TV Review: "The Vision of Escaflowne (天空のエスカフローネ)" (1996)

This week, I wanted to give a shout out to an epic animated fantasy series that's one of the best of the 1990s, The Vision of Escaflowne:

"Was it all just a dream? Or maybe a vision?

No, it was real."

Set on both Earth and a fantasy world named Gaea, "The Vision of Escaflowne" follows the adventures of a teenage girl named Kanzaki Hitomi, who has a mystic connection to both places.  Whilst in the middle of professing her love for the high school track captain, Hitomi encounters Van, the teenage King of the small Gaean nation of Fanelia, and a dragon.

After defeating the dragon, Hitomi and Van are teleported back to Gaea, where Earth and the Moon are visible in the night sky and where Earth is called the Mystic Moon.  This is the first clue to the viewer that the series' has yet to be discovered backstory.

Shortly thereafter, Van uses the dragon's heart to power up the eponymous mecha Escaflowne, just as the Zaibach Empire invades his country.  Hitomi and Van are then swept up into Zaibach's conquest of the rest of Gaea, meeting a host of other characters along the way, including a jealous teenage catgirl.

It's a rather punishing game to have a drink every time Merle says, "Lord Vaaaaaan!"


Despite the bishōnen aesthetic of the male characters, "The Vision of Escaflowne" has a clever and well written story, with surprising depth and dramatic weight and some unexpected twists, without veering too much into melodrama.  Plus, there's a good balance between funny and poignant moments.  Additionally, the series successfully blends different genres (e.g., High Fantasy, Mecha, etc.) and puts its own distinctive spin on things.

Also notable are the wonderful soundtrack by Yoko Kanno and the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and the eye popping visuals: this series is animation of a quality not previous seen before on a TV show.  The mecha design is top notch, including work from the legendary Kawamori Shōji of Macross fame.  There are also some pretty boss fight scenes.

A worldwide hit, "The Vision of Escaflowne" remains a beloved anime that is quite rewatchable more than 20 years later.  If you're looking for a fast-paced fantasy action anime filled with creativity, a wonderfully-fleshed out background and many well-designed characters, this may be for you!

Movie Review: 47 Ronin (2013)

This week, I wanted to take a look at a Flawed but Fun retelling of the epic true story of the forty-seven rōnin (四十七士 Shi-jū-shichi-shi, forty-seven samurai), "47 Ronin":

Based on the Akō incident (赤穂事件 Akō jiken), which is celebrated each year on December 14, "47 Ronin" is a fictionalized version of Akō incident that's further been reskinned as a Sword & Sorcery yarn.  This film follows the viewpoint of the fictional character Kai, a half-Japanese, half-English foundling who possesses certain preternatural abilities courtesy of being raised by the Tengu, which are Japanese spirits/demons.

Kai flees the Tengu and is found and raised by Lord Asano Naganori of the Akō Domain.  Although an outsider to the others of Lord Asano's household, Kai is treated kindly by the Lord and his daughter, Mika, with whom there's a predictable forbidden romance subplot.  Years later, Lord Asano is framed for the attempted murder of the rival Lord Kira (in real life Kira Yoshinaka was a high ranking government official rather than a rival lord) by witchcraft and is forced to commit seppuku (切腹, "cutting [the] Stomach/belly"), a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment.

Consequently, Lord Asano's samurai become ronin (masterless warriors), which drives the rest of the film.  Despite being specifically forbidden to seek revenge against Kira, the 47 Ronin (including Kai) carve a bloody path through anyone who stands in their way to avenge their fallen lord.

Overall, this movie is a mixed bag.  "47 Ronin" is serviceable as a popcorn flick and is a decent a Sword & Sorcery film, but there's no gravitas to the movie as there probably should be for a story (the Akō incident) that has become synonymous with loyalty, sacrifice, persistence, and honor in Japan.    The plot of "47 Ronin" is pretty much by numbers and Lord Kira is a 2D baddie (the film probably should have focused more on the witch, playing by Kikuchi Rinko, who at least did a fun job of chewing scenery).

By contrast, Keanu Reeves' acting as Kai is, as usual outside of a few roles, is pretty flat and doesn't do a good job of carrying the movie.  The production design is good and the action sequences are fun but not particularly memorable.  Some of the CGI looks bad.

I think that the accusations of "whitewashing," which likely affected the film's box office performance, are overblown in this particular case: while Kai is the main character of the film, his actions and abilities are explained in the Sword & Sorcery context and he doesn't particularly overshadow the other characters.

If anything, this movie should have more fully embraced and explored the supernatural and eldritch parts of Japanese myth and folklore, which would have made the film more distinctive.

Movie Review: Aragami (荒神) (2003)

With All Hallows' Eve soon upon us, this week, I wanted to give a shout out to a rare gem, a spooky samurai film, Aragami:

Directed by Kitamura Ryuhei, "Aragami" is a low fantasy, horror action film featuring badass samurai and philosophical musings.  The movie begins with a pair of seriously wounded samurai who seek shelter from a storm and their enemies in a remote and forbidding temple in the mountains.

Next, one of the previously wounded samurai wakes up to find himself mysteriously healed and that his friend is suspiciously missing.  He then finds that the sole inhabitants of the temple are a sinister warrior and a strangely silent woman.

"Aragami" is not a conventional horror film (there are no jump scares), but it does brilliantly succeed in being mysterious and creepy.  From the beginning, there's a growing unease as it becomes increasingly clear that something is not right about this lonely temple.

As events unfold and the truth is revealed, things are not what they seem, as the samurai is in for a really bad night.

This movie is part of the Duel Project, a challenge issued by producer Shinya Kawai to Kitamura and fellow director Yukihiko Tsutsumi.  The goal was to film a feature-length movie with only two actors, battling in one setting, and to be completed in only one week.

However, despite (or perhaps because of) these limitations, Kitamura manages to put together a film that is both slick and stylish, as well as clever and thoughtful. There's a close feeling, sometimes  intimate, sometimes claustrophobic, sometimes terrifying.

Unsurprisingly, "Aragami" seems a lot like a play, having only a single location and only a handful of characters.  It's quite atmospheric, with thoughtful ruminations on the nature of war and conflict and the boredom of immortality.

There are also lots of nice touches, such as the weird purple glow in the background for most of the movie and the subtle black humor.

The acting and score are excellent.  The fight choreography is also good, if fantastical.

So, if you are a fan of low fantasy, samurai films and/or interesting and clever stories, you owe it to yourself to watch this film!  However, don't just take my word for it.  Here's a link to the film from the director himself!

Movie Review: "Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫)" (1997)

This week, I wanted to give a shout out to a masterwork from Miyazaki Hayao (宮崎 駿), the greatest animated film director of all time, the amazing Princess Mononoke:

One of the most popular animated films in its native Japan, "Princess Mononoke" is an epic low fantasy jidaigeki (period drama) set in the Muromachi period.  Developed from Miyazaki's idea from the 1970s of a girl living in the woods with a monster, this film follows Ashitaka, the last Emishi prince, who slays a demon in order to protect his people but ends up cursed as a result.  The curse gives Ashitaka supernatural powers, but will spread through his body and eventually kill him.

Now, Ashitaka must voyage far to the west to discover where the demon came from and to face his destiny.  The young wanderer finds a land filled with chaos and becomes embroiled in a sinister and deadly conflict between gods, monsters, men and the Emperor.  With all sides out for blood, the prince must somehow "see with eyes unclouded by hate."

One of the greatest and most famous animated films of all time, "Princess Mononoke" was a huge critical and commercial success (briefly the highest-grossing film of all time in Japan, until overtaken by "Titanic") and greatly expanded the profile of Studio Ghibli in the West.  In addition to the gorgeously animated and eye popping visuals (approximately 144,000 cels were used in the film, of which Messr Miyazaki redrew parts of an estimated 80,000 cels!), "Princess Mononoke" stands out because of its imaginative, intricate and complex story.  Whilst the main plot covers the struggle between the protectors of an ancient forest and the humans who consume its resources, there are multiple factions with their own agendas.

However, what makes the film's story really stand out is that the story is not a simplistic tale of good and evil but contains many shades of grey as each faction fights for control of the future.  For example, Lady Eboshi, the presumptive villain of the piece, has liberated and given a new life to dozens of prostitutes and lepers.  Moreover, she genuinely cares about her people and wants the forest's resources to secure their wellbeing.

Many other characters are well realized and three dimensional too, even relatively minor ones.  This gives the places in the film a more grounded and lived in feeling.

Yet another thing that makes "Princess Mononoke" special is that, in an era where computer-generated imagery (CGI) is becoming dominant in animation, this film is a throwback to Old school Japanese style anime that is mostly traditional hand drawn animation.  Messr Miyazaki insisted that CGI be limited to 10% of the film.  Moreover, the computer animated parts are designed to blend in and support the traditional animation, and are mainly used to give the film a more live action feel, using images consisting of a mixture of CGI and traditional drawing.

Friends urged Messr Miyazaki to make "Princess Mononoke" before his health prevented him from making an action film and boy did the master deliver!  From the brisk opening scene through multiple battles and the thrilling climax, the action is crisp, clever and superbly choreographed.  And, more often than not, fights end in unexpected ways.

So, if you are a fan of Old School Japanese animation, low fantasy, Japanese history and/or interesting and outstanding stories, you owe it to yourself to watch the master at the top of his game in this film!

Movie Review: Ninja Scroll (1993)

[NB- this post is a slightly revised version of one that I published earlier]

This week, I wanted to give a shout out to I wanted to give a shout out to my favorite animated film of all time, Ninja Scroll:

Better known in its native Japan as "獣兵衛忍風帖," Ninja Scroll is a stunning accomplishment.  Visually breathtaking, with a dark, twisted mystery and a tough-as-nails protagonist that would make Raymond Chandler proud and filled with explosive action, rich details, a wry sense of humor and interesting characters, this is a great story.  Full stop.

The plot follows wandering adventurer Kimagabei Jubei (牙神 獣兵衛), as he inadvertently becomes embroiled in a plot by an old enemy that will determine the fate of Japan.  Ninja Scroll has ninjas, samurai, super spies, demons, dark sorcery, and even pirates (sort of).  The only thing it doesn't have is a scroll.

As far as I can tell, that's the ONLY problem with Ninja Scroll.  Blending fiction and historical fact, the film is set in a well realized Fantasy Japan that's logical and internally consistent.  This logical bent extends to the superb character design, where the characters' skills and abilities make internal sense, are consistent, and sometimes take the story in unexpected directions.  Furthermore, the characters' flaws and foibles make them three-dimensional and relatable and also take the story in unexpected directions as well.

Writer/Director Kawajiri Yoshiaki's (川尻 善昭) attention to detail is outstanding and pays off in really inventive ways, such as the wire connected to Jubei's sword.  Also, the various plots within plots would make Frank Herbert proud.

Even if characters and the story were dumb (which, thankfully, is not the case), the fight scenes themselves are worth the price of admission.  As Jubei and his unexpected companions, Kagero and Dakuan, battle the Eight Devils of Kimon (鬼門八人衆), combat features gory splatterfests, chess-like strategy, clever misdirection and just about everything in between.  Jubei may be  a master swordsman and ninja, but the Devils of Kimon have him clearly outgunned and our reluctant hero only manages to triumph through various combinations of trickery, teamwork and luck.  Fight choreography is uniformly excellent.

As fair warning, Ninja Scroll does feature more than a little graphic sexual content, but such is part of the story and never simply for the cheesecake factor.  Personally, I think it adds to the sense of this bold, no-holds barred style of storytelling.

I've loved this movie to bits ever since it was released on VHS.  And the quality of the art and the story is such that it still holds up well after more than two decades.  Truly a masterwork!