbox for this reason.
But damn it is frustrating with no subtitles; yeah I know you guys say it kills it but other than kewl character names, I can’t follow the story straight.
Hard to see cute animals in distress. Somebody scared a couple of deer (Mom and baby) in the back of the house and I dunno if they were run over on Rt. 5 here. Dammit.
ProudPalinFan on March 25, 2009 at 7:36 PM
You got me there! : D
Anna on March 25, 2009 at 7:37 PM
Have a cat catch one, bring it inside your house and take it to the basement; wait several minutes and you will get your answer.
Or, have a dog playing with something brown flipping it like a pancake only to figure out what the heck did the cat caught.
ProudPalinFan on March 25, 2009 at 7:39 PM
best movie ever made
Chiasmos on March 25, 2009 at 7:41 PM
Hope Bugs Bunny does not make a guest appearance…
albill on March 25, 2009 at 7:44 PM
If you don’t believe real bunnys can hurt an enemy watch this real bunny chase a snake up a tree. :)
WildBillK on March 25, 2009 at 7:47 PM
Death bunnies?
I am so there.
Evil Pundit on March 25, 2009 at 7:49 PM
Though, now I think of it, there have been military bunnies before.
Evil Pundit on March 25, 2009 at 7:52 PM
PETA complaints to be launched in 3..2…1..
portlandon on March 25, 2009 at 7:52 PM
Dude they need to get together with the penguins from Madagascar.
boomer on March 25, 2009 at 7:53 PM
I take it that they must scream? My cat always ripped the throat out of bunnies before bringing them home (and leaving them on the doormat!). I’m only curious because my daughter asked, and I hate telling her I don’t know.
Anna on March 25, 2009 at 7:54 PM
If it’s a TV series, then you can cut together enough of that content to make a single 80-90 minute movie.
I still contend that because CGI is time-consuming and this can’t possibly still be in the “planning stages” as some have said. If it’s a series, that’s thirteen episodes with around twenty-two minutes of CGI per ep that have to be scripted, voiced, edited, animated, rendered, and finalized in seven months. That’s like cranking through pre-to-post production of all three “Shrek” movies in a little over half a year.
Can’t be done… it’s impossible. These shows have to be either in the rendering stage or there’s no way it’ll be done before next year.
ScottMcC on March 25, 2009 at 7:56 PM
That was wicked awesome!
Anna on March 25, 2009 at 7:56 PM
Cool, especially the weapon transition.
aikidoka on March 25, 2009 at 8:00 PM
Hey, it said the video was no longer available.
Terrye on March 25, 2009 at 8:01 PM
I tried it again and I got to see it. Cool.
Terrye on March 25, 2009 at 8:04 PM
I don’t know. Rabbits in a porn movie maybe.
moc23 on March 25, 2009 at 8:11 PM
Yes, they do. While a neighbor was on vacation, I fed his very large python a rabbit. Screaming ensued, and it wasn’t me or the snake.
Hollowpoint on March 25, 2009 at 8:21 PM
The economy is crap. The country is listening to retards who think they know how to run the world. The defense of this country is failing. This thread is important or thought worthy?… How?… Educate me, please. I want to help this country all I can… how does this help? If you tell me that because I am old and do not value anime and all the Japanese based animation… how do I help you?
MNDavenotPC on March 25, 2009 at 8:31 PM
Not one reference to the killer rabbit from Monty Python and the Holy Grail!
KillerKane on March 25, 2009 at 8:39 PM
to me they looked like camels but rats work too and is very poetic yet, it will be claimed to be racist or something.
I like the original title too.
tjexcite on March 25, 2009 at 8:47 PM
Dammit… I just got rid of my cable box 3 weeks ago.
Looks Great!
burnitup on March 25, 2009 at 8:48 PM
Jimmy Carter’s worst nightmare becomes reality.
burnitup on March 25, 2009 at 8:48 PM
Holy S**T!
Reminds me of my Ghost Recon days in multiplayer. I am soooooooo close to re-installing.
“Murphy! Murphy!”
Sapwolf on March 25, 2009 at 8:52 PM
Hey it’s nice to have a stress reliever once in awhile.
boomer on March 25, 2009 at 8:55 PM
F***in cats.
We need more shows with heros.
Now take that video and merge it with the characters from Watership Down fightin the commie forces of General Woundwort and you have a masterpiece that will rival “24″.
Not to mention a kickin video game.
Sapwolf on March 25, 2009 at 8:58 PM
I think I speak for the rest of us if I say “We pass.”
Sapwolf on March 25, 2009 at 9:01 PM
Camels got the raw end of the deal on that one.
One can only hope they consider a different title for an English release, too..
Reaps on March 25, 2009 at 9:06 PM
You mean Master Sergeant Bunny of the United State Marine Corps?
Browncoatone on March 25, 2009 at 9:10 PM
Yeah, the para-scrotes (or would that be scrot-achutes?!?) were weird – but I’ll give Studio Ghibli a pass on Pom Poko because they consistently put out quality stuff like Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle & Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.
May have to check out the manga… When I first saw this trailer I though that it was an odd mating of Team America & the WonderPets ;)
On dubs though, c’mon, they have gotten so much better – Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell – Stand Alone Complex & Ergo Proxy are pretty good examples. We’ve come a long way since the days of MD Geist!
Mike in GB on March 25, 2009 at 9:18 PM
New HotAir poll
Who kicks the most a*s?
Jack?
or
Packy?
Sapwolf on March 25, 2009 at 9:23 PM
01:57 mark…..PURRfect!
dmann on March 25, 2009 at 9:25 PM
thats dangerous, age of empires was my GAME
ernesto on March 25, 2009 at 9:27 PM
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-03-20/apocalypse-meow-manga-gets-cg-anime-series-from-anima
triple on March 25, 2009 at 9:35 PM
I used to play Ghost Recon as well. Many weekends were wasted at that game. I remember buying it at the CompUSA at the Water Tower in Chicago, my first trip to that lovely city.
This video reminds me of a mod for Rogue Spear where your team went after OBL himself. I captured him a couple of times.
Alas that was many years ago, when I was underachieving.
KillerKane on March 25, 2009 at 9:36 PM
Again, that sounds like it’s not done.
Does anyone reading this blog actually read Japanese and live in Japan to know what the real story is on this?
ScottMcC on March 25, 2009 at 9:41 PM
I didn’t think the animals in Maus came off as cute. They just seemed symbolic like Aesop’s Fables.
aengus on March 25, 2009 at 10:05 PM
Scary terrorist camels.
Socmodfiscon on March 25, 2009 at 10:07 PM
Hey KK you play Cocobolo’s mods?
You try Armed Assault?
Iblis on March 25, 2009 at 10:17 PM
“cutesy-poo”?
“CatSh*tOne”?
Coincidence?
I think not…
Midas on March 25, 2009 at 10:19 PM
I can haz snyper ryfl?!
Sorry, had to say it.
Falconsword on March 25, 2009 at 10:27 PM
Lighten up MNDavenotPC…
Yeah, things ain’t look’n so hot right now, but sometimes you have to stop, and take a deep breath. Never forget the things that make you smile, make you laugh…help you remember where you came from. If you don’t, [or can't...] you’ll go nuts.
And that ain’t good.
Now back to the matter at hand, I thought it was a VERY worthy effort. The CG modeling for the weapons was first-rate and depiction of the various ‘sides’ was straight-forward. Granted, it was a short clip, but there was NO mistaking who the bad guys were, and who the good guys were. No PC here folks…that in of itself was note worthy.
Final note. As to anime, what of it? Like Hollywood, [that produced both El Cid, Saving Private Ryan...and Ishtar] there’s crap out there, but there’s also some pretty good stuff: depictions of friendship, loyalty, selflessness, good vs evil [kinda missed those themes in Bevis and Butthead...] and love [and friendship] unto death (and beyond).
I can think of [much] worse things to expose my children to [Captain Planet comes to mind...].
CPT. Charles on March 25, 2009 at 10:29 PM
Usagi YoJimbo’s Great great .. . . great grand kids.
- The Cat
P.S. Me want.
P.P.S. Poptech still sucks.
MirCat on March 25, 2009 at 10:49 PM
My fiancee is going to like this very, very much. Because of teh Bunnies!
holygoat on March 25, 2009 at 10:50 PM
P.S. Don’t let the cuteness fool you. Rabbits in the wild are mean little hossenfeffers.
MirCat on March 25, 2009 at 10:54 PM
Usagi Yojimbo never became unnecessarily cute. I think this works, especially if it’s species against species instead of randomly mixed cute against not-as-cute.
Tanya on March 25, 2009 at 11:13 PM
I can’t say for sure. It’s been a long time since I played those games. They sure were fun. So was Battlefield 2.
KillerKane on March 25, 2009 at 11:28 PM
Comment pages: 1 2 Next »