A full English every morning
May 16, 2018 7:34 AM   Subscribe

 
Mary and the Witches Flower is lovely and fully recommended.
posted by Artw at 7:42 AM on May 16, 2018 [4 favorites]


Thanks for posting! Now I have some new titles to add to my list.

The one strange thing about this article that it doesn't mention World War Two at all.
posted by bq at 7:53 AM on May 16, 2018


/everyone shuffles feet nervously, looks at floor.
posted by Artw at 8:08 AM on May 16, 2018 [2 favorites]


But really i think the England he’s into is the England of whimsical fairytales and steampunk balloon nonsense, so it tops out around the 1900s and WWII hasn’t happened yet on his timeline. Plus there might be a bit of a Japanese thing of pretending it never vitally happened.

So anyway, much bonding over being small islands with tea and politeness and the odd questionable bit of history we don’t discuss much.
posted by Artw at 8:21 AM on May 16, 2018 [9 favorites]


Mary and the Witches Flower is lovely and fully recommended.

We just watched it a couple of nights ago. While it was enjoyable -- almost up there with the best of the Ghibli movies, and more fun than some -- both of us thought there was just too much borrowed from Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away.

We had to pause the movie for a belly laugh about the visual design of Doctor Dee, because it just felt like a ridiculous rip-off.
posted by Foosnark at 8:25 AM on May 16, 2018 [2 favorites]


So anyway, much bonding over being small islands with tea and politeness and the odd questionable bit of history we don’t discuss much.

There's also knights in armor and weird etiquette / social rules outsiders don't understand
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 8:27 AM on May 16, 2018 [2 favorites]


We should propose that we unite and overthrow Wes Anderson.
posted by Artw at 8:35 AM on May 16, 2018 [3 favorites]


No, I mean like, in The Cat Returns, the grandpa character picks up the cat figuring in Germany, and Porco Rosso has no logical reason to be set in Italy, the connections to these countries that they fought with and against just permeate the material.
posted by bq at 8:46 AM on May 16, 2018


> But really i think the England he’s into is the England of whimsical fairytales and steampunk balloon nonsense, so it tops out around the 1900s and WWII hasn’t happened yet on his timeline. Plus there might be a bit of a Japanese thing of pretending it never vitally happened.

Japan, or at least its popular media, has had a persistent fascination with Ruritania, where everybody lives in villages full of chalet-esque or Tudor-esque houses or apartments over bakeries and cafes, the big city on the other side of the hill is neatly retained within an ancient and disused battlement. Where the vehicles are steam engines, horse-drawn carriages, and the occasional pre-Model A car. Where people dress in a mix of Bavarian or prewar European clothing, unless it's a big night where they bring out their Victorian finest. The Studio Ghibli shows have a lot to do with this, but Ruritanian settings are common in non-Ghibli productions as well. This fascination has also spawned real-world cultural artifacts like maid cafes.

I kind of wonder whether this spawns from the popularity of Anne of Green Gables, for which there is even a theme park in Japan.
posted by ardgedee at 9:37 AM on May 16, 2018 [13 favorites]


I'm unable to recall the name, but I started watching a series with a friend that was set in a Ruritanian (thanks for the name) village at an indeterminate time, and then the characters found a WWII era tank and the inchoate European-ness of the whole thing made me so uncomfortable I had to stop watching. So I do think it's possible for that kind of squicky cultural exploitation to exist in every direction.
posted by bq at 10:05 AM on May 16, 2018 [2 favorites]


Porco Rosso has no logical reason to be set in Italy
bq

This, at least, is untrue, for two reasons.

First, Miyazaki is a well-known aviation nut, and Porco Rosso is filled with references to early aviation, of which Italy played an important part. There are specific references to early Italian aviators and aviation companies in the film. If you want to set a film during the early years of aviation, Italy is a sensible choice for a setting.

Second, Miyazaki has said the film is intended to be political with an anti-fascist message. Inter-war Italy therefore makes sense as a region on the cusp of fascism, and how that affects and warps everything and everyone there.
posted by Sangermaine at 11:28 AM on May 16, 2018 [10 favorites]


Porco Rosso has no logical reason to be set in Italy

ahem
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 11:41 AM on May 16, 2018 [2 favorites]


So anyway, much bonding over being small islands with tea and politeness and the odd questionable bit of history we don’t discuss much.

I've thought of the two countries as remarkably parallel in this way for a while.
posted by atoxyl at 12:10 PM on May 16, 2018 [3 favorites]


Markedly different ideas about the correct treatment of prisoners of war, however...
posted by Segundus at 1:23 PM on May 16, 2018


Yes?
posted by Grangousier at 1:32 PM on May 16, 2018 [2 favorites]


Is it?
You sure?
Really?
posted by glasseyes at 3:28 PM on May 16, 2018 [1 favorite]


Not a good competition, even to be a runner up in.

The weirdest one on the WWII front is The WInd Rises, which is a film about the designer of the Zero that, if i recall correctly, doesn't directly show the war at all and references it only very obliquely, but on the other hand is filled with this overwhelming sense of doom and futility as regards technological endeavors and the inevitably of them being used for destruction.
posted by Artw at 6:03 PM on May 16, 2018


The UK does seem to be very popular in Japan but just as the "Japan" in the minds of most people in the UK and USA isn't the real Japan, the Britain loved by Japan isn't completely real either. It's a lot nicer, and I wish I lived there.

Miyazaki and Yonebayashi have visited at least, and know what they are doing - they're not just naively romanticising, they understand how to build stories by weaving myths.
posted by BinaryApe at 10:54 PM on May 16, 2018 [2 favorites]


A chef in Japan asked Mrs Binaryape and me what the official/traditional big breakfast was in the UK (equivalent to rice and miso soup, etc) and we explained British fried breakfasts while watching some strong mixed emotions "It's ALL fried?" "Not the toast. Well, sometimes the toast too".
posted by BinaryApe at 11:11 PM on May 16, 2018 [6 favorites]


The anime series (I looked it up) was Senjou No Valkyria. After reading the description and reviews I still can't explain why it squicked me out when other similar things don't. I don't have a problem with Avatar....
posted by bq at 11:34 AM on May 17, 2018


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