Forum - View topicArashi no Yoru ni (Review)
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ChibiKangaroo
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I had noticed that there was no review of this anime, and i'm not sure if there is a thread on it (there might have been one at some time in the past but I haven't seen it), so I thought I would start one up to talk about my take on this anime and a recent experience I had with it, and see what others think about it.
I happened to catch this movie by chance about a year and a half ago, when I was bored and looking for some new anime to watch. I am a big fan of anime, but I simply don't have time to watch everything new as it comes out so I miss a lot of stuff. (Mostly due to school. I've been in school forever) So here I was, trolling around websites such as ANN and somewhere I saw a screen shot taken from the movie with some commentary, and I was really struck by the quality of artistry that I saw in the screen shot and I decided to check it out. I'm one of those people that can get drawn into anime almost as much by the technical beauty of it as the underlying story. Now, don't get me wrong, I do value story as my #1 priority when I am assessing an anime, however, sometimes you come across a work that is so masterfully drawn that you know it was someone's labor of love. You have to stop and see what could have been so inspiring to the artist(s) that they would spend so much time and so much attention to detail, perfecting every scene and every foreground and background. Memorable examples include the rustling of painstakingly individualized leaves in background trees and bushes, raindrops landing on characters and objects and moving fluidly then building up patiently before dripping off (and right in the middle of tense plot developments which hold the audience transfixed anyway, making such patience and detail even less necessary but at the same time more remarkable), and the various vast sweeping landscapes depicted throughout that could easily be generically drawn but are instead so fantastically conjured onto the screen that it is almost as if you have been transported directly into someone's dream. Arashi no yoru ni, in my opinion, is one of those examples of animation where the experience of watching it is an aesthetically pleasing adventure separate from (or perhaps in addition to) the experience of taking in its storytelling element. Although the artistry of the film is what drew me in, I also found certain storytelling elements of the film struck me in a way that I wasn't expecting when I first watched. I've read plenty of comments from others who have seen the film since I first watched it, and a common criticism of the film is that the story itself (particularly the ending) is too predictable and gives too much closure, due to its target audience (children). ANN contributor Justin Sevakis addressed that particular criticism in his Buried Treasure article that focused on the somewhat similar Chirin no Suzu located here animenewsnetwork.com/buried-treasure/2009-01-15/ringing-bell. I agree that the story could have been better. Sometimes the dialogue in the film can also be very simplistic and uninspired. However, each time that I watch this film I tend to see the film less and less as just a story and more of #1 a character study, and #2 a possible social commentary. Whatever the film's deficiencies in its overall plot, I think that it makes up for it in spades with these other aspects in ways that make it superior to most of the anime that I have seen recently. At the outset, it is very easy to see Gabu and Mei as stereotypical representatives of their two factions, wolf and goat respectively. This is particularly true in the first half of the film which doesn't ask the audience to think quite as much as the much darker second half of the film. Gabu is presented early on as this very gruff, unkempt, and almost certainly violent predator who is just barely hanging on to his self control. Mei is presented as this excessively cute and helpless prey that would probably be scared by his own shadow. As we get to know the characters, however, there seems to be a steady role reversal going on nearly all the way to the final act. We get to know Gabu, spoiler[ and he becomes gradually more self conscious and vulnerable. He becomes extremely emotional, crying at several points in the film. We perhaps begin to understand why he becomes so attached to Mei, because among the wolves he has no real companionship. There is a certain element of machismo to the wolves that is a barrier covering up any tenderness that might exist deep within them. When Gabu is around Mei, however, he's free from that. He opens up about his painful childhood. He talks about the beautiful things in the environment around them. He appears to go through this physical transformation even to the point where towards the final act, his physical attributes no longer appear threatening or frightening but instead gentle and caring. ] We get to know Mei, spoiler[ and he suddenly becomes strong willed and fearless. In fact, he has virtually no fear of death and this is repeatedly contrasted with the other, stereotyped goats. This is especially dramatized at one point in the film, which serves somewhat as a climax of the plot. Although Mei's appearance does not seem to change like Gabu's does, he seems to transform into the rock in their relationship. He's always the one comforting Gabu. He seems to make the decisions. It seems like the cuteness and happy go lucky nature of the goats is really just an allegory for complacency. With Gabu, Mei's life suddenly becomes adventurous. Unlike Gabu, he has potential companions among his faction (particularly, the female goat Mii, but we will get to that momentarily) but he seems to be uninterested in that simple life. ] In the final act, spoiler[ events do force each of them to revert to their stereotyped personae, however ultimately it is each of their transformed personae that triumphs and brings about the happy ending. ] As I noted, I would agree that if you look at the film from just a plot driven story perspective, there are a lot of issues (although I still found the plot to be relatively good, just not great). However, I was amazed by the depth and development of the two main characters, particularly in a children's story like this. You don't get much of that in this genre of animation, and it is even more rare in a fable setting, which usually just focuses on some "moral of the story." (For a good comparison, see Disney's Fox and the Hound, which had almost zero character development and was entirely focused on the moral) Now we get to the social commentary aspect of this film. I don't doubt that pretty much any western young adult or adult who has seen this film has considered the possibility that Gabu and Mei's relationship is something more than mere friendship. In Japan, this might be more of a hit or miss observation, but I would think that the author must have contemplated this possibility due to the way that the story is written. spoiler[(e.g. why is there a really cute and noticeably friendly female goat introduced early on and Mei seems to be completely uninterested?)] There is no doubt that they intended the characters to become emotionally connected. What that ultimately means is up for interpretation. So this is where my recent experience with this film comes in. I decided to do a little experiment, and convinced two of my male friends to watch this film with me (both American). Neither of them watch anime, one is openly gay and the other hetero. I probably don't need to tell you what their impressions were. Both of them picked up on every little bit of innuendo. It was funny because I was surprised by how much they both enjoyed the movie even though they were cracking jokes the whole time. (Well almost the whole time, one of my friends who is also a vegetarian teared up a couple of times towards the end, so maybe there is a vegetarian commentary to this thing as well.) But anyway, the point is, maybe there is a gay social commentary aspect to this film. If there is, I actually think it enhances the film. Can you think of any other mass appeal animated film that has ever broached that subject and yet still been so effective at connecting with its audience, no matter what their personal beliefs are? I can't. Some people have speculated that the potential of that type of social commentary is what is keeping this otherwise highly successful film out of America. Perhaps that is the case, but as I said I feel like the existence of that type of commentary is a net positive if anything. So overall, I really enjoyed Arashi no Yoru ni. I couldn't give it an A, simply because the overall story and dialogue is not as exceptional as the other aspects of the film, but I would give it an A-. The execution of the animation, the music, and character development was easily superior to most animated productions that I have seen. The expressions of emotion in the characters and the portrayal of the dark themes were particularly outstanding for a film that is based on a children's book. Also, I found the potential for social commentary in the film to be refreshing and unique, which helps make the film more appealing as a fantastic work of art that also really makes you think. |
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