Film Bee

[jpnfilmblog]

Hayao Miyazaki: Spirited Away

Initial Reaction

I had high hopes for Spirited Away, since a friend told me that this is one of her all-time favorite films. I must admit, I was not disappointed. There’s so much to analyze from capitalism, consumerism culture, environmental concerns, and human rights issues. One viewing for this film is not enough to uncover Miyazaki’s whole message. Although it is an anime, I feel that this is one that adults may enjoy and appreciate more than children for its social commentary. Nevertheless, it is a film that transcends age and national boundaries making it a film that anyone can relate to. Out of all the films we’ve watched this semester, this is one I plan on re-watching.

Social Commentary

The Importance of Your Name

The first scene, we, as an audience, encounter the importance a name holds is when Yubaba takes Chihiro’s name from her and renames her Sen. In the scene, we see Yubaba sucking up Chihiro’s name from the contract and leaving her with only a part of her full name. Interestingly, if you look closely enough, Chihiro misspelled part of her last name. 

Though it is highly unlikely that she knew of the importance of retaining her name  – Haku only warns her afterwards that Yubaba enslaves people by taking their name away from them – this emphasizes the idea that a name represents someone’s identity. In taking away names from her workers, Yubaba takes away people’s freedom of thought and free-will and disables them from questioning her authority much like the societal structure we live in today. This especially rings true in Japan’s society in which hierarchical structures are, in many cases, based off age. While this practice has its pros in that the population at large respect their elders, it also reaps problems in which situations that should be based on merit may be overridden solely by who in the group is the oldest. Chihiro represents the antagonist to such structures and is able to save her parents and Haku, because she stays true to herself and her values.  

Money ≠ Happiness

Miyazaki quite obviously critiques the way in which capitalist society causes people to put money on a pedestal throughout the film’s screen time. This is prominently depicted in the scene where No Face shells out gold coins and the bathhouse workers immediately pick it up in a crazed manner. The workers only curry his (?) favor because they love his money and the status it brings him – not No Face, himself. Each mistakenly seem to believe that money will solve all their problems. After all, their lifestyle stems from only being able to work in a place that offers minimum wage at best and in which the working conditions are poor. However, Yubaba demonstrates that money may buy the tools to be happy, but does not necessarily correlate to a person’s level of happiness. Since, though, she may be financially well-off, she does not have enough time to spend time with her baby Boh who is the ultimate source of her happiness. In this sense, she also falls victim to the pitfalls created by capitalist societies. 

Also, can I just say that the ending song is exquisite!? It’s been one of my favorites for a long time, even though I had never watched Spirited Away the whole way through. 

Here’s a link to a beautiful rendition by the original singer, Youmi Kimura: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdO2X0QlYYI.

I also like this version by Ukrainian singer, Nataliya Gudziy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQJog0rs7Eg. The slower tempo fits the piece well and her personal connection to the lyrics represent the universality of Spirited Away’s themes. 

[random-film-bee]

I think you hit the nail on the head with your analysis. I especially like your break down of Yubaba. I think this movie does a great job at making the IDEALS the enemy rather than an actual person. Yubaba seems to be set up to be a villain but I like that while she isn’t exactly likeable, she isn’t the real antagonist. It the system.

[random-film-bee]

Spirited Away (2001)

Spirited Away is a masterpiece, no matter how many times you watch it you can always catch something new. Every time I watch, I always get overwhelmed with all the visual stimulus and honestly, I get lost in the sauce plot wise until the end. But I always leave satisfied and happy as the movie finally addresses most of my concerns.

For me this movie is a commentary on Japan’s past and future and the struggle of its people to come to terms with their coexistence. The run-down theme-parks of the pre-bubble burst era being the physical representation of Japan’s past success and how it has been ignored in the present. The parents are greedy and gluttonous and turn into pigs. They were gorging themselves on resources that the nation does not have anymore. However, they willfully ignore this and dine anyways. The names being taken strips you of your connection to self and the past. For Chihiro and Haku, they must find their old selves and learn the lessons of the past in order to progress into a new future.

There is also a commentary of capitalism and class. Yubaba on the top floor has an abundance of wealth and room. Everyone below that is working long hard hours in cramped spaces. This can be a commentary on the distribution of wealth and also a comparison of Japan’s past wealth and then current economic situation. I believe this also comments on the lack of work life balance (overwork) experienced in Japan. Yubaba takes your name and MUST accept any who wish to work. Showing the need for work efficiency and the “cog in a machine” mentality. Adding to this point is Chihiro’s name change. She becomes Sen which means one thousand implying she is one of many worked indistinguishable from others. Additionally, the soot spirits in the boiler room showcase collectivism in the workplace as well. When Chirhiro did the work of one soot spirit, the rest tried to get her to do their portion of work as well. There is No Face Which seems to be the embodiment of greed. He reflects his surroundings and after eating members of the bathhouse he becomes more and more greedy. The bathhouse employees crave money and are willing to do anything to get it. This shows the importance of money and how the bubble bursting may have led to more greed than before.

There is some environmental aspects as well including the pollution of waterways. The stink spirit that came in was truly just a river spirit, but it had been contaminated with trash from humans. This is a commentary on the industrialization of the modern age that has harmed environment.

This is just some of the stuff I noticed this time but there is honestly no end to what you can extract from this movie.

[random-film-bee]

Sukiyaki Western Django

This movie was a steaming pile of utter campy trash, but I enjoyed it immensely. The film felt like clips of a bunch of films I had already seen stitched together haphazardly past the point of recognition. But the movie seemed to know this and played into its campiness well. From the opening scene alone, it became obvious this film did not take itself very seriously. The blatantly fake set, oversaturated colors, over dramatic action sequence and the use of Tarantino himself all show me that this film knew exactly what it was doing and wanted to let the audience know too, that this was going to be a trip so we should buckle in now.

While I Know the film was loosely based on the real events of these two groups, and also inspired by countless other films, I was mostly reminded of 3 things. One being Star Wars. This is especially so during the duel where the Genji leader is cutting bullets with his sword. And this makes sense since Star Wars was kind of just a space sword western itself. The division between the two groups reminded me of Naruto tbh. Even the colors, red being like Madara Uchiha and white being like Hashirama Senju. Lastly, the humor reminded me of Monty Python. So outrageous and in your face. The gore and violence kind of reminded me specifically of Monty Python and the Holy Grail where the bunny went crazy and killed everyone… idk why but that scene just kept coming to mind while I watched.

I HATED the roses. They were so stupid. The kid already represented the love between the two parents and also was the literal embodiment of red and white “cross breeding” so the idea that the roses were needed for another visual display was stupid. The way she went back and die to get the flowers was stupid. No one will convince me it wasn’t stupid. She traumatized her kid, failed to get revenge and died for a dumb plant. I hated it. ALSO, I thought that when the kid chose to go toward the flowers and not the gun that that meant he was going to live a life without violence and be a musician or something. I thought wow, maybe there was a good message here in the end. But no, I was wrong.

I will say Benten was a girl boss and I loved her. Until she died at the hands of such a loser. She loses 10 girlboss points for that. Then finding out she had a thing with Tarantino. Minus 20 girl boss points.

I feel as though my lack of having watched a lot of the movies that directly influenced this one holds me back in terms of analysis here unfortunately. This is all I got, its all I got.

[bigsconesjones]

Sukiyaki Western Django

Takashi Miike must have been an Eagle Scout because this movie is a masterclass in camp. Paralleled in goofiness only by Tampopo, Sukiyaki Western Django is a love letter to the Spaghetti Western highlighted by absurd action scenes and dragged down by Quentin Tarantino’s disgustingly weird accent.

Initial Reactions

My god I cannot stress how much Quentin Tarantino sucked in this film. This film started off pretty good, and Quentin Tarantino’s western accent was alright, if not funny, but when he switched into the faux-Asian accent, it displayed a clear lack of never having even studied the Japanese language because it was off in all the wrong places. Also why did he do it? It’s not like it added anything to the film other than a visceral gut reaction.

A contentious decision that could either be insanely funny or incredibly cringey was the final reveal that Heihachi becomes Django. I don’t know if Takashi Miike was serious about this, and if he was, then it might’ve taken the “Ode to Westerns” a bit too far and changed the tone of this movie into a gross origin story. HOWEVER, if this was some prank, then this would be a stroke of genius because something I get tired of seeing at the end of the movies is the “Where are they now?” sections, and seeing a dumb joke akin to the “This person grew up to be Jeff Bezos/Elon Musk” memes you see on the internet was a fun touch.

Other than that, this film was amazing, and mainly because everything was so goofy. Going back to the opening scene, the blood spattering on the backdrop and the dumb gritty dialogue made this feel like a parody of a scene building up to a shootout. Adding onto this, the gunfighting scenes are so much fun to watch, especially the scene where Yoshitsune (big bad dude in white) adjusts for the wind and proceeds to shoot Kiyomori (big bad dude in red). Yoshitsune having to point his gun like 40° to the left of Kiyomori, and then Kiyomori reacting like he was getting shot by an airsoft gun was comedic genius.

Deeper Thoughts/Analysis

The biggest thing that crossed my mind was how meta this whole movie was. One of the Heike boys compared the Gunman to a similar character in the movie Yojimbo, which reminded me that this movie is inspired by Spaghetti Westerns, which are in turn inspired by old Japanese samurai movies. This kind of reminds me of Jean Baudrillard’s idea of different stages of simulacra, where Spaghetti Westerns are an unfaithful copy (or second-order simulacra) of samurai movies, and Sukiyaki Western Django is an unfaithful copy of an unfaithful copy. I’m fairly certain this doesn’t mean it transcends to third-order simulacra, but it is interesting how removed Sukiyaki Western Django is from the original source material of Yojimbo.

Final Thoughts

This movie is too much fun. It reminds me of another favorite campy movie, Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses in that it just exudes a specific genre and does a loving parody to it.

[random-film-bee]

I agree this is one of the campiest things I have ever watched in my entire life. And honestly, Tarantino’s part was so random and awful I felt as though I had hallucinated it. But your blog post confirms, sadly it was reality. I think this movie knew it was a joke, and because it didn’t take itself to seriously it was able to create this hot mess.

[random-film-bee]

Sweet Bean (2015)

I was worried I would find this movie hard to watch due to its slow pacing and minimal dialogue. I watched it at like 12 am and I was really afraid I would fall asleep. But this movie actually managed to not only to not put me to sleep but it actually kept my interest the whole way through. I don’t think I would have wanted the pacing to change or for there to be more dialogue, it fit perfectly that the movie felt shorter than it really was once I finished. I also think that despite me being able roughly guess the plot within the first 15 minutes of the film, the emotional impact was still strong.

I also live laugh love a found family based story. I think often this is done with father figures, so having Tokue become a mother figure was a welcomed change for me. I think the dynamic between Tokue and Sentaro is fleshed out well, showing how both of them were the missing piece of human connection they needed. But the inclusion of Wakana is what made it more interesting to me. It wasn’t simply a man who lost his mother finding his mother in Tokue, it was a whole family that each helped one another grow in a way that couldn’t have been achieved with just 2 of them. Wakana I believe did look up to Sentaro as a sort of father figure as well, given that we never saw or heard about her father, I think she was looking for that in him. They all 3 were misfits, though Tokue suffered the most from societal pressures, and the only place they were safe from judgment was with one another. This really showed through when Sentaro refuse to fire Tokue and when they visted her at her home, both Wakana and Sentaro did not seem to be afraid of the patients.

This movie goes into the sadness of ostracization, Tokue was outcasted since she was young. The times she seemed the happiest was when she was serving people, talking and interacting with them. It is a small thing we do every day, but we can easily take for granted. This contrasted with Sentaro’s character who had the shop and in the beginning was wanting customers to hurry and leave. I think that’s why the dorayaki shop was a great place for the film to be based around. Small shops like that are known more so for their customer service, and social nature. Everyone usually knows and loves the people who work there. It is an inherently social and more intimate space than larger establishments or even small shops that sell more goods.

A lot of freedom symbolism in this film as well. The bird in the cage which represented all 3 of the characters. Wakana who could not go to high school and work toward the future she yearned for, Tokue who was outcasted her whole life, and Sentaro being in debt and stuck working for someone he seemingly hates. In the end they found love and compassion with one another and freedom once Tokue died, they both began to take steps toward a life they could enjoy.

The nature establishing shots were stunning and after we find out that the leprosy patients have trees planted over their graves, these long nature shots make more sense in the film.

Overall, I loved this film. My mother and I bot shed a few tears and wanted to try dorayaki by the end of the movie.

[jpnfilmblog]

Naomi Kawase: Sweet Bean

Initial Reaction

I have got to say that watching a relatively slow-paced film that’s both heart-warming and heart-wrenching was a good change of pace from the horror and avant-garde films we’ve been watching recently. Prior to watching this film, Sweet Bean (あん), I was completely unaware of how those with leprosy were and still are facing discrimination in Japan and in the rest of the world. While this social issue is the focus of the film, I think Kawase did a spectacular job of incorporating different generations and bringing them (young, middle-aged, and elderly) all together with one commonality they shared: dorayaki.  

*Going off on a tangent: This film reminded me of the YouTube channel “Grandma’s Recipes” that features Japanese grandmas’ recipes and their life stories. If you haven’t watched it before, here’s a link to the most popular video (ENG SUB) on their channel with 8.5 million views: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGqFFcAaTn8.

Social Commentary

Leprosy and How It’s Misunderstood

Before I delve into my analysis of leprosy and this film, I will briefly talk about the misconceptions that people hold around those with leprosy. To begin with, leprosy is a chronic but curable, infectious disease that is caused by a slow-growing bacteria which can affect the nerve, skin, eyes, and lining of the nose (CDC, 2017).

To bust some myths surrounding leprosy:

You cannot get leprosy from a casual contact like:

- Shaking hands or hugging

- Sitting next to each other on the bus

- Sitting together at a meal

Also, leprosy is NOT passed on from a mother to her unborn baby during pregnancy and is also not spread through sexual contact.

In most cases, prolonged contact with someone with untreated leprosy over many months is needed to contract the disease. Doctors think that contraction occurs through airborne droplets (coughing, sneezing) in which someone with active leprosy passes it on to a healthy person who breathes it in, but the cause is not clear yet. Even then, contracting leprosy is HIGHLY UNLIKELY, because MORE THAN 95% OF ALL PEOPLE HAVE A NATURAL IMMUNITY.

Now, taking all this into consideration and assuming that the film is set in 2015, we can better understand Tokue’s pain of being labeled an “untouchable” by Japanese society in which an overwhelming majority have an unwarranted fear of those with leprosy.  

From the start of the film, it is obvious that Tokue desires to be part of larger society – not an outsider. Such can be seen from her not caring about Doraharu, the dorayaki shop’s, low wage. Rather than being hung up on the salary which matters most to many when taking a job, she cares more about being able to interact with people and being viewed as “normal” for once. The difference in what she places importance on and what people that are part of larger society place importance on show how many of us take what we view as “normal” for granted.

It’s interesting to see that the other main characters, Sentaro and Wakana, are also social misfits. Though, they are to a lesser degree than Tokue. We learn that Sentaro started working at Doraharu (dorayaki + haru), because he was indebted to the shop’s owner after having gone to prison for trying to stop a brawl in a pub and having disabled the person fighting. Similarly, Wakana comes to Doraharu out of necessity to escape her family situation in which her single mother is never there for her. The interweaving of these three stories – Tokue, Sentaro, Wakana – is captivating, because it shows how three different generations overcome their given circumstance through interacting with each other. Specifically, Tokue represents the wisdom that comes with old age as she believes that everything in life has meaning; Sentaro represents how those in their middle-age have had to come to terms with reality and lost their naiveness and optimism of when they were young; Wakana represents the youthfulness of not yet being able to see the dark aspects of society and being able to try anything head-on. Their generational gap along with their different stories makes this film relatable to anyone watching, regardless of their nationality and ethnicity.    

That being said, this film also shows how the collectivist mindset, most often associated with Eastern cultures, can be damaging. This can be observed in a number of scenes when we see how Japanese society fears people with leprosy, even though there is little reason to do so. Such scenes that immediately come to mind are: 1.) Sentaro’s manager sanitizing her hands after coming to talk to him about removing Tokue due to her history of leprosy, 2.) No one coming to buy dorayaki from the shop when rumors go around that Tokue has leprosy, and 3.) People with leprosy having to live in a secluded area on the outskirts of society. Another scene that was shown a lot throughout the course of the film was Tokue listening to the voices of the inanimate (azuki beans, trees, etc.) and animals. All of these scenes show the danger in taking things at face-value and not questioning society’s (unspoken) rules for the “greater good.” Tokue is the antagonist to such customs since she tunes in to those that do not have voices. The final scene also reinforces this value of withholding judgement and listening to all perspectives with Sentaro and Wakana being able to forge a happier life, after finding what makes them happy - not what society deems necessary to be happy. Fortunately, in doing so, their “spring” (haru) finally comes.

Bonus:

If you want to see real dorayaki craftsmanship, watch the linked YouTube video from timestamp 6:25-8:00: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wljx_KuN8u0.

If anyone is planning to go to Japan in the near future and is curious, the shop’s name is “Kawachiya” and is managed by a cute, elderly couple in Shizuoka. They were featured on a Japanese TV Program called 「世界に日本行きたい人応援団」that invites people who are interested in Japan to fly out and experience a side of Japan (i.e., traditional food, martial arts, games, etc.) they’re interested in. It’s most definitely on my bucket list of places to go!

[random-film-bee]

I am glad you went through and contextualized everything regarding the disease. I knew a little bit about leprosy but not enough for the movie to make complete sense to me. I had no idea that those who have had/have the disease still suffered from so much backlash from society. I think knowing that the disease cannot pass down from mother to child makes the knowledge that Tokue had to give up being a mother even more heartbreaking. All and all this movie was sad and learning more about the disease the treatment of its victims makes it all the sadder.

[sprout3391]

Pulse (2001)

              I used to be so scared of horror movies, but I wonder if I have grown too jaded. Coraline and Ib were both pieces of media that kept me up for an entire week. In my opinion, the atmosphere of these stories was the scariest component, but neither this movie nor Ringu have really affected me. The struggles of growing old is real.

One of the prevailing themes in Pulse is loneliness, and how humans have such a hard time connecting with others. Even when they do, they tend to hurt each other, signified by the simulation programmed by a random graduate student. Additionally, Kurosawa tends to place the camera a bit further from the characters. This helps emphasize how small and insignificant each person is, especially when set in an empty background. Furthermore, characters speaking to each other are often placed screens of spaces away from each other, so the camera has to swing back and forth between people when they speak, which kind of reminds me of Swallowtail Butterfly. Again, this style leaves the actors as the only person in a particular frame, emphasizing how alone everyone is. Only in some moments of vulnerability do the characters appear near each other, like with Harue and Kawashima on the train. I also loved the use of light in this film. Since the objects of fear are shadows and dark figures, every lingering shot made me search the screen for a potential ghost. Every shady shape was suspicious. Since compositions often left a lot of negative space, there was also plenty of room for ghosts. The shadows are not always immediately obvious either, so shots from behind characters work especially well. We as the audience search the space for something wrong just as are the in-story characters.

Ringu chooses to also forego jumpscares in favor of building a creepy atmosphere and suspense, but the camera is generally closer and facing the character, letting the audience more clearly see the reactions of fear. This allowed the final scene when Sadako’s current form was finally revealed to have more of an impact.

The shadows left from those who passed away reminded me vividly of the shadows left by those who were killed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It makes me wonder if part of the reason technology is regarded so negatively is due to its ability to inflict violence and destruction. The film even shows a huge explosion when the airplane crashes, as ashes from the smears themselves swirl in the skies, which particularly stuck out due to its scale compared to everything else.

I read somewhere that Pulse was made in a time that hikikomori was on the rise, and I wonder if that is why the first people to go were all men, barring the main character, Kawashima. Traditionally, men are supposed to work to provide for the family, and the men disappearing first symbolizes the breakdown of these values.

[random-film-bee]

I also thought the plane crash scene stuck out due to how large and in your face it was despite being seemingly random. But your take on it makes it make more sense in my mind. The whole filk gets at the distance technology puts between us but it also shows the inherent violence and danger behind it as well. A plane that we trust to do a harmless mundane task of taking us from one place to another can also be a source of violent catastrophe if not properly managed. 

I like that you tried to contextualize the movie, I did not even realize it was mostly men dying in the beginning. And in the Michi is the only survivor. It makes me wonder how much this was taken into account in the movie.

[random-film-bee]

Pulse (2001)

Initial thoughts:

This is probably my favorite film we have watched so far. The two simultaneous plotlines that meet in the end was really interesting to watch and I haven’t seen it too much in the movies I have seen. I do think that the beginning of the film was notably better than the latter half though. The first 40-50 min expertly used horror elements and pacing to where I was both intrigued and creeped out (which is hard because I don’t really find these things creepy or scary). I still enjoyed the second half a lot but the supernatural elements became a bit redundant for me. Additionally, I did have a bit of confusion regarding the disappearances, which I would like to note I liked that this ‘haunting’ was more than just the two protagonists and their friends but rather it was global. I was a little confused that some people like Junko, Yabe and Kawashima just turn into the black stains while others like Taguchi and Karasawa killed themselves before also becoming black stains. It just left me a bit confused on how exactly the ‘curse’ worked, though in the end I suppose all of them succumb to despair of some sort. 

Why it worked:

I think what made this more unnerving as a techno-horror film than ring for me, was that there was not an escape. With Ring, you could either not watch the tape or copy it after. But in this film, anyone with internet access (so everyone) it seemed would eventually be affected by the ghosts. It wasn’t just one ghost either, it was multiple different people who we saw were tormenting the characters, and eventually the ghosts aren’t what kill you, its yourself. I think your own mind turning against you, your own solitude and despair going beyond control is what is scary about it all.

My (maybe dark) take:

You can analyze this film more from the technological standpoint and speak on how this is a message of the corruption technology has had on people and how it has made us less human and deterred us from making true human connection. And go on about how we crave human connection and tha technology which was meant to connect us more than ever only pushed us apart. But I think this movie does more. I think it shows us we were ALWAYS like that, the presence of technology just exacerbated it. Karasawa spoke about something similar when she first went to Kawashima’s house, we are all lonely and afraid of solitude, yet we are fake in our connections. I think we all are so terrified of death because we think it will be even lonelier than what we are now so we cling so desperately to living without any real conviction. We are just afraid of the unknown and of being alone. But in truth, we are always alone. We are born alone, we die alone, and in death like in life we will be alone. And even with technology connecting us to every corner of the earth, to a point where almost every other person is only a click away. We are still alone. The machine with the dots really intrigued me as it showed this point visually. We are like little specs of dust that cross paths but don’t touch. I think this not only refers to our connections to other people but our connections between life and death.

But we are resilient, so we keep going and we try to make those connections that make everything seem like it meant anything. That’s why we humans are cool, and annoying 😊

(this got darker than I anticipated)

[rengokusflamingbussy]

Ringu

This was a fun watch, especially after some of the more abstract films we have seen recently. This was my second time watching Ringu and I have to say it was a lot less scary this time around. 

As much as this film is regarded as a horror film I feel that this definition does not do the film justice, in my opinion, the film is more of a supernatural mystery with some horror elements. 

The film is primarily focus on Asakawa’s journalist work (though this is more akin to detective work in the film) with Takayama’s supernatural/psychic abilities filling in the gaps that the real world cannot. The divorced couple (who are both insanely good looking btw) complement each other both in their work and their interactions; though in every scene there is an underlying sense of regret and maybe even sadness. We are not given a reason for their divorce and the film/ plot forces the two to work together, suggesting that they should try to rekindle their relationship. In a way this makes Takayama’s death more tragic as it is unexpected and destroys any chance of their relationship being mended. 

The film’s focus on the supernatural, specifically on people with unnatural abilities distinguishes itself from the American remake which is far more focused on the journalism/investigative aspect of Sadako and her appearance.

The film has an interesting approach to how it gives information to its audiences, some of it is given directly to us such as how the tape works whereas other information is withheld from us. For instance, we only learn about the way to escape the curse after Asakawa has already figured it out. This is why I view the film more as a mystery than a horror. The two big ambiguities of the film are, who is Sadako’s father and what is Asakawa going to do at her dad’s house. I believe that Asakawa was going to her dad’s house with the intention of getting him to watch the tape so that the curse would be lifted from her son. As for Sadako’s father, the film puts forward the idea that the scientist is her father, making her murder more tragic and giving her a reason for her anger. However, another option I saw (I have no idea where I saw this lol) is that Sadako’s father is some sort of eldritch monster from the sea that got freaky with her mom. This explains why her mother would sit at the sea everyday and why she spoke in a non-human language and why Sadako had the ability to kill people. I have no proof of this I just thought it was interesting. 

[random-film-bee]

I agree the genre of ‘horror’ doesn’t seem to accurately encapsulate this film. I would also lean more toward the suspense/mystery category with a supernatural base. There weren’t many horror elements until the end, it was mostly uncovering the mystery of the death and why the curse took place at all.

I also think that the ending implied she was going to lift the curse from her son by making her father watch it. I am not sure if she has the intention of saving her father by then making more watch it or what from there but that seems to be her plan.

[random-film-bee]

Ringu

I loved this movie since my first viewing when I was 10, it’s a must watch in terms of modern horror movies. Something that this film (and a lot of Japanese horror movies) does well is not overusing or over relying on jump scares to get a reaction from the viewer. It is more suspense and anticipation based. I think American films, as you can tell from the American renditions of this film as well as other Japanese horror movies like The Grudge, implement more jump scares and gore. Even comparing the state of the bodies of the victims, the American version was far more detailed to make them look decrepit and almost inhuman. However, I think that shows a change in focus. Where the American films may appear scarier, it is because they are aiming for shock value where I feel that the original Japanese versions of these films ( I am speaking about The Ring and The Grudge specifically) is more introspective and interpretive. Additionally, the American version showed the ‘monster’ more often and for longer durations. This is another common change Americans make to foreign horror, where I have found Japanese films tend to keep the ‘monster’ hidden either the entire time or only reveal toward the end as is the case in this film. Personally, I like both but for different reasons. The American version for a fun and easy thrill but the Japanese version for a more impactful watch and honestly a more lasting fear.

  A brief blurb on Japanese ghosts because my monsters and horror class knowledge is finally useful here:

The ghost in Ringu was a Yūrei (faint ghost) or Shiryō (dead ghost). These are generally synonymous as they both mean the ghosts/spirits of the deceased with the slight distinction that Shiryō is only referring malevolent spirits where a Yūrei can be either malevolent or just a vibing dead guy. Shiryō is written with the kanji for death so in general it doesn’t seem to be very welcoming. So, if i had to lable our ghosty girl I’d lean more toward  Shiryō as she was not there to make friends. These ghosts where the clothes they were buried or died in (often white kimonos due to Japanese burial rituals) and have long black disheveled hair. Looks familiar huh? They can sometimes have their bloody wounds (her fingy nubs). In some lore they are able to invoke curses (our tape 😊). These ghosts come about from either sudden and tragic deaths (hmmm) or due to improper burial (double wammy for our home girl). Good news is a Yūrei can’t wander around, it is linked to a single place (usually place of death as is the case in Ringu) or a single person. I know this may seem like regular ghosts to us, but Japan has a pretty deep and rich culture regarding horror, spirits and the after life. This is in part due to their religious roots and how burial customs are so important so there are actually a lot of variations in spirits and monsters that can appear depending on the circumstances. For example there's Mononoke, Ikryō and Yuki Onna. All variations of spirits but are very distinct from one another! I recommend looking into this if you’re into horror, or folklore 😊

Anyway I really liked the film a lot, I have seen it a handful of times which is why I don’t have much new information to add but yea…

[cjloogy]

Swallowtail Butterfly – スワロウテイル

A wonderful mess, that’s how I could describe this film. A world that is dirty, cruel, unforgiving, and beautiful all the same.

The movie went on for quite a bit, but it used all of that time pretty wisely to really flesh out the world they were trying to depict, a world showcasing a wide breadth of humanity, extending past nationality, race, class, gender, and language. Really, characters were speaking Japanese, English, Mandarin, or Cantonese, so I’m very impressed with the dialogue and how it was handled here. Language is played around with quite a bit as well, in particular with the name of the city and the immigrants, the city has the nickname of Yen Town (円都, en to), and the immigrants are referred to with a loose homophone Yen Thieves (円盗, en tou) which is anglicized as “Yentown” in dialogue and subtitles. Many different characters clung and clashed with each other in this bizarre but inspiring plot, and if this film did anything well, I think it allowed every character to have their chance to shine.

It's like multiple genres are belnding together to tell this tale. Characters start off mostly supporting one another until they all gain a path to fortune that allows them to realize their various dreams, but this comes at the cost of their solidarity with one another. With Glico we have a distinct musical element, with Ryo Ranki and Fei Hong we have a crime drama, and with Ageha we have something of a social realist journey. While Ryo certainly has some antagonistic qualities, I couldn’t really pin him as the villain, just another character in the film, and in a way the protagonist of his own story, just as any of the central characters were. Everyone is finding their own way, living the lives they want to live the way they want to live them.

One thing that was always shrouded in ambiguity was Ageha and her actual heritage, we never find out if she was Japanese or an Asian immigrant, and this was certainly by design. Her actual bloodline is not important here, she is from Yentown, that is her home and something she learns to hold onto with pride. It’s a bold statement that stands against the stubborn ideology of Japan surrounding racial purity and only valuing a specific birthplace. She manages to find a path forward in life that is fulfilling for herself and allows her to hold those she cares for close to her, and it has nothing to do with her race or nationality, but the resolve she gains from her experiences. She was forced to confront her own set of issues on her own and managed to help the people close to her along the way. Despite how wild the events got, I think her growth and resolve was great to witness, and she ended up being a wonderful protagonist.

In the end the animosity anyone held has vanished, and we were left to wonder how this world might progress in the future, as they left some plotlines up in the air. I don’t think it was necessary to know Ryo Ranki’s fate, or the fate of the other Yentowns. We already saw the most important parts of these characters and what the film really had to say about them, that is their journey, not their destination.

[random-film-bee]

“this is their journey not their destination” mannnnnnnn, gonna get that tattoooed or something. That was a beautiful way to put it and that is exactly how this film felt. We did not really get the beginning or end of any of their stories but we were a part of this bit of their lives and it was really entertaining to watch. I personally like that it was open ended because I can give them the endings I want and no one can say I am wrong. I choose to believe Glico raised Ageha happily and Ranki helped Yentown out of poverty and once he did he reunited with his sister and they were all happy :)

[random-film-bee]

Swallowtail Butterfly

I really love movies about found family so this movie was entertaining for me from start to finish. I liked how the movie progressed as everyone found one another and began to essentially build their new home together. But as the movie progressed, they broke apart and were no longer solving the issues that they faced together as a unit but as individuals. It shows the whole “were stronger together than when apart” mentality while also allowing the characters to grow independently of one another which I appreciated.

One thing I found myself waiting for was Glico’s reunion with Ranki but they never truly did meet back up. I can’t tell if that is for the best or not. Ranki in general was an interesting character that honestly defied my expectations a few times. When we first hear about him he is Glico’s kind and funny brother. But when we first meet him, he had just murdered a room full of people with a smile on his face. Then he was kind to Ageha and helped her to a hospital, saving her life and he continues to show his kindness when he meets her in their final scene. He also speaks only warmly of his sister even when he learns of her past and present career. He was set up as the leader of a violent group but ended up being kind to children, fond of his sister and even speaks of improving YenTown in the end which all make him a likeable character. Though he is the one who kind of sent the group after Glico and the others for the tape. His character was conflicting to me as I wasn’t sure what truly lead him to where he was or what made him abandon Glico and never go to find her again. He was hot though. That’s a fact. He is 6’1” btw. Just thought yall may be curious….

Also I thought it was interesting that Ageha’s heritage and past were never fully revealed. I think this is important because it allows the audience to try and find her place as she tries to as well. We can’t ‘place’ her as we can with the other characters and she also feels out of place. She is not only an orphan without any blood family but she doesn’t have a nationality she clings to. Unlike the other characters she did not speak Chinese (in the beginning, she did learn) and yet she was seemingly raised in YenTown. By the end, she finds her place and we as the audience watch her as she does. Her choice to get a tattoo as Glico did seems to finalize her choice that rather than an immigrant, an orphan or Japanese, she is YenTown and she is a part of this found family. The tattoo in particular seems ot reject traditional Japanese society (due to their touchy relationship with tattoos) and could represent not only hr metamorphosis into self-realization but also show her being free once she chose as a butterfly often represents. On top of this they burn the money, showing that they are starting over, together. And its okay if they are poor, as long as they are together.

I loved the movie <3. I also liked that they were consistent with using multiple languages and pointing out the need and problems with translation. It gave a sense of realism. A lot of modern movies I have watched will kind of drop the second or third language midway through the film

[cjloogy]

HANA-BI – はなび

Those damn shades, pretty cool.

I really enjoyed viewing this one, and I think it’s the actual viewing experience that’s key here, rather than the narrative itself which felt mostly peripheral. What was really keeping my attention throughout the film was the atmosphere that was being established, very melancholic and almost surreal at times, certainly in its depiction of violence with the amount of blood getting thrown around. Some of the violence does feel a little absurd, like the amount of blood a guy spits up after a single kick to the face with no other visible bruising or scarring from it, or the jarring cuts from a lunge with chopsticks to the guy being stabbed with them in his eye. While I think it was a bit heavy handed, I’m thinking now that it may have been an intentional effect meant to really draw attention to the moments of violence and death, and these moments felt like they were mirrored by the splash of red paint on Horibe’s suicide painting, showing what all these moments of violence were building up towards. The violence stands in stark contrast to the moments of care and tenderness. Nishi is a main who is haunted by his past, but still feels no greater desire than to see his sick wife happy in her final days. The ways scenes are depicted show his mentality and resolve perfectly, minimal dialogue and obscurity, and all of the motivations are shown through actions rather than words.

As for the ending, I think this was the least ambiguous part of the film, and it’s obvious what actually happened here: Nishi and his wife end their own lives on their own terms. It’s heavily symbolized by Horibe’s last painting at the end of the film, which on one hand shows his abandonment of the desire to kill himself with the splashing of the red paint, while also showing what Nishi and Miyuki are about to do. There’s no point in Nishi continuing his struggles since his wife is already on death’s door, and the Yakuza are set on tracking him down while the police have him pinned for the robbery he committed. He was able to enjoy one last trip with the woman he loves, and the last thing he’s going to do is kill 2 people that still clearly care for his well being and have done nothing to wrong him or the people he cares for. It’s a somber ending, but ultimately one that left me at peace knowing that him and his wife could both see the end together in mutual happiness. I have to admit, the 2 lines from Miyuki really hit me like a truck, and my eyes got a bit misty in it all. I also want to mention that I think it’s pretty clever that a man who was painting surrealist art has his final painting of the film directly foreshadow the reality of the ending.

The film itself had a distinct rhythm that helped everything flow together, and this was all punctuated with a fantastic score, making what could have been otherwise dull scenes really mesmerizing for myself. A couple of things I read up on that I thought made this film much more personal for the director was that the pointillist paintings that Horibe made were made by Kitano himself in reality, in particular while he was recovering from a motorcycle accident that left his face partially paralyzed, and that Kitano’s own daughter shows up in the film as the girl flying the kite at the end.

All in all, this film was really solid, not quite at the top of my list compared to some of the others I’ve seen up until now, but there are aspects here that certainly make me want to dive into the rest of Kitano’s filmography.

[random-film-bee]

I am dumb for missing the obvious suicide that was implied and just assumed he was saying goodbye before he got arrested. But I think your analysis makes more sense and is spot on. The artwork that Horibe made definitely was a translation of his own psyche but also reflected Nishi and his wife’s story as well.

[random-film-bee]

Hana-bi

Firstly, the music goes so hard. But i love how it sets us up emotionally and sometimes follows through, but other times does the opposite. like in the opening scene it was this nice kind of emotional song playing but then it stopped, and the kid washes the car/got kicked which made the humor more humorous through the breaking of expectations. I thought they were going to fight or talk bout something interesting but no, just kicked

FLOWERS EVERYWHERE:

I got a lot of thoughts on the flower and firework symbolism throughout the film.

The term hana-bi is made up of flower and fire. And they are fleeting like the life of a flower and of anything else. In relation to Nishi, his time with his wife is fleeting and with Horibe too. Unlike Nishi who knew his time was limited with his family though, Horibe had no known that he would lose his family and be alone until after they had already left. Like a firework, boom then gone. :(

Regarding the artwork of flowers being placed on human and animal heads, flowers are stagnant, they can’t move but they are desired. By being placed on moving creatures, it shows how Horibe was struggling to come to terms with his paralysis and loneliness.

This relationship between Horibe as well as Nishi’s wife and flowers if furthered as they are often cut to following a flowers appearance. Like when they were playing cards in the car, Nishi’s wife had flowers and as soon as it was shown it cut to Horibe on the beach.

This is driven home again with the watering of the dead flowers, showing Nishi's wife is going to die but is still yearning to live.

Loosely related is the changing of seasons. It was spring with flowers blooming, and then it became winter which forbodes end and death. Which is what happens. Nishi kills Yakuza members, gets arrested and separate from his wife who is implied to soon die, and Horibe is contemplating suicide by the end of the film.

Other things of note:

Horibes is really only seen in two scenes: the beach and his home. Regarding the beach, it functions to show his distress, he can no longer swim yet he is always peering off to the water. Additionally, the ocean has always represented possibility and future, but he feels as if he is a drift now without one. Also, beaches are where family often spend leisure together but now, he is alone.

I noticed a tick that Nori would do when he was under pressure/stressed. He would blink and twitch his mouth. (it may be the actor and not a choice but it still works well with the character). This is interested as it is common with not only people with anxiety but also various forms of PTSD.

[sprout3391]

Go (2001)

I can’t believe we finally made it to the 21st century. I finally understand at least some of the pop culture references.

Anyways, the rebellious youth theme instantly made me think of Cruel Story of Youth, especially after Sugihara says, “I thought hard about my futureless existence.” Sugihara’s youth was filled with violence, with many classmates challenging him to fight. I’m glad that Sugihara manages to find a goal, going to university, but I am sad that it was at the cost of Jong-Il’s death. Sugihara also refuses Tawake’s call for revenge, stating that it would not be something Jong-Il would want. I also wondered a lot if any of the violence portrayed was punished by the police. I wonder if Jong-Il’s killer was arrested, or if Mr. Kim faced any consequences for beating up a student. We only see the police arrest Sugihara and Tawake, which makes me think the director is pointing out how the Korean-Japanese were treated by the police differently compared to the Japanese.

The stuttering shots also reminded me of something, but I can’t quite remember what. I want to say Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. But a cooler scene was the spinning shot while Tawake and Sugihara kick a deflated soccer ball around, then transitions to Jong-Il and Sugihara talking. It conveyed time passing, like with Ugetsu and its shot where the wife appears one last time.

Additionally, Go starts with a Shakespeare quote, which I think outlines the main theme of the movie well. The quote basically says that the name of something does not really change what that something is, like how Sugihara and Sakurai not sharing their first-names does not change who they are as humans. The quote also shows that the labels given to the various characters do not define them. Sugihara may be Korean-Japanese but sharing this information with Sakurai does not change him as a person.

A smaller thing I noticed was that the film shows that every time the mom left, the dad punches a hole in the wall. The film focuses a little on the first two holes as they happen, but by the end there were like five holes. We see that after the dad was informed of his loss in business and loss of a brother, so I wonder if the holes indicated how upset the dad was over these losses or if the mom left another three times. I saw that Sakurai when she was introduced wore a lot of bright pinks, which foreshadowed her first name. This also made her stand out next to Sugihara, who wore dark blues. Furthermore, after Jong-Il’s funeral, Sugihara wore black while Sakurai wore a white dress. Obviously the dark clothing indicates grief, but I think Sakurai wore white to represent how Sugihara hopes that Sakurai can be a pillar of support after losing a good friend. That illusion is shattered though once the clothing came off. Finally, at the end Sakurai wore blue clothing, which I believe indicates how she understands Sugihara a little better and was willing to change the beliefs she was taught.

[random-film-bee]

I never pay attention to clothes and everytime we watch a movie one of my classmates amazes me with the details they noticed in them. The colors they wore corresponding to aspects of the plot is really interesting. I think White in Japan is also a mourning color (i may be wrong). It was linked to shinotism and also purity. That kinda makes sense she would wear a more traditional color (given her connection to japan).

[random-film-bee]

GO!

This was by far the most enjoyable film we have watched so far for me. I think this will remain pretty high on my list of favorites from the course until we get into the horror genre.

Honestly, I was not aware of the treatment of Koreans in Japan and this movie encouraged me to do some more research. While the movie showed a lot of the individually-faced racism that is experienced, a lot of the institutionalized racism wasn’t depicted. Specifically, the education system is a prime example of where Koreans in Japan are disadvantaged which is shown a bit in the film. In Japan, there are Korean schools due to the high population (both North and South). In 2003, the Japanese government made graduates from most international schools as well as Japanese schools eligible for the university entrance exam, but this was not extended to most Korean schools (specifically North Korean) placing the students at a disadvantage. While this happened in 2003 and the movie was in 2001, it makes sense why Jong-Il and Sugihara’s father wanted him to go to Japanese school and change his citizenship in order to even have a chance at going to university. This was an option that was not available to the others not only because of basic prejudice but also legislature. There are other disadvantages that they face, and if anyone is interested I was reading up on it here: https://minorityrights.org/minorities/koreans/ and found it helped contextualize the movie a bit, especially the history.

The opening scene where Sugihara is playing basketball but pauses to tell us that it was a love story reminded me of something and I couldn’t put my finger on it. Until right now. It was The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) where Kuzco stops the movie to tell us that the film is about him and not Pacha. I think its funny because it was around the same time so it was likely a 2000s trend but I couldn’t stop thinking about how I had seen that scene before when I was watching and I am glad I finally remembered where I saw it before.

I liked that this movie touched on how while we’re all connected to our ethnicity/race/nationality etc., we aren’t defined by it. Sugihara can’t change that he is Korean, even if he changed it officially. But he gets to decide who he is in other ways. In whom he loves, his future, his actions. I think he like many others struggle with labels and being labeled that we forget that first and foremost you are yourself. Not your country, not your gender, not your race, not your sexuality. That’s part of it but you are you as a whole.

[jdzng04]

Tampopo (1985) dir. Juzo Itami

I've long been looking forward to this film in the semester for a while now, and I'm super stoked we'll be discussing it in class this week. It's a film I highly cherish that's not only about the love and beauty of ramen, a dish I love very dearly, but also a fun and riveting, erotic comedy about food and helping others in need.

The didacticism of the process of making a quality bowl of ramen is not so much an annoying, heavy burden as it adds to the appreciation of noodles and the process of making it that Itami attempts to show. In fact, the first time after I watched this, I'd taken up the habit of petting my meats in my noodles with my chopsticks before digging in. It is a very provocative, inspiring film in my experience for sure.

The incorporation of the western film, which humorously spawned the idea of the "ramen western", was also fun to see. Seeing a couple cowboys want to show the art and process of making a quality bowl of ramen is certainly an interesting twist on the typical western genre rilm. And with its heavy emphasis and close-ups on food, the human body, and many of its characters' expressions, Tampopo is not only, to me, an extremely well done comedy, but a great exploration into how far food porn can be taken with humans and noodles.

The one thing I did not exactly appreciate seeing in this film is the treatment of Lai Lai, the widowed mother and aspiring restaurant owner. Sure, it's one thing to try and lead someone in the right direction through negative reinforcement and whatnot, but I could not help but feel pity for how much consequences and waste of her attempts at making the ramen broth that she's had to discard. Sometimes, Goro and Gun's aggressiveness in their teaching bothered me a bit, but perhaps it's more so a painful reminder of my experience with Asian parents teaching their kids things.

Honestly, I would've loved to see this screened as part of class rather than seeing it on my own, but perhaps it's for the better as Tampopo contains a lot of sensual scenes that some people may feel awkward seeing together in a big classroom. I really do love this film though, and look forward to discussing it with others.

[random-film-bee]

It was definitely an interesting movie that I really enjoyed watching. Personally, I am glad we watched it on our own just because the scenes were a bit too sensual for me to wanna watch with 30 other people. Bringing up the idea of ‘ramen western’ is interesting because I got that vibe while watching it but I was worried I was alone. I wasn’t sure how they managed to bring a cowboy/inidana jones type feel to a movie to a film about ramen but it was all I thought about while watching it.