AnimeSuki Forums

Tommy · 2005-01-04, 21:03

So how does an anime this badass looking not have its own thread on animesuki? Its actually kinda strange because sometimes I stumble across big anime movies and series on other websites like IGN that have been reported on for months and I don't hear anything about them on this forum. Kinda weird.

Anyways heres the plot summary from Ign.
kinda long so posted in spoiler tags.

Spoiler:

Hit Korean anime comes to the States.
December 16, 2004 - The Korean anime film Sky Blue, already a hit overseas, makes its North American debut on December 31 in Los Angeles before going into wide release on February 18. But you don't have to wait 'til then for a look at the film. You can watch the trailer for Sky Blue by clicking the links below.

Sky Blue is set in the year 2140, when humankind's reckless exploitation of the environment has sparked a planet-wide catastrophe that has shielded the sun from view and all but ended civilization on earth. Only a small number of elites possessing power and technology have been able to thrive, building a magnificent, organic city named Ecoban. Ecoban grows by itself like a living plant, transforming carbon compounds into useable energy. Jay is a 19-year-old female trooper of Ecoban who guards the city against the incursions of outsiders.

Thousands of refugees have come to the city seeking asylum, but the elites have barred their entry to the city and forced them to settle in the surrounding Wasteland. The refugees are forced to mine the Wasteland for the carbonite needed to feed Ecoban.

On patrol in the Wasteland one day, Jay witnesses a gigantic industrial accident orchestrated by Ecoban's corrupt leaders against the refugees. Upon seeing this act of cruelty, Jay's loyalty is put to the test. When she then encounters her childhood sweetheart Shua leading a rebellion against Ecoban, Jay must make the ultimate choice – whether to live for duty, or very possibly die for love.

Shua goes to warn a group of Digger freedom fighters that his incursion into Ecoban may lead to retaliatory strikes by Ecoban. Despite Shua's warnings, the rebels put their plan into action – but it turns out to be a deadly trap that leads the Ecoban troops to the headquarters of the resistance. Later that night, Jay flees Ecoban to be with Shua.

Joining forces in rebellion, Jay and Shua risk their own chance at happiness for the chance that the clouds may clear, and the people of Earth might see the blue sky for the first time in their lives.

Moon Sang Kim directed Sky Blue from a script he co-wrote with Jun Young Park and Sunmin Park.

This movie looks breathtaking from the trailer. Can't wait till it comes out in threatres here even if it is english dubbed. Heres some pics and a link to the trailer.

Spoiler:

http://ffmovies.ign.com/filmforce/vi...001_qthigh.mov

Fronzel · 2005-01-05, 02:46

We know it as "Wonderful Days", the original title they didn't use for some reason. Once you get over how everything looks like a cutscene from Final Fantasy, it's a rather dull movie.

Tommy · 2005-01-05, 02:51

Yeah thats what I was kinda thinking when I made this thread that they probably changed the name.

NoSanninWa · 2005-01-05, 04:34

"Wonderful Days" was rather interesting, but ultimately waaaay too slow. If it had picked up the pace a bit I would have really enjoyed it. I suppose they changed the name because they wanted the title to be descriptive rather than ironic.

kujoe · 2005-01-05, 06:07

Wait. I'm lost. Why did they change the name to "Sky Blue"? Is this the title for the R1 release of this movie?

Anyway, just like Fronzel said, it's actually dull. Rather, I found it sort of dull. It's not bad per se, but it's the type of movie that seems to have been adapted from a novel or a manhwa series. Hence, the events of the story seem to lack seamless transition or were toned down as if they were meant to fit the proposed length. Some parts were too slow, while the rest were too fast.

It did have its moments though. But personally, I didn't enjoy it as a whole.

Corn · 2005-12-25, 20:36

Wonderful Days / Sky Blue(it's name in the west)

Earth is on the brink of extinction due to pollution and environmental disasters. In order to survive, humans create a shielded city called Ecoban that organically grows on its own, feeding on the earth's pollution. However, only a select few are allowed to live in the shielded city, leaving many to perish in the waste of the wilderness. Soon, there are reports that pollution levels are dropping, giving people hope that the entire Earth will once again be safe to live in.

Conflicts arise after some city officials decide to continually pollute the earth so they can enjoy the prestige of living inside of Ecoban.
Meanwhile, an intruder breaks into Ecoban as security frantically rushes to the scene of the crime. Jay, one of the leaders of the security unit, chases down the intruder only to find out that it's her first love, Suha. Previously assumed dead, Suha returns to Ecoban as a criminal, reminding Jay of his promise to her; that one day he will show her a blue sky, something that has been gone for too long.
Now Jay feels torn between her long lost love and her civil duty as city security.
Furthermore, Simon, the head of security and also in love with Jay, finds out about Suha's existence.

Wonderful Days is a Korean animation released in 2003. I guess it, makes it technical not an anime. Though I hope the topic will be allowed to stay

I did some searches, and while I found a few old threads on this animation, nothing really was discussed. While im new(waves

) I would like to cast some light on this movie and why I think its worth watching.

As far as I know Wonderful Days flopped horrible on the box office. It seems that Korean animation have been in a serious decline for a long time. Apparently a long time ago, they were a big rival with Japanese and American animation, but have since become forgotten. Wonderful Days was hyped by many as an experimental project that would be able to restore the future for Korean animation.

Wonderful Days looks marvelous. Even though, it was released in 2003 in South Korea, in my humble opinion, it looks better than other similiar movies like Appleseed, GITS2: Innocence and FF7: Advent Children. Wonderful Days uses a mixture of animation, Minature models to give detail to certain background objects which is virtual impossible with drawings, no matter how good you are, and real live action(some sort of moton capture I presume).

But in the end it seems that this movie flopped horrible. It seems that it has already been forgotten, and even though it's "westeren" release got a new name, became dubbed and got edited with more music, it didn't seem to hit through.

The biggest insult that people and reviewers seem to have given the movie was that it could have had a more uniqe plot or better character development. I won't denie, or try to make it sound like, Wonderful Days have the best story ever, because that's not true.

However I think it was still a breathtaking anime. Maybe it is just because I care alot about the visual style, but I think equally that the music is amazing. And I defintely think it's worth a watch and should be watched.
I have never seen the dubbed english version, but I have seen the south Korean one, which has english subtitles.
If you see this movie, or choose to buy the DVD, please post what you thought.

It feels weird to be the only one(it seems

) who enjoys an animation that no one likes or knows:-D

Here is a trailer. It's old but I think it's worth a watch. At least for the music(which I like). Right click and save as: http://www.commeaucinema.com/bandean...derfuldays.wmv

-Corn

microlith · 2005-12-25, 20:37

I don't recall Wonderful Days being licensed. Who did?

Corn · 2005-12-25, 21:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by microlith

I don't recall Wonderful Days being licensed. Who did?

Im new mate, so im still confused about these licens things.

But as far as I know, the director, Moon-saeng Kim, always intended there to be two versions.
Apparently Wonderful Days had great succes on alot of European film festivals, were it became highly recgonized in Cannes for example.
So that was probably why they renamed it to Blue Sky over here. I even heard that they delayed the release for a long time, just to try and spread hype. I guess they were desperate.
I heard the movie didn't even earn 1/10 of what it costed. I also belive that its the most expenssive Korean Animation ever. My guess would be that all the people involved god fired or have wasted their career, which I think is a shame.

But I guess that technicaly it means that Wonderful Days is not licensed in the US, but I still think that it would kind of seem weird to post it here(if you think about the rules, that is).
But yeah. If they put it up on animesuki, I truly belive that alot of people would see it, and alot of fans of visuals would enjoy it and perhaps buy the DVD to support the korean peeps who made it

But again, im really a n00b and I won't speak as I understand anything though. That was just the impression I got from this article, about the good things about being supportive of fansubs in the long run: http://www.fortune.com/fortune/inves...4596-1,00.html

Fel · 2005-12-25, 23:05

Pretty sure it was ADV.
Whoever it was, they got it into U.S. theatres (as Sky Blue), and I saw a fairly good review for it in the newspaper.

DaFool · 2005-12-26, 04:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corn

It seems that Korean animation have been in a serious decline for a long time. Apparently a long time ago, they were a big rival with Japanese and American animation, but have since become forgotten. Wonderful Days was hyped by many as an experimental project that would be able to restore the future for Korean animation.

...

It feels weird to be the only one(it seems

) who enjoys an animation that no one likes or knows:-D

I highly doubt it. I work in the animation industry, and plenty of times in competing for a contract my studio is outbidded by a Korean studio. If ever, more and more Korean studios are participating in anime production. Just look at the end credits of any recent 2003-2005 anime. Name me an anime without a Korean name credited at the end. So I don't know what publications say that Korean animation is declining. If ever, Philippine animation is declining, but not Korean animation.

Some western cartoons being animated by Korea:

- Simpsons
- New Tom & Jerry
- Van Hellsing: London Assignment OVA (with planning by Production I.G.)
- Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury OVA (this time Sunwoo did it all by itself, and it was even BETTER than Van Hellsing)

I am sort of sure even Futurama, King of the Hill, Spongebob, many Nick toons, heck, almost everything is animated in Korea.

I think what the movie was supposed to do is to project ORIGINAL Korean animation into the world stage. Actually, My Beautiful Girl Marie did that already in Annecy 2003. So the day is looking bright, even though it may not be bright for that particular studio(s) who worked on Wonderful Days.

Wonderful Days is eye candy. I liked watching it, but I didn't get into the characters much. Suffice to say, I didn't really get into other eye candy anime such as Steamboy and Appleseed and virtually all 3D CG anime.
Characterization in animation is tops in my opinion. I enjoy Studio 4C works and independent animation a lot.

Face it, the only people who really love animation (anime and otherwise), are videogamers, hardcore otakus, and industry professionals. I happen to fit in all 3 categories that's why I watch stuff such as this. Action / Sci-fi can work with these people, but not for a mainstream audience. And sci-fi people are very discriminating in terms of plot. The "sci-fi" I see in Wonderful Days is far from the type I've enjoyed in Asimov novels. I hate it when sci-fi is abused to just create a setting for some action sequences, which are typical of B-movies.

But look at Titan A.E. Flop at the box office. Steamboy and Appleseed' and Ghost in the Shell's strengths were in DVD licensing. Mainstream audience (who can support big budget films) want talking animals.

I do applaud the incentive of creating Wonderful Days. As an effort, it is commendable. The fact that it has achieved international distribution is already a feat in itself.

Corn · 2005-12-26, 19:04

Sorry mate. I didn't want to offend you. It was just what I thought. I just saw this article and it just sounded like Korean animation was in a bad shape. Maybe its just me though: http://kn.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/dat...0306140034.asp

By the way I found a wonderful sample from the Wonderful Days movie. I think people should try listening to it. It's very beautiful: http://www.yougey.com/puri/oto/wdaays.mp3

microlith · 2005-12-26, 20:11

DaFool:

Eureka Seven

Trick answer, it's got assistance from animators in China. However, they're all personally named so I imagine they've got a much more direct connection to Bones than most would and their quality is high enough that it doesn't contrast with the rest of the animation.

And Korean/Chinese animation studios have been used for years, they're usually just hidden behind the names of the studios they work for. They're used sparingly though, as Korean studios have a tendency to turn out really messy results that require a lot of cleanup (the creator of Ed, Edd, and Eddy commented that while they did consistent work, they had to go through and do a lot of cleanup on the footage they got back.)

2005-01-04, 21:03	Link #1
Tommy Mr. Prince Join Date: May 2003 Location: Scottsdale, Arizona Age: 40	Wonderful Days / Sky Blue So how does an anime this badass looking not have its own thread on animesuki? Its actually kinda strange because sometimes I stumble across big anime movies and series on other websites like IGN that have been reported on for months and I don't hear anything about them on this forum. Kinda weird. Anyways heres the plot summary from Ign. kinda long so posted in spoiler tags. Spoiler: Hit Korean anime comes to the States. December 16, 2004 - The Korean anime film Sky Blue, already a hit overseas, makes its North American debut on December 31 in Los Angeles before going into wide release on February 18. But you don't have to wait 'til then for a look at the film. You can watch the trailer for Sky Blue by clicking the links below. Sky Blue is set in the year 2140, when humankind's reckless exploitation of the environment has sparked a planet-wide catastrophe that has shielded the sun from view and all but ended civilization on earth. Only a small number of elites possessing power and technology have been able to thrive, building a magnificent, organic city named Ecoban. Ecoban grows by itself like a living plant, transforming carbon compounds into useable energy. Jay is a 19-year-old female trooper of Ecoban who guards the city against the incursions of outsiders. Thousands of refugees have come to the city seeking asylum, but the elites have barred their entry to the city and forced them to settle in the surrounding Wasteland. The refugees are forced to mine the Wasteland for the carbonite needed to feed Ecoban. On patrol in the Wasteland one day, Jay witnesses a gigantic industrial accident orchestrated by Ecoban's corrupt leaders against the refugees. Upon seeing this act of cruelty, Jay's loyalty is put to the test. When she then encounters her childhood sweetheart Shua leading a rebellion against Ecoban, Jay must make the ultimate choice – whether to live for duty, or very possibly die for love. Shua goes to warn a group of Digger freedom fighters that his incursion into Ecoban may lead to retaliatory strikes by Ecoban. Despite Shua's warnings, the rebels put their plan into action – but it turns out to be a deadly trap that leads the Ecoban troops to the headquarters of the resistance. Later that night, Jay flees Ecoban to be with Shua. Joining forces in rebellion, Jay and Shua risk their own chance at happiness for the chance that the clouds may clear, and the people of Earth might see the blue sky for the first time in their lives. Moon Sang Kim directed Sky Blue from a script he co-wrote with Jun Young Park and Sunmin Park. This movie looks breathtaking from the trailer. Can't wait till it comes out in threatres here even if it is english dubbed. Heres some pics and a link to the trailer. Spoiler: http://ffmovies.ign.com/filmforce/vi...001_qthigh.mov Last edited by Tommy; 2005-01-05 at 02:32.

2005-01-05, 04:34	Link #4
NoSanninWa Weapon of Mass Discussion Fansubber Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: New York, USA	"Wonderful Days" was rather interesting, but ultimately waaaay too slow. If it had picked up the pace a bit I would have really enjoyed it. I suppose they changed the name because they wanted the title to be descriptive rather than ironic. __________________ There's not that fine a line between willing suspension of disbelief and something just being stupid.

2005-12-25, 20:36	Link #6
Corn Gotta kill 'em all! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Denmark	Wonderful Days Wonderful Days / Sky Blue(it's name in the west) Earth is on the brink of extinction due to pollution and environmental disasters. In order to survive, humans create a shielded city called Ecoban that organically grows on its own, feeding on the earth's pollution. However, only a select few are allowed to live in the shielded city, leaving many to perish in the waste of the wilderness. Soon, there are reports that pollution levels are dropping, giving people hope that the entire Earth will once again be safe to live in. Conflicts arise after some city officials decide to continually pollute the earth so they can enjoy the prestige of living inside of Ecoban. Meanwhile, an intruder breaks into Ecoban as security frantically rushes to the scene of the crime. Jay, one of the leaders of the security unit, chases down the intruder only to find out that it's her first love, Suha. Previously assumed dead, Suha returns to Ecoban as a criminal, reminding Jay of his promise to her; that one day he will show her a blue sky, something that has been gone for too long. Now Jay feels torn between her long lost love and her civil duty as city security. Furthermore, Simon, the head of security and also in love with Jay, finds out about Suha's existence. Wonderful Days is a Korean animation released in 2003. I guess it, makes it technical not an anime. Though I hope the topic will be allowed to stay I did some searches, and while I found a few old threads on this animation, nothing really was discussed. While im new(waves ) I would like to cast some light on this movie and why I think its worth watching. As far as I know Wonderful Days flopped horrible on the box office. It seems that Korean animation have been in a serious decline for a long time. Apparently a long time ago, they were a big rival with Japanese and American animation, but have since become forgotten. Wonderful Days was hyped by many as an experimental project that would be able to restore the future for Korean animation. Wonderful Days looks marvelous. Even though, it was released in 2003 in South Korea, in my humble opinion, it looks better than other similiar movies like Appleseed, GITS2: Innocence and FF7: Advent Children. Wonderful Days uses a mixture of animation, Minature models to give detail to certain background objects which is virtual impossible with drawings, no matter how good you are, and real live action(some sort of moton capture I presume). But in the end it seems that this movie flopped horrible. It seems that it has already been forgotten, and even though it's "westeren" release got a new name, became dubbed and got edited with more music, it didn't seem to hit through. The biggest insult that people and reviewers seem to have given the movie was that it could have had a more uniqe plot or better character development. I won't denie, or try to make it sound like, Wonderful Days have the best story ever, because that's not true. However I think it was still a breathtaking anime. Maybe it is just because I care alot about the visual style, but I think equally that the music is amazing. And I defintely think it's worth a watch and should be watched. I have never seen the dubbed english version, but I have seen the south Korean one, which has english subtitles. If you see this movie, or choose to buy the DVD, please post what you thought. It feels weird to be the only one(it seems ) who enjoys an animation that no one likes or knows:-D Here is a trailer. It's old but I think it's worth a watch. At least for the music(which I like). Right click and save as: http://www.commeaucinema.com/bandean...derfuldays.wmv -Corn

2005-12-25, 23:05	Link #9
Fel Clean up princess Join Date: Oct 2004	Pretty sure it was ADV. Whoever it was, they got it into U.S. theatres (as Sky Blue), and I saw a fairly good review for it in the newspaper. __________________ To be a man, you must have honor! Honor and a penis!

2005-01-05, 02:46	Link #2
Fronzel Schmuck Join Date: Nov 2003	We know it as "Wonderful Days", the original title they didn't use for some reason. Once you get over how everything looks like a cutscene from Final Fantasy, it's a rather dull movie.

2005-01-05, 02:51	Link #3
Tommy Mr. Prince Join Date: May 2003 Location: Scottsdale, Arizona Age: 40	Yeah thats what I was kinda thinking when I made this thread that they probably changed the name.

2005-01-05, 06:07	Link #5
kujoe from head to heel Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Vancouver, Canada Age: 42	Wait. I'm lost. Why did they change the name to "Sky Blue"? Is this the title for the R1 release of this movie? Anyway, just like Fronzel said, it's actually dull. Rather, I found it sort of dull. It's not bad per se, but it's the type of movie that seems to have been adapted from a novel or a manhwa series. Hence, the events of the story seem to lack seamless transition or were toned down as if they were meant to fit the proposed length. Some parts were too slow, while the rest were too fast. It did have its moments though. But personally, I didn't enjoy it as a whole.

2005-12-25, 20:37	Link #7
microlith Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Folsom, CA Age: 41	I don't recall Wonderful Days being licensed. Who did?

2005-12-26, 19:04	Link #11
Corn Gotta kill 'em all! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Denmark	Sorry mate. I didn't want to offend you. It was just what I thought. I just saw this article and it just sounded like Korean animation was in a bad shape. Maybe its just me though: http://kn.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/dat...0306140034.asp By the way I found a wonderful sample from the Wonderful Days movie. I think people should try listening to it. It's very beautiful: http://www.yougey.com/puri/oto/wdaays.mp3

2005-12-26, 20:11	Link #12
microlith Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Folsom, CA Age: 41	DaFool: Eureka Seven Trick answer, it's got assistance from animators in China. However, they're all personally named so I imagine they've got a much more direct connection to Bones than most would and their quality is high enough that it doesn't contrast with the rest of the animation. And Korean/Chinese animation studios have been used for years, they're usually just hidden behind the names of the studios they work for. They're used sparingly though, as Korean studios have a tendency to turn out really messy results that require a lot of cleanup (the creator of Ed, Edd, and Eddy commented that while they did consistent work, they had to go through and do a lot of cleanup on the footage they got back.)