jpt3391

[jpt3391]

Dang, I forgot to talk about the music in my post, but yours reminded me of that. Hisaishi's music really gives life to a lot of Ghibli movies and I don't think I can imagine them without it, because to me they are so integral to the story itself. He was really skilled in creating just the right tone of music to elevate these movies to a whole other level. Even in Hanabi, I felt like without the music, the movie would have lost some of its meaning.

Spirited Away (2001) by Miyazaki Hayao - Blog 23

Spirited Away (2001) by Miyazaki Hayao is a Japanese animated film produced by Studio Ghibli. The story begins with a little girl named Chihiro, who is traveling with her parents to a new home. They encounter a tunnel and explore through it. The parents turn into pigs as a consequence for eating Yubaba’s guests food. With the help of a mysterious boy, Haku, Chihiro becomes contracted with Yubaba in order to survive the spiritual world by working. She uses this opportunity to find a way to return her parents back to normal and return to their world. Towards the end of the movie, Haku is gravely injured from stealing from Yubaba’s twin sister, Zeniba, and Chihiro ventures by train with No Face, Bo, and Yu-bird to return Zeniba’s stolen good. Then, Haku goes to retrieve Chihiro and Bo after waking up from his short coma. At the end, Chihiro was able to break the contract, bid her farewells, and return home with her parents.

It was my first time watching Spirited Away. I remember vaguely that I might have watched it half way through when I was younger, but I believe it was because I did not understand the film as much compared to being older. So far, I really like the film’s storyline and the art. The music was nice along the way too. When Chihiro was going down the stairs to the boiler room, the moment she broke through the step, it gave me a big jumpscare. The encounters with the susuwatari were very cute. The way that they realized Chihiro could carry the heavy rocks for them was adorable. Despite their job being in possible risk, they quickly enjoyed Chihiro’s presents and defend her against Kamaji. After Chihiro started working, she has a few encounters with No-Face. My thoughts on No-face is he is like a lonely kid. He is always alone until he met Chihiro who showed him a small amount of kindness. Although it was a bit shocking to me to have seen the outcome of him after getting rejected by Chihiro, but watching him become back to normal and follow her just as he used to made me feel like things are getting back to normal again. 

There was one scene I thought was interesting. While Chihiro, No-face, Bo, and Yu-bird are on board the bus. There is one shot where you can see Chihiro facing the side against her reflection in the window. In her reflection, her eyes and skin looked empty. It looked like we were seeing her soul in the reflection, while she is manuevering her somewhat soulless body.  I am pretty content with the ending of Spirited Away. I would like to rewatch the Dub version sometimes eventually. It is not my first time watching a film produced by Studio Ghibli. My childhood favorite film produced by them is Ponyo. I’ve watched it in both dubbed and subbed. I am hoping to watch more of their films in both translations.

[jpt3391]

Spirited Away

What a great movie to end the semester! Spirited Away, the whole Studio Ghibli team, from Hayao Miyazaki, Joe Hisaishi, and all the animators that worked on it made such an iconic movie that really showcased their skills and also gave meaningful commentary on the world today. The movie starts off with a character named Chihiro who is riding in the back of the car with her parents on the way to a house that they are moving into. They accidentally drive into an unknown part in the woods where they find a “fake” train station-like building that is revealed to be an entrance to a rundown theme park. The father describes it as abandoned because of the economic collapse that happened in Japan, which is important in knowing the effect that it had on the people. Her parents, notably her dad, start to smell some food and so they all investigate the source and to Chihiro's surprise, they start eating the food right then and there without any notice as to why the food is just sitting there. Getting nervous as to what is happening, she tries to wander back to the car, but by then it’s already too late and this is the legendary start of the movie. She has crossed into the spirit world, and has to leave her parents behind as they have started to turn into pigs as well as losing their grip on their humanity. She goes on an adventure with Haku, a young boy who is an apprentice to the witch of the “castle” that is the bathhouse (Yubaba). She initially tries to work for Kamaji, but is turned down and then given away by him to Yubaba. Through these adventures she is reminded by Haku to remember her name, as when she signed the contract with Yubaba, she gave away her name, which was replaced by “Sen”. By being herself, and being a good person, she is able to succeed in working at the bathhouse when she takes care of an old river spirit who rewards her with a medicine ball and also No Face who takes care of her at the start. No Face, who is immature and tries to find himself in the bathhouse creates a lot of commotion when he starts “eating” the employees, but at the same time giving them copious amounts of gold. It is only when he is stopped by Chihiro that he returns to his original form, and is back to an approachable state. They travel together to see Zeniba, the twin sister of Yubaba, and are able to bargain with Yubaba at the end because of her travels with Yubaba’s child, Bo. At the end, she gets to return back home, and feels prepared to tackle any new challenges that come her way. Some important aspects of the movie to analyze are the effects of capitalism that are shown by both the old river spirit and No Face. The old river spirit is negatively affected when he is treated badly because of all the litter that is caused by humans. On the other end of the spectrum is No Face, he is able to take advantage of almost anybody he wants because of the money that he has. In addition, the metaphor of the bathhouse as jobs in society, with Haku reminding Chihiro to remember herself is such an important thing that we need to remember today as well. Sometimes we get too lost in our jobs, that we forget to be ourselves and know what we want to do. 

[jpt3391]

Now that you bring it up, it is interesting that Heihachi chooses to become a gunslinger after all that he has gone through in the past. He has all that money and he chooses to do something that scarred him. Personally I would just chill and live my life, but maybe he wants to overcome and develop himself even further to truly feel like he has conquered his fears. As they were saying in the movie, do not fear death and maybe that is where Heihachi (along with his lineage) starts his own journey.

Sukiyaki Western Django (2007) by Takashi Miike - Blog 22

Sukiyaki Western Django (2007) by Takashi Miike is a western and action film. It is played in the English language in a Western-styled Japan. The story revolves between two warring clans, the Heike and Genji, also known as the Reds and Whites. Amidst the turmoil, a lone traveling gunman meets both sides and rejects their requests for him to join them. Eventually he is taken in by Ruriko and later he meets Shizuka, a prostitute, mother of young Heihachi, wife of deceased Akira, and daughter in-law of Ruriko. After Shizuka warns the gunman of one of the Genji’s men revenge for him, he tells her to leave with his son. Unfortunately, Shizuka meets her end when she comes back to retrieve her “heart.” A plant growing with white and red colors. Then, it is revealed that Ruriko is Bloody Benten and she is seeking revenge for her son’s death. She also had Akira with Piringo, another talented gunman. In the end, the gunman has his final battle with Yoshitsune, leader of the Genji’s, and the Heike’s are killed by Ruriko. She is eventually killed by the sheriff.The gunman leaves town and he farewells Heihachi with a handful of gold. Heihachi in turn grows up into a gunslinger named Django. After watching the film, I enjoyed the action filled scenes and the camera work following the fights. I also felt like the story was dark. The death of Heihachi’s whole family was very sad and I believe the gunman had a similar experience as Heihachi and that is why there are flashbacks of a man and lady hung by a bridge. What I did not like was the things that Shizuka had to deal with after her husband’s death. She was raped and others attempted to, and she was constantly suffering from trauma. I felt bad for her as she sought revenge for her family by becoming a prostitute for the Genji and being killed for trying to save the plants Heihachi and she felt dearest to. Other than that, I was also intrigued by how creative the sets were made and the camera work where it shows plenty of headshots to show expressions on the faces of the actors. At the end, when they bring up what happens to Heihachi, I found it interesting how he decides to become a gunslinger in response to the trauma he has faced each time.

[jpt3391]

Sukiyaki Western Django

Like the name of the dish, the movie was a variety of things and to me it was a bit hard to keep up with at times. I understood where the movie was trying to go and surprisingly a lot of the references, but I was still left a bit confused as to the meaning behind some of it. One of my favorite references made in the movie though, was when Tarantino's character references the movie Akira, and calls himself just another anime otaku. Of course, he was talking about his son too, but it made me chuckle. The movie starts off with Tarantino's character somehow killing a snake that was just picked up by a bird, which happened to have an egg in its stomach, so that already sets the tone of the whole movie. It's a bit ridiculous, but it's not trying to hide it. Tarantino's character then defeats some cowboys that try to kill him, and then is greeted by a mysterious lady. The movie then goes on to introduce a nameless gunman who rides into town between the red gang and the white gang (the Heike and Genji respectively). It is revealed that the rival clans are fighting for supposed hidden treasure in the town, but none of them can find it. It goes behind the backstory as to how the clans settled in the town, with the Heike first taking it over from the initial gold rush prospectors. This is symbolized by them painting the town's gate in red. Then the Genji come and show their strong presence to the Heike, essentially taking over the town but making the Heike do all the dirty work while they wait for them to find the treasure. The nameless man tries to find his way in all of this and by talking to the people of the town, he is able to piece together what is actually happening. Between the hunt for treasure is the underlying story of Heihachi, a kid born from Akira and Shizuka. He, like the nameless man, is born from both clans and that is shown with his interesting hairstyle. Then the fighting ensues and of course, the nameless man wins in the end and Heihachi finally overcomes his trauma and becomes the legendary gunslinger, Django. Overall, the movie was pretty fun to watch but still something that wasn't entirely my style.

[jpt3391]

I forgot about that part, but that was important in showing how Sentaro moves on while still remembering the past and "listening" to the stories that all objects or things can tell. When he uses the things that Tokue passed on to him, I feel as if he can still connect to her spirit and which is why he doesn't feel as sad anymore, because he remembers the good times that they had together. Whether it be cooking the red bean paste for a long time, or serving the customers with her, it finally brings him happiness in doing something meaningful to him.

Sweet Bean (2015) by Kawase Naomi - Blog 21

Sweet Bean (2015) by Kawase Naomi is a Japanese film that centralizes on freedom and joy. The story centralizes on a man, Sentaro, who runs a small Dorayaki shop in order to pay off a long-term debt. One day, an older lady named Tokue is attracted by the scent of the Dorayaki and is interested in his part-time hiring sign. Due to the possible liability from her old age and crippled hands, Sentaro rejects each of her attempts to become hired until she leaves a carton of An, sweet bean paste, that she made for him to try. Their next encounter, they begun to work together and the new serving of An blossoms Sentaro’s shop. Soon after, the wife of the deceased owner of Sentaro’s shop comes by to discuss firing Tokue because of her case of leprosy. Eventually, Sentaro does begin to lose business and Tokue quits upon noticing the occurrence. This was not the last encounter for Sentaro and Tokue. Sentaro and Wakana, a school girl and close friend, visits Tokue a few time at her home in the quarantine for those with leprosy. A few months Tokue passes away from Pneumonia and Sentaro opens his own stall with the equipment passed down from Tokue. 

This film was very beautiful and sad. I really enjoyed watching it and would recommend family and friends to watch at least once. There was not a lot of music present throughout the film. Only the sounds of the environment and the interactions between people. I believe there was only one incident where music was played. The shots of the scenery and the camera work was clean and the film overall felt very realistic. In the beginning of the story, I thought it would be similar to Tanpopo, whereas the owner of the little shop works to improve on a recipe. Although it was not the same, it was similar in the aspect that both shops wanted to change their a part of their food. I did not expect the amount of sadness the film would have brought, and listening to how patients from leprosy longed for freedom from quarantine and illness. Especially Tokue’s statements throughout. She would mention how lucky and it must be nice to be young like the school girls. Due to her illness, achieving her dreams were deemed impossible and her freedom was taken away since she was young. Tokue is a very loving and kind spirit. She just wanted Sentaro to feel joy and feel free just like the birds and the trees. I really enjoyed the ending despite the death of Tokue. Sentaro looked happier compared to the beginning of the film and receiving Tokue’s care, equipment, and recipe allowed him to step out from his past.

[jpt3391]

Sweet Bean

After looking at the title, I wasn’t sure what to expect from a movie named Sweet Bean, but I was pleasantly surprised to find myself tearing up after hearing a meaningful story about a sometimes forgotten side of Japan, and the world too. Almost like a triptych, the movie unfolds itself and shows beautiful scenery of Japan, different from what we’ve seen so far with the movies that we’ve watched. Sweet Bean made the harsh concrete jungles Tokyo seem so inviting along with the calming views of nature that the sanatorium had as well. The movie starts off with a man getting ready for his early day prep as a cook, where it is revealed that he makes dorayaki (a Japanese dessert of red bean sandwiched between two pancakes). In the shop, his only regulars are school kids who stop by to tease him and comment on how sad he looks and acts. While they do come for his food too, there is some truth in the playful words that they exchange with him. As a viewer you can tell that Sentaro is a sad, but caring man who is living his life as it goes on (he cares for one of the schoolgirls who stays behind and most likely asked for his scraps, which he gives to her). He doesn’t really have a purpose and it shows in his work as well. Then comes Tokue, an old lady who wants to help him out at the dorayaki shop. At first he turns her down mainly because he doesn’t want to inconvenience her, but due to her persistence and showing off her own red bean paste (compared to his sad red bean paste) he decides to take her in. She shows him what I can only assume is her secret recipe of making red bean paste, and both enjoy spending time with each other, almost like mother and son. I really enjoyed seeing the connection that they shared, and I noticed while watching the movie that there was barely any background music in it. It was just the noise of the city, which I found pretty interesting. If I remember correctly, the only time there was music was when Sentaro was contemplating on how he should break the news to Tokue (the owner of the shop wanted him to fire her because of her past condition of leprosy). It was really meaningful to show the power that Tokue had in influencing Sentaro’s path. Before her, he was just someone who was paying back a debt that he owed, but after meeting her he chose something that he wanted to do (while still paying that lady back, I assume, just from his own stall though). It created a sense of meaning for him, and also closure from his past life as a convict when he wasn’t able to spend time with his mom before she passed away, and Tokue was able to be a maternal figure in his life. Going back to the schoolgirl though, she ties the story together by relating to Sentaro and Tokue, the sense of loneliness that they all feel at times. Sentaro, is a convict that doesn’t have as much opportunity for work. Tokue, cast away by society, wasn’t able to do much of what she wanted to do as well. And lastly, we can see that Wakana, who doesn’t go to cram school like the rest of her peers, is struggling to find herself in all of it. 

[jpt3391]

I agree, it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, and was a fairly interesting story that was presented with really cool effects that they shot. I also found the picture that Ryuji took of Reiko to be pretty funny, because as you said, it came out looking like the filters that we see nowadays.

Ring (1998) by Nakata Hideo - Blog 20

Ring (1998) by Nakata Hideo is a psychological horror film. It is about a journalist, Asakawa Reiko, who investigates into the mysterious death of her niece and her friends. After some clues, it leads her to a tape that is known for being cursed. It causes the viewer to die after seven days from watching it. Asakawa comes into contact with the tape while she went to investigate the site where her niece and her friends hung out. Immediately, she watches the tape and she experiences the same encounters as those who watches it. Afterwards, she partners with her ex-husband Ryuji, who has the ability to sense supernatural beings, to help her resolve the curse before her seven days. Apparently, her son, Yuichi, watched the cursed tape as well because Tomoko told him to do it. This further complicates and rushes them to figure out the case. In the end, they figure out that the curse was caused by a vengeful spirit named Sadako. Sadako was pushed and killed in the well by her own father. In order to uplift the curse, they figure out where she died and retrieve her remains. Unbeknownst to them, the curse was not lifted and Ryuji is killed on his seventh day, meanwhile Asakawa does not. She figures out that you need to let someone else watch the copy of the tape in order to pass along the curse of Sadako. In order to save her son, she is seen driving to her father with intention of having him watch the tape.  After watching the film, I felt like the film was intriguing and not very scary as I thought it would be. I could see how the Ring would be more frightening in the past compared to our modern horror films. The scenes that were intended to be frightening or disturbing were humorous. An example would be the pictures of the distorted faces. The shaping and features designed to make it look scary were perceived as silly and like our modern day face filters. Watching this film reminded me of my childhood. I remember as a kid that the older children and my classmates would often talk about old scary stories and curses. It used to frighten me a lot as a kid and traumatized me growing up until I learned that the chances of it happening of them becoming true is low. Just like the story of Sadako, I believe Bloody Mary is similar to it as well. In order to trigger Mary to appear in the mirror, you have to repeat her name a certain number of times in a dim-lit room. Afterwards, she attacks the person who calls for her. Similarly, I believe they are related as being a vengeful spirit and both have a trigger to their curse in their own way.

[jpt3391]

Ringu

I’m gonna be honest, I’m not the best with horror movies but I’ll try my best for this class. For our first horror movie, I found Ringu to be actually pretty interesting as it was more about psychics and how people were being treated, rather than jumpscares and the American-style horror movies that I am more used to from seeing them in trailers and such. The introduction was interesting, but also iconic in setting the scene for the movie. It was interesting to see the camera movement as well as how they created a mysterious aura with the sounds as well as lighting. On a side note, I always found it interesting how they shoot horror movies, as the shoot itself isn’t scary, but with the magic of editing it creates the movies that we all know. Ringu ends the introduction with the second girl dying with her soul leaving her body, coming towards the camera. I thought the whole scene was pretty cool itself too, I could tell what was happening even without my prior knowledge of the movie, but even knowing what was going to happen doesn’t take away from the eerie feeling that it gives you. The girl who dies is revealed to be the niece of the main character, Reiko, who is a journalist trying to find a new scoop for her news company. Another thing that I found interesting was how bright the movie presented itself at times, like I said before I’m not used to a lot of horror movies, but I know for some horror movies they present themselves in literally a dark light so that they can use that for their scare factor. But going back to the movie, Reiko interviews some schoolgirls who know of an urban myth that if you watch a tape, you have a week to get rid of the curse or you just die. Reiko, while investigating this urban myth, goes to the source where she unknowingly watches the actual tape and gets herself cursed. She immediately calls her ex-husband where they work together to try to lift the curse. While watching this movie, I thought that Reiko’s son, Yuichi, was eerie as well, because of how mature he acted and how nonchalant he was at times. Going back to the story though, Reiko and Ryuji go on a mission to try to lift the curse. The backstory behind how the curse started was pretty interesting, and the shots of the curse on the tape were also pretty interesting, I’m not sure if that was the start of analog horror but that was what I attributed it to. Anyways, Reiko and Ryuji finally believe that they lift the curse, but instead Reiko accidentally finds out that Ryuji was the one that had it all along, in which he dies. So at the end of the movie, Reiko drives out to find someone else to give the curse to so that her son doesn’t die. Personally, I wasn’t satisfied that Ryuji died, but I know that since that’s what the schoolgirls said in the beginning, as well as Sadako being all powerful, that 's just how it is.

[jpt3391]

After reading your post, it brought those scenes back into my mind about how the Yentown people were actually treated by natives. When I was writing up my post, I thought it was nice how the Yentown people treated each other (from all the immigrants that lived together), but now I remembered how the native Japanese people treated Glico and the others. They didn't view them as on their level, which is why I assume the reporters were so eager to jump on her, because they knew the truth about her past.

Swallowtail Butterfly

This movie was a ride from start to finish, impossible to predict the direction it was going to take next. Swallowtail Butterfly, directed by Shunji Iwai, follows plotlines of prostitution, counterfeiting money, starting a business, becoming an idol, gang violence, and even more I can’t think of right now. The core of the story, however, was the building of a community of Yentown’s immigrants, and the development of them as individuals who can make a life for themselves.

The characters speak a mix of English, Japanese, and Chinese. I was confused at times why they were speaking English, but I realized that even though it sounded like they weren’t proficient based on their pronunciations, they were probably supposed to be native speakers or at least comfortable with the language. Also, when I wasn’t locked in sometimes, I got confused as to why the characters weren’t understanding each other until I realized they were speaking different languages. Nonetheless, the language diversity made for an interesting display of culture clash. One character, the Japanese-born to American parents, made an interesting note of how language affects the way people are treated. Because he looks like a foreigner, people assume him to speak English and maybe not Japanese, which leads to some feelings of exclusion.

Through the resilience displayed by characters such as Ageha, Iwai shows a certain admiration for immigrants in Japan. Similar to the movie GO, immigrants aren’t necessarily treated well by natives, and tend to face more obstacles than natives. However, through both unlawful and wholesome (sometimes) means, the characters advance through society and find success. It starts with counterfeiting cash, but once the initial investment is obtained, Fei Hong wants to start an honest business and community for Yentown, as well as push Glico towards becoming an icon.

I was a little confused about the purpose of Glico’s brother in the film. His gang did add a lot of action to the movie, such as the hilarious scene of them being obliterated by a bazooka. It also could have been to show a different approach for immigrants to gain wealth. Although his people did many bad things, certain scenes showed him to have a good heart. I wish he could have met Glico, but the ending we got was, in a weird way, satisfying. All that he committed all this violence for was just handed to him by Ageha.

As one of the final scenes of the movie, Ageha and the other Yentowns burn the immense amount of cash they obtained. This represented their denial of Japanese society; they moved to Japan in the first place with the intention of growing their wealth. It was a culmination of all the grief and desperation experienced by immigrants in Japan.

[jpt3391]

Swallowtail Butterfly

Overall, that was an interesting movie. I liked the premise of it being set in the future and how the world developed into a dystopia where one currency becomes the strongest, but at the same time I would have liked more backstory as to how the yen became the strongest. While it doesn’t have to be realistic or anything (being the dinar), some more background to the world building would be nice. Maybe if I read the book that it was based on, it would satisfy my questions. But anyways, I enjoyed the movie and especially the first part in which you really get immersed into Yentown. At the start, Ageha sees her mom, but chooses not to recognize her at the coroner, most likely because it would cost more to bury her, so they just choose to have the funeral right then and there. And on top of that, she gets taken advantage of by her “aunties” who take the rest of the money that her mom probably stashed away. It was really sad though, seeing Ageha struggle and be tossed around like she was nothing, being left with Glico without her actually wanting her at the start. Even Glico tries to give her to Fei Hong for a little bit probably because she wanted to get used to having someone to care for as well. 

The story progresses with Ageha finally living a life with Fei Hong and Glico as almost like older siblings. One of my favorite scenes was with the black guy taking care of her as if he was his own child. I really liked how it showcased southern hospitality I guess you could call it, or just American hospitality in general. It was nice that they didn’t have any racial tension between the characters, even the white guy that was born in Japan and identified as Japanese was accepted by them, but then again now that I think about it, it was because they are all outcasts trying to make it into the world. The scene with them playing “My Way” was so good and it helps that it's one of my favorite artists too. The movie then turns into like an action movie with all the stuff surrounding the tape that was hidden in the person that they coincidentally killed. The fact that it had counterfeit material on it was pretty crazy to me. That fueled the fire behind everything; from Glico becoming a singer, Fei Hong getting into jail and then eventually dying, but also the return to the truth that they knew before, the return to family and the rejection of money.

[jpt3391]

I agree with you, and I'm sure as everyone has noticed, Nishi is a many of few words because of the different relationships that he has with others. With his wife, he doesn't need to speak because they understand each other, but with Nakamura or the junkyard guy he has to speak to get his emotions across. Similarly with Horibe, he just wants to be there for him and show that he cares, even though he ends up leaving him behind sadly.

花火！！

Imagine a cop movie where the good guy wrestles with guilt and a world teetering on the edge. That's the vibe of "Hana-bi," a 1997 film by the one and only Takeshi Kitano. Kitano, a real-life comedian with a knack for deadpan humor, also directed, wrote, and starred in the film, lending it a unique blend of darkness and wry observation.

The story centers around Nishi, a detective haunted by a past shootout that left his partner paralyzed. Wracked with guilt and facing his own wife Miyuki's terminal illness, Nishi decides to throw in the towel and quit the force. But with Miyuki's treatment costing a fortune, Nishi makes a desperate move – he borrows a hefty sum from the yakuza, the Japanese mafia. Big mistake.

Now Nishi is on a collision course with disaster. He pulls off a bank robbery to pay back the loan, only to find himself deeper in the yakuza's clutches. The violence unfolds in a slow-burn kind of way, punctuated by moments of unexpected brutality. Kitano's signature stoic gaze adds another layer to the film – you never quite know what's going on behind those impassive eyes.

There's a tenderness to "Hana-bi" that cuts through the gritty crime drama. The relationship between Nishi and Miyuki is beautifully portrayed, their quiet moments together a stark contrast to the chaos swirling around them. These scenes are little pockets of warmth in a film laced with melancholy. We see a genuine love and connection between the couple, their unspoken understanding a testament to the years they've spent together.

The score by Joe Hisaishi is another highlight, weaving melancholic melodies and soaring strings that perfectly capture the film's emotional core. The music is like a character in itself, underscoring the characters' inner turmoil and the sense of impending doom that hangs over the film.

"Hana-bi" isn't your typical action flick. Don't expect shootouts galore. The film is more interested in exploring themes of loss, regret, and the lengths people go to for those they love. It's a meditation on mortality, with fireworks – the film's literal translation – serving as a poignant symbol of fleeting beauty and the impermanence of life. The use of fireworks is particularly striking in a scene where Nishi and Miyuki watch them illuminate the night sky. The fireworks are a temporary spectacle, a burst of brilliance against the vast darkness, mirroring the fragile and fleeting nature of life itself.

The ending is a masterclass in ambiguity. Kitano leaves things open to interpretation, forcing viewers to grapple with the characters' fates and the lingering questions about their choices. It's a film that stays with you long after the credits roll, prompting reflection on the fragility of life and the complexities of human relationships.

So, if you're looking for a crime film with a difference, one that's equal parts brutal and beautiful, "Hana-bi" is definitely worth checking out. Just be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster ride.

[jpt3391]

HANA-BI

Just to preface, I really liked the shots that Kitano used in this movie to establish the scenery. The shots overlooking Tokyo (I assume) in both the day and night look super nice to me, and then I remember there being a shot of Mt. Fuji as Nishi and Miyuki are going on their trip together.

HANA-BI starts off with a guy who sees two men on his car and then he starts to beat one of them up. So far, so good. The guy is revealed to be Nishi, a retired cop, and the two guys who were messing with his sick Camry were part of the yakuza. From the start, you could tell something was wrong with Nishi, as things weighed on his mind and he barely spoke, if any (it was also interesting that the wife didn’t speak as well, because usually when you have a quiet husband/guy, there is usually a talkative wife to balance it out). There is a bit of jumping around at this point, from past to present, but once the movie progresses it is easier to tell the order in which the events happened. I remember the cut from when Nishi is talking to one of his cop friends, and then it changes smoothly into him talking with the yakuza, I was able to catch that there was something going on in the structure of storytelling. The movie then goes on to show the traumatic events that pop up in Nishi’s mind, being the death of a cop and the injury of his detective partner Horibe (who he still keeps in touch with, which I found very sweet of him to do). When they were describing his old partner Horibe as being the harsh one while Nishi tried to hold him back, I had to do a double take as we know Nishi from the start as being the rough one, but the movie builds up on this point later in the story as well. You get a sense that Nishi took up Horibe’s battle tendencies as he could no longer do police work with him, and that he feels regret for what he did, or rather failed to do. The movie goes on with Nishi successfully robbing a bank to pay back his debt to the yakuza, and then to pay back the people that he loved and wanted to take care of as well (Tanaka’s widow and Horibe). But most importantly, he takes the trip to spend time with his dying wife. We get glimpses of Horibe’s paintings, and one of them we see the word suicide, which ties the whole movie together as both Horibe and Nishi attempt it. The old couple take their time traveling together, but at the end, when he gets found by his Nakamura, he chooses to commit double suicide with his wife, thus ending the story of HANA-BI.

[jpt3391]

Like you said, Go is an important movie that brings to mind some of the things that Japanese people need to face and understand, even today. I see on YouTube a lot how mixed Japanese people view themselves and how they are treated in their home country and it is sad to see people who should consider themselves a part of that, not have the confidence to speak their mind. That shouldn't just be applied to Japan, but to the whole world as people should be accepting of everyone, no matter who they are.

Yukisadas Go

Yukisadas film was one of the first in this class that has taken a critical stance on racial and nationality lines. Likely born out of the developing changes over time and the Japanese societal ways of integrating other people into their society. This film follows Sugihara, a Japanese born North Korean and his trouble integrating into the Japanese society. He wrestles with discrimination topped with the teenage troubles of love and rebellion with his family. I highly respect this film’s approach to tackling such a difficult topic and bringing recognition to the residents in Japan that face this issue.

Being non-Japanese in Japan and then a minority on top of that garners some strange interactions with people. In public settings, many foreigners experience a sense of isolation just based on being a foreigner. For example, it is not unusual for a foreigner or minority sitting down in a bus or train with open seats next to them and several people avoiding sitting next to them. In some occasions this could even occur in a packed train or bus. On the other hand, open seats with local Japanese are quickly filled over the ones which are next to a foreigner.

Another unfortunate story I hear from mixed Japanese people is that because of their looks and being mixed, they are not treated as Japanese. Even though they went to Japanese school, can only speak Japanese, and are fully integrated in the culture, they are treated as not Japanese. I have heard of biracial Japanese people being spoken to continually in English regardless of how much Japanese they speak. These same racial and nationality challenges are seen within Go. Sugihara is bullied by those in school because of his North Korean nationality. Going through these difficulties exacerbate his rebelliousness and causes him to resent his nationality. This is seen through many of his narration throughout the film where Sugihara criticizes his father in his narration for his pride in North Korea and eventually for him changing to a South Korean passport to be able to travel.

Yukisada did a great job directing this film. He allowed the story to be told through the actors directly and used this coming-of-age film to highlight grievances that people all throughout the world face when living in foreign countries. This relatable and telling film brings attention to racial and ethnic dilemma and establishes a platform to discuss on. I also enjoyed Yukisada’s use of narration by Sugihara and even the multiple instances of flashbacks throughout the film. Even though there were several instances of these flashbacks, the overall timeline and progression of the film remained easy to follow. Overall Go was a great film, that I will have to recommend to my Japanese friends to invoke some meaningful and hopefully challenging conversations.

[jpt3391]

Go

Bringing us into the 2000s, Go was a cool romance, action movie that covered some important topics in Japanese culture. It focused on the exclusionary culture that some Japanese people took in interacting and maintaining a “pure” bloodline. We talked about Zainichi culture before in some classes but it was nice to see it being brought up in mainstream media; not everyone reads and movies are a great way to get your message across to people. Going back to the movie though, the movie opens with some great shots of the main character standing on the court and the other players moving around him in a stop-motion display. 

He talks about all the things that are going through his mind right now, similar to the players running around and it is revealed that he is a zainichi, a term that Japanese people used to describe Koreans or half-Koreans that lived in Japan. The term means “staying in Japan”, which brings the connotation that they don’t belong permanently, even though many zainichi have lived in Japan all their lives, and should be considered a part of Japan. It is interesting to note that he gets beat up by everyone at the school, not just the people on the opposing team which I thought was a nice detail. He then reveals that this is the present, and the movie goes back in time to show what happened in the past, and also talks about how it is his love story, rather than just a teen rebel movie of some sort. It goes to this scene in the subway of Sugihara and other classmates playing a game (a very dangerous one at that) to beat the train on the tracks. He thankfully makes it out but is eventually caught by the police and brought to the station. There we are introduced to his father, who makes a bold statement of punching him. It is later revealed that his father used to be a boxer, and taught him since 4th grade his ways. Sugihara struggles with finding himself throughout all this, and while attending Korean school in Japan, he decides to go to Japanese school instead as he views himself as Japanese. There, he tries to turn over a new leaf, but still falls back on his violent tendencies, but that luckily brings him some favor with the son of a Yakuza leader. They do some funny stuff, he invites him to his birthday party, where he meets the girl that he falls in love with. 

They do the usual stuff, but after one of his best friend’s deaths (Song Il), he pursues the relationship further in which he does the big reveal to her, saying that he is a zainichi, but sadly she pushes him away as she gathers all her thoughts together. After that incident occurs, he meets a cool police officer, who I wish they incorporated him more towards the end as I felt like that could have been another plot point to bolster how some Japanese people would treat him like normal. But she comes back to him, and all is good. Overall, I liked the movie, very good.

[jpt3391]

Ah yes, you brought up the egg yolk scene which I had forgotten all about while watching the movie, because it was such a weird scene to me. And that also brings to mind, the clam scene in which the man in the white suit is acting weird again. I have still yet to figure out the importance of those parts, but you bring up good points in showing how food brings people together.

Tampopo by Itami Juzo - Blog 16

Tampopo by Itami Juzo, is a Japanese comedy film that tells a story about a widowed women who owns a small ramen shop called Lai Lai. She meets a truck driver named Goro who saves her son from school bullies and comes in to eat her food. After hearing Gun’s advice on her ramen, she begs him to help teach her to cook proper ramen. He agrees to teach her and film proceeds to show a series of events of her learning, developing, and improving her skills. She meets plentiful of new people who support her journey. In the end, she meets her goal and Lai Lai is renovated and renamed to Tampopo with many customers in line waiting to have her food.

My overall thoughts on this film was interestingly funny, gross, and yet heartwarming. The opening scene of the man in the white suit was neat as he was looking and talking towards the camera, as if he was talking to the audience watching the film. Once the main protagonist was introduced, the widowed ramen shop owner, the story proceeds to be a heartwarming learning journey, but occasionally there were scenes that seemed completely off topic from the main plot. These scenes felt similarly to ads as they abrupt and were related to food as well.

 I found the first scene where a group of business executives visit a French restaurant for dinner. The executives ordered the same thing as the director, but there was one subordinate who orders a whole meal knowing the menu compared to all of them. This scene was very funny to me as each person, including the director, were red as an apple from embarrassment and looking down. 

The next scene shows an older man having a sweet time with his mistress. I thought it was going to be a normal sexual interaction for the couple…but behold. We ended up watching them make out by exchanging an egg yolk until it popped in her mouth. Eventually the man has an encounter with an oyster diver and their make out scene was just as disturbing to me especially with his bloody lip. This man definitely has an interesting fetish for food. 

Although not the last scene, I thought this one stood out to me as well. An older working man runs home to his dying wife, children, doctor and nurse. It was sad watching the man tell his wife not to close his eyes because he wanted her to keep living. He goes as far to shake her excessively and then he tells her to get up and go cook. I was surprised by this, but she immediately gets up and cooks dinner while struggling to keep her balance. After serving dinner to her kids and her husband, she smiles happily knowing they loved her cooking and she collapses. The doctor and nurse calls her time of death right away after checking her pulse. This was really sad moment. The father then tells his children to keep eating and cherish the last meal their mother made for them. They memorialize her through food, feeling the love she put in it before leaving them.

[jpt3391]

Tampopo

Watching this movie after The Family Game, I thought the 80s couldn’t get any better but then Tampopo comes along proving me wrong. The movie starts off with a meta shot of a couple who comes into the movie theater with a group of people following them and with a bunch of food surrounding them, so immediately you’re thinking like, oh they must be rich and know a lot about food, which is one of the main points of the movie. But while writing this I have still yet to fit them into the story of Tampopo, but I have a few ideas as to why they are there. Firstly, it's a great segue into the style of movie that Itami chooses for this film; almost like a recipe itself with the little stories that make up the whole movie. We are introduced to two truck drivers who talk about eating ramen, and because of their reminiscing on the past, they end up going to a nearby ramen shop to satisfy their cravings. To their dismay though, the ramen shop is not as good as what they want in their heads, but interestingly the older driver (Goro) protects the shop owner whose name is Tampopo. Goro, who has some experience with ramen, takes her under his wing and the two are off to begin the journey. In between the main journey, there are other stories that take place, most notably (to me, at least) is the one with the rich businessmen that pass by Goro and Tampopo. They go to a fancy restaurant, where none of the older guys know what to order and what to do, they take quite a bit of time choosing and then end up following the boss’s order, while the youngest employee there is the one that ends up knowing the most about the restaurant that they are eating at. The shot showing their red faces is hilarious to me. 

As the movie went on, and Goro reveals some background as to why he has ramen experience, we are introduced to what I thought was a group of hobos that are actually connoisseurs of food. It was interesting to see how well they knew about food and yet they are homeless. I connected the two scenes as I thought that it was taking a jab that rich people don’t know food as well as poor people do.

They just fake it and live it up with all the money that they have. The people that cook are usually middle to lower class, and the reason that they cook is to live and love. Another scene that pops up now is the one where a mother is laying on her deathbed, her husband is running to see her before she goes, and he tries to tell her to get up and not die. But she doesn’t, and so he asks her to make the family food. She does, and that is their last meal together.

[jpt3391]

I agree, I loved the shot styles that the director chose for this movie, it fit very well with the themes and just the overall vibe of the movie. In addition, I also loved the color palette (or filter, if it was used) that made it pop even more to the audience's eye. It was a good return for us back to color films and a very funny one at that. As for the theme, I agree as well that the parents' lack of awareness was a good commentary on the development of people's lives going into the age of capitalism. We see the world being fueled even more by money and that is perpetuated even to the younger generation through things such as rankings and grades, as we saw with Shigeyuki.

Family Game Reflection

This movie was so funny and very enjoyable to watch. One of the most enjoyable portions of the films was the camera work and direction throughout the whole movie. It was done with such style and uniqueness, I found myself calling out some different camera techniques throughout the film. In the beginning of the film when Yoshimoto (the tutor) is hired, the family and him all sit at the table together. Everyone is tightly joined shoulder to shoulder eating together at the table. The camera frame for this scene though was tight to the outer shoulders of the outer actors. The camera framing showed the congestion of the household and the limited amount of breathing room between each actor. Another interesting part throughout the film was the background effects they would have in one scene. I am not sure if this was just for comedic effect, but it was very noticeable. In one scene when the mother brought Shigeyuki and Yoshimoto snacks and tea, the books on the desk and other items just slid out of the scene.

Another thing that I was not so sure about was the sound cuts throughout the film. Occasionally, the sound would stop during the film, but the scene would continue. After a short time, the sound would cut back on loudly to a character almost shouting something. While I am sure this must have been for dramatic effect, I struggle to see another meaning in this. Another unique scene was when Yoshimoto was chasing Shigeyuki down the stairs. I found this absolutely hilarious, and you could see them each running down the stairs at the same pace and at the same part of stairwell. This must have taken many times to perfect and I definitely appreciated the comedic effect it had overall.

Despite having the claustrophobic aroma mentioned earlier, what I find surprising is that even though this family is so close, they do not know much about each other. The father drinking soymilk in the bath and slurping egg yolk. The older brother Shinichi pursuing a love interest and growing despondent toward his high school life and studies. The mother’s boredom and difficultly in finding ways to fill her time and help her family. Finally, Shigeyuki’s progression and transformation from delinquent to a better student is mainly seen only by Yoshimoto.

An additional interesting director’s choice was the use of several one shot one scenes throughout the film. Toward the end with the food fight at the dinner table, everyone except the parents were just hurling food back and forth. The parents nearly did not bat an eye until the very end where everything had passed being out of control. I believe this demonstrates the lack of awareness the parents truly had in their children’s lives, even if they were sitting right next to them.