Justin’s Japan: Nippon in New York — Miyazaki, Godzilla, Tribeca Film Festival, Sakura Matsuri
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New York’s 33rd annual Sakura Matsuri will be held at Brooklyn Botanic Garden April 26-27. (Mike Ratliff)
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.
Spring has sprung in the Big Apple, and that means one thing: a new season of sounds, colors, and spectacular performing arts to match the blossoming sakura trees throughout the city.
This month’s highlights include:
Tuesday, April 8
Turning Point: 1997-2008 by Hayao Miyazaki
MSRP $29.99, $34.99
The companion second volume to the earlier chronicleStarting Point: 1979-1996 (also new in paperback),Turning Point is an insightful collection of essays, interviews, memoirs, and illustrations from legendary animation director Hayao Miyazaki. The new title covers the critical stage in the legendary director’s career when his animated films for Studio Ghibli such as Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Ponyo began to garner a significant international audience. Turning Point follows Miyazaki as his grand vision continued to mature, cinema-lovers worldwide discovered and embraced his creations, and prominent film critics such as Roger Ebert delivered tremendous acclaim for the director’s films. Bringing us up to the present is The Art of The Wind Rises, which captures the art of the film from conception to production, featuring in-depth interviews with the creative team from Miyazaki’s latest—and supposedly final—Academy Award-nominated epic.
April 8-13, 8:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
Gary Burton & Makoto Ozone Duets
Blue Note Jazz Club, 131 West Third Street
$20, $35
Born in Kobe to a jazz organist father, Makoto Ozone came to Boston in 1980 to study at the Berklee College of Music, where multi-Grammy Award-winning vibraphonist Gary Burton was a composition and percussion instructor. After graduation he made his first American solo appearance in 1983 with a recital at Carnegie Hall. The incredibly talented young man struck a record deal with CBS, making his international debut in 1984 with the album OZONE. Burton and Ozone have been collaborators in the duet format for over two decades and recorded the Grammy-nominated Virtuosi in 2002. The versatile Ozone has hosted a TV series in Japan, ventured into electronics, and composed for and played with classical orchestras in addition to working with his own jazz trio from his home in New York.
Wednesday, April 9, 8:00 p.m.
Carnegie Hall, 881 Seventh Avenue
$22.50-$140
Praised by the New York Times when she last appeared at Carnegie Hall as “among the most respected artists of our time” for her “probing and magisterial performances” of Schubert’s last three sonatas, pianist Mitsuko Uchida returns to perform his “Reliquie” Sonata, once mistakenly thought to be the composer’s final work. Also on the program is Beethoven’s all-encompassing and transcendent Thirty-Three Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli.
For the complete story, click here.
WIT Life #265: NY Peace Film Festival
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.
This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the NY Peace Film Festival co-hosted by my lovely friend Yumi Tanaka. This year highlighted 11 films over the course of the weekend, many with Q&As with their directors following the screenings. I was lucky enough to be able to interpret for two of the Japanese filmmakers who were Skyped in from Japan for their Q&As (a first for me!). Saturday night featured the documentaries The Targeted Village by Chie Mikami and X Years Later by Hideki Itoh.
The first film focuses on a small village in Okinawa called Takae, which happens to be situated between two American military bases. Residents are fighting against the construction of new helipads in Takae, being installed in preparation for the deployment of Osprey. Their story embodies U.S. military strategy dating back to the Vietnam War, the blocking of the gates to the Futenma base, and their town’s rage against their state.
Depicted here is one of the main characters profiled in the film, a local farmer and father of 4 who just wants to ensure that his children can continue to live their quiet lives. In one scene his young son asks how they will be able to study at school with all the noise from the Osprey flying overhead. The farmer takes part in protests again the helipad construction, and unbelievably the Japanese government brings a case of “traffic obstruction” against not only him and several other peaceful protesters but his 7-year old daughter who was Read More
WIT Life #264: Campaign
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.
Yesterday I went to see director Kazuhiro Soda’s documentary Campaign (選挙) at Japan Society, being shown as part of Richie’s Electric Eight: The Bold and the Daring (part 2 of the film series honoring Ritchie that I talked about in a recent post). It came out in 2007 and was screened at the Berlin Film Festival that year, and was loved by Ritchie who introduced it at a preview at Tokyo’s Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan. This fascinating, self-funded film follows Soda’s Tokyo University (東大) classmate Kazuhiko Yamauchi in becoming the LDP candidate in a by-election for a seat on the Kawasaki City Council, after relocating there from Tokyo for that purpose. Campaign tells the story of how Yamauchi is groomed as a promising newcomer for this well-established conservative party. The LDP is killing it with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his reform platform on the national level, but engaged in a close battle with the DPJ on the local level.
Yamauchi’s education extends to his wife Sayuri, a particularly interesting character in the film. He is instructed to refer to her as his “housewife” (「家内」 or kanai) as opposed to “wife” (「妻」 or tsuma), a term they both take umbrage against but become resigned to using. In addition, Yamauchi’s supporters within the LDP’s well oiled local political machine later encourages her to quit her job to focus on her husband’s political career, an idea that outraged her. Yamauchi urges her to Read More
Let’s Talk Japan is a monthly, interview format podcast covering a wide range of Japan-related topics. Host Nick Harling (Mie-ken, 2001-03) lived in Japan from 2001 until 2005, including two great years as a JET Program participant in Mie-Ken. He practices law in Washington, D.C., and lives with his wife who patiently listens to him talk about Japan . . . a lot.
In this episode, I speak with Ambassador John Malott, President emeritus of the Japan American Society of Washington, DC about the inaugural Cinematsuri Japanese Film Festival (March 23-27). In addition to discussing what it takes to organize such an event, we cover recent trends in Japanese cinematography and introduce some of the best new films from Japan.
Enjoy!
Nick
If you have not already done so, be sure to “Like” the podcast on Facebook, and follow the podcast on Twitter @letstalkjapan. Additionally, please consider leaving a positive rating and/or review in iTunes.
WIT Life #261: After Life
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.
Last night Japan Society concluded its Tribute to Donald Richie: Richie’s Fantastic Five with a screening of After Life (「ワンダフルライフ」), my favorite film from my favorite Japanese director, Hirokazu Kore-eda (The second part of the Richie Tribute, Richie’s Electric Eight, will start on March 13). It was released in 1998, and I remember catching it at the local arts cinema in my hometown. I hadn’t seen Kore-eda’s first film, Maboroshi （「幻の光」）, and I was blown away by After Life. Maboroshi was based on a novel by Teru Miyamoto, but After Life is Kore-eda’s original screenplay, one he created after interviewing hundreds regarding recollections of their lives. In the film as well he actually used some of these non-actors to tell their stories.
The movie takes place at a way station where people are sent after they die. They are to reside there for a week, during which time they must pick one memory that they are allowed to take with them into the afterlife. Each counselor is assigned about seven people who they must help make this decision. The style of each employee varies, as does the nature of their clients. We meet elderly deceased who fondly recall their childhoods, as well as young deceased who struggle to find meaning in their short lives. The audience also later learns that the reason Read More
Justin’s Japan: Nippon in New York — ‘Dragon Ball’ in Color, Lolita Fashions, ONE OK ROCK’s Debut
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Dragon Ball Full Color makes its English-language debut in print and digital Feb. 4. (VIZ Media LLC)
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.
Stay warm this winter with some hot local events, from the debut performance of one of Japan’s most successful live acts, another performance from one of the country’s biggest crossover stars, and an annual showcase that brings the sights (and tastes) of Japan to vivid life.
This month’s highlights include:
Saturday, Feb. 1, 6:00 p.m.
Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue
Free
The final entry of the film series Vengeance Is Shohei Imamura! Yasuko was exposed to black rain, the radioactive fallout from the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Years later, she and her townsmen continue to rebuild their life and endure the aftermath. At an age ripe for marriage, Yosuko has been rejected by man after man for fear of radiation, even though she has shown no signs of any illness. The film juxtaposes present-day struggles with flashbacks to scenes of wartime devastation. A departure from Imamura’s usual interest in bawdy human behavior, this film brings him closer to his early mentor Ozu, who is known for his restrained and subdued study of quiet dignity and for whom Imamura acted as assistant director.
Tuesday, Feb. 4
Dragon Ball Full Color, Volume 1
$19.99 MSRP
Akira Toriyama’s epic manga series—one of the most popular of all time—makes its English-langage debut in full color, graphic novel-size in print and digital editions! Son Goku is the greatest hero on Earth. Five years after defeating the demon king Piccolo, he’s grown up and has a family. But what is the real reason for Goku’s incredible strength? A visitor from outer space arrives bearing terrible news—Goku is an alien, and the visitor, Raditz, is Goku’s brother! When Raditz turns out to be a ruthless killer, Goku must fight his incredibly strong brother to save his family and the entire human race. A surprising alliance may be Earth’s last hope: Goku will team up with his old enemy Piccolo to save the world!
Tuesday, Feb. 4, 7:30 p.m.
Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette Street
$30 reserved, $35 premium
Akiko Yano returns to Joe’s Pub with her longtime New York friends/virtuoso musicians Will Lee and Chris Parker, answering overwhelming demand from the fans who caught their previous go-round in November 2012. See the pop and jazz chanteuse whom Jon Pareles of the New York Times calls “a world class songwriter with a clear, gentle, wide-ranging voice. She is also an accomplished, endearing performer who might be a Japanese Carole King, Joni Mitchell or Meredeith Monk…”
For the complete story, click here.
WIT Life #260: Shohei Imamura Film Festival at Asia Society
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.
First of all, a belated 明けましておめでとうございます！ It’s been a busy start to 2014, but I’m happy to be blogging again in the year of the horse (午年 or umadoshi). It being umadoshi is good news for people like me whose animal sign is the horse, as one is said to have good luck when the zodiac sign for the current year is the same as the one from the year when you were born. This makes me what is called a 年女 (toshi onna), and I’m hoping this year of the horse gives me faster feet in the many marathons I run…
In conjunction with the Japan Foundation, the Asia Society is currently featuring the Vengeance is Shohei Imamura film series from January 17-February 1. I have been a fan of Imamura’s ever since seeing The Eel (「うなぎ」, with Yakusho Koji playing a former convict) in 1997, and was glad to have the opportunity to check out some of his other flicks. He was the first Japanese director to win two Palme d’Or awards, one for Unagi, and one for The Ballad of Narayama (「楢山節考」) in 1983, screened this past Saturday night as part of the Imamura film festival.
Set in the 19th century, the movie takes place in a small rural Japanese village where they have Read More
Justin’s Japan: Japan Goes to the Oscars
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By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Shukan NY Seikatsu. Visit his Examiner.com Japanese culture page here for related stories.
Fans of Japan-themed cinema were delighted when candidates for this year’s Academy Awards were announced Jan. 16, as Cutie and the Boxer was nominated for Best Documentary Feature and The Wind Rises received the nod for Best Animated Feature Film.
A 2013 Sundance Film Festival entry (and award winner for director Zachary Heinzerling), Cutie and the Boxer captures the stormy 40-year marriage of painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife Noriko, a budding artist in her own right. Shot over five years in New York, the film is a raw and sometimes unpleasant look at how egotism and the desire to create can bend personal relationships to the breaking point. It will be released on Blu-ray and DVD Feb. 4.
On the animated front is The Wind Rises, the latest work from Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli fame. Based on the life of wartime aeronautical engineer Jiro Horikoshi, it was the top-grossing film in Japan last year and is the third Oscar nominee for Miyazaki (he previously won for 2001’s Spirited Away). It could also be his last, as he announced his retirement in September. The film receives a domestic theatrical release Feb. 21, and marks a bold new thematic direction for the maestro.
The 86th annual Academy Awards will be broadcast live on March 2. For more information on the nominees, visit www.oscar.go.com.
JQ Magazine: Film Review—Hirokazu Kore-eda’s ‘Like Father, Like Son’
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“As in his other films, Kore-eda’s action unfolds in minute detail and slowly evolving scenes. His static camera and well-balanced visual frame reference Ozu, another director concerned with Japan’s modernization and the traditional family.” (© 2013 FUJI TELEVISION NETWORK, INC.AMUSE INC.GAGA CORPORATION. All rights reserved.)
By Lyle Sylvander (Yokohama-shi, 2001-02) for JQ magazine. Lyle has completed a master’s program at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and has been writing for the JET Alumni Association of New York since 2004. He is also the goalkeeper for FC Japan, a New York City-based soccer team.
The winner of the Jury Prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s newest film, Like Father, Like Son, features a stronger narrative arc and story than his previous films, which include the metaphysically philosophical After Life and the naturalistic Ozu-like Nobody Knows. In fact, the film’s plot reads like a Hollywood high-concept pitch: two families discover that their children are not their own due to a switch at birth. Developing a “nature vs. nurture”-type approach to the subject, Kore-eda gives the families different socioeconomic backgrounds.
Ryota Nonomiya (Masaharu Fukuyama) is a high-achieving architect who lives in a modern Tokyo high-rise apartment with his wife Midori and their six-year-old son Keita (Keita Ninomiya). The other father, Yudai Saiki (Lily Franky), is a working class shopkeeper who lives on the outskirts of the city in a nondescript housing block with his wife Yukari (Yoko Maki) and the young Ryusei (Hwang Sho-gen). By presenting these two disparate backgrounds, Kore-eda examines the nature of father-son relationships and familial influence in modern Japan.
Much of the film’s action concerns the responses to the shocking new information. Do the families try and “switch” the children again so that the original wrong can be corrected? Now that they are inseparably involved in each others’ lives, do they try and raise the children together? Or do they simply carry on as before, complicit in their knowledge that neither child is living with his biological parents? Kore-eda examines each of these scenarios as the characters try to confront a situation that life has not prepared them for.
Justin’s Japan: ‘Evangelion: 3.0,’ Stanley Clarke Trio, K-pop Concert Debuts
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Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo makes its New York theatrical debut at Big Cinemas Manhattan Jan. 10. (© khara. Licensed by FUNimation® Productions, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.)
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.
Start 2014 off right by heading down to your local concert hall, cinema or arts center for some fantastic new year’s fare. Whether you enjoy cutting edge anime, a performance from Grammy-winning and pop sensations, or a classic film favorite of the legendary Donald Richie, treat yourself and catch a break from the cold.
This month’s highlights include:
Sunday, Jan. 5, 7:00 p.m.
MIKA Samba Jazz Trio
Somethin’ Jazz Club, 212 East 52nd Street, 3rd Floor
$12
Presented by Mar Creation, New York-based samba jazz pianist and recording artist MIKA will have her first concert in 2014 at midtown’s venerable Somethin’ Jazz Club, supported by Rafael Barata (drums) and Eduardo Belo (bass). A native of Rio de Janeiro, Barata brings the bossa nova, Belo brings the bottom, and MIKA knits it all together, evoking the warm, soothing sounds of Ipanema and beyond to kick off the new year in style.
Jan. 8-12
Niwa Gekidan Penino—The Room Nobody Knows
Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street
$28/$22 Japan Society members
North American debut! Two brothers inhabit a mysterious, dreamlike apartment. On the day of the elder’s birthday, the younger, who is supposed to be studying for college entrance exams, is preoccupied with creating unusual objects for the celebration. Meanwhile, in the upper room, the younger brother’s alter egos—derived from his wild imagination and taking the form of two creatures, one with a sheep’s head and another with pig features—help with the party preparations. Written and directed by psychiatrist turned most-talked-about theater artist Kuro Tanino and performed by his company Niwa Gekidan Penino, The Room Nobody Knows lures you into a weird yet funny world hidden deep within the Tokyo metropolis. Performed in Japanese with English subtitles. A MetLife Meet the Artists Reception follows the Jan. 8 performance.
Thursday, Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m.
Best Buy Theater, 1515 Broadway
$50-$180
Forming in their native South Korea in 2008 and big in Japan (where they have toured and released albums since 2011), boy band U-KISS is finally touring America for the very first time! U-KISS (an acronym for Ubiquitous Korean International Super Star) consists of members Kevin, Eli, AJ, Soohyun, Kiseop, and Hoon. The band will kick off a new series of concerts titled “THE HEADLINERS,” which promises to bring spectacular 360-degree content of these rising pop princes.
For the complete story, click here.
The 17th Japanese Film Festival in Australia wraps up after a mammoth tour around Australia. Eden Law (Fukushima JET 2010-2011, current member of JETAA NSW reviews some of the films that were on offer.
Is this organically-made?
This is a very Japanese melodrama, filled with messages about perseverance and dedication, themes that were common to many of this year’s film festival selection. The story of an apple farmer’s struggles to grow viable organic crops, it is actually based on a true story of Akinori Kimura and his wife Mieko Kimura, first popularized in a tv special and then a book (by the catchy title of “Kiseki no Ringo (Zettai Fukano) oh Kutsugaeshita Noka・ Akinori Kimura no Kiroku”) written about them by Takuji Ishikawa.
Son of an Aomori apple farming family, from an early age, Kimura (Sadao Abe) is shown to be an inveterate tinkerer, taking apart things to see how they work (although not so proficient on putting them back together again). Dissatisfied with the conservative and incurious mentality of his home town, he leaves for Tokyo for greater and better things, only to be ordered back to attend his own wedding arrangements to the local beauty, Mieko (Miho Kanno). Apparently this was enough to get Kimura to ditch his entire career in the city and settle down without complaints, to do the one thing he had scorned – apple farming, no doubt delighting his parents that their son is finally settling down and cleaving to his appropriate destiny. But then Kimura discovers that his young wife has a severe allergic reaction to all the chemical pesticides and fertilizers. So turning that curious tinker’s mind of his to the problem, he embarks on what will be a long and hard road to perfecting the perfect organic apple.
While the suffering and tribulations the Kimuras (they ended up having three daughters) endure are harsh, at times it seems so over the top that it veers closely into melodramatic territory. It’s hard to believe that the very young children shared in the suffering of their parents, for example, a sentiment echoed by Kimura’s best friend who at one point berate him severely for neglecting his daughter’s needs in a “selfish” pursuit of his dream. They have no electricity, nothing to eat, and Kimura has to take odd jobs in Tokyo to keep the family going, before losing it in a mugging – one disaster upon another. Abe’s portrayal of Kimura is also problematic, as the actor, whose cheerful face, while expressive enough to show a measure of unease beneath that ever-present smile, sometimes hits the wrong note and fails to convey the appropriate emotion that particular scenes call for. In these instances, Abe just seems at best a slightly confused person who knows that something is wrong but not entirely sure what, thereby lessening the emotional impact. It does admittedly, bring an extra level of tragedy to Kanno’s role as the long-suffering wife, who for whatever reason, continuously supports her husband through thick and thin; her acting range is decidedly broader and richer in depth. Tsutomu Yamazaki, as the wise father-in-law, in contrast, radiates such presence and dignity without having to do very much that he threatens to steal every scene he’s in. He’s the kind of strong, silent parental type that everyone wishes they have in real life.
However, it’s undeniable that it is quite a compelling story, and the Kimuras are such sympathetic characters that you can’t help but become invested in their struggles. The locations are extraordinarily beautiful, with Mt Iwaki in the background. And while I can’t be sure, I think the dialogue were spoken in Tohoku dialect, a delightful detail since I had lived in Tohoku for a time, and it certainly reinforces the bucolic country setting. Chosen to close the 17th Japanese Film Festival, it is an appropriate choice that echoes the festival’s theme of discipline, endurance and cooperation.
Fruits of Faith (Kiseki no Ringo) by Yoshihiro Nakamura, released June 8 2013 in Japan, starring Sadao Abe, Miho Kanno, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Takashi Sasano, Masato Ibu, Mieko Harada and Tsutomu Yamazaki.
The 17th Japanese Film Festival in Australia is now showing in Melbourne, the last major city on its national tour before wrapping up for the year. Eden Law (Fukushima JET 2010-2011, current member of JETAA NSW reviews some of the films on offer.
I said SHUSH MF!! * machine gun fire *
Library Wars (Toshokan Senso) is the latest in a series of adaptation of an extremely popular series of light novels by Hiro Arikawa, which has included your usual manga and anime. The inspiration for the plot comes from the real life Statement on Intellectual Freedom in Libraries of the Japan Library Association, which kind of sounds pretty bad-ass when you think about it. Especially when, interpreting its mission statement rather liberally to mean the right to bear arms. Armed librarians. Hate to think what the penalties for late returns would be.
Dealing with the theme of censorship, Japan in an alternate reality has gone overboard with outlawing ‘unsuitable’ reading material, raiding shops with maniacal book-burning zeal. But against this thought police are the librarians who form the defensive Librarian force, who take up arms to protect the citizens’ right and access to information. Joining the ranks is Iku Kasahara (Nana Eikura), who is your typical rough diamond – brash, impulsive, klutzy, a rule-breaker and therefore audience favourite. She continuously butts head against hard-arse Atsushi Dojo (Junichi Okada), a no-nonsense senior librarian who naturally, questions her place in the force. Around them, forces are on the move to consolidate and destroy books and knowledge, and the Library Force gears up for the ultimate confrontation.
This isn’t Fahrenheit 451, although there are some discussions about freedom of speech and an out of control state that doesn’t know where to draw the line in the name of protecting the hearts and minds of the nation from indecency and corruption. But for the most part, it’s largely kept light and focused on comedy and action, with recognizable character tropes from Japanese fiction. While it’s a pure escapism, some things are a bit far-fetched: you wonder why no one, in the year 2019, have thought about making backups, especially if these things are so precious, for example.
The cast perform their roles as expected, their characters doesn’t have much need for complex character development. Things like character quirks that might work in a novel or an anime situation don’t translate too well into a live-action film – Kasahara’s personality isn’t that endearing, and Dojo, as handsome as he is, is rather a one-note character. There’s obviously a lot that hasn’t been transferred from a wealth of source material into the short timeframe of a film. Although I must say Jun Hashimoto’s scenery chewing is one of the entertaining things to watch in this film (it’s like each facial muscle is working independently of each other). Things pick up in the last half as it’s action-packed, but the film is largely froth and would appeal the most to the fan base. Had it been a lot funnier, I might be more forgiving of some of the plot holes, but as such, while it isn’t bad, it’s just rather pedestrian and unmemorable.
Library Wars (Toshokan Senso) by Shinsuke Sato, released April 27 2013 in Japan, starring Junichi Okada, Nana Eikura, Kei Tanaka, Sota Fukushi, Chiaki Kuriyama, Kenji Takeyama, Iwao Nishina, Ryusuke Kenta and Maki Orikuchi.
The 17th Japanese Film Festival in Australia is now showing in Melbourne, the last major city on its national tour before wrapping up for the year. Eden Law (Fukushima JET 2010-2011, current member of JETAA NSW reviews some of the films on offer.
Will the real Hitoshi please stand up, please stand up?
This is film messed with my head. Escalating from a quirky, comedy of errors with eccentric characters to a disturbing, confusing movie where you feel like the character Hitoshi himself, running around wild-eyed in panic as you try to make sense of what’s going on – not that the film gives you any concrete answers.
But let’s start with a bit of a background. Hitoshi (Kazuya Kamenashi), a failed photographer, makes a living working in an electronics department, with fellow employees who are probably a little bit insane. Then one day, a stranger’s phone falls into his hands, and on impulse, Hitoshi takes the phone and scams the owner’s mother into depositing 900,000 yen into his bank account. And then that’s when shit gets weird.
The title “It’s Me, It’s Me” comes from the fact Hitoshi starts finding copies of himself popping up, each with his face but different name, different lifestyles – even of the opposite gender. It’s almost like seeing versions of himself – Kamenashi doesn’t just wear different wigs or clothes, or act differently; his face gets superimposed on wildly different body types like that scene from Being John Malkovich. Does each copy represent a possibility or alternate reality that could have been, had circumstances being different, or a choice decided in another way? Which is the real Hitoshi? Was there ever a real Hitoshi? I really don’t know – you tell me. At first finding other “me”s is fun – it’s like finding someone who truly understands you – but the initial novelty and fun of first discovery soon gives way to darker developments, as the initial group of Hitoshis realise that not every aspect of their personality is pleasant, or even desirable. Out of place objects then begin to appear in some scenes, such as overturned drums of strange viscous pink liquid crop up and disappear, posters of a pair of eyes stuck on walls appear to watch Hitoshi and his strange adventures – Miki’s mischievous and anarchic humour teases us as they appear and disappear in the film, like visual signposts of the upcoming weirdness that is about to unleash.
But in the meantime, we are distracted by the anarchic humour and fun by the assortment of characters and dialogue. Minor characters are invested with a huge amount of personality and energy, like Hitoshi’s original mum, Masae (Midoriko Kimura) who insists on being called by her name instead of “mother” because she decided it suits her more; his co-workers like the hyperactive Minami (Eri Fuse) and overbearing dorky manager Tajime (Ryo Kase) and sexy customer Sayaka (Yuki Uchida). Kamenashi juggles a huge amount of roles, portraying different minor characters who seem to be different kind of Japanese stereotypes, definitely working hard for his money.
You might find “Ore Ore” infuriating or intriguing, but it is a wild ride, throwing up all sorts of puzzling questions and frustrating vague hints as to the possible answers.
It’s Me, It’s Me (Ore Ore) by Satoshi Miki, released May 25th 2013 in Japan. Starring Kazuya Kamenashi, Yuki Uchida, Ryo Kase, Midoriko Kimura, Keiko Takahashi, Eri Fuse, Ryu Nakatani and Kinako Kobayashi.
The 17th Japanese Film Festival makes its final stop in Melbourne. Eden Law (Fukushima JET 2010-2011, JETAA NSW member) reviews some of the selection available.
So what have you done with your life lately?
Proving its never too late to start anything, at the age of 98, Toyo Shibata sold over 1.5 million copies of her poetry collection in Japan, later achieving international fame in Asia and Europe. Shown at Australia’s national 17th Japanese Film Festival a mere week after its release in Japan, “Don’t Lose Heart”, is the film inspired by Toyo’s life and her poetry. Its international premier in Sydney was also accompanied by both the visiting director Yoshihiro Fukagawa, and the main star who plays Toyo, Kaoru Yachigusa, a legendary name in Japanese cinema.
Up until the time Toyo received recognition of her work, she lived a typical, seemingly unremarkable life as a elderly member of Japan’s rapidly aging population: a widow who lives alone, with one surviving son, Kenichi (Tetsuya Takeda) , an unreliable, chronic gambler who is terminally unemployed and financially supported by his exasperated but ultimately loving wife, Shizuko (Ran Ito). Worried about the mental state of his mother, and feeling guilty about what a big loser he is, Kenichi writes poetry with her as away of spending more time together, which eventually brought out her literary talents.
Films which contain roles for older actors are rare, and as Yachigusa said during the Q&A after the movie’s screening in Sydney, good roles are even rarer still. Yachigusa has the challenge of developing Toyo as being more than just another grannie. At first Toyo seems pitiful – she is beset by the usual ills that advanced age brings, finding it difficult to move around pain-free without a walking stick. She seems a little bland, quiet and unremarkable. However when she begins to write, the film shifts into exploring the source of her inspiration, in flashbacks that regress further and further into time. “Don’t Lose Heart” is certainly aptly named, as Toyo, in her quiet way, reaches out to counsel those around her with the benefit of her experience. By the end, Toyo is revealed to be anything but ordinary. Being alive is a pretty difficult gig for anyone, and Toyo proves she’s just as tough a chick as any fictional superhero, and more inspiring than any easily digestible soundbite artificially manufactured by cynical corporations to move units.
Yachigusa is just extraordinary in her performance. Her Toyo is dignified and gentle, but with a hint of impish mischief that shows a quick and intelligent mind is alive and well – quite similar to Yachigusa herself in the interview. She gives Toyo vulnerability and frailty, but is able to convey the fighter and survivor beneath the exterior, and the resulting sense of compassion and understanding of human nature gained from having being through it all herself. Takeda plays Kenichi as a petulant short-tempered man-child, a bit over the top maybe (you have to wonder what the real Kenichi thought of his on-screen portrayal) but possessing of the same compassionate basic nature of his mother. And as Kenichi’s wife, Ito is also superb, displaying the patience of a saint in staying with him all through the years.
Be warned: this film moved Sydney audience to tears, rather loudly too, perhaps because Toyo seemed like the kind of grandmother everyone wishes they have (unfortunately Japan’s national grandmother passed away earlier this year at the age of 101). Fukagawa said that her poetry gained prominence because of their simplicity and lack of pretension and their inherent optimism and positivity, qualities that he tries to convey in his film. He can be rather sentimental at times, imparting an almost saintly, Buddha-like glow on Toyo by the end of the film, but there is a lot of respect for the source material in this film, and it shows, resulting in a tender, tribute to not just Toyo’s writings, but to the human condition itself.
Don’t Lose Heart (Kujikenaide) by Yoshihiro Fukagawa, released November 16 2013 in Japan. Starring Kaoru Yachigusa, Tetsuya Takeda, Ran Ito, Mizuho Suzuki and Yusuke Kamiji.
As Australia’s 17th Japanese Film Festival is begins its last city tour in Melbourne, the capital of the southern state of Victoria, Eden Law (Fukushima-ken ALT 2010-2011, current JETAA NSW committee member) reviews some of what is on offer. Stay tune for more reviews!
Everyone’s feeling somewhat uncomfortable now.
Okay, so what would you think if I told you that Maruyama, the main character in this film, spends most of the film trying to touch tongue to his own peen? A certain expectation will be set, wouldn’t it? Like, there wouldn’t be much else to expect from the plot except whether that lollypop gets licked. So it’s pleasantly surprising to find that it’s actually less like a string of dick jokes (unlike this review), and more of an endearingly quirky film.
Our hero with a quest, Maruyama, is a hormonal 14-year-old with a rather active imagination, frequently dreaming up imagined lives for his family and residents of his apartment complex. We’re taken through his daydreams, which range from randy fantasies filled with bouncy ladies, to colourful scenarios that get sillier and funnier as he imagines various people being either wacky fruit-themed superheroes, scissor-wielding gangsters or aliens. But Maruyama decides that he needs a hobby to distract him from such childish preoccupations, one that will bring focus and maturity – like attempting to orally do one’s own dong. However, he later befriends a dorky, uncharismatic single father, Shimoi (played with surprising ability by Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, a member of the ageless Japanese boy band SMAP), who encourages him to embrace his fantasies. Real life can be more strange than any fantasy, and a bit of strangeness is nothing to be ashamed of, but celebrated.
Maruyama’s world is undeniably ridiculous and entertaining (and sometimes sticky) as the imagination of a teen could be. And despite Maruyama’s overarching ambition to boldly try what many men have tried before (and failed, and the few that do make a career out of it), a sweet, innocent quality exists, thanks to director Kankuro Kudo’s affectionate treatment of him and all the eccentric and flawed characters that populate the neighbourhood. It’s quite an accomplishment that “Maruyama” manages to build a more substantial film on such an unlikely basis, and it results in a film that’s like a funnier combination of a Wes Andersen and Michel Gondry movie. Hiraoka Takuma, being close to the age of the character Maruyama that he plays, embodies the innocence and determined Maruyama well, shining with youthful enthusiasm, embarrassment and determination as he takes his character from zero to hero. The whole ensemble cast is perfect in their various roles, obviously having a lot of fun, from Kenji Endo’s geriatric grandfather with a surprising ability, and Maki Sakai as Maruyama’s Korean drama-obsessed mother.
It’s hard for any film to sustain the initial novelty of the first half right to the end, and “Maruyama” suffers the same problem as it gets a bit flaccid towards the end. However, the film still climaxes in a satisfactory way that, while lacking in the same vigor and energy of the start, manages to tie up all the plot threads and situations. While “Maruyama’s” length is a bit too long for comfort, overall, it charms with its humor and originality – not bad for a film that started off with auto-fellatio.
Maruyama the Middle Schooler (Chuugakusei Maruyama) by Kankuro Kudo, released in Japan April 21 2013, starring Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Hiraoka Takuma, Kenji Endo, Yang Ik-June, Maki Sakai, Toru Nakamura, Nanami Nabemoto, Yuiko Kariya
