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My Neighbor Totoro and Ebert
peter_gzowski writes "Well known film critic and closet otaku, Roger Ebert, has a bi-weekly segment on his website where he reminisces about the greatest films of all time (in his opinion, anyway). The most recent installment covers My Neighbor Totoro. This is the second anime to make the list, joining Grave of the Fireflies. For those unfamiliar, Totoro is a film by anime master Hayao Miyazaki, the man behind Princess Mononoke, amoung many other great films (Castle of Cagliostro being my favorite)."
Always pleased to see anime get more mainsream cred. And Miyazaki always deserves it.
Check out http://www.animeondvd.com/discdata/essential/index .htm
Apart from battle athletes ( i dont like sports anime to much ) they are cream of the crop (or near enough) for now on dvd.
For those of you who don't yet know, Disney has NO plans to release any more of Miyazaki's films, despite owning the US distribution rights to 11 of his films.
There's a petition here to get Disney to at least release some of these films on home video.
Disney's position is based on the poor performance of Princess Mononoke in the US. That release grossed just over $2 million in the US (it grossed over $150 million in Japan). However, it should be noted that Princess Mononoke was a limited release (I drove over 150 miles to see it - twice!), with little advertising before it came out.
There is hope however. A previous petition convinced Disney to add the Japanese language track and literal English translation to the DVD relese of Mononoke.
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Vpered na Mars!
Anyone can, if they want, find something bad about something you like. I like anime because I think it is a refreshing change from the dreck that spills from American studios. Yes, some anime is boring, and badly translated, and badly drawn, and some people know WAY too much about it, but everything is the same way.
How many people lined up in the cold to buy tickets for Lord of the Rings? Or Harry Potter? Or to go to a Baptist revival? Or a book signing? Or a software convention? Or.... You get the idea.
For most people, television and movies are passive entertainment. For the obsessed, however, it becomes active. Instead of just seeing something, the begin to live it. Anime is not alone in this. Witness the Trekkie phenomena, or the following some soap operas have. For otakus (a term which, in Japan, carries a strong negative connotation) of any sort, the world on the screen is real.
The point is that nearly everyone has something they obsess over, whether they do it quietly or not. It's not fair to condemn someone just because they happen to like something that you don't.
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From the website of Rev. Jim Huber, Heretic
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Vpered na Mars!
Alot of people are going to think that you are starting a flamewar. Some people get way too fanatical about anime. Being someone who likes *some* anime, I can find a few problems with your conclusions.
In order to cast vague generalizations, you must meet some criteria. Namely, that you have watched every single anime ever made. As this is unrealistic (and a waste of time) I'm going to prove by counterexample.
Another thing to keep in mind; just like in North America, some shows just suck. Will people still make the effort to bring sucky shows from Japan to North America? Yes. In fact, several animation translation firms have made alot of money doing this. *cough*animego*cough* *cough*disney*cough* *cough*vizvideo*cough*
Reductio ad absurdum:
1) Bad stories
My Neighbour Totoro doesn't even have a story. Or conflict. In fact, it's aimed at people about 6 years old, and is just a strange sequence of random events.
2) Bad animation, jerkiness with poor color composition
This is not true of all anime. For example, Cowboy Bebop had some of the nicest artwork and detail I've seen in years. Macross Plus is also up there.
3) Bad translations of
If you're watching it with english dialog, yeah. If you're willing to read subtitles, the translation quality will typically increase several times.
4) Bad dialogue
Some things simply can't be translated from Japanese to English. Having studied the language formally for a year, I can sometimes see when the English translation just doesn't cut it. Also, if the anime is geared at 10-year-olds, odds are it will sound lame in any language.
5) A bunch of people OBSESSED with this shit to a sickening point.
I hear that! I'm so sick to death of people whining about how much money they don't have because they *MUST* go to convention Y and spend $5,000,000 on trinkets. Let's get some perspective here.
And for all those posts in this thread that start with "Wai! Wai!"... YOU ARE NOT JAPANESE! STOP FOOLING YOURSELF. SAYING STUPID THINGS DOES NOT MAKE YOU JAPANESE. YOU WILL NEVER BE JAPANESE.
"Nobody should enjoy WATCHING something that much, you should save your fanaticism for creating things."
Agreed. In the last week, I've watched about half an hour of TV. In the past year, I don't think I've topped 24 hours. It's amazing how much more I can accomplish when I'm not tied to the idiot box.
I await the flames.
Beware TPB
Okay, let's take these criticisms one at a time. Hopefully, I can get you to see my point of view- not change yours. You are welcome to your opinion; just hear mine out.
n d that they can't see the social criticism in Trek. (Not that Trek is alone in that.)
1) Bad stories
Methinks you have been watching too much Toonami. Yes, you watch a few eps of what CN puts on and you'll think "gawd what garbage!" But switch over to Friends and seriously compare the plot depth. Same for Buffy; now I'm serious here!! Think about it- there are, according to dramatists, less than a dozen basic plot lines (they'll give you different answers according to their view, but noone I know goes over about 10). And on top of that, you're viewing this across a cultural chasm (little bit deeper & wider than a generation gap). Sure, you might have to watch the same thing once or twice, but once you've build some sort of mental bridge you'll see that maybe, just maybe, some of this is deeper than American film. (Princess Mononoke comes to mind; similar enough to Aesop's tales you might find it a jumpable region, yet also a good film on just its' own merits.)
2) Bad animation, jerkiness with poor color composition
Hmm... two words. Abstract Art. Yes, you might not think it's 'real art' (I sure don't) but apparently it is to some people. After all, culture truly is a fluid thing and perhaps someday realism may be considered childish art. (But I truly doubt it.)
3) Bad translations [there]of
Hmmm. Define 'bad'. Are these translations literal? Most certainly not; but I'd like to see a literal translation preserve the humor of a pun. (Can't be done, except in exceptional cases). Also refer back to point one- that cultural chasm might keep you from understanding a word-for-word translation. True-to-intent translations? Perhaps; I'm not fluent in any language but English, so I've no real grounds to say. All I can say is: if it really is a bad translation, keep up the good work-- I enjoy what anime I've seen.
4) Bad dialogue
5) A bunch of people OBSESSED with this shit to a sickening point.
I'm going to deal both of these one swift blow. Ever been to a Star Trek convention?? I haven't, really, but I did attend Dragon*Con in Atlanta-- general sci-fi but still the point holds. I may enjoy Trek as much as the next geek, but I don't go out and buy the uniform and the badge and tricorder and makeup kits and wear all of it to every convention held. Some people do. Obsession is (IMHO- this is not a statement of fact) hardwired into today's American (if not general Western) culture because of the popularism ('be-like-us' Borg attitude). And after looking hard at trekkies talk to a non-trekkie- they sure as shooting won't 'get it' and the most cultured of them (nye kultoorni! Literal Translation: uncultured! or perhaps, with context: BARBARIANS!) will tell you that the dialog is soooooo hakneyed. Perhaps it is, but that does nothing to diminish the good parts. But these poor souls are so caught up in either critical examination of the medium or interest in what's-the-latest-brand-worn-by-the-latest-boy-ba
And so in conclusion: hopefully I have answered your question. If you haven't read between the lines and gotten the point, I'll spell it out. We like anime because it is a different take on drama- one not supported by live action nor explored by western animators. If you do not understand this, you are free to find your entertainment elsewhere.
Do you like Japanese imports?
I often agree with him, and even when I disagree I can usually respect his opinions. Being a Mystery Science Theatre 3000 fan I bought his "I hated, hated, HATED this movie".
:)
Most of it was laugh out loud stuff, but really didn't agree with his slagging of
a) Clive Barker's Hellraiser. Ebert listed lots of "plotholes" that were actually misunderstandings of the movie from his side. He also seemed very upset with the S/M and anti-religious themes and mocked those who call the film a classic. Well, it IS a classic damnit!
b) Priest. Again he seemed very prudish. His main objection is that joining the priesthood and taking a vow of celibacy is a voluntary choice, so claiming that you are opressed later for that or because you are gay is just PC whining. Maybe - but giving such a well written, acted and well shot film such a low score just because of that? One suspects he is subconsciously offended by the topic of the movie and the way it portrayed the Catholic church.
On the other hand, I really liked how he butchered these two films, so I guess it evens out:
a) Armageddon. "The movie is an assault on the eyes, the ears, the brain, common sense, and the human desire to be entertained. No matter what they're charging to get in, it's worth more to get out."
b) Starship Troopers. "The action sequences are heavily laden with special effects, but curiously joyless. We get the idea right away: Bugs will jump up, troopers will spray counless rounds at them, the Bugs will impale troopers with their spiny giant legs, and finally dissolve in a spray of goo. Later there are refinements, like fire-breathing beetles, flying insects, and giant Bugs that erupt from the earth. All very elaborate, but not interesting in the way, say, that the villains in the Alien pictures were. Even their planet is boring; Bugs live on ugly rock worlds with no other species, raising the question of what they eat."
And he also made me aware of some weak spots in films I really liked and made me re-evaluate them, for instance Blue Velvet, Doom Generation, Dead Poets Society, Caligula.
Well, getting back to Totoro I must say it sounds interesting. I wish I had read this review before Christmas, it would have been a good present for my brother's kids, and then I would have had an excuse to see it too.
:)
Being bitter is drinking poison and hoping someone else will die
I've been a beginner fan of anime for just under two years now. The biggest problem I've run into is that Anime is just like any other form of media out there. 95 percent of it is crap, but if you know where to look you can find some real gems.
In my opinion, the biggest pain is figuring out what age category a piece is aimed at. Most stuff isn't rated with the MPAA's G, PG, PG-13, R etc. ratings, or any similar system. Suncoast uses age recommendation stickers, but I've found them to be wildly inaccurate at times. Until recently, you couldn't find much anime at Blockbuster or other rental places, so you had to risk $20-30 on something that might be highly rated, but completely wrong for your interests or age.
I bought the first couple of disks of Bubblegum Crisis 2040 after reading very positive reviews, only to find out that the target audience is probably in the 12-14 range. The last couple of disks in the series turned into a glorified version of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
But there is quite a bit of Anime that's good. I'll just list off a few of my favorites.
Cowboy Bebop: An excellent series of 26 half-hour episodes aimed at 15 and up. A small group of bounty hunters track criminals throughout the solar system while dealing with their own shady backgrounds. The music in this one is legendary, and really makes the stories pop. The plot bogs down a bit around episodes 12-15, but the series overall is excellent. This is my favorite Anime and has turned me into a die-hard fan of the music composer, Yoko Kanno.
Princess Mononoke: An incredible 120 minute movie aimed at 10 and above. I've shown this movie to dozens of members of my friends and family, and with only one exception everybody has liked it. A human mining community is destroying a forest populated by ancient animal spirits. A young boy is cursed by one of the displaced spirits, and goes on a journey to end the conflict. This one really stands out because there are no good or evil characters. Every side has their good and bad traits, and no side is completely innocent or guilty.
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Another decent series of 26 half-hour episodes. The subplot is aimed at 15 and up, but younger can watch the surface story and be entertained. Giant robot combat on the surface, but with some very interesting religious undertones if you look closely. Basically, what would happen if technology progressed sufficiently that man becomes capable of resisting the will of God? Some don't like this series because the ending leaves so many unanswered questions.
Gunsmith Cats: A series of 3 half hour episodes aimed at ages 15 and up. This is the Anime version of Starsky and Hutch. A pair of female gun shop owners are forced to go undercover working for the ATF. One of the girls is an explosive expert, and is really the one that sells the show. She's always wanting to blow up anything and everything, and the other characters have to keep her in check. All her grenades have feminine touches, like a pink ribbon tied around the pin, or a lipstick kiss mark. This is a good one if you want to have fun but don't want to think very hard. My wife loves this one.
My Neighbor Totoro: A 90 minute movie, definitely aimed at children. My son is a bit young to follow most of the movie, but he thinks the Totoros are hilarious. The movie is a warm, fuzzy feel-good childrens movie all the way through. One of the best scenes is at a bus stop in the rain. A Totoro is loaned an umbrella to try to stay dry, and makes a game out of the sounds of raindrops hitting the fabric. My son laughs hysterically at this scene.
Lain - Serial Experiments: A series of 13 half-hour episodes aimed at 18 and up. A young girl discovers the internet, and a hidden world behind it. It quickly turns into philosophical ruminations on the nature of conciousness and existence. If you're not an armchair philosopher you may get bored with this one, but I liked it. There's not a lot of action here, but plenty of stuff to make you think.
Grave of the Fireflies: A 90 minute movie that can be watched by all ages, but will probably only be enjoyed by adults. This is a strong anti-war movie, and one of the saddest movies I've ever seen. It's set in the last few days of WW2 Japan, and centers around a pair of children whos parents have both been killed. The children are struggling to survive on their own surrounded by a society that's too caught up in the war to help them. This one's a tear-jerker, but a solid and enjoyable picture none the less.
Supposedly Garasaki is decent, with a strong political backstory, and I may get into that series next, when I have money again. That might be a while.
There's a couple of Animes I didn't like, as well. Bubblegum Crisis 2040, as I said above, is aimed for a younger age category than I prefer. Akira is supposed to be great, but I've never read the comic books, and it just didn't do anything for me. The Robotech series (I know, not really Anime) that I loved as a kid turned out to be nothing more than nostalgia. It's truly one of the worst things I've ever seen. The different Gundam Wing variants are awful. I don't know what people see in them. It seems like nothing more than one very powerful hero fighting off hordes of incompetent enemies. The different DragonBall series are very popular with the 8-12 year old category, and even some older people, but really it's nothing more than steriod pumped angry people in a never-ending run of trash talk a la Professional Wrestling.
If you're interested in Anime, I'd say the best thing you could do would be to lurk on a couple of locations on the internet and look for suggestions. Once you've seen and liked a couple of pieces, and know what types you prefer (political, comedy, action, etc.) people should have a much better idea of what other things you might like. If you go to a site that does ratings, make sure they are honest about bad ratings. Too many sides offer 8.5 of 10 as their lowest possible rating.
If you get the Cartoon Network, they're always playing Anime for the 10-14 year old category. Late nights on Sundays they play Cowboy Bebop. A lot of stuff on this channel is highly edited to make them suitable for television, but you can still get a taste. So far I haven't been too disappointed in the editing done to Cowboy Bebop.
Hope that helped!
Seth
Totoro is an unqualified masterpiece in my semi-informed opinion (I'm a CG animator). Even beyond the constraints of the imaginary cat-owl-bear genre. :) I've inflicted it on any number of friends and acquaintances, always with happy results.
At SIGGRAPH two years ago I was fortunate enough to see a presentation by a Ghibli AD in which he talked the audience through a bunch of scenes from this movie. "Here," he would say (through his translator), about a scene where the younger daughter picks flowers in the garden and stands on tiptoe to put them on the edge of her father's desk while he is working, "everything in the scene is intended to emphasize the innocence of Mai and the fatherliness of her father." Or waiting at a bus stop: "We kept the camera here for two more seconds to give the proper sense of spacial composition in time." (I've heard people call it slow, but I blame MTV fast-cut editing for salting the earth for more subtle techniques.) Amazing work.
Miyazaki himself is a gruff, chain-smoking perfectionist by all reports, but he writes some beautiful stuff, the acting is subtle, some of the backgrounds look like Maxfield Parish, in Totoro for once the dubbing is excellent, and the whole is greater than any description of the elements can convey.
YMMV, but I hope not.
So... Little girls showing thier underpants is unusual? I reckon you don't have any daughters then. ;)
Seriously, I don't think it was meant as any kind of a turn-on, just as cute realism.
"Reactionaries must be deprived of the right to voice their opinions; only the people have that right." - Mao