by Berean » Tue Jul 16, 2013 9:38 pm
I don't think Del Toro was aiming to reproduce Anime. His robots are more in the vein of Mechagodzilla or Garuda in their basic concept. He said he has been a lifelong Kaiju movie buff and Pacific Rim shows it in spades.
Del Toro GETS what it is that makes a Kaiju film a Kaiju film. By comparison Emmerich in his Godzilla film very much did NOT get it and Abrams didn't get it in Cloverfield. Del Toro got the mood right, the tone right and used music and backdrop very effectively to make his battles have that sense of grandeur a good Kaiju film has.
For example, in the bay when Striker is about to be destroyed by Leatherback when Gipsy Danger arrives he managed to capture the same vibe that scenes like Godzilla coming to larval Mothra's aid in Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster had.