Japanese with anime voice: episode57
Hello, I’m Sachi.
Today, May 21, is 世界文化多様性 (Sekai bunka tayou sei) Day! This is commemorated as an international day, so the international notation is The World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. In English, it is very long. In English, it is so long, but in Japanese, it is shortened to “世界文化多様性 (Sekai bunka tayou sei)”. This happens sometimes, doesn’t it? A very long sentence in English becomes short in Japanese, or a very simple English word becomes long in Japanese. For example, “Trick or treat” for Halloween. In Japanese, it is “いたずらか？ (Itazuraka)?” or “ごちそうか？ (Gochisouka?),” but in a child-like natural way, it is “お菓子をくれないといたずらしちゃうぞ (okashi wo kurenaito itadura shichauzo.)”
Aside from that, the purpose of this The World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development is to deepen mutual understanding of the differences between civilizations through dialogue, while supporting the preservation and development of each culture. So, as part of this celebration, this anniversary encourages people to create an opportunity to start doing something different on May 21.
- Experience different cultures through museums and art galleries
- Learn about different cultures through movies, books, and music
- Exchange views on life through conversation with family and friends of different religions
So, I would like to introduce some Japanese movies and dramas that I recommend to you to get in touch with Japanese culture. I was not interested in 邦画 (houga) at all, though 邦画 (houga) refers to Japanese movies. By the way, foreign movies are called 洋画 (youga). Basically, I didn’t really like the way houga was filmed and the actors’ performances. The old movies, as old as my parents’ generation, were cool because they were mostly period pieces, but from about the 1990s onward, there were fewer and fewer movies that I found interesting. Recently, however, the way of filming has changed again, and there are more and more movies that I want to see. I would like to introduce some of them that are particularly interesting and may be good for studying Japanese. Since we are here, in honor of today’s anniversary, I have chosen a selection of movies that can be enjoyed with Japanese culture at the same time. In total, I will introduce five movies and two dramas.
The first is “弧狼の血 (korou no chi)”. The character 弧狼 (korou) is written 狼 (ookami) for the character 弧 (ko) in 孤独 (kodoku). In this movie, there is a fierce war between gangs, and a detective struggles to somehow stop the war in order to protect the public. It is based on a novel, but it feels very realistic, as if it were a historical fact. The setting is the transitional period from the 1980s to the 1990s, but I think the actual Japan was probably like the movie. The film is set in Hiroshima. So everyone speaks in the Hiroshima dialect, which is really cool. You can get to know a dialect of Japanese that is different from both the standard Japanese and my own dialect. After watching “korou no chi,” I instantly fell in love with the Hiroshima dialect!
All the actors in this film give good performances. In particular, the performance of Koji Yakusho, the star of the first film, is perfect, as you would expect from a veteran actor. He plays a detective, but his performance is so powerful that it is hard to tell whether he is a detective or a gangster. Carrying on Mr.Yakusho’s vibe, the second film stars Touri Matsuzaka as the lead. Mr.Matsuzaka’s character changes a lot between the first and second films, and I think that is one of the highlights. For my part, I think the Mr.Yakusho-like atmosphere of the second film is good, but I prefer the serious, dull, and mopey performance of the first film, which is overwhelmed by Mr.Yakusho’s character.
Next, the second is “Sunny 強い気持ち (tsuyoi kimochi)・強い愛 (tsuyoi ai)”. It is a remake of “Sunny and the Eternal Friends,” which was released in Korea. The Korean version was set in the late 80s. The Japanese version is set in the mid to late 90s. For my part, I thought it was a perfect highlight of the film to set it in this time period. Because it was the same era as my high school days! This was the era of the kogyaru high school girl boom. Kogyaru is, how should I say it, a kind of fashion classification. As you can see from the movie, the high school girls of this era were a bit bizarre, and they had nothing to be afraid of, they were very powerful. I think this film is also a good film to learn about the historical background of Japan. Also, all the songs used in the film are great. The timing of the insertions and the choice of songs are perfect. I think this is something that only people of my generation would think. Even so, Japanese music from the 90s doesn’t seem old-fashioned to me, even when I listen to it now. At Sunny, you can not only learn about Japan in the 90’s but also find your favorite songs and artists through the songs in the show.
Okay, now for the third one, I’m going to introduce three movies at once. “シティーハンター (The City Hunter)”, “るろうに剣心 (Rurouni Kenshin)”, and “ザ・ファブル (The Fable)”. The reason why I introduced all three movies at once is because they are all based on manga. Incidentally, they have all been adapted into anime. As for “The Fable,” I think it was just made into an anime last month. At one time, there were so many dramatizations of shoujo manga that I was a little fed up with them. Because shoujo manga are manga, right? Manga is a manga, so it has a setting that we admire, and real Japanese boys don’t act or speak the way they do in shoujo manga. So, when they are made into a live-action version, it just doesn’t feel right. The three films I mentioned are all action. And all of them have sharp and cool leading actors! シティーハンター (The City Hunter) stars Ryohei Suzuki, who is my favorite Japanese actor at the moment. He is tall and has stoicism about his roles which is rare among Japanese actors in recent years. He perfectly recreates the manga’s main character, Saeba Ryou! He is really, really cool! Watch the movie and pay attention to Suzuki’s gunplay! るろうに剣心 (Rurouni Kenshin) stars Takeru Sato. I think Japanese people are best suited for period dramas. 殺陣 (tate) is a part of Japanese culture. Although there are fewer people who can play the role of a 殺陣 (tate) than in the past, Takeru’s swordsmanship is quite impressive. His movements are also good. The film is based on a manga, so 殺陣 (tate) scenes are shot in a very modern style, but the period is set in the early Meiji era. ザ・ファブル (The Fable) stars Junichi Okada. Mr.Okada was a member of an idol group called V6, but now he seems to have turned into an actor of acting talent. He also got hooked on martial arts after appearing in a drama with fighting scenes. He is so good at martial arts that he is now a certified instructor. So, because Okada-kun has a good foundation in fighting, his actions have no wasted movement. You can enjoy his real action, not his makeshift acting. Incidentally, an actress named Fumino Kimura co-stars as his partner. In the second film, Fumino’s action is also quite wonderful, so that is another highlight of The Fable! So, these three movies can be enjoyed separately as manga, anime, and live-action versions. Manga and anime are now positioned as part of Japan’s subculture, and it is worth paying attention to the Japanese film techniques used to make live-action versions of them. By the way, Suzuki, who starred in シティーハンター (The City Hunter), plays a cool manga hero, but in the second movie I mentioned, 弧狼の血 (korou no chi), he plays a super crazy guy. It is interesting to compare the differences in his acting.
Next, I would like to introduce the drama “First Love 初恋 (hatsukoi)”. This drama was inspired by the song “First Love” by Hikaru Utada, a famous singer in Japan. The reason why I recommend this drama is because it depicts life as it is in Japan. Of course, it is a drama, and there are some scenes that are not common in Japan. However, the love story is rather realistic, so I think it is a good drama to learn daily conversation.
The last drama I would like to introduce is “サンクチュアリ 聖域 (Sanctuary seiiki)”! The main reason why I recommend this drama is because the subject matter is sumo! Until now, there have been almost no movies or dramas based on sumo. It’s not that there haven’t been any at all, but I think this movie is the first time we have tackled such a serious shooting. Sumo wrestlers don’t just need to be big. You need muscles and flexibility. Did you know that all Rikishi can split their legs? So it is not true that if you are fat, you can play a sumo wrestler. In this drama, people who play Rikishi have been training for a year in order to recreate a realistic sumo wrestler. So the film is a very realistic pursuit of sumo. The sumo scenes are quite powerful. The story of the drama follows the main character, a rough and tumble character, as he makes his way up in the sumo world. At first, the main character’s language is foul and his mischievous personality is out of control. But then he starts to take sumo seriously. During a practice match, there is a scene in which he is preparing for the match by squatting in the ring, and he looks so cool! The main character is played by an actor named Wataru Ichinose. He is also my favorite actor at the moment. This drama also gives us a glimpse into the Japanese spirit of the actors who took on the challenge of playing sumo wrestlers while experiencing Japan’s national sport!
Yes, these were my recommendations! How was it? I tried not to bias the genres too much, but what do you think? I think all of them are perfect for the diversity of world culture, as you can learn about various dialects of Japanese while experiencing Japanese culture! If you have seen any of these films, please let me know what you think in the comments section. If you are going to watch them now, we would be happy to hear your thoughts afterward.
