Promotional art for 20TH CENTURY BOYS -CHAPTER 2-, the second of three new movies based on the acclaimed manga by Naoki Urasawa.
©1999,2006 Naoki Urasawa, Studio Nuts/Shogakukan. ©2008 ”20th Century Boys” Film Partners

A Behind the Scenes Look at the Second Part of NTV and Toho’s Sci-Fi Trilogy
Source: NTV (Nippon Television Network)
Official Movie Site: 20th Boys
Special Thanks to Asuka Kimura and Tzeling Huang

20th Century Boys, the legendary bestselling comic series, was originally serialized in Shogakukan’s Big Comic Spirits magazine from issue number 4 of 1999 to issue number 33 of 2007. Up to the present the manga has sold 250 million-plus copies and has been translated in 12 countries; Holland, Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, and Thailand. 20th Century Boys will also be released in the United States, beginning in February 2009.

On August 30, 2008, the feature film adaptation 20TH CENTURY BOYS -CHAPTER 1- opened nationwide in Japan. With a 6-billion-yen budget and a cast of 300 stars, three 20TH CENTURY BOYS movies were shot over 1 year — an unprecedented budget and production period for a Japanese film. Fans of the comic series were not the only ones who swarmed the theaters. The movie attracted a wide ranged audience from children to the elderly, becoming an instant mega-hit.

Before the heat of CHAPTER 1 has cooled down, 20TH CENTURY BOYS – CHAPTER 2 (20-Seiki Shonen: Dai 2 Sho- Saigo no Kibo; lit. 20th Century Boys: Chapter Two – The Last Hope) arrives.

SciFi Japan is pleased to present a look at the latest 20th CENTURY BOYS movie with photos, promotional art, and detailed production notes courtesy of NTV. In the next few days we will also be running interviews with the cast and crew of the film, so check back soon for more on one of the most anticipated film series to come out of Japan in years.
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Linda Haynes as Dr. Anne Barton and Masumi Okada as Dr. Jules Masson in LATITUDE ZERO. Photo courtesy of Linda Haynes. ©1969 Toho Co., Ltd.

Actress Recounts Working on Toho Fantasy Epic in Latest Shock Cinema Magazine
Source: Shock Cinema magazine
Official site: shockcinemamagazine.com

You can find the Linda Haynes interview in Shock Cinema #36,
now on sale. Photo courtesy of Shock Cinema. © 2009 Steven
Puchalski

Shock Cinema #36 recently rolled off the presses, featuring a lengthy interview by Steve Ryfle with actress Linda Haynes, one of the stars of Toho’s LATITUDE ZERO (1969). Haynes was a neophyte actress when producer Don Sharpe whisked her away from Hollywood to Japan, where she spent several months filming alongside big-screen legend Joseph Cotten and co-stars Patricia Medina, Richard Jaeckel, Cesar Romero, Akira Takarada, and others in the troubled U.S.-Japanese co-production about a war between undersea kingdoms. The interview covers the breadth of Haynes’ career—which also included the blaxploitation classic COFFY (1973) with Pam Grier, the Paul Newman neo-noir THE DROWNING POOL (1975), and the revenge exploitationer ROLLING THUNDER (1977), in which she co-starred as William Devane’s girlfriend—but much of it is devoted to her LATITUDE ZERO adventure.

Shock Cinema magazine is an essential guide for any fan of bizarre films and videos, and each issue has numerous movie reviews, interviews and original poster art. It covers everything from “cult movies and art house oddities to old-fashioned grindhouse swill and underground obscurities.” The new issue is available at major bookstores across the United States, or it can be ordered directly from shockcinemamagazine.com.

Read on for more information and to see a selection of rare LATITUDE ZERO photos courtesy of Linda Haynes.
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Prototype of the DRAGON WARS Limited Editon Premium Diorama. This early version is missing the Dragon’s signature long whiskers, but that feature will be
included in the final product. Photo courtesy of Zero Nine Character Co., Ltd. © 2007 Younggu Art Entertainment Co., Ltd.

Visiting the Merchandising Company for Shim Hyung-rae’s Creations
Author: Kim Song-ho
Source: Zena Pictures / Zero Nine Character Co., Ltd.
Special Thanks to Hong Gi-hun and Park Sang-kyu

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Zena Pictures / Zero Nine Character Co., Ltd. is an enterprise that develops merchandising of characters created by Younggu Art Entertainment, the Korean studio behind REPTILIAN (Yonggary, 1999) and the recent hit DRAGON WARS (D-War, 2007). So far, the company has released several products including souvenirs, stationery, and apparel, and is currently planning products for THE LAST GODFATHER, the upcoming film by Shim Hyung-rae. Also, it will release a premium, limited edition diorama figure set of the DRAGON WARS Dragon and Buraki in March.

SciFi Japan correspondent Kim Song-ho recently visited the Zero Nine Character offices and interviewed the company’s managing director, Mr. Yang Hee-seung. Join us for a look at one of the first companies producing monster movie merchandise in Korea.
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Special Launch Promotion Includes Free Download of the First Episode of BLUE DRAGON on iTunes Through March 10, 2009
Source: VIZ Media press release
Official Site: Bluedragon.viz.com
Special Thanks to Evelyn Dubocq

Promotional art for the anime series BLUE DRAGON, now
available on iTunes. Photo courtesy of VIZ Media. © 2007
BLUE DRAGON PROJECT/TV TOKYO Based on the Xbox 360
game “BLUE DRAGON” published by Microsoft

VIZ Media, LLC has announced the availability of its popular animated series BLUE DRAGON on the iTunes Store in the US and Canada. As a special launch promotion, the first episode of BLUE DRAGON will be available for download for free on the iTunes Store until March 10th and can be found at itunes.com/tv/bluedragon.

The BLUE DRAGON animated series, based on the popular Xbox 360 role playing game, is a classic adventure story of magical Shadow powers, flying air fortresses, and unbounded heroism! Brought together by fate, Seven Soldiers of Light must awaken the Shadow within themselves in time to overcome a despotic power and bring peace to their land. Their ensuing journey through a rich fantasy world is also an internal journey to awaken the great power within each of them. Journey with them into the world of BLUE DRAGON!

The Xbox 360 game BLUE DRAGON was developed by Hironobu Sakaguchi (the creator of FINAL FANTASY). The game and animated series feature memorable characters designed by Akira Toriyama, the creator of the best-selling DRAGON BALL series of manga (also published in North America by VIZ Media and featured in Shonen Jump Magazine). The animated series debuted in Japan on TV Tokyo on April 7, 2007 and is produced by Studio Pierrot, which is well known for its work on NARUTO and BLEACH, also licensed by VIZ Media and available on iTunes.
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An interview with KAMEN RIDER DRAGON KNIGHT Producer/Director Steve Wang
Author: Bob Johnson
Official Sites: kamenridertv.com, Kamen Rider Productions
Special Thanks to Loren Portillo

©2008 Ishimori Production, Inc.; Toei Company Ltd.; Adness Entertainment Co., Ltd.

On the opposite side of every mirror on Earth lies the parallel dimension of Ventara – a world destroyed by the evil alien, General Xaviax. The Kamen Riders were warriors from Ventara who fought Xaviax with armor and abilities powered by their Advent Decks. Unfortunately, Xaviax stole the Advents Decks and defeated all the Riders but one.

Kamen Rider Wing Knight is the sole surviving Kamen Rider – the only man who can stop Xaviax from destroying Earth the same way he destroyed Ventara. To defeat Wing Knight, Xaviax brought the Advent Decks to Earth and tricked ordinary citizens into becoming new Kamen Riders – super-powered soldiers who will carry out his evil plans.

On our Earth, there are also what sometimes seems to be two parallel dimensions, the United States and Japan. Many pieces of each culture cross the Pacific Ocean and become a part of the other, whether it is Japanese eating hamburgers and watching the latest US blockbuster movie or Americans eating sushi and watching anime.

Now Steve and Michael Wang are attempting to bring Japan’s motorcycle riding heroes to the US in a big way with the CW’s new Saturday morning TV series KAMEN RIDER DRAGON KNIGHT, a show inspired by Ishimori Production and Toei Co., Ltd.’s MASKED RIDER RYUKI (Kamen Raidaa Ryuuki, 2002).
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A look at of the latest anime titles due for release on DVD in the UK ©2009 MVM Entertainment

Source: MVM Entertainment
Official Website: MVM Entertainment

SciFi Japan takes a look at some of the latest anime titles coming to DVD in the UK from MVM Entertainment in February and March, including ELEMENTAL GELADE, THE SLAYERS, DAPHNE IN THE BRILLIANT BLUE, SHAKUGAN NO SHANA and TRINITY BLOOD.
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An Interview With Shyaporn Theerakulstit
Author: Bob Johnson

The name Shyaporn Theerakulstit may not immediately come to mind when thinking of Godzilla, and it will most likely not come rolling off the tongue. However, a video on YouTube, rapping about the big lizard has crept its way through a few Godzilla fans’ computer screens, as well as non-fans who just like sifting through the millions of videos on the famed site.

SciFi Japan caught up to Shyaporn and now we take a look at the man behind the Godzilla rap.
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The YAMATO Boom Begins!
Author: Tim Eldred, Starblazers.com and Greasemonkeybook.com

Japanese poster art for the SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO
movie. ©1977 Tohokushinsha Film Corp.

From the privileged vantage point of time and distance, it’s easy for us in the Western world to forget what an enormous struggle it is to make a successful anime series in Japan. The stuff just seems to gush out in an endless flood, the only limit being the size of the pipe it flows through. But hidden in that flood are many near-death experiences. Programs that we recognize as monster hits today–YAMATO, GUNDAM, EVANGELION and more–all narrowly avoided fatal blows. Ratings failed to spike, network support evaporated, and only by sheer blind luck did later circumstances come to the rescue.

The onscreen story of SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO is loaded with drama, action, and sacrifice. The offscreen story, as it turns out, is exactly the same.

SciFi Japan presents the second chapter in author Tim Eldred’s series of articles looking back at the influential anime series SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO. Chapters will run monthly through most of 2009!
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Fan-Made Figures of Three of Korea’s Most Well-Known Monsters
Author: Kim Song-ho
Source: Hong Gi-hun, Big Monster Club

Decades after they first stomped across theater screens, classic movie monsters
are finally available to fans and toy collectors with the Korean Monster Collection
3-pack. Photo courtesy of Hong gi-hun.

Can you believe that, in the 40 years since the initial releases of South Korea’s YONGARY, MONSTER FROM THE DEEP (Daekoesu Yonggary, 1967) and SPACE MONSTER MAN WANGMAGWI (Ujugoein Wangmagwi, 1967), there hasn’t been any merchandise of the titular monsters? Well, it’s true. How about Pulgasari from North Korea’s PULGASARI (1985)? Very limited number of figures were released in Japan, but that’s all. Not in Korea. But now we have them because, in 2008, an avid Korean monster fan made them himself!

The man in question is Hong Gi-hun. He is a graphic designer and the founder of Big Monster Club, the biggest monster film club in Korea. Mr. Hong said he was frustrated in the fact that there are no products based on the Korean monster films and therefore he decided to make them himself. He made it clear that it was a semi-official effort that would not pursue commercial interest, but to let the small number of fans enjoy owning Korean monster toys.
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NTV and Toho Score with Second Part of Their Sci-Fi Trilogy
Author: Elliot Gay
Source: NTV (Nippon Television Network)
Official Movie Site: 20th Boys
Special Thanks to Asuka Kimura, Tzeling Huang, and JM Shop

Japanese poster art for 20TH CENTURY BOYS -CHAPTER
2-. Photo courtesy of JM Shop. ©1999,2006 Naoki
Urasawa, Studio Nuts/Shogakukan. ©2009 ”20th Century
Boys” Film Partners

Picking up where the first film dramatically left off, comes the second act of the trilogy, 20TH CENTURY BOYS -CHAPTER 2- (20-Seiki Shonen: Dai 2 Sho- Saigo no Kibo; lit. 20th Century Boys: Chapter Two – The Last Hope). Penned by original manga author Naoki Urasawa, and directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi, CHAPTER 2, does what many manga adaptations wish they could do: grip an audience unfamiliar with the material. First however, a bit of back-story to refresh those who didn’t catch the first film, or don’t remember it as well.

20TH CENTURY BOYS follows a group of childhood friends, all adults living out their daily lives in monotony. One of them in particular, a convenience store worker named Kenji (Toshiaki Karasawa), spends his days regretting decisions he made in his past. Things grow interesting however, when one by one, disasters start to occur according to a book he and his friends wrote when they were younger, as part of a plan to save the Earth from the ‘bad guys’ so to speak. Friend (or Tomodachi in Japanese), appears to the people of the world, claiming that the terrorist Kenji is responsible for the recent attacks on the world. It becomes increasingly clear to Kenji and his friends, that Friend is someone from their past. But what is Friend’s goal? Why is he trying to lure Kenji out into the open?

To try and sum up the plot of Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys is to do something that’s very close to impossible. The manga constantly curves and twists, throwing red herrings in all directions, but never leaving the reader dissatisfied. With a manga this complex however, the story would require more than one film. With that in mind, director Yukihiko Tsutsumi set out to make a trilogy of films, sticking as closely to the original material as possible. Think of it as a sort of LORD OF THE RINGS for a Japanese audience, at least as far as scope is concerned.
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Anime Expo 2009 logo, courtesy of Anime Expo. © 1992-2008 Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation.

Japanese Version of Website Launched; MORNING MUSUME Announced as First Official Guests of Honor
Source: BAM! Marketing, Publicity & Promotions press releases
Official Site: anime-expo.org
Special Thanks to Chase Wang

The hit Japanese girl group Morning Musume will attend and perform
at this year’s AX. © 2008 Hello! Project.

Located in Los Angeles, CA, Anime Expo is the nation’s largest anime/manga convention. The event serves as a key meeting place for the general public to express their interest and explore various aspects of anime/manga, as well as for members of the industry to conduct business. AX 2009 will be held July 2 – July 5, 2009 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Southern California.

Attendees, Press and Industry Members are invited to view the video coverage site of the 2008 convention at AXBackstage.org and to register for the 2009 convention at anime-expo.org. In addition, the convention recently launched a Japanese language version of its newly re-designed fan-friendly site to be used as a welcome portal to Japanese industry, press, attendees and fans.

Event organizers have also announced the attendance and performance of Japan’s most celebrated and top all-girl music group Morning Musume(also referred to as “Momusu”) at AX 2009.
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Crunchyroll will simulcast next week’s brand-new NARUTO SHIPPUDEN episode. © 2002 Masashi Kishimoto/2007 Shippuden

Source: BAM! Marketing, Publicity & Promotions press release
Official Site: crunchyroll.com
Special Thanks to Chase Wang

NARUTO continues his journey to assist Team Kakashi in next week’s (Thursday; February 19, 2009; 3:00 am PST) simulcast, with Japan, of NARUTO SHIPPUDEN #97 on the fully anime licensed site and leading online destination for anime – Crunchyroll. The leading online anime distributor will simulcast the newest episode for Anime Subscription Members and also provide free viewing of the previous week’s simulcast. More information can be found at www.crunchyroll.com/naruto.
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Waterskier Chelsea (Willa Ford) spots hockey masked killer Jason Vorhees (Derek Mears) in the new FRIDAY THE 13TH reboot.
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. ©2009 New Line Productions

Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
Official Movie Website: FRIDAY THE 13TH

Theatrical poster art for FRIDAY THE 13TH. Photo
courtesy of Warner Bros. ©2009 New Line Productions

Welcome back to Crystal Lake in a chilling re-imagining of the classic horror film FRIDAY THE 13TH.

Searching for his missing sister, Clay Miller (Jared Padalecki) heads up to the eerie woods of legendary Crystal Lake, where he stumbles on the creaky remains of rotting old cabins behind moss-covered trees.

And that’s not the only thing lying in wait under the brush.

Against the advice of police and cautions from the locals, Clay pursues what few leads he has in the search for his missing sister, Whitney (Amanda Righetti), with the help of Jenna (Danielle Panabaker), a young woman he meets among a group of college kids up for an all-thrills weekend. But they are all about to find much more than they bargained for.

Little do they know, they’ve entered the domain of one of the most terrifying specters in American film history—the infamous killer who haunts Crystal Lake, armed with a razor-sharp machete… Jason Voorhees.

Go behind the scenes of the new FRIDAY THE 13TH with production notes and photos from Warner Bros. Pictures.
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Zany Comedy About a High School Boy and Two Sexy Classmates Inspired By a Popular Manga Series
Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press releases
Special Thanks to Evelyn Dubocq and Erik Jansen

Cover for the I”s DVD Box set. Photo courtesy of VIZ
Media. I”s © Masakazu Katsura/Shueisha/h.m.p. I”s PURE
© Masakazu Katsura/Shueisha/Liverpool

IT’S BOY MEETS GIRL – AND ANOTHER GIRL – IN VIZ MEDIA DEBUT OF I”s DVD BOX SET

VIZ Media, LLC will expand its library of animated properties with the eagerly awaited debut of I”s as a special two-disc DVD box set with an estimated street date of March 24th.

I”s is based on a popular manga series by Masakazu Katsura, published domestically by VIZ Media under its Shonen Jump Advanced imprint. The original I”s animated series, as well as a six-episode follow-up called I”s PURE, will be included this new DVD box set (rated “M” for Mature audiences) and carries an SRP of $29.98 US/$39.99 CAN.

Iori Hazuki is a beautiful high school girl with ambitions of becoming a model and actress. Ichitaka Seto is an indecisive sixteen year-old boy with a mad crush on Iori. Things become more complicated for Ichitaka when a childhood friend named Itsuki returns from living in the United States and ends up living at his house – and Itsuki is far from the shy and homely young girl Ichitaka remembers. Ichitaka must now reconcile his feelings for each girl and work hard to make sure that his angst-riddled personal life doesn’t become any more dramatic. Put all three “I”s together and you have a tale of love, comedy, and dreams!
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Source: 4Digital Media, The Associates press release
Official Movie Site: 20th Boys
Special Thanks to Steve Beecham and Farhana Shaikh

In 1999, the adult members of the Vacant Lot Gang— Fukube (Kuranosuke
Sasaski), Kenji (Toshiaki Karasawa), Yukiji (Takako Tokiwa), Otcho (Etsushi
Toyokawa), Mon-chan (Takashi Ukaji), Yoshitune (Teruyuki Kagawa), and Maruo
(Hidehiko Ishizuka)— hide out from a doomsday cult. Photo courtesy of 4Digital
Media. ©2008 ”20th Century Boys” Film Partners

It’s been creating a buzz of anticipation since its production was first announced in late-2006, and now the Japanese movie event of the decade, 20TH CENTURY BOYS, is coming to British cinemas.

Based on the hugely successful, award winning manga series created by Naoki Urasawa (Yawara; Monster), 20TH CENTURY BOYS is the first instalment of the mind-blowing, three-part live-action adaptation of the epic sci-fi fantasy adventure originally inspired by the T. Rex song of the same name. A national phenomenon in Japan and a huge hit internationally, Urasawa’s 24-volume sci-fi fantasy manga has sold over 20 million copies worldwide, with the film attaining similar success by becoming one of the country’s biggest box office hits of 2008.

20TH CENTURY BOYS (cert. 15) will open at selected UK cinemas on 20th February 2009.
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Making the New TV Commercial Starring THE X FROM OUTER SPACE
Author: Keith Aiken
Source: Fallon Minneapolis, Method Studios, Shochiku Co., Ltd.
“Little Creatures” Commercial and Interview Videos Courtesy of Fallon Minneapolis
FX Outtake Videos Courtesy of Method Studios
Special Thanks to Nikki Meirath, Andy Boyd, Aki Harimoto, Floyd Raymer, and James Ballard

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Go behind the scenes of the new The Ladders commercial starring Guilala with
exclusive interviews, images, and video from the creative teams. Photo courtesy
of Fallon Minneapolis. Guilala is © 2008 Shochiku Co., Ltd.

January 5, 2009 saw the nationwide American television debut of a new commercial for TheLadders.com, a premium job search website created exclusively for qualified high level talent looking for $100K+ jobs. Entitled “Little Creatures” (a.k.a. “Monsters”), the spot was a modern take on the classic Japanese monster movie genre. It depicts hordes of undersized creatures unsuccessfully attempting to wreak havoc on a city until they are upstaged by their giant counterpart who easily completes the job for them. Produced by the Fallon Worldwide ad agency and featuring special effects by Method Studios, the commercial stars the Japanese movie monster Guilala from the Shochiku Co., Ltd, films THE X FROM OUTER SPACE (1967) and MONSTER X STRIKES BACK/ ATTACK THE G8 SUMMIT! (2008).

So how did a (fairly obscure) Japanese monster get the lead in a major American advertising campaign? SciFi Japan has the answers with an exclusive in-depth report on the making of the “Little Creatures” campaign featuring comments from Shochiku and interviews with the creative teams at both Fallon and Method. In addition, Method and Fallon have provided dozens of stills and behind the scenes photos, the TV commercial, all the online “Little Creature Interview” videos, and never-before-seen unfinished FX outtakes.
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Contents of the Memorial Box ©2008 Superior Ultraman 8 Brothers Production Consortium. Photo by James Ballard

The latest Ultraman feature arrives on DVD and Blu-ray
Author: James Ballard
Official Website: http://ultra2008.jp

Released to theatres on September 13th last year, director Takeshi Yagi’s motion picture debut SUPERIOR ULTRAMAN 8 BROTHERS (Daikessen! Chou Urutora Hachi Kyoudai, lit. Great Decisive Battle! The Super 8 Ultra Brothers) has gone on to become the most successful entry in the Ultraman movie series, with a box office take of over 800 million yen.

Now, the hit film also has the distinction of being the first Japanese kaiju production to be released on the new Blu-ray Disc format. Three different editions were released on home video on January 23rd; a single disc DVD edition, a limited edition 2-disc “Memorial Box” DVD collection, and a single disc Blu-ray edition.
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Cover art for NARUTO UNCUT DVD Box Set Volume 13, DEATH NOTE DVD Box Set Volume 2, POKÉMON: ALL STARS Volume 19: TORCHIC and Volume 20: ONIX.
Photos courtesy of VIZ Media. NARUTO © 2002 Masashi Kishimoto; DEATH NOTE © Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata/Shueisha, © DNDP, VAP, Shueisha, Madhouse;
POKÉMON © 2008 Pokémon ©1997-2008 Nintendo, Creatures, GAME FREAK,TV Tokyo, ShoPro, JR Kikaku

Source: VIZ Media and MediaLab press releases, Warner Home Video
Special Thanks to Evelyn Dubocq and Erik Jansen

VIZ Media, LLC has announced their DVD lineup for April 2009, which include animated favorites such as HUNTER X HUNTER, DEATH NOTE, NARUTO, INUYASHA and POKÉMON. VIZ Media’s April releases include many hefty box set editions as well as some featuring special premium collectibles. April also marks the first month that VIZ Media DVD titles will be distributed (in English) in the U.S and Mexico by Warner Home Video. VIZ titles are distributed in Canada by Allegro.
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The Legendary Monkey King is Back in a Feature Length Movie
Source: The Associates press release, Cine-Asia, Pony Canyon Inc.
Official Movie Site (Japanese): saiyuki.jp

DVD cover art for MONKEY MAGIC. Photo courtesy of The
Associates. © 2007 Fuji Television Network, Toho,
J-Dream, and FNS

The 2007 Japanese box office hit MONKEY MAGIC (Saiyuki) comes to British DVD and Blu-ray this month with an English subtitled release from Cine-Asia, a division of Showbox Media Group. Produced by Fuji Television and Toho, and adapted from Wu Chengen’s classic 16th Century Chinese novel, Journey To The West (Xi You Ji), the movie is a big budget fantasy adventure featuring the further comic exploits of the irrepressible Monkey King— known as Sun Wu Kung/Kong in China or Son Goku in Japan— a popular character in film, television, and animation.

Journey To The West is a fictionalized account of Chinese monk Xuan Zang’s (known in Japan as Sanzo Hoshi, and in English as Tripitaka) real life pilgrimage to India to recover Buddhist scriptures. To aid Xuan Zang on his quest, Buddha gives him three disciples… Monkey, the pig demon Zhu Ba Jie (Cho Hakkai, a.k.a. Pigsy), and the water demon Sha Wu Jing (Sagojo, or Sandy). The travelers encounter 81 trials, including battles with hordes of demons, natural disasters, and trips to both the heavens and hell before reaching the end of their journey.
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