Hyouge Mono

Hyouge Mono is an anime I do not recommend to anyone. Not because it is bad, but because it is completely on a different level. It is not a flower you can just buy and toss later. It is a fragile one, blooms in desolate lands, and you need a bit of effort to find it. It will never gather an army of fans screaming the best anime ever. It will never get the highest ratings. Most people will not even like it. They will quickly get bored and discard this gem. Then what makes Hyouge Mono great? Not its animation or sound quality. The ... reason is its characters, superb use of concepts, and avoiding a story of the usual struggle between good and bad, black and white. Hyouge Mono is a land of chaos, obsessed not with morality but beauty.

ANIMATION, SOUND AND THE END OF NARRATION

Hyouge Mono has nothing new or excellent to offer in animation and sound departments. Especially the animation has nothing to look forward to. The creators were not aiming to offer an eye candy rendering the story secondary. They had only the story, the rest was simply a medium. I don’t mean that the anime with good animation are bad, but regretfully, visuals tend to play a more important role in getting popularity and a lot of cash. As time passes animation is getting more stunning, and unfortunately past anime age faster than ever before. Perhaps the only way for anime to survive in the long run is not best ever fight scenes, but offering its core: story and characters.

In the sound department the work is solid. Characters are original and voice actors do a great job at fleshing them out.

STORY, PLOT, AND PHILOSOPHY

The main themes of many anime are simple and straightforward. Many shounen are about helping friends and getting all the best women. Evangelion TV series is about coping with existence, how to deal with life at its worst. On the other hand, Hyouge Mono is about beauty, aesthetics. But (this is a big but) it does not present a simple answer. It offers different interpretations, multiple perspectives. It does not bombard you with stand-alone ideas injected into poor characters. Ideas in this anime do not come from outside, but from within. Characters and story develop in such a way that we end up with something totally different. It is not Ergo Proxy giving reference to Derrida, Husserl or Sartre. It is Hyouge Mono that lets its viewers enter the world of aesthetics, ideas, philosophy by offering events, plot developments that lead you there. That is why Hyouge Mono, a historical samurai anime can compete with most sci-fi, post-apocalyptic works, with Ergo Proxy, with Ghost in the Shell.

CHARACTERS AND THE WORLD OF CHAOS

Anime takes place in the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1569-1603), the final phase of Sengoku (warring states). Japan is almost united, but who will be the single ruler of all is not established yet. You can still hear the breath of the past era. Rebellions, conspiracies, and assassinations occur frequently. Fortunes can rise and fall overnight; today’s fortunate are tomorrow’s betrayed victims and vice versa. This perfect situation helps the characters shine. Their decisions can lead to their demise. They have to be cautious at all times. Dialogues are not wasted on babbling. They are there for a solid reason and you can see consequences of what characters talk later. In short, they are not monologues disguised as dialogue. In many anime, especially those trying too hard to be deep, we see characters blabbering. What they say does not resonate well with their characters, or just can be said by anyone. In short, they are ideas masked as characters.

Hyouge Mono begs to differ. Its characters are not one-dimensional, not even two-dimensional. They have multiple sides about them. They sustain multiple relations with each other. For instance, Soueki Senno – a rather reticent old tea master with his own school of art – has to treat everyone differently. He does so many incongruous things that if disclosed to all he can lose everything. And more than all, I have never seen in any anime before of such an old person undergoing such a dramatic transformation.

Senno isn’t the only unique character. Furuta Sasuke – the main character and self-declared aesthetic – is not your usual reflecting on the meaning of life character (I’ve in mind most so-called deep anime). He has flesh: he is in search of self without even being aware of that. He does not change once in the series, but multiple times without losing the grasp of his initial personality. All characters, even the supporting ones that appear in a few episodes, do have few things to offer. They fit their place in the story perfectly. They can even show original development.

Hyouge Mono characters have more to offer other than being multidimensional and developing continuously. They also have intelligence. They are conscious of themselves, of their deeds, they can relate with others at an intellectual level. To put it differently, even characters do know themselves. That is radically different from other anime. Hyouge Mono is on a different level simply because it adds intelligence, self-awareness, not mere smartness to get the attention of viewers.

ENJOYMENT AND ORIGINALITY

Hyouge Mono has an original voice, so original that even if you dislike it you cannot deny its peculiarities. But does it guarantee enjoyment? No. I’m pretty sure that many will not like it. Preferring silence to action, speaking to fighting does not appeal to most. There are scenes in this anime where silence is the main plot device. Reticence has an aesthetic dimension here, holding oneself and not speaking out everything adds to the world of imperfection (school of imperfection is an aesthetic movement in Hyouge Mono). I recommend you to keep in mind that once someone tried to persuade you that Hyouge Mono is a gem so you can revisit it later. Its originality can be better understood if you have watched many anime and undergone different stages of being an anime fan (from calling everything the best anime ever to slowly getting bored, then rediscovering again, and so on). Originality can be better understood if you have already conquered lesser mountains.

Social upheaval, constant military conflict and political intrigue are the main characteristics of the Sengoku period; as a matter of fact, it could be described as a chaotic world, a clashing of individuals with vast ambitions. Admist the turmoil, the importance of Aesthetics, a philosophy of art, is not be forgotten, which influences that particular era significantly. Rather than focussing upon the various battles itself, Hyouge Mono showcases the importance of aesthetics, including fantastic characterization of its varied cast of characters. It comes together with a great narrative, along with fantastic and well placed comedy that serve to lighten the atmosphere at appropriate times.

~Story~

The story ... of Hyouge Mono is based upon true historical recordings, that takes place in the final stage of the Sengoku period, the Azuchi-Momoyama period from 1573 to 1603: it is at the peak of Oda Nobunaga's power. The anime is a very character driven story, focussing on multiple characters where Furuta Sasuke could be seen as the main protagonist. It is a very accurate historical representation of that time, using the obscured historical records to interpretate the gaps and whole scope of those decades, and very convincingly so. For viewers familiar and not with the setting, may find themselves pleasantly surprised in discovering all the finer details.

What stands out in Hyouge Mono is the fact that it focusses on the importance of ideologies, aesthetics, rather than the all the battles and common themes (the samurai, bushido, glory) audiences are so accustomed to see. It certainly glances over such battles, as it is necessary to understand all the different conflicts that takes place. Special attention is placed upon the tea ceremonies and art, in particular that of simplicity and imperfection, all fundamental to understanding the story and the authors interpretation. It replaces action with meaningful dialogues and silence: both are used to enhance and highlight certain scenes, be it to enforce an emotion or ideal. Consequently, this naturally affects the pacing of the anime: while it has a magnificent start, the "slow" pacing drags out occasionally, especially in the middle - but it is very befitting (and necessary). Luckily, it heightens its pace afterwards. Its focus is a fresh and delightful approach on the genre.

As mentioned earlier, Hyouge Mono is an interpretation of the events of the Azuchi-Momoyama period: some key points are unknown, thus it becomes arguably necessary to create a well structured narrative with convincing elements to support this, which was the case. Regarding the structure as a whole, the show may seem of simple nature at first glance, yet it quickly becomes apparent that both differing and mutual interests spiral into conflicts that either leave at the beginning some open ends, or converge into bigger ones, nicely weaving most of it until the end of the story. As mentioned earlier, comedy is another great aspect of the anime: it is unique on its own, having its main focus upon both the social standing of that period, together with our own. In addition it is used to emphasize on certain occurences, and is never overdone.

~Characters~

Hyouge Mono is compromised by a large cast of characters, who are complex and very well fleshed out, with its own flaws. Their interactions are meaningful and displayed in a very satisfying manner, while being very self aware.. The main character Furuta Sasuke is a warrior and self-proclaimed aesthete, who has a deep passion in the tea ceremonies and material possession - a naive and greedy man in search of himself. He undergoes significant character development throughout the stages of the story while failing multiple times as well as succeeding, making his development so much more satisfying to see. Another character of great importance is the current master of tea, Sen no Rikyu - a key element in the story. He is a mysterious, yet respectful and strong-willed man with no clear motives at the beginning. However, as the show progresses, his character gets fleshed out significantly, furthermore enhancing his personality. It is truly fascinating to see to which extent people are willing to go to achieve their ambitions/goals.

The secondary characters are not be left out either: the different warriors, the disciples of Rikyu, the aesthetes, or simply the family of the cast. These are imperfect, meaning they have their weaknesses and flaws that serve to create an immersive atmosphere. These play a crucial role in understanding the ideals, the perspectives, motives, and of course the characters, to convey a meaningful and satisfying interpretation of all the events. While it is true that characters come and go, it must be noted all have a role to play, and are not simply there to fill space: it arguably leaves a significant impression in audiences. It is simply fascinating to see how the different perspectives and ideologies, ambition and greed of the cast affect their world, as well as the respective consequences of said actions.

~Animation and sound~

The animation of Hyouge Mono is overall well done, although it is apparent that there where monetary constraints: occasionally basic character models are used, as well as plainly showing some sliding/still images. It also makes occasional use of CG, but this affects the different objects of importance mainly. What however stands out in the anime are the design in characters: it is varied and ridiculous (to some), but very befitting to enhance the different ideologies, as well the themes the anime has to offer. The facial expressions are another thing to take note of, as these emphasize the character's personality as well as their emotional state - exaggerated, but masterfully implemented, which is a rare occurrence.

Concerning the music score of the anime, it quite different from what viewers might be expecting from such a setting, making use of traditional instruments, as well as techno-like tracks. It also makes use of some jazzy themes, much to my surprise. Although it may seem a weird choice of music, I personally feel it is a great addition to the atmosphere it tries to create. However, there were times were the same track was used a tad to often. As for the voice actors, these performed their roles masterfully, truly conveying both personalities and emotions of the characters. The anime offered several openings, Bowl Man being a personal favourite, befitting of the anime.

~Enjoyment~

Needless to say, I throughly enjoyed Hyouge Mono in every single aspect, be it the setting and its narrative, the fantastic cast and characterization, or the art style of the series, making me several times blurt out in laughter. The interpretation of the end of the Sengoku period was very satisfying, using the obscured historical records to create a possible flow of events: this is because most of the character's motives behind their actions are unclear. Hyouge Mono, literally Jocular Fellow, is truly a fascinating and hilarious story, that describes the essence of beauty and its perceptions, and with that, interpretations. So do I recommend this anime? I certainly do, but only for those that have patience so as to fully appreciate this work. Personally certainly a worthy rewatch.

Thank you for reading.

Hey look! Some dumb asshole is trying to review Hyouge Mono! I have that on that on my Plan to Watch list! I think it's safe to say a LOT of us have the same experience with this anime. You've been on MAL for about a year. You get recommended the members of the sacred 3x3. You guys know what I'm talking about. Tatami, Mushishi, LotGH, etc. Now you've watched 9 anime that are highbrow and not on Netflix. You aren't the N00b anymore. What's next? Someone is going recommend Hyouge Mono. You think to yourself, "Oh WOW! A 40-episode anime about tea ceremony that ... also takes place during the reunification years of the Sengoku Era." That sounds tasteful. It will probably be pretty good. I'll just add that my watch list. There it sits for weeks, months, years, etc. This is the anime that everyone wants to watch, but nobody has actually fucking watched! It's December and nobody else has even written a review this year for Hyouge. As of the time I'm writing this, only 10 people have ever reviewed this series since it came out in 2011!

So now you've decided to watch Hyouge Mono. I'll just watch it on Crunchyroll...but it's not there. I'll just watch it on one of my other streaming services...but it's on none of them. I'll just go on Rightstuf and buy the DVDs. Oops! It's never actually been released in English. So how do you watch it? You go on a pirate site, and you watch the fansubs produced by some group called Huzzah. Let me tell you, these are some of the worst fan subs I've ever seen. I'm 33 years old and have seen a lot of anime. I mentioned in my review of Link Click that I remember the bad days of bootleg anime on VHS. However, this isn't a Chinese studio Google translating out of laziness. This is a group of college kids trying WAAAAY too hard to punch up the script and make it seem more elegant and refined than what they're actually saying. Since it takes place in the 1500s, they honest to God tried to make every line sound like Shakespeare or the King James Bible. However, even an untrained ear can pick up that the anime isn't using some archaic Keigo speech that modern Japanese couldn't understand. It's using basic ass Shonen anime speech! However, every "Hai" is translated to "Aye Milord". I may have been drunk, but I swear I recall a "Naruhodo" being translated as "indubitably". I normally don't rant about fansubs, but this is literally the only way in which I can watch the series besides raw Japanese. This is what you will experience watching this anime! The people who made up Huzzah subs, truly believed that the job of a translator is to make the work look way more artsy than it actually is. I want to watch the Huzzah subs of other anime. You're watching Elfen Lied and Lucy is finally confessing to Kouta in that climactic final scene and says, "I can never express the remorse that consumes my soul, but should you ever have need of my life, come take it." Your eyes tear up and you think "God DAMN this dialogue is good! Why is this anime rated like garbage?!"

Anyways, it's time to finally talk about the actual show. The main character is Furuta Sasuke and he's a minor retainer of Oda Nobunaga who is absolutely obsessed with pottery and tea ceremony. As in Furuta is obsessed in a very cartoonish, over the top way that's played for comedy. Furuta is loosely based on a real historical figure named Furuta Oribe, who was the apprentice of Nobunaga's beloved tea master Sen no Rikyu. I may as well mention this here, but if you don't know Japanese history you're going to be confused. This anime assumes that you're Japanese and you know who these people are. So, it's not ever going to slow down and explain anything. Why should it? You know who Sen no Rikyu is right? He's the tea dude! Yamanaka sensei taught you that shit in 9th grade! Let's say you know a little Japanese history already and with the help of Wikipedia, you familiarize yourself with all these figures and events. Well prepare to get trolled, because this series is as accurate as Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter! This is a historical anime where Nobunaga wasn't betrayed by Akechi and forced to commit seppuku while his loyal general Toyotomi was away fighting a battle. Sen the tea dude didn't like Nobunaga because of his shitty aesthetics, so he tempted Toyotomi into assassinating Nobunaga by walking up to him and literally cutting him in half with his katana. Then Nobunaga's torso insults him like the Black Knight from Monty Python because Nobunaga is that badass. Then Nobunaga pours some shitty blood from his intestines into a teacup and forces a horrified Toyotomi into drinking it so he can laugh at him before finally dying. This happens early in the series btw. If you sit through all 40 episodes, this one scene is what you're going to fucking remember. I really hate to reference TV Tropes, but I believe scenes such as this are referred to as "A Big Lipped Alligator Moment!"

The most spoken word in the entire series is "aesthetics". If you read about this anime, you're going to see that word again and again. This word is used every time Furuta freaks out over a new teacup or new vase. "LOOK AT THE AESTHETICS! MAGNIFICENT!" Furuta screams. To be honest, a more appropriate word would be craftsmanship. Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy that is never really touched on in this series. You can't watch this anime and learn the difference between Zen aesthetics, Confucian aesthetics, and Western aesthetics. It never actually explains shit about aesthetics. If you read a book like Tanizaki's "In Praise of Shadows", you'll learn that traditional Japanese aesthetics values old, wooden, and earthy over polished brass and bright lights that make the shiny new stuff go bling bling. That's because Japanese aesthetics is deeply tied to the concept that life is transitory. Nothing is going to last forever, so there's no reason to build flashy and dazzle people with your incredible wealth. Flashy is seen as unrefined and uncultured. Western aesthetics takes the opposite approach. The interior of most European palaces is just as flashy as any gangster rapper from the 1990s. If you've seen the interior of the Peter and Paul Fortress where the Tsars are buried, HOLY SHIT! The interior has so much gold I think it's worth more than the entire GDP of Ghana. The Tsars are buried down there with 50 kilograms of gold chains. On Judgment Day they will rise from their graves and shout "Where da East Coast At? Where da West coast at?!" Anyways, it would be interesting if this anime actually covered aesthetics. Instead, I would recommend reading "The Book of Tea" by Kakuzo.

Zen aesthetics is all about accepting flaws and imperfections because we're flawed creatures and live in a flawed world. Art is not great because it is complete and perfect, but rather because it leaves things unfinished and allows us to put a piece of ourselves into it. Imperfection certainly describes this anime and as a Zen aesthete I can't say I dislike it. However, it's asking the viewer a lot considering its runtime. Not to mention putting up with the awful fansubs and the mediocre art by Studio Beetrain. After finally watching this thing, I'm not honestly sure who I would recommend it to. I'm sure somebody will love it. It has positive qualities and some good episodes. I just hope this review sheds a little light on this acclaimed series that 200 people have actually watched. Maybe it convinced you to actually start it. Maybe it convinced you to finally take it off your watchlist. I just hope it helps do something.