Singaporeans rejoice when a TV show or movie is filmed on our man, whether it’s the K-drama Little Women or the Bollywood movie Krrish (2006).
There have been Hollywood shooting scenes on our shores (Westworld, Equals, Hitman: Agent 47) and an anime (A Place Beyond Than The Universe) where the characters visit Singapore and its landscapes.
Even Wong Kar Wai’s movie In the Mood for Love got Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung) a job at our man.
Here are eight more Singaporean – or something essentially Singaporean – appearances in TV shows, movies, and even a game show.
Tom and Jerry
With National Day tomorrow (August 9) our favorite cat-and-mouse duo has gone local.
What is this smell? A new Tom and Jerry episode airing on August 7 revolves around the Singaporean’s favorite (or least favorite, depending on who you ask) fruit durian.
It begins with Tom preparing to take a bite of durian, while Jerry catches a whiff and tries to flee in fear.
Don’t worry, because she’s finally enjoying the fruit.
The episode is part of a localized series set in Singapore with two local animation studios working on the designs and stories.
Independence Day: Resurrection
In some alien invasion movies, people fight them and save the day. In others, we get impressive montages of the world – notable cities and monuments – destroyed.
In the Independence Day universe, Singapore not once – first by an appropriately named City Destroyer alien ship in 1996 War – but twice, when a Harvester mothership smashes the city in Independence Day: Resurrection (2016).
Marina Bay Sands and a cargo ship are shown being lifted and shattered by the alien ship’s gravity well, and there is mass panic in the streets. David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) can only stare in horror from his plane.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders
In the third season of the cult classic anime Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, our heroes – Jotaro Kujo, Noriaki Kakyoin, Joseph Joestar, Mohammed Avdol and Jean Pierre Polnareff – embark on a journey from Japan to Egypt.
During their journey in the eighth and ninth episodes, they stop by Singapore and immediately encounter a police officer who tries to fine them $500 for trashing.
Set in 1987, this movie may not yet have Marina Bay Sands or Gardens by the Bay, but we can see Merlion from his luxury hotel rooms. Jotaro and Kakyoin also take a cable car ride up Mount Faber.
Cowboy Bebop
An anime character from Singapore? Cowboy Bebop had this back in 1998.
Faye Valentine was born in Singapore in 1994 and went to space in 2014 where she unfortunately encountered an accident on her wealthy parents’ private spaceship.
Faye’s parents were killed, and her injuries were so severe that the drugs used since then have not been able to save her. He fell into a cryogenic sleep, and Faye was brought back to life and cured in 2068 – leaving him a huge debt.
While trying to pay his medical bills, he becomes a wanted criminal with a bounty on his head, but eventually joins Bebop’s team of bounty hunters.
In episode 24, Faye returns to the wrecked Singapore. Only Merlion remains, and there she meets an old woman in a wheelchair who claims to be from her high school graduation class.
euphoria
The popular teen drama Euphoria follows Rue Bennett (Zendaya), a troubled drug addict who just got out of rehab and tries to stay sober.
Alongside Rue, we meet other teenagers as we navigate love, loss and addiction in the fictional town of East Highland, California.
With recurring themes of drug use, casual sex, and LGBTQ relationships, viewers may come as IMDB reports that its third season, scheduled for release in 2024, will be filmed in Singapore.
The show will reportedly be filmed in Ireland, USA, London, Vatican City and Italy, as well as Marina Bay Sands, Singapore Flyer and Gardens by the Bay.
ALSO READ: Euphoria star Angus Cloud dies at 25
Takeshi’s Castle
Blink and you will miss it.
The popular Japanese game show Takeshi’s Castle, which ran from 1986 to 1990, returns to the screens.
While viewers were excited to see the contestants go through a series of creative and physical challenges, a Reddit user spotted a Singapore icon in the series.
On July 29, they shared on the r/singapore subreddit that they “found Merlion in the Takeshi’s Castle reboot”.
The screenshot shows the Dragon God’s Pond game where the contestants run over a body of water over stones. The trick is that some stones are unstable and sink – if you fall into the water, you’re out.
In the background you see the Merlion spraying water into the pond and a kappa, a creature from Japanese folklore often associated with water.
Found Merlion in Takeshi’s Castle reboot
by u/wyred-sg in Singapore
Big Impostor
Makoto Edamura claims to be Japan’s Biggest Scam, but instead gets scammed while trying to fool what he thinks is an uninformed tourist.
The “ignorant tourist” is revealed to be a con man named Laurent Thierry, and Makoto follows him to Los Angeles to challenge him and find out who is the better con man.
Their next adventure is the Singapore Sky arc set on our island. Trying to live a law-abiding life as a mechanic, Makoto reunites with Laurent and his crew, and they try to scam the two princes by targeting an air race in Singapore.
The anime’s saturated and bold art style presents popular destinations such as Fort Canning Park, Raffles Hotel and Marina Bay Sands in a striking new light.
Detective Conan: Fist of the Blue Sapphire
Detective Conan (also known as Case Closed) is a long-running detective manga that spawns anime series, video games, live-action dramas, and movies.
2019 Detective Conan: Fist of the Blue Sapphire takes place in Singapore. In the movie, the world’s largest blue sapphire is said to have sunk off the coast of Singapore in the 19th century.
A local millionaire seeks to reclaim the sapphire, and it reappears at a hotel exhibit. A murder is committed at the Shoppes in Marina Bay Sands and the calling card of “gentleman thief” Kaito Kid is left behind at the crime scene.
Kaito kidnaps our hero, Conan Edogawa, and the two go undercover as they try to solve the mystery and find out where the sapphire is.
No part of this story may be reproduced without AsiaOne’s permission.
#Tom #Jerry #durians #Singapore #shows #times #shows