Hey guys. I don't normally post on the RxH board...and there's a reason for that! I don't know crap about these guys. BUT they are pretty groovy. I'd probably pick up more of 'em if Mori made more in glow vinyl (like, I'd kill my own mother for a gid Warubone!) So anyway, I just picked up the gid Shinto-san...the one with the half-n-half black/green rub paint job. So, what's this guy's story? At first, his tattered gi reminded me of Ryu (or more likely Akuma) from Street Fighter...but I've been told Mori likes to sneak in little homages to classics like Henshin Cyborg, or even older things like yokai from Japanese folklore. So just out of curiosity, is there anything behind Shinto-san other than a bitchin' toy? Thanks!
I've been wondering this, too, have tried to educate myself on the subject and failed miserably. The most info you're going to find on the board is probably in this thread and that's pretty much it. I love the concept of duality in this character and the twisted mouth feels like a pretty obvious Ukiyo-e-hommage to me - he reminds me more of something like Daimajin than a comic book/video game character... Any substantial background info would be immensely appreciated.
Who the fuck is Daimajin??? Ah...well, I think that thread pretty much nails what I was looking for! Hehe...I didn't realize that pointing out the Street Fighter similarity was taboo! But that makes sense upon reading up about the 12 Generals--real historic meaning outweighs pop culture reference. And great call with the curled lips being an ukiyo-e homage! And hey, Shinto-san was a Hindu Yaksha...we could be related!
Ha - I SWEAR I didn't consciously notice your avi until having posted! And personally I don't have a thing against Street Fighter, but I was still happy to learn that the inspiration for the Shintosan goes a bit deeper than that...
Mori is a TMNT fan, which you can see in the OG Mutant Head sculpt, so I don't think he's necessarily against incorporating pop references into the same figures that carry older religious/mythological connotations. Some of that anti-Street Fighter commentary goes back to the weeks before the original Shintosan release. IIRC the first thread title was "5/5 it Comes." Something like that. The figure was generally dissed, as so many are before they grow on us and gain acceptance once released or in hand. Shintosan still doesn't appeal to everyone. The size of the figure is a factor but some people just don't like the sculpt. I'm glad it's gaining new fans though, and I'm glad Mori is still producing it. There's still a lot he could do with it.
Shinto san was one of the figures that got me interested in Japanese vinyls. Funny thing is I didn't actually pick one up until a couple weeks ago even though I had wanted one for almost a year. Deffinitely going to aquire a few more.
It actually almost feels to me as if the majority of old school RealxHead-collectors doesn't like it while people that are rather new to "J vinyl" (including myself) and don't necessarily connect with the older figures are really into this sculpt... PK wrote something to the effect of "These are toys with real culture" and that's exactly how I feel about Shintosan - it really evokes a feeling of awe instead of just that "Yeah, sick toy!"-grin. And I'm also looking very forward to what Mori will do next with it - some of the earlier ones look almost uninspired to me while the GID/rub one is insane in every way and really shows off the sculpt's potential...
Just got the Thunder and Wind Shintos. just wow. I can't decide which one I like more. I was afraid that the masking would be a turn-off, but I like it this way. it works really well for the idea and he cranked out a beautiful set of Shintos here. I'm looking forward to what Mori has planned for Shintosan, but after this release, I feel like I can stop collecting them now. I'd definitely like to see more nods to Japanese mythology/art by way of color choices. When Shintosan first hit the scene, I was really hoping he would do something like this for them. I sold my split GID and split S7 version. They're both very cool, but in the end my favorite was the metallic blue split. I'll consider more full colorway Shintos, but I'm not gonna do splits anymore. Praying for a clear purple shintosan one day.
Thanks for the additional background, guys. It's funny: I'm no stranger to Japanese vinyl, having come here from collecting kaiju character toys. It's taking some time, but modern "designer" Japanese vinyl's starting to grow on me...and it's stuff like this that's doing it. I'm reminded about the "The difference" thread in the American Idols section. The KR crap is so...superficial. So on-the-surface-only. With Mori's designs (even though I'm not feeling many of them), it's clear that his knowledge/love of all things classical Japanese is present in his sculpts. The references are more subtle than anything from KR, and they demonstrate a sincerity that KR shit lacks. It's as though Mori was a genuine fan, first...then a businessman. That's, I think, what separates most Japanese vinyl from Western stuff. Anyway, thanks again, guys!
