Movie Special: Bawden and Bearer Battle Miyazaki

Title: Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫 Mononoke-hime)
Genre: Animé, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5
Starring: Billy Crudup, Claire Danes
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Language: Japanese (Dubbed)

So, good T. Bawden and I decided to team up again for another special. While "Miyazaki" isn't relatively unknown nor is this the first time a film of his is reviewed here, this is one is a review waiting to be done. Being my first animé film, I was amazed the first time I saw it and am still amazed even after my 7th time. Set in Medieval Japan during the Iron Age, "Miyazaki" took a seemingly clichéd story line to a matter far deeper than what we'd originally think. We are introduced to "Ashitaka", a prince cursed and slowly dying after having battled with a stricken forest god, and his quest to discover what unleashed such a beast on his village, during which he encounters "San", a princess raised by the ancient wolf clan of the forest. While the general look seems simplistic nothing out of the extra-ordinary, it is "Miyazaki's" natural talent of transforming even the slightest of tales to a work of art. And considering the fact that this isn't a real life film, he takes us to places, we mate figures, we encounter events that only exist in a world of fantasy, impossible to recreate in a live-action film.

This work shows maturity in creation. After watching older films by this same mastermind, I can't help but noticing the progression in his work. Deciding to incorporate computer rendering, even for a few minutes, gave the film a more awe inspiring look. Even if we consider the facial expressions of each character, we'll notice that they're not the typical animation where the face is bland and the mouth opens and closes. Wither it's human, spirit, or beast, the representation was intimidating with its grace and ferocity. We see no romantic or tuned down vision, we see what we get and we get what we see. The wolves give the sharp, ferocious look real life wolves give, the humans have the same expressions any human have in such situations, the old and withering boar being impossible to render in real life, and most of all an element that always keeps on striking me, the forests and grandeur we see of nature. I would need a full, separate review just to describe the magnifying and mesmerizing landscapes of such a masterpiece.

The animation itself isn't the only remarkable aspect of "Princess Mononoke", but also the human side struggles we notice. "Miyazaki" is an intelligent character builder. What we see isn't blunt character representation nor isn't the clichéd "doomed relation that ends well", a matter than "Hollywood" isn't bored of showing us. It's the credibility of the story that makes this film a great experience. Man and nature were harmonious, yet man became greedy, thus the struggle began. Hollywood would have destroyed such a simple theme. Yet such a simple theme goes beyond in the hands of a craftsman. And when we are near the end, after seeing how our two main characters have fallen in love, we see how the grace of the film is preserved. No aspect is fake. "Miyazaki" is a humanist in his work, we'd see he an opposite of a simplistic approach that is usually expected in such films.

This is an epic saga that isn't short of beauty, brutality, a touch of humor, innocence, savageness, and a sense of passion that we rarely encounter. Although the English dubbing isn't "perfection", it does the job well. Each actor contributes well to the atmosphere that it makes such a film a treat to watch. This isn't only for anime fans, but for all. It will easily capture and mesmerize you without you noticing it. The main reason I didn't give "Princess Mononoke" a perfect mark is that I've seen "Miyazaki" improve on his next projects, namely "Spirited Away". While there are some minor details that I noticed over repeated viewings, they hardly bother us. This is an immortal masterpiece that will never grow old. Watching it numerously always felt like it was the first time for me. I will watch it again. It deserves all.

- D. Bearer

Title: Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro
Rating: 4/5
Genre: Animé, Adventure, Mystery, Romance
Starring: David Hayter, Dorothy Elias-Fahn, Ivan Buckley
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Language: Japanese (dubbed)

“Lupin! Don't you dare die before I get to arrest you!”

Allowing my partner in crime to deal with the required viewing, this has finally spurred me on to explore the origins of this mastermind. If you hadn’t already gathered by the number of his films already reviewed for this blog, his name stamped on the cover of a film is something of a seal of quality as whilst only occasionally capable of brilliance, never can be said to descend into mediocrity. But thus far we have only focused on his recent works, alluding to the fact that Miyazaki is a man who has been in the animation industry for over 40 years but never exploring it, and its potentially with this film that we see the man coming into his own; his full-length feature directorial debut, as well as co-writer, character designer and storyboard artist. His influence is smeared all around this piece, and so it comes as rather a shock when you realise just how much it doesn’t feel like a Miyazaki work.

With characters originally based on a TV show, this shows the continued exploits of the thief known as Lupin the third. A master thief in fact, even if his cheap green suit and battered yellow mini wouldn’t suggest so, but this is a man wanted by the police for multiple theft, each exploit shows him going after the next challenge, which naturally brings him the infamous Castle of Cagliostro. Filled with Royal Guards, laser detection systems, traps and pitfalls at every turn, it is this time Lupin desires nothing more than the most precious thing in the castle: the young maiden’s heart. Well that and the famous long lost treasure of Cagliostro, but mostly just her heart. With support from his gun-toting partner in crime and friendly master swordsman, he sets off to cause some chaos in the castle.

Aptly describing what all this entails is not a small task as it seems to incorporate such a broad spectrum of styles, from an almost ‘Scooby-Doo’ sense of mystery (but without the annoying gasps and punchlines) to an ‘Indiana Jones’ desire for adventure, all the whilst packed with witty puns and jokes that never stop hitting their mark. The animation itself looks visibly dated but is not made notably worse for it; the attention to detail is still beyond what is found in many other animations – perhaps the main indication of Miyazaki’s work to come – and the time is given to demonstrate this. The dubbing has been re-worked since its initial release meaning little is lost in the translation and the soundtrack contains some of the most fitting cheesy 70s Jazz music that comes to mind.

It still fits the ‘family’ title but this isn’t some cutesy kiddy crap; people swear (mildly, though for those with children, if watching the dubbed version you should be aware of mild expletives) at one another, Lupin gets cocky and makes mistakes, guns start blazing and people get shot – or more often start laughing at how many times they missed – and then there’s the inevitable thieving and trickery, spies and swords chopping at heavily armoured monsters. In fact, this film seems to have everything; action, adventure, suspense, mystery, intelligence, wit, charm and a pace that never lets up. This succeeds in treading a fine line, being both intelligent enough for the older viewers whilst never becoming complex or gratuitous enough to limit its audience. Hiyazaki’s debut may not be pushing any boundaries but it unquestionably does everything it says on the tin.

- T. Bawden