Counterattack of the Dreamer

My Japanese friend M has long given up on cinema from his own country, and watches exclusively movies from abroad, mostly of US origin.  More specifically, he watches non-Japanese action and comedy films, and with such enthusiasm that you’d be hard-pressed to peg him for a 50-something Japanese dude living in a converted restaurant in rural Tokushima.  If you ask him why he entirely ignores homegrown cinema, you’re likely to hear some variation on the theme of “cuz Japanese cinema sucks hard.”

Now, Japanese movies happen to be a great way to learn Japanese, and while I prefer using TV serial dramas as study tools, I’ve spent quite a bit of time with Japanese films on DVD over the past few years, watching and re-watching with and without subtitles.  I must admit, there are a lot of bad ones out there.  But there are bad films in any country, and I am still a little stuck on what it is about Japanese cinema that so often leaves a lackluster impression.

Let me be clear, they don’t all suck, and some are actually amazing works of creative genius and artistic expression.  The serious goodies of Japanese cinema are to be found in drama and animation, as demonstrated in this year’s Oscar winner Departures and pretty much all the Miyazaki films.  But more about the good ones some other day.  This post is about the suckage.  Let’s talk about M-san’s genre of choice: action.

Today I watched Dororo, a movie based on the manga of the same name by legendary artist Tezuka Osamu.  The film as a whole wavered between mediocre and pleasant, with some raging scenes of unadulterated suckage slipped in the middle, like a piece of raw bacon that made its way into your BLT.  Despite being a major cinematic release in 2007, the special effects are just laughable.  Ever seen Ultraman?  Or perhaps Power Rangers?  Then you’ve already experienced the extended raw bacon battle scene from the middle of Dororo, in which Hyakkimaru and Dororo herself slash it up with the vicious tongue demon.  The tongue demon is, quite obviously in fact, a dude in a tongue demon suit filmed to look larger than a dude in a tongue demon suit. Far more times than necessary (mind you once is more than necessary in this case)  we are treated to a cut of the tongue demon’s 30-meter tongue snaking out after the feet of his assailants, and with stunning accuracy, it recreates the image of crepe paper on the end of a stick brandished by a rambunctious 8 year-old.

To Dororo’s credit, not all of the special effects in the movie are as terrible as the tongue demon scene, and I’m willing even to give the producers the benefit of the doubt and say that there is some cultural dynamic I’m missing out on here, some bizarre nostalgia regarding the good ol’ days of Ultraman and dude-in-a-suit monsters.  Everything in perspective, right? It’s totally possible to enjoy a movie like The Lawnmower Man, even today, despite the fact that the special effects are seriously dated and when he lights up on fire it looks as if the flames were drawn in with Microsoft Paint.  But not even a healthy dose of perspective can justify effects like Dororo’s coming from today’s Japan.  This is the country of technology on the cutting edge, for crying in the night.  Even the good effects in Dororo would look more at home in the mid-90’s than in 2007.  Not to mention the aspects of an action film that are less dependent upon technology, like fight choreography, are still lousy.

It can’t be that they don’t have the resources, as other countries across the economic spectrum have put together some heart-pounding action flicks with cutting edge effects, or at least put together flicks that kicked royal ass without a lot of technology (I’m thinking of Thailand’s Ong Bak in particular here).  It also can’t be that there isn’t enough demand, as a robust domestic market awaits new releases, not to mention the untold millions in sales that would surely follow a Japanese action film as impressive as China’s House of Flying Daggers.  What’s going on here?

So don’t rush out and rent Dororo, or any other action film from Japan for that matter, unless you’re in it for the language and want to learn some phrases that don’t come up very often in other genres.  It’s the only reason I rented Dororo in the first place, and why it will shortly make its way to my iPod in mp3 format so I can be assured of never forgetting how to curse like a Japanese thief from an imaginary feudal world of 1000 years in the future.  You never know when that will come in handy.

Addition: Trailer available here, though you only get a blink of the tongue demon.

There are a handful of shows I enjoy online now: 24, The Daily Show, Survivor (I know I know, so behind the times).  There’s also one show I don’t enjoy, but grudgingly watch pretty regularly whenever picking the lint from between my toes loses its charm: Lost.  Why Lost sucks despite being eminently watchable is the subject of another post though.

I’ve heard a lot about how our short attention spans and the accessibility of digital media are changing the commercial structure of the industry, but now I’m wondering how the online commercial format is going to change the content of TV.  The networks seem to be adjusting to the new format, providing/requiring their own players, and gradually working in more commercial time as they test the waters to see how much people are willing to put up with.  Some do this better than others; ABC’s online player is a frustratingly lousy piece of trash that often won’t go full-screen on my computer and annoyingly requires that you click the “continue” button to resume watching after each commercial break.  I’m sure they get great data from those clicks, but I sure hope it drives enough people away for them to cut it the heck out.

Back to the point, the fundamental differences of watching TV online (or on DVD, for that matter) instead of, well, on TV, are pretty universal: less commercial time and the luxury of watching whenever you please (except with ABC, in which case you have the dubious luxury of watching whenever their crappy player feels like working).  Considering the television industry has evolved over decades with a more or less consistent model, it’s obvious there are going to be reverberations in the content, and I think our attention span is going to have an impact, though not only by lowering our tolerance for commercials.  Our attention spans have more to say about how we interact with media than how long it takes us to get distracted.

The fundamental idea that I’m getting at is this: we humans aren’t too great at paying attention to the same thing for a long time.  Commercials not only give the sponsors a chance to sell us on their products, they also give us a mental break, during which we can process what we’ve watched and ready ourselves for the next installment.  Anyone who has taught children knows the glazed-over look that they get when doing an activity, even one they enjoy, for too long.  I contend that the same thing happens with TV.

With online TV, I don’t even have enough time to refill my glass of raspberry seltzer water before Jack Bauer is back in action putting the needs of the U.S. ahead of his own.  I’ve ended up only watching TV as something to occupy my mind while I eat, because it’s simply so accessible.  Add to that the fact that I’m watching it on my computer, which means I’m constantly wondering if I should check my email, but 30-45 seconds isn’t enough time to put together a response to anything.  Maybe ABC’s annoying “click to continue” button isn’t the worst thing in the world after all, since you can just mute the commercials and do whatever you please until you are good and ready to watch more nonsense about the island with no explanation.

Television on DVD exacerbates the same issue.  Programs that were designed to be released with commercial breaks are shown all at once, with the cliffhangers followed immediately by their resolutions.  And the viewer is left with the sensation of having switched from beer to crack.  Anyone who has rented a particularly addictive action/drama like 24 will certainly recognize the sensation of having become a crack addict on the spot without breaking a single law.  Television is going to change in response to this, for sure.  Perhaps it will become even more haphazard, a Sesame Street-style evolution of loosely related content designed to keep out minds from wandering too far.  Or maybe it will go the other way, adopting a more cinematic flow to account for the lack of breaks in the action.  I don’t know, but I wonder.

Certain kinds of shows are particularly unappealling to watch all at once, like news programs for example.  I have recently started enjoying the Rachel Maddow show from time to time, and if I ever feel like I need an injection of evilnstupid I like to watch Fox News.  This kind of programming particularly takes advantage of breaks, because, while not exactly academic, it is certainly the kind of content that benefits from a bit of reflection.

Whichever direction it goes, I’m sure TV will keep entertaining us for quite some time, as long as there are viewers out there wanting it.  But I’m done worrying about it for now.  I’m gonna make a salad and see who got voted off last week.

I felt quite silly the other day when, upon glancing down at my cup of Starbucks, I subsequently found myself transfixed by what I found there.  It seems they’ve started printing  quotations on their cups, and somehow the perfect cup had made it way into my hand.  Here’s what some dude named Po Bronson had to say:

“Failure’s hard, but success is far more dangerous.  If you’re successful at the wrong thing, the mix of praise and money and opportunity can lock you in forever.”

Talk about good timing!  I’m currently making my way through a transition that has brought me back to the U.S. from Japan after a three year stay, and needless to say, it’s not the best time to be pursuing a career change.  I have failed at the various plans I set into action in conjunction with my return, all of which involved learning about an industry of interest to me and getting a good job.

I pursued communications, marketing, and non-profit development, three fields in which I saw a future for someone like myself with international experience, good communications skills, and an inclination toward the competitive.  I was fortunate enough to find mentors in these fields and get plugged into the professional community here in St Louis, and it was all wonderfully instructive.  I started to see a future for myself in St Louis, which truly is an awesome city, and spent afternoons daydreaming about settling down in a nice little house in Dogtown.  One of St Louis’ many pluses is the low cost of real estate.

Then failure stomped in.  I just couldn’t seem to convince any of the organizations in St Louis that I was what they needed, despite being pretty confident that I was making the right moves, thanks to my career counselor and the Parachute book.  Much of this is simply the nature of the game; the job search is tough and disillusioning, even in good economic times.  But recognizing that didn’t change the fact that I wasn’t noticeably closer to acquiring my Dogtown bungalow.

I saw, however, the future out there waiting for me in each field, one or two years in the offing, after a grueling initiation period involving under-employment and good old-fashioned hard work.  I never lost sight of the reality that it was out there if I wanted it, and that kept me from despairing over my situation, but the comprehension of just how difficult it would be to establish myself as a communications specialist, marketing associate, or development officer settled in hard.  This is probably the part where experienced professionals say “duh… welcome to the real world.”  It’s true that I have led a sheltered existence, guarded from the panic that besets most college graduates by the warm blanket of the JET program.

I started to ask some harder questions.  What was I really looking for in a career?  What did it mean to me to enjoy my work?  How did I balance the equation of security versus freedom?  I realized that I had been prioritizing security almost to the exclusion of everything else in my job search, and that as a result I was focusing all my efforts on “good jobs” for which I fit the profile, that is, jobs with a steady income, defined career path, within solid/large organizations.

Did I ever really think I would enjoy these “good jobs?”  I’m not entirely sure.  I certainly thought I could put up with them.  This was the point at which I realized I had given up on the idea of enjoying my career.  Somewhere along the line I had made the decision that I would do what I had to do for my wage while focusing on enjoying the freedom it gave me, and that decision included the unconscious assumption that I wouldn’t be enjoying what I was doing all that much. I could very well have jumped to my feet with an astonished “aha!” when it struck me that I didn’t think I would enjoy communications, marketing, or non-profit development.  How am I supposed to be a leader in a field that I don’t enjoy?

Back to the drawing board I went.  I didn’t have to spend much time there though; self-reflection is something I do well with the proper motivation and mind-set.  As I looked over the past four years and how I’ve spent my time, I felt like a blind man learning to see as I realized that studying Japanese, reading it, and speaking it has not only become my primary passion, but has also made me specially qualified to undertake a career in translation and interpretation.  My friends in Japan would get fed up with me for studying through our poker games, and my coworkers always seemed to view me with a combination of confusion and reassurance at my continued efforts to understand them better.  I have spent a ridiculous amount of time and energy on coming to terms with the Japanese language and the Japanese culture, and all because I felt like doing so.  I’m the only dude I know who has passed Level One of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test entirely through independent study.  Was it really possible that I could make a living by doing more or less the same thing, continuing to deepen my understanding and appreciation of Japan?

Well, let’s hope so, because that’s what I’m setting out to do!  There seems to be a great, supportive community of others doing the same thing out there, and I’m feeling good about my goals.  I anticipate a tough couple of years getting underway, but working toward a career I enjoy makes it seem so much more worthwhile.  This poor economy may have saved me from getting locked into a a career that would have left me less than satisfied.  So thank you, crappy economy.  Thank you, Starbucks.  And thank you, Po Bronson, whoever you are.

I just love this song.  One of the best karaoke songs ever.  There are some translations out there, it seems, but I don’t really agree with how they’ve done it, so I went ahead and did my own. I played with some slang to reflect the Kansai dialect of the singer.

This kind of coincides with the previous post about badass-ness.  The Ulfuls definitely are on good terms with their own badass-ness, and singing this song will likely make you feel like a badass.  Check the link to see the video.  Also you can see the Japanese lyrics here.

Samurai Soul by Ulfuls

One glance must have left you thinkin’
This guy’s a hapless clown
I lose my head too easily, and I’m always down on myself
You just look at me and smile
Don’t worry girl
I’m a romantic guy after all
I’ve got my own baggage behind me,
But I’m always lookin’ forward

Chorus 1:
Samurai Soul
Even though I might be wrong
Samurai Soul
Ay ay oh~

When we’re lookin’ to love somebody
What on earth are we lookin’ for
Beauty, or kindness
Or just to be led on
We all need to just quit showin’ off
Gotta know ourselves before desire gets outta control
I can only put up with fools for so long
And that’s why I wanna be with you, girl

Chorus 2:
Samurai Soul
I’m cryin’ in the night
Samurai Soul
Ay ay oh~

Ya know, I think the truth about men
Is that we’re actually samurai
Always fightin’ and comin’ up with our master plans
But I just wanna make you happy, girl
So that’s where I’m puttin’ my focus, that’s where I’m puttin’ my effort
Don’t that make me a samurai?

Walking with you over the bridge
Before the neon sign of the station
I may be a little green, but I feel like a samurai
And that’s the me that I like
And you, girl, I love you
I really seriously love you girl
With you givin’ me that look and that smile
I ain’t gonna lose to nobody

Repeat chorus 1, 2

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: sometimes you just have to call yourself a badass.

It’s not about self-inflation or arrogance.  Nor is it about one-upmanship or bragging.  You can be a badass without worrying about who else around you shares in your status.

It’s about recognizing that you are awesome, and reminding yourself from time to time.

I am a badass.  I get stressed about the transition that awaits me as I move to Tokyo this June, I worry about trying to make it as a translator with in this depressed economy, and I have been known to act like a weenie.  But in the end, I’m pretty darn sweet, and on days like today when I’m really feeling it, it’s nice to remind myself that I am indeed a total badass.

When’s the last time you reminded yourself?