Cinemalaya 2012: Aparisyon, Give up Tomorrow

Back again with some new stuff.

New Breed Films

Aparisyon

 

What the Cynic in Me Expected: Like Sister Act, without the singing, and more Martial-lawey

What Actually Happened: a finely acted tale on morality and faith, if just a bit ambiguous at the end.

Set in the the turbulent year of 1971, on the precipice of Martial Law, Aparisyon is the story of a cloister in the woods where a group of nuns, led by Mother Superior Ruth (Fides Cuyugan Asensio) devotes their entire lives in the service of God. As a setting, the place is sheltered and seemingly serene, an oasis separated from the outside world. We see the world we know only in newspaper snippets and radio broadcasts.

Sister Lourdes (Jodi Sta. Maria) is the latest addition to the order. She begins to settle in her new monastic lifestyle and she meets Sister Remy (Mylene Dizon), a nun who has recently taken her vows. Soon the events of the outside world start to creep into the sheltered walls of the cloister and a sudden, violent and tragic event shakes the lives of the order.

From this point on, Aparisyon turns into an intense drama where every emotion hides beneath the surface, every ounce of indignation boils beyond reach, likening itself to the people whose eyes, ears and mouths were covered during the events leading to Martial Law. Will they exchange their peace to involve themselves more with this alien, lawless, turbulent world?

But aside from the likely metaphors, Aparisyon can also be a movie about a dire test of faith. With their orderly lives, sheltered from the world, this event shatters that world, giving the nuns predicaments that test the core of their beliefs.

Quite appropriately, I had heard this program on the radio before watching the film: One's burdens are not burdens that a person cannot bear, the man on the radio said. People can stay away from sin not because they are afraid of doing so, but because their viewpoint on life leads them to decide not to. And in this film the moral dilemmas (and each of the 4 main character's solutions to them) define them as characters. Perhaps, also as archetypes of something?

The four members of the main cast convey their acting talents quite capably, and without it, the film would have been a lesser experience. The ending leaves a lot ambiguous in my view, leading us viewers to decide for ourselves how these tests and crises have affected the people involved.

This is an intense, brutal film, filled with emotional violence, yet conveyed in silences. The director of the film noted that this film was about silence, and its different forms. And this film seems to take that point and give each silence a different meaning: guilt, acceptance, love, determination, or turning to faith.

Give this one a try. It's a surprisingly good entry to this year's roster.

Metaphor style rating: it's like your significant lady other giving you THE LOOK. It looks innocuous, but you know the jig is up.

Cinemalaya Documentaries

Give Up Tomorrow

What the Cynic in Me Expected: I honestly had no expectations for this.

What Actually Happened: A true crime docu that stabs at the heart of the ailing Philippine justice system. A must watch.

I vaguely remember the Chiong Murder Case back in the nineties. Two sisters in Cebu were kidnapped, raped then killed by a number of unknown men. In the face of sheer public indignation, the police rounded up a number of suspects, among them Paco Larranaga. I remember seeing his face as he was being led to the court. I remember the cheap dramatization of the case with Nino Mulach as Larranaga.

I thought back then that he was guilty. But seeing this film made me realize that the world doesn't paint things as black and white as we see in the media.

Covering the years between his arrest, his trial and imprisonment, Give Up Tomorrow weaves a tale of corruption and injustice like a yarn spun straight out of Kafka's The Trial. In the face of intense negative public and media attention, and powerful backers on the side of the prosecution, this man and six others are sentenced to life in prison for their role in a crime they may not have committed. Interspersed are segments by the media regarding the case, some offering an objective viewpoint; others, not so much, most memorably Teddy Locsin Jr's advice to the convicted not to drop the soap.

Appeal after appeal comes, but the verdict is the same. During the trial, evidence that clearly exonerates the accused is dismissed; dubious testimony from others is considered set in stone. In the screening for this film, you can feel the indignation from the audience from every single wrongdoing that occurs.

This is no mere miscarriage of justice, it is an abortion, blades spinning, carving up and destroying the lives of these men who have not gained the chance at due process. One, on the other hand, could argue that maybe some of them did do the crime. But this film shows that it was never proven the proper way.

The film's title comes from an interview from Larranaga who has more or less accepted his fate to be imprisoned for a very long time (this was after he was sentenced to death, with a repeal of the death penalty reducing his sentence). He talks about living his everyday life for today, deciding that if he'd give up, he'd rather do so tomorrow.

Although screened in many film festivals abroad, this is the first time the film has ever been screened in the Philippines. This film needs to be seen by people, everywhere. And perhaps we can see this film not just as something that can help in the reopening of this case, but also a way to see how rotten our justice system has become. The scary thing about it? This can happen to anyone. Even you and me.

Metaphor Style Rating: Finding out your significant other is a serial killer.

Interlude: I AM THE BATMAN

Given the recent release of the Dark Knight Rises, I think it is a good time to look back on the trilogy that revived the franchise and gave it new life.

I'd heard about Christopher Nolan back when he made Memento, a wonderful little film that I still consider one of my favorite films of all time. He had a knack of devising inventive and unconventional plot structures, and making interesting characters. But other than that he didn't really make many notable films. There was, of course, a film called Insomnia with Robin Williams and Hilary Swank that gained critical acclaim, but not many people knew about it.

Meanwhile, the Batman franchise was as good as dead. The final nail in the coffin was the deplorable Batman and Robin, whose return to 60's camp and general corniness destroyed the franchise that had been built on decent Tim Burton movies. The jury is still out on whether Batman Forever was any better or worse.

So a new film was made in 2005, Batman Begins. It reboots the franchise and tells the story of how Batman got his chops. It's an interesting story with a lot of nods to the comic stories, and brilliant performances all around.

What got me was how dark the whole thing was. This wasn't the bombastic showy Batman of the first two films. This was Batman as how he should be. We were coming off films like X-Men or Spiderman, films that, despite the relative seriousness, were still fun adventures for the whole family.

Then came The Dark Knight, and that was one of the greatest movies ever. Using the Joker and Two Face as villains, this movie was a deconstruction of the hero genre, redefining what it truly means to be a hero. Along with it came a performance by Heath Ledger that is so intense, people remember it to this day. It wasn't just a good superhero film, it was a good film, period. It also adapted itself from stories considered to be Batman's finest, such as The Long Halloween and The Killing Joke. The ending is especially chilling, as it describes Batman as what he is: a silent protector, a symbol that can be anything Gotham's citizens want him to be.

Finally we come to the recent movie, The Dark Knight Rises. Based partially on the comic series on the same name, we see an older Bruce Wayne, now in hiding after the events of the previous movie. It takes a terrorist named Bane to get him to don the cape and cowl again, but doing so is not as easy as it may first seem.

In the interim, Nolan sharpened his skills by making Inception, another very accomplished film and one of the most fascinating films of the last decade. It was blockbuster, sure, it was also action. But it was very cerebral and didn't treat its audience like ADHD-riddled mooks.

The last film goes back to the themes in the first, examining Batman's reasons for being Batman. While not as accomplished as the second film, it does its job capably. Bane is like Batman's antithesis. Trained by the same man, his skills and intelligence are more than a match for the caped crusader, and in the comics he is the only villain to have "Broken the Bat."

Speaking of that, my first real introduction to Batman was during the Knightfall storyline, which involves Bane. So there's a bit of nostalgia for me in that regard, despite the movie Bane being quite different from the one in the comics.

In the end, these three movies earned a ton of money in the box office and critical praise that the previous quadrilogy never got. Now that the trilogy is over, here's to better adaptations of comics in the future. Superman, I'm looking at you...

Cinemalaya 2012 Day 2: Diablo, Mga Dayo, Oros

Three New Breed Films today before I take a break for a week or so. Have fun and keep on watching...

Diablo

What the Cynic in Me Expected: Hippie Jesus saves the world through weed. No just kidding.

What Actually Happened: An interesting, albeit sometimes lacking, movie on faith, family ties, and anxieties.

Nana Lusing (Ama Quiambao) is the elderly mother of five sons. Although she once had a job selling stuff, she has since stopped working due to illness. She now lives alone in her quiet home. One by one we see her five sons, most of whom have varying professions: one is a miner, one is a soldier, one is a farmer, and one is a sleazy lowlife. The last son, Oscar, is some sort of religious cult member who kinda looks like Jesus.

Unable to sleep at night, listening to some weird religious program on the radio, the rest of the film depicts her life as she encounters her five sons again. Oh, and during those nights, a mysterious black figure appears in front of her.

There are lots of symbolic references to religion and what have you, and the overall message is pretty straightforward, although a lot of elements can be interpreted in many different ways. Nana Lusing has most of the spotlight in this film, and it comes along with a good performance by Ama Quiambao. Her mere presence changes the lives of the people around her, yet ironically her own unresolved issues bother her, and they manifest as apparitions and visions. Whether the visions are real or not depends on the viewer.

Oscar is an equally mysterious character. Lusing's youngest son walks barefoot, looks like popular depictions of Jesus, and carries around an oil lamp with mysterious powers. Although his appearances are sporadic, his actions and the events surrounding him enact change in the plot and characters.

While the buildup is nice enough, the ending feels a bit rushed and ties up many plot threads too quickly (or not at all.) Sometimes I get the feeling that the story could have been told in a much shorter time. Technically there were some issues with audio syncing but otherwise it was fine.

Diablo is just an OK movie. I probably enjoyed it more than I expected, which is at least good.

Metaphor style rating: imagine a cup of Yan Yans and not even halfway through you run out of dip.

Mga Dayo (Resident Aliens)

What The Cynic in Me Expected: an hour and a half of I WANNA GREEN CARD SO BAAAAAD

What Actually Happened: A very nuanced look at the lives of Filipino immigrants in Guam.

A lot of Filipinos live abroad. A great number of them live in the States and in its territories. With the promise of a better life and a better paying job, a lot of Filipinos try to get there.

This movie takes place in Guam, a place with flavors both American and Filipino. It shows a slice of the lives of three women: Alex, who plans to get married to get a green card before her impending return to the Philippines, Miriam, a former newspaper editor who just lost her job and is lost among a number of frivolous relationships, and Ella, a hard working hotel housekeeping supervisor who works to get her elderly mother in America.

While it seems at first that they would want citizenship and a life in a foreign land, not all of the girls are keen on staying there. There's a sense of longing for home in one of a characters, a sense of dissatisfaction in another, and for the other one, not so much a sense of staying there out of want, but out of need.

The Filipino communities portrayed in the film show that Filipinos are hardy and can live almost anywhere, as long as there is the promise of a better life. It also examines the various loopholes one can take in getting a green card in the States.

Although the plot is tight and doesn't drag (it's the shortest full length film in competition) there are some weird side plots that really don't go anywhere, most notably one that involves Ella's relative. The shortness of the plot does leave some things unresolved, but I think the film gave the message it wanted to give: that these three people have their own hopes and dreams regarding living abroad (or returning home.)

Technically there are no problems with the film. Guam looks great in these shots and I kind of want to visit there one day. The acting is superb, notably Ella's portrayal as this hardworking woman who only wants something better for her family. When she finally reaches the breaking point, the resulting scene is a fitting climax for the film.

I was a bit impressed with this film. I'd put it somewhere above middle ground in the movies I've seen so far.

Metaphor style rating: A trip to America 5 days long. Not long enough to really appreciate everything, but enough to get a general idea on what the place is about.

Oros

What the Cynic in me Expected: PO-VER-TEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

What Actually Happened: An interesting story, entertaining to boot and decently acted, but these "social commentary set in poverty" films are starting to get a bit cliched.

Makoy and Abet are brothers living in a poverty stricken area in Manila. Makoy holds an illegal gambling ring that sometimes involves holding fake wakes with unclaimed cadavers to be able to hold an sakla (a card game) operation.

There are a lot of interesting issues in this movie. The most important to me is poignantly stated by one of the characters somewhere in the first third of the film: that a new life is often harder to deal with than death. Death is death, but a new life is just another mouth to feed.

The illegality of the gambling operation is not lost on the main characters, but they gotta do what they gotta do. When asked by Abet if they could prop up a carinderia instead, Makoy answers him that no one in their house really knows how to cook and the notion is dismissed. The relatively big money adds to the appeal of the business, even though it is illegal. At the same time, this activity is condoned not only by goverment officials, but also by some members of the police - as long as they get a share. The system allows for corruption to seep in like a cancer and, unfortunately, we find it entrenched in a system that refuses to change.

It's money that makes the plot revolve -it is the need for money that propels the characters towards their decisions in life, and eventual ruin. Although we may look at the business as something that doesn't hurt anyone, it does - very subtly we see posters of missing people - people whose bodies can be used in such illegal operations. It's the dark side of what we see in the film, and once you realize it it is quite disturbing. The movie resolves with a taste of irony that shows this dark side, and although it is mostly implied, it is not a pretty picture.

The 'poverty porn' genre is getting a bit stale these recent years, and this year's festival has kind of toned it down a little. But a lot of the staples that we've seen in previous films are still there. While this film is good and entertaining, it doesn't offer a lot of new stuff as far as these films go. I still want to see something fresh from the genre, but I think it needs a rest for a few years.

Anyway, go and see this film. It's still worth the price of admission.

Metaphor style rating: Eating at your favorite restaurant everyday for two years. You like the food, and the food is delicious, but ordering the same food again and again takes its toll on your palate.

Cinemalaya 2012 Day 1: Ang Katiwala, Ang Nawawala, REquieme!, Kalayaan

Cinemalaya is on again, and I'm back again with more nonsense to spew. I'm going to add a few new features to each review to spice things up.


New Breed Films

Ang Katiwala (The Caretaker)

What the Cynic in Me Expected: 2 Hours of Dennis Trillo sweeping floors and washing windows.
What Actually Happened: A well thought out piece about our society and our place in it.

Ruben (Dennis Trillo) is a handyman who gets fired from his job at the local municipal hall mainly due to political reasons. Without much to sustain his wife and son, and with only a small patch of farmland to get by, he decides to take up his uncle's offer to serve as a caretaker of a large house. The house in this case belonged to Manuel L. Quezon, one of the founders of the Philippine Commonwealth, the transitional government that led us to finally taste independence.

As he goes about his job sweeping floors and washing windows, he learns more about this man and what he went through in life (complete with some interesting animated sequences) and starts to identify with him.

Much of the film revolves around this quote by Manuel Quezon himself (and I paraphrase, because I forgot the original wording) : it is better to have a hellish Philippines governed  by its own people than to have a paradise-like Philippines governed by the Americans, because, at least with our own power, we can change.

The film, however, sees the situation as a little more complicated. The film takes place around 2008, where our political system and officials are far from the idealistic vision Quezon had noted in his speeches. Ruben's family, including his extended family in Manila, are harassed by communist 'rebels,' government, and other people around them. Change is something that is hard to come by, because the existing systems are so entrenched in our consciousnesses that we cannot imagine any other system. It's this cynical view that I share, to be quite honest. It takes real guts to enact real and lasting change.

Ruben's position as a caretaker mirrors the US' position as our caretaker during the Commonwealth period, as foreshadowed at around the middle part of the movie. And extending the analogy, we simply either do not learn or ignore the lessons passed on to us by the Americans. And extending this analogy to its limit, as the US left when we could stand by our two feet, Ruben's stint in the house ends with an upheaval as shocking as it is unexpected.

Technically the film is well done, and with a very limited cast of characters the acting is superb. There were some humorous moments in between long scenes of Dennis Trillo doing, well, caretaker stuff. Don't get me wrong, the movie never gets boring.

This ended up being one of the better films of the day for me. Go ahead and take a look.

Metaphor style rating: Kinda like rice that gets more delicious as you eat and has meat at the bottom.


Ang Nawawala (What isn't There)

What the Cynic in Me Expected: A movie about a bunch of hipsters falling in love, being not mainstream, listening to indie music and talking about Kerouac. Or something.
What Actually Happened: Basically the above, but really, really well done.

Gibson Bonifacio (Dominic Roco) is a photographer, although I'm not really sure he has a job as one. Anyway, he just up and decided not to talk, ever. There's a reason for this, but I won't spoil it for you guys. Anyway, he returns to the Philippines after studying abroad (how he managed to finish without uttering a single word, well that's a story for another day.)

He meets up with an old friend, stuff happens, and soon he gets to fall in love for the first time. All this in between listening to indie music, looking at paintings, and lounging around in spas. In the meantime, certain aspects of his past and his family's issues begin to unravel.

Seeing the trailer and everything else, I thought I would totally hate this film. Why? Because EWWWWW HIPSTERS. But surpringly, it delivers in just the right ways. This film is actually my favorite film of the festival so far.

The best part of the film is the music. Throughout the film you hear songs from various names in the indie music scene. I have no idea who most of them are (but hooray for Hannah + Gabi) but they fit into every scene very well. An apt comparison would be to last year's Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa. Because the music is excellent, every scene has this palpable emotion that you rarely see in any Filipino film, anywhere. This is one film where I'd gladly purchase the soundtrack.

Visually the film delivers as well. You often see shots of slums and stuff in independent films, but here the cityscapes and roads show another side of Manila, and it is damn impressive. A later sequence during New Year's Day offers some great visuals too.

The characters are likeable and are not one dimensional, partly thanks to good performances all around. While it would have been nice to flesh out everybody, you have to prune some story here and there to make the story flow better, so it's not really a problem.

It's a great film, and one of the most unique that I have seen in the six years I've been around watching this stuff. If there was one gripe I have about this movie it would be...

Metaphor style rating: Giving your child a badass unique name. Anyone can do it, but it takes real talent to give your kid a badass name like MAX FIGHTMASTER instead of something like Kumquat or Friar. hehe

P.S. Plus points to you if you recognized the Bike From AKIRA, and a copy of Elmer and Basquiat.


REquieme!

(note: apparently we were not shown the final cut of this movie due to technical difficulties. This review will be based on the cut shown to us.)

What the Cynic in Me Expected: Funerals and fighting bureaucracy? Haven't I heard those things 9000 times before?
What Actually Happened: A funny film about... well I have no idea. Other than the fact that it's funny, it's a bit of a mess.

To describe the plot of this film is a bit of a stretch, but I'll try. There's this fashion designer who is killed Andrew Cunanan style. Meanwhile, his distant relative, a Barangay Captain, decides to hold a wake in his honor. MEANWHILE, her estranged gay son decides to help in the burial of an old guy who used to repair her shoes and bags. MEANWHILE MEANWHILE, a lady cannot get her OFW husband's corpse home due to some SNAFU or other.

This is the main problem of the film, actually. With too many major and minor plot threads and barely any connection between the two main plots, it's hard to make sense of the film. Add that to the fact that the film's central theme is a bit vague. What is the theme of the film? Is it about gays (and acceptance of gays) in contemporary society? Is it about the fallacious nature of politics and bureaucracy? Is it about our tendency to glorify anyone  just because they a) are Filipino, b) live abroad and C) did something of note, no matter how glamorous or heinous?

I actually find Joanna (the gay son)'s plot more interesting. The guy who repaired her shoes and stuff had no real family, no close relations. In a way, Joanna connected with this guy and identified with him. In a sense, she is helping to bury her old self in every instance that she pushes to get the guy a decent burial. And indeed, in the last act of the film we see just that happen in a metaphorical sense.

The film does have lots of moments of funny. The audience responded well to most of the scenes and delivers on the jokes quite capably. Technically the film is sound.

Again, the film tends to get quite convoluted, and you tend to jump from one thread to another trying to make sense of the film. While entertaining, expect nothing lasting from this one.

Metaphor style rating: The movie Signs. It's hella scary the first time you watch it, but in retrospect a lot of shit doesn't make sense. Replace scary with funny and there you go.

Director's Showcase

Kalayaan (Wildlife)

What the Cynic in Me Expected: 2 Hours of Ananda Everingham exercising, eating raw eggs and fapping to porn.
What Actually Happened: 2 Hours of Ananda Everingham exercising, eating raw eggs and fapping to pOHMYGODWHATTHEHELLISTHATSHIT

Julius Macaraeg (Ananda Everingham) is stationed on one of the largest islands of the Spratlys, a resource-rich island chain that is a subject of dispute between China and the Philippines. Taking place during the 2001 EDSA Revolution, his extended bouts of isolation slowly makes him lose his sanity... or is something else going on in this island that no one expected?

This movie is slooooooow. It's a slow burn for most of the movie until the last part. I've watched my share of slow movies and this one takes its place in the slow movies pantheon. It's a character study at times, then part horror, then part psychological drama. It's definitely not for everybody, as evidenced by the number of people walking out in the middle of the film. But the itneresting thing about it is when shit does hit the fan, it's terribly interesting. And extremely weird.

There are a lot of shots of the Thai Everingham (later joined by Zanjoe Marudo and some other person whose name I cant remember for the life of me) running across the beach, fishing, swimming, drinking and playing beach basketball. Ananda Everingham has like five lines in the entire film, which is explained in the story via traumatic past experience. In reality, he probably would have a heavy accent and make his supposedly Filipino character hard to believe. The silence adds to the loneliness and isolation depicted in the film, and is surprisingly quite effective.

Technically the film is okay, but some shots are too dark to see anything. Although this is supposed to build suspense,it doesn't work as well as it should in some parts where you see literally nothing.

As for the connection between the EDSA 2 thing and this situation? I'd make some sort of metaphor connecting duty on these islands with the Presidency or something like that, but it would turn out too contrived for my taste, so I pass.

The ending is simply something that has to be seen to be believed, and whose interpretation relies heavily on the viewer. That is, if you decide to slog through a lot just to get there.

Metaphor style rating: A walk through quicksand only to reach a place where the air is LSD.

Bonus Points: If you recognized Yua Aida as the lady in the videos Julius was fapping to.
EXTRA Lord of Hentai Bonus Points: If you recognized the video as one of her S1 videos, probably Samantha / Yua Aida Vol.3.

Eiga Sai 2012: Making the Rounds

One of the most recent (and popular) entries in this year's Eiga Sai is In His Chart, better known in Japan as Kamisama no Karute (God's Medical Chart) based on the novel by the same name, and written by a practicing physician. A winner at the Japanese Box Office, it actually edged out Harry Potter as the number one movie during the week of its release. 

Hearing about this movie sparked an interest in me because of my involvement with the medical profession, as well as being able to see a glimpse of the Japanese health care system.The film depicts an interesting dichotomy: overall, the standard of medical care is relatively high, but while large universal hospitals get the highest standard of care with state of the art facilities, other hospitals are often crowded, understaffed or both.

Ichito Kurihara, played by Arashi member Sho Sakurai, is a doctor in one of these latter hospitals. He deals with tons of outpatients every day, in often backbreaking, continuous work. As an internist, he sees a number of different cases: trauma cases at night, cases of people with failing livers, and patients with terminal illnesses. His duty nights are sleepless due to the sheer load of patients, and it's a stressful job. He is supported by his wife Haruna, who is a professional photographer, mostly of scenery and mountains.

Kurihara seems morose in the early part of the film and we are left to wonder why. As the film goes on, he meets a patient whose life he cannot save: a woman with inoperable gallbladder cancer. Through his interactions with her he finds a part of himself and he makes sense of what it really is to be a doctor.

The movie piles on the drama rather heavily and considering the subject matter it can elicit tears aplenty. Having experienced having patients with terminal illnesses in my own practice and training, I remembered all of those patients watching the film. There was no shortage of (manly) tears here. Also, there is an undercurrent theme of change and finding one's dreams that finds itself in the film. It is subtle but it resonates with the rest of the work.

The acting performances are good enough. I had my reservations at Sho's acting, but he was pretty good here. Aoi Miyazaki is Kurihara's wife Haruna... and what more can I say. She tends to pick the same types of roles but she does them very well. I'd like to see her experiment more in the future, however.

In His Chart is a good drama that doesn't fall into too sappy territory. Just get a box of tissues ready just in case.

Eiga Sai 2012: Hands for the Future

I've had the opportunity to see the original Ashita no Joe anime, which ran for a staggering 126 episodes from 1970-71 and 1980-81. It's a great anime, if not oddly paced at times, and the respective finales for both parts are epic in their own right. It's easy to see from the anime (and the manga that it was based upon) that this series was iconic in the minds of the Japanese. Even in present times it ranks rather highly in "most favorite anime" lists. It's basically Japan's Rocky.

I saw the idea of a live action adaptation of Ashita no Joe with a bit of hesitation, because adaptations of such lengthy works to around two hours on the big screen tend to have problems. Somewhere along the way, a character, plotline or piece of character development is going to be lost. And in this film, that kinda happens... but it's not that bad.

The film distills the story of Ashita no Joe as simple as possible, adapting the first part of the manga (or the 1970-1971 anime.) Joe Yabuki is a drifter and vagabond who occasionally gets into fights. One day, while eating at a restaurant in the slums he grew up in, he gets into a fight. Danpachi, a former boxing trainer, witnesses his potential and offers him a chance to be a world class boxer. Although not at first, Joe accepts, mainly thanks to the presence of a rival: Rikishi, a pro boxer Joe meets in prison. Both then head towards a dramatic conclusion as they face off in the ring.

Yamashita Tomohisa, formerly of the Johnny's group NEWS, is Joe. He has the unfortunate reputation of some fans to be the Kirsten Stewart of Japan, but at least his acting is a bit improved in comparison to his other roles. The problem is for a character that tends to stick out in the world, Yamashita's Joe tends not to. Yusuke Iseya, on the other hand, steals the show as Rikishi. There's a bit of nobility and confidence in him that exudes in every scene. And in preparation for the role, you can see the man lost and gained weight like a boss. The supporting cast is also good.

Fumihiko Sori is no stranger to sports movies, having directed Ping Pong, which is a highly recommended film. His style and composition shows in the action and fight sequences, where effective use of slow motion and camera movement makes the fights flow really well. But adaptation decay does set in, and the film can only do so much to cover the cracks.

Despite some disappointments, Ashita no Joe remains a fun mainstream big budget film, especially if one is familiar with the source material. If you've watched this film and aren't afraid of looking up old retro anime, give the anime series a try.

Eiga Sai 2012: Moving On

Permanent Nobara at first looks like your run of the mill quirky and funny Japanese movie in the countryside, but by the end one realizes that most of the themes of the movie are subtle, and much can be lost if one loses attention.

The movie is about Naoko, a recently divorced mother of one. She moves back to her mother's home where she helps out in the only salon in town (the titular Permanent Nobara, wordplay on 'perm' and the family name.) While there she begins to hook up again with her old highschool teacher. At the same time, various relationships between Naoko's friends and family are revealed.

While technically a drama, Permanent Nobara delivers its content via understated comedy,which fills the film up to halfway through. Each person deals with losing their love in different ways; Naoko's stepfather remarries, Naoko's friend Mi-chan does some kicking of ass, and Naoko's other friend Tomo-chan goes and buries some pachinko tokens. Naoko herself tries to come to terms with her recent divorce and her relationship with the new guy.

This kind of execution often fails, but remarkably the film delivers, especially in the last third when the dramatic aspects of the film finally break through. Here we begin to think deeper into the conversations earlier in the film; whether certain lines and actions had some significance behind them instead of being funny fluff.

Much of the success in how this film worked its themes and story relies heavily on the cast. Miho Kanno does a superb job as Naoko, delivering a performance that matches the comedy of the earlier parts and the drama of the later parts without being overly melodramatic. I've only seen her in comedic j-dramas (although I didn't notice she was actually in Takeshi Kitano's Dolls!) so this is kind of a breath of fresh air for me. The rest of the supporting cast does just as well. Mari Natsuki is the hard ass proprietor of the salon and Naoko's mother, Eiko Koike does well as the mama-san Mi-chan, and Yosuke Eguchi gives a fine performance as Naoko's love interest, adding a bit of playfulness and mystery to his character.

This is one of those films that you have to reflect on after you've viewed it. While it doesn't start off frantically and it seems at times nothing is happening, everything within the film has a deeper meaning. Most of the real drama lies between the lines, behind every naughty conversation and behind every playful banter. It's quite a surprise, and unique for the films I've seen so far.

Eiga Sai 2012: Soroban-baka Forever

Whenever you hear of a jidai-geki film you often think of clashing swords, bloodshed and manly heroism - which is why this entry in this year's Eiga Sai is so strange: it is a period film (set before, during and after the Meiji Restoration) but it does not have a single sword fight. Replacing the clashing of swords is the clack-a-clacking of a abacus.

Abacus and Sword tells the story of the Inoyama family, most prominently Naoyuki, the 8th generation heir. This family consists of accountants who have served a noble house in Kanazawa for many years, and their skill is not with the sword but with the abacus and brush. Indeed, Naoyuki is 'hopless' in the sword arts, yet he is a gifted mathematician and uses his skill with the abacus to great effect. Aside from that Naoyuki is straight laced and filled with a sense of honor and fairness that is his defining quality.

The film itself is divided roughly into three acts: Naoyuki's early years as an accountant, establishing the many characters of the Inoyama family, then moving on to battles against corruption in the system to a very personal battle against a very dangerous foe: crushing debt. The final part deals with Naoyuki's later life and his relationship with his son Naruyuki as the age of the samurai comes to an end.

The film succinctly describes the film as such: the samurai's soul may be their katana, but for these people it has always been their abacuses. The Inoyama family go through hard times as the samurai class declines; frugality is emphasized, possessions sold. Aside from that, the shadow of shame from living in poverty looms over them, a very important thing considering their Samurai status.

The film portrays another side of the Samurai caste: instead of the retainers or high ranking warlords we see in many films of this type, we see the low class samurai, the 'salarymen' of the old world. The atmosphere of a different time is prevalent, yet the persevering culture of the Japanese people shines through as we see the levels of politeness and respect practiced by members of its society.

Masato Sakai, who was in last year's Eiga Sai offering Chef of South Polar is reserved and stoic in the face of hardship as Naoyuki, sticking to his moral and philosopical guns to the end. He's not doing this for himself, but for the longevity of his family, in a very efficient way, in the only way he knows. Popular actress Yukie Nakama, who J-drama fans may know as Yankumi from Gokusen (among others) portrays the dutiful wife, though no amount of makeup can age a lady like Yukie Nakama.

There are some times where the pacing feels a bit off. The whole middle part of the film could have been shortened to focus on the final part, whose heavy reliance on a knowledge of Japanese history may confuse some viewers.

While flawed, Abacus and Sword has some great moments and is genuinely endearing at points. If you didn't catch it on Eiga Sai, reruns are always showing on Channel Red.

Eiga Sai 2012: Life is Colorful

Suicide and depression are big problems among youth today, and probably none more so than in Japan. Faced with the crushing pressures of the school system compounded with other issues like bullying, it's not an easy place to live in.

Colorful, based on a novel of the same name, is an animated movie that tackles this subject. But it does not only focus on the act itself and the person's motivations for doing such an act. Instead, it also addresses the impact one's life has on other people.

Colorful tells the story of an unnamed soul who has committed a transgression in a past life. To be reintroduced into the cycle of rebirth, he is put into the body of Makoto Kobayashi, a third year middle school student who committed suicide by drug overdose. Given a second chance of life, the soul must find out what he did in the past before time runs out and he leaves Makoto's body for good. In the meantime, he learns a lot more about Makoto's life and why he committed suicide in the first place.

The rest of the film then delves into 'Makoto's' daily life, coming to terms with his new body, and unraveling the mystery of who the soul really is. At the same time, the secret threads of the people that inadvertently caused his suicide begin to unravel.

Overall the film takes an interesting approach to how we perceive life, and how we see death as a way out. It deals with a subject that can be prone to excessive melodrama, but the film does the drama just right, with a realism that you see more in live action films. Go and check it out.

Beauty in an Un-beautiful World

When I watched Poetry for the first time, I was not aware who directed it or what it was about. But for the whole 139 minutes of the movie, I was completely absorbed into the story. And even now, I am haunted by this spectacular film.

Poetry, as it turns out, is the latest offering of director Lee Chang-dong, known for such films as Secret Sunshine, Peppermint Candy and Oasis. It's the story of Mi-ja, an elderly woman who works as a caretaker of a stroke patient (other than living off government subsidies.) She takes care of her divorced daughter's son, who is distant towards his grandmother. In the meantime, she begins to have some episodes of absent-mindedness and decides to go to a poetry class to exercise her mind and be able to write just one poem. However, an unexpected tragedy (or rather a series of them) devastates this poor woman's world.

Without spoiling the film for you, Poetry is itself like a poem; Mi-ja's poem notes divide the film into chapters and stanzas, making the film flow along. As is flows, you are engrossed by the story and wonder how Lee can finish such a film. And it is in the closing sequence that the film consolidates its emotional power, a meld of visuals and poetry between Mi-ja and another character, signifying the bond that they now share (despite them not even knowing each other.)

Beauty is one of the main concepts in the film. In this context, Mi-ja sees poetry and making poetry as the search of the embodiment of beauty, but at the same time, in this film, beauty is something we do not see. The emotional violence and turmoil is mostly implied; and it may be lost to audiences not paying attention. In addition, this notion of holding on to a concept of beauty in a world that threatens not to have any reflects upon Mi-ja herself. She struggles in this film against the darkness of the world around her, a situation not unlike that of Secret Sunshine's protagonist, but she deals with this darkness in a different way.

Yoon Jeong-hee portrays Mi-ja and it is quite spellbinding. She is a veteran of Korean film, acting in numerous films in the sixties and seventies. Her last movie role was sixteen years ago, and despite the intervening time, she shines in this film.

This film went on to win best screenplay at the Cannes film festival and did well at the Box Office. At once a celebration and study of life, death and the human reaction to such things, it is evidence that Korean film may not be as prominent as it was the last decade, but it's still there, alive and kicking.

Trumbo

You may not know this guy in the bathtub, but you may be familiar with his screenplays: Roman Holiday, The Brave One, Thirty Seconds over Tokyo, and Spartacus, among others. His name is Dalton Trumbo, and he is the subject of a documentary I've watched recently called Trumbo, based mainly on his many letters and correspondences.

These letters come at a dark and troubling time in Trumbo's life. He was part of a group called the Hollywood 10, a bunch of screenwriters and other people working in the film industry who refused to cooperate during the HUAC investigation of communist influence in the film industry. One may recall the origin of the term McCarthyism and a similar investigation carried out by senator Joseph McCarthy, during the time when the Cold War was nearing its peak and anti-communist sentiment was high.

Because of his refusal to testify or name any other members of the Communist Party, Trumbo was blacklisted from Hollywood. Deprived of income, and with a family to feed, he used aliases or fronts to get his work out. And one of those works won him (or at least his front) an Academy Award.

Trumbo's letters to friends, family, or the occasional random person (telephone company, principal) are eloquent, clever and full of wordplay. It's almost as if he had this urge to just write out his soul while denied the opportunity to do it for a living.

Several accomplished actors (Donald Sutherland, Liam Neeson, and Paul Giamatti among others) narrate Trumbo's many letters and speeches. And they paint a picture that disturbs me. For if you replace the word "Communist" with any other term or denomination, "Negroes," "Christians," "Jews," "Muslims," and so on, this level of discrimination borne from fear exists today, and it takes only one person in power to spark a similar fire once again.

But despite persecution, Trumbo faces his problem with determination, sticking to his guns all the way: he works harder than before, churning out story after story, often writing multiple stories at one time. In the end, he triumphs over these fears.

“The blacklist was a time of evil. No one on either side who survived it came through untouched by evil. There was bad faith and good, honesty and dishonesty, courage and cowardice, selflessness and opportunism, wisdom and stupidity, good and bad on both sides. It will do no good to search for villains or heroes or saints or devils because there were none; there were only victims. Some suffered less than others, some grew or were diminished, but in the final tally we were all victims because almost without exception each of us felt compelled to say things he did not want to say, to do things he did not want to do, to deliver and receive wounds he truly did not want to exchange. That is why none of us — right, left, or center — emerged from that long nightmare without sin.” - Dalton Trumbo's acceptance speech as he received a lifetime achievement award in 1971.

Documentary Focus: Idol Groups over 9000

I'm not really sure you can call me a 'fan' of the ridiculously popular Japanese idol group AKB48, in the sense of "someone who buys their singles and votes in their elections" kinda fan. I just find the whole idea of an idol group conglomerate composed of (now) scores of members fascinating.

I got hooked into these girls watching the late night j-drama series Majisuka Gakuen, which portrays most of the popular members of the group as tough yankee juvenile delinquents. While your mileage may vary as on how effective that was, it was an entertaining watch and I wanted to find out more about these girls.

In 2010, Shunji Iwai, one of my favorite contemporary Japanese directors, started up a project that would offer a glimpse on the lives of these girls for the duration of one year. And thus, Documentary of AKB48 to be continued was started. Iwai is known for his films on contemporary youth topics and this fits the bill.

This, alas, is not really about that film. Haha.

This review is about a shorter cut documentary made for NHK entitled Documentary of AKB48 the future 1mm ahead. It's basically a 44 minute cut of the aforementioned two hour film, narrated by AKB48 member Minami Takahashi (nickname: Takamina). It documents the trials of the idol group during the year 2010. 2010 was a particularly crazy year for the group, as it was part of the apex of the group's massive rise in popularity. Coincidentally, it was also the year when Majisuka Gakuen aired.

Mostly it features interviews with the girls interspersed with footage of them practicing, going to places like the LA Anime Expo, and so on. While the theatrical cut of the movie eschews the narration, the TV version's narration makes it more accessible to people who haven't the slightest idea on who these girls are. The narration explains the ranking system and the yearly General Elections (Senbatsu,) a popularity contest that decides which girl gets in the spotlight, and which ones support her from the sidelines.

There are some events that aren't explained fully, including that incident where member Sayaka Akimoto resigns as captain, or how important getting on Kouhaku Uta Gassen is.

The girls who are covered in the docu are appropriate, but there are a few omissions (that may show up in the theatrical release anyway.) Atsuko Maeda, the long reigning queen and 'face' of the group, is not covered in much detail here, other than her involvement in the 2010 Senbatsu.

Indeed, it's not the most popular members or the ones that win the Senbatsu that are the backbone of the team. We see that Takamina does a lot to hold everyone together and give their support through hard times, and to say that these girls work hard is an understatement. She may not rank as high as the others (she ranked sixth in this year's elections, and seventh in the year before that) but she is the foundation of the team, working herself to exhaustion just to get these people to work.

Anyway, the shorter cut of the film may be a better choice to watch if you're curious about the group and want to get to know more about them. For the hardcore fans, there's always the DVD release with english subs or the 4 disc collectors set available in Japan.

Documentary Focus: Dear Zachary

I'm going to give you advice about watching this movie right now (and you should watch it if you have the chance) : go watch it cold. Don't look at synopses, don't spoil yourself. Watch it right off the bat.


There really isn't much I can say to you guys other than this is a fantastic film to watch. I've found it quite unusual compared to other documentaries I've seen, because there's a lot of emotion involved as the film's director knows the subject matter personally; he was one of his close friends.


But rest assured, this film really is a documentary. It is intended to serve as a video letter about Andrew Bagby, who died under tragic circumstances, for his young son Zachary. This is achieved by conducting interviews with Andrew's close friends, family, classmates, and other people whose lives he touched. As with many eulogies the film paints him in a positive light, and he may not be as nice as everyone put him out to be, but you still get that he was a pretty nice guy nevertheless. But to say that the film ends there is an understatement. Lots of twists and turns happen along the way and the movie that you see at the end will not be the movie you expected to see at the beginning.

The film was probably made to be a private one, made on virtually no budget at all. Other than some other minor technical hiccups, I'm not a big fan of some of the fast MTV style cuts that happens. It's in the slower, more measured interviews that the film gains its greatest strength. It's in these purely human feelings of love, regret, sadness, hate, and joy that we get a true glimpse of who this guy really was.

Watch it. It will be hard to sit through, but it's one of those movies that will change you and haunt you long after its done.

Documentary Focus: A Little Kindness

I'm sure you've seen this clip on Youtube before. It's a series of outtakes from an industrial commercial for Winnebago RVs. The man is Jack Rebney, and it looks like it's the worst day of his life. The tape has been going around for quite a while now, first circulating as an endless stream of VHS copies, then viral video fame on Youtube.

One filmmaker, Ben Steinbauer, asked himself a question: who the heck is this guy, and what happened to him?

So he made a documentary about it. Enter Winnebago Man.

At first the film seems like a commentary on internet celebrities and fame, but the documentary goes further than that. Thanks to a few intriguing twists and turns, the story turns out far more complex than initially perceived. The filmmaker paints a picture of a man with many contradictions: wanting to be isolated, yet yearning to be heard. At times calm, well spoken and verbose, and at other times still as hot tempered as the guy we saw in the clip. But deep inside he's just a really nice guy who wants to be understood, in the face of this sudden internet notoriety that he doesn't fully understand.

We're approaching a culture whose boundaries are smaller than ever before, and one whose media is shaped not only by the creators, but by the audience as well. But then again, that really isn't the point of this movie. Though we do not know much about Jack's past, or his life before, but by film's end you get a sort of understanding of the person he really is.

Oddly the film's final message is kind of appropriate: this raw moment of one person's frustration over a really bad shoot on a really bad day becomes a symbol of sorts for standing up to adversity in the human condition. Or, shit happens. We just have to live with it sometimes - and sometimes, there are people like Jack that help us along the way.

Documentary Focus: Resurrect Dead

Sorry guys, it's not about zombies.

I've heard of the Toynbee Tiles for quite a while now, as one of the great unsolved mysteries of our time. Seen as far back as the early 1980's all over the East Coast and all the way to South America, these tiles all share the same text, seen above, with small variations in additional text. The thing is, no one knows why they were made or who made them.

The documentary Resurrect Dead: Mystery of The Toynbee Tiles tries to figure out the answer to this lingering mystery. Led by artist Justin Duerr, the film talks about his years-long search for the elusive tiler. Thanks to collaboration from multiple people, also interested in the tiles, he has three leads: a reclusive resident of Philadelphia, a former railroad worker whose trail corresponds with the placement of the tiles, and a play whose content eerily resembles the content of the tiles.

The film is compelling and grabs you from start to end. Eventually, after multiple dead ends, Duerr seemingly hits paydirt and presents evidence pointing towards one of his earlier leads. The evidence is quite convincing and fits the details of the mystery quite well.

Interspersed within the narrative are some segments that show a glimpse of Duerr's own life, somehow giving a reason for his obsession: he is a loner, yet a consummate artist, rejected by the mainstream in his youth, unable or unwilling to conform to society's pressures. In many ways I think he sees himself in the person who makes these tiles. These segments transform the narrative into a mirror comparing the tiler and Duerr himself rather than sticking to a straightforward story.

This is a very intriguing documentary and I recommend it to anyone who loves a good mystery. Whether you agree with the evidence presented, the journey you take to get there is good enough for the price of admission.

Randomness, part 3890f3@# (see I told you it was random)

So I was watching this on youtube today.

If you watched Kill Bill (and you probably have, this is the sequence where Uma Thurman has Sonny Chiba make a sword for him. You might remember the bald shaved guy who serves as his assistant and does... assistant stuff. Look closer dudes.

That's freaking Kenji Ohba, man. a.k.a. Uchuu Keiji Gavan/Sky Ranger. a.k.a. Battle Kenya, a.k.a. Denji Blue, a.k.a. Mr. Super Sentai, who basically taught Captain Marvelous on how to be awesome. He was often his own suit actor. In Kill Bill, he reportedly also fought Uma Thurman as one of the Crazy 88. I honestly don't know if Tarantino knew this (he watched Hattori Hanzo, so I wouldn't be surprised if he did)

Mind = Blown.

Anyway, in retrospect, it kinda makes a lot of sense. Sonny Chiba founded the Japan Action Club. Basically it's a troupe of stunt performers and martial artists and what have you that perform in various plays, dramas, etc etc. Most of the tokusatsu productions from the early eighties got their casts from the JAC. I think most of the Bioman cast were from there, for example. Many alumni from the JAC formed their own stunt troupes. Even now, those suit actors in tokusatsu probably got their start training under there somehow.

Other people Sonny Chiba helped train includes Hiroyuki "Duke" Sanada, who we remember as that badass dude from The Last Samurai, and from a little horror movie I'd like to call Ring. Also, one notable alumna from the JAC includes Yukari Oshima, better known by her stage name, Cynthia Luster:

Japanese martial arts films may not have been as 'in the spotlight' as Hong Kong films were, back in the day, but if you watched any of the shows I mentioned earlier, these guys were basically part of your childhood. So that Kill Bill scene has a new emotional meaning for me: I guess it is kinda fitting that Sonny Chiba would have one of his best guys playing his right hand man in the film.

That's basically it. Just a random thing to spice up your day. Move along now...

Jesus Camp

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."
- Proverbs 22:6

Sometimes narration and words are not necessary to convey the subject matter of documentaries; instead, it is often more interesting to see the material speak for itself. And objectivity is the pure purpose of any documentary - the presentation of truth in distilled form.

And so begins Jesus Camp, a documentary detailing the experiences of three kids as they go through a charismatic Christian Summer Camp. The camp is run by Becky Fisher, a Pentecostal children's pastor who believes in spiritual warfare and training kids up to preach the word of God.

Throughout the film we are treated to several interesting scenes: kids getting their hands doused with 'holy water' (a bottle of mineral water) to purify themselves of sin; speaking in tongues; talks on the sanctity of life by passing around little plastic models of fetuses; praying over everything from cardboard cutouts of George W. Bush to pews and powerpoint presentations; and condemning Harry Potter to death because warlocks are agents of Satan.

Interspersed within the main film are sequences featuring Mike Papantonio, a talk radio host who gives another voice and viewpoint to the movie, culminating with an interview with him and Fisher debating the ethics of running such a camp.

I was surprised at the many reactions to the film. People either loved it or hated it (and some were genuinely scared by it,) but they did not hate it because it was a bad documentary; they disliked what they saw. It does not damn the people in the film at all by portraying them in a bad light, as it merely portrays them as they are.

And that's one thing that the filmmakers deserve credit for: the footage is left there to speak for itself. Some will see it as an uplifting film of serious dedication and faith. Other people will see it as a terrifying example of indoctrinating the young and a church that wants to interfere with a state that should be separate from it.

Now that that is out of the way, do I think what they are doing is wrong? Yes, I do. I believe in the power of teaching a strong moral base, then letting kids decide for themselves when they are of age. Do I think religion should be demonized for letting this happen? Not really. I think the fundamental 'enemy,' of progress in society is not religion, but fundamentalism and misguided zeal, and those are concepts that tend to pop up in many religions.

When religion is practiced or taught to guide people to be better as a whole, then I think that's good. When religion is used to dominate or oppress people, that's never a good thing.

This is an interesting documentary, and I suggest you see it for yourself and form your own opinion. While opinions on whether it was good or not is up for debate, it is at the very least objective, and true to the pure documentary spirit.

Super Sentai Roundup – Let’s Make This Showy as F**k

This is going to be a long one.

Le Prologue

I mentioned before in my writeup on Jetman that I’ve been watching this stuff for a long time now. Bioman and Shaider were my first tokusatsu shows, Ultraman and Fireman (Magmaman) shortly after. The ball has kept on rolling from there. I can recall numerous afternoons with cousins deciding who should be Red One, Green Two, etc. I can recall instances where I played with the only Super Sentai/Power Ranger merchandise I had – a non transformable Megazord and a small replica of the BioJets.

So you see, nostalgia is a huge factor in why I watch these things. The idea of being a kid at heart and loving the shows that one has watched in one’s youth appeals to me personally. Add that to shit randomly exploding, ridiculous situations, spontaneous cosplay and dudes in suits fighting over small scale replicas of cities and you have the complete package.

I caught up to the Super Sentai franchise after a long period of not watching any tokusatsu by watching a special feature on Super Sentai History – released for the 30^th anniversary of the franchise, the 30 minute feature basically enumerated all 30 Super Sentai teams from Goranger (a Shintaro Ishinomori innovation, providing a spiritual link between Kamen Rider from the very start) to Boukenger, the current season (at the time). It was a fun program and it showed me that the shows I had watched as a child were only a small part of a much larger franchise that at the time had gone on uninterrupted for thirty years.

At around the same time, a few years ago I learned of the Super Sentai vs. series. Basically that year’s team would team up with last year’s time and kick ass together. They were in themselves an enjoyable addition to the season itself. During certain seasons, like the 25^th and 30^th anniversaries for Super Sentai, there would be something extra special – the team from that particular season (Gaoranger and Boukenger respectively,) would team up with selected individuals from past series. Most notably, Big One from J.A.K.Q., the second overall Sentai series guest starred in the 25^th anniversary.

That fucking blew my mind back then. How awesome would it be, I imagined, if somehow they would gather everyone up and fought like this super hard enemy? It was a dream, I thought. It would never come true.

Well shit, I was wrong.

A Bunch of Hearty Pirates

Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger is the 35^th anniversary series of the Super Sentai franchise. Somehow, somewhere, in the planning stages of this series, some inspired fellow probably thought of the same things as I did. Surprisingly, the fellows at the top agreed. And the final product is one concentrated mass of pure AWESOME. Seriously, give that man a medal, a new car, a new house and several Nobel prizes in the field of awesomeness. Jetman may have been a modern classic, and it may still be one of the best Super Sentai series ever, but this one? It might just be the MOST AWESOME SEASON EVER.

Basically the story is this: ALL previous 34 Super Sentai teams exist in the same universe. A few years back this badass space empire, Zangyack, decided to invade the hell out of Earth. This empire is no pushover – no one in history has been able to beat them, and all the planets they’ve invaded have ended up destroyed or occupied. In response, all the Super Sentai teams from Goranger to Goseiger (last year’s season) fight the armies of Zangyack. ALL OF THEM.

Just look at it. LOOK AT IT.

Let that sink in for a while. YES, IT IS AS AWESOME AS IT SOUNDS. The first episode basically explodes this battle in your face. The sheer logistics is staggering. 180+ people in spandex + around 50 more people in monster suits just beating the shit out of each other.

Anyway, Zangyack proves too much even for the combined might of our heroes, until the leader (Goranger’s Akaranger) decides to do this combined spirit attack that finally wipes out the fleet for good. Unfortunately this also means that in exchange, all of the powers of the Super Sentai teams are sacrificed for this final attack, leading them to be scattered into space.

This all happens in the first two minutes of the first episode. And I was like HOLY SHIT I CAME IN MY PANTS.

Later a bunch of space pirates arrive on Earth. They’ve collected most of the scattered powers (manifested as Ranger keys) and are looking to acquire the greatest treasure in the universe, something that can only be attained by collecting all the powers. Cue toymakers shitting bricks from the sales figures.

Our intrepid heroes are just a bunch of pirates with no stake whatsoever on earth: they just want their booty. But as they collect more powers they realize that this little backwater planet may be truly worth saving after all.

A Blast from the Past

The story is constructed in a way where episodes highlighting the growth of individual characters are mixed with Tribute Episodes. Basically during tribute episodes they gang meets with a member of a past Sentai Team and they teach them something that increases their powers. Again, let that sink in for a moment. Again, these episodes are AS AWESOME AS THEY SOUND.

The logistics of getting at least one member per past Sentai Team (in some cases, up to three) and SUCCEEDING AT IT just blows my fucking mind. Our Super Sentai alumnae can still kick ass even in old age, and even out of costume. The awesomeness was so much that sometimes writers for the original series wrote for the tribute episodes, thus making some of them wholehearted, well referenced tributes to those original series. Watch the Dairanger and Jetman tributes for example. You WILL shed manly tears if you know these series.

That’s why this series succeeds so fucking much. Nostalgia is a great factor in how people like me view Super Sentai, and watching a series like this makes that nostalgia, well, come in its figurative pants. It succeeds in so many levels as well. To the beginner it is a good entrypoint into Super Sentai as a whole. A casual viewer might be blown away by the sheer idea of so many teams coming back together. And a hardcore fan of the franchise will be blown away at the sheer complexity and consistency of the series’ internal continuity.

What continuity, you may ask? Certain things that you pick up watching the individual seasons and movies and vs. specials show up in Gokaiger. Several villains that appeared during the vs. movies and the series have successors that appear in Tribute Episodes. Take the Timeranger tribute: while it is explained well during the episode, one who has watched Timeranger will basically squeal with fanboy delight seeing the reenacted transformation sequence and fight scene set to THE ORIGINAL THEME MUSIC, as well as the episode’s epilogue of sorts for one of the characters. Gokaiger not only keeps an orderly continuity for itself, it ties up loose ends from other preceeding series and movies.

Some may just have brief cameos. Some, like the Hurricaneger tribute, have a full fledged vs movie over the course of two episodes. Pirates vs. Ninjas! But those cameos are well worth the price of admission.

As for the cast, this is one of my favorite bunch of characters in Super Sentai. With the unfortunate exception of this season’s Sixth Ranger, all of the pirates in Gokaiger are developed very well. Each one has a backstory, a motivation, hopes and dreams and each of them grows as a character as the story goes on. Add that to the fact that a good number of these guys are new to acting and that makes it more amazing. Kudos goes to the main cast for playing characters I can invest myself emotionally in, something that you don’t see that often in recent series. With all that pressure, being the anniversary series and all, the main actors and actresses have proven themselves over the past year.

The mecha are given more CGI treatment than usual, making some battles more frantic and acrobatic. Add that to the fact that most Special Powers give the Gokaigers’ mecha more addons and special abilities and you see that it pays off in spades. Again, toy manufacturers somewhere may be having a party over this awesome shit.

While the enemies are sometimes bumbly or comical, Zangyack is an enemy you do not want to mess with. Throughout the series there is this sense of dread that one feels. One feels that this is a war, and all the odds are against our heroes, and the end may not be a happy one for everyone. It’s a feeling I haven’t felt since previous, darker Super Sentai series of the late eighties, and Jetman, which I still hold in high regard.

The various movies and specials arealso sweet additions to the already epic cake of awesomeness. The movie, 199 Hero Battle, is the Goseiger vs. Gokaiger movie. It is exactly as it sounds in the title as well, as 199 heroes appear in this series. Then, this January, a crossover movie was made between Super Sentai and the Metal Heroes series (which included Shaider) – Gokaiger vs. Gavan. If that wasn’t epic enough, the upcoming summer movie crosses over Super Sentai with the Kamen Rider series, which has its 40^th anniversary this year.

In summary, this series is one continuous infusion of awesome from start to finish. Very highly recommended. Quite simply the best season ever.

And yeah, I just had to include pics of Mao Ichimichi and Yui Koike in there. Just because.

(To understand most of what was going on, I watched the following in order. Not necessary, but it helps with the overall enjoyment of the series)

All of Gekiranger

The Gekiranger vs. Boukenger Movie

All of Shinkenger

Gokaiger episode 1-16

199 Hero Climactic Battle

Gokaiger episode 17-39

Goseiger vs. Shinkenger

Gokaiger episode 40-51

Super Sentai Roundup – Onward, Samurai

After an OK season with Go-Onger, the folks over at Toei decided to make a Samurai themed Super Sentai series. With at least two series based on ninjas, it makes you wonder how they could have passed over the concept.

Thankfully, it works really well, and thanks in part to the writing skills of Yasuko Kobayashi and the excellent cast, Shinkenger is the best Super Sentai season of the first decade of the millennium, and one in my personal top five. This show is so full of awesome moments that it is totally a season worth watching.

The main plot is: the Shiba Clan has been protecting the world against an evil monster named Chimatsuri Dokoku for 18 generations. The last time Dokoku invaded, it was a total asskicking on the humans’ side: the Shiba Clan were decimated, the former Shinkengers (composed of the 17^th head and his retainers) were severely injured or killed, and the world is saved at the last minute thanks to the special ability of the clan, sealing the enemy in the Sanzu river. The current 18^th head of the clan is Takeru Shiba, who (in contrast to Red warriors of recent seasons) is level headed and stoic. He then summons four of his retainers as Dokoku slowly begins to revive.

I found the characterization of Takeru to be very refreshing. There haven’t been a lot of Reds like this in a long time (if at all) and Tori Matsuzaka does a very good job doing his thing. In fact, this season has a great range of characters that grow as the series goes on. This season has one of the best casts in recent memory, and it shows.

One very notable thing is that the last arc changes EVERYTHING. I won’t spoil it for you, but if you finish Shinkenger and watch it again after seeing the last 10 episodes, certain character nuances make sense in a different way than original. This is genius, as it adds replay value to the series. Imagine that!

There are various references to jidaigeki films (Zatoichi, Mito Komon, etc.) that you can see. Even if you’re just a casual fan and know nothing, it is still impressively cool seeing it. The series is structured like a long play that you would probably see in some Japanese traditional production or something, with each episode being one chapter or act in a play.

The mecha are decent with a number of transformations, though not as much as last season. The final form is so ridiculously bulky that it doesn’t walk – it rolls around the ground.

Anyways, watch it.