Reaction Critique: (BBC: Asian Invasion, Episode 1 Japan)

To begin with the title is edgy, overtones of Asian taking over the Western world strong. However, the discourse of Orientalism is still strong in Ross's dialogue, overtures to 'crazy, edgey' Japan combined with a sort of narrowed focus on only those films that fit the mold. He's talking pop culture, but he often seems to define the best of Japan as only from a certain section of the pop culture that fits the theme.

Comments During the Film follow:

At the end, he starts asking about the signifigence of gozilla--what he stands for. He asks if he's supposed to be Stalin in the remake of the first director. Godzilla is America and the Atom Bomb, on a certain level. Interesting he puts the focus on Communist Russia first. The director is amazed, and never thought about it--and doesn't really correct him, just says its a new idea to him.

He brings up the American version. "You're a thin man, you don't need to eat as much as me. I have a big hole in me." The Britain taking away from the man, it's extremely uncomfortable. The host is rather overbearing, considering. "Quintencensstial DVD shop"--It's HMV, an international store, or rather, a British one. I think of Tsutaya and Book Off? Britian as universal everywhere, trying to tie things together? The films he draws out seem to be charactures of the anime genre in the usual types--the sports manga, the shounen super fighter, "only coming from a culture that habitually bets on fights between stag beetles" wonky seinen crazyness, ..actually, generally, these are filsm with rather ridiculous premises that he's presenting as the best of the current crop of film. But these are the current crop of indy cult film, and that's not made clear. He treats them as all Japan has to offer in terms of film, comparable to Akira Kurosawa, and that this is a mark of the decline of Japan because of it's addiction to the West, because it's catering to Otaku. Because it's not longer 'pure' Japan, and for him as a Japanophile, this is a shame.

I see this as parallel to Said's Orientalists, who searched for a pure form of what they love, and dissapointment.

I wonder why he doesn't mention recent hits like Nana (which is shoujo, and less crazy in essence), and other films.

But there's hope in one specific example (Lily Chou Chou) that talks about idols, group think, suicide, etc.

Then there's everybody's favourite, Beat Takeshi.
Then Takeshi Miike. Happiness of the Katakakuris (hello Film Class!), Gozu, etc. The man likes to combine weirdness with normalcy.
He calls this past, present, and future. And then he moves to Anime, as the most important. "Typically perverse Japanese twist."
Akira, Steamboy; Miyazaki, who is enshrined in terms of media, with "leisurely style", but he always brings it back to 'edgeyness'; Mamoru Oshii, Ghost in the Shell "elevates from sweaty otaku to high art" (not mentioned: Paprika, Millenium Actress) state of the art, though our expert can't understand, but he respects it, with an odd stiffness.

"Intentional ambiquity of the original Japanese." with the obscurity of the subtitles, he says. Nihon as distant, strange, unintelligible. I call it poor translation--the subtitles are a little less then awesome, what they show. Why even mention this? He always calls the techniques of the director 'emptiness', techno, or distant, whereas I feel the director may think differently.

"Still looks distincitively Japanese to me", "a little something extra going on." And it's okay the present gen isn't as good as the older--but we don't know who that is. "Japan itself, showing the tension between technology and tradition." He also implies that the current newer crop of directors are somehow emotionless.