Month: December 2010

Categories
drama, melodrama literary adaptations

A Dark Fairytale

Nakashima Tetsuya’s 2006 award-winning and novel-based film, Memories of Matsuko (Kiraware Matsuko no isshô) is a vibrant and colorful tragic musical comedy that narrates and flashes back to the rollercoaster-like emotions in Matsuko’s key stages in life: journeying through abusive relationships and experiences with crime and prostitution. This film features Nakatani Miki playing the role of Matsuko, and her nephew Shou, played by Nagayama Eita, narrates her life story. The film’s vivid and stimulating colors, as well as musical sequences, is often thought to resemble other famous films such as Moulin Rouge and Amelie, with comparable visual effects.

This film begins by introducing Shou, a teenage boy who has left home aspiring to become a famous musician in Tokyo. However, his plans eventually fall apart as he dismisses his band, drives his girlfriend away, and becomes lonely and drowns himself in pornography and alcohol. Shortly after, Shou’s father arrives at his door holding a box of ashes revealing that his aunt Matsuko, whom he has never met, is murdered at the age of 53. Shou’s father asks him to clean up Matsuko’s run-down apartment filled with garbage bags and junk. Knowing nothing about the life led by his aunt, Shou becomes increasingly curious as his father continues to say her life was “meaningless”. Through sorting her belongings and meeting her neighbor, friend, and former lover, he begins to piece her life together and realizes the significance behind Matsuko’s supposed “meaningless” life. Her journey starts off as a young, beautiful, and dedicated schoolteacher with a gorgeous singing voice until one of her student’s theft causes her termination from the school. After that incident, her life starts to slope downhill. She flees home due to the intense jealousy she has for her chronically ill younger sister as her sister becomes the center of all their father’s love and care. Since then, life is never again easy and steady to her. She constantly yearns to fill the void of loneliness and the deprived fatherly love, leading her to be involved with prostitution and numerous abusive relationships. One of her relationships causes her to commit murder, but she runs away and encounters a barber who she loves and who loves her in return. However, she is eventually caught for the act of murder and results in eight years of jail time – reverting her to her loneliness again. Matsuko’s only purpose was to follow her heart and seek for someone to love her unconditionally and deeply as she would for them. Through her story, Shou finds parallels in his life with Matsuko’s experiences but now it is his decision whether to continue his lifestyle or to live a more meaningful life.

One of the underlying themes of this film depicts the perception of women and their socially constructed roles in the Japanese society. As this film is much about Matsuko’s life, the theme is revealed within her character as the story progresses. This perception is seen in her desire for attention and affection that begins with the relationship with her father. Matsuko’s father directs most of his attention and time towards her younger sister because she has been an ill child since birth. The only solution Matsuko feels that could potentially revert more attention back to her is by “degrading” herself; putting on her trademark funny face to brighten up any sad or awkward situations. From her lack of affection in her upbringing, she seeks for that satisfaction to fulfill the void through her multiple lovers, which in a sense serves as an example of the socially enforced Japanese female culture. Whether her relationships are dangerous, abusive, or degrading, she tolerates it and tries to remain happy. She endures all the physical and emotional pain because her fear of loneliness is more overwhelming. For example, her prison friend tells her to leave Ryu (her lover at the time) who is abusive and a yakuza – a member of organized crime. Matsuko defends him by asking her to leave her alone because if Ryu were to go to hell, she would gladly go with him. These are all references depicting a woman who could not be happy unless she is with a man, as well as the sense of weakness and dependency a woman embodies with these circumstances.

Despite an underlying moral reality and tragic life story, Nakashima contrasts the bleakness by adding layers of musical sequences, and elaborate and energetic visual effects. These extremely saturated and digitally enhanced colors, which are favored by Nakashima, works well with the execution of the high and low feelings experienced by Matsuko. Likewise, as a child or entering into a new relationship, the colors and moods are more elaborately colorful, portraying an atmosphere of a circus or fairyland. On the other hand, when illustrating a scene of rejection and heartbreak, it is depicted through rather monotone colors. The visual style and music go hand in hand to create this seemly comedic sense of a fairy-tale. Regardless of all the colorful intensities, the story and its drama remain as the main focus throughout the film.

Memories of Matsuko is definitely a film that takes the audience through Matsuko’s emotional roller coaster. Although this film is portrayed in such a comedic manner, it holds a much deeper meaning with regards to life and identity. This film is nonetheless a compassionate, charming, and whimsical piece that is very well worth one’s time to watch.

Categories
comedy

Who Can Swing?

Yaguchi Shinobu’s Swing Girls (Suwingu Gāruzu, 2004) is a comedy film about a group of high school girls forming a jazz band. They both won ‘Newcomer of the Year’ awards through this film. The film was highly ranked at the Japanese box office in 2004 and won several awards in the following year. The leading actor was Hiraoka Yuta who played Nakamura and the leading actress was Ueno Juri who played Tomoko, and the both became famous movies stars immediately after this movie.

The film begins at a high school during one of the Dog Days when summer classes are being held. Tomoko, gazing outside the window, accidently sees a lunch deliverer is late for a catering that the brass band members already had left for a baseball game. She immediately decides to deliver those lunches for the deliverer in a hope to escape from her boring Math class. On the train, Tomoko opens up one of the lunch boxes, and ate it with her friends, fall into little naps, and eventually miss their stop. While they are walking back along the train rail, they ruin some of the lunch boxes as they have to jump into the bushes to dodge from a train. The girls arrive at the stadium and hand over the lunch boxes, but the band members, except for Nakamura who does not get one because the girls ate it, all get sick from food poison since the food was spoiled in the summer heat. The very next day, as Nakamura tries to recruit for new members, two punk rockers, a shy girl, Sekiguchi, who can only play a recorder, and all of Tomoko’s class join simply to get away from their boring Math class. Luckily, they find interest in playing instruments and get improved day by day. Nevertheless, all of the original band members come back after a few days, and the new and enthusiastic big band gets separated. Later, the girls try to form their own band and even everyone works at a supermarket to save some money to buy instruments. However, everyone eventually leaves this band except for Nakamura, Tomoko, Yoshie, Sekiguchi, and Naomi.  They decide to pick up mushrooms in the mountains to raise money where they get attacked by a boar. However, this turns out to be a great luck for them actually since Naomi falls onto the boar’s head while they fight against the boar, and eventually kills it; they get awarded enough money to buy new instruments. Later, these five and the two punk rockers form a small band and also find out that their Math teacher, Mr. Ozawa, is a saxophone player whom they ask for saxophone lessons. They become better at playing the instruments, and perform in front of the supermarket where they have worked before. Then the other girls who once have left them see them playing and join the team again. Now, back to the full members, their journey as a big band cheerfully begins.

Swing Girls definitely is promoting jazz. Thus, although it is a comedy film, it is also a musical. Since the whole film is about instruments and bands, the film is generally vital with lots of music. However, first of all, the background sound in the beginning of the film is very appropriate that noisy sound of Cicadas and mixed sounds of other insects well describe how summer is like in Japan. It really makes audience to feel the same way as the characters feel in the film. Moreover, the music when they are on the train to deliver the lunch boxes is very enjoyable. The music is very exiting and cheerful which illustrates the students’ feelings very well that how happy they are when they are out of the math class. These are good examples how the background music and sound were used in this film in order to enhance its atmosphere in each scenes. Finally, lots of jazz make the overall mood of the film much more delightfully.

Characters’ development is very unique in the film. It is somewhat unreal how quickly they have become such great at playing instruments, but it is very pleasing and fun to watch how they improve. Moreover, all their efforts and passion toward music and the band motivate audience to become more passionate. They work at the supermarket, go to mountain to pick up mushrooms to sell, ask Mr. Ozawa for lessons, and also practice very hard. In fact, they do not work so hard for some kind of reward, but they do it because they like it and enjoy it. It really gives the audience hope and dreams. It is a change from bad students who had to take summer courses for make up into talented big band members. It is a big development of the characters. For individual character development, the relationship between Nakamura and Tomoko is a good example. In the beginning, they face many conflicts and do not get along each other well; later, they become closer together and feel some kind of chemistry with each other. For instance, during the snow fight, they pause at once and look each other with charming eyes together.

Swing Girls is such a great film with a lot of fun and positive messages. It is fresh and pleasant. A comedy film with jazz music create exiting atmosphere. Moreover, the actors perform so well and realistically that helps the film to be pleasing from the beginning to the end. There is no such an unnecessary scene in the film. There are two kinds of people in the world that are people who swing and people who do not. Which one are you?

Categories
comedy drama, melodrama literary adaptations romance

Train Man

“Train Man” (Densha Otoko) directed by Murakami Shosuke, was released in 2005.

This romantic comedy film is not the first exposure of the story to the public. It was originally from a Japanese bulletin board website thread called ‘ch2’ in 2004. In fact, the story has been published in books, manga, drama and play too. However, the film, starring Yamada Takayuki and Nakatani Miki as the two main characters, has features that show colours of Japanese culture, its trends, and aspects of Japanese people in its own style.

A 22-year-old man (Yamada Takayuki starring as Densha otoko), who likes to wander on Akihabara Street, is a computer engineer. One day, on his way to home, he was struck by the beauty of a goddess-like woman (Nakatani Miki starring as Hermes) on the train. Suddenly, a drunk man causes a nuisance to people on the train and picks up on the woman. There, Densha otoko somehow saves her from the drunkard, and as gratitude, she asks for his address in order to send him a thank-you gift. And the love story begins. Densha otoko posts his first encounter with Hermes, and people all around in Japan get interested in this geeky guy’s love affair. After few days, he receives a set of Hermes mugs from her, but with his age equaling the number of his years without a girlfriend, he doesn’t know how to meet her again. So, he asks for advice from people from the website.

The number of people who coach Densha otoko increases day by day, and at some point, people become so involved that they feel like it is their own matters. They give advice on what to say, what to wear, which restaurants to eat at, when to ask out, based on their own experience. These people include a nurse who had been dumped by her boyfriend, a married salaryman who has no conversation with his wife, a married woman who feels lonely, three young men who almost live at a manga-book shop, and a cynical young man who shut himself up from his family and the outside. They cheer Densha otoko up and give genuine advice.

It is noticeable in the beginning that Densha otoko is a total otaku, a slang word for geek. (Even in the name, the assonance in the two words show similarity. i.e. otaku & otoko) However, the image of otaku is only present in the beginning of the film until Densha otoko gets a total make-over for the first date with Hermes. He cuts his long hair, takes off his glasses and replaces his glasses with contact lenses, gets dressed into a pair of trendy denim jeans instead of trousers that his father would wear. Although Densha otoko is reflected as an otaku, it doesn’t necessarily make the story about how an otaku comes to fall in love with a beautiful woman. In fact, his switch of image in the beginning occurred to me as a beautification of real otaku people in order to make it a love story between a normal man and woman. It molds negative aspects of otaku so that more audiences become interested and feel sympathy for Densha otoko.

Other than the image of otaku in the film, there are some other cultural aspects that can be observed. In the scene where Densha otoko sees Hermes for the first time, people’s reaction toward the drunken man is kind of comical but interesting at the same time. People don’t try to make eye contact with the drunkard and nobody stand up to him. I thought this showed how Japanese people don’t like to speak up in public, and how the influence of individualism is currently present in public places such as the train. I wondered what would have happened if the same situation occurred in Canada, and I think anyone would have stopped the drunken man, for their own safety and for others.

On the other hand, there are some aspects of the traditional culture of Japan shown too. For example, Hermes and the other ladies who were saved by Densha otoko from the drunken man, ask for Densha otoko’s address to express gratitude. This cultural exchange of gifts is one of the unique customs in Japan. When someone receives a service or a gift from another, people always pay them back and give thanks.

There were two certain scenes that brought me to think about people’s different treatments depending on appearance. A campaign girl who advertises a man’s cosmetic product gives out samples of the product to every man passing by on a street. There she comes up to Densha otoko to give out the samples but she abruptly turns away after looking at his appearance. However, after Densha otoko transforms, the same girl holds the sample until he takes it. I thought that in her attitude, she represents how young Japanese people really are attached to appearance. These scenes can be compared to one of the scenes at the climax, when Densha otoko unintentionally goes back to the geeky outlook to find Hermes on Akihabara Street. (Watch and find out what happens!)

The fact that this movie only took 25 days to film explains why the story unfolds quickly without details. Even so, the film is quite easy to understand, and I think the director adequately threw in scenes that illustrate aspects of the story itself as well as some of current trends of Japan. However, it is a sweet romantic-comedy movie which reminds people of their first dates and makes the audience to feel the nervousness again. Plus, those who need help with dating may find tips after watching the movie!

Categories
comedy drama, melodrama

Kamikaze Girls

The film Kamikaze Girls (Shimotsuma Monogatari), was directed by Nakashima Tetsuya. The comedy starred Fukada Kyoko as Ryuugasaki Momoko and Tsuchiya Anna as Shirayuri Ichigo,  and was released in 2004 by Shimotsuma Monogakari Seisaku Iinkai which includes TBS, Toho, and Shogakkan. The film narrates the story of Shimotsuma, Ibaragi which is located beside Tokyo. Since Ibaragi is part of the Japanese countryside, the price of products and land is much cheaper than in Tokyo. In the movie, Momoko shows up wearing girly dresses adorned with frills. This type of attire is called “Lolita fashion,” and is an imitation of the fashion style back in the Rococo era. The Lolita fashion emerged in 1990 and by 2004 it was very popular in Japan. Momoko’s fashion influenced young girls and led to the big Lolita fashion boom in 2004.

Momoko, the main character of this movie, has a very unique personality as she shows strong admiration of the style of the Rococo era. She does not get along with her classmates because she is too different from them. One day, Momoko encounters Ichigo, a local punk, who is also very different from others. At first, Momoko is annoyed with Ichigo and tries to avoid her, but gradually Momoko begins to trust Ichigo, and treats her as a friend. This friendship is demonstrated when, because Ichigo desires to embroider her own jacket as a display of gratitude towards her senpai, Momoko instead embroiders the jacket for Ichigo. For three days and nights Momoko continues stitching and successfully finishes the embroidery. After seeing how full of joy and thankful Ichigo was because of the embroidery, Momoko finally realizes that Ichigo is very special to her. The resulting story is about how Momoko matures and changes through overcoming difficult events alongside Ichigo.

The director puts most of his effort into the first appearance of the each character. The scene where Momoko first shows up on the screen was a extremely dynamic image and gave a great impact on the audience as Momoko is run over by a car. Ichigo’s first entrance is a little different. Momoko receives a poorly hand-written letter from Ichigo and the lack of proper penmanship invites us to imagine that Ichigo is of a young age. Contrary to our expectations, while raising a cloud of smoke behind her motocycle, the punkish Ichigo comes to visit Momoko. Ryuuji has also a different kind of the entrance. When he first shows up, his hair is zoomed in on and occupies the whole screen. This may be because it is his most charming feature, but this scene is nevertheless successful in showing the fact that the saviour, Ryuuji, has arrived. Each first appearance of the characters is very unique and deeply impressive.

In its attempt to create the artistic scenes, the film incorporates several camera techniques. The first one is called the hand-held shot, which emphasizes speed within the film. This technique is frequently used when the frames are from the viewpoint of a rider on a motorcycle in order to allow the audience to experience its speed. The second technique is slow motion. Using slow motion can emphasize certain frames within a given scene, especially the artistic and beautiful scenes, to provide extra impact on the audience At the onset of the film, as Momoko is hit by a vehicle, not only herself but also cabbages and the pachinko balls fly along with Momoko for extra effect. The way that the items gradually fall from the sky was shot very much intentionally and to a very beautiful and whimsical effect. The third technique is called medium shot, and that gives us the feeling of being inside of the movie. By allowing the audience a view of the whole body of the characters, it differentiates the differences between Momoko and Ichigo due to their wildly different fashion choices. The ultra vivid colours of the landscape can considered as well. Those brightly coloured landscapes are artistic but reduce the effect of the medium shot, that is, the effect which makes the audience feel like they are actually in the movie. The super bright colours thereby reduce the film’s tension.

After watching the film Kamikaze Girls, my expectations were fulfilled due to the beautiful pictures and the perfect scenario. The highlights of the film are the entrances of each of the unique characters and the artistic camera work, which is not often seen in Japanese films. I was just as impressed with the musical score, the costumes, and the story line. The funny combination of the unique characters, a bad girl and a Lolita girl, is unexpected but very interesting.  I am very satisfied after watching this movie. I strongly recommend people watch it if they want some laughs and maybe even a few tears.

Categories
anime

“Spirited Away”: A Fairy Tale for Adults

Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi) is a Studio Ghibli animated film directed by Miyazaki Hayao. Miyazaki announced his retreat from his career as an animation director after the making of Mononoke Princess (1997), and later returned to the industry in 2001 with this adventurous masterpiece. The long list of awards and accolades that this film garnered, including the Academy Award for Best Animated feature of 2003, marked Miyazaki’s comeback as a great success. Despite its being in the family animation genre, Spirited Away is not a movie purely for the viewing pleasure of children. “It is for those adults who were once a ten-year-old kid,” as stressed by Miyazaki, “and for those children who are becoming ten years old.”

The story begins with a ten-year-old girl, Chihiro, and her parents driving on the way to their new home in a suburb. During the trip, they find themselves lost and park in front of a mysterious tunnel entrance. Out of curiosity, Chihiro’s parents decide to find out what lies behind the tunnel. They discover a secret underworld behind the entrance, which looks like an artificial town built in the style of 19th century Japan. While Chihiro senses insecurity and insists on leaving, Chihiro’s parents are attracted by an unattended restaurant filled with palatable food. They start pigging out and keep eating the food until, after a short time, they are turned into pigs by a curse. Terrified, Chihiro runs into the town and encounters groups of bodiless Japanese spirits and gods entering a spectacular bathhouse. At the same time, she finds her body turning transparent, but is saved from disappearing completely by a boy named Haku. Haku is an apprentice of Yubaba — a powerful sorceress who rules the bathhouse and overlooks the town. With Haku’s help, Chihiro obtains a job as a worker in the bathhouse, and in exchange her name is abbreviated to ‘Sen’ by Yubaba. After a few days of work, Chihiro turns out to be a diligent and wholehearted worker. During her stay in the enchanted underworld, Chihiro is always reminded by Haku that she must remember her original name and break the spell on her parents in order to return to her world. Haku himself regrets that he is unable to remember his original identity. To repay Haku’s help, Chihiro starts a journey to look for Haku’s real identity and to search for an antidote for her parents’ curse.

As suggested by its original Japanese title Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (the spiriting away of Sen and Chihiro), the film heavily focuses on Chihiro’s character development. Throughout the film, she has undergone a dramatic change in her behaviour and personality. In the beginning of the film, Chihiro behaves as a lazy, sullen, timid, and bad-mannered girl who cares about nothing more than herself. During the car trip, she reacts passively to her new home, and does not feel very excited about receiving the first banquet in her life. She is so craven that a little monster statue standing in front of the tunnel entrance makes her shiver. In the scene in which she asks Yubaba for a job, she does not knock on the door before she enters the room, nor is she polite in her request. Both knocking on the door and talking to a senior politely are considered basic manners in the Japanese tradition. As her work in the bathhouse continues, Chihiro starts to conform to more considerate manners. She attentively follows Yubaba’s order to serve the Stinky God, and she behaves humbly when serving this extremely difficult customer. She also learns to feel grateful to those who treat her kindly, like Haku, as she dares to risk her job just to help him. In the end of the film, even if the faceless spirit turns into a horrifically gigantic monster, Chihiro manages to sit down and talk to him calmly. This scene demonstrates that there is no timidity in Chihiro anymore.

Despite the fact that Chihiro’s initial manners are not culturally favourable, her ability to resist temptation is much appreciated in the film. The resistance against materialistic desires is seen as an important theme of the film, as Miyazaki makes heavy use of symbolism throughout the film to emphasize it. Chihiro’s parents are punished by being turned into pigs because of their gluttony. As suggested by many religious texts and cultural doctrines, such as the Seven Deadly Sins, food usually symbolizes the consumption of physical and material pleasure. By punishing Chihiro’s parents, the story delivers the message that the pursuit of pure carnal delights will only turn human beings into beasts and will not bring genuine happiness to the soul. The faceless spirit is another example of a pure soul contaminated by materialistic desires. In the film, we can see that the more the spirit eats, the more savage and angry he becomes. After swallowing the medicine given by Chihiro, the faceless spirit vomits up everything he has gulped and returns to a calm and friendly state. He then finds pleasure in doing simple tasks such as weaving clothes for a granny. Chihiro, on the other hand, retains her indifferent attitude towards materialism through the end. She resists the seduction of scrumptious free food, and rejects the lure of gold from the faceless. Her ability to resist material temptation prevents her from turning into an animal like her parents did, and finally leads her to a successful escape from the underworld.

Many critics describe Spirited Away as the Japanese version of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. The film indeed carries an ample number of fairy tale elements and symbolism that resemble those in Alice in Wonderland. However, if we are to say that Alice in Wonderland is an inspirational story born out of pure imagination, Spirited Away is more of a thoughtful piece that is heavily based on traditional Japanese culture. The architecture and the spirits that we see in the magical underworld did not come from Miyazaki’s imagination.  Many of them in fact originate from collections of traditional Japanese mythologies. By including a large number of traditional elements in the film, Miyazaki constructs a conflict between the traditional moral doctrines of temperance and the modern trend of materialism. Miyazaki’s style of artistic aesthetics also makes Spirited Away a visually inspiring film. Overall, the film is packed with suspense, action, moral conflicts, and artistic inspirations, which together make the film a highly enjoyable and thoughtful one.

Categories
drama, melodrama

Pandemic Review

Pandemic (Kansô rettô) was released in 2009, directed by Zeze Takahisa. Actor Tsumabuki Shi plays the lead the male role as Matsuoka Tsuyoshi, an ER doctor. Dan Rei plays the leading female role in the movie as Kobayashi Eiko, an officer from the WHO. The film was a huge success at the Cannes International Film Festival 2008. Alongside, it received many appreciations from many countries where the Hollywood directors came forward with offers to reproduce the film. Pandemic a pack of thriller and drama genre was released with original Japanese and English Subtitles.

As the movie kickstarts, Tsuyoshi receives a patient with a strange deadly infection. The infection is mysterious and incurable; one of its own kind in the human medical history. The patient dies after suffering high fever, convulsions, vomiting of blood and multiple organ failure. The virus spreads rapidly throughout the area and many of Tsuyoshi’s colleagues become infected showing the same symptoms. As the film rolls, the situation grows worse as more patients start to arrive at the hospital every day. Officer Eiko is assigned to take responsibility and control the infected area. Within a span of three months, the virus spreads, engulfing the entire country like a wildfire. In the movie, the WHO estimates that if the virus continues to spread in the same speed, the number of dead toll in Japan would count to more than the number of dead toll in any World War.

The performance rate of the actors demonstrates splendid quality. The characters displayed by Tsumabuki Shi and Dan Rei are simply outstanding and remarkable. In the film, the chemistry between the two leading actors, as a doctor and an officer flawlessly carries out. At the end of the film, the performance from Tsumabuki Shi to exhibit “crying in agony” is extremely unspeakable and unblemished. The doctor cures many patients, but he loses his lover. Eiko dies while Tsuyoshi attends a patient. Therefore, he cried out loud in agony over the dead body. He rues his lover’s death, thinking about the possibilities; had he arrived a little earlier; he could have saved his only love. The newfound love passed his life too early, never to come back.

The film is about a deadly virus, but it also illustrates a tender exploration. In the film, the tender side is not only the love shared between the leading actors and the sad farewell. But an emotional clip where a young nurse sends her message to her young daughter from the hospital is very touching. Her daughter is excited about spending a family holiday, but the young nurse has to stay back in the hospital to save the patients. People are isolated by an iron gate to stop the spread of infection, which also means they have to talk without looking each other. The daughter waits for her mother holding the mobile. But alas! She didn’t know that her mother is no longer alive. But, when the father obtains the reality, he picks up his wife’s cell phone and continues to send messages to his daughter.

The film is really worth watching. It shows a way to behave when disaster strikes the human race. It’s also a warning to our human race that, such deadly virus could break out at any time. A few months after this film was released, the H1N1 engulfed half the world. There are many scenes which might require parental control for the minors. Many actors can play the same role, but a true talented actor like Tsumabuki Shi has a different beat of charm, bringing out the maximum eminence in the movie.

Categories
anime anti-war drama, melodrama

Film Review of “Hotaru no haka” (Grave of the Fireflies)

Takahata Isao’s 1988 animation film Hotaru no haka (Grave of the Fireflies) tells a heartwarming but sad story of a fourteen-year-old brother and his little younger sister, who have to survive under the cruel war. It is worth mentioning that this piece has been regarded by some Western movie commentators as one of the most influential anti-war movies. This Japanese animation film is worth winning our attention because of its technical achievements alone: the use of fantastic and delicate color and beautiful background music. By these accomplishments, Hotaru no haka will probably always attract audiences from many countries and of different generations, however, from my point of view, the reason why the film is so fascinating is that it reflects the destruction of the war on Japanese society. The film may be more important as it attempts to show the disaster caused by the war on human society to all audiences especially for people who has experienced wars.

As a film with a clear war/anti-war theme, the indictment for the war is primarily focused on the ravages of the war on society and individuals. In the movie, the characters’ family could have been very happy: their mother is beautiful and elegant, and their father is a naval officer, who is respected by other people, however, the cruel war took away the lives of their parents. Thus, these two poor kids become orphans. Although it could be luck for them to escape from the bomb raid, they have lost their happy family forever and have to face hunger. I found myself totally attracted by the honest description of the two characters’ suffering about the war from one scene the most. It is a scene that the brother is playing in the water with his younger sister at the beach. The relentless war can’t stop the deep feelings between the brother and his younger sister. At this time, the recall is expanding and the brother’s mind is gradually filled by memories: in the same place during the peacetime when their mother was still alive, they were so happy as they could play carefree and plenty of fine food was waiting for them to eat. Soon, his mind pulled back by the fighters’ sound…Therefore, Hotaru no haka provides the audiences with an honest look at how such war is in the Japanese history. What this film highlights, however, is not only the true reflection of the destruction of the war on the society but also how it presents human nature throughout this cruel war. From my point of view, what the film wants to display in addition to the mutilation of the relentless war on human is that under such extreme living conditions, human nature exists beyond all. I still remember the scene in which the brother degenerates into a thief and shouts “let the bomb come” violently.

After watching this film, I would like to present some personal views about some previous war/anti-war films that were manufactured in China. In most of our previous war/anti-war films, the description of the war is different in our movies. Our soldiers are always very brave and wise while the enemy is in the country. We always win, the enemies always fail. Rather than demonstrating the performance of human nature in the war/anti-war film, our film shows too much of our courage, wisdom, tenacity and strength. How come such unreal portrayal which lacks a description of human nature can strongly touch audiences’ hearts!

In conclusion, I consider this film as the best war/anti-war film I have ever watched and strongly recommend it to people who haven’t seen it yet.

Categories
comedy drama, melodrama gendai-geki

‘Swing, Swing, Swing: Let’s Fall in Love with Jazz’

‘Swing Girls’  (スウィングガールズ) is a drama-comedy film that was released in 2004, directed by Shinobu Yaguchi. Being Yaguchi’s one of the most highly acclaimed films, it received seven prizes including ‘Most Popular Film’ at the 2005 Japanese Academy Awards. ‘Swing Girls’ is a simple, light-hearted movie that portrays a success-story of school girls who undergo significant growth and self-discovery through their love of music. The main character Tomoko Suzuki, is played by Ueno Juri, an actress who is greatly known for her superb acting skills. The central theme of the film deals with the idea that people do not have to be perfect in order to achieve success and happiness. Music plays a dominant role in conveying this message.

The story starts off with showing a young group of high school students stuck in a classroom. While they should be outside, enjoying the beautiful weather, they are instead confined into a small classroom, staring blankly a number of math equations written on the board. In the midst of such boredom, the students stumble upon news that immediate help is needed in delivering lunches for the school’s brass band. Desperately wanting to escape from the math class, the students volunteer to help and get on the train with 100 lunchboxes. However, the train ends up taking them to the very last stop as they accidently fall asleep during the ride. Eventually, the heat spoils all the lunches and end up hospitalizing the band members with food-poisoning. The only band member left is Takuo Nakamura (played by Yuta Hiraoka). He demands Tomoko to take responsibility for the mistake and asks the girls to join the band just until the original band members return. Nakamura takes charge of the band, but he is faced with a major challenge as most of these girls have no experience with brass instruments. Therefore, the girls start from scratch and receive physical trainings from Nakamura in an attempt to expand and strengthen their lungs. After a brief period of intensive training, the girls finally get their hands on the instruments and begin to play some real music. Just as the girls begin fall in love with music, the originals members return. Although the girls pretend to be relieved by their return, in reality they are heartbroken that their brief but dream-like moments of joy have come to an end. The summer passes and the new school year begins. Tomoko, realizing that she has discovered affection for music, starts recruiting old classmates (including Nakamura and a math teacher who turns out to be a huge jazz fanatic) and decides to form a big jazz band, named “Swing Girls”. However, forming their own jazz band does not prove to be a smooth process as they face several obstacles along the way. As they cannot afford to buy the instruments, they take on all sorts of jobs in order to raise enough money. Tomoko also makes a critical mistake which almost costs them the precious opportunity to participate in a national band competition. However, the violent weather brings them luck as they are given another chance to enter the competition and perform in front of the whole crowd. The time has finally come to gather all of their energy and passion for music, and spill it all out onto the stage giving the performance of their lifetime.

The rural setting of the film is very significant. It contributes greatly in creating a friendly and peaceful atmosphere. The first half of the film is set in summer season, featuring wide green grass, bright blue sky and the blazing yellow sun. These summer scenes amplify the cheerful and youthful energy of the characters, and also mark their period of freedom. The usage of dialect and suburban setting definitely help make the characters more relatable and strengthens the sense of group uniformity. Personally, if the story had taken place in the city, filled with large buildings, ceaseless movements and individualistic tendencies, the success story would not have felt as poignant and inspiring. Instead, the success would have been perceived more as an individual success rather than a group success.

The main characters presented in ‘Swing Girls’ all share common characteristics. They are considered somewhat as social outcasts. The fact that the girls have been assigned to the remedial summer class shows that they are not the most intelligent group of their peers. I think Yaguchi deliberately characterizes the girls in this way in order to expose problems associated with rigidity of the Japanese education system and social stereotypes. Many people in Asia form judgment on our youths solely based on their intellectual abilities and academic performances. If they do not achieve high grades, they are considered as ‘problematic’ and are socially disapproved. The film features various ‘social misfits’ such as Tomoko who is wrapped in uncertainty about her future, and Nakamura who is powerless and timid under authority. Also, Kaori is a nerdy girl often ignored and rejected by her peers, and Naomi struggles through weight issues. Even the math teacher possesses a critical shortcoming; although his love for jazz music is greater than anyone else’s, the truth is that his saxophone playing ability is at a kindergarten level. In the end, though, this unlikely group of people goes from zero to hero as their collective efforts bring them huge success.

This film also provides the audience with ample comedy through funny dialogues and acting and many humourous settings. Also, the comedy flows very naturally and never appear forced or exaggerated. One of the epic moments of the film is when Tomoko and her friends are chased by a wild boar in the forest. All of a sudden, everything becomes slow-motion and Louis Armstrong’s ‘What a Wonderful World’ starts to be played in the background. Such unpredictability is what makes this film so fresh and delightful. This film does not complicate the viewers with dramatic conflict or perplexing love-triangle. It’s simple plot and light-hearted humour creates a very relaxing and enjoyable experience for the audience. Also, what is truly remarkable about ‘Swing Girls’ is that the actors and actresses learned to play the instruments before shooting the film and all the music are actually performed by the actors themselves. This formula definitely helps bringing more authenticity and naturalness to the film.

Yaguchi uses music as a vehicle to help the characters realize their dreams and goals. Although jazz is not a genre that many Japanese people are familiar with, Yaguchi makes it more approachable and accessible by having a group of ordinary and relatable characters introduce this genre to the audience. Just like many of us, members of ‘Swing Girls’ are all beginners and has very little knowledge about music but through months of arduous training, all of the members achieve major growth and improvements. The film shows a detailed process of how the students come to love and understand jazz and Yaguchi invites the audience to take part in this learning process. The movie also demonstrates how powerful music is. Through music, all of the members form deep connections with each other and realize their potentials and capabilities. They finally discover something they feel passionate about and for the first time in their lives, they feel sense of accomplishment and self-worth. Music provides them with life-changing experiences.

‘Swing Girls’ portrays a group of young people discovering their true self and the value of life through music. Albert Schweitzer once said “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful”. This quote aligns with the themes of ‘Swing Girls’ as the film demonstrates that one does not have to be the smartest, prettiest or richest person to achieve success and happiness. By doing what they love, they gain new level confidence and self-awareness and send out hopeful and inspirational messages to the audience. ‘Swing Girls’ is a delightful film that pleases the audience with endearing characters, light-hearted comedy and the sounds of jazz. One does not have to be a music expert to enjoy this movie, so I strongly recommend this movie to all viewers whether they are music lovers or not.

Categories
anime literary adaptations science-fiction

“Paprika” and the Chaotic Dream Surfing

Probably one of the most bizarre movies I have ever seen, Paprika, a 2006 anime film directed by Kon Satoshi which was adapted from the novel written by Tsutsui Yasutaka, is definitely not an ordinary animated film intended for child entertainment. Featuring the voice of renowned Japanese voice actor Hayashibara Megumi (as Dr. Chiba/Paprika), Paprika will leave you confounded, amazed, and craving for more. This film is about a team of research psychologists who invented a therapeutic device, called D.C. Mini, that can be utilized to treat patients’ disorders by delving into their dreams and venturing the subconscious to figure out the source of their anxieties. Dr. Chiba Atsuko, the head of the research team, however, has been using this device to treat patients beyond the bounds of their facility through her dream world alter ego, Paprika. Among her patients is Mr. Toshimi Konakawa, the police detective, who has been plagued by mysterious recurring dreams that always end up with a man shot dead and a person running away from the scene. Chaos ensues when three of the prototypes have been stolen; and since these devices haven’t been completed, nor approved by the government, the user has the ability to invade dreams and wreck havoc in people’s lives – among the victims are Dr. Tokita Kōsaku, the inventor of the device, and his assistant, Himuro Kei. It is up to Paprika now to trace the culprit and try to prevent the illusion from completely merging with reality. Intense, exciting, unpredictable twists are definitely a few of the highlights of this movie. Interestingly, this was also an inspiration for the creation of the movie, Inception, which was a recent blockbuster film directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Leonardo Di Caprio (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, 2010).

The most prominent, thought-provoking part of the movie is definitely the plot which leaves most viewers baffled and seeking for explanation and clarification. One can never really guess what’s coming next, because the unfolding events carry unexpected twists. If you are about to watch this movie, chances are, you would not understand it at first. You would probably need to take a little time to piece scenes up and try to make sense out of the picture, or better yet, re-watch the entire film. The juggling between dreams and reality, the merging of illusions, and the chaotic combination of the real world and the land of dreams, which corresponds more to its negative or nightmarish aspect for the purpose of this movie, contribute to its perplexing nature. One scene that was hard to tell if it was reality or illusion, for me, is the part where Konakawa goes on his computer and visits a website which literally and personally takes him to a bar where he meets Paprika to discuss his psychological condition. Paprika is an entity that only shows up in dreams whenever Dr. Chiba uses the D.C. Mini. It is not clear how his entire body appears to be physically present, talking face-to-face with her, since he is last shown as just sitting in front of a computer. The boundary between reality and illusion is not clearly set since there are no scenes particularly showing the use of the psychotherapeutic machine, D.C. Mini, prior to entering dreams other than when Dr. Tokita applies it to himself to visit his friend and assistant’s dream. Unlike watching “The Matrix” where the division is evident – before setting off to the artificial world, the process of hooking up the characters to machines that allow them to enter is directly shown – this movie has been devoid of most this real world-dream world connection. Viewers are set to assume that the D.C. Mini is being used whenever the scene seems non-sensical and fantastical.

The confusion brought about by the plot draws focus to the animation that is so outlandish yet incredible in nature, it ties up to the theme of the movie – the concept of dreams and its illusory aspects. Dreams are not supposed to make sense sometimes, but depending on what they are about, they can either be enjoyed or feared. Yet no matter the content, dreams can be whimsical and filled with events that we would never expect to happen in real life. This is what this film is all about – exploring the impossible through animation. As an avid anime watcher in my younger years, I’m used to seeing over-the-top, beyond normal or real world animations, but this one has a dark, creepy tone to it, which may cater to non-anime fans. This tone is somehow lightened up with scenes that are lively and full of color, such as the circus and the parade. However, even if it is something that might capture children’s attention, the creepiness exhibited through the appearing and disappearing of the Japanese geisha doll in the hollow body of Dr. Shima, the chief of the research department, during the dream parade, as well as the capacity of Dr. Osanai, another researcher who has deep admiration for Dr. Chiba, to let his hand enter Paprika’s body, ripping it apart to reveal her real naked (yes, there is nudity) identity when he has the opportunity to capture her, will definitely send shivers down the spine. Viewers may find the series of events baffling, but they will never miss the excellent animation and the intensity of the details in every sequence. The distortion of reality and the fusion of illusion and truth are beautifully illustrated. According to Rob Nelson of The Village Voice, Paprika “isn’t a movie that’s meant to be understood so much as simply experienced – or maybe dreamed” (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, 2010).

If you are into creepy, well-created, mature, and mind-boggling anime movies, then this is the perfect movie for you. This will definitely keep your brain and your eyes entertained for the entire duration of the film. Pair up the confusing plot with lots of eye-catching visuals and you’ll be gaping for the whole hour and a half. For a more fulfilling experience, make sure to film your reaction all throughout the movie – it might be as entertaining as the movie itself.

Source:

Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. “Paprika (2006 film)”. Wikipedia: The Free Dictionary. November 6, 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paprika_%282006_film%29 Retrieved November 1, 2010.

Categories
action extreme literary adaptations thriller

Battle Royale: A Tale of Caution

A grandiose orchestra plays together with a dark and soaring choral ensemble as a news helicopter arrives loudly to the scene. An overtly excited newscaster tells us of a class of 9th graders chosen for a fiercely contested game whose rules we’ve yet to learn. Taken to the scene in a military vehicle by armored soldiers and swarmed by the press, a small girl in school uniform holds on to her doll as the newscaster reports that she is the winner. Covered head-to-toes in blood, the girl slowly raises her face and eerily smiles for the cameras in a series of jump cuts and flashes. This introductory scene shockingly sets the tone of Fukasaku Kinji’s grim horror action thriller: Battle Royale (Batoru rowaiaru, 2000). Fifteen minutes later, we witness the first of over 40 gruesome deaths: an adult is shot through the eye, a girl is stabbed in the forehead, and a boy’s neck is made to explode by a collar triggered through radio waves. I warn you that Battle Royale is not the kind of movie you should be watching if you are weak of stomach, or if old samurai films are the most violence you can handle in a day.

It was precisely the violent nature of the storyline which drew much of the controversy surrounding the film and the large audiences that made it a hit. The movie has an R15 rating (restricted for those 15 years old and over), an apparently rarely used rating in Japan even for violent films.[1] Fukasaku who disliked the rating, attempted to have the censor board review it once more, but the film sparked controversy at the Japanese Diet who called it “crude and tasteless”, so he withdrew the request out of fear for more censorship.[2] Though I must agree with the censor board and the Japanese politicians due to the film’s graphic nature, the film did manage to be a box-office hit grossing the equivalent of $25 million USD in Japanese yen, spawning a sequel, a number of mangas, and a possible future Hollywood remake. Such a success is worthy—if not of some level of appreciation—at least of respect.

The story—which is a bit convoluted because of the enormous amount of characters—happens in an alternate dystopic Japan where unemployment, inflation, and government tyranny lead teenagers towards delinquency and rebellion. To placate the rebellious youth and instill fear, the government passes the Millennium Reform School Act forcing one randomly selected class of ninth grade students to compete in a game of death and survival against each other with real weapons on a deserted island once every year. This year’s chosen class is Class B; forty-four students each with their individual teenager insecurities and quirks.

The film maintains cohesion by focusing on two specific characters: Nanahara Shuya (Fujiwara Tatsuya) and Nakagawa Noriko (Maeda Aki); friends together with the rebellious Nobu (Kotani Yukihiro)—the previously mentioned boy whose collar explodes. Prior to the game, Nobu incites an uprising at school and stabs the school teacher Kitano (appropriately played by Kitano Takeshi) in the leg. Unbeknownst to the class the sadistic Kitano becomes the head of the Battle Royale Program and is the one who kills Nobu both out of revenge, and to make an example out of him. Once the game begins, Shuya and Noriko are morally correct characters who do not want to kill, thus they stay together out of friendship and support. However, not all their classmates think alike and soon the carnage begins. Some try to hide, some gang up to hunt the rest, and another small group attempts an elaborate plan to deactivate the collars. The storyline unfolds as Shuya and Noriko bump into the different groups of students, and how their interactions with them lead to acts of revenge, jealousy, a few times of love, and more than anything, gruesome deaths. Meanwhile, from his base of operations, the emotionless Kitano watches the game unfold every now and then informing the surviving students through speakerphones across the island of the growing number of dead.

The controversy that surrounds the story most positively comes not just from violence and gore, quite common in modern film times, but because the plot revolves around perfectly normal teenagers who go awry under extreme circumstances. Such scenes as when five of the schoolgirls kill each other after an incident with a poisoned soup intended for Shuya, highlights the kind of tonal shifts that happen all throughout the film. We pass from moments of simple schoolgirl chit-chat, where one of the girls Sugimura Hiroki is pressured to reveal her feelings for Shuya, to a moment of pure violence that a western director like Quentin Tarantino would love.

In an interview to Fukasaku, the 70 year old director commented that his film is nothing but a fable, a parable, a tale of caution meant to educate. However, we should ask who is the film attempting to educate? Fukasaku wants to emphasize a generational gap: adults vs. youth. He mentions in the interview the gap that existed between his own generation who fought the war, and the younger modern one: “since the burst of the bubble economy… adults, many of them salary men and working class people… most of them started to lose confidence in themselves. And the children who have grown up and witnessed what happened to the adults, their anxiety became heightened as well”.[3] Perhaps we should then consider that the violence in the film exemplifies an exaggeration of the horrid and awkward journey that is growing up and becoming an adult.

On the adult spectrum, the heartless Kitano becomes one of the most enigmatic and distressingly interesting characters of the film, because he illustrates the extremism and single-mindedness that often times comes with being an adult. To western audiences, the emotionless performance by Kitano Takeshi contrasts with his comedic appearances seen through reruns and dubs of the television show Takeshi’s Castle. The actor here plays the teacher Kitano completely straightforward; he is merciless, cold, calculating but at the same time dangerously unpredictable as he demonstrates at the beginning of the film when he delights himself in killing Nobu and one of the student girls. However, the teacher still serves a bizarre comedic purpose as his dialogue is ironic when he says things such as: “Sorry, it’s against the rules for me to kill isn’t it?”, or later on: “It’s tough when friends die on you, but hang in there”.  Dressed in sweatpants, Kitano spends his time doing stretching exercises and eating cookies, while outside his base the most despicable acts of murder are carried by his command. At a determined point in the movie (which I won’t reveal or it could spoil the film); Kitano reveals a gruesome painting that he has drawn. It is of the island, covered in the butchered bodies of the students and surrounding a heavenly image of Noriko. Kitano says that it represents his hope that she will be the only survivor of the game. This strange relationship between him and Noriko is showcased at several points in the film, such as when he saves her from the mischievous Mitsuko (the school temptress and femme fatale) and strangely offers Noriko an umbrella to protect her from the rain. There’s one more bizarre one in which we see them both talk and eat ice-cream by an idyllic riverside enjoying each other’s company. The scene appears slightly washed out and happens in between two shots of Noriko and Kitano sleeping separately, as if to say that perhaps the riverside scene is a dream that they are both currently sharing. Kitano’s strange behavior, obsession with Noriko and passive aggressive behavior are a few of the things in Battle Royale that make it an interesting study on the psychology of deranged individuals, but it also begs a comment on the psychology of grown people who having lived through extreme circumstances, become immune or desensitized by acts of extremity.

There is no doubt that Fukasaku’s Battle Royale has become a staple of Japanese cult cinema, because of the extreme acts of violence portrayed between teenagers. An adherence to such a taboo subject—essentially demystifying the innocence of youth—in favor of a view that portrays the journey of becoming an adult as a nightmarish path towards intolerance and indifference. If the story is a tale of caution it’s probably effective for its shock value as a form catharsis, but we should begin questioning ourselves for the reasons that a small group of devoted fans—such as I—find such horrible things, so attractive. Have we simply just not changed at all from those years when say Romans forced slaves in gladiatorial combat? Is Fukasaku’s final comment that we as a race are simply violent by nature and no amount of reasoning or morality will ever change that? I pray it isn’t so.

[1] Leong, Anthony (2001). “Battle Royale Movie Review”. Issue 33 of Asian Cult Cinima. Retrieved 2007-01-08

[2] Mes, Tom and Jasper Sharp. “Midnight Eye interview: Kinji Fukasaku.” 9 April 2001. Midnight Eye. <http://www.midnighteye.com/interviews/kinji_fukasaku.shtml>.

[3] Mes, Tom and Jasper Sharp. “Midnight Eye interview: Kinji Fukasaku.” 9 April 2001. Midnight Eye. <http://www.midnighteye.com/interviews/kinji_fukasaku.shtml>.

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