AYAKO - TEZUKA Review
Just another amazing piece of work by the god of manga, Osamu Tezuka. Ayako is a very different story that comes unexpected to those who don't know Tezuka, or only know a small body of his work. Ayako is serious, it covers real life topics and unfolds a tragic family secret. My thoughts on the film are different from what we spoke in class. Ayako is a bit confusing for the western audience, but the truth is, it was not meant for a western audience. There are dozens of characters and at first it is a litte confusing, but each character has their own way of speaking so its very clear to differentiate who is who. The Tenge family, is not like a normal american family. They are a Japanese family who is attempting to reunite after the war, but not so slowly we are revealed how each character is stuck with their poor choices. I believe that american audiences might say, "well, why didn't they keep AYAKO's origin a secret?", "Why don't they just lie?". It's not that simple. We like to believe that as humans we are all morally just, or in the very least we share most moral values. However, culture plays a huge role in that. For Japanese families, the honor of someones family line is very valuable, especially for such a large family. In america it might be easier to put certain things behind or secret or shut off from the world, but the tenge family will not let things slide. Each character has their own problems and although the story was a little flat at times and dialogue heavy, it is not for the faint hearted.
With Fransis' comment about how "Ayako wasn't mean for a western audience" clicked because a lot of the time I feel Japanese films are forced to americanize themselves for the American audience. A lot of the time American audiences need their stories to make too much sense, or need the story to be told a certain way. The pressure to convey a story or make vital changes to characters to make them more palatable for a foreign audience ruins the story.
ReplyDeleteI think Ayako is a good example where audiences need to leave their identities behind, immerse themselves in the movie, and really put themselves in the character's shoes.