Breathing new lives to stories, taking them life-sized

Much has been said about anime and manga being worlds more beyond kiddie cartoon shows and comic books. Being two of Japan's more popular cultural products, anime and manga were able to create a niche of their own. With unique plot devices and their own creative traditions, these two became a rich source of new materials that can be crafted and used as content for a traditional medium--film, sometimes even television. Recently, I saw myself watching (and/or re-watching) live film adaptations of well-loved anime/manga franchise, and then reminded that while different in approach from their original, the universality of plots and characters, and the aesthetic and technical aspects of film-making, give these stories a fresh yet familiar vibe. 

I find it really hard to convince myself to disregard any preconceived notions and expectations when I watch these adaptations. But watching movie after movie of such kinds, I get to grasp the idea that this one and that one are different, and let the audio-visual experience do the judging for me. 

Kimi ni Todoke The Movie (2010)

(君に届け, Reaching You)

© 2010 Nippon Television/ Toho/ Kimi ni Todoke The Movie Film Partners

Kimi ni Todoke is originally a manga by Karuho Shina, and made to an anime series by Production I.G. I only got to watch the two seasons of the anime and can say that while it is indeed a teen romance story (shoujo to the core), the story of timid Kuronuma Sawako and good-natured Kazehaya Shota, along with their friends and schoolmates make up for a very light and likeable show. 

While the anime is made of bright colors and helter-skelter animations, Kimi ni Todoke The Movie made use of a somber color palate--brown seifuku, quiet rural neighborhood, grassy fields and autumnal surroundings. The movie, directed by Kumazawa Naoto, managed to put into the screen the calmness of the pace of the story as well as the dynamics of a budding romance between two high school students. 

Tabe Mikako as Kuronuma Sawako and Miura Haruma as Kazehaya Shota, as well as the rest of the cast, embodied the youthfulness and (and sometimes extreme) innocence of the characters. Thoroughly wholesome and cute, and at times funny, the movie gives way for subplots that enabled the each of them, including the seemingly vicious Ume Kurumizawa (Kiritani Mirei), to establish their motives and develop their personalities. 

With a tranquil setting, fluid camerawork, and characters whose energy and emotions are distinctive of people their age, the movie recognizes the clichés the material is made of yet manages to package the story in a way that is, though not strictly inventive, smooth and satisfying. 

[With Haruma (and everything that he is XD) as Kazehaya in his trademark fur coat, and adorable Yano-chin and Chizu-chan and Ryuu, how can I not like this?]

Usagi Drop Live (2011)

(うさぎドロップ, Bunny Drop)

© 2011/ Showgate/ Usagi Drop Live Film Partners

Based on the manga by Unita Yumi and produced as an anime series by Production I.G, Usagi Drop has been recommended to me by a friend last year because she said the live-action film looked promising. I have always admired Matsuyama Ken'ichi's ability to get cast in many iconic characters from anime/manga franchise, and his brilliance in giving these well-loved characters justice. In Usagi Drop, MatsuKen plays the role of Daikichi, an average 30 year-old man who suddenly finds himself the steward of his late grandfather's illegitimate daughter, Rin, played by the adorable Mana Ashida.

Daikichi's struggle with the responsibility he had taken for himself was given  enough weight, from managing his time and resources to take care of the six-year old girl, to dealing with people who have looked at Rin with disdain. Not having the same ample time as the anime series to develop such conflicts, the film used montages of parallel situations, as well as new characters to establish the progress of the two main characters. At the same time, the movie, directed by Sabu (Tanaka Hiroyuki), also allowed for more heart-warming scenes between Daikichi and Rin, showcasing him as changing from a directionless bachelor to an inspired guardian for Rin. 

Daikichi angers, mellows, and becomes resolute in a realistic pace, and also allowing for some of MatsuKen quirkiness to surface. Mana Ashida is such a precious child actress, her cuteness never once got overboard, and Rin's more-matured-than-most-children-her-age personality from the anime makes for a delightful live portrayal. One of the greatest strengths of the film for me was the endearing rapport between Daikichi and Rin, and MatsuKen and Mana Ashida defintely nailed it. 

Using the familiar tokens and symbols from the anime to recognize the franchise's fans as well as using new storytelling techniques and characterizations (those magazines coming to life were really fun), Usagi Drop Live is a quiet and endearing film that can be as easily enjoyed as its anime series version. 

Honey and Clover (2006)

© 2006 Asmik Ace Entertainment, Inc./ SHUEISHA Inc./ J Storm Inc./ DENTSU Inc./ Honey and Clover Film Partners

Some three years ago, there was a time when no parental advice, no visit to the guidance counsellor, nor encouragements from friends could've helped me make a big decision. It was Honey and Clover that got me through it. I first encountered HachiKuro as an anime series, and then as a 2008 television series (which up until today is hands-down one of my two all-time favorites). 

Chika Umino's story of five art university students drawn together by a shared dorm and their charismatic professor had probably always been universal in its appeal to the young adult audience. Dealing with budding and lost loves, relationships, reaching for goals and dreams, this coming-of-age story makes for a somber yet hopeful exposition. Although, literally speaking, the anime and the subsequent adaptations couldn't be any less somber visually--the colors and set, the costumes and character designs are all but descriptive of the environment and the dispositions the characters are in.

The 2006 Masahiro Takata film, starring Sakurai Sho as the forlorn architecture student Takemoto Yuuta (the main main reason of my existence XD I finally decided to watch this), Aoi Yuu as the petite painting prodigy Hanamoto Hagumi, Yusuke Iseya as the exceptionally talented but carefree sculpture student Shinobu Morita, Kase Ryo as the hopelessly inlove architecture senior Mayama Takumi, and Seki Megumi as the strong-willed pottery major Yamada Ayumi, is wrought with vernal meanderings and self-imposed reproaches.

Utilizing Western songs and irregular string melodies for background, as well as hand-held (thus shaky) and wide camera angles more often than not, the film capitalized on the bohemian vibe of the characters and the story itself. Youthful to the core, the emotions portrayed in the film go through irregular wave patterns, no hint of stabilizing until the credits roled. 

I'd still prefer the 2008 television series if I had to choose. However, I think this film serves well as a quick telling of the unbelievably painful, fun, emotional, inspiring, and altogether existentialist tale of the five art university students facing their lives' crossroads.

When three nerds try to cook...

Or at least try to make decent rice balls, the kitchen explodes. 

Using these frames and filters make me feel so creative... not! XD

Still, after hours of struggle, we're proud to have made our finished products passably looking like actual onigiri and maki, however improvised the ingredients were.

And we swore this kitchen adventure won't be the last. :))

'Throughout life's battles thick and thin~'

What makes (my) high school never-ending is perhaps the proximity of everybody's house to each other. Unlike in college, we could easily text one another and expect the group to turn up in a mere hour or two (or maybe three, as is the case for the perennially late friend).

To celebrate the birthday of one of our friends and the new job of another, the two invited us to a libre--a night of karaoke and food and kwentuhan and tunog-tao jamming session. Despite the lateness of the hour, the night-out pushed through and we were loathe for it to end.

When we arrived, the first song we looked for was "anything Arashi." There were songs in other languages, after all. Unfortunately, none of them were the ones we (my fellow Japanophile friends) know, and no Arashi either. So I settled at watching them sing their hearts out despite not knowing more than half of the songs they chose. My cluelessness of the current mainstream music scene made me think of re-aligning my priorities when it comes to music, to be honest.

With food enough for ten people included in the package (we were seven), it was "Happy birthday, Carlo!" indeed. And when our time was over, my pop-stars-in-the-making-slash-marching-band-members-wannabe friends made impromptu performances of the songs they were not able to sing, as well as special renditions of a song that is "beloved" for all of us. My instinct as the secretary of the group kicked in and I had to record the performances while trying to stifle my laughter at their silliness. When we watched the videos later, all of us were clutching our sides--sobrang sabaw lang talaga.

Since we don't want to part yet (haha), we stayed in a nearby coffee shop and talked and laughed the rest of the night, a couple were even so groggy they slept on the table while the rest of us discussed life and prospective carreers, and even planned our upcoming trips--from Palawan to Davao to Paris to London.

I find it really amazing we're still marching forward with each other for company. When I entered college I was warned that the longest time one's friends from high school will remain to be his/her companions will be three years. After that, I was told, everybody would drift farther and farther away. I'm glad it's still with these ridiculous people I share plans for the future with, and the same ones I would go on my out-of-town trips with in the coming months.

Hi, gheis <3

My Eiga Sai '12

As of today, I was able to watch three out of the ten films featured in this year's Eiga Sai, the Japanese Film Festival in commemoration of Philippines-Japan Friendship month, but I plan to watch more in the coming days. I was first introduced to this annual event three or four years ago at the UP Film Institute, and being a self-proclaimed Japanophile, I made a point to watch as many as I could every year.

One particular film in this year's line-up made it definite that I attend the film fest. It was the 2011 film In His Chart, and stars Sakurai Sho and Miyazaki Aoi, directed by Fukagawa Yoshihiro. Being a huge Sakurai Sho stan fan, I have been meaning to obtain a copy of this movie since the start of the year. And with amazing timeliness, I got to watch it in the big screen, no less. My friends and I did not even wait for the film fest to arrive at the UPFI this August, we instead trooped to Shang Cineplex last July 11 to make sure we would be able to watch it at least once.

In His Chart follows the story of the young doctor Ichito and the choices he has to make on his way to defining the purpose of his career in medicine. With his supportive photographer wife, Haruna (Miyazaki Aoi), Ichito learns valuable lessons in life from his friends, his colleagues in the hospital, his patients, his wife, and even from the wisdom of Soseki Natsume. Soseki's writings figure in the film, as well as the breathtaking vistas of mountains, woods, and traditional Japanese dwellings.

Sho and Aoi would have been reason enough to watch and like this film, but In His Chart proved to be a beautifully crafted story. Sho as the awkward but compassionate doctor was such a hit among the audience, and Ichito's amusing communication dilemmas even drew the occasional laughter from the viewers.  Multi-layered and brilliantly acted, In His Chart is a touching tale of selflessness and redefinition of the social norms people today have to contend with. Set in a tranquil and quiet atmosphere, it was truly a visual treat for me. AND MY SETSUME-SAN AND VERY NADEGATA IS NOW A BRILLIANT CURLY-HAIRED DOCTOR WHO HAS MIYAZAKI AOI FOR HIS WIFE. THIS FILM MAKES ME SO HAPPY.

Yesterday, the second day of the film fest at the UPFI, my friends and I watched Takashi Miike's Ninja Kids. Featuring young kids training in the Ninja Academy, the film was slapstick comedy in its cutest, led by the adorable Rantaro (Kato Seishiro), and his friends and fellow first graders Shinbei (Kimura Futa) and Kirimaru (Hayahi Roi). With striking and bright costumes, make-up and set, as well  as over-the-top and quirky characters, Ninja Kids is easily enjoyable and hilarious. It does not take itself seriously, and is unabashed in recognizing the sillyness of the premise of the conflicts and their subsequent resolutions.

The second film on that day (and my third) was Tomorrow's Joe, featuring Yamashita Tomohisa/Yamapi as Yabuki Joe, the plebeian waif who found his calling in the world of boxing, guided by the former boxer Tange Danpei (Kagawa Teruyuki). In the  ring he faced Rikiishi Toru (Iseya Yusuke), and the two would end up each other's ultimate rivals. The film, directed by Sori Fumihiko, utilized various camera speeds and odd angles to paint the grit and the raw energy possessed by and surrounding the two fighters. I find it amusing that Yamapi got to be as unglamourous as he did in this film, the popular idol that he is. Both the performances of Yamapi and Iseya, as well as Kagawa as the supportive trainer Tange-sensei, were remarkable as characters wrought in a story that not only deals with the rivalry of two equally able men but also of pressing issues of the socety they were living in.

The Japan Foundation of Manila made it possible to showcase the above quality films, some even featuring popular (and mainstream) actors. In the years I've attended the event, I noticed the growing interest for Japanese films (and Asian films, in general). Sure, enthusiasts can obtain these copies over the Internet, but there really is nothing like watching on the big screen surrounded with other fellow spectators, being enveloped by the sounds and images from the film, and surrendering the senses to the story being told.

I am hopeful that I could watch more during the remaining days of the festival. I was not able to re-watch In His Chart because my companions weren't as eager as I was to repeat the film we've already seen. But I guess seeing my husband Sho on the big screen once should suffice. I am excited for the remaining films I've yet to see, and for next year's, too.

This Vicious Cabaret

This Vicious Cabaret

Lyrics and score by Alan Moore, from the graphic novel V for Vendetta
Performed by David J.


They say that there's a broken light for every heart on Broadway.
They say that life's a game, then they take the board away.
They give you masks and costumes and an outline of the story
Then leave you all to improvise their vicious cabaret...

In no-longer-pretty cities there are fingers in kitties.
There are warrants, forms, and chitties and a jackboot on the stair.
Sex and death and human grime, in monochrome for one thin dime,
But at least the trains all run on time but they don't go anywhere.
Facing their Responsibilities either on their backs or on their knees
There are ladies who just simply freeze and dare not turn away
And the widows who refuse to cry will be dressed in garter and bow-tie
And be taught to kick their legs up high in this vicious cabaret.

At last! The 1998 Show!
The ballet on the burning stage.
The documentary see
Upon the fractured screen
The dreadful poem scrwled upon the crumpled page...

There's a policeman with an honest soul that has seen whose head is on the pole
And he grunts and fills his briar bowl with a feeling of unease.
But he briskly frisks the torn remains for a fingerprint or crimson stains
And endevours to ignore the chins that he walks in to his knees.
while his master in the dark nearby inspects the hands, with a brutal eye,
That have never brushed a lover's thigh but have squeezed a nation's threat.
But he hungers in his secret dreams for the harsh embrace of cruel machines
But his lover is not what she seems and she will not leave a note.

At last! The 1998 Show!
The Situation Tragedy
Grand Opera slick with soap
Cliffhangers with no hope
The water-colour in the flooded gallery...

There's a girl who'll push but not shove and is desperate for her father's love
She believes the hand beneath the glove maybe one she needs to hold.
Though she doubts her hosts moralities she decides she is more at ease
In the Land Of Doing What You Please than outside in the cold.
But the backdrop's peel and the sets give way and the cast gets eaten by the play
There's a murderer at the Matinee, there are dead men in the aisles
And the patrons and actors too are uncertain if the show is through
And with side-long looks await their cue but the frozen mask just smiles.

At last! The 1998 Show!
The torch-song no one ever sings
The curfew chorus line
The comedy divine
The bulging eyes of puppets strangled by their strings

There's thrills and chills and girls galore, sing-songs and surprises
There's something hear for everyone, (reserve your seat today)
There's mischief and malarkies but no queers or yids or darkies
Wwithin this bastard's carnival, this vicious cabaret.

(c) 1982-89/V for Vendetta--Story by Alan Moore, Art by David Lloyd/Vertigo Comics/ V for Vendetta partners

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I've always wondered how this song would sound when I first read the words and saw the score on my copy of V for Vendetta. As expected, everything V is pure awesome.