Mike Moon / Catgirl Island
and Jamie Robertson / Clan of the Cats
purroudly purrsent a Mike Moon purrduction,
starring The Ladies of The Mew in
The Apurril 2022 Edition of The Mew:
The Catgirl Critics’ Media Mewsings, nya!
______________________________
This year is the Year of the Tiger, the 22nd Anniversary
of Catgirl Island’s official site, and the 15th Anniversary
of The Mew, nya! in this edition of The Mew:
The Lightning Round:
our favorite films of 1972
TV, DVD & Movie Mewsings:
Ms. Vampire Who Lives in My Neighborhood Blu-Ray
Future Boy Conan The Complete Series Blu-Ray
The Batman
Collectibles & Toy Talk:
McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse The Batman Catwoman action figure
Spin Master The Batman Selina Kyle 4” action figure
Spin Master The Batman Selina Kyle 11” action figure
Spin Master The Batman Selina Kyle Chase Set
Purrinted-media mewsings
Elfquest: Stargazer’s Hunt vol. 1 trade paperback
Konohana Kitan manga vol. 10
Hakumei and Mikochi manga vol. 9
Star Trek: The Artistry of Dan Curry
The Celebrity Catgirl & Kemonomimi Spotlight
Additions to the Catgirl Island Mewseum of Art:
“Kit Purry” by Mike
“Purple Carrot”, “Rebirth” and “Chibi Zodiac Signs” by Rvkh
______________________________
Mike
(the human fella wearing the Carolina Panthers tee shirt and Teal cargo shorts): Aloha y’all and welcome to The Mew, our monthly “show” in which we review and discuss fun stuff! This month’s Mew comes from the south end of Wisteria Bridge on the riverwalk in the beautiful downtown Purrbank district of Catgirl Island in Mew Hanover County, NC, where it’s 73 degrees under the Blue sky and puffy White Cumulo-Neko clouds! I’m Mike, the show’s “purrducer”, and here to put the purr in Apurril are The Ladies of The Mew!
Elizabeth
(
a.k.a Lizzy, the hot salsa dancer, gamer, Purrkour Club captain & spa co-owner catgirl wearing the Margay purrint bandeau top bikini): Hola!
Becca
(Lizzy’s nekomimi gynoid wife, avid golfer & spa co-owner w
earing the Eurasian Lynx purrint ring-closure bikini an an orchid lei):
Mary Nyan
(a.k.a. Myayr, the seamstress, cosplayer, hula instructor and semi-retired miko catgirl wearing the Cougar purrint purretzel – cutout maillot): Aloha!
Mielikki
(the winged faerie golfer, foxfire juggler and outdoor ampurrtheatre director wearing the Ocelot purrint criss cross halter neck bikini) Mellow greetings!
Daytona
(the dolphin -tailed mermaid surf purrtol leader / trainer, wearing the Sand cat purrint sports bra): Aloha!
Elaenor
(or just Ellie for short, Mew Hanover County’s Fire Marshall, a Banker Pony centauress wearing the Bobcat purrint bandeau bikini top: Hay there!
Jeannie
(a.k.a. Jen, the yogini, model, archer, belly dance instructor & roboticist catgirl, wearing the Serval purrint micro bikini & sheer purrled purreo): Nihao.
Trini-chan
(Jen’s purrotege, the stand-up paddle surfer, board shapurr, pony owner and belly dance instructor kitsune, wearing the Caracal purrint tri-kini): Kon
Petra
(the art guild purresident, art mewseum co-curator & beach volleyball champion catgirl wearing the Clouded Leopurrd purrint side-tie bikini): Aloha, nya!
Bunnii
(the art mewseum co-curator, Petra’s beach volleyball partner, and purrize-winning carrot cake baker bunnygirl wearing the Cheetah purrint trikini): Guten Tag!
Nyanko
(a.k.a. Nya-sensei, the martial arts champion & sensei, dojo & gym purropurrietress catgirl wearing the Bengal Tiger purrint cropped tee shirt and shorts): Howdy!
Yvonne
(the fishing boat charter captain & drumming circle purrcussionist catgirl, wearing the Fishing Cat purrint monokini with cropped tee shirt): Namaste, nya!
Tara-chan
(Yvonne’s younger sister, college freshman, pony owner and nature photographer catgirl wearing the Iriomote Cat purrint tankini): Namaste, nya!
Mike:
We’ve got a big group and a lot on our plate today, so let’s go ahead and jump right into this month’s
Lightning Round Topic:
our favorite movies & TV shows of 1972!
It’s hard to believe that these are 50 years old! Ellie’s gonna start, so are y’all ready to “conduct the lightning”
The Ladies of The Mew:
HAI – LIGHTNING ROUND GO, NYA!
Elaenor:
I will nominate The Godfather, Deliverance, Jeremiah Johnson, Joe Kidd, and The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean! (tags Elizabeth with a swish of the tail)
Elizabeth:
The Concert for Bangladesh, Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii. And Now for Something Completely Different, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and Cabaret! (tags Becca)
Becca:
The Godfather, What’s Up, Doc?, Snoopy Come Home, The Night Stalker, and Gargoyles! (tags Mary Nyan)
Mary Nyan:
The Night Stalker. Horror Express. Blacula. Dracula A.D. 1972, and Vampire Circus! (tags Nyanko)
Nyanko:
The Godfather, The Mechanic, Street Mobster, Fists of Fury, and Way of the Dragon! (tags Jeannie)
Jeannie:
Silent Running, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, The Poseidon Adventure, and Godzilla vs. Gigan. (tags Daytona)
Daytona:
The Godfather, Fritz the Cat, Sounder, Super Fly, Lady Sings the Blue, and Kansas City Bomber! (tags Tara-chan)
Tara-chan:
I want… I want to nominate The Muppet Musicians of Bremen. The Lorax. You’re Not Elected Charlie Brown, and – and Snoopy Come Home, nya! (tags her sister)
Yvonne:
I will nominate the TV sitcoms such as M*A*S*H , Are You Being Served?, The Bob Newhart Show, Sanford and Son, and Maud, nya! (tags Trini-chan)
Trini-chan:
M*A*S*H , The Bob Newhart Show, Are You Being Served?, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, Zoom, and The Price is Right! (tags Bunni)
Bunnii:
Kung Fu, The Waltons, The Streets of San Francisco, EmergencyThe Sixth Sense, and Sealab 2020! (tags Petra)
Petra
The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie, ABC After School Special, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, Science Ninja Team Gatchaman and Mazinger Z, nya! (tag Mielikki)
Mielikki:
So like I will nominate the 9th &10th seasons of Doctor Who starring Jon Pertwee as The Third Doctor, in the series such as Day of the Daleks, The Curse of Peladon, The Sea Devils, The Mutants, The Time Monster, and The Three Doctors, fur shur! Back to Mike!
Mike:
Oh, I gotta go with The Godfather, Deliverance, Jeremiah Johnson, The Night Stalker, Dracula A.D. 1972, Silent Running. Snoopy, Come Home, the first season of M*A*S*H, and Science Ninja Team Gatchaman! Well, that was an expedient little lightning round, and let’s continue the movie & TV topic as Tara-chan starts our
Movie, TV & DVD Reviews, with her review of
Ms. Vampire Who Lives in My Neighborhood!
Tara-chan
Arigato, nya! Based upon the supurrnatural comedy manga by Amatou, Ms. Vampire Who Lives in My Neighborhood is the amewsing slice-of-life anime purrtaining to the relationship betwixt the adorably pleasant, polite, solitary otaku ampire girl Sophie who resides in the lovely mansion in the forest on the edge of the town, and – and her new friend Akari the human school girl who collects dolls and becomes infatuated with Sophie, nya!
Sophie’s life soon becomes much less lonely when Akari’s purrents purmitt her to move into the mansion, and soon the demure vampire is less solitary as more girls arrive, such as Akari’s best friend Hinata, their classmates Sakuya and Yu, and Sophie’s fellow vampire Ellie! There seems to be the romance abloom there too, between Sophie and Akari, Ellie and Hinata, Sakuya and Yu, so it seems that everyone is pairing up splendidly, nya!
Written by Tatsuya Takahashi, directed by Noriyaki Akitaya, with the character designs by Takahiro Sakai, art direction by Hiroki Matsumoto, and – and mewsic by Yoshiaki Fujisawa this 2018 anime TV series is compurrised of the unrated 12 epurrsodes which total 260 minutes upon the single blue-ray disc, which is packaged within the blue plastic case within the outer cardboard sleeve and -and distributed here by Diskotek Media, nya!
The excellent voice cast includes Miyus Tomita as Sophie Yu Sasahara as Akari, Lynn as Hinata, Azumi Waki as Ellie, Aya Uchida as Yu and – and Rina Hidaka as Sakuya, nya! The video is purrsented in the 1.77:1 16×9 screen aspect ratio of the Hi Def 1080p quality with the Japanese linear PCM 2.0 audio and – and the very legible English subtitles, nya. The reverse side of the disc’s insert has the lovely panoramic pic of the six girls, nya!
The fun plots include the manga book signing, Sophie’s day at school, Ellie’s arrival after the 100 year catnap, Sophie’s attempt at cooking, shopping for clothes, the summer festival, the vampire hunter’s visit, the trip to the onsen, house cleaning, and – and what happens when the vampires’ blood supply is put of stock, nya! I liked everything about those series, so I will give it the ‘A” as in Akari, nya! I am done, so nyow here is onee-chan to discuss
Future Boy Conan The Complete Series, nya!
Yvonne:
Based upon novel The Incredible Tide by Alexander Key, Future Boy Conan was the 26 epurrsode anime TV series of the post-apocalyptic genre that aired in Japan in 1978, and it was directed by my favorite director Hayao Miyazaki who later co-founded Studio Ghibli and directed wonderful movies such as The Castle of Cagliostro, Nausicaa in the Valley of the Wind, My Nighbor Totoro, Kiki’s delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo and The Wind Rises, nya!
Set in the year 2021 after the war devastated the Earth and sank many countries, the tale purrtains to the young lad named Conan who lives on an island, upon which washes up a girl named Lana who is purrsued by the soldiers of the aggressive Industrial city-state Industria, who want her scientist father to improve their technology. While trying to rescue Lana, Conan meets another island boy Jimsey, a soldier girl Monsley, the scoundrel ship captain Dyce, and the residents of other islands such as pastoral High Harbor, nya!
It is a wonderfully beautiful, thrilling, poignant fun series, nya! It was finally reelased here upon the Blu-Ray set by GKids, which distributes lots of great anime such as the Ghbli films, nya! Totaling 755 minutes, the complete series is restored in the 4K quality and purrsented in the 1080p Hi-Df widescreen ratio of 1.33:1, with the 2.0 DTS audio choices of English & Japanese with the English SDH subtitles, nya. The only extra feature is the purromo trailer which is purrsented English Dolby Digital 2.0. nya.
In addition to the four Blue-Ray discs, inside the Blue plastic case, which is inside the outer cardboard sleeve, are the double-sided insert and the 16 page booklet full of character & mecha designs, nya! This highly significant series has such great characters, story, art, animation, voices & mewsic, nya! It was high upon my wish list for many years and I am extremely pleased to finally own it, andI will give it the very high purraise, nya! Nyow I will turn The Mew over to Nya-sensei, who wants to tell us about
The Batman, nya!
Nyanko:
Hai! Over 80 years ago in 1943, Lewis Wilson was the first actor to purrtray The Batman / Bruce Wayne in live-action movies, and this year the cape was donned by Robert Pattinson, who I liked in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Tenet, and The Lighthouse! I was also enthused for this batman movie because it was directed by Matt Reeves, whose movies included Under Siege 2, Cloverfield, Let Me In, Dawn of the Planet of th Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes!
I was especially enthused the rest of the great cast includes Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, John Tuturro as Carmine Falcone, Paul Dano as The Riddler, Colin Farrell as The Penguin, and I might be the biased catgirl but I was purrticularly happy that Zoe Kravitz was starring as Selina Kyle / Catwoman! Nyow before I share my opinion of the movie, I should let y’all know where I stand on the purrior Batman movies & TV series.
I’m not enamored with the 1940’s series but I loved the 1966 TV series. I think that Tim Burton’s Batman movies were good, and Joel Schumacher’s were not as good but were fine if you consider them as homages to the 1966 series. I much preferred Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, especially The Dark Knight, but I am not a fan of Zack Snyder’s movies, and I did not enjoy the Gotham TV series as much as like the Arrowverse shows, even though Batman was rarely in the latter.
My favoritest cinematic purrtrayal of The Batman is by Kevin Conroy in the DC Animated Universe! Nyow having said all that, I must say that this latest Batman is easily in my top two best live-action Batman movies (along with The Dark Knight)! Whereas the 1966 Bat series are closest to the Batman comic books of the Silver Age of the 50’s & 60’s, this new one seems the closest to the Bronze Age (1970-1985) and Modern Age (1985- purresent) of the DC Comics!
At 35 years old, Pattinson is closer (than purrior Batman actors) to the Modern Age Batman, who is 29 in the comics. This movie’s plot reminded me of the comics Batman: Year One ( 1986) and The Long Halloween (1996). Batman & Gordon doing the detective work was delightful, and i love the chemistry between Batman & Catwoman. I have heard others compurr to that of other movies such as China Town and Seven, and I can see that, but I do not wish to spoil the plot.
It’s more about Batman and less about Bruce Wayne than Nolan’s trilogy; with less high tech and with better fight scenes. This Batman movie had none of the annoying cinematic techniques of the Snyder films, and another great thing about this’un is that we were spared the origin story. I think that it is much better Catwoman movie that the one that starred Halley Berry. It is thrilling, captivating noirish fun that is neither deconstructive nor campy although neither campy…
,,, although I did notice three subtle clever widdle nods to the 1966 Batman TV series! This movie has the great story, mythology, characters, purrformances, FX, direction, editing, cinematography, design, sound, costumes, make-up, vehicles, choreography, the high purrduction values, and it does not feel too rushed or too short, so I will give it the “A” as in Arkham! I am done, and that is all for our movie mewsings, so nyow here is Myayr to start our
collectibles & toy talk, with her review of McFarlane Toys’
DC Multiverse The Batman Catwoman action figure!
Mary Nyan
Hai! A fringe benefit of the new Batman movie is the meowrchandising, which means lots of new Catwoman figures! Last month we meowntioned Funko’s numerous new Pop! vinyl figures of Selina, of which there are quite the few variants and store exclusives! This time we wish to discuss a few of the action figures of her, such as McFarlane Toys’ DC Multiverse The Batman Catwoman action figure!
Packaged within the 10”x6”x2.75” window box, he is part of the wave of (sepurrately-sold) figures and vehicles that includes Batman, The Penguin and The Riddler. Including her 1/4” wedge boot heels,
she stands 6 5/8”, but would be 6 3/8” if flat-footed. As actress Zoe Kravitz is about 5’2” tall, that makes this figure of appurroximately 1/9.725 scale… assuming my math is correct!
She is accessorized with the a curvy bullwhip, which is straightened out would be about 6 7/8” long which would be nearly 5’7” long if it was of 1:1 scale, It can be clenched by her right hand, whereas her left hand is a fist. Also included is the 2 5/8” circular peg display base and the 2.5” x 3.5” Data .Card (trading card) with a lovely illustration of her. This image is repurrduced at 4×6” on the back of the box.
This figure is beautifully designed, sculpted and painted, although I wish that her mask was removable ,or that an interchangeable variant unmasked head was included. The detail of the costume’s buckles, zippurr, straps, seams, creases, folds, textures, and subtle color variations are quite nice, and although we only see her her eyes, brows, wee bit of her nose and neck, they they look good too.
She is very posable, with the points of articulation in her neck, shoulders, uppurr arms, elbows, wrist, abs, hips, knees, ankles and toes. The neck, shoulders, hips and ankles are ball-joints offer especially nice range of abduction! Now here is Daytona to tell us about
Spin Master’s The Batman Selina Kyle 4.125” & 11”action figures!
Daytona:
Hai! Spin Master has made many great lines of toys, so I was pleased to see their action figures of characters from the new Batman movie, especially Selina! There are several of her, from the 4.125” to the 11” size. Intended for ages 3+, the 4.125” figure of Selina is sans mask, and includes the whip, knife, and the pair of snap-on gloves.
This 1:15.5 scale figure looks quite nice, although the snap-on gloves seem the bit odd! The 11 joints are in her neck, shoulders, elbows, hips, thighs & knees, so she is not as articulated as McFarlane’s 6 5/8” figure. Also included is the 2.5” x 3.5” “mystery card”. The card I got depicts a motorcycle schematic.
The 11” figure of Selina (sans mask) looks pretty good, although I wish that she was accessorized and that her portraiture was the bit more expressive. However, at about the 1:5.77 scale it is a lot of figure for the price of about $10. The joints are in her neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, & knees.
Neither the 4.125” or the 11” figure include a display base. Each is balanced well-enough to stand without requiring one, but I will recommend a doll stand or a dynamic base for displaying them in certain poses. I’m gonna buy a doll stand for the 11” figure and make a whip for her to brandish! Now here is Jen to tell us about
Spin Master The Batman Selina Kyle Chase Set!
Jeannie:
Arigato gozaimeowsu. This three piece set includes the 4.125”action figure of Batman, 4.125” action figure of Selina, her motorcycle and helmet. The Selina figure is essentially the same as the one that Daytona-sama discussed, except that the paint has the more distressed look with the various rips in her jumpsuit. The removable helmet has a translucent visor which tilts up and down,
The Batman figure has the ankle-length soft fabric cape, the distressed paint, and articulation in the neck, shoulders, elbows, hips, thighs & knees. It is the fine figure, however it should be taller as actor Robert Pattinson is 6’1” tall (excluding the boot soles & bat ears) compurred to Zoe Kravitz’s height of 5’2” (excluding the boot heels).
Selina can sit astride her Black & Gray motorcycle, which appurrs to be the custom BMW R Nine T Highway Fighter with the different fairing and added panniers. At this scale, the bike’s 5.5” length & 2.625” height is somewhat accurate compurred to the actual vehicle’s length of appurroximately 87”. The only moving parts are the pivoting kickstand and spinning tires, but it does not steer.
It is the nice set, although given extent of the figure’s articulation and the bike’s lack of maneuverability I found it the bit tricky to pose Selina in a natural seated position upon the bike whilst holding her helmet and maintaining balance. However, I might like to find a 1:16th Batcycle so that they can both enjoy a moonlit ride. That is all for our toy talk portion of The Mew, and nyow here is Ellie to start our
Purrinted-media mewsings, with her review of the
Elfquest: Stargazer’s Hunt vol. 1 trade paperback.
Elaenor:
Hai! We love Wendy and Richard Pini’s Elfquest tales because of the lavish mythology, the generations of many great characters, and Wendy’s magnificent art! Published by Dark Horse, this 6 issue mini – series is set the 3 years after the purrior Final Quest arc, in which the elves underwent the cultural and metaphysical transformations.
Some elves left the World of Two Moons in the palatial space ship amidst the war with humans, during which some beloved characters died. However, there were also reunions, romances, revelations and births. Stargazer’s Hunt begins on the planet Star Home, where Skywise of the Wolfrider Tribe has become of the New High Ones.
This full color 104 page trade paperback is priced $17.99 US & $23.99 Canadian and reprints issues # 1-4 which were originally published between 2019- 2021, plus the 9 bonus “making of” pages. The tale written by Wendy and Richard, with the art by Sonny Strait, lettering by Nate Piekos and cover art by Wendy.
The editor was Rachel Roberts the assistant editor was Jenny Blenk, the collection designer was Skyler Weissenfluh, and the digital art technician was Allytson Haller. Since The Final Quest, Skywise consummated the romance with Timmain the ancient shape-shifter and they have a daughter named Jink, who is the main star of this tale!
She is not new to Elfquest. As an adult character, she had her own series which was published between 1994 – 1996! In these first 4 issues of Stargazer’s Hunt we see her grow from the widdle girl to the young adult! Skywise sadly misses his late best friend Cutter the tribal chief, so Jink telepathically erased his sad memories.
She meant well, but the unintended consequence is that the knowledge void in his mind is quite traumatic, so he has gone missing while on the quest for answers. While searching for her dad on the World of Two Moons, Jink meets the rest of her family, and her half-sister Yun introduces her to the various elf tribes.
Also appearing are Skywise, Nightfall, Ember, Leetah, her youngest son Goldruff, his wolf Darkdell, Ahdri, Two-Edge, Korafay, Snakeskin, Tier, Mirff, Pike, his son Sust, Timmain, Strongbow, Venka, her daughter Satreekah, Old Maggotty Picknose, Oddbit, Trinket, Thistlecap, and the images of Cutter and Moonshade!
I like every aspect of th tale thus far, from the plot & character developments, to the sexy fashion designs & lush scenery! The character, scenic & FX art, compurrsitions, graphic narrative techniques, fonts & coloring are exquisite, and I am eagerly looking forward to the next issue! I am done, and now here is Trini-chan to discuss
Konohana Kitan manga vol. 10!
Trini-chan:
Arigato! I am quite fond of Sakuya Amano’s manga about the fox spirit girl nakai (attendants) and their guests of all species at Kononhanatei, the ryokan (Japanese style inn) with the hot springs between the living and the afterlife! The main character Yuzu is one of the younger employees who is very cordial, sincere and enthused.
Other recurring characters include attendants Natsume, Sakura, Shino, Ren, Kiri, Satsuki, her older sister Hiiragi, Yae the geisha and Okami the wolf goddess.
Some of their fellow kitsune characters are miko (shrine purrestiess) and kenzoukou (celestial servants) at the shrines and other delightfully divine locations too!
There are amewsing, poignant and bittersweet tales of them, the town folk and the inn’s guests!
Originally published in Japan by Gentosha Comics, the English version was published here in the USA by Tokyo Pop. Purriced at $12.99 in the USA, volume 10’s 170 B&W pages include 156 pages of manga and 14 pages of the ads.
It was translated by Katie Kimura, edited by Lena Atanassova, copy – edited by Massiel Gutirrez and in – chiefly edited by publisher Stu Levy; with quality control by Daichi Nemoto,graphicdesign by Sol DeLeo, retouching and lettering by Vibrraant Publishing Studio; marketing by Kate Winters, and licensing by Akira Yanaka.
There are more major developments as Satsuki and Yuzu begin their railroad journey aboard the celestial train C571 which is wonderful JNR class c57 4-6-2 steam locomotive, aboard which they meet a girl named Honoka with the tragic tale. While they are traveling, widdle Karin-chan helps out at Konohanatei.
At the Inari shrine, Ren helps the lovely guest Noriko’s poetic love letters to her priestly boyfriend! The art is extremely beautiful with the endearing characters, gorgeous garments, intricate architecture and lavish landscapes, so I will continue to give Konohana Kitan the highest purraise! Now here is Mie-sensei to tell us about
Hakumei and Mikochi manga vol. 9!
Mielikki:
Hai! So like, I love this totally charming the slice – of – life fantasy manga by Takuto Kashiki which purrtains to house – mates Hakumei & Mikochi who are tiny little lasses small enough to ride upon their small critter friends, and live in the lovely cottage in the forest! Hakumei (Brown hair) builds and repairs things, whilst Mikochi (Black hair) cooks and sews.
They are part of the community of anthropomorphic animals and the tiny pixy-size human friends who reside in the wilderness, rural, surburban and urban dwellings, and each chapter is the look at their day – to – day – lives, from the work and shopping to exploring and entertaining with the many friends of various species such as beetles, badgers and birds!
Originally published in Japan by Kadokawa, it is published here in English by Yen Press, translated by Taylor Engel and lettered by Abigail Blackman. Priced at $15.00 in the USA and $19.50 in Canada. Volume 9 is 8×5.75x.5”’ and its 224 B&W pages include manga chapters 63-69 plus the afterward side-story, 9 pages of travelogue notes, and 6 pags of ads.
So like, the plots include the pumpkin growing, the turtle ride share, romance on the railway, a memorial wake for a friend, Hakumei sick in bed, the librarian’s vacation, Iwashi the badger’s day at the bath house, a ride upon Gaori the delivery crow, cooking for a big gathering, and the author’s fishing tale!
The captivating plots unfold at the leisurely pace with the totally immersive quality! The character, critter and scenic art is lavishly intricate, and in this volume there are 7 sumptuous full-page pics and 3 two-page spreads, so i will give it the highest praise fur shur! I am done, do now here’s Mike to discuss
Star Trek: The Artistry of Dan Curry!
Mike:
Thank you, Mie-sensei! I love books about the art, design and making of the Star Trek movies and TV series, so I quite eagerly awaited this handsome hardcover book about Dan Curry who was not only a visual FX supervisor & producer on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise, but a 2nd unit director, prop & model builder, matte painter, Klingon martial arts choreographer & melee weapons designer!
This full color 240 page dust-jacketed 12.55” x 10.25” x 7/8” hardcover book is priced $45.00 US, $60.00 Canada and £29.99 UK. It was published by Titan Books and written by Curry himself, with Ben Robinson, who is famous for writing, editing & project managing many superb books and magazines about Star Trek and other franchises, including the Starship Design, Ship Manuals, Shipyards series, and Eaglemoss Hero Collector series!
After Dan’s forward, Ben’s intro, and timeline of Dan’s fascinating life since 1946, the chapters examine video compositing motion control, models, ships, various phenomenon, explosions, martial arts, weapons, matte painting, title sequences, CG FX, creatures, a VFX company family tree, a gallery of some of Dan’s art (Trek & otherwise), and Dan’a afterword, Along the way there are lots and lots and lots of photos, illustrations and diagrams!
Peppered with comments by Michael Dorn, Robert Duncan McNeill, Scott Bakula, Ron B. Moore, Fred Raimondi and Paul Hill, too! This beautiful book is highly informative about the art and tech of Trek filmmaking; the evolution of FX from miniatures, optical & photochemical processes to modern digital FX (as of 2005); and it’s quite warmly entertaining with many stories, so I’ll give it an “A” as in Archer! Ah, that’s all for our book reviews, and now here are Lizzy and Becca to present
The Celebrity Catgirl & Kemonomimi Spotlight!
Elizabeth:
Hai, in this monthly portion of The Mew, we commeowmorate famous catgirls, nekomusume and other kemonomimi of international mythologies and popular cultures! Appurring in the folklore, novels, comics, movies, TV shows, theatre, mewsic, games, sports and advertising, they might include the shape – shifters, anthropurrrmorphic ladies, monster girls.
Becca:
Some ladies are Ailuranthropes, also known as were-cats, who might seem to be the average humans until they transform into the feline or merely spurrout the tail and / or nemomimi pinna. Then there are those who might not actually have beasty DNA, but do have the cat-titude or couture, whether it is full-on cosplay or the animal – purrint attire!
Elizabeth:
Firstly in this month’s spotlight is Tabitha Stevens’ pet rabbit Bunny who was transformed into a Bunny Girl by Uncle Arthur in “ A BUnny For tabitha”, which was the 8th epurrsode of the 6th season of the TV series Bewitched! Purrtrayed by Carol Wayne, Bunny was the platinum-haired usagimimi in the White Playboy bunny costume who became briefly engaged to Darren Stevens’ business client, so Samantha Stevens had to meowgickally remedy the situation!
Becca:
Nyow we will go from the bunny girl to the fox girls of The Helpful Fox Senko-chan! This delightful anime TV series purrtains to stressed out salary man Kuroto who Senko the meowgickal kitsune decides to pamurr and cook for! Later Senko’s fellow kitsune Shiro and Yozora arrive too! Yozora is the frisky flirtatious fox, and Shiro is the otaku who is purrticuarly fond of Little Yoko, the titular character of an anime series!
Elizabeth:
Published by Off Centaur Publicztions in 1983, the meowgnificent filk album The Horse-Tamer’s Daughter features songs written by Leslie Fish and sung by Julia Ecklar who are such great authors & mewsicians! One of the songs Goldeneyes was co-written by the awesome author / filker Mercedes Lackey, and purrtains to the wily lithe half – leopurrd girl who is purrsued by the hunter!
Becca:
YuriYuri is the manga and anime series of the comedic slice of school life genre, purrtaining to the group of girl students for compurrise their middle school’s so-called Amewsment club, which is just so that they can reserve the unused tea house as a place to hang out! In epurrsode 7 of the 1st season Kyoko is imaged as a dog girl while rifling through her friend Yui’s apartment, and in epurrsode 12
the cat, dog & panda kigurumi onesies are worn during the sleepover at the tea house!
Elizabeth:
Myriad Colors Phantom World is the light novel and anime series of the comedic fantasy slice of life genre, about the group of students who have the supurrnatural powers and the ability to purrceive phantoms and spirits that most folks cannot see. There is the bit of kemonomimi action in epurrsode 4 “Fake Family” and in epurrsode 7 ”Schrodinger’s Cat Mansion”
Becca:
There are three “honorary kemonomimi” examples In the anime series Ms. Vampire Who Lives in My Neighborhood which Tara-chan discussed earlier! In epurrsode 3, Akari is depicted in a catgirl costume wanting to be Sophie’s pet; in epurrsode 10 Hinata cosplays as a wolf girl in the bare midriff outfit with tail, paws and ears; and if you look closely at Sophie’s collection of anime body pillows, one of them is a cute catgirl character!
Elizabeth:
We have purreviously shown the spotlight on Fantastic Mr. Fox, but two other films by Wes Anderson are graced by “honorary kemonomimi”! In the 2001 movie The Royal Tenenbaums, Irina Gorovaia purrtrayed the younger version of Margot Tenenbaum, who wears the zebra kigurumi for the play she has purrduced! In the 2012 movie Moonrise Kingdom, Kara Hayward purrtrays Suzy Bishop, who wears the raven kigurumi during the church purrduction of Noye’s Fludde!
Becca:
There are a bunch of other kigurumi-clad kids in that lovely purrduction too! You know, that movie is set in 1964, so purrhaps they saw Toho’s 1963 science fiction movie Atragon, in which actress Akemi Kita purrtrayed Rimako, the model in the leopurrd purrint coat and bikini who was startled by the scarey-looking scuba diver from Mu who interrupted her seaside photo shoot! Mu-la la!
Elizabeth:
There are four more celebrities to top off this month’s spotlight: the happy pink-haired girl with leopurrd purrint bra and tiger tattoo on her right thigh in the Dove Skin Care Body Love Shower Collection’s “What About the Body?” TV Spot; and Stephanie Courtney as Flo’s sister Janice who wears the leopurrd purint blouse with the matching front-facing baby harness which puts the spots in Progressive Insurance’s “Sleeping baby” TV spot!
Becca:
Purrsonal trainer / real estate broker Page Turner wears the leopurrd purrint asymmetric halter top commercials for HGTV’s new series Fix My Flip; and actress / singer Keke Palmer wears the leopurrd purint halter top as ranch owner Jill Haywood in the trailers for Jordan Peele’s forthcoming movie Nope! That is all for this month’s spotlight,, and nyow we will turn The Mew over to Petra and Bunni, who will purrsent the latest
Additions to the Catgirl Island Mewseum of Art!
Petra:
Arigato, nya! Here y’all will find the hundreds of annotated illustrations and photographs, nya! Galleries 1-8 display images by our purrducer Mike Moon, whilst Guest Art Galleries 1-5 display images by other folks with their purrmissions, nya. Mike’s collaborations with other artists are peppurred throughout the mewseum, nya!
Some of the images are sexy, and some might depict the artistic nudity, nya! The most recent pics are the lowermost row of the cropped widdle “thumbnail” sized portions of the pics in a gallery, and you have to click upon those to see the uncropped full images, nya.
In Gallery 8 http://catgirlisland.net/
Bunnii:
Then in Guest Gallery Three http://catgirlisland.
(pronounced Riv-kah), the artist formerly known as Rebecca Brogden, who was the guest for our September 2009 Mew!
“Purple Carrot” depicts our friend Silvia Lepurrdia Vanderfluff, the the entrepurrneural proprietress of several local small businesses such as the boutique, bistro, bed & breakfast.
Serenely attired in her sideless. sleeveless, edible. leafy mini-dress and strappy high-heeled sandal, she twirls the carrot keychan as she and her hubby prepare to go to the restaurant and an evening of other romantic activities! Rvkh used the Faber-Castell Watercolor Pencils, the Davinci Watercolors, the Micron Pen and White Posca Pen upon the Arches Hotpuress Watercolor Pad for illustration, of which there is the art purrocess video https://youtu.be/YPPfeVuWIDY!
Petra:
“Rebirth” depicts our friend Anhilna Armoricaa Nova,
She rarely wears clothes, and has the flaming magickal holy avenger vorpal sword of smiting, but only summons it in the emergencies; and is much more likely to summon her purrse, computer, snacks or mewsical instruments, nya.
She lives in a hillside shingle-style coastal cottage on the north side of Lake Neko, which is the quick flight to to Mew Hanover College on the eastern side of the island, where she teaches Celestial Mewsicology, nya. Rvkh used Faber-Castell Polychromos Pencils, Davinci Watercolors, Micron Pen, White Posca Pen & White Gouche on the Strathmore Toned Tan Mixed Media Papurr for this supurrb image, of which there is a nart purrocess video at https://youtu.be/WqVNVx_gU_
Bunnii:
Nextly in Guest Gallery Two http://catgirlisland.net/
Aries https://youtu.be/LcqBE7_
… Libra https://youtu.be/
The cat lady sings…
Daytona:
I can see how ”Kit” Purry would be wanted by many people, given her peppy, purrky, sexy, tough appearance!
Elaenor:
The intent gaze, sultry lettuce attire, the supple ear pinna and the mellowing sunset add to the scintillating ambience of the Purple Carrot pic!
Yvonne:
The pic of Dr. Nova is quite cheerfully majestic and alluring and I like the effect of her shedding the ashen layer of her purrior form, nya!
Tara-chan:
I love the windswept wave of Aquarius’s hair, the horns and staff of Aries, and- and Cancer’s cute outfit with the yummy crab, nya!
Trini-chan:
Hai, and I love the sheen of Capricorn’s fishy parts, Gemini’s different hair & garment colors, and Leo’s lovely swishy tail!
Mary Nyan:
Some of my favorite aspects of those zodiac signs are the drape of Libra’s gown, the veil-like tail-fin of Pisces, and the confident kyudo stance of Sagittarius!
Becca:
Scorpio has the mischievous expurression, Taurus has the merry stride, and Virgo has the beautiful splay of the cherry blossoms! Thank y’all for purrsenting the new art!
Petra & Bunnii:
Doitashimaste, nya!
Elizabeth:
Well, I
guess that will do it for this edition of The Mew, and it is almost time for our AfterMew luau!
Bunnii:
Itadakimasu! We wish to thank Rvkh for the beautiful art…
Nyanko:
… and all of the other brilliantly talented people whose works we have discussed!
Jeannie:
We also wish to thank Jamie for his web meowstery…
Petra:
… and our other friends, family, acquaintances and audience whom we greatly appurreciate, nya!
Mielikki
Fur shur!
Mike:
We’ll be back next month with more stuff! Be there… aloha!
The Ladies of The Mew:
Happy tails to mew- until we eat again, nya! Baibai. nya!