Tag: Fengshen Cinematic Universe

On Ne Zha 2, Cultivation and The Grander Plan

Although Ne Zha 2 was years in the making, the wait is worth it! This superhero style retelling of the Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods is all about the wow rather than being fully faithful to the source material.

Ne Zha 2 PosterSpoiler Alert

Anyone who loves the 2019 Chinese animated film about a spunky demon-child (no, not Lil’ Hellboy) will be glad to know Ne Zha 2 is finally here. Having some knowledge of the prior events (or reading my movie review from before and my past coverage) helps because this latest takes place moments after.

Both this kid (Lü Yanting) and Ao Bing (Han Mo) have no mortal shell, and if they don’t have a simulacrum to inhabit, they’ll soon dissipate. Thankfully, with Taiyi Zhenren (Zhang Jiaming) around, a possibility of getting their bodies back exists. However, all do not go according to plan. When the Sacred Lotus lacks the power to build, the result is ectoplasm! This leads to a hilarious intro, and I was in stitches.

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New Gods Yang Jian. All the Trailers You Can Find and Sequel News

Light Chaser Animation’s next production, New Gods Yang Jian will be out in North America just in time for Chinese New Year 2023!

New Gods Yang JianAnyone keeping track of Light Chaser Animation’s next production New Gods Yang Jian will be glad it’s getting a global release just in time for Chinese New Year 2023! It originally debuted in China back in August, to steller reviews and beating out Minions: Rise of Gru.

GKIDS released an American-side trailer yesterday, and it puts the focus back on the titular hero when compared to the other teasers offered so far.

People who read Creation of the Gods or Journey to the West (Amazon USA links) know this hero is named Erlang Shen, a god of justice. This immortal has superhuman strength and a third eye, which allows him to see the truth. This includes seeing through the deception made by magic and outright verbal lies. In this film, it looks like he’s chosen to seal away his gift than to use it. That’s because, like Superman, he can use it emit a ray of fire (laser) at his enemies! It’s too powerful and quite often, he’s been holding back. This immortal knows when to pull his punches, and as for how he feels when serving the will of others, his superiors, it seems he has reservations.

When he used his abilities in a huge battle to bury Lotus Peak under more than one mountains worth of rock, perhaps he became even more aware of the dreaded power he wields, and thus decided to leave heaven.

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Jiang Ziya’s Release to Digital & Home Video for the 2021 Chinese New Year!

When Jiang Ziya is the next instalment of the Fengshen Cinematic Universe, just what else will happen next is speculation at best!

Jiang Ziya Bluray Case
Available to purchase on Amazon USA

Available on Digital & Home Video (Amazon USA link)Jiang Ziya Beginning Feb 9, 2021

Arriving in time for the upcoming Chinese New Year 2021 is Jiang Ziya (姜子牙)! This film is reverent for any year because of its themes about renewal. Though the COVID-19 pandemic delayed its release last year, I’ve been excited for this film for a long time. It finally screened in the fall of 2020. While it’s hard to say if the filmmakers updated the post-credits scene to fit the autumn release, it certainly succeeded in keeping the story current.

Christopher Sabat‘s vocal performance is on par with Zheng Xi ’s own in the titular role, and the actresses are just as equally notable. The English voice actress (unlisted in the information I’ve obtained) for Daji is sweet, reminiscent of Zach Tyler Eisen‘s Ang from Avatar: The Last Airbender. In contrast, Morgan Garrett gives viewers a very sentai-style performance as Juiwei (Nine Tail). The purpose is no better or worse than in what viewers expect from watching an episode of Power Rangers, for example.

It’s hard to say how the original dialogue and translated version holds as I couldn’t flip between tracks currently available and having a third, namely Cantonese (which I know). Thankfully, this home release has both tracks available. The screener I saw only had the English track. I found most of the variation comes from what Ziya said when he was creating magik, and a little with his internal monologue and book-ending the tale.

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Top Ten Animated Picks to Look Out For in 2021!

Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 Movie PosterBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

In the animated front, the films I’m really excited for are from China. Getting the news from this country is tough, and the studios are mum about what’s next in the Fengshen Cinematic Universe! I tried contacting a Vancouver studio supposedly involved and they never responded.

Because of the pandemic, a lot of production work shifted to either finishing at home or was put on hiatus. The workflow may well have slowed down too. Thankfully, there’s some good news: one particular Japanese animated title is coming very soon.

I’m hopeful the international release is not too much later.

Evangelion: 3.0+1.0
Thrice Upon a Time
Jan 23 (Japan)

The Rebuild tetralogy was on infinite hold when Hideaki Anno was off building Shin Godzilla. Anyone who has seen the original anime will know the general premise–young teens saving the Earth from a holy battle–but with the Illuminati like conspiracies going on, they are locked in an even different secret war. However, this reboot is huge, and it’s one I’m refusing to see one by one over several years. The wait is finally over so fans can see this re-imaging in its entirety.

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Too Fast and Not As Furious? On Jiang Ziya: Legend of Deification

The book Investiture of the Gods where the idea of Jiang Ziya: Legend of Deification takes inspiration from is not in verbatim.

Jiang Ziya Legend of Deification Original Movie PosterAlthough American studios aren’t giving Jiang Ziya: Legend of Deification (姜子牙) the fanfare it needs for an Autumn 2020 release, word of mouth is barely enough to announce to the world that the sequel to Ne Zha is as colourful and visually spectacular. (2023 Update: Well GO USA has this film available across various streaming channels, like Amazon Prime).

Eventually, fans of this shared universe will see the heroes we are being introduced to embark on a combined adventure. Here, this former general of the celestial army was banished from Kunlan, a city in the clouds which represents one of several heavens, because he disobeyed his lord’s order to kill Su Dajin, who is possessed by Nine-Tailed (Ji Guanlin), a fox demon. But before he could execute her, she showed how her supernatural life connects to a mortal, Xiao Jiu (Yang Ning), a young girl. He can’t destroy a soul at the cost of another. Continue reading “Too Fast and Not As Furious? On Jiang Ziya: Legend of Deification”

Jiang Ziya Quietly Gets World-Wide Release Oct 1st!

Legend of Deification Movie PosterRelease Date:
Oct 1st, 2020

Please check local listings for showtimes near you.

Well GO USA

Set for a world-wide release on the same date, the highly anticipated general Jian Ziya is set to make his mark! This animated movie was set to debut during Chinese New Year, but the Covid-10 Pandemic put a halt to that plan. This fighter is not going to take it, and although this release does not have the holiday to give it the box office support it needs, fans of this series will no doubt flock to it.

This retelling of Investiture of the Gods has its own built-in audience in China. While It’s uncertain where exactly this movie fits in the Fengshen Cinematic Universe’s timeline, those who are invested in this story will want to know more. Jiang looks like he can be the grandfather to Ne Zha, and the trailer (see below) show a much younger figure than the older, wiser individual.

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