Well, after yesterday's dark afternoon of the soul, I began to recover: first I watched Spirited Away with Ned. The film was complemented by fish and chips (maybe I was suffering from malnutrition) and by the end of the evening I almost felt cheerful again.
I've never seen any anime films before - I've seen some cartoon children's programmes in this style and been a bit underwhelmed by them, but this was in a completely different class . Tonight I watched a second film Princess Mononuke which was initially less extraordinary - but a better film in many ways. There is a season of them on Film 4. Ned is delighted to have introduced me to something new, and I feel my life is all the better for having some new experiences.
I hardly know where to start: the colour is the most striking - lots and lots of greens - incredibly beautiful nature scenes, with real plants (not stylised Disney-esque blue daisies etc.) recognisably azaleas, hydrangeas and penstemon. In PM much of the action takes place in a beautifully observed temperate rainforest - the moss on the trees and the rocks in the river made me feel as if I were in Glengarriff or Goughane Burra again... The leaves, the details, the depth that gives an almost 3D sense and the fact that they will hold a shot where nothing is actually happening simply because it is beautiful. It is incredibly realistic when it comes to the scenery. In SA there's a train that travels on a track that's under water, which just skims along showing the waves and the ripples perfectly.
Less attractive are the characters - there are a number of stereotypes - the face of one character recognisably the same as a character in another film - perhaps suggesting the use of actors. Then again, the stories have a strong folk talk elements - so stereotypical characters are very appropriate. Both these two have a teenage/pre pubescent protagonist - and an impossible sexless love interest. Perfect!
The genre is fascinating too - these are chiefly for children, full of jeopardy and a lot of really frightening things happen, but the films don't turn the volume up and use a lot of music - so one is able to enjoy the "horror" visually without the shocks and the build-up. Because I know very little about Japanese culture (apart from the sexual side of it, as a result of reading the book Pink Geishas) and virtually nothing about their mythology and folk tales (there were ten thousand myriads of gods - I remember that much, and a moon goddess called Amaterasu who made them all laugh by showing them her bottom by accident) it is quite difficult to understand what resonances these films have, hence one is able to focus on their beauty and grotesqueness (apart from the fact that in SA the scene is largely set in a bathhouse for deities, so it did evoke that bit of mythology). It is interesting to see that familiar themes from European folktales - youthful protagonist, things happening in 3s, good deeds being rewarded, talking animals, shape-changing etc. are in the Japanese versions as well, but why wouldn't they be? These things are older than language groups and nations probably..
As well as the familiarity of the themes there were dozens of uniquely Japanese styled oddities - monsters and demons quite unlike anything in European literature (well, anything I've encountered). Froglike creatures, a witch who looked a bit like Mrs Thatcher - the spirit of the forest who is and isn't a huge multi-antlered deer.
Both the films were in Japanese - so I have now learned that hai means yes and ninjin (I think) means human, arigato I already know. I don't expect to learn much more Japanese somehow... and I also heard the phrase good ruck in SA...and some other Japlish phrases.
What amazed me is that recently I have had very little patience with films, I often "watch" them with my back to them - but these were utterly visually gripping, and even though I wanted to turn away and do other things I couldn't. It was a complete and utter return to pleasure. At last I have found something new and exciting that I enjoy... I will not be able to see tomorrow night's offering, but there will be more in the next few days. I really hope they won't be in American - I was fascinated by the voices - none of the women speak in any kind of "nightingale" voice - and the she-wolf spoke in a man's voice - although she was voiced by an actress in the US version.
But mostly - the colours, the depictions of nature won me over. At least there is sunshine on film! (Actually, the sun shone a lot today, and I worked in the garden, which must have supplemented my good mood!)
I've never seen any anime films before - I've seen some cartoon children's programmes in this style and been a bit underwhelmed by them, but this was in a completely different class . Tonight I watched a second film Princess Mononuke which was initially less extraordinary - but a better film in many ways. There is a season of them on Film 4. Ned is delighted to have introduced me to something new, and I feel my life is all the better for having some new experiences.
I hardly know where to start: the colour is the most striking - lots and lots of greens - incredibly beautiful nature scenes, with real plants (not stylised Disney-esque blue daisies etc.) recognisably azaleas, hydrangeas and penstemon. In PM much of the action takes place in a beautifully observed temperate rainforest - the moss on the trees and the rocks in the river made me feel as if I were in Glengarriff or Goughane Burra again... The leaves, the details, the depth that gives an almost 3D sense and the fact that they will hold a shot where nothing is actually happening simply because it is beautiful. It is incredibly realistic when it comes to the scenery. In SA there's a train that travels on a track that's under water, which just skims along showing the waves and the ripples perfectly.
Less attractive are the characters - there are a number of stereotypes - the face of one character recognisably the same as a character in another film - perhaps suggesting the use of actors. Then again, the stories have a strong folk talk elements - so stereotypical characters are very appropriate. Both these two have a teenage/pre pubescent protagonist - and an impossible sexless love interest. Perfect!
The genre is fascinating too - these are chiefly for children, full of jeopardy and a lot of really frightening things happen, but the films don't turn the volume up and use a lot of music - so one is able to enjoy the "horror" visually without the shocks and the build-up. Because I know very little about Japanese culture (apart from the sexual side of it, as a result of reading the book Pink Geishas) and virtually nothing about their mythology and folk tales (there were ten thousand myriads of gods - I remember that much, and a moon goddess called Amaterasu who made them all laugh by showing them her bottom by accident) it is quite difficult to understand what resonances these films have, hence one is able to focus on their beauty and grotesqueness (apart from the fact that in SA the scene is largely set in a bathhouse for deities, so it did evoke that bit of mythology). It is interesting to see that familiar themes from European folktales - youthful protagonist, things happening in 3s, good deeds being rewarded, talking animals, shape-changing etc. are in the Japanese versions as well, but why wouldn't they be? These things are older than language groups and nations probably..
As well as the familiarity of the themes there were dozens of uniquely Japanese styled oddities - monsters and demons quite unlike anything in European literature (well, anything I've encountered). Froglike creatures, a witch who looked a bit like Mrs Thatcher - the spirit of the forest who is and isn't a huge multi-antlered deer.
Both the films were in Japanese - so I have now learned that hai means yes and ninjin (I think) means human, arigato I already know. I don't expect to learn much more Japanese somehow... and I also heard the phrase good ruck in SA...and some other Japlish phrases.
What amazed me is that recently I have had very little patience with films, I often "watch" them with my back to them - but these were utterly visually gripping, and even though I wanted to turn away and do other things I couldn't. It was a complete and utter return to pleasure. At last I have found something new and exciting that I enjoy... I will not be able to see tomorrow night's offering, but there will be more in the next few days. I really hope they won't be in American - I was fascinated by the voices - none of the women speak in any kind of "nightingale" voice - and the she-wolf spoke in a man's voice - although she was voiced by an actress in the US version.
But mostly - the colours, the depictions of nature won me over. At least there is sunshine on film! (Actually, the sun shone a lot today, and I worked in the garden, which must have supplemented my good mood!)
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