The Sequel is a Global Smash Hit! The Appeal of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse | #MeigazaSPOOX

Good morning, everyone! Good afternoon! Good evening! #MeigazaSPOOX I am Ito, an employee.

This month, I would like to introduce some recommended titles currently streaming on SPOOX.

Since our daily lives have returned to how they were before starting in May, I imagine many of you have more opportunities to go to the theater, right?

Personally, I think this summer will be a bumper year for foreign films.

Two highly anticipated 2023 films were released on the same day, June 16th (Fri)!

"The Flash," a DC Comics work familiar from Superman and Batman,

And the second installment of the Spider-Man animation series, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," are the two titles.

Moreover, both titles are based on parallel worlds and the multiverse, and having them released on the same day makes me worry that on June 16th, Ito's head will go 'boom!' and end up with a bomber hairstyle like a clumsy scientist. (*This text was written on June 12th)

Regarding "The Flash," some prominent directors and others in the US who have already seen the preview have commented that it is the number one comic book movie in history, surpassing Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight."

…This is a comment I often hear before a release, so whether you believe it or not is up to you.

Even so, the pre-release reputation is incredibly good, so although I, Ito, don't watch that many DC Comics movies, I will definitely head to the theater for this one!

And the one I am looking forward to most this year is "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"!

In terms of personal excitement, this is my number one most exciting watch of 2023!
Since my excitement will peak on June 16th, from then until the end of the year, my days will just be a rotation of eating, going to the bathroom, working, and sleeping.

That is how much I am dying to watch this title!!!!!

And the reason why I, Ito, have dedicated all my 2023 excitement to this is something you will understand if you watch the first installment, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"!

I've gone on for quite a while, but the title I'm introducing this time is "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"!!

I would like to talk about what exactly makes "Spider-Verse" so amazing.

Appeal 1: A Visual Experience Like No Other

Starting with Disney's "Toy Story," 3D animated films have seen tremendous development over the past 25 years or so.

In the mid-90s, it was unimaginable that one could experience more emotion and excitement from an animated film than from a live-action one.

The animated film market feels mature, and audiences have become accustomed to animation and CG, so I think it has been a long time since we felt a "new visual experience."

I, Ito, didn't have high expectations either; I just thought I'd watch it because it's a Spider-Man movie. I started watching with caramel popcorn in my right hand—which I wouldn't normally buy—and a Diet Coke in my left as a consolation for the high calories.
I started watching with caramel popcorn in my right hand—which I wouldn't normally buy—and a Diet Coke in my left as a consolation for the high calories.

About 20 minutes in... no, even before that, just seeing the glitch effect on the "Columbia" lady that you often see right at the start of a screening, and the visuals after the main story began, gave me chills. Yes.

At first, I thought it was the urge to urinate, but since I always go to the bathroom after a screening, I realized this was definitely a thrill-induced shiver.

And then, about 20 minutes in, during the showdown between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin, I decided to take that day's caramel popcorn home as a souvenir.

The images before my eyes were something I had never seen before.

The theater I often go to is Cinema Ikspiari in Maihama, and on opening day, I sometimes end up sitting with foreign dancers who work at Disneyland.

When I saw "Avengers: Infinity War," when Captain America appeared, the foreigners around me were shouting and high-fiving each other.

That day, too, the audience was in that American-style mode, so throughout the screening, there were constant shouts of excitement like "Whoa!" and "Jesus!"

I, too, was letting my Japanese-style inner voice leak out with things like "Oh my!", "Really??", "Whoa, whoa, whoa!", and "Goodness!"

I had long forgotten the surprise of a "new visual experience," but this is a visual experience that will overwhelm you with how surprising it is! Please watch it and see for yourself this sensation that cannot be explained in words!

Appeal 2: A Story Without Waste

Actually, if you only read the synopsis, "Spider-Verse" is a work that feels like it might be unwelcoming to newcomers.

・A worldview based on parallel worlds, the multiverse, and parallel dimensions

・The protagonist is a teenage boy, Miles Morales/Spider-Man (first appeared in comics in the US in 2011)

・Parent-child relationships during adolescence

・A boy's emotional growth

As you can see, by setting the stage in a parallel world where "what if there were many other similar worlds?", it simultaneously depicts a boy's emotional growth and the emotional disconnect between parent and child. And because it wraps all of that in a "new visual experience," even just putting it into text like this makes it feel like a lot of information and quite cluttered.

However, this... is a story that is incredibly smooth and free of any waste.

Even if you are focused on the visuals, you can understand it easily without having to think too hard, and you'll soon find yourself nodding along as if you've just taken a class at Yotsuya Otsuka.

It also manages to pull off the growth of the protagonist, Miles, which is the core of the film, while conveying all this information! The story inside and the visuals outside are perfect, kind of like "YamaP." Probably.

As a result of the "unseen visual experience" and "waste-free story," "Spider-Verse" brilliantly won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 91st Academy Awards.

It was the first honor for Sony Pictures in a genre that had been dominated by Disney for years.

The magnitude of this achievement might stand out even more when you consider that its competitors included "Incredibles 2" and "Ralph Breaks the Internet."

Appeal 3: Luxurious Japanese Voice Cast and Theme Song

And for those who say "movies should be watched with subtitles," please be sure to watch the dubbed version after the subtitled version!

The dedication of the Japanese dubbing staff for "Spider-Verse" is incredible! Not only is there a wonderful voice cast including Mamoru Miyano, Kensho Ono, and Aoi Yuki,

while the main film is driven by hip-hop tracks, the ending song for the dubbed version is "P.S. RED I" by TK from Ling Tosite Sigure.

The guitar-shredding rock number fits it absolutely perfectly!

A commercial version was released ahead of the premiere, and it really highlighted the coolness of the voice cast, the TK sound (not Tetsuya Komuro), and the Japanese staff.

I have nothing but gratitude for the staff who took the original American material and gave it a Japanese touch, even just for the trailer! Please, do watch this trailer as well.

And now, the sequel, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," has already been released in the United States.

It surpassed the opening day box office of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," which is also a huge hit in the US, and got off to an amazing start with the best opening day of 2023! Even though "Spider-Verse" was already top-tier, it is said that the sequel, "Across," surpasses it in every way♡

This summer, you absolutely must see "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"!

And for those who haven't seen it yet, as well as those who have, let's watch Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse once more before swinging into the theater!

On SPOOX, you can watch both the subtitled version and the top-tier dubbed version!

Be sure to catch your friendly neighborhood hero on SPOOX!

SKY PerfecTV! is also broadcasting Spider-Man related works.
Click here for the latest program information!