Entry 057: "Waiting in the Summer"

Dear Internet,

                I said yesterday that I am a sucker for a good alien flick.  I say today that I am a sucker for a good romance.  Combining the two can make me a little overexcited.  A problem with the latter arises since there seem to be very little good romance stories.  I occasionally get one or two recommended to me, but they are usually very bad, relying on the audience to fill in lots of holes in the emotional blanks since the story cannot seem to make the characters or the premise very engaging.  I think I confused myself with that last remark.  What I mean is that romance stories, especially movies, often get to the point where the romance is portrayed as being shallow with the bulk of the relationship between the two parties as being nothing more than infatuation.  Boy meets girl, or vice-a-versa, and the two are explicitly told to the audience as "being deeply in love" despite all they do in the story is kiss a few times and have a montage of activities together.  There is no showing of the resolve that the person has for the other in overcoming obstacles or proving that the feelings are deeply rooted like a tree rather the shallow ones of a beautiful tropical flower.  There is often too much lovey-dovey and not enough quiet sustaining love that creates a bond that can last until death.  The most notable offender would have to be "The Notebook," which not only does all these but absolves the entire cast of all crimes against one another as if they were five year olds destroying bucket made sandcastles. I am digressing, again, but the point I am trying to make is that romance stories often rely on the audience to create more emotional drama that the story is able to convey or create by itself.  

                "Waiting in the Summer" is an animated television show that follows a group of six high school students.  Well, it is more like five considering the newest transfer is a female alien from outer space who crashed landed on Earth.  Ignoring the absent reason for her deciding to enter the local Japanese educational system, the story revolves around the cast deciding and making a film over the summer break.  Over the course of the break, a love polygon appears to exist.  Mio has a crush on Tetsuo, who has a crush on Kanna, who has a crush on Kaito, who loves Ichika, the alien who loves him back.  It is almost a straight line rather than a polygon, but who am I to argue semantics.  Little by little, these emotions unfold before the audience.  Each character learns of another's emotions and responds.  The central relationship would have to be between Kaito and Ichika with the emphasis being on them embracing their feelings for each other.

                The show is primarily character driven.  There is a plot snuck in there which keeps things moving, primarily being the film that the group is making and eventually the fact that Ichika is an alien.  The last time that I covered a character driven item on the Backlog was ".hack//Sign," a show that could spend ten episodes going nowhere in either plot development or emotional growth in the characters.  "Waiting in the Summer" remembers something that ".hack//Sign" clearly forgot about.  It remembers to treat its characters as if they were real people with all the complexities, desires, dreams, and needs that come with being alive.  ".hack//Sign" had characters who were so apathetic to everything around them that it bored me to tears.  "Waiting in the Summer" has characters who not only clearly desire to be with one another but also sympathize and emphasize with one another.  On top of that is the show's ability to make the audience have emotional connections with the characters.

                What I said earlier about romance stories relying heavily on assuming that the audience is going to create emotional bonds with the characters with minimal effort is true in many cases.  Here, the show makes sure to illustrate how each character interacts with one another until the audience fully understands them and the group dynamics.  The show does not want to leave anything open ended when it comes to how the characters think of one another.  This does not mean that the show will beat what it is trying to say over your head.  No, it does the complete opposite by gently stating facts through subtle means.  It can be something as simple as how one character looks at the other.  If one looks closely enough, the love polygon can be seen in the first episode or two before it is outright stated which character has fallen for which one.  All of this adds up to a connection between the audience and characters.  Why? It is because that by knowing the characters throughout, we can understand them and bond with them.  When we see them struggle with their feelings, we understand that their pain is not simple because we know all the intricacies that cause it.

                This pain of the characters is perhaps the driving force behind the story.  Sadly, with an odd number of girls to boys it instantly should dawn upon the viewer that not everyone in the show is going to get the fairy book ending.  With there being a central relationship, it should also dawn who are guaranteed who will wind up together.   The show is a rollercoaster ride of confessions, rejections, misunderstandings, and realizations.  Perhaps one of the most insightful views into the thinking of love-stricken teens occurs early in the show.  Kaito has imaginative sequences that are similar to the festering daydreams that stem from an over-active imagination where one imagines the various actions and words that someone else is most likely not even thinking about yet alone saying.  Even Ichika suffers from these sequences, wondering about what Kaito is going to do about a situation that he does not even know about.  These hyper-active thoughts would often cause me to remember the excessive self made stress that I would create for myself many years ago.  It goes to show just how insightful it is when dealing with realistic relationships.

                Another driving force behind the show is the concept of love.  That seems rather silly considering the show is supposed to be a romance.  It somewhat goes back to the flaws of other romantic stories that makes me say this.  Like I said, romance stories have a tendency to portray the relationships as being deep and filled with love despite only being shallow affectionate puppy love.  "Waiting in the Summer" does one of the best jobs I have seen in portraying truly deep selfless love in a romantic sense.  The characters that have a crush on another character love that person to the point of wishing for their happiness at the expense of their own.  For example, Tetsuro encourages Kanna to go after Kaito despite knowing that if she were to succeed, he would be unable to go out with Kanna.  At the same time he encourages Kaito to go after Ichika despite knowing that Kanna is after Kaito.  The show makes sure to question his motives when he does this.  If he is making Kanna chase a dream that is unattainable for her and setting her up for defeat, it would be reasonable to infer that he is making a move to make her vulnerable to his own actions.  However, that is not what he is after.  Tetsuro loves Kanna to the point of wishing for her happiness, even if it means that he is not the one to make her happy.  At the same time, he wants the best for his friend, Kaito.  Tetsuro knows that supporting his friends means the abandonment off his own feelings.  This is what love is: wanting the best for that person no matter what and trying to obtain it for them.

                I remember talking about "The Quiet Man" back in "The Lost World" entry.  I said that the hero needs to make some action to prove his love for the heroine.  "Waiting in the Summer" does this in strides, small ones but strides none the less.  Kaito faces possible death when facing the mechanized threat that appears later in the show.  He knows nothing about the situation but acts to save Ichika.  That is of course the loudest of his proofs of love and easily citable.  There is also his quiet front that he uses when Ichika serves him food like the off-screen but mentioned chocolate curry.  It takes a lot of love to stomach bad food.  I cannot remember what show it was, but I recall a similar scene where the hero was presented with a cooked concoction that could empty a stomach by looking at it.  He commentated to the girl that the dish that it was horrible and tasted beyond words, but he ate the whole thing, swallowing mouthful after mouthful.  He, like Kaito here, recognized the hard work that went into the action of making the meal and that it was a first step to better meals ahead.

                In "Waiting in the Summer" the theme of film and movies cannot be escaped.  The whole premise includes the fact that the group is making a film for their own enjoyment.  They wish to make memories and capture them so that they do not forget.  The story of the film that they make is practically the plot of the show itself, mirroring it to the point that the film they make helps illustrate some points that the show is trying to make.  Everything that happens in their film circles back to the show the audience is watching.  "Waiting" is wonderfully self aware of itself.  It realizes that the "love polygon" set-up has been done dozens of time before and knows how to avoid the traps that the other shows and movies fell into.  Most of these traps are avoided thanks to the character named Remon, who has no romantic feelings for anyone.  Many times throughout the show, when the plot could possibly stagnate or downright bust down, Remon does something to spur it onward.  She is so aware of everything that is occurring that she is almost a self insert for the director or writer.  I do not mean that Remon is supposed to be one of the creators of the show in the body of a 17 year old girl.  What I mean is that she is constantly pushing the plot forward, allowing the various characters to enact upon their feelings, or preventing things from slowing down.  If she is supposed to be the embodiment of the directorial spirit or even the viewer, it would fall into line as to why she takes the reins so often to spur the characters or story.  Concerning the final two episodes, it can easily be said that if it were not for Remon, the ending of the show would be quite different.

                "Waiting in the Summer" is one of those shows that does just about everything right.  The premise is fun with just the right amount of outlandishness.  The characters are realistic and completely fleshed out.  The story progresses at a good pace, never stalling or stuttering.  This might be because the show, unlike numerous other anime, is not based on anything else.  It does not have to keep a source material in mind, which is something that I harp on about as sometimes being a major detriment.  "Waiting" is not trying to stretch out a story hoping for a second season.  It is a self enclosed, magically enthralling tale of love.  I would say that other romance stories should take note of what "Waiting" is able to accomplish, but that would most likely lead to further degradation of the romance genre.

Yours in digital,

BeepBoop

P.S. Tomorrow is "Pyongyang Nalpharam" (2006).

Entry 056: "They Live" (1988)

Dear Internet,

                I seem to be a sucker for a good alien movie, especially one where the aliens are trying to take over the Earth.  I have perhaps seen "Independence Day" about twenty or more times.  There is just something rather charming about fighting off grotesque cosmic horrors that wish to use us like cattle or want to squash us like bugs.  The concept is very similar to the tales of giants above the clouds, biding their time to come down and claim the ground.  Within such stories, the various protagonists are tested to determine if they are willing to set aside their differences for the survivability of the group.  When faced by a force so much grander and powerful than the single individual, group dynamics are created, even temporarily, so that life may continue.  "They Live" takes these various "aliens vs. humans" themes and transplants them from being two forces fighting above and below to being an intermingling fight where each force must contend on nearly the same field.

                "They Live" follows John Nada, a drifter who comes to Los Angeles.  There he takes on a job at a construction yard and befriends Frank Armitage, who shows him to a shanty town where the two are able to live and sleep.  Across the road from this Hooverville, is a church that houses some strange individuals.  Meanwhile, every now and again, someone seems to hack into the local television airwaves and tells the viewer to wake up to the subliminal messages being put out.  Nada, like the rest, does not think much of the "tin-foil hat" rantings until he notices that every time they occur, a certain individual in the camp runs over to the church across the road.  Nada investigates and finds a chemistry lab filled with sunglasses.  The next day or two, the police show up, storm the church, bulldoze the shacks, and mercilessly beat down a number of people.  Nada goes back to the church and finds a few sunglasses that the police were unable to find.  When he dons the specs, he sees that behind every single piece of advertising and marketable object is a subliminal message.  Bold black words messages like "Obey" or "Stay Asleep" jump out at Nada as he roams the streets.  He comes across a businessman, who when viewed through the glasses, is as kinless, bulging eyed alien.  From there, the conspiracy is no longer a theory.

                "They Live" is a very enjoyable movie filled with fun twists and turns.  The aliens are a real treat to see.  They are disgusting only a little while, but they never become old hat.  It might be because every time that they appear, for the most part, is when the camera looks through the special lenses.  Each time it happens, the film cuts the color right out and becomes good old black and white.  Even Nada had to shake his head a few times when looking through the lenses the first time.  The black and white is a wonderful nod to the classic horror films that had to do much with such a little pallet.  There is also the fact that black and white has a great impact in the mind of viewers.  It is not a natural way to look at things, and when it occurs, it jars the viewer because of it.  At the end of the film, there are a few shots that show the aliens in full color.  When it does, the effect is comical because of their multi-colored designs, which is exactly the kind of feel that the movie is aiming for at that moment.

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                The film is filled with over the top action.  From shotguns to automatic rifles, the second half of the movie goes from suspense to full on action movie.  It is a weird shift, especially since it happens so quickly.  Nada goes from disbelieving the power of the shades to ridiculing the aliens to their face to blowing them apart in about ten minutes.  At least the film had the decency to explain that since the glasses block out the hypnotic waves that the aliens put out, he is acting violently in a manner that mirrors a drug addict's withdrawal symptoms.  On top of the already over the top gun violence is a fight sequence that occurs between Nada and Frank.  The all mighty Wikipedia clocks the fight at five a half minutes, but it definitely feels much longer than that.  The fight is supposed to separate the storyline from Nada being alone to when he has an ally on his side.  It could even be interpreted as a sequence illustrating how difficult it is to make the common man believe the truth despite the otherwise ease of proof.  All Frank had to do was put on the glasses to see what Nada was saying was true.  Instead, Nada had to fervently bust Frank apart to force him to wear the glasses.  While the fight could be seen as an effort in almost futility to make the unbeliever believe, it is somewhat long to the point of interrupting the flow of the plot.

                There is one thing that the film does not address within the fact that aliens are living among the human population.  The film goes to great lengths to press the concept that the aliens are the secret ruling class.  This is not a new concept.  Tales of secret organizations pulling the strings behind curtains goes back centuries if not millennia.  The difference in "They Live" is that they intermingle to such a degree that they are almost common.  They eat with the humans.  They work with them.  They even have sex with them, which bring up a whole lot more questions.  The biggest thing that struck me was that the aliens are using the same objects that the humans are using.  There is one alien that buys a newspaper, something that is clearly shown to be one of the brainwashing items.  Why does he do this?  The item is of no real use to him, since he would see through the object in the same manner that Nada does with the use of the glasses.  It is more likely an attempt to keep up appearances with the other humans around.  If it is an attempt to do so, then the aliens have to jump through a number of loops themselves.  What else do they have to do for appearance's sake?  Eating, socializing, and working right alongside humans most likely.  At that point, the aliens are being forced to conform to the norms that they are placing upon the populace.  The pivotal difference is that they are selected to benefit more than their human peers.  It is almost as if the aliens act just as much as sheep as the humans they hypnotize.

                There is one quick thing that I want to get out of the way.  There is a character late in the story that appears before Nada and Frank.  He had sold out to the aliens and was rewarded by being given money beyond his wildest dreams.  The character is apparently the drifter shown early on in the film, something that the film hopes you realize.  However, the film does such a good job of transforming the character from a homeless bum to a tuxedo wearing weasel that I could not recognize him.  I even went back to the earlier scenes hoping to figure out who he is, but failed to identify him.  While I admit that the complete change of dress did completely change the character's image, I wish the film had at least given a line to his identity so I would not feel so lost, but maybe I am the minority in this small trouble.

                "They Live" is a fun movie that knows how to prey on our paranoia.  The only problem is also its biggest draw.  It does not take itself seriously enough, and perhaps it should not.  While the various action sequences are lively, pulling the audience in and making them wonder how the characters are going to overcome each obstacle, there is a certain level of camp flowing through the movie.  The whole thing is a bit corny, but not to the point where it detracts from the plot.  It is not like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" which has a creeping menace constantly in the forefront.  Nor is it like "Mars Attacks" which cranks up the comedy to the point of being a satire of the alien doomsday genre.  "They Live" takes its own road that delivers one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had watching aliens get splattered.  Also the ending and ultimate fate of Nada is perhaps one of the best and gutsiest finishers out there.

Yours in digital,

BeepBoop

P.S. Tomorrow is "Ano Natsu de Matteru" or "Waiting in the Sumer."

Entry 055: "Tekkonkinkreet" (2006)

I do not know what is up with these tongue twister titles I am pulling.

Dear Internet,

                "Tekkonkinkreet."  There I said it.  Now, do not ask me to spell it again.  I would like to get through this review as easily as I can rather than spend a moment every few minutes trying to spell a word that is actually a Japanese mispronunciation.  I would also like to forget this movie rather quickly, something that I doubt I will need help with.  There are a number of problems that this film is guilty of, but I believe I am getting ahead of myself.

                The film somewhat centers its plot around two orphans, Black and White.  Black is very physical and aggressive, often beating up anyone who comes into "his town."  White on the other hand is introverted and mentally undeveloped to the point that I question his mental wherewithal.  Each one balances the other out as they survive all alone in Treasure Town.  Their relationship is supposed to be all very yin-yang, or Zen-like, but everything is all very forced.  Then there is the various yakuza groups trying to rule the underworld of Treasure Town with the cops thrown in for good measure.  After that is the character Snake who plans on building an amusement park in the town to capitalize his profit.  

                First off is the plot.  The plot meanders from one group of characters to the other very quickly.  Each group's interactions mingle with one another.  Even when certain members are killed off or join another faction, the plot still handles the balancing act well for the most part.  Each major character is given a large width of time to either develop or be showcased.  This however creates a problem.  With all characters being given so much time, it minimizes the importance of the two brothers.  It got to the point where I wanted to hear more about the various yakuza rather than follow around the kids.  The story also moves at a frustratingly slow pace.  There is not enough pushing the story along to warrant the two hour long sitting.  Constantly I was left wondering what the whole point was.  Black and White are trying to get out of the city by pick pocketing from out of the gutters, but they could have easily stayed out of the way of the yakuza if Black had kept his ego in check.  Snake sends out assassins to take out Black and White, but the film never quite explains why other than in broad generalizing statements.  Does he consider them a threat to his goals?  I cannot see that since Black never stood in Snake's way of land development.  So the kids are just caught up in a game much bigger than themselves?  Maybe, but if they are, then the film takes a long time to get to that point.  It instead leads off with a much more interesting premise.  

                The film begins with Black and White battling other kids who are trying to move in on their territory.  Their fight includes jumping across rooftops, riding on the tops of buses and cars, and using strength that would render limbs broken at first contact.  On top of that is their ability to withstand blows that could easily cause concussions.  These abilities are considered inherent to orphans or delinquents.  The powers come up from time to time, usually to try and move the plot a little forward, but are an easy scapegoat to throw action into the film.  When the assassins show up, the kids are quickly tossed around like rag dolls, so there really is not much point in them having super-human abilities in the first place if the film is going to minimize them so much.  It all feels tacked on especially after the beginning scene.  What I thought the film was trying to create in the beginning was a sort of underworld ruled by street urchins, fighting for territory by using a plethora of inhuman skills.  Instead we get a story that is absolutely filled with empty imagery that supersedes the plot.

                The film has a lot of symbols.  Right of the bat, you have the characters Black and White who are supposed to be like yin and yang, each complimenting each other and needing the other.  While this is reasonable to see, it breaks down when one takes in the fact that Black willingly allows White to be taken into police custody.  If the two are really a yin-yang, then he is going against his very nature.  Instead, it would be better to just plainly say that the two have become reliant upon each other because of their co-dependent life style.  The majority of the symbols and representative art stems from White's dreams or psychotic visions.  He has these images flowing through his head do not add anything to the film.  They are supposed to illustrate either his mental stability or his spiritual prowess.  The sequences occur so often that they become annoying rather than insightful.  His mental ability is apparent when one remembers that he is proud to be able to count to ten despite being eleven.  If it supposed to point to the spiritual aspect, I find that hard to believe since the film confuses naivety with innocence.  

                Then there is the character referred to as the Minotaur.  The Minotaur is supposed to be the manifestation of a certain character's inability to deal with the world after a specific moment.  The problem with this is that the Minotaur is referred to before that pivotal moment occurs.  Does that mean that the Minotaur we witness is a copy-cat brought about the subconscious of that character remembering a tall tale and materializing the Minotaur as a form of escapism?  The film does not really care if we know or not.  He is just there to tidy up loose ends like the assassins and illustrate the dependence that that characters has with one another.  This same dependence is only tested because the same character had decided to screw things up with his own choice.  If he had decided to do the opposite earlier on, the pointless plot would have been cut off.  The whole Minotaur thing was lead up to well enough with plenty of foreshadowing, but if it was supposed to show the dependent relationship between two characters, it fails because that was what the whole rest of the movie was about.

                The only thing that I can say that I liked about this film was the background art style.  The landscape is heavily detailed.  It is like going through an antique store being crossed with Hong Kong signs popping out everywhere.  Good Luck Cats adorn rooftops and amusement park rides look like coffins.  The whole thing reminds me of the parade in "Paprika" popping up and down with various Asian chotchkies. As far as art style goes, that is it.  The characters are horribly drawn and animated.  I understand that the movie was based upon a novel, and the film is reflecting the art style of the book.  However, that does not excuse the characters from looking as ugly as they are.  Every tooth is drawn in a character's mouth.  The reason you do not so this is because it highlights every tooth with a black line.  It makes them look like they have some sort of black mold eating away from the gums.  Everyone that is an adult has tiny heads and tiny feet like they were standing in front of a funhouse mirror.  The crudely done caricatures might have worked in a still frame format like a book, but they feel awkward and unsettling when moving.  

If only the characters were given this kind of budget.

                Then there is the amusement park itself.  Black is never seen to be against it.  The other gangsters are against it because it would displace a number of people that they know and care about.  Black even goes there amid his confused state.  If he were sane, it would stand to reason that he would have gone there with White.  The park never is quite shown why it is a bad thing despite being portrayed as such.  It is the product of Snake, the film's villain, but it is never quite explained why it is a bad thing.  Snake and his actions are underhanded and vile, but the park is separate from the individual, especially considering that it takes so many others to make it.  It could be argued that having the park made displaced a number of people, but the only one shown to be inconvenienced is the owner of a strip club, and he does not even talk or properly shows up.  No one of note to the viewer suffers because of the park.

                Maybe I am missing the point of this movie and have completely missed what the film is trying to say.  If it is supposed to show sibling dependence, "Grave of the Fireflies" did it better.  If it is supposed to show the troubles of orphaned kids, there are countless other films to watch.  If it supposed to portray those in the yakuza as both uncaring and gentle, I could watch "Kids Return."  If the show is supposed to go off the deep end and showcase symbolism like no tomorrow, I can entertain myself by reading cartographic symbols on a map.  While I was watching this film, all I could think about was the various things I would rather be doing instead of sitting and viewing this film, which just makes it boring if not average.

Yours in digital,

BeepBoop

P.S. Tomorrow is "They Live" (1988).