Tong: Grave of the Fireflies

Isao Takahata's 'Grave of the Fireflies', based on the autobiography of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka, takes place during World War II. It involves a teenage boy and his little sister trying their best to survive in desolated Japanese towns after frequent bombings by the Americans. The film explores heavy themes such as societal breakdown, the urge to survive, the love between individuals, and the shortness of life.

Tong: The Harp of Burma

'The Harp of Burma' is a short, two-part adaptation of a famous Japanese novel of the same name. It revolves around a Japanese battalion during World War II. The men are unique in that they are also a choir group. Their leader has taught the entire battalion how to sing, and one of the men plays a harp during each song. The men sing in order to boost their morale during such dark times as war. When every single day is a day fearful of death, it's very calming to just sing.

The thing about death is it's something no one wants. Death can be accepted and given into by people who are dying, but it's never something people truly want from the beginning. I think this is so because life is such a wonderful thing. To live, breathe, socialize with others, fall in love... these are things most precious to life and our humanity. No one wants to lose any of this. The concept of death, however, is dealt differently between some countries, like Americans and Japanese for example.

Tong: Ghost in the Shell Analysis

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'Ghost in the Shell' is one of the best anime films I'd ever seen. The animation is gorgeous, the characters are interesting, and the ideas explored are philosophical. The main topic the film explores is humanity and what makes someone a human, as well as one's sense of identity. In the world of 'Ghost in the Shell', people have combined with machines, sort of like androids. A downside to the mechanization of humans is the risk of someone hacking into others, which is the case for this film. A mysterious person who goes by the name Puppet Master is hacking people in order to do his bidding. He's able to erase people's minds and give them memories they've never had, making these people believe they're living a life they're not actually living.

Tong: Vampire Hunter D Review

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Toyoo Ashida's 'Vampire Hunter D' is one of many movies featuring vampires. The movie is based on Hideyuki Kikuchi's novel series by the same name. What makes this vampire movie stand out from the rest is its western elements. And by western I do not mean the entire western hemisphere - I'm talking about the western film genre.

Tong: Perfect Blue Review

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Satoshi Kon's 'Perfect Blue' is one heck of a film! It's a psychological thriller that focuses on the life of an ex-pop star-turned-actress. Though 'Perfect Blue' is a "cartoon," it presents highly involving real-world themes regarding celebrities, their expected roles in society, and much, much more.

Tong: Botchan & Student Days

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For this week's Anime blog, I'm retreating from my usual "film review" format. This is because the two anime we've seen this week aren't truly films, and from my understanding they're more like Japanese after-school television specials.

The two specials are called 'Botchan' and 'Student Days', and they both cover a similar topic in one way or another - the Japanese education system.

Tong: Ninja Scroll Review

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Yoshiaki Kawajiri's 'Ninja Scroll' is a mess of an anime film. I'm sure I'm at the lower end of the spectrum since 'Ninja Scroll' has received critical acclaim at the time of its release, and Kawajiri's been praised for his work on 'Wicked City' and 'Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust'. Having not seen any of Kawajiri's other work other than this film, I must say this isn't a great first impression.