Hello everyone. Today I am a somber, sad blogger, for this week is part two of our World War II theme, and today we are discussing Grave of the Fireflies. Yes, I would think it to be very much of an understatement when I say that this movie is very, very sad and heartbreaking. However, despite this, the movie still remains to be one of true beauty. More so than any of the movies we have discussed this semester, it is the best example of mono no aware, which basically means that life is beautiful, yet impermanent.
Seita, 14, and his little sister, Setsuko, 4, have a love for each other that, despite all of their hardships, stays strong to the very end. They are both caught in a massive firebombing which leaves their town destroyed and their mother dead. As a result, they must move in with their aunt who treats them badly, and the whole time, Seita takes care of his sister before anyone else, including himself. Sooner than later, they both make the decision to get away from their aunt, which leaves them truly on their own. While they are living on their own, food becomes scarce and Setsuko becomes very sick. She begins to eat marbles and makes "rice cakes" made out of dirt for Seita, who then begins to cry. I believe this is one scene that really shows exactly how much love Seita and Setsuko have for each other.
Also, this movie shows how indifferent many people are towards others' suffering. There is one scene where Seita goes inside of a building and overhears a conversation talking about how the war is over. He then frantically asks a nearby man about it and then begs the man to tell him about what happened to the Navy fleet in which his father was stationed, but the man simply brushes him off and calls him crazy. There is also another scene where Seita is stealing food from a farm. The farmer catches him, and despite Seita's pleas about him and sister's starvation, he still takes him to the police, and on top of that, pretty much drags him away from his sister.
What I find really interesting though, is that the native Japanese are seen as more of the bad guy than the Americans. The Japanese are the ones that are knowingly treating the two children badly, not the Americans. The Americans are just mindless robots in this film.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
LaBranche Harp of Burma
Hey everybody and welcome to another week of my anime blog! This week will be the first of a two-part feature on World War II movies; today we are discussing "Harp of Burma."
This movie is an animated adaptation of Michio Takeyama's book of the same title, and considering that this movie is part of the same compilation of anime classics as Botchan, the animation style is very simple; backgrounds tend not to move, movements are jerky, and color scenes are not very vibrant. However, despite each of these little shortcomings, this movies is truly beautiful. It tells the story of a squadron of Japanese soldiers fighting in World War II; it focuses on one soldier in particular, though: Mizushima, who plays a Burmese harp. Everytime the soldiers are feeling down (which I imagine is pretty often), they sing, and Mizushima plays his harp in the background. Once the war is over, they are all sent to a POW camp, all except for Mizushima, that is. He is instead sent to go with another squadron, and for the most part disappears altogether eventually. Of course, his fellow soldiers miss him dearly, so when they come across a Burmese monk one day that bears an exact resemblance to him, they become excited. However, the monk ignores them. Then, they find out that the monk plays the Burmese harp, and they become more and more convinced that the monk is actually Mizushima. The monk however continues to ignore them, so by the time they are allowed to leave the camp to go back home to Japan, they are forced to give up on trying to get the monk to return with them.
And guess what?
As it turns out, the monk actually is indeed Mizushima, as revealed in a letter written to the soldiers from Mizushima himself. He told them that he wanted to go home with them badly, but he felt that it was his duty to stay and bury all of dead soldiers that were left to rot in the elements. He knew that this task would take up most, if not all of his life, so he knew that he probably would never see any of his brethren again.
Now, his story brings up an interesting difference between the American and Japanese cultures. In America, heroes may encounter hardship after hardship in their endeavors, but always is rewarded in the end. For example, Simba, despite having to watch his father die and then deal with his evil uncle, still becomes king of the his pride in the end. This is just in terms of entertainment though; religion is the same way as well, case in point, Christianity. If you remain a relatively good person and repent for all your sins, you will be rewarded with Heaven.
Japan is different, however, in that its culture provides a bleaker, more realistic outlook on life. Mizushima will be burying soldiers' bodies for the rest of his life, but he won't be rewarded at all. He won't see his brothers. He won't go to Heaven. This doesn't change the fact that he is doing an extremely good deed and overall is a very good person, but this sense of respect and self-satisfaction is what keeps him going. He is not expecting a grand reward when all is said and done.
I guess in this sense you could say that Japan is the Debbie Downer of the world.
This movie is an animated adaptation of Michio Takeyama's book of the same title, and considering that this movie is part of the same compilation of anime classics as Botchan, the animation style is very simple; backgrounds tend not to move, movements are jerky, and color scenes are not very vibrant. However, despite each of these little shortcomings, this movies is truly beautiful. It tells the story of a squadron of Japanese soldiers fighting in World War II; it focuses on one soldier in particular, though: Mizushima, who plays a Burmese harp. Everytime the soldiers are feeling down (which I imagine is pretty often), they sing, and Mizushima plays his harp in the background. Once the war is over, they are all sent to a POW camp, all except for Mizushima, that is. He is instead sent to go with another squadron, and for the most part disappears altogether eventually. Of course, his fellow soldiers miss him dearly, so when they come across a Burmese monk one day that bears an exact resemblance to him, they become excited. However, the monk ignores them. Then, they find out that the monk plays the Burmese harp, and they become more and more convinced that the monk is actually Mizushima. The monk however continues to ignore them, so by the time they are allowed to leave the camp to go back home to Japan, they are forced to give up on trying to get the monk to return with them.
And guess what?
As it turns out, the monk actually is indeed Mizushima, as revealed in a letter written to the soldiers from Mizushima himself. He told them that he wanted to go home with them badly, but he felt that it was his duty to stay and bury all of dead soldiers that were left to rot in the elements. He knew that this task would take up most, if not all of his life, so he knew that he probably would never see any of his brethren again.
Now, his story brings up an interesting difference between the American and Japanese cultures. In America, heroes may encounter hardship after hardship in their endeavors, but always is rewarded in the end. For example, Simba, despite having to watch his father die and then deal with his evil uncle, still becomes king of the his pride in the end. This is just in terms of entertainment though; religion is the same way as well, case in point, Christianity. If you remain a relatively good person and repent for all your sins, you will be rewarded with Heaven.
Japan is different, however, in that its culture provides a bleaker, more realistic outlook on life. Mizushima will be burying soldiers' bodies for the rest of his life, but he won't be rewarded at all. He won't see his brothers. He won't go to Heaven. This doesn't change the fact that he is doing an extremely good deed and overall is a very good person, but this sense of respect and self-satisfaction is what keeps him going. He is not expecting a grand reward when all is said and done.
I guess in this sense you could say that Japan is the Debbie Downer of the world.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Labranche Ghost in the Shell
Hey everybody! Welcome to yet another week of my anime blog. This week I'm going to do things just a little differently; instead of focusing exclusively on a single movie, I'm going to revisit some of the movies and themes from past blogs and relate them to today's movie. Don't get me wrong though, we will definitely get to thouroughly analyze this week's featured movie, which, by the way, is Ghost in the Shell.
Now, what could these three movies possibly have in common with one another other than being anime cult classics? How are a teenager granted with psychic powers, an insane celebrity, and a cyborg that works for a security force related. Well, what unites these three wonderful movies is one universal theme: identity.
In Akira, Tetsuo has much difficulty coming to terms with his identity; he is the baby of his motorcycle gang, but refuses to accept this. So, when he is given Akira's psychic powers, he becomes someone completely different, and by the end of the movie, Tetsuo's identity is unclear; is he Tetsuo or is he Akira?
In Perfect Blue, Mima, who is an ex-pop idol turned actress, also has issues with her identity. Because of her career change, her old fans are determined to make sure that she turns back into a pop idol. Also, it does not help that she doesn't like many of the roles and scenes that she is doing as an actress. However, she is determined to change her pop idol identity by taking on more mature roles. As a result of all this pressure, she begins seeing hallucinations of her former self, which confuses her even more. Even at the end of the movie, though all is dandy, she has to convince herself that she is real.
Now, time for Ghost in the Shell.
Major Motoko Kusanagi is a cyborg and is part of a government security force called Section 9.
Well, actually, she is only 95% cyborg...and this is where things get a tad bit complicated. And I might add that to say that this movie get REALLY deep. No kidding though, it's definitely more of a philosophical-make-you-think-a-lot movie rather than your typical mecha anime, but I will try to explain a little bit.
Anyways, back to the Major.
So yeah, she is 95% cyborg, which means that she still has some humanity in her, albeit just a trace. Throughout the movie, she questions what exactly it means to be human. And then, there's the issue of "ghosts," which are the cyborgs' equivalent of a soul and conscience. So while the Major is already having identity issues, someone called the Puppet Master comes along and wants to fuse ghosts with her in order to become a single entity. While this is happening her body gets destroyed, so afterwards she is put into a child's body. Once again, identity is unclear by the end of the film; is she still Motoko Kusanagi, or has the fusion with the Puppet Master changed her?
Before I go, yall know me....I have to include something about the soundtrack. Kenji Kawai did this soundtrack, so I already know it's good. And just so yall know, he also did the soundtrack to Higurashi no naku Koro Ni, which is an AMAZING anime with an AMAZING soundtrack. So definitely check it out. Only if you like creepy choral horror music.
Now, what could these three movies possibly have in common with one another other than being anime cult classics? How are a teenager granted with psychic powers, an insane celebrity, and a cyborg that works for a security force related. Well, what unites these three wonderful movies is one universal theme: identity.
In Akira, Tetsuo has much difficulty coming to terms with his identity; he is the baby of his motorcycle gang, but refuses to accept this. So, when he is given Akira's psychic powers, he becomes someone completely different, and by the end of the movie, Tetsuo's identity is unclear; is he Tetsuo or is he Akira?
In Perfect Blue, Mima, who is an ex-pop idol turned actress, also has issues with her identity. Because of her career change, her old fans are determined to make sure that she turns back into a pop idol. Also, it does not help that she doesn't like many of the roles and scenes that she is doing as an actress. However, she is determined to change her pop idol identity by taking on more mature roles. As a result of all this pressure, she begins seeing hallucinations of her former self, which confuses her even more. Even at the end of the movie, though all is dandy, she has to convince herself that she is real.
Now, time for Ghost in the Shell.
Major Motoko Kusanagi is a cyborg and is part of a government security force called Section 9.
Well, actually, she is only 95% cyborg...and this is where things get a tad bit complicated. And I might add that to say that this movie get REALLY deep. No kidding though, it's definitely more of a philosophical-make-you-think-a-lot movie rather than your typical mecha anime, but I will try to explain a little bit.
Anyways, back to the Major.
So yeah, she is 95% cyborg, which means that she still has some humanity in her, albeit just a trace. Throughout the movie, she questions what exactly it means to be human. And then, there's the issue of "ghosts," which are the cyborgs' equivalent of a soul and conscience. So while the Major is already having identity issues, someone called the Puppet Master comes along and wants to fuse ghosts with her in order to become a single entity. While this is happening her body gets destroyed, so afterwards she is put into a child's body. Once again, identity is unclear by the end of the film; is she still Motoko Kusanagi, or has the fusion with the Puppet Master changed her?
Before I go, yall know me....I have to include something about the soundtrack. Kenji Kawai did this soundtrack, so I already know it's good. And just so yall know, he also did the soundtrack to Higurashi no naku Koro Ni, which is an AMAZING anime with an AMAZING soundtrack. So definitely check it out. Only if you like creepy choral horror music.
Friday, October 7, 2011
LaBranche Vampire Hunter D
Greetings to all of you wonderful anime fans! I am not going to lie, I'm feeling just a little hyper as I write this blog, so I may or may not be all over the place. Just do me a favor and at least TRY to follow along with my train of thought here. Kay, thanks.
Well, this week we are going to talk about Vampire Hunter D, which to be quite honest, is definitely NOT one of my favorite movies.
In fact, I would probably call it THE worst of the movies we've watched so far. It absolutely failed to get a hold of my attention, and I wanted it to end after the first thirty or so minutes. Unfortunately, I had to wait another hour.
Oh, life.....
The plot seemed interesting; a vampire who himself is a half vampire/half human must save a damsel in distress from a very, very old vampire. Actually, it's a pretty generic plot, but considering that this movie was made in 1985, I'll forgive it for that, but NOTHING ELSE.
The characters generally possessed little to no depth, including the title character. I must say that the characters were all really annoying as well, especially the girl (her name escapes me) and her little brother.
I had HIGH expectations for this movie, as it is considered to be a cult classic, but I think it's needless to say that I was extremely disappointed. I'd rather be tied to a chair surrounded by crazy Twilight fan-girls at the premiere of Breaking Dawn: Part 1.
Okay, I'd actually watch Vampire Hunter D again in that case....I'm not suicidal. Maybe we can upgrade it to simply sitting down and watching Queen of the Damned? ughhhh.....*shivers*
Don't get me wrong though, I LOVE VAMPIRES. I've read most of the Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire series, and seen a little bit of True Blood.....and it's excellent. I've also seen a number of other vampire movies including, Underworld 1,2, and 3, Interview With a Vampire, I Am Legend, The Lost Boys, and Let The Right One In (probably one of my favorites).
And for you anime fans, I suggest you go watch Hellsing, Blood +, Trinity Blood, or ANY other vampire anime before watching this one.
Before I conclude this post, might I add that Deidara from Naruto has a very similar hand to that of D's. Their names also start with a D. I think that's pretty much all that they have in common.
Well, this week we are going to talk about Vampire Hunter D, which to be quite honest, is definitely NOT one of my favorite movies.
In fact, I would probably call it THE worst of the movies we've watched so far. It absolutely failed to get a hold of my attention, and I wanted it to end after the first thirty or so minutes. Unfortunately, I had to wait another hour.
Oh, life.....
The plot seemed interesting; a vampire who himself is a half vampire/half human must save a damsel in distress from a very, very old vampire. Actually, it's a pretty generic plot, but considering that this movie was made in 1985, I'll forgive it for that, but NOTHING ELSE.
The characters generally possessed little to no depth, including the title character. I must say that the characters were all really annoying as well, especially the girl (her name escapes me) and her little brother.
I had HIGH expectations for this movie, as it is considered to be a cult classic, but I think it's needless to say that I was extremely disappointed. I'd rather be tied to a chair surrounded by crazy Twilight fan-girls at the premiere of Breaking Dawn: Part 1.
 |
| I think I'll have a better chance with the zombies... |
Okay, I'd actually watch Vampire Hunter D again in that case....I'm not suicidal. Maybe we can upgrade it to simply sitting down and watching Queen of the Damned? ughhhh.....*shivers*
Don't get me wrong though, I LOVE VAMPIRES. I've read most of the Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire series, and seen a little bit of True Blood.....and it's excellent. I've also seen a number of other vampire movies including, Underworld 1,2, and 3, Interview With a Vampire, I Am Legend, The Lost Boys, and Let The Right One In (probably one of my favorites).
And for you anime fans, I suggest you go watch Hellsing, Blood +, Trinity Blood, or ANY other vampire anime before watching this one.
 |
| Hellsing, a much better vampire anime |
 |
| Deidara |
 |
| D's hand |
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