Still not anime, got it, thanks.
That was good. Really good. It's all I can really ask for, is a good story, and characters that matter.
I want to move on to Korra, but before that, what else do I need to check out? There are some extra materials, and I need to know what they are, in what order, and how to get them.
At least I can now finally read the tvtropes page on Avatar. Ouch, first thing that happens is I get hit by a spoiler -
* spoiler notice *
Aang's son has some interaction with the next Avatar, Korra. Oh well. Have to be more careful, and try to move ahead into the story.
Looks like there are two comics I need to read, "The Promise" and "The Search". Hopefully at this late date I can find them easily and for free.
weeks later...
I did find them easily and for free. I tore right through The Promise, and it felt like a long tv episode. It was good, and welcome, but not necessary. Its very clear at the end of Last Airbender that the story has come full circle again, that the dominant lord of the realm and the avatar enjoy good relations, and the world is at peace. It doesn't need to be said that the lord might slip some day, and the avatar might have to fix the situation again. It was wonderful to watch this cycle go through another turn, even as you could see it coming from a great distance. The fact the current lord rectifies himself, without much need for the avatar, is nice, but it was fine where it was. Especially if the show is going on to the next avatar series.
As I'm lining up the next comic, The Search, I notice that it is not complete, and I notice a lot of the dates are recent. I assumed, because of the time span of years that the shows have been coming out, that the comics came out between the shows. Not so. Korra has run a season or two, wait, before I make more assumptions, back to Wikipedia.
The TV shows ran 2005-2008. Now I found there was a prequel, Zuko's Story, which came out in 2010. I don't care, I read the synopsis; I will not seek it out. The Legend of Korra started in 2012 (April), and The Promise came out in 2012 (January, May, and October). The Search came out in 2013, in March, July, and a few days from now at the end of October. And according to Wikipedia it will be followed by The Rift. I guess that spoilerish sounding title hints at things I will learn in Korra. So it sounds like I need to watch Korra first, then The Search, and then someday The Rift will come out.
I should mention my assumption, up till now, that the way to follow a work is in the order it came out, not the order of whatever story they're telling. If I'm going to read a prequel at all, it will be only after I've read the main story. The prequel is to be read after, if at all. I tend not to like prequels, because anything that's in there should have been in the story, proper, and not tacked on later to create additional product to sell. It's a little disturbing to enjoy the great series that was The Last Airbender, to find they are selling these extra comics that don't add anything to the story. Though who knows, maybe The Search will be interesting.
Conclusion: Avatar series so far is good, and worthy of attention, I must continue. Korra season 1 was in 2012, The Search came out 2013. So, watch Korra season 1, read The Search, which by then should be completely out. Then start watching Korra season 2. Actually, I better start gathering Korra season 2 on the DVR now, since it started a month ago, and I won't be able to easily get it any other way (until a year from now, when it will probably be on streaming). Must avoid spoilers.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 (2006)
I know, its still not anime.
But from my limited knowledge of anime, I can recognize lots of little tropes that they've borrowed from Asian animation. Much like they borrowed lots of little cultural bits, ex: Ba Sing Se is modeled after Beijing.
I like the writing. I like the story. I especially like the world, and I'm always listening for some new bit of information about the world we haven't heard yet. I mostly like the characters, though they seem a little thin in spots. Its really mostly the main character, who still doesn't quite seem like a real person to me. Its almost like a video game character that's purposefully left blank, so you can more easily use it as your... avatar.
Off to the dictionary. A Hindu deity, not applicable here. Though there was that strange Indian character, the guru. Where does he come from? Where's the analog of India in this world of islands? "An incarnation in human form". That could work, if Aang is the embodiment of all the elements.
But from my limited knowledge of anime, I can recognize lots of little tropes that they've borrowed from Asian animation. Much like they borrowed lots of little cultural bits, ex: Ba Sing Se is modeled after Beijing.
I like the writing. I like the story. I especially like the world, and I'm always listening for some new bit of information about the world we haven't heard yet. I mostly like the characters, though they seem a little thin in spots. Its really mostly the main character, who still doesn't quite seem like a real person to me. Its almost like a video game character that's purposefully left blank, so you can more easily use it as your... avatar.
Off to the dictionary. A Hindu deity, not applicable here. Though there was that strange Indian character, the guru. Where does he come from? Where's the analog of India in this world of islands? "An incarnation in human form". That could work, if Aang is the embodiment of all the elements.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 1 (2005)
I know, its not anime.
Anime means animation from Japan, no more, no less. I get that. Avatar is animation from America (well, looking at the credits, animation outsourced to Korea). But I don't have anywhere else to put this post. So it goes here. Maybe some future purist in me will move this post to one of my other blogs. My current level of purism isn't offended enough.
It reminds me of Harry Potter, and quickly. The big three characters are from the same template. They have adventures, they learn, they grow up, together. And I love it, even though its not targeted at my demographic. Wasn't that the success of the Harry Potter stories - targeted at a particular demo, but loved even by adults. This is the same. There's a simple story for the kids to follow, but there are hints of something more dropped for the adults, enough to keep it engaging. There's enough engagement to justify watching a kids show.
Anime means animation from Japan, no more, no less. I get that. Avatar is animation from America (well, looking at the credits, animation outsourced to Korea). But I don't have anywhere else to put this post. So it goes here. Maybe some future purist in me will move this post to one of my other blogs. My current level of purism isn't offended enough.
It reminds me of Harry Potter, and quickly. The big three characters are from the same template. They have adventures, they learn, they grow up, together. And I love it, even though its not targeted at my demographic. Wasn't that the success of the Harry Potter stories - targeted at a particular demo, but loved even by adults. This is the same. There's a simple story for the kids to follow, but there are hints of something more dropped for the adults, enough to keep it engaging. There's enough engagement to justify watching a kids show.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Cross Game (2005)
I was listening to Otaku Generation podcast #350 (I'm only a little over a year behind), and they were going on and on about not spoiling Cross Game, the anime review of the episode. I've diligently avoided spoilers about Eva and Bebop (except that one at the end people keep blurting out), but I've never cared about any of the countless other animes they've spoiled (though they are thankfully minimal with the spoilage). I always figured by the time I get around to watching any, I'll have long since forgotten the details. But something in the tone of today's plea to not spoil it, and go watch it yourself first, got me to go do it.
I had some high idea of following the history of anime, going way back to the earliest I could find, and tracing it up to the present. That's probably too big an approach for something I'm not fanatical about, so I could let it for a second. Everything is on the net, so I didn't expect to have to search for long. I was watching it in seconds, and it was a fairly quick 24 minutes. The subs were pretty good, I guess, and I didn't mind watching it small.
So now, spoilers.
Maybe it was because I was warned by the show, I was ready for something heavy. I was waiting for Elder Gods to arrive, or the female lead to reveal herself as an alien sex killer from Species, or maybe even just the male lead to be revealed as serial killer. It was much more mundane, and telegraphed heavily in advance. Still, it was a fairly nice half hour. Now back to the show to see what this was all about.
OK, so that's the big deal, that the expired character still has a large presence in the show for the remaining 50 episodes. And that its a slice of life show, which I think is a genre I'm going to like, but probably not this particular one. I am underwhelmed. I'll pass.
I had some high idea of following the history of anime, going way back to the earliest I could find, and tracing it up to the present. That's probably too big an approach for something I'm not fanatical about, so I could let it for a second. Everything is on the net, so I didn't expect to have to search for long. I was watching it in seconds, and it was a fairly quick 24 minutes. The subs were pretty good, I guess, and I didn't mind watching it small.
So now, spoilers.
Maybe it was because I was warned by the show, I was ready for something heavy. I was waiting for Elder Gods to arrive, or the female lead to reveal herself as an alien sex killer from Species, or maybe even just the male lead to be revealed as serial killer. It was much more mundane, and telegraphed heavily in advance. Still, it was a fairly nice half hour. Now back to the show to see what this was all about.
OK, so that's the big deal, that the expired character still has a large presence in the show for the remaining 50 episodes. And that its a slice of life show, which I think is a genre I'm going to like, but probably not this particular one. I am underwhelmed. I'll pass.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Princess Mononoke (1997)
If Totoro was greatness, Mononoke is excellence.
Maybe the diversion that was Porco Rosso had to be, so that Miyazaki could come back even stronger with Mononoke.
I started looking for those quiet, still moments that drew me in, not really finding them. Then I realized they were still there, but they were even more subtly woven in. Instead of lingering moments, they were woven into the film. Was it because it was more of an action film, or because they were more evenly distributed?
Many of the old themes are revisited, and they return like welcome friends. They seem expected now, almost necessary. Plucky young girl? Check. Wise old crone? Check. Curious ball of hard dirt, sly old codger, nature in peril, the stupidity of war, cute little monsters, check, check, check, check, check. Even for an earth bound story, flight is still there, even if it is on the back of a wolf or an elk. Several themes have matured, such as the usually sympathetic enemies motivations are a little more explored, making them even more sympathetic. Perhaps part of that, wounds are deeper and more realistic; the audience is old enough to see dead bodies now. The movies hinted why fighting is bad, now its showing you. Not that I mean to imply its any less subtle about it, but there is more blood.
The characters are still a little flat, but then there's so much action in the way, there are few moments for character development. The little time there is for characters is well used. Every villain is sufficiently explored that while you can't root for most of them, you can at least hope they find a way to live together. We even get some insight into the thinking of the lesser gods, but the elder god remains unknowable, as it should be.
As good as it is, it still leaves me feeling a little empty at the end. By the end of the story, nature is saved from destruction, but at the cost of all the gods. Nature remains in a fragile state, since there are no more gods left, and we must now be its protectors, when we were recently its greatest enemy. I love the message, and you really can't miss it, yet it doesn't feel crammed down your throat. There's still something missing, and I suspect it is laughter, some sense of humor that got hurried past. The lesser and minor gods in Totoro would sometimes do stupid or senseless things, making for light and humorous moments. In Mononoke, the gods are all very serious, and are usually too busy trying to kill someone. The Deer God seems like he might have a sense of humor, but the only time he's on the screen for more than a minute, he goes bio-thermonuclear, and then he's not so funny anymore.
I don't like stories where all the magic goes out of the universe, and the end of the story points to our modern day. I've been disappointed by this theme ever since I read Lord of the Rings, some decades ago. I don't want to hear that there was once magic in this world, and we lost it, let it go, or destroyed it. Its an origin story this world doesn't need. No matter how good the rest of your message.
I started looking for those quiet, still moments that drew me in, not really finding them. Then I realized they were still there, but they were even more subtly woven in. Instead of lingering moments, they were woven into the film. Was it because it was more of an action film, or because they were more evenly distributed?
Many of the old themes are revisited, and they return like welcome friends. They seem expected now, almost necessary. Plucky young girl? Check. Wise old crone? Check. Curious ball of hard dirt, sly old codger, nature in peril, the stupidity of war, cute little monsters, check, check, check, check, check. Even for an earth bound story, flight is still there, even if it is on the back of a wolf or an elk. Several themes have matured, such as the usually sympathetic enemies motivations are a little more explored, making them even more sympathetic. Perhaps part of that, wounds are deeper and more realistic; the audience is old enough to see dead bodies now. The movies hinted why fighting is bad, now its showing you. Not that I mean to imply its any less subtle about it, but there is more blood.
The characters are still a little flat, but then there's so much action in the way, there are few moments for character development. The little time there is for characters is well used. Every villain is sufficiently explored that while you can't root for most of them, you can at least hope they find a way to live together. We even get some insight into the thinking of the lesser gods, but the elder god remains unknowable, as it should be.
As good as it is, it still leaves me feeling a little empty at the end. By the end of the story, nature is saved from destruction, but at the cost of all the gods. Nature remains in a fragile state, since there are no more gods left, and we must now be its protectors, when we were recently its greatest enemy. I love the message, and you really can't miss it, yet it doesn't feel crammed down your throat. There's still something missing, and I suspect it is laughter, some sense of humor that got hurried past. The lesser and minor gods in Totoro would sometimes do stupid or senseless things, making for light and humorous moments. In Mononoke, the gods are all very serious, and are usually too busy trying to kill someone. The Deer God seems like he might have a sense of humor, but the only time he's on the screen for more than a minute, he goes bio-thermonuclear, and then he's not so funny anymore.
I don't like stories where all the magic goes out of the universe, and the end of the story points to our modern day. I've been disappointed by this theme ever since I read Lord of the Rings, some decades ago. I don't want to hear that there was once magic in this world, and we lost it, let it go, or destroyed it. Its an origin story this world doesn't need. No matter how good the rest of your message.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Porco Rosso (1992), Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
This movie doesn't seem like a step to the side, but more a step backward. If I had to arrange Miyazaki's movies chronologically without knowing the order, I would have put this one before Kiki, before Totoro, maybe even further back. Everything explored in this movie was done better, and earlier. I just don't know what to say.
The whole pig thing seems like a big distraction, or some attempt to skirt around commentary about humanity without taking it on directly. And the epilogue adds more cars to the train wreck, by adding a whole pig population to the end of the film. By the point at the end where they are hinting Porco has become human again, and is hiding out in Gina's garden, I just don't even care anymore.
I don't mean the movie is a train wreck at all. Its still worth watching, its still funny and charming and moving in many of the ways that other Miyazaki movies are. I know that sometimes big ideas can't just be pills shoved down the throat, and you need to use a little symbolism or metaphor to get those pills down smoothly. But it didn't work here. Did someone lose a drunken bet? Can this be something lost in translation? Doesn't feel like it.
Speaking of other odd things, I never really said much about Grave of the Fireflies, other than it was really sad. That's what everyone seems to say, soul rending level of sad. And its been a while since I've seen it now, but I still remember that terrible sense of doom that followed the children to the bitter end, and beyond. I know it wasn't Miyazaki that directed that movie, but it was his studio, so he must have had some hand in it. I've been getting a growing sense that many of his subsequent products are almost a rejection of that, in that there are no more unhappy endings. And most especially, terrible things don't happen to children.
Some time after I saw the movie something hit me - that movie is not really about the war, or the stupidity and tragedy of war. Those kids were basically killed by their own society, in what might be called a moment of distraction. It doesn't really matter what the tragedy was, but their aunt (or whoever) didn't have to throw them out into the street, without any knowledge of how to take care of themselves. It's like an evil step-mother story, that gets out of hand. A distracted and disorganized society is too busy with the war to notice them, and they slip through the cracks. Their plight is just as tragic, but the war seems so big an issue, that it is easy to forget that the war had no direct hand in their death.
After I realized that, the tragedy remains, but their deaths seem even more pointless. There's no message here, other than humans can be fatally careless and neglectful of their fellow man. I don't need or want movies to tell me this - the real world provides daily examples. And that makes me wonder if all I'm in it for is the mindless escapism. No, I'm in it for little more than just happy storybook endings, but I'm also in it for more than just watching two kids abandoned to starve to death.
Like Porco, Grave of the Fireflies is still worth watching. There are some moving moments, but there's nothing for you to keep, like with some of the other movies.
The whole pig thing seems like a big distraction, or some attempt to skirt around commentary about humanity without taking it on directly. And the epilogue adds more cars to the train wreck, by adding a whole pig population to the end of the film. By the point at the end where they are hinting Porco has become human again, and is hiding out in Gina's garden, I just don't even care anymore.
I don't mean the movie is a train wreck at all. Its still worth watching, its still funny and charming and moving in many of the ways that other Miyazaki movies are. I know that sometimes big ideas can't just be pills shoved down the throat, and you need to use a little symbolism or metaphor to get those pills down smoothly. But it didn't work here. Did someone lose a drunken bet? Can this be something lost in translation? Doesn't feel like it.
Speaking of other odd things, I never really said much about Grave of the Fireflies, other than it was really sad. That's what everyone seems to say, soul rending level of sad. And its been a while since I've seen it now, but I still remember that terrible sense of doom that followed the children to the bitter end, and beyond. I know it wasn't Miyazaki that directed that movie, but it was his studio, so he must have had some hand in it. I've been getting a growing sense that many of his subsequent products are almost a rejection of that, in that there are no more unhappy endings. And most especially, terrible things don't happen to children.
Some time after I saw the movie something hit me - that movie is not really about the war, or the stupidity and tragedy of war. Those kids were basically killed by their own society, in what might be called a moment of distraction. It doesn't really matter what the tragedy was, but their aunt (or whoever) didn't have to throw them out into the street, without any knowledge of how to take care of themselves. It's like an evil step-mother story, that gets out of hand. A distracted and disorganized society is too busy with the war to notice them, and they slip through the cracks. Their plight is just as tragic, but the war seems so big an issue, that it is easy to forget that the war had no direct hand in their death.
After I realized that, the tragedy remains, but their deaths seem even more pointless. There's no message here, other than humans can be fatally careless and neglectful of their fellow man. I don't need or want movies to tell me this - the real world provides daily examples. And that makes me wonder if all I'm in it for is the mindless escapism. No, I'm in it for little more than just happy storybook endings, but I'm also in it for more than just watching two kids abandoned to starve to death.
Like Porco, Grave of the Fireflies is still worth watching. There are some moving moments, but there's nothing for you to keep, like with some of the other movies.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
I didn't let myself get distracted this time, and watched the whole thing through, then I immediately started watching it again from the beginning. Looking back I can't see what held my attention so tightly, but while I was in it I didn't want to leave. For the second pass, I switched it to English dub and no subtitle, and it was a different experience, but still good. I've heard that a few dubs are actually good, and they probably don't get much better than this, where you have money and artistic integrity backing the project.
I liked almost everything, so there's hardly anything to say. This is almost as good as Spirited Away in feeling, if not in execution. That it is more primitive technologically is usually not even noticeable. Sometimes the sound is a little off, or a particular animation is a little questionable, and sometimes there were some digital artifacts, any of which knock you out of the story briefly, but nothing too jarring. If Studio Ghibli products are among the best, I can only imagine that poorly produced anime must be unbearable.
I don't like stories where people have powers, and all the writers can come up with for plot is for those people to lose their powers. Maybe a few decades ago this notion was a little more fresh, but its still too weak for what's mostly a good story. Have more confidence, and your powers wil l return; good message, but not much for story, and this movie deserves better. I really want to know if she can talk to her cat again, but from the ending it should be assumed. For such a feel good movie, I would have appreciated a short scene of them talking again.
After watching several of these movies, there are some recurring themes that are becoming like a checklist. Since I'm just watching Miyazaki for now, it remains to be seen what's particular to him, to his studio, to the context of creation, or to the culture. I can only really sort that out after watching a lot more.
It really doesn't need saying, but here goes the checklist anyway: coming of age story, female protagonist, scrubbing wood floors with water, feminism, extreme attention to detail in some parts (especially of garbage in the corner you're not even supposed to notice), flight, curiosity and fear of technology, soot monsters, peace, mixing magic and technology, an old crone, love of nature (and its flora and fauna), and quiet reflective moments that run deeper than years spent in a zen monastery.
I liked almost everything, so there's hardly anything to say. This is almost as good as Spirited Away in feeling, if not in execution. That it is more primitive technologically is usually not even noticeable. Sometimes the sound is a little off, or a particular animation is a little questionable, and sometimes there were some digital artifacts, any of which knock you out of the story briefly, but nothing too jarring. If Studio Ghibli products are among the best, I can only imagine that poorly produced anime must be unbearable.
I don't like stories where people have powers, and all the writers can come up with for plot is for those people to lose their powers. Maybe a few decades ago this notion was a little more fresh, but its still too weak for what's mostly a good story. Have more confidence, and your powers wil l return; good message, but not much for story, and this movie deserves better. I really want to know if she can talk to her cat again, but from the ending it should be assumed. For such a feel good movie, I would have appreciated a short scene of them talking again.
After watching several of these movies, there are some recurring themes that are becoming like a checklist. Since I'm just watching Miyazaki for now, it remains to be seen what's particular to him, to his studio, to the context of creation, or to the culture. I can only really sort that out after watching a lot more.
It really doesn't need saying, but here goes the checklist anyway: coming of age story, female protagonist, scrubbing wood floors with water, feminism, extreme attention to detail in some parts (especially of garbage in the corner you're not even supposed to notice), flight, curiosity and fear of technology, soot monsters, peace, mixing magic and technology, an old crone, love of nature (and its flora and fauna), and quiet reflective moments that run deeper than years spent in a zen monastery.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
I've seen it already and liked it, but I'm going through everything Miyazaki (that I can get through Netflix) in chronological order. I think Totoro warrants another watch; there was too much weird stuff to absorb the first time, and now I think I can just enjoy the experience.
I don't think I should take intermissions during a movie, it breaks up... something. Continuity? Mood? Immersion? Whatever. Life interrupts whenever it feels like it.
Spoilers. I stopped where the smaller child met the Totoros, and then woke up in the woods. You could stop the movie here and still have a fairly complete and engaging story up til now. I know there's more weirdness to come, but I think everything has been laid out in front of you to enjoy. The most obvious thing is that Miyazaki has crossed a line here, from just being good, to true greatness. A lot of the same elements crop up again, but everything is smooth now. Ideas that were once beaten into you (nature, youth, innocence, corruption, decay, and more) are introduced so subtly that they seem to come from inside of you instead of the movie. Like you always knew these things, and Miyazaki is just gently reminding you. You can't get much better than that, if you want to make a point.
Any time I stop to examine any particular frame, I am moved by the quality and life of the background, as I am simultaneously repulsed by the animation of the people. They're so mismatched its like those old cartoons from the 1970s (like Ralph Bakshi) where there's a bit of distorted live action mixed in with the cartoon - and they fight each other for your suspension of disbelief. The world feels real, but there's Loony Tunes walking around in it. Maybe Roger Rabbit's world is the better analogy. And yet, you can't help but excuse it. Despite the strange animation of people, their humanity does come across, and it brings me back in. Maybe this is some kind of self training you have to learn to be able to watch anime.
A few days later, I finish watching the movie. And then I immediately start watching again from the beginning, and then turn the subtitles off. One of my favorite things is the quiet moments where nothing much seems to be happening. Someone is doing something simple and just quietly living their life, and not hardly serving the plot at all. It draws me in, making the person and their world so real I can feel it. And this is on top of all the other little realistic touches, like small glances or behaviors that make me forget I'm watching a moving drawing. I can even forgive the cartoonish behaviors and sounds, even as the background is hyper real.
Is there a reason for this mix of real and surreal? Maybe too much of one or the other wouldn't work. Something to keep an eye on as I continue down this road. I'm already aware that animation techniques keep changing over time, making older anime feel increasingly dated. Maybe some of this strange stuff isn't meant to be strange at all, its just working with the limits of the day, and carrying years of contextual baggage.
I was confused by Totoro for a while, struggling to figure out if the supernatural world is real, but only accessible to the innocence usually only found in children. The best analogy I could come up with was Alice in Wonderland, or maybe The Wizard of Oz, where the surreal world isn't meant to be taken seriously; its more of a comment on the real world. But Totoro seems better than that. The spirit world and the real world echo each other, and while it points this out over and over again, but its not trying to say anything by it; it just is. And while these worlds overlap a little and influence each other, real isn't even a question.
You already got a nice ending that wraps things up as much as any movie needs to, but like a gracious host who has provided you with generous hospitality, they also send you off with an exquisite going away present. The end credits show the homecoming, and some return to normalcy with the kids playing. I just saw on the wiki that there's a short sequel to Totoro, at the time that Spirited Away came out. As curious as I am, its not next in line.
I don't think I should take intermissions during a movie, it breaks up... something. Continuity? Mood? Immersion? Whatever. Life interrupts whenever it feels like it.
Spoilers. I stopped where the smaller child met the Totoros, and then woke up in the woods. You could stop the movie here and still have a fairly complete and engaging story up til now. I know there's more weirdness to come, but I think everything has been laid out in front of you to enjoy. The most obvious thing is that Miyazaki has crossed a line here, from just being good, to true greatness. A lot of the same elements crop up again, but everything is smooth now. Ideas that were once beaten into you (nature, youth, innocence, corruption, decay, and more) are introduced so subtly that they seem to come from inside of you instead of the movie. Like you always knew these things, and Miyazaki is just gently reminding you. You can't get much better than that, if you want to make a point.
Any time I stop to examine any particular frame, I am moved by the quality and life of the background, as I am simultaneously repulsed by the animation of the people. They're so mismatched its like those old cartoons from the 1970s (like Ralph Bakshi) where there's a bit of distorted live action mixed in with the cartoon - and they fight each other for your suspension of disbelief. The world feels real, but there's Loony Tunes walking around in it. Maybe Roger Rabbit's world is the better analogy. And yet, you can't help but excuse it. Despite the strange animation of people, their humanity does come across, and it brings me back in. Maybe this is some kind of self training you have to learn to be able to watch anime.
A few days later, I finish watching the movie. And then I immediately start watching again from the beginning, and then turn the subtitles off. One of my favorite things is the quiet moments where nothing much seems to be happening. Someone is doing something simple and just quietly living their life, and not hardly serving the plot at all. It draws me in, making the person and their world so real I can feel it. And this is on top of all the other little realistic touches, like small glances or behaviors that make me forget I'm watching a moving drawing. I can even forgive the cartoonish behaviors and sounds, even as the background is hyper real.
Is there a reason for this mix of real and surreal? Maybe too much of one or the other wouldn't work. Something to keep an eye on as I continue down this road. I'm already aware that animation techniques keep changing over time, making older anime feel increasingly dated. Maybe some of this strange stuff isn't meant to be strange at all, its just working with the limits of the day, and carrying years of contextual baggage.
I was confused by Totoro for a while, struggling to figure out if the supernatural world is real, but only accessible to the innocence usually only found in children. The best analogy I could come up with was Alice in Wonderland, or maybe The Wizard of Oz, where the surreal world isn't meant to be taken seriously; its more of a comment on the real world. But Totoro seems better than that. The spirit world and the real world echo each other, and while it points this out over and over again, but its not trying to say anything by it; it just is. And while these worlds overlap a little and influence each other, real isn't even a question.
You already got a nice ending that wraps things up as much as any movie needs to, but like a gracious host who has provided you with generous hospitality, they also send you off with an exquisite going away present. The end credits show the homecoming, and some return to normalcy with the kids playing. I just saw on the wiki that there's a short sequel to Totoro, at the time that Spirited Away came out. As curious as I am, its not next in line.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)