2009-03-10, 03:34 | Link #101 |
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Join Date: Jan 2009
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In Stranger at least it was in opposition to Japanese, here they just switch from one to the other without much reason. =P
Um, I have to say the contrast between the detailed pseudo-realistic backgrounds/3D and the hand-drawn characters with their slightly formless piloting suit, and the uniform and almost simplistic hair/suit/clothes/face coloring is a little... jarring. Would not call it a masterpiece or anything, but otherwise I've been surprisingly entertained by the movie given the slow nature and supposedly sad story. |
2009-03-10, 07:24 | Link #102 | |
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2009-03-10, 10:29 | Link #104 |
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For me Kawai is a bit like James Horner: I keep hearing tracks I've pretty much heard before in a previous anime movie/series by the same composer.
As for the movie, I admit I'm one of those who thought the movie was ridiculous tedious. The setting kind of reminded me of a Kino no Tabi episode, where Kino ended up in a city where they have war for 'fun'. |
2009-03-12, 13:06 | Link #106 | |
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I'm a little late in joining the discussion here, but I'd like to add a few of my thoughts after just having seen the film for the first time.
First, I'd like to thank Justin Sevakis of ANN for his insightful review, for while I picked up on a few of the subtleties described, I wasn't able to articulate and organize them into a cohesive interpretation of the film until I read the review. Now, after having read this review, I feel like I've truly come to grasp the film. Second, the storytelling in this film was absolutely beautiful; it's a rare treat to experience an animated tale told through such a plaintive and emphatically realistic tone (and pace), especially when so many pieces of current media explode with a hyper-realistic vivacity that frequently seems too detached from reality. I'm not trying to suggest that this film is impassive; no, there's plenty of emotion and drama occurring on-screen. But, like the subtle color palette, these signs of emotion are equally subtle and usually appear more through the character's changes in tendencies rather than in changes of their facial expression. As the film progresses, the laconic and seemingly mundane conversations between the characters lose their sense of tedium, and a driving desire for "truth" becomes more and more evident in each character's voice--an obvious example being Mitsuya. Third, did anyone else draw the correlation between the landscape and the themes of the movie? The vast expanses of shoreline resemble something like Ireland, and the emptiness that pervades the scenery feels very much like a metaphor for the emptiness in the memories and experiences of the Kildren--memories that never change, with no discernible distinction from one to the next one. Finally, I just wanted to bring up the point made by this poster on another forum: Quote:
Anyways, I regard this film very highly, and I'm REALLY looking forward to a domestic release here in the US. |
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2009-03-13, 02:48 | Link #107 |
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I do like the vague criticism on the 'everyday' aspect of certain wars involving 1st class nations. Whether we fight by sending people overseas, hiring PMCs, all of that. And like in the movie, who knows if we just clone a bevy of supersoldiers to do the work?
Other than that, I thought it was almost sort of ruined by the bluntness of some pilots and crew vocalizing it. As if we didn't get the picture, they stand there and lecture. |
2009-03-13, 18:44 | Link #109 |
Tsukkomi power!
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If you've seen one Oshii movie, you'll know his preaching is part and parcel of his work. This movie is one of his better works, and definitely one of the most insightful films (animated or not) released in a long while. To watch The Sky Crawlers is an amazing experience, you feel it in your gut.
This film is greater than the sum of its parts: if it were just the mindless air combat or the drab life on the base, it wouldn't be half as powerful. |
2009-03-14, 00:12 | Link #110 | |
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And, I for one thought that the pacing of this movie was amazing; too often it seems like I'm watching films with hyperactive paces that lose sight of the beauty of quiet and sobering melodrama. I really and truly hope that this film comes to be appreciated as much I appreciate it. |
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2009-03-14, 17:27 | Link #111 | |
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2009-03-15, 16:08 | Link #113 |
なんでやろう?
Join Date: Feb 2007
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I just watched the show and I really enjoyed it. People see it as a an anime movie but it's based on a series of novels, so I think a lot of the issues people have problem have been vetted already. I love the music (the opening theme caught me), the visual (mix of CG, animation, and live footage was well done), and the Sound FX (very professional, and the lips actually matched the dialog). It's a slow movie and only a certain kind of anime fan will like it, but there's lot of hidden details and meaning and makes it a great thinking movie. Upon re-watching the movie I realized that almost every single scene has meaning and not just random slice-of-life moments. I never really thought Oshii is that great of director, but this movie changed my mind. I utterly disagree with the argument for "lack of depth". I think that's only due to lack of understanding or cultural differences. A lot of Western people have difficulties understanding or appreciating great Asian movies or novels, and this is no exception. I'll just leave it at that.
Actually, they used English when communicating with the visiting locals too. It seemed that Japanese is spoken only with those who interact with the Kildren, but the general public of the land they're fighting for it still English. As for why they are all Japanese while the locals aren't? Well, that's because Rostock Corp, the military contractor they work for, is a Japanese firm. The firm for the other side is supposedly an European firm, and their pilots are probably white. This info is listed on the Japanese website. This is why they are all Japanese with very Japanese names, and they speak Japanese with each other; they were all cloned in Japan. After years of interacting with the Japanese Kildrens, many of the locals probably learned Japanese as well. But in the air, and talking with visiting public, the pilots all use English. This makes perfect sense to me. I think another reason for making them Japanese is also racial issue; that if those killed are not your own race, it makes it easier for people to accept their death as entertainment. This is true in the psuedo-WWII world they are in, and it's also true today. Remember the common people of the age are used to the idea of war as entertainment, and not the struggle for freedome and "peace"; patriotism is not a cause in their struggle. The whole game has lost its original appeal, that war must be constant to remind people of the horror of war and value peace. That's just an excuse now. Since people realize that these Kildren can't age and can be easily replaces with clones, what we have here is a freak show of teenage mutant clones violently killing each other for the pleasure of the mass audience. Their kill numbers are kept like game scores, and their "supporters" are like sports fans. Their death has as much as meaning as a death of anime character to us. Making them Japanese teenagers makes it so much easier to digest to their presumably racist audience. This is just a cuter version of the gladiator games. As for the WWII settings, I don't think it was lazy at all, but a carefully planned alternative world. Think about it - if somehow after WWII the nation of the world decided to outlaw war aside from these war games, then it's possible that there are not incentives to advance military technology; as we know most of today's technological advancements like jet engine came from military research. Thus it's plausible to think that telecommunication and bio-tech advanced due to the need to support of the war games (real-time televised report of the kills and the need to replace the dead Kildren), but the killing technology itself stayed the same. Like another poster said, WWII style dog fights are much more entertaining too. Why mess with a good thing? If the ratings are good the creators will regurgitate the same thing over and over again - we know that only too well in the anime world. My thoughts on some of the "mystery" issues: Spoiler for My Thoughts:
Last thought on the movie... I thought the premise of the show is really hard to believe. Unless their mind control tech is 100% fool proof, what they have basically created are two huge military forces made up of emotionally unstable (they're teens!) super-human clones who's got no fear of death. Sounds like a great recipe for the creation of a Master Race to me. IF they chose to, they can easily make themselves the ruler of the world since they ARE basically the military and the best fighters in the world. Plus they are fearless and doesn't even freaking age, meaning these super-human will enslave you FOREVER. Sick of death and want to break the cycle of violence? Just stage an uprising with your fellow Kildren and take over the world! Then just force the pathetic human to give up their first born and fight each other to the death in cages for the Kildren Lords' pleasure. That's a future worthy of living for, Suito-chan! Here's a great mass-audience sequel - Sky Crawlers II - The Rise of the Kildren. Just ask Junichi Fujisaku to direct it and make it a blood bath like Blood+, and watch the fanboys falling in love with the Ultimate Immortal Tsundere Kunasagi blowing the heads off douche-bag mortal humans. I'll watch it. I just thought of another theory as I read what I just wrote - perhaps the fear of the uprising is the reason for the "Teacher"? That the ultimate pilot is NOT a kildren but a MAN? That no matter how good the kildrens become they will never be as good as this Mythical Sensei who's an adult man? And making them teens also give them insecurity of a teen - and we see that in the show, that they really believed that they adult men are somehow superior to their immortal selves. Maybe that's WHY they are young teens - ease of control. If you make the clones grown men and women then you almost grantee an uprising scenario. Just give them free sex with adult women and they'll die for you over and over again! Maybe the whore house is their Kildren mind control center; use their teen hormones to keep them down. That would cause problem with girl pilots though... thus the situation with Kusanagi. Don't they at least get free gigolos? Last edited by AVPlaya; 2009-03-15 at 16:36. |
2009-03-15, 18:43 | Link #114 |
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^ I see your point in most of what you said. A few things come to mind, though.
Do we actually know the Teacher is a man? He may just have been engineered to stop aging later. He may be a robot. He may be Kusanagi (another one). The ultimate pilot is a symbol that war leads to inevitable defeat. Why did he defect to Lautern? Who's to say he hasn't defected back before? How can any of the Kildren know, with their short memories and high death rates? (since, I presume from some Mitsuya's lines, they are born fully formed as teenagers) The post-WW2 setting is just for show. Kusanagi has a computer. The TVs are flatscreens. I surmise the only reason for propeller aircraft to be used, is because modern jet aircraft have lost the ability to dogfight. The same reason for not using missiles/rockets. Machine-guns and prop-planes are showy, there have been no true air aces since the end of WW2. It is an elaborate charade, but not a complete one. Why does Rostock use pusher props? Because it looks interesting. The Teacher's plane is quite unique, but it looks like a classic WW2 fighter, I don't think we see any others of the same model. If it really is a better plane (discounting that he is an extremely talented individual, we see that its turning radius, climb rate and weaponry are substantially better than Rostock's Sankas), why aren't there more? Because it is merely for show. On the supposition that an army of practically immortal teenagers would be a megalomaniac's dream: The conditioning these clones have been through have eliminated most of their drives. The only time they truly feel alive is when their in the air. What about Tokino's sex drive? Do you think he really likes the sex with that courtesan (for lack of a better word), or is it just a substitute for the thrill of flight? While they may be very good at what they do, flying propeller planes (and - well, that's it really), if my supposition that this war they're engaged in is an anachronistic and completely artificial one, their low numbers and low technology would make it simple to wipe them out. In one of the news reports, it's mentioned that there has been a breakthrough in the unilateral talks (or somesuch) between the North American Union and Britain (I think), and the announcer specifically says that the Prime Minister and the President of Canada have come to an understanding. Prime Minister of Britain, I'm assuming, but Canada doesn't have a President. This points to some of the Commonwealth nations not recognising the constitutional monarch anymore. Since it hasn't happened yet, if my above assumption is right, it must be sometime in the future. Also, Kusanagi and Jinroh? Were those names in the original novels, or were they a not very subtle shout out to Oshii's other works? |
2009-03-15, 22:09 | Link #115 | ||
なんでやろう?
Join Date: Feb 2007
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Spoiler for Hidden discussion due to spoilers:
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Spoiler for A bit too much spoilers.:
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Looks I need to start reading these novels... at least the second one for sure. |
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2009-03-15, 23:58 | Link #116 | ||||||
Moving in circles
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 49
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I agree. There are no wasted scenes in this movie, but it may take a few times to catch the details. Normally, I'd agree that this is sloppy directing. But The Sky Crawlers is different, because of the way it's been constructed. For lack of a better analogy, it's a bit like M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense. Watching it the first time round, you wouldn't think it's a particularly remarkable film. However, once you've seen the shocking twist, you'd see how cleverly the entire movie was built around its premise. You'd notice how all the earlier scenes contribute to the outcome while maintaining a consistent internal logic. But these are details that you'd notice only during subsequent viewings. That's why its imperative not to reveal The Sky Crawler's twist to people who haven't watched it; the emotional payback from watching the film the first time round wouldn't be as strong, as a result. Quote:
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Spoiler for different outcomes in the novel:
...so, quite evidently, Oshii had a different take on the story, as he is entitled to do so as the movie's director. His was presumably more hopeful than MORI's. The Teacher in Oshii's movie may have an interesting background story, but it's peripheral to his core theme. In the movie, the dreaded ace pilot serves as a harbinger of death, the grim reaper himself. That is, he plays a largely symbolic role rather than a personal one. ============================== Quote:
Kusanagi is unusual for being the only Kildren to have lived for more than eight years. And, if Mitsuya's claims are to be believed, Kusanagi was once a top ace herself. That's actually quite likely, given that she seems to be the only one to survive a dogfight with The Teacher. (Unless she has a uniquely identifiable style of dogfighting like The Teacher, it's unlikely that he could have recognised her and thus spared her in combat.) Quote:
Spoiler for my response:
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2009-03-20, 18:30 | Link #117 |
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Join Date: Sep 2007
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i was really surprised how they tried to present the Polish cities.
There is the Palace of Culture in Warsaw. Also The second city is Cracov - when they are riding the trolley. I believe you could see the shadows of St. Mary's Church and a fragment of a defensive wall from XV cent. ( u can google it) |
2009-03-20, 20:56 | Link #119 |
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I meant the technology used is just for show, not that the whole concept of Kildren is.
There is certainly a great deal of politics going on as a backdrop, but I feel that the Kildren are, at heart, a business. Rostock wins a sortie? Their market share and stocks go up. Their only other use is as entertainment, to serve as a reminder of war while at the same time romanticising it to death for the masses. Think about it, how many films have had protagonists who 'only feel alive in the air/behind the wheel/in space' or whatever? It's all for drama. The masses, seeing this display, will think, 'Oh well they want to fly, they know they're probably going to die. Heck, if the death of a few genetically engineered kids is going to stop war, why should I care? They're practically inhuman anyway.' I'm sure there are probably groups protesting the abuse of genetic engineering, the use of children in combat situations, etc. But will the public care? Perhaps they'll donate a couple of dollars when the petitioners come around, but that's all. Just like what's happening today. The clincher for me was when they were talking about the word Kildren and how it was copyrighted. That sounds like a remarkably modern concept. In fact, most of the major points of this movie are made with contemporary hindsight. So I'm sticking with my hypothesis that the movie is an anachronistic war game set in the modern day. PS Since Oshii isn't known for staying true to the original works in most of his adaptations, I'm sort of discounting the book series when talking about this movie. |
2009-03-23, 02:13 | Link #120 |
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I just finished watching this movie. It was not at all what I expected. I've seen both GITS movies, Jin-Roh and Blood, and this movie had a key difference from all of them - it implied that we do not have to get stuck in cycles of pain and death, and that there is a possibility for us to change.
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