Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, written by Mamoru Oshii (Angel's Egg; Ghost in the Shell) and directed by Hiroyuki Okiura, conveys an alternative world in which the Japanese had collaborated with the Allies of World War II instead of the Axis powers. After the conclusion of this version of the war, Germany occupied Japan in a way similar to how America did in our timeline. This fictive setting allows criticism on the post-war policies of Japan and encourages the Japanese viewing audience to rethink normalised conservative dispositions. The main topic of this essay is to explore the way in which this criticism is formalised in the film.
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Firstly, Greenhill and Kohm point to the effect of the leitmotif of little red riding hood in Jin-Roh, namely indicating the problematic aspects of 'absolute truth' as a linear construct (2013). Utilising this perspective is a valuable point of view to analyse the social criticism of Oshii and Okiura's work. Furthermore, this approach has the advantage of presenting a starting point for a Western film theorist, since Rotkäppchen was originally a German folk story, thus eliminating some of the traps that are inherent to cross-cultural studies. For example, it is not appropriate to position Japanese filmmakers in a symptomatic study and thereby attributing Western values to their work (Yoshimoto, 1991). This study clearly shows -as a preventative measure- that it is a Western interpretation of the film text and does not pretend that it corresponds to the original intention of both Mamoru Oshii and Hiroyuki Okiura.
Additionally, this essay fits in with the more optimistic side of the Frankfurter school and the associated critical theory. It assumes, in the legacy of Kracauer and Benjamin, that even productions from the cultural industry can be a source of social criticism and critical self-reflection. The Japanese philosopher Tosaka Jun shares this view, as evidenced by his definition of culture as a 'mirror for critical reflection on morality' (Shimizu, 2014). In addition, social scientists such as Shimizu have shown that this definition is applicable for film analyses (2014).
In contrast, the original Frankfurter School would label the audience of Jin-Roh as a passive, holistic and homogeneous mass that would not reach the deeper level of the reading of the film text; the upper limit would consist of recognising the red riding hood reference. Any possibility of a more profound understanding would probably have been written off, in which case the film would lose its potential for self-reflection. Due to the breakthroughs film theory has made in the 20th century, social scientists have changed their perspective on the audience, who are now regarded as autonomous and active participants that have various options in decoding a media text (Hall, 1980).
Immediately after the end of World War II, there was a lot of protest, especially from the Left Students, yet over the years the conservative policy has been normalized and the hegemonic veil must be broken. In this respect, the film text is primarily a critique of the 'dictatorship' of the Liberal Democratic Party (ironically the conservative party) that lasted from 1955 (the establishment of the party) up to and including today (other parties were in power only in the short periods 1993-1994 and 2009-2012). This almost universal presence denied any possibility of change, as the status quo was always defended. The main theme of the film is the internal conflict between the need to belong - even more important in a collectivist society like Japan- and the attractiveness of change to facilitate progress.
The fairy-tale of the Red Riding Hood, here specifically Rotkäppchen - the oldest version of the story, is intertwined throughout the film. Firstly, it is present from the opening scene, spoiler: click to read
In contrast to the superficial understanding of a passive viewer, a deeper reading of this narrative element indicates a metaphorical meaning to the red cap motif. Specifically the possibility of change in a situation where the conservative government does not allow for it and even actively bypasses it. This interpretation is most typified in the scene spoiler: click to read In a collectivist society like Japan no one can inhibit the goals of the pack.
A government based on this collectivist system should not contain internal conflicts. However, in the absence of a national army - dissolved after the end of the Second World War (by either the Germans or Americans depending on which timeline), there was a need for other institutions to protect public order. In Jin-Roh these institutions are depicted more radical and violent, but there is no presence of foreign troops, as is still the case in Japan thanks to the 1951 US-Japan security treaty. In this respect, the film text therefore differs from a more nationalistic critique (cf. Yukio Mishima) and only criticizes the internal organisation. In this way it avoids a hypocritical attitude with its criticism on the conservative policy of post-war Japan.
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To conclude, Jin-roh is a film text that offers active viewers an opportunity for self-reflection, which corresponds to the beneficial aspects of media that Kracauer and Benjamin highlighted in their theories about film, which reconciled critical theory with cultural studies to activate the concept of the 'passive viewer'.
First of all, the leitmotif of Red Riding Hood is a critique on the stubbornness of the conservative policy of Japan since the end of the Second World War. Subsequently, the complicated political plot is a critique of the obfuscated workings of the bureaucracy (similar to the criticism in Ikiru by Akira Kurosawa). It is an analysis of Japanese institutions that had to protect public order in the absence of a national army, in this respect the situation of the film corresponds to the real history of Japan. As a result, the mixture of similarities and differences in the alternative history of Jin-Roh can serve as a mirror for the socio-political reality of contemporary Japan.
Greenhill, P., & Kohm, S. (2013). Hoodwinked! and Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. Marvels & Tales, 27(1), 89-108.
Hall, S. (1980). Encoding/Decoding. In S. Hall, D. Hobson, A. Lowe, & P. Willis (Eds.), Culture, media, language: working papers in cultural studies, 1972-1979 (pp. 128-138). London: Routledge.
Shimizu, K. (2014). The Ambivalent Relationship of Japan's Soft Power Diplomacy and Princess Mononoke: Tosaka Jun's philosophy of culture as moral reflection. Japanese Journal of Political Science, 15(4), 683-698. doi:10.1017/s1468109914000309
Yoshimoto, M. (1991). THE DIFFICULTY OF BEING RADICAL, THE DISCIPLINE OF FILM STUDIES AND THE POSTCOLONIAL WORLD-ORDER. Boundary 2-an International Journal of Literature and Culture, 18(3), 242-257. doi:10.2307/303211
>
Firstly, Greenhill and Kohm point to the effect of the leitmotif of little red riding hood in Jin-Roh, namely indicating the problematic aspects of 'absolute truth' as a linear construct (2013). Utilising this perspective is a valuable point of view to analyse the social criticism of Oshii and Okiura's work. Furthermore, this approach has the advantage of presenting a starting point for a Western film theorist, since Rotkäppchen was originally a German folk story, thus eliminating some of the traps that are inherent to cross-cultural studies. For example, it is not appropriate to position Japanese filmmakers in a symptomatic study and thereby attributing Western values to their work (Yoshimoto, 1991). This study clearly shows -as a preventative measure- that it is a Western interpretation of the film text and does not pretend that it corresponds to the original intention of both Mamoru Oshii and Hiroyuki Okiura.
Additionally, this essay fits in with the more optimistic side of the Frankfurter school and the associated critical theory. It assumes, in the legacy of Kracauer and Benjamin, that even productions from the cultural industry can be a source of social criticism and critical self-reflection. The Japanese philosopher Tosaka Jun shares this view, as evidenced by his definition of culture as a 'mirror for critical reflection on morality' (Shimizu, 2014). In addition, social scientists such as Shimizu have shown that this definition is applicable for film analyses (2014).
In contrast, the original Frankfurter School would label the audience of Jin-Roh as a passive, holistic and homogeneous mass that would not reach the deeper level of the reading of the film text; the upper limit would consist of recognising the red riding hood reference. Any possibility of a more profound understanding would probably have been written off, in which case the film would lose its potential for self-reflection. Due to the breakthroughs film theory has made in the 20th century, social scientists have changed their perspective on the audience, who are now regarded as autonomous and active participants that have various options in decoding a media text (Hall, 1980).
Immediately after the end of World War II, there was a lot of protest, especially from the Left Students, yet over the years the conservative policy has been normalized and the hegemonic veil must be broken. In this respect, the film text is primarily a critique of the 'dictatorship' of the Liberal Democratic Party (ironically the conservative party) that lasted from 1955 (the establishment of the party) up to and including today (other parties were in power only in the short periods 1993-1994 and 2009-2012). This almost universal presence denied any possibility of change, as the status quo was always defended. The main theme of the film is the internal conflict between the need to belong - even more important in a collectivist society like Japan- and the attractiveness of change to facilitate progress.
The fairy-tale of the Red Riding Hood, here specifically Rotkäppchen - the oldest version of the story, is intertwined throughout the film. Firstly, it is present from the opening scene, spoiler: click to read
In contrast to the superficial understanding of a passive viewer, a deeper reading of this narrative element indicates a metaphorical meaning to the red cap motif. Specifically the possibility of change in a situation where the conservative government does not allow for it and even actively bypasses it. This interpretation is most typified in the scene spoiler: click to read In a collectivist society like Japan no one can inhibit the goals of the pack.
A government based on this collectivist system should not contain internal conflicts. However, in the absence of a national army - dissolved after the end of the Second World War (by either the Germans or Americans depending on which timeline), there was a need for other institutions to protect public order. In Jin-Roh these institutions are depicted more radical and violent, but there is no presence of foreign troops, as is still the case in Japan thanks to the 1951 US-Japan security treaty. In this respect, the film text therefore differs from a more nationalistic critique (cf. Yukio Mishima) and only criticizes the internal organisation. In this way it avoids a hypocritical attitude with its criticism on the conservative policy of post-war Japan.
>
To conclude, Jin-roh is a film text that offers active viewers an opportunity for self-reflection, which corresponds to the beneficial aspects of media that Kracauer and Benjamin highlighted in their theories about film, which reconciled critical theory with cultural studies to activate the concept of the 'passive viewer'.
First of all, the leitmotif of Red Riding Hood is a critique on the stubbornness of the conservative policy of Japan since the end of the Second World War. Subsequently, the complicated political plot is a critique of the obfuscated workings of the bureaucracy (similar to the criticism in Ikiru by Akira Kurosawa). It is an analysis of Japanese institutions that had to protect public order in the absence of a national army, in this respect the situation of the film corresponds to the real history of Japan. As a result, the mixture of similarities and differences in the alternative history of Jin-Roh can serve as a mirror for the socio-political reality of contemporary Japan.
Greenhill, P., & Kohm, S. (2013). Hoodwinked! and Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. Marvels & Tales, 27(1), 89-108.
Hall, S. (1980). Encoding/Decoding. In S. Hall, D. Hobson, A. Lowe, & P. Willis (Eds.), Culture, media, language: working papers in cultural studies, 1972-1979 (pp. 128-138). London: Routledge.
Shimizu, K. (2014). The Ambivalent Relationship of Japan's Soft Power Diplomacy and Princess Mononoke: Tosaka Jun's philosophy of culture as moral reflection. Japanese Journal of Political Science, 15(4), 683-698. doi:10.1017/s1468109914000309
Yoshimoto, M. (1991). THE DIFFICULTY OF BEING RADICAL, THE DISCIPLINE OF FILM STUDIES AND THE POSTCOLONIAL WORLD-ORDER. Boundary 2-an International Journal of Literature and Culture, 18(3), 242-257. doi:10.2307/303211
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