[Originally written and featured on the UnitedJpop website - Read here!].
When I first started watching Japanese films and television series, it took me a little while to adjust. I have never been one of those people that refuse to watch anything that has subtitles because I cannot be bothered to read along, however foreign films and series were often not my first choice, and I would pounce on the dubbed choice over the subbed one straight away.
So, it’s funny to think that I now tend to watch more foreign media with languages used that I cannot understand than I do Western media using my native tongue, as well as the fact that I grimace and complain whenever someone asks me to choose the dubbed option over subtitles.
After my initial adjustment period, I began to notice that almost every Japanese drama I watched had an underlying lesson to be learnt. Most of these lessons are nothing new; the majority of us have learnt these sorts of things through socialisation during the early stages of our lives.
General things like being a good person, not telling lies, being loyal to friends etc. were frequently covered and I found myself smiling wryly after I finished every film and drama. As I talked to my family about all that I had been watching (not that they were all that interested) I usually finished by shaking my index finger whilst saying “You must always learn a lesson when watching a Japanese drama or film!”
I’m not sure if it’s due to studying Media Studies at University, or perhaps just me becoming an overly-analytical person as I have grown, but I began to takes these messages more seriously than I did before and slowly looked deeper into each of the narratives I came across.
Not every lesson is very cleverly put out, some messages are so obvious that they practically walk up to you and slap you across the face as you watch. Having said this, there are many narratives that conceal messages that you will only become aware of after a second-viewing or during a discussion of the film or drama with a friend.
I have a few examples of this: television dramas Stand Up! And Othros no Inu and the film versions of the GANTZ franchise. I don’t plan on spoiling anything for people who have yet to watch these, but just in case, you may want to skip the next few paragraphs to be safe!
Stand Up! Is quite an old drama now, but it remains one of my firm favourites. I usually describe it to people as the “Japanese version of American Pie”. It is a strange and silly comedy that has four great actors playing awkward teenage characters who get themselves in many of embarrassing situations in their aim to lose their virginity before the summer break ends. The story has been done quite a few times within the Western media, but this is my only encounter with it being covered so brazenly by the Japanese media. It was funny and had you cringing at many of the moments, but the ending really impacted upon me. This rather immature group of boys discover that their female childhood friend was previously a victim of rape and it causes them to realise the real complications that can be attached to sexual relationships.
They see that the majority of people take these things incredibly seriously and that there can be a lot of emotions attached. The boys learn what is truly important in relationships and, despite its cheesiness; I was really touched by this twist in the story.
Othros no Inu is an incredibly cool and slick series involving supernatural powers. A criminal has “the hand of God” – the ability to heal with a touch and a good man has the ability to kill with a touch – “the hand of the Devil”. I was very intrigued by this narrative as soon as I read about it and ended up really enjoying the drama.
It approaches the notion of “Good” and “Evil” as binary opposites and suggests them to be far more complicated than we have come to know them. The drama keeps you on the edge of your seat continually and your opinions on the characters and whose side you are on is flipped on its head many times. It makes viewers consider what they decision they would make if they were in certain situations and makes poignant statements about the greed and selfishness of the human race.
GANTZ is the story of two men that are killed when they are run over by a train; they are immediately transported into a bare Tokyo apartment that is occupied only by a large black ball. This ball is known as GANTZ, GANTZ takes people upon their deaths and sends them out to kill aliens after supplying them with weaponry. If they survive, they are transported back and given points each time, they need 100 points to be resurrected and escape the game. I am not an expert on the original story, as I have yet to read the manga or watch the anime; however it is still easy for me to see that this narrative raises many political points for viewers’ consideration. It makes viewers think about warfare and question if we really know what we are fighting for. It also makes one think about the Human races’ tendency to be violent towards one another a kill for their own personal gain.
OKAY, NO MORE POTENTIAL SPOILERS NOW! Please continue reading from here if you skipped the preceding few paragraphs!
I am not saying that there are not any pieces of Western media that do not communicate some deep and worthwhile messages in their narratives. There are some great Mexican films that I have seen do this, for example. I think it is just coincidental that my interest in Japanese media has coincided with the University education, whereupon my eyes were opened to the potential that the media has in communicating ideologies.
However I do think that it is something that – Hollywood movies especially – are often lacking. There are many Japanese films and television series that can give fruitful treasures when one begins to dissect their narratives. I think it is an important role of the media to make us think about the world in which we live as well as entertain us. I feel that the Japanese media often offers exactly this to viewers.
[Images source: Google Images]
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