The Wind Rises: I'm Glad I Wasn't Holding My Breath

This review is of the dub.  I have not seen the Japanese version of the film nor do I have any extensive knowledge on the historical accuracy or context of certain aspects of the film.
     

      Tonight I went to see Hayao Miyazaki's (supposed) final film, The Wind Rises. Even though he is the legendary director of titles such as Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away (the only anime to win an Oscar) I did not go into this movie with the highest of expectations. It is a loose, autobiography about the famous (or infamous) aerospace engineer Jiro Horikoshi, the man who designed the prototype plane that would become the infamous Japanese Zero, the plane responsible for the massacre at Pearl Harbor. The movie tells a condensed story of Jiro's life from his childhood up until he creates the fighter plane that would be revolutionary for the Japanese military. Being a Studio Ghibli film it still has some fanciful moments that come in the form of vivid dreams. I had heard about some of the controversy surrounding the film; some felt that it was very jingoistic due to the fact that the film never addressed what the planes were eventually used for as well as painting its inventor as a hapless collaborator, but that did not phase me in the least. I watched this movie simply as a longtime fan of anime and Studio Ghibli. I really wish I could say this film exceeded my expectations but it did not.

      Typical of a Studio Ghibli production, the animation is stunning. They spare no expense whenever Hayao Miyazaki wants to make a film. Since wind is a central theme to the movie the viewer is treated to shots of planes soaring gracefully through the clouds, whimsical dream sequences full of prototype flying machines, and massive fields of grass rustling frantically in the frequent gales. It is a vibrant and lush landscape, I found myself wanting to dive into it so I could simply lay on the inviting grass and drift into a deep sleep.

     But then the characters start talking... For the most part the English dub is serviceable, it sounds as good as a standard dub for a Ghibli movie. However there were a few characters that were so horribly awkward in their deliveries that I almost burst into laughter (the people behind couldn't contain themselves). Joseph Gordon-Levitt voiced the main character, Jiro Horikoshi. For the most part he did an adequate job, only stumbling during the more subdued moments of the film. He has a fairly mono-toned performance, from what I've heard about the Japanese version though, I believe this to be intentional. In the Japanese dub Jiro is voiced by the famous (or infamous) director of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Hideaki Anno. As far as I know The Wind Rises was the first time he had ever acted, but being best friends with someone like Miyazaki does have its advantages. Both Miyazaki and Anno are notoriously grumpy men, maybe that is why Anno was chosen to voice the character that many theorize is supposed to represent Miyazaki himself. This movie is commonly believed to be one long piece of symbolism for the end of Miyazaki's career as a director. If true, it is a brilliant way to punctuate a legendary body of work. But the fact that this isn't the first time he has “retired” has many, including myself, remaining very skeptical.

     The worst offender by far, when it comes to the issue of awkward deliveries, goes to Werner Herzog as Castrop. His voice, coupled with the extremely creepy look of the character, provided most of the unintentionally hilarious moments of the film. Every time the camera went in for a close-up on his character I could not help but be reminded of everyone's favorite pedophile, Herbert, from Family Guy. Imagine him with a thick, German accent and you'll have a good idea as to what I'm talking about.

      The story had some pretty bad pacing issues. It was way too slow, the fact that there are very few exciting moments only makes things worse. Had I been watching this movie in the comfort of my own home I am certain I would have started dozing off rather early on in the film. On the bright side, this movie is not habit forming like some sleep aids are.

      All-in-all, The Wind Rises is certainly not the worst Ghibli movie (I give that "honor" to Tales from Earthsea) but there isn't much I can find to praise about it. I recommend waiting for it to come out on DVD/BD unless you are a diehard Miyazaki fan or an airplane otaku (someone with a strong passion for planes).

The Dandy Side of an Undead World

    While watching Space Dandy, one of my favorite new anime, I was inspired by the ending of the episode in which the heroes encounter a virus that turns them, and ultimately the entire universe, into zombies.  I know this may sound like a spoiler but it is not.  This show is set up in a fashion similar to that of Futurama and other animated comedies, it has no ongoing plot and everything resets each week.

    Having all life in the universe transformed into undead flesh eaters sounds tragic but they painted it in a light I have never seen before, one of positivity.  Sure, everyone was a decaying pile of flesh stumbling about, but they could still carry on some semblance of their lives before their undeath.  Instead of words they communicated with moans and grunts, they remained cognizant of their actions, and they squash their cravings for raw meat by eating large amounts of yogurt thanks to the enzymes it contained.

    On a much grander scale, since everyone was a zombie there was no death, no sickness, no more world hunger, no war, no torture, no money problems, and no racism.  All life had been converted to undeath thus uniting the universe under the same genus.  For the first time in my life I found myself kind of wanting to be a zombie.  It was a festering utopia, morbidly beautiful.

Here is a link to the episode I talked about, check it out for yourself!
http://www.hulu.com/watch/591450#i0,p1,d0

What I've been doing lately...

     Hello!  I'm still alive!  I haven't posted in a while for a couple of reasons, the main one being that the new semester has started so I will be busy with school work for the next several months.  A lot of which will consist of written assignments so I'm not going to be very interested in doing extracurricular writing.  But if the mood strikes I will post something.  The other reason being that I am trying to get my YouTube channel going again.  I'm taking video production classes in an effort to make it the best it can be.  Most of what I would typically write will be filmed and posted to YouTube.  When I post things in the future I will link to them on here.  In the meantime, feel free to check out what I have so far and subscribe if you feel so inclined.  I'll talk at ya again soon!

Otaku HQ
https://www.youtube.com/Jinruiai/

Blood Lad: Shonen Action Done Right

 Video review available on my YouTube channel.

     Blood Lad is the story of a vampire named Staz.  He is an otaku that is obsessed with the human world, specifically Japan.  Everything he knows about Japan he learned from watching anime, reading manga, and playing video games.  One of his dreams is to meet a person from Japan.  Lucky for Staz (unlucky for her), Fuyumi Yanagi somehow manages to accidentally cross over from the human world to the demon world.  Staz rescues her from the gang of demons that are on the verge of eating her, he takes her back to his home and immediately starts grilling her about Japan.  He gets called away briefly and when he returns he is shocked to find out that she has been eaten by a carnivorous plant in his absence.  She becomes a ghost since she died in the demon world and Staz vows to resurrect her physical body and return her to normal.

      What makes this show special is that it manages to take a lot of the elements that make fighting anime fun and exciting and condense them into ten solid, well-paced episodes.  There is plenty of fanservice but it's not as excessive as similar shows.  The characters are developed well for being such a brief series and the action scenes are short but intense.  Brains Base (Penguindrum, Baccano!) provides the animation, everything is consistent from start to finish and the world they created is filled with many vibrant colors.  If Blood Lad  is on the TV you can't help but be drawn to it, it is very eye-catching.  The music is well crafted also, it fits the mood of the show and gets your heart pumping when super powered demons are trading blows with one another.  If you're a fan of shows like Dragon Ball Z, Hunter X Hunter, YuYu Hakusho, etc. then you definitely owe it to yourself to giver Blood Lad a shot.  My only complaint is that another season has yet to be announced.

The manga is available from Yen Press in physical and digital formats.  Viz Media licensed the anime which is currently streaming on Hulu.  A date for the home video release has not been announced as of this writing.

Sunday Without God: A Memorable Premise with Forgettable Execution

     Decided to watch Sunday Without God this weekend. Two words came to mind near the end of the show, squandered potential. The show has a captivating premise; God has abandoned the world he/she/it created, in doing so the remaining humans are no longer capable of dying or reproducing. God's last act of mercy was to bestow upon the earth beings known as Gravekeepers, they are the only things that can lay the undead to rest.

      Interesting premise right? Unfortunately the show never goes as deep into this concept as I would have liked it too. Another minor issue for me is the heavy moe character designs. Given the premise of the show, the fact that most of the characters look so cute and happy really takes me out of the story. I was fascinated by the world created in the first half of the series then disheartened when the second half devolved into a weird-crap-of-the-week format.

      The series concludes with the possibility of a second season, though one has not yet been announced. Should a season two be made I will give the show another shot. The highs and lows of Sunday Without God average out to it being a mediocre title at best. The concept had to potential to make this a show that could have been debated for years to come. Sadly, it was not executed well enough to make that a reality.

Check it out on Crunchyroll and judge for yourself!

Oreimo: Keeping Incest En Vogue

     After three years and 32 episodes Ore no Imōto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai (more commonly abbreviated to Oreimo) has come to an end.  This series continues a couple different trends currently seen in anime.  One: using an entire sentence for the title.  And two: incest.  The title translates to My Little Sister Can't be this Cute.  It is the story of an older brother, Kyosuke Kosaka, and his younger sister, Kirino Kosaka.  They have been estranged for several years when we are introduced to them and have a very tense relationship.  All this is changed one day when Kyosuke discovers an eroge (erotic/porn game) laying on the floor after a literal run-in with his sister.  He picks it up and takes it to his room so his parents don't find it and lay blame on him for possessing such filth.  That night Kirino goes looking for the lost game and ultimately reveals to her brother that she is an otaku whose primary obsession is imouto (little sister) eroge.  This secret reignites the bonds between the two siblings and they embark on a journey of personal growth while dealing with the taboo feelings that are slowly developing between them.

     When I first heard the name of this show I was already mentally preparing for the worst.  I'm not a fan of anime whose main story trope is incest, it's not a fetish that I'm into.  That's who these types of shows generally cater to, it's not my thing but "to each their own."  Surprisingly, after the first few episodes I was hooked!  I was enamored with the perspective they chose to take with Kirino's 'affliction' of being an otaku and how her brother decides to help her instead of shunning her.  I could relate to her on a few levels and that drew me in.  Over the course of the first season we see Kirino's social life blossom as she comes to be more open with her new otaku friends thanks to the aide from her brother.  We also see the bond between Kousaka and Kirino strengthen, even if their love for one another does take a turn that will make some uncomfortable.

     Season two focuses almost entirely on the evolving relationship between Kirino and her brother.  We also learn the back-stories of most of the supporting cast, an aspect of this season that I really enjoyed.  I'll do my best not to spoil anything so fret not!  They actually do a great job of exploring the love the siblings have for one another in a fairly tasteful way.  Things certainly do get uncomfortable and a bit creepy at times but it never really crosses any taboo boundaries.  When it's all said and done, both Kirino and Kyosuke come out of the experience as better people.  While I didn't enjoy season two as much as season one I really liked the series overall.  I would definitely recommend this show to people provided they can stomach a bit of incest.

     Now to address the real question: What's with all the stories involving incest in anime and manga?  The answer is more simplistic than one might think.  Real-life incest is just as taboo and illegal in Japan as it is here in the U.S.  The difference is that the Japanese seem to be superior when it comes to separating fantasy and reality.  There are so many stories involving incest because they accept it for what it is, a story and nothing more.  If the same story was played out in a news article most would find it disgusting, but when it is in the form of anime, manga, and/or eroge it is simply viewed as a sub-genre of entertainment and barely given a second thought.  Incest-centric titles may never be as popular with American otaku as they are with their Japanese counterparts but I hope this explanation makes the concept a little easier to swallow.  Cultural differences play a huge role in how topics are viewed.  What is taboo in one culture may be commonplace in another.  I try to keep an open mind but my cultural schemata makes accepting things like incest very difficult.  That's why I'll be keeping my family in the friend zone!

Main characters Kirino and Kyosuke (background).

Ninja Scroll: My Otaku Origin Story

This is my final essay project for my East Asian Cultures class.  I know, I'm being lazy and posting something old instead of writing something new, bad Tristan!!  Fret not!  I will have a completely new post soon!  This month marks my 20th anniversary of being an otaku so I felt it was appropriate to share this story with all of you.  I decided to re-watch and talk about Ninja Scroll since, up to this point, I had never done so publicly.  As the title implies, this is the anime that started it all for me.  My life was forever changed...

    Nearly two decades ago my older friend approached me with a question, “Wanna watch a cartoon with blood, guts, and nudity?”  How could I refuse?!  He rented Ninja Scroll from our local Blockbuster Video and my passion for anime was ignited.  I was captivated by what seemed to be a beautifully violent painting brought to life.  If one were to take a brief survey of what comes to mind when someone hears the name Japan, you would likely get one of two responses: sushi or ninja.  And this movie has all the ninjas a person could ask for.

    Watching this movie again after several years I found myself just as entertained by it as I was all those years ago.  After a brief opening scene in which the main protagonist Jubei dispatches some would-be assassins, I am treated to one of my favorite bloodbaths of all time.  A ninja squad is jumping from tree-to-tree and suddenly come under attack by a group of demon-ninja.  An enormous bladed weapon flies through the air, separating heads from shoulders and torsos from legs.  Body parts and blood rained down on the ground below.  I remember when I first saw this at the age of twelve, I didn’t blink.  I was shocked and amazed.  I never imagined a cartoon could look this pretty yet be so insanely brutal.  Nowadays it really does not faze me.  I just sit back and enjoy the carnage.

    In the next scene we see that one of the demons has captured the lone female ninja that was traveling with the squad he had just eradicated.  He quickly proceeds to rip her clothes off and sexually assault her.  This was the first animated nudity I ever saw.  As a kid I was excited and fearful.  Excited because I was witnessing naked breasts, yet fearful of the consequences I might face if my parents were to find out what I was watching.  These days the nudity holds my attention just as much as it did when I was a child, minus the paranoia.  I still laugh a bit at this scene because the stone demon is so large that when he kisses the ninja he engulfs large portions of her body.  At one point he seems as if he is going to swallow an entire breast.  It’s a ridiculous scene.

    The movie never actually states outright whether the demon-ninja are truly demons or just humans with extraordinary powers.  Whatever the case may be, they are referred to as the “Demons of Kimon”.  I don’t know if the creator/director was inspired by yokai when he thought these villains up, but I feel that would be a safe assumption.  The main goal of the evil ninja is to amass enough wealth and power so they can shore up their ranks and overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate and replace it with those loyal to Toyotomi.

    Later in the film Jubei happens upon a Buddhist temple where he finds a nun praying alone in the candle light.  After a brief conversation she begins convulsing violently and then hundreds of snakes erupt from her body.  Jubei comes under attack by another demon-ninja, a snake woman.  Things seem hopeless until Kagero, the female ninja from earlier in the film, sneaks up on the demon and puts a knife to her throat.  What ensues is one of the most memorable and disgusting scenes I have seen.  A poisonous snake slithers out of her vagina and bites Kagero on the thigh.  It still turns my stomach just as much today as it did eighteen years ago.  The idea of something like that actually happening horrifies me.

    Something else that both amuses and irks me is the completely unrealistic and savage beatings that Jubei receives.  No human could survive what he goes through, yet somehow he perseveres.  He gets punched in the face and stomach multiple times by the stone demon but is nowhere near as injured as he should be.  In the following scenes he is perfectly fine, as if nothing ever happened.  I know realism was not the intent of this movie, but a little more would have been beneficial.  I find myself losing interest in a character when they are practically perfect and impervious to injury.

    Upon viewing Ninja Scroll for the purpose of this assignment, I came to notice something I had never caught before.  The main heroes and villains have more in common with samurai than with ninja.  Ninja are known for being stealthy assassins.  That could not be further from the truth for most of the protagonists and antagonists in Ninja Scroll.  None of the main characters wear anything that is commonly associated with ninja and most of the battles are fought out in the open instead of under the cover of shadows.  It really made me question the logic behind the title.  Whenever I think about ninjas, this movie never comes to mind.

    Despite the issues I have with this movie, it is still a classic in my eyes.  I get very nostalgic when I watch it.  This movie is my otaku origin story.  It also appeals to my morbid curiosity.  I am always interested in seeing how creative a movie can be in slaughtering its cast members.  The more inventive, the more I enjoy it.  Ninja Scroll is like a beautifully animated train wreck.  No matter how disturbing it is, you find yourself unable to look away.

DVD cover.