Month: November 2010

Categories
drama, melodrama gendai-geki romance shomin-geki

Love Letter: the Unexpected Reply

Love Letter (English Title: When I Close My Eyes), released in 1995, was written and directed by Iwai Shunji. The lead female actor, Nakayama Niho, plays both Watanabe Hiroko and Fujii Itsuki, the two protagonists of the film. Sakai Miki plays the young Fujii Itsuki. The lead male roles are Shigeru Akiba, played by Toyokawa Etsushi, and the male Fujii Itsuki, played by Kashiwabara Takashi. This romantic drama takes place in the winter Hokkaido, where the female protagonists discover their unique connection with each other through an odd pen-pal relationship.

The film begins with the second anniversary ceremony of the male Fujii Itsuki’s death. Fujii Itsuki was Hiroko’s fiancé who died from a mountain climbing accident. After the ceremony, Hiroko visits Itsuki’s home and through his old yearbook, she discovers his childhood address in Otaru, Hokkaido, which is now non-existent. With lasting feelings towards her dead fiancé, she writes a love letter addressed to the address in Otaru, thinking of it as a letter to heaven. Unexpectedly, a reply comes from Fujii Itsuki. However, this Fujii Itsuki turns out to be a girl with the same name, who works at a public library in Otaru. This simple love letter with the words “How are you? I am fine” starts the odd pen-pal relationship between Hiroko and the female Itsuki. Meanwhile, Akiba, Hiroko’s current boyfriend, decides to take Hiroko to Otaru in order for her to overcome her feelings towards her dead fiancé. Although Hiroko and the female Itsuki never physically meet, as the exchanging of the letters progress, they discover each other’s identity and their unique connection. The female Itsuki actually knew the male Itsuki, spending three years of junior-high in the same class. She has bitter memories of being made fun of for having the same name as Hiroko’s ex-lover. Yet, for Hiroko, these are sweet memories of her lost fiancé before they met, and asks Itsuki to share her junior-high stories of the male Itsuki. The story slowly starts to focus more heavily on female Itsuki and her past, and the two characters starts to re-discover some lost memories of the deceased Fujii Itsuki.

To clearly distinguish the difference between Hiroko and Itsuki, both played by Nakayama Miho, Iwai Shunji uses distinctive coloring in costumes and lighting to help build their characteristics. From the opening scene, Hiroko is portrayed through lighter and solid colours. Her costumes use a lot of solid black, white and blue colours, showing little warmth. In the earlier scenes where she talks with male Itsuki’s mother and with Akiba, the bright white background lighting leaves a very clear and cold impression. Hiroko is shown in warm colours only at the scenes in Akiba’s workshop and in the cabin that she visits with Akiba. In these scenes there are movements in Hiroko’s feelings; she expresses her love towards Akiba in his workshop while she decides to move on from her dead fiancé at the cabin. Iwai uses lighter and colder colours to portray Hiroko in remorse, while uses warmer background and costume colours when she has an emotional transition. On the other hand, Itsuki is always shown wearing checked or striped patterns of warm colors like brown, orange and red. Also, Iwai uses much warmer lighting in Itsuki’s scenes. The lights at her house and at her workplace are always in shades of orange, never having the sharp, white lighting like Hiroko’s scenes. Complementing the great acting done by Nakayama Miho, Iwai Shunji’s use of colors in costumes and lighting makes a clear distinction between Hiroko, who cannot let go of the ties with the male Itsuki, and Itsuki, who re-discovers her ties with male Itsuki.

Iwai Shunji builds up tension in this dialogue-heavy film through the use of multiple close-up and long shots, creating a fast-paced tempo. Iwai does not use stationary shots, where the characters move in and out of the screen. Instead, he uses series of handheld close-up and long shots that flexibly adjusts focus amongst the characters. In the earlier scene at Akiba’s workshop, Iwai uses a series of close-up shots rapidly changing the focus on the characters speaking. This creates a fast rhythm, adding tension to their dialogue. The build-up of the tension is followed by a long close-up shot of them kissing, making the audience feel as if the actual time has stopped through the sudden change of pace. Then they are disturbed by another character who enters the scene. Here the camera switches to a long shot, allowing for the tension to slowly fade away. His use of non-stationary camerawork and quick switches of close-ups, create a fast and engaging rhythm to the film that helps build the tension in this film, heavily focused on dialogue.

“How are you? I am fine.” This simple letter sent by grief and partial whims, allows Hiroko and Itsuki to let go or re-connect with their love for male Fujii Itsuki. Although the film does not follow the typical romantic drama scenario, the contrast of the two different loves evolving around Fujii Itsuki leaves the viewers with a warm-hearted feeling. Love Letter is definitely a movie worth watching.

Categories
anime

Totoro, My Childhood Neighbour

My Neighbour Totoro (となりのトトロTonari no Totoro) is a film written and directed by Miyazaki Hayao, which was also named My Friend Totoro when it was released in the United States in 1993. In the release year of 1988, Mainichi Shinbun (毎日新聞), one of the largest newspaper companies in Japan, awarded the Mainichi Film Award to this film. The prominent animated cast members are the older sister Kusakabe Satsuki, voiced by Hidaki Noriko; the younger sister Kusakabe Mei, voiced by Sakamoto Chika; the father Kusakabe Tatsuo, voiced by Itoi Shigesato; the little boy in the village Okagi Kanta, voiced by Amagasa Toshiyuki; and the forest protector Totoro, voiced by Takagi Hitoshi. This animated film talks about the two sister’s encounter with a friendly spirit neighbour in the woods, Totoro.

The story is centered around the Kusabake family. The movie starts off with a drive around their new neighbourhood to an old house that they bought for the purpose of easier access to the hospital which the mother is hospitalized in. While settling into the house, the sisters discover tiny soot creatures called makkurokurosuke that like to gather around in old abandoned houses. Because the old house is no longer abandoned, the travelling soot, also known as susuwatari, drifts out of the house and into the night sky to search for its next shelter. The next day, the father and the girls bike to visit their mother, and they talk about the house that they moved into. It is at this time that the viewers realize that Satsuki writes to her mother regularly. The following day, while Satsuki goes to school and Tatsuo is busy with his professor work, Mei energetically explores her new backyard. She comes across bunny-like creatures which she follows into the woods, and eventually she falls into a tunnel in an ancient camphor tree. In there, she meets another similar creature, except he is much larger in size. The creature introduces himself as Totoro. The atmosphere in the camphor tree is too relaxing, and Mei falls asleep on his belly soon after. Mei is discovered sleeping in the bushes by Satsuki and her father later on when Satsuki returns home from school. They go for a walk in the forest and thank the camphor tree for taking care of Mei. The story climaxes to a point where Mei goes missing due to the sudden notice that their mother cannot leave the hospital as anticipated.

A famous rumor in Japan has it that Totoro is a shinigami (god of death) because of the eerie interaction the sisters have with Totoro, and no one else in the village seems to be able to come in contact with this mythical creature. The success of My Neighbour Totoro has brought Japanese animation to global attention, and much hearsay arises through time. The idea that Totoro is a shinigami came about around 2007 due to certain scenes and dialogue in the movie which suggest that Totoro helped Satsuki find Mei not by actually finding Mei, but by bringing Satsuki to the world of death to meet Mei by riding the neko basu, the cat bus. A scene that supports this fact is a part close to the end, where Satsuki and Mei met. The touching display is made bizarre by the fact that Mei and Satsuki do not have shadows when they meet. Another rumour also links the plot of the story to a murder case during the Showa era in Japan. The murder case occurred in a May during the Showa period, and the point in time where My Neighbour Totoro takes place is around 1958 (within the Showa period). The names of the sisters are hinted at as the month of May (Satsuki is May in Japanese, and Mei is a homophone of May). Similarities in location, testimonies given, an ill family member, are all shockingly alike to the movie. My Neighbour Totoro is a film that the teenagers in this generation grew up with, so the idea that this childhood film could possibly be a horror film is shocking to all viewers.

Aside from the horrific rumor about this film, the soundtrack plays a crucial part in the movie. Miyazaki Hayao’s right-hand man, Joe Hisaishi (久石譲,), real name Fujisawa Mamoru (藤澤守), is the main composer of most of Miyazaki’s films, including My Neighbour Totoro. The movie starts off with an opening theme song called Sanpo (さんぽ, translated as “stroll”). This lighthearted song sets up a happy mood for the viewers. Throughout the film, the instrumental music aids the plot of the movie at times of suspense and tranquility. When the susuwatari are forced to move out of the old house, the background music, Wind at Dusk (夕暮れの風, Yugure no Kaze) hints at a sense of sadness from the soot dust. The piece The Huge Tree in Tsukamori (塚森の大樹, Tsukamori no Taiju) merges into the Wind at Dusk soon after it gives viewers a sense of ease while the family is resting for the first night at the seemingly haunted house. Out of twenty tracks played in the movie, the other noticeable ones include Wasn’t It Great (よかったね,, Yokatta ne), The Path of the Wind (風のとおり道, ,kaze no toorimichi), Catbus (ねこバス, Nekobasu), and the ending song My Neighbour Totoro (となりのトトロ, Tonari no Totoro). Without Joe Hisaishi’s composing talent, My Neighbour Totoro might not be as popular because after all, the sense of hearing connects the viewers straight to the images from the film.

Having been around for over twenty years, the fame of Totoro has yet to die down. The works of Miyazaki Hayao through the aid of Joe Hisaishi have successfully become a cultural icon and My Neighbour Totoro is first in line. In today’s fast-paced technological century, Miyazaki’s fight against computer graphics proved to have an impact on a global scale. My Neighbour Totoro is a highly recommended film to watch at any age to appreciate the hard work of drawing over a hundred thousand pictures to present an eighty-minute film.

Categories
anime anti-war

“Howl’s Moving Castle”: Love Makes People Brave.

Howl’s Moving Castle (Japanese title: Hauru no ugoku shiro), released in Japan in 2004 and in the United States in 2005, was directed and written by Miyazaki Hayao. It is an adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones’ novel, “Howl’s moving castle.” The genre is anime, literary adaptation, and drama. There are no actors, and there is only seiyū because this is a colour anime. The seiyū is a voice performer in Japanese. The seiyū of the main male character, Howl, is Kimura Takuya, whose main employment is as a member of SMAP, a Japanese idol group. Baishō Chieko, a Japanese actress and singer, voices the main female character, Sophie Grandma.

The setting of the movie is a magical European world with many wizards and witches in different countries. Sophie, a nineteen-year-old girl, does not have confidence or know what she really wants to do, so she runs a hat shop which her dead father left. In the beginning, Sophie is on her way to see her half sister, Lettie, when she is accosted by two soldiers before she arrives. At this time, she is saved from this embarrassment by a handsome blond man who has powerful magic; however, at the same time, the man is pursued by shadows. The man quickly brings Sophie to her destination by walking on air so that the shadows could not pursue her. Sophie seems to be falling in love with the man because he heroically saved her. When Sophie goes back to her hat shop, the Witch of the Waste, who controls shadows to catch the handsome blond man, comes in Sophie’s shop to conjure a charm to make Sophie become a ninety-year-old woman. After initial panic at first, Sophie calms down and leaves her hometown. On her way, she meets a friend, a scarecrow who was also conjured by someone. Scarecrow brings Sophie to Howl’s moving castle to rest. There Sophie meets the demon, Calcifer, who makes Howl’s castle move. Calcifer asks her to untie the contract between Howl and him because he wants to be free, but Sophie has to find the key thing to untie the contract. When Howl comes home, Sophie finds that he was the man who saved her before. Sophie tells him that she is a new sweeper for this castle, so Howl allows her to stay without asking anything.

One day, Howl gets mad when he thinks that the world will end soon just because he cannot dye his hair the colour he wanted. Sophie also gets mad because she thinks she can never be beautiful, but Howl is still great-looking even with the wrong hair colour. She thinks Howl is self-centered and wayward. After Howl calms down, he tells Sophie that he is really not the mature man of his gorgeous appearance, but is actually timid like a child. He does not like war, so he asks Sophie to act as his mother and see his teacher, Madame Suliman, to refuse attending the war for him. Getting along increasingly with each other, Howl and Sophie become attracted to each other. Howl soon decides to join the war because now he has important people to protect. Gradually, Sophie’s appearance becomes younger and younger since her thoughts become youthful and confident after she falls in love with Howl.

Although this is an anime movie, Miyazaki still clearly shows each character’s personality through their clothing, the way they talk, and their behaviour. For example, in the beginning, Sophie lacks confidence, wearing only plain clothing and avoiding eye contact when she talks to people. However, after she becomes confident, she wears a beautiful dress and looks steadily at others when she talks to them. Howl, at first, only focuses on his appearance, so he always wears beautiful clothing and dyes his hair. At the end, he finds there are more important things than his outward appearance, so he wears simple clothing and no longer dyes his hair.

The point here is that people can become confident and brave enough to do anything once they love somebody whom they want to protect and cherish. The change of Howl’s attitude to the war from evading to facing is a prime example. In addition, Sophie gains her confidence from loving Howl and becomes brave enough to do anything for him. She does not want Howl to use too much magic to become a full monster, so she did something which may bring her danger by calling Howl back from the war.

All background music and songs were composed by Joe Hisaishi, who has collaborated with Miyazaki for more than twenty-five years. The soundtrack makes each scene more realistic with some important messages. For example, when Howl held Calcifer to conjure, the soundtrack is a realistic heartbeat; some viewers can guess that the key thing to untie the contract may be Howl’s heart. In addition, the ending song, “The Merry-go-round of Life,” is impressive because it is pretty lively yet peaceful and shows that Howl and Sophie must have a bright future. The song is used in the opening, too; however, the intent of the song here is to show Sophie’s hometown is a lively and relaxed place.

In addition, Miyazaki also used 3D techniques to make the moving castle look realistic and painted some pictures by hand, so some scenes are pretty three-dimensional like real scenery.

This is one of my favourite Miyazaki movies because it is the only one in which the central message is love. Although some may think this is just anime, there are many important messages. For example, that love can make people become brave and confident, and that war is bad because it causes suffering. Therefore, I think this film is ideal for older teenagers and adults. In addition, I suggest watching this movie twice in order to gain clear messages from it because although it is based on the novel; many original scenes are cut, so for the audience who do not read the novel before, they may still not easily comprehend the points from a single viewing.

Categories
anime

Will You Be “Spirited Away?”

Spirited Away (Sen to chihiro no kamikakushi) is a visually-creative Japanese anime made in 2001 by director Miyazaki Hayao.  It is a story full of fantasy and adventure as it follows the journey of a ten-year-old girl named Chihiro (voiced by Hîragi Rumi) who finds herself in a world full of spirits, monsters, and other interesting creatures, and has to find her way out to the human world, as well as, save her parents from their dreadful situation.

The tale begins with Chihiro and her parents driving off to their new house in the suburbs, which she is definitely not happy about.  The father decides to take a shortcut through a bumpy dirt road and they end up at a dead end that contains a hillside tunnel.  Despite how frightened Chihiro is about this idea, the parents want to venture through the tunnel to see what is on the other side.  They end up finding an abandoned amusement park, which the parents are excited about, but Chihiro is full of nothing but fear and discomfort.  After gorging out at an empty restaurant full of delicious food out in the open, the parents undergo a magical transformation as they are turned into a couple of sloppy pigs.  Terrified, she runs to seek help and encounters a strange boy named Haku (voiced by Miyu Irino) who promises to help her.  She is lead to a bathhouse that is full of spirits, monstrous non-humans and mysterious creatures, and is told to get a job there as the only way to survive and eventually save her parents.  The bathhouse, however, is run by Yubaba (voiced by Mari Natsuki), a grumpy sorceress.  Through her persistence, Chihiro manages to persuade Yubaba to give her a job, but her name (Chihiro) is taken away and the new name, Sen, is given to her.  Haku cautions Sen to remember her original name even though they have given her a new one, because it is her only way to escape.  Haku, unfortunately, had forgotten his real name and has been stuck in the world of spirits ever since.  Though the labour is hard, she works as hard as she can.  One of her biggest achievements at the bathhouse that earns her the respect of Yubaba and the other spirits, is when she helped serve the most foul-smelling spirit, who turned out to be a very rich and powerful river spirit.  As the story progresses, Haku continues to help Sen/Chihiro to get her and her parents back to the human world, but it is not an easy mission.  Will Chihiro ever save her parents and escape the spirit world? Or will they be spirited away forever?  You will just have to follow this magical journey yourself to find out.

One aspect of this animated film that really makes it stand out from most American animated movies is its amazing originality that only a brilliant director like Miyazaki can pull off in the perfect degree.  The boundless imagination that gives each character its uniqueness really displays Miyazaki’s artistic talent at its best.  There is a lot of detail in the animation that makes it look all the more realistic despite the fantasy aspect of it.  It is the best cinematography I have seen in an animated feature.  The English-dubbed version of this movie was released by Walt Disney Productions in 2002, and it, too, was a raging success with critics everywhere praising its remarkable achievements as a Japanese animated film.  What Miyazaki was able to achieve in this anime is truly unmatched and impressive.  It is no surprise that this film has won numerous prestigious awards including “Best Animated Feature Film” from the 75th Annual Academy Awards, and the Golden Bear award from the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival.

Another noteworthy aspect of the film is its captivating narrative that really takes you on the journey through the spirit world with Chihiro.  The animated film encompasses fantasy and adventure, as well as, friendships and potentially more, to take its audience on the emotional journey that begins with fear and ends in…well, you would just have to watch it to find out!  The narrative is kept exciting and humour is another aspect of this movie that makes it fun to watch.

The filmmaker’s vivid imagination is what makes Spirited Away (Sen to chihiro no kamikakushi) such a visual masterpiece.  The storyline is enchanting as it is a story of friendship and love, tied in with the wild adventures of a little girl that has to deal with giant, scary ghosts and monsters in a fantasy-filled nightmare.  It is a delightful film full of fascinating creatures and mysterious transformations that makes it truly a magical experience for both adults and children to enjoy.  If you do not feel like speed-reading subtitles from the original Japanese version, the English-dubbed 2002 release by Walt Disney Productions is just as good and it does not take away from the spectacular animation that has been kept in its original form.  This is a must-see!

Categories
drama, melodrama gendai-geki

“Ikigami”: The Death Letter

Ikigami (Ikigami, 2008), by Takamoto Tomoyuki is a drama film based on a manga by Mase Motoro. The film takes place in Japan where there is a law that requires all children, upon entering an elementary school, to receive a vaccine. 1 in 1000 vaccines contains a deadly nano-capsule that will explode in the dorsal artery and lead the subject to death on a set date when the subject is between 18 and 24. This so-called “National Prosperity Maintenance Law” is supposed to make citizens appreciate the value of their life and increase the productivity of the nation as any young adult aged between 18 and 24 fears that he or she could be the unfortunate one to die for the country. The title of this film Ikigami refers to the death letter which is delivered to the young adult 24 hours prior to his or her inevitable death. This letter allows the dying young adult to enjoy free transportation, food, travelling, and other privileges. The two distinctive features of this film are the use of middle-shots and close-ups.

The film mainly revolves around the protagonist Fujimoto Kengo (Matsuda Shota) and the three young adults to whom Fujimoto delivers the Ikigami. The first unfortunate young adult who receives the ikigami is a street musician called Tanabe Tsubasa (Kanai Yuta) who gets scouted by a famous music company and forms a duet group with someone else while his partner, Morio Hidekazu (Tsukamoto Takeshi), gives up on his dream to become a music star. The second recipient of the ikigami is Takizawa Naoki (Sano Kazuma) who is the son of a politician, Takizawa Masako (Fubuki Jun) who had been brainwashed as she tried to save his son from receiving the vaccine and is now a passionate advocate for the very system she stood against. The third young adult, Iizuka Satoshi (Yamada Takayuki) is a dishonest, but warm-hearted elder brother of Iizuka Sakura (Narumi Riko) who lost her sight and her parents in a car accident. Upon receiving the ikigami, the three young adults first become upset and go into major emotional breakdowns; however, they all come to accept the reality and strive to live their life to its fullest in the last 24 hours of their life. The protagonist Fujimoto, though he works for the Ministry of Health and Welfare, has doubts about the prosperity law and acts against the rules of an ikigami deliveryman.

In the film, there are middle-shots from the view of a surveillance camera where the focus is on Fujimoto standing still and gazing at the camera while people in uniform costumes are all walking by in the same direction. In one early scene, Fujimoto is at a train station with men and women in suit passing by, and in a scene near the end of the film, he is standing in front of the gate of an elementary school with children entering the school, soon to be injected with the vaccine. In the earlier scene, the camera focuses on Fujimoto looking compassionately at a TV which displays the people who honorably died for the country. At this time, he has doubts about the prosperity law, but he nevertheless performs his duties as ordered. In the later scene, Fujimoto is glaring at the camera while his narration says, “in this country, there is freedom, peace, and wealth, but a handful of the population is unexpectedly abandoned without mercy.” This suggests that he has become certain that the government system is corrupted and it needs to be changed. The camerawork focusing on Fujimoto in the two scenes are important as they show how his encounters with the ikigami recipients change Fujimoto’s attitude toward the prosperity law.

Throughout the film, the camera closes up on the face of Fujimoto. Right after the scenes in which the ikigami recipients reach their final moment, the camera focuses on Fujimoto who closes his eyes and shuts his mouth firmly showing compassion toward the dying young adult and frustration as all he cannot do anything but watch them die. Although Fujimoto’s role in the film is essentially a messenger of death who delivers a death sentence to young adults, these full-face shots of him showing great compassion conveys an impression that he is not just a cold-hearted messenger of ikigami and is likely to induce empathy as he struggles to follow orders and perform his duties while having doubts about the whole law.

Ikigami is a thought-provoking film with many tear-inducing scenes. Although idea of maintaining the nation’s prosperity by sacrificing the lives of young adults seems rather absurd at first, but it is intriguing to imagine what would happen if this system really existed. In addition to the great storyline, this film has many famous actors such as Matsuda Shoto, Tsukamoto Takashi, and Yamada Takayuki. This film is highly recommended for those people who like sentimental films.

Categories
extreme

“Ichi the Killer”

Famous for pushing censorship boundaries with overtly violent and sexual movie content, Miike Takashi continues his controversial film-making with Ichi the Killer (Koroshiya Ichi, 2001). Starring Japanese Acadamy Award Winner Asano Tadanobu (Zaitochi 1998), actor Omori Na, film director/actor Tsukamoto Shin’yao, and Miss Singapore 1994 winner and actress Pauline Suen; Ichi the Killer is a stylish yakuza film of extreme sadomasochistic content. As a publicity stunt during the premier of Ichi the Killer at the Toronto International Film Festival, vomit bags were given out to movie viewers. In saying that, I hope this establishes the gruesome nature of the film. Ichi the Killer is without doubt one of Miike Takashi’s most graphic films, and it should not be viewed by the faint of heart!

Based on anime writer Yamamoto Hideo’s manga 1 (Ichi 1993), yakuza boss Anjo is assassinated while he is forcefully enjoying a prostitute. The mastermind behind the murder is rival Jijii (played by Tsukamoto Shin’yao), who cleans up the murder scene in order to lead Anjo’s gang to believe their boss has escaped town with a prostitute and 300 million yen. Kakihara (played by Asano Tadanobu), is eager to find Anjo as he believes his boss is kidnapped. At a club, Jijii tells Kakihara and his gang a lie about a rival gang member Suzuki having taken Anjo hostage. Kakihara proceeds to hang Suzuki on his back with metal hooks, as Kakihara interrogates him. In the process, skewers are painfully used and boiled water is poured while Suzuki is on the metal hooks.
We soon find out Jijii is plotting a gang warfare between rival yakuza gangs. The secret assailant behind Jijii’s plan is an unknowingly and naïve recluse named Ichi (played by Omori Na). Ichi is brainwashed by Jijii, by confusing his sexual lust into murderous tendencies. Not only does Ichi assassinate Anjo, but Ichi kills an abusive pimp alongside a prostitute he routinely visits. Through Anjo’s prostitute girlfriend Karen (played by Pauline Suen), Kakihara finds out that Ichi is responsible for his boss’s death. Kakihara, a sadist himself, realizes that Ichi can provide the ultimate pain (thus pleasure) that he is seeking. Times are becoming difficult for Kakihara, as he is kicked out of his yakuza clan and his defecting underlings are fleeing when the majority of Kakihara’s men are killed by the Jijii controlled Ichi. This leaves a showdown between Kakihara and Jijii/Ichi.

Ichi the Killer as a film seems to be a paradox. It is often criticized for having little – if any – character development; while at the other end of the spectrum is the overabundance of violent scenes. The lack of character development paves way for the movie to display the violent tendencies of its two main characters. Ichi the Killer is a non-stop gore fest – and this is the entire point. Miike Takashi intelligently explores briefly the background of Kakihara and Ichi’s violent fostering, which gives purpose to the sadistic violence found in the film.

Another paradox is, however violent Ichi the Killer is as a movie, artistically and theoretically the film seems tongue-in-cheek. Although Miike Takashi has directed children’s films (Zebraman, 2004) and art house films (Izo, 2004), it is his extremely violent yet cartoon-like approached films (such as Ichi the Killer, 2001, Gozu, 2004, Crows Zero, 2007) that have gained popularity and a strong following. An example in Ichi the Killer is at the beginning of the movie where we are shown a very realistic scene of Anjo violently attacking and raping a prostitute. Right after this we are shown a scene of an exaggerated bellyful amount of Anjo and the prostitute’s intestines covering the room Jijii is now trying to clean – all while the viewers are given childish manga music and sounds to accompany the image. Other examples are scenes like Kakihara cutting off his own tongue as requital for hanging a rival gang member on hooks, or the cartoon-like computer generated graphics that are shown when Ichi splits a person straight-down-the-middle in half. Perhaps this is to make the film theoretically enjoyable or less sadistic. Seems like an odd style, but this is a Miike Takashi film after all.

Ichi the Killer is an incredibly stylish film in camerawork, costumes, and character attitudes. As someone who works in the fashion industry, and lives life through being artistically inclined, I greatly enjoyed the artistic style of Ichi the Killer. It rivals some of the French New Wave movies in that regard, yet the storytelling and pacing is commercial enough for the daring. Speaking for myself, the stylishness gives depth to the otherwise grotesque movie.

I really enjoyed the extreme nature of the film (in style, art direction, and violence). In saying that, I feel very sick writing and recalling scenes from Ichi the Killer. Having seen many films before, this seems like the first I’ve ever felt so disgusted by a movie (even the more violent Miike Takashi ones). There is a reason why this film remains controversial to this day. I’m warning potential viewers of the films overly excessive violence, nudity, and sexual content. Ichi the Killer is not a film for casual viewers of any age. The violence pierces through your consciousness and leaves one reeling on hooks. I like the film – in a non-sadistic way – but, I have no desire to ever watch it again!

Categories
drama, melodrama gendai-geki

The Ultimate Liar Game

Liar Game: The Final Stage by Hiroaki Matsuyama was released in March 2010 based on an anime written by Kaitani Shinobu. This movie continues from where it left off in the Liar Game drama series which focuses on a ruthless swindle game, the Liar Game, in which contestants are chosen for a chance to win the grand prize of fifty million dollars. The players are to cooperate with each other in order for them all to win the cash. However if a player loses, he or she will be drowned in debt. The only way for them to win is to trust each other and cooperate until the end to win the grand prize without deceiving others. Liar Game: The Final Stage is a film with great intensity and keeps the audience thinking as to how the contestants can overcome the multiple obstacles that keeps getting in their way.

The film starts off by showing the naïve and gullible image of the main character, Kanzaki Nao. When a stranger approaches her for bus fare money, she simply gave him a smile and handed him ten dollars. When she gets home, a million dollars is placed in front of her house, causing her to have flashbacks of her past experience in the Liar Game. She never thought that she would be invited back to the last and final stage of the game. A man shows up and explains to her that she must enter the game again in order to help Akiyama Shinichi, another main character who helped her out in the game during the drama series. This man suggests she pay Akiyama back by aiding him in this final round. Kanzaki agrees to the deal and enters the Garden of Eden, where the game is held. She receives a brander and is enlisted as player H (to keep the player’s identity anonymous). The host of the game, Kelbim, once again explains the rules of the game to the contestants. Fifty million dollar is the prize. On the other hand, if the player loses, he or she will be put into debt.

The game is played based on individual votes cast on an apple: Gold, Silver and Red. Only one person is allowed to vote at a time, and they are to imprint their name on the apple with their personalized brander, and then dropping the apple into the voting box. There are thirteen rounds of voting with an hour time limit for each round. If everyone votes for the red apple, they each get one million dollars. If the votes are scattered, the coloured apple with the most votes will get a million dollars. On the other hand, the losers for that round will lose a million dollars instead. But if there are votes for Gold or Silver and the rest of the people votes for Red, the people who voted Gold or Silver will get a million dollar raise, whereas the rest will lose a million. After the rules are explain, the gullible and determined Kanzaki persuades them that they will all win as long as they cast the vote for red apples for all thirteen rounds. However, will other contestants agree with her and not deceive her by voting for Gold or Silver? For the first round, everyone says they will vote for the red apple, but the result turns out to be 3 Gold, 4 Silver and 4 Red, causing the 7 people who anonymously voted for Gold or Silver to gain a million, and the 4 who voted for Red lose a million each. Will Kanzaki be able to help Akiyama and let everyone be a winner, or will she be eliminated before she is able to aid Akiyama? On top of all the lies the contestants show, a player X within the group of the twelve plots to sabotage the players in the game. Will the genius Akiyama be able to beat this player X? Will Kanzaki be able to help the players learn to trust each other? Aside from the consistent conflicts between the contestants, the audience can also notice a subtle romance blooming between the two main characters during the game.

The camerawork of this film is an essential factor that adds to the intensity of the game. Though the characters often hide their true feelings at first, when the camera zooms into their expression, the audience can expect or even guess that something wrong or bad is going to happen and that the character is hiding something from the rest of the players. The camera angles also mainly focus on the character’s eyes, which are often open wide in fear of having been found out to be lying to the others. A lot of faraway shots can be seen in this film as well. These angles are often at a surveillance camera angle, letting the audience watch the game from an angle that is not involved in the game, yet still acknowledging the interactions between the contestants. Many of these shots also show the beautiful decorations of the Garden of Eden, a huge area dedicated for the players to stay in. The twelve players in the Liar Game also have a distinct dress code which reflects their personality. For example, Kanzaki wears a loose and long dress which shows her innocent self. Akiyama wears a casual yet eye-catching outfit which shows that he is a genius and is a talented person. Other outfits include a crazy clown outfit for a player who is childish and talkative, and a gold colour outfit is provided for the player with the most money at the beginning of the game.

Liar Game: The Final Stage keeps the audience guessing what will happen next and whether or not the players will each get a share of the grand prize. The mysterious player X, who is trying to sabotage the rest of the players, is also a factor that keeps the contestants from trusting each other. This film illustrates the need for people to trust each other and that money is not the main reason in order to live. Often, simply trusting another person instead can open one’s mind, finding the true feelings of one. When necessary, telling a white lie might be a better outcome for a certain situation. Also, the faint romance that develops between Kanzaki and Akiyama also makes the movie more enjoyable. This film portrays many different morals in life and definitely worth the time to watch.

Categories
action drama, melodrama jidai-geki literary adaptations

The Winds of Change, Akira Kurosawa’s “Ran”

After a monumental career, Kurosawa Akira directs his last great epic in 1985’s Ran. Although Kurosawa would continue making films after Ran, they would not approach the scope and scale of this highly celebrated film. Set in ancient Japan, the film is a jidaigeki (period-piece) about an aging warlord ceding power to his three sons. The story, itself an interpretation of William Shakespeare’s King Lear, focuses on the themes of aging, regret, and change. To portray these themes it was necessary for Kurosawa to enlist highly talented actors. This was especially true for the complex lead role of Lord Ichimonji whose gradual self-destruction is brilliantly realized by Tatsuya Nakadai. Alongside Nakadai are Terao Akira, Nezu Jinpachi, and Ryu Daisuke playing his sons Taro, Jiro and Saburo respectively. Shinnosuke ‘Peter’ Ikehata also makes an appearance as Lord Ichimonji’s inseparable jester.

The film opens with a hunting expedition in the mountains held by Lord Ichimonji, his three sons, several advisors and his jester Kyoami. Lord Ichimonji, after a startling dream, uses this occasion to express his plan to abdicate the throne. The decision to hand power to his sons is met with mixed reaction. His youngest son Saburo becomes increasingly insolent, vehemently speaking his mind and is ultimately banished. Because Saburo is now out of the picture, Lord Ichimonji leaves all his power and territory to his two eldest sons Taro and Jiro, with the intention to live out his remaining days as their guest. This change to the balance of power quickly gives rise to conflict as Jiro is envious of his elder brother’s superior position, and Lord Ichimonji does not adapt well to his new lack of authority. In the chaos that ensues, Taro and Jiro plot each other’s demise while Lord Ichimonji is shunned by both and left to wander the countryside. The brother’s conflict quickly leads to war, and Lord Ichimonji, consumed by guilt for his past atrocities, grows increasingly insane. As the film progresses, many lives are lost, and the sins of Lord Ichimonji’s past haunt him in his quest for solace.

Among the key themes Kurosawa addresses in his film is the concept of change. The film’s title itself, Ran, can be roughly translated as ‘chaos’. Although there is much chaos found within the film, all the chaos stems from change, and the evolution of order into disorder. One way Kurosawa represents change is by continuously returning to brief shots of the sky, and more specifically of clouds transforming. In the opening scene of the film, Lord Ichimonji takes a nap after a day of hunting wild boar. During this nap Kurosawa inserts a brief but telling shot of the clouds shifting. As implied by the foreshadowing, change is quickly instituted as Lord Ichimonji awakens from his dream and announces his plan to abdicate. Kurosawa often returns to this device throughout the film, and the transformation of the clouds becomes more rapid and threatening as the conflict they oversee escalates.

A large portion of the film deals with Lord Ichimonji drifting through the countryside tortured by his past and his inability to change it. During his descent into madness, the only person to remain by his side is his jester Kyoami. Kurosawa utilizes Kyoami to not only provide contrast to Lord Ichimonji’s rambling, but also to narrate the film. In this manner, Kyoami is like a cryptic benshi, explaining the plot development through metaphor. In one scene Kyoami orates a seemingly random story of a bird choosing to look after a snake egg because it is white and pure. After the egg hatches, the bird is attacked. This story reflects the situation of Lord Ichimonji being betrayed by Taro and Jiro who had previously appeared more innocent and loving than Saburo.

In addition to excellent character development, beautiful cinematography and an engaging musical score, Ran also includes several elaborately staged battle scenes. These scenes are brought to life through the use of countless extras, filling the ranks of Kurosawa’s impressive armies. Similar to his previous films such as 1980’s Kagemusha, Kurosawa seems intent on showing the brutality of war and focuses on the casualties more so than the action itself. This element of action serves to drive the plot and is also highly entertaining on an purely aesthetic level.

Throughout his career Kurosawa was responsible for making several epic films of this proportion, and the accumulation of his experience and artistry is well displayed in Ran. Because the film delivers on both an intellectual level, and is engaging to watch due to the excellent acting performances and thrilling battle scenes, audiences of a wide range can enjoy this classic of Japanese cinema.

Categories
gendai-geki shomin-geki

“Okuribito”: the Joy of Life

Released in 2008, Okuribito (or Departures in English) touches on one of the most controversial occupations in Japan: nōkanshi, a profession that involves preparing the dead in front of mourners before their bodies are placed in a coffin. Since the nōkanshi profession is generally frowned upon in Japan, the director, Takita Yōjirō, designed Okuribito as both an appealing and analytical melodrama. Starring Motoki Masahiro, Hirosue Ryoko, and Yamazaki Tsutomu, Okuribito received a reputable response and even won the Best Foreign Language Film at the 81st Academy Awards in 2009.

Throughout Okuribito, nōkan, the act of preparing the dead for the afterlife, is depicted as an art which is gradually perfected by the main character, Kobayashi Daigo (Motoki Masahiro). Kobayashi is not initially attracted to the art of nōkan though and instead works with an orchestra in Tokyo as a cellist. Once the orchestra is disbanded and Kobayashi decides to quit cello, he and his wife, Mika (Hirosue Ryoko), move back to his hometown in Yamagata to find Kobayashi a new job and purpose in life. One day, Kobayashi sees a job advertisement that seems for a travel agency, but finds out it is actually a job for nōkan when meeting with the boss of the business, Sasaki Ikuei. At first, Kobayashi is uneasy with accepting the job and does not tell his wife, especially after his first assignment when Kobayashi helps Sasaki perform nōkan on a deceased woman who died at home and for two weeks remained undiscovered. After this job, the dishevelled Kobayashi goes to a public bath and vigorously washes away the smell and “impurity” of having touched a dead body. Yet, after watching Sasaki carry out nōkan, he comes to realize the necessity of nōkanshi.

The first time Sasaki does nōkan in front of Kobayashi, the procession is carefully and calmly performed by Sasaki. During the ceremony, Kobayashi notices the mourners’ gratitude, especially from the husband and daughter of the lady, and begins to understand how nōkanshi can touch people’s hearts. As the days pass, Kobayashi increasingly appreciates the art of nōkan and feels fulfillment after preparing the deceased for the next life. Once his wife finds out about his profession, she pleads for him to quit such a shameful job. At this point though, Kobayashi has become so fond of his job that he cannot unexpectedly stop. His wife is shocked that he chooses the job over her and decides to stay at her parent’s home until he quits his job. Throughout the rest of Okuribito, Kobayashi’s experiences present to the audience the acceptance of death and the joy of life.

From the beginning to the end of Okuribito, Takita Yōjirō illustrates the character development of Kobayashi. At the beginning, Kobayashi does not fully recognize his purpose in life and describes his life as “unremarkable.” When he sells his pricey cello after the disbanding of his orchestra, he feels a sense of “relief as if suddenly released from being tied up” and realizes that becoming a cellist was not his dream. Once Kobayashi starts to work as a nōkanshi, the thoughts and movements of the actor, Motoki Masahiro, demonstrate such passion for nōkan. When Kobayashi presents the art of nōkan, especially on the owner of the public bath, and when he decides to sacrifice his wife for his profession, Takita clearly shows that Kobayashi has grasped his purpose in life.

Throughout Okuribito, the opposing forces of death and life are presented in diverse ways. Being significant concepts in the movie, as well as in the nōkanshi profession, there are numerous scenes that show the contrast between the two. When Kobayashi is contemplating about the nōkanshi profession on the bridge, he notices that the salmon are briskly swimming against the river’s current and end up dying because of this, just like humans who work hard during life and then die. As well, the scenery represents death and life. Within the hometown, there are many scenes of a snowy winter and the withering of plants. Yet, when the spring comes, the cherry blossoms and tulips in front of Kobayashi’s house bloom along with the other flora. Animals and food are also portrayed throughout the film to show the distinction between death and life. When eating food, such as fried chicken and blowfish milt, close-ups and loud chewing or sucking noises are used to emphasize the scene’s connection to deceased bodies. Live animals are also shown in the film, such as the live octopus given to Mika at the beginning and the recurrent scenes of birds flying. With these different techniques, Takita illustrates both death and life as concepts associated with the nōkanshi profession.

Overall, Okuribito is a stimulating film about the beauty of life and the natural passage to the next life. Throughout the film, Takita presents the audience with delightful acting and scenery, information on the experiences of nōkanshi in Japan and the criticism they receive, and the meaning of life. This film will surely touch the heart of all ages and leave a lasting impression about life and the inevitable road afterwards.

Categories
anime

Words of Magic and Greedy Gods: A Review of “Spirited Away”

Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (translating to Sen and the hiding of Chihiro, also known as Spirited Away, in English), is a famous masterpiece written by the well-known animation artist Miyazaki Hayao. Written and directed by Miyazaki himself, the film was produced with Studio Ghibli in 2001. The story revolves around a ten year-old girl, Chihiro (voiced by Hiiragi Rumi), when she is moving to a new town in a suburban area with her parents. During the process of moving, she enters a mysterious tunnel and journeys into a magical world of gods and spirits. Filled with limitless imagination and fantasy of the supernatural elements, Spirited Away was the first non-English film that won many prestigious awards: The Oscar for Best Animated Feature, Academy Award, and the Berlin International Film Festival at Berlin 2002.

The story begins with Chihiro in her parents’ car in displeasure. While driving along the countryside and discovering they have gotten lost, Chihiro’s father decides to take a short-cut into the forest, in hopes of finding their way back to the road; however, instead of finding civilization, they come across a mysterious tunnel with a statue that has two faces, back to back. In curiosity, the family exit the vehicle and, on a whim, decide to travel through the tunnel, where then the family discovers an empty town. To their surprise, the seemingly empty town has food freshly prepared, sitting on top of stands. The parents, suddenly struck with hunger at the sight of the food, gobble the mysterious cuisine. Chihiro, on the other hand, wanders off and meets Haku (voiced by Irino Miyu), a boy who seems to know her and warns her about the danger of nightfall. When Chihiro returns to the food stand, she discovers her parents have been turned into pigs and are no longer capable of recognizing her. As the sun begins to set, the seemingly empty town transforms; once-unlit lanterns suddenly become bright and dazzling and empty streets begin to crowd with echoes and chatter of spirits. Haku helps Chihiro to a giant yuuya (bathhouse) where she meets Kamajii (voiced by Sugawara Bunta), an old man who boils bath water that has the arms of a spider. Along with the hint of Kamajii and aid of the yuuya staff Rin (voiced by Tamaii Yumi), Chihiro was able to make her way to the yuuya supervisor Yubaba (voiced by Natsuki Mari), a rich and powerful witch, and convince her to give her a job at the bathhouse.

After a working agreement is signed with Yubaba, Chihiro works at the bathhouse as Sen, and gradually she gains the friendliness of Rin. Together they successfully clean and cure the stink god, when the god’s true identity is revealed to be a river god, heavily polluted. The river god awards Sen a medicinal spell cake. Later on, Sen finds out that Haku, in dragon form, is attacked by a group of flying paper birds casted by Zeniba, Yubaba’s twin sister. It is learned that Haku, at this point, is cursed because he has stolen a seal that is under the command of Yubaba; therefore causing paper birds to endlessly chase Haku. Sen feeds Haku the piece of spell cake from the river god that causes Haku to vomit, where then she retrieves the seal. Sen determines to return Zeniba her seal and cure Haku from his curse. She takes the train to Zeniba’s place with the spirit Kaonashi (literally No Face) who tries to please her but, instead, causes disaster in the bathhouse. In the resulting chaos, Yubaba’s pet raven is transformed into a fly, while her son Boh is morphed into a mouse. The story continues to unravel at Zeniba’s place, where Sen realizes Haku is the same river god who saved her when she fell into the Kohaku River during childhood. Together, Zeniba and Sen’s friends make Sen a special hairband as a souvenir of their friendship, and Haku arrives to take Sen back to the bathhouse to face Yubaba for a final task before she is released to go home with her parents.

The power of words is certainly worth mentioning, as they play a significant role in this film. In the spirit world, Yubaba takes control of her workers forever by stealing their original names. For instance, the full name of Chihiro is visually gripped by Yubaba in the film to show that Chihiro is now under Yubaba’s service. In return, Yubaba leaves Chihiro with one character out of the two from her name in an alternative reading – Sen. Names in the spirit world serve as the identity of each individual in the story, thus Haku repeatedly warns Chihiro that she must not forget her original name or else she would not be able to find her way home out of the spirit world. Haku, on the other hand, is the living example of one whom has forgotten their name and therefore forever serves, loyal to Yubaba. Ultimately, Chihiro’s realization of Haku’s original name Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi helps Haku to break free from Yubaba’s enslavement.

However, it is Miyazaki’s careful manipulation and recurring theme of greed, throughout the story, that adds complexity and dimension to his characters (humans and spirits). Chihiro’s parents, obsessed with self indulgence and gluttony, consume the unattended food, ignoring Chihiro when she warns them their actions might not please the owner. The father, instead of stopping, reassures Chihiro that his credit card is fully loaded and continues to eat. Because of the parent’s act of gluttony, they are turned into pigs. On the other hand, Haku, at first, appears friendly but it is later discovered he has a dark side of secretly fulfilling unscrupulous deeds for Yubaba. This is because Haku has a greed for learning magic from Yubaba, thus his name is stolen and he can no longer be free from slavery. Kaonashi, who at first only tries to repay Chihiro for the favour of letting him into the bathhouse from the pouring rain, later becomes greedy of Chihiro’s attention. After seeing how the bathhouse staff reacts to the gold, he continuously produces gold from thin air and roams across the bathhouse for service and eventually swallows three workers. However, the greediest of all is perhaps Yubaba; with expanding slaves and earning money, she actually operates the bathhouse for the spirits to pay and relax, thus showing a parallelism to humans opening business trying to make profit. Many scenes depict her wearing magnifying glasses to analyze her box of jewels. Her room is lavishly decorated with expensive and luxurious materials. We can see that Yubaba herself wears heavy make-up especially emphasized on her eyes, excessive jewels like huge earrings and practically a stone ring on every finger with fingernails painted bold red.

The film has a simple plot and a simple goal of Chihiro’s journey to escape from the spirit world. However, the details of characters and events are extraordinarily weaved and intertwined together. Other than the motif of greed and the power of words mentioned, the film definitely suggests much more yet to be discovered. The film features many kinds of relationships other than love, which was suggested lightly when Chihiro shows her worry for Haku and decides to do what she can to save him. With so much moral meaning of the film for the inner mind to such colorful images for the visual eyes, I definitely recommend this film for everyone whether adult or children.

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