Batman: Gotham Knight (2008)
Directed by Yasuhiro Aoki, Yuichiro Hayashi, Futoshi Higashide, Toshiyuki Kubooka, Hiroshi Morioka, Jong-Sik Nam, and Shouijrou Nishimi
Didn't know what to expect going into this. Didn't read anything about it or even what's on case. Just went right to action watching the movie and my mind, it was blown.
Just as a side note too the estimated budget according to IMDB for this was $3,500,000 which is the same estimated amount for Emerald Knights, New Frontier, Year One, and Wonder Woman. Guess DC gives the same allowance for everything?
So the first short in Gotham Knight totally caught me by surprise. I was all like 'Waaaa?! Tekkonkinkreet! Wooah!'
All unique interpretations of what and who Batman and Bruce Wayne are, but that one in particular, largely due to the whimsical tales the art style can lend itself to (Tekkonkinkreet is an animated movie that came out a few years before Gotham Knight). Both Tekkonkinkreet and Gotham Knight's Have I got a Story for You share the same editor (Mitsumi Takemiya) and the same art director (Shinji Kimura) which explains the shares awesomeness.
Have I got a Story for You basically follows a group of kids as they talk about their encounters with Batman. They each have different ideas of what it is they saw. The story finally culminates in Batman bursting into their hangout to stop a villain with the aid of one of the kids.
Crossfire is a story about two members of the Major Crimes Unit, one with faith in her work and Batman, and the other against Batman, feeling like all the MCU does is cleanup and babysit. Through chance they find their car parked between a bullet-riddled confrontation. Batman shows up to save the two officers and perhaps change the second one's opinion about a few things...
Interesting thing to note is Batman is HUGE in this story. He looks like 6' 4" or so (or everyone else is just tiny). Yes, Batman is 6' 2" which is on the taller side, but really, he looks HUGE in this one.
(image from http://www.grayflannelsuit.net/blog/gfs-home-movies-batman-gotham-knight)
The next short, Field Test, is probably the one I'm least fond of. Not that I hate anime at all, but super anime style Bruce Wayne was a bit strange. He's a pretty boy in the midst of more Western-design-style characters. His cowl I also wasn't very fond off. Once you see it, it seems like it would be more difficult than his normal cowl
The cowl that would inhibit sight more than usual that I was talking about ^ (image from http://porkcutlets.wordpress.com/2008/07/14/gotham-knight-the-batmanime/)
Anyway, so Mr. Fox has developed a "highly sensitive shock wave sensor" that will activate the gyroscopic electromagnetic pulses deterring small arms bullets. Batman takes it for a spin and find it works too well, when a bullet bounces off the field and hits an enemy. Batman rushes the criminal to the hospital and discontinues the use of the shield.
As cat-detective on tumblr put it "I don't think I'm okay with bishounen Bruce Wayne. I just can't deal with Kevin Conroy's voice coming out of this face...." (image from http://letterboxd.com/variousthings/film/batman-gotham-knight/)
In Darkness Dwells, Batman follows Killer Croc under Gotham and gets bitten. Scarecrow's fear toxin flowing through Killer Croc then enters Batman and he must continue his journey under the toxin's effects. Further into the underground maze Batman finds Scarecrow preparing to sacrifice Cardinal O'Fallon in the company of other Arkham escapees. Batman saves the holy man and leaves him in Gordan's care.
Batman runs off a ledge and glides into the night for the end. I really like the idea of animating something in slow motion. It's not like filming something at 200 fps then slowing it down; the animators had to really think about it. Speaking of animating, this short was directed by Yasuhiro Aoki, who was an animator for Steamboy, one of the Sailor Moon movies, and the original Neon Genesis Evangelion animated series.
Love Scarecrow's design here. (image from http://www.batmanytb.com/animated/gothamknight/bios/scarecrow.php)
Working Through Pain is awesome! I really dig the character design of Bruce in this one.
So Bruce is underground in Gotham again, and gets shot. While trying to get to a meetup point with Alfred we see flashbacks of Bruce learning how to deal with pain from a woman named Cassandra. She's confronted by a gang of angry young men who says she's betrayed her culture by teaching these secrets to an outsiders and then attack her. Just like the teachings, she withstand the pain, but Bruce steps in and defends her. After the attackers stop Cassandra tells Bruce to leave as he's learned what he came there for. Back in the gutter Bruce finds loads of guns. Upon Alfred's arrival he extends his hand to Batman (arms full of guns) to take it only for Bruce to reply "I... I can't..."
This was another animated slow mo moment. Prettay awesome. (image from http://otakurevolution.com/content/batman-gotham-knight-a-delicious-appetizer)
Deadshot, the last short, follows hitman Deadshot as he tried to take down Batman. To lour him out he attempts a hit on Commissioner Gordan. Of course Barman foils the shot Deadshot was taking from a moving train. Deadshot then attempts to to take out Batman from a closer range. As soon as Batman takes down Deadshot he turns from a pompous villain into a coward who sells out his client in an instant. Batman leaves Deadshot unconscious outside one of the train cars, then goes home to Alfred and sits in front of the fire.
Directed by Yasuhiro Aoki, Yuichiro Hayashi, Futoshi Higashide, Toshiyuki Kubooka, Hiroshi Morioka, Jong-Sik Nam, and Shouijrou Nishimi
Didn't know what to expect going into this. Didn't read anything about it or even what's on case. Just went right to action watching the movie and my mind, it was blown.
Just as a side note too the estimated budget according to IMDB for this was $3,500,000 which is the same estimated amount for Emerald Knights, New Frontier, Year One, and Wonder Woman. Guess DC gives the same allowance for everything?
So the first short in Gotham Knight totally caught me by surprise. I was all like 'Waaaa?! Tekkonkinkreet! Wooah!'
All unique interpretations of what and who Batman and Bruce Wayne are, but that one in particular, largely due to the whimsical tales the art style can lend itself to (Tekkonkinkreet is an animated movie that came out a few years before Gotham Knight). Both Tekkonkinkreet and Gotham Knight's Have I got a Story for You share the same editor (Mitsumi Takemiya) and the same art director (Shinji Kimura) which explains the shares awesomeness.
Have I got a Story for You basically follows a group of kids as they talk about their encounters with Batman. They each have different ideas of what it is they saw. The story finally culminates in Batman bursting into their hangout to stop a villain with the aid of one of the kids.
(gif from http://chromatichouse.tumblr.com/search/batman#13262440287)
Crossfire is a story about two members of the Major Crimes Unit, one with faith in her work and Batman, and the other against Batman, feeling like all the MCU does is cleanup and babysit. Through chance they find their car parked between a bullet-riddled confrontation. Batman shows up to save the two officers and perhaps change the second one's opinion about a few things...
Interesting thing to note is Batman is HUGE in this story. He looks like 6' 4" or so (or everyone else is just tiny). Yes, Batman is 6' 2" which is on the taller side, but really, he looks HUGE in this one.
The next short, Field Test, is probably the one I'm least fond of. Not that I hate anime at all, but super anime style Bruce Wayne was a bit strange. He's a pretty boy in the midst of more Western-design-style characters. His cowl I also wasn't very fond off. Once you see it, it seems like it would be more difficult than his normal cowl
Anyway, so Mr. Fox has developed a "highly sensitive shock wave sensor" that will activate the gyroscopic electromagnetic pulses deterring small arms bullets. Batman takes it for a spin and find it works too well, when a bullet bounces off the field and hits an enemy. Batman rushes the criminal to the hospital and discontinues the use of the shield.
In Darkness Dwells, Batman follows Killer Croc under Gotham and gets bitten. Scarecrow's fear toxin flowing through Killer Croc then enters Batman and he must continue his journey under the toxin's effects. Further into the underground maze Batman finds Scarecrow preparing to sacrifice Cardinal O'Fallon in the company of other Arkham escapees. Batman saves the holy man and leaves him in Gordan's care.
Batman runs off a ledge and glides into the night for the end. I really like the idea of animating something in slow motion. It's not like filming something at 200 fps then slowing it down; the animators had to really think about it. Speaking of animating, this short was directed by Yasuhiro Aoki, who was an animator for Steamboy, one of the Sailor Moon movies, and the original Neon Genesis Evangelion animated series.
Working Through Pain is awesome! I really dig the character design of Bruce in this one.
So Bruce is underground in Gotham again, and gets shot. While trying to get to a meetup point with Alfred we see flashbacks of Bruce learning how to deal with pain from a woman named Cassandra. She's confronted by a gang of angry young men who says she's betrayed her culture by teaching these secrets to an outsiders and then attack her. Just like the teachings, she withstand the pain, but Bruce steps in and defends her. After the attackers stop Cassandra tells Bruce to leave as he's learned what he came there for. Back in the gutter Bruce finds loads of guns. Upon Alfred's arrival he extends his hand to Batman (arms full of guns) to take it only for Bruce to reply "I... I can't..."
Deadshot, the last short, follows hitman Deadshot as he tried to take down Batman. To lour him out he attempts a hit on Commissioner Gordan. Of course Barman foils the shot Deadshot was taking from a moving train. Deadshot then attempts to to take out Batman from a closer range. As soon as Batman takes down Deadshot he turns from a pompous villain into a coward who sells out his client in an instant. Batman leaves Deadshot unconscious outside one of the train cars, then goes home to Alfred and sits in front of the fire.
(image from http://www.hobotrashcan.com/reviews/batmangothamknight.php)
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