<div>Dear KineJapanners,</div><div> </div><div>I have been following this list for quite a while, but this is my first time posting, so I'll introduce myself shortly. My name is Pyke van Zon, I'm currently in the final phase of my MA Japanese Studies in Leiden, Holland. I joined this list while writing my BA thesis, which was about the theme of apocalypse in Japanese movies, anime and manga. Right now, I'm focusing on manga (in the 1960s-1970s), but I'm still interested in film.</div>
<div>I recently came across this news about Japanese pop-culture influencing the West, that might be interesting to some on this list (I hadn't seen posted yet, but if I missed it, my apologies). It appears that the world renowned director Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, a.o.) is working on a new movie which involves <em>kaijū</em>. The movie is called "Pacific Rim", and sees monsters (creatively called "Kaiju") rising from the seas and engage in war with humans, who fight these monsters with Gundam-esque robots. Kikuchi Rinko will also star alongside a slew of American actors. A more detailed synopsis can be found <a href="http://collider.com/pacific-rim-synopsis/168204/">here</a>.</div>
<div>Kind regards,</div><div> </div><div>Pyke van Zon</div><div><a href="mailto:pykevanzon@gmail.com">pykevanzon@gmail.com</a></div>