Toby in the Corridors of Shower
Okay… so it seems like I overpromised and underdelivered on the volume 3 cover reveal timeline. In the meantime, as a monochrome consolation prize, here are a couple of thumbnails from later in the book. Where’s Toby running off to and what does Moulin have to say to him? Sorry, but you’ll have to wait to find out.:P
The “Analog Adventures” festival is now underway. I’d seen Labyrinth on the big screen last year when they ran a few copies around select screens to celebrate the 20th anniversary, but the Neverending Story I had never seen projected before. I remember the first time I saw it — it was over Christmas break and I was probably 7 or 8 and staying at my Aunt Donna’s house in Vacaville. After spending way to much time weighing my options, I selected the Neverending Story and Muppets Take Manhattan. I still remember feeling excited by Atreyu flying on Falcor, terrified by the Swamps of Sadness and Gmork and guilty about seeing the perfectly chiseled nipples of the sphinxes. Watching the film again for the fiirst time in about 5 years didnt disappoint. Sure, there a few awkward audio transitions, and moments of bad child acting and weirdness (like Bastian savoring his apple core?), but they only add to the overall charm. (And it was an amazing rush when the whole audience cheered at the introduction of Atreyu!) What a wonderful film.
A question for the Neverending Story diehards out there to debate — midway through the film, Bastian comments that they wish they’d let him pick the Childlike Empress’ name as his mom had the most wonderful name. Then, at the end, when he does yell out the name, you can lip read that he is mouthing “Moon Child” which is straight from the book (whereas, as far as I remember, the association with mom wasn’t). So was Bastian’s douchie dad married to a hippy, or is that a minor inconsistency?
10. August 2008 at 9:03 am :
yaaay sketches ^_^ wow, whatever Toby’s saying to Moulin, he looks pretty pissed
what is Bastian’s mom’s name? were you able to translate it? we have it on DVD now so i tried subtitles, but it just says [yelling]
Artax’s death always made me cry when i was little, since horses were my favorite animals =(
10. August 2008 at 9:37 am :
He says “moon child”, the whole point of the story (since I am reading it now) is that is a RPG that replays itself each time. Because it’s just a story.
The whole point is that the empress dies each time, and the name that they choose for the empress is a special one that *they* choose. So like, at the end of the story, the man who Bastian stole the book from, he gave a name to the empress as well.
That’s how I understood it. If I am wrong, then someone can tell me. But I think it makes sense in my mind.
10. August 2008 at 9:40 am :
Whoops, let me rephrase that… the empress does *not* die, and the same story happens each time.
10. August 2008 at 10:09 am :
LOL, The image of Toby running makes me think of the Six Million Dollar Man for some reason. Does this mean that he’ll be better, stronger, and faster than in the last volumes?
And I have to shamefully admit…I have yet to see The Neverending story. I can remember watching snippets of it at my Grandmother’s house, but that was before I developed an attention span, so I have no idea what happened in the movie (Aside from what can be gathered from Wikipedia)
I’ve been meaning to ask something though. The contest got me thinking, but have you added in any little tributes of your family/friends in the previous volumes?
For instance, the last volume had Toby mentioning his love for Choose your Own Adventure books, and not too long ago you mentioned that you’ve written a few CYOA books yourself. Are there any other parts of the manga that you’ve added bits of your life into (I.E Turn any family members into Goblins?)
10. August 2008 at 11:04 am :
Hmm… is this a subtle way to hint at us that the cover art is Toby and Moulin this time?
And yes, the child-like empress is Moonchild.
10. August 2008 at 11:54 am :
Moon Child, huh? yeah, I’m convinced his mom was definitely a hippie
Across the Universe, anyone?
10. August 2008 at 11:56 am :
I know that the childlike empress is named Moon Child by Bastian, but what I was wondering is if Wolfgang Peterson, through his adaptation of the novel, was implying that Bastian’s mom was named Moon Child (which actually makes sense as Bastian could easily be the orphaned kid of a 60s flower child who married a dentist), or if he dropped the audio during Bastian’s yelling because of the line about Bastian wanting to name her after his mother. Sorry — nerdy nitpicking of the highest order.
-Jake
10. August 2008 at 12:14 pm :
LOL. I really don’t think his mom’s name was Moonchild! The line about wanting to name the empress after his mom doesn’t appear in the book at all. It was added in by the screenwriters, I suspect as a way to remind the audience of his personal tragedy (since this was at the midpoint of the movie and they might have forgotten). But it always felt to me like just a throw-away, what-if kind of line.
He definitely yells “Moonchild” — you can hear it if you crank the audio up — but it isn’t clear, I suspect because *what* he names her isn’t really the point. It’s the *act* of naming that matters. That’s my theory, anyway.
10. August 2008 at 12:26 pm :
Tanuki,
I suspect you’re absolutely right about the line probably being screenwriting efficiency on the part of Peterson and co, but for some reason I only really noticed the discrepancy last night.
On a related note, Xiyade was a major inspiration for Mizumi. Her and the chess queens of Through the Lookinglass. But that is another story and will be told at another time.
10. August 2008 at 12:40 pm :
Wait, there’s a book?! (sorry, slow on the uptake) I never knew the movie was based off a book x_x Does anyone know if they still sell it?
10. August 2008 at 12:47 pm :
It’s a wonderful, wonderful book (ironically enough written by a fellow named “Ende.”) It’s in print and on Amazon, etc. — get the hardcover edition with the red and green print if you can spare the extra dollars.
10. August 2008 at 1:30 pm :
That’s it, I’m adding this movie to the netflix list tonight- it’s been way too long since I last saw it. I just wanted to add that in the German (the language in which the book was originally published, btw) version of the film the name Bastian gives the princess is crystal clear- “Mondenkind” (Moon Child). But you’d already established that.
Has anyone else noticed that lots of the great fantasy of the ’80s really echoes themes and ideas from the ’60s counterculture movement? Look at Fraggle Rock- they’re subterranean hippies! I could see the writers naming Bastian’s mother “Moon Child” in the big screen adaptation as a way to provide a way for Bastian to reinvent the tragedy of his past to save a dying world, and also as a way to give a wink and a nudge to their beatnik brethren.
Solidarity, Bastian, we hippie kids have to stick together- at least you’re not named after an obscure constellation…
On another note: “The Corridors of Shower”? Do we get to go to Mizumi’s castle? XD
10. August 2008 at 3:17 pm :
Xayide inspired Mizumi? That’s a fascinating little tidbit!
Visually, Mizumi reminds me more of Tilda Swinton’s White Witch in the first Narnia movie. But it’s true that like Xayide, she has a curious relationship with the young male protagonist: sort of a combination of mentor and seductress. (Much like the Jareth/Sarah relationship, come to think of it.)
10. August 2008 at 7:20 pm :
Well, I think that Wolfgang Peterson’s adaptation is a bit off. And even the writer, Michael Ende thought that as well. SO, I believe that’s why his name is so… distant from the project.
Honestly, that’s one thing that really upsets me because EVERYONE seems to believe that his mother was a hippie, because it’s not really explained well. In the book, through Bastian’s thoughts, he explains why he chose it.
And yes, because the movie is (respectfully) distanced from Ende, that is why many people have no idea that this was an actual book.
But do read it, whomever is interested. I actually enjoy it more than the movie… but the movie is just as lovely, just missing things here and there.
10. August 2008 at 8:38 pm :
The book is excellent, and the first two movies are adapted from its two halves. Which is why they far outshine the third one, to put it nicely.
I heard that the TV series explains that Bastian’s mother was named Selene, but I’m not sure.
10. August 2008 at 10:18 pm :
Then again, maybe Bastion had been told his mother’s name _meant_ “Moon Child”? Allowing for loose translations, that would allow just about any name associated with a moon deity (Diana, Luna, Selene, Hecate, Tsukiyomi, etc) and any dimunitive (ella, ette, ina, ita, ko, etc) added onto it. Actually, if someone had been really poetic, you could make a case for any name involving stars or night (not that many kids are named Nyx). All it takes is for someone to have told Bastion.
11. August 2008 at 6:57 am :
Favorite Neverending Story moment:
Atreyu: It’s time to eat, huh? Good idea.
Bastian (in the most annoying voice ever): No, it’s GREAT idea!
Followed shortly by: No, not too much. We still have a LONG way to go.
German techno, puppets, Swamps of Sadness, perverted dragons….it just doesn’t get any better.
11. August 2008 at 9:00 am :
I hear ya on that one, Dorcas XD
13. August 2008 at 10:13 am :
I must confess that I have not seen Die Unendliche Geschichte since my mother took me to see it in the theater in 1984. I was but a wee thing then and, although I enjoyed it very much, I also remember being frightened. Perhaps I should revisit this classic.
And many thanks for the thumbnails … I am pleased with anything you share.
13. August 2008 at 11:55 am :
I wondered my whole childhood what Bastion was yelling into the storm when he named the Empress. It wasn’t until I found the book at 12 or so and I was like: Moon Child?! I’ve always assumed Moon Child was her name’s meaning. Maybe her name was Luna Adoree. It is pretty.
15. August 2008 at 2:49 pm :
Aaaaaah!!! I can’t take it! I’ve read this site consistently for the past three months and this time I have to comment!
I love the Neverending Story, but Moulin…. I have a theory about Moulin and this sketch would fit in perfectly!
Moulin isn’t happy with her life at all, is she? After all, it’s not really like she has a stable home life. I think she looks kind of resigned at being mother’s pawn in most of the panels you see her in. The only reason she obeys her mother is because she’s waiting for Mizumi to die so she can become queen.
Am I being crazy or did anyone else pick up on that note?
15. August 2008 at 6:24 pm :
OMG, I totally got the same vibe. I think that’s why we haven’t seen her do much, and why she acts so uninterested. She strikes me as a go with the flow type, unlike her mother and sister, who obviously like to cause waves. She does seem a bit unhappy with her life (and really, can you blame her?)
I haven’t seen the Neverending Story since I was a kid, but I do remember always wondering what Bastian said his mom’s name was at the end…
Moon Child, eh? If that was her name, that’s just awesome, though I do agree with some of the posters above. It’s probably the meaning of her name. Maybe it’s Selene. Or Diana, that’s pretty. Although I guess that she could have been a hippie, or the child of a hippie. After all, my Dad’s ex-girlfriend, the mother of my older brother ( She’s a die hard Bowie fan, I feel inclined to add. My brother’s named David, much to my Dad’s dismay), her name is Rainbow.
16. August 2008 at 4:30 pm :
I keep wonder where she got that scar. Moulin, not the Empress…
17. August 2008 at 11:03 am :
Huh. Now that’s honestly something I didn’t think about… huh.
Well, I guess that she could have gotten from rough-housing as a child.
After all, Drumlin is significantly larger, so Moulin probably got tossed around a bit… I don’t know. Maybe it will be cleared up.
21. August 2008 at 4:59 pm :
“Moon Child?” (…) Huh. I always did wonder what he’d said; my fam and I have been watching that movie for years and still haven’t figured it out. *gasp* But now I know the secret! And they don’t! Mwahahaha! *ahem*
Anyway, yeah: That’s an interesting name…kinda hippyish, but whatever.
And I’d like to know exactly what Moulin says to Toby, too! If you ask me, I think she thinks her mother’s gone nutso (specially since she said “boob” in front of them, ha-ha) and is ratting her out to him! O_o ‘ Hey, it could happen! It’s the Labyrinth! Anything is possible! AND WILL THE WRITER PLEASE ELABORATE JUST A BIT MORE ON THE IMAGE OF JARETH AND SARAH HAVING COFFEE?!? I’M GOING NUTS OVER HERE!
17. November 2008 at 12:25 pm :
the intreag