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Tôkaidô Yotsuya kaidan (1959)
Good Dated Scares and Horrors
- ENG -
Good Dated Scares and Horrors
What frightened past generations may be the same that frightens new generations, but the way in which these fears are presented and expressed is very different. Perhaps the horror genre (whether in Western cinema or, more precisely in this case, in Japanese "yurei" and "kaidan" films) is the genre in which this difference between what frightened in the past and what may seem ineffective or even ridiculous today is most noticeable. We only have to look at some American horror films (including vampires, Draculas or zombies) from the 1940s and 1950s to see that. The honorable exceptions are those masterpieces of cinema that free themselves from genre qualifications and become timeless works of art (such as Murnau's Nosferatu and others).
When they aren't masterpieces, films are worthwhile for their context and historical readings, as testimonies to the era that produced them. In the case of Japanese films seen through the eyes of Westerners, the case becomes even more difficult to assess, because we don't have the same sensitivity. What frightened Westerners were not precisely the same things that frightened the spirits of the Japanese living. Even so, in this version of the famous tale of "Yotsuya Kaidan" (a tale that has several versions) there are interesting shots, beautiful scenery and framing. I think it's a movie that should be seen by anyone who likes the genre or who is interested in Japanese culture, but I don't think it's worth mentioning as a reference film to watch.
There is also a theatrical quality that pervades the film and the performances of the actors/actresses, which may seem exaggerated to Western eyes (not used to the characteristics of "kabuki" theater).
Of all the classic (pre-1980) versions I've seen of the Yatsu story, this is one that best manages to convey a sequence of crescendoing hauntings and the hallucinatory madness that takes hold of the ronin Iemon.
There are parts of the movie that reminded me of passages from the later Japanese horror film "Ringu".
(Advice for those looking for good "Kaidan" films (not exactly Western-style horror or "gore terror"): Don't miss Masaki Kobayashi's 1964 film "Kaidan" ("Kwaidan") - a masterpiece of world cinema.)
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- PT-pt (original) -
Bons Sustos e Horrores Datados
Aquilo que assustava as gerações passadas, pode ser o mesmo que assusta as novas gerações, mas a forma como esses medos são apresentados e expressos é muito diferente. Talvez o género do horror (seja no cinema ocidental ou mais precisamente neste caso, nos filmes sobre "yurei" e "kaidan" japoneses) seja aquele género em que mais se nota essa diferença entre o que assustava no passado e aquilo que poderá parecer ineficaz ou até ridículo no presente. Basta vermos alguns filmes americanos considerados de horror (incluindo de vampiros, condes dráculas ou zombies) dos anos 1940's e 1950's, para constatarmos isso mesmo. As honrosas excepções vão para aquelas obras-primas do cinema que se libertam de qualificações de género e se elevam a obras de arte intemporais (como o Nosferatu de Murnau e outros).
Quando não são obras-primas, os filmes valem pelo seu contexto e leituras históricas, como testemunhos da época que os produziu. No caso de filmes japoneses vistos pelos olhos de ocidentais, o caso torna-se ainda mais difícil de avaliar, porque não possuimos a mesma sensibilidade. Aquilo que assutava os ocidentais não eram precisamente as mesmas coisas que assustavam os espíritos dos vivos japoneses. Ainda assim, nesta versão do famoso conto "Yotsuya Kaidan" (conto que conta com várias versões) há enquadramentos, cenários e fotografias interessantes e bonitas. Acredito que seja um filme a ver por quem gosta do género ou por quem se interessa pela cultura japonesa, mas não me parece que valha a pena ser referido como uma obra cinematográfica de referência a ser vista.
Há também um qualidade teatral que perpassa o filme e as actuações dos actores/actrizes, que podem parecer exageradas aos olhos ocidentais (não habituados com as características do teatro "kabuki").
De todas as versões clássicas (anteriores a 1980) que vi da história Yatsu, esta é uma das que melhor consegue passar uma sequência de assombrações em crescendo e a loucura alucinada que se apodera do ronin Iemon.
Há partes do filme que me fizera lembrar passagens do posterior filme de horror japonês "Ringu".
(Conselho para quem procura bons filmes de "Kaidan" (não exactamente de horror ao estilo ocidental ou "gore terror"): Não percam o filme "Kaidan" ("Kwaidan") de Masaki Kobayashi, de 1964 - uma obra-prima do cinema mundial.)
Chuunibyou demo koi ga shitai! (2012)
Much more than a pseudo Isekai RomCom! A life lesson!
One of the best series I have seen in the comedy and romance genre (RomCom)!
"Chuunibyou" is a syndrome that leads young people to fantasize and strongly believe that the fantastic worlds they create, and that their imaginary superpowers are real. Most series that deal with these themes, portray them as actually real, separate from reality or constituting a different reality in another world or another dimension (as in Isekai genre series). This series doesn't. This series makes the characters who suffer from this syndrome ("Chuunibyou") interact with the real-world, causing hilarious situations, as the rest of the people in the real-world find those fantastical behaviors strange, bizarre and ridiculous. It's in this balance between delirium and reality that the humor of this series is based on. And this is why some reviews I have read say that the series is based on awkward situations. I personally don't find them as awkward as much as I find them cute and beautiful, since they portray a wonderful phase of our life, full of faith and hope. This is, by the way, one of the lessons of the series: not to lose the childlike spirit and the child in us (I pass the cliché).
The love is introduced in the series through the relationship between a character who suffers from "Chuunibyou" and another who has suffered in the past, but is currently ashamed of that phase. But love also happens between the main characters' friendship relationships (the schoolmates) and even between the "Priestess" (Rikka's older sister - the main character) Rikka's family and Rikka herself.
The event that triggered "Chuunibyou" syndrome in Rikka was the death of her father. As a result, Rikka takes refuge in a fantasy world to better cope with her loss and grief, while maintaining the hope of finding her father again (whom she believes to be lost in the "Ethereal Horizon" or "Lost Horizon" - depending on the translations).
The design and animation is excellent. Well-defined characters with consistent personalities, and good conceptual design with imaginative backdrops and backgrounds, make this series worth being watched.