Spotlight Anime: Inaka Isha MAL Anime Information Page: Inaka Isha MAL Score – 7.15 (by 1522 users) Ranked - #1993 Popularity - #1623 For the next week I would like to have a discussion about the anime that focuses on the key elements that we here on MAL use to critically rate an anime: Animation, Sound, Characters, Story, and Enjoyment. I would like everyone to approach this thread as if you were going to write a review and structure your initial post like this: Animation - insert rating Sound - insert rating Characters - insert rating Story - insert rating Enjoyment - insert rating Animation - discuss any pros and cons of the animation styling used in the series, try to include some specifics. Sound - describe any of the things you liked or didn't care for in regards to the music and sound effects used in the series etc... If you are having trouble writing up a review or coming up with specific pros and cons, please don't worry. Just do the best you can with it and if you can only write two or three sentences about any of the 5 elements then that's OK. Not everyone here is currently at a level which will allow them to articulate their thoughts and opinions. After your initial post is made you can feel free to civilly discuss issues of contention. I am sure there will be many opinions expressed here that some of us will disagree upon and criticise and it is for that reason that this entire club exists. So I hope everyone has fun and I am really looking forward to watching this discussion unfold. RESULTS OF THE YOU DECIDE POLL Inaka Isha was NOT inducted into the club Anime list: 17 Yes - 50.0% 17 No - 50.0% 40 Don't know this anime - 50.6% of the total number polled 5 Abstained - 6.3% of the total number polled |
santetjanOct 12, 2010 9:53 AM
| You do not beg the sun for mercy. |
| I found it a very interesting watch. However I watched it without subtitles, so a lot was left out. I will have to abstain due to that. |
 Waratte Oemashou Sore ha Chiisana Inori |
ladyxzeus said: I found it a very interesting watch. However I watched it without subtitles, so a lot was left out. I will have to abstain due to that. Why don't you watch it again then? It's only 20 minutes long. I'll post my thoughts on this anime later when I have more time. I would just say briefly now that this anime is amazing. |
     |
ladyxzeus said: I found it a very interesting watch. However I watched it without subtitles, so a lot was left out. I will have to abstain due to that. Read it, then watch it again. |
| I haven't read the original story, but I still found this amazing. Fantastic artwork coupled with a twisted and intriguing story that fucks your brain so hard you can't help but either love it or hate it. I love it. |
| When I watched it I thought it had nice artwork and it was both disturbing and captivating. But I couldn't find a point to it, even after reading it and thinking about both the short story and the anime. I think I'll have to watch it again, but unless I get something more than good art this time, it will remain just a convoluted mindfucking acid trip, therefore no. |
Desirio said: When I watched it I thought it had nice artwork and it was both disturbing and captivating. But I couldn't find a point to it, even after reading it and thinking about both the short story and the anime. I think I'll have to watch it again, but unless I get something more than good art this time, it will remain just a convoluted mindfucking acid trip, therefore no. Kafka's works are never meant to be mere acid trips with no meaning. So you can rest assured that if you don't get the point of the story, it's not an indication of the story being pointless. It just means that you need to think/research about it more. That said here's my thoughts on this anime and why I think it belongs to the relations list: Inaka Isha is a very faithful adaptation of Kafka's short story "A country Doctor" yet it manages to add elements to the story that can make it easier for the viewer to comprehend the situation at times. One of the biggest achievements in this movie in my opinion is the creation of the surreal world Kafka pictures in this story. While Kafka never uses words to describe anything out of ordinary about the environment in his story, the atmosphere and the surreal events that occur leave you with the feeling that the world in which the events are happening might not be a normal world. So I believe the visuals of the movie suit the context of the story perfectly. I can't imagine any other style that could serve the purpose of portraying the grim and surreal world that the doctor lives in any better.The director also uses symbolism wisely.The first thing that we see in the story are the two little dark characters that stand for the doctor's conscience. Those two shadow like characters are always timidly hiding behind the doctor or curtains symbolizing the timid nature of the doctor in standing for his opinion and how he's afraid of acting upon his will. As these two narrate the story we see that while the doctor has a conscious knowledge of the situations, he refuses to take charge and allows people (The groom, the family of the patient and even the horses) to manipulate him and create situations where he's used as a tool. Even at times when he gets frustrated and/or angry (symbolized by his head growing bigger and swelling up) he refrains from showing it or at times he hesitates (refer to the scene where he kicks the door of the pigsty) before doing so. He never acts upon his will until too late and when he does it's pointless as he's already lost everything. He's nothing as a human being and by becoming a tool conscientiously and refusing to act freely he deserves his fate. An incapable director could easily make the doctor a pitiful character but Kafka's doctor is not to be pitied or sympathized with and the doctor in Inaka Isha is also a character that the audience wouldn't feel sorry for deeply. The shaky and cold voice of him and his conscience, the cold expression on his face and his attire all are chosen carefully and perfectly in my opinion and serve their purpose. I wish I had more time to write more about every detail of this anime since there are many great aspects to it. Kafka's story is a masterpiece but this movie offers more than a great story. The art and animation, the sound and almost everything about it is done with perfect precision. "The film has won several awards, including the 2008 Ofuji Noburo Award from the Mainichi Film Concours. It was also included in the Animation Show of Shows in 2008." I have to go back to class but if I get the chance I might add to this post later. Here's a great quote from Louis H. Leiter I found the last minute: " "A Country Doctor" comments on man, who, buffeted by the scheme of things, is unable to transcend the part assigned him by the absurdity of that existence. Because he does not lack conscious knowledge of his condition, but refuses to act in the face of his portentous freedom, the doctor, an archetype of the anti-existential hero, deserves his fate. Lacking the human stuff necessary to create and structure situations, he permits himself to be manipulated by the groom, the family, and the horses; but he becomes, by submitting, a tool within the situations they create. Never, consciously, does he attempt through an overt act, until too late, to establish his own essence, to rise above any manipulative value he possesses for others. As doctor he is a thing, an object, a tool; as man he is nothing" |
kokuroOct 4, 2010 7:44 PM
|
kokuro said: Kafka's works are never meant to be mere acid trips with no meaning. So you can rest assured that if you don't get the point of the story, it's not an indication of the story being pointless. It just means that you need to think/research about it more. Actually, the above statement is wrong on two points. First, some of the stories certainly are nothing more than pointless exercises - or at least turned out to be, even to Kafka himself. Quite a few of his (rightly) unfinished stories fall in this category. Second, many of his more famous works are really fairly simple in meaning. Kafka has the distinction of being one of those authors who is, to my view, consistently over-analysed, even when the story is perfectly clear. Apart from the well-known stories that have received the 'absurd' or 'surrealist' moniker, there are stories like Die Aeroplane in Brescia, which belongs to the tradition of pure descriptive narration, showing a part of society with a wink, and pure parables, like Vor dem Gesetz or (my favourite) In der Strafkolonie. Many of the 'absurd' and 'surreal' books share very strong thematic similarities. The absurdity of the situations derives from people - generally people with authority - being stubborn, keeping to what they've always done and ignoring the reality of things. Hence, for instance, the reactions of Gregor Samsa's family in Die Verwandlung or the goings-on in Der Process. What people often fail to remember when discussing Kafka and his characters is the society in which he lived and the power of the traditional voices of authority, both in insular communities and of entire states. It should be remembered that many of the characters of his stories - school teachers, physicians, lawyers, even students - were far more influential back then because of their learnedness, making it their prerogative to judge on things. Which in turn made them all the more hesitant to back down again if they are proven wrong or if their authority simply carries no meaning within a certain context. This often leads to the tangles which have yielded the term 'Kafkaesque'. Ein Landarzt is really no different. The village doctor is man of authority, has to speak with surety and is expected to heal the sick. The story then has him, again and again, encounter situations over which he has no control: He can barely protect Rosa's chastity when present, but the moment he's gone his authority breaks down, and he cannot save the sick young man, but has to pretend he can anyway to save face (and even his life). In both situations, his nominal authority is challenged by the promise of physical violence, against which he has no defence. It is from this conflict that much of the turmoil and absurdity arises, and most of the symbolism used is, correspondingly, of a violent nature. To my mind, this is enough of an explanation of the story, really not needing any further digging into what everything might represent. What I find interesting here is that kokuro's above description and explanation of the anime still holds. The narrative keeps very close to the original work and adds strong visualisation. The world portrayed is one where the main character is challenged and where the possibility of violence looms large. The doctor's anger at his own impotence while he should be awarded much respect is shown very strongly in a visual manner, as does his fear towards what he cannot defend against. The bewildering carriage ride is even more absurd in the anime than in the story, as no description is needed, only a visualisation. I cannot admit to being a great fan of the original short story. I think it's one of many in Kafka's repertoire that pound in the same theme and point, this one not even answering the question of: 'Well, that's all fine and dandy. But then what?' For this reason, I cannot say I liked the anime. However, that in itself is telling, as I think Inaka Isha might be one of the best adaptations of a literary work in film. Whether or not I find the work itself to be grand becomes somewhat of a moot point, then, as the success of the adaptation invites me to say 'Yes' for that alone. |
| You do not beg the sun for mercy. |
kokuro said: Kafka's story is a masterpiece but this movie offers more than a great story. The art and animation, the sound and almost everything about it is done with perfect precision. After doing more research I actually ended up buying two translations of some of Kafka's works, Malcolm Pasley's and the older Muir's translation. They've yet to come in the mail so I can't comment as yet to the story itself, but from all the other reviews and critical acclaim kafka has received I'm sure his writing is well deserved. Regardless, his writing is not what we are criticizing here, it's Inaka Isha by Yamamura, Koji a relatively obscure creator. Some would say that he is the perfect choice for a relatively obscure author like Kafka but from what I watched I just can't agree with the statement above about his work being perfect and precise. It's Quite the opposite actually, his work is an example of sloppy line work and inconsistent animation. Are there tons of symbols and imagery? Yes. Are the particularly effective? I'm just gonna have to be spoiler and say that to me they were not. If one has to read an original authors work and also do research in order to enjoy the work then it better at least compelling. After my first viewing I find myself reluctant to want to watch it again. Usually I'm all for all the research and experimental work, but in this case I just couldn't get past the bad good art. Sometimes it is very effective, but this time round I found myself question if this was one of those examples. I leaning towards it not being such a monumental achievement. That being said there is still some room for someone with more technical insight into animation to prove me wrong and or argue that Yamamura's work does in fact embody what kafka was attempting to get across in his story with this sloppy art and animation. I get the feeling that after reading some of Kafka's work, I'm going to imagine something much less chaotic and more to point. Maybe I'm wrong and his work will be completely schizo and therefore this artistic "style" is deserving, but as of right now I really didn't think a lot of this short animation. |
Orion1Oct 4, 2010 2:45 PM
| I don't know if I would call Kafka an obscure author since the majority of highschoolers read at least The Metamorphosis in English class. I have to agree with Kokuro on this though, I think almost every aspect of the animation we see is done for a reason. Almost everything you see has a meaning. Each viewer will likely notice different things. Personally, I saw the Doctor as a bit similar to Kafka himself. Kafka, being born to Jewish parents, likely carried some beliefs from Judaism. As those of you who read the Angel's Egg spotlight know, I'm not big on religion, but I am under the impression that pigs and things associated with them are considered unclean. So to me the fact that the groom and his horses emerged from a pigsty carries some weight. While undertaking his profession, the Doctor is forced to sully himself with unclean things. This is seen again when the doctor is forced to share a bed with the sick boy and I believe he is laying on the side of the boy facing his wound..a wound which is described as having worms crawling from within outward toward the light. Similarly, the Doctor prioritizes his work over the women in his life (in this case Rose). This is similar to Kafka in that I think he is even said to have stood up his fiancee at the alter at least once due to his prioritizing his career. The theme here seems to be giving of oneself and denying self-satisfaction for the sake of occupation. From an existential standpoint, I can see why the Doctor is deserving of little pity. But from a personal perspective, I'm sure there are many people who empathize. Analysis aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this work even before I read the text since a great deal of meaning is apparent. The fact that further symbolism is gleaned through repeated viewings is just an added bonus. I also agree that this may be the best literary adaptation that I have seen and is an easy yes from me. |
santetjan said: kokuro said: Kafka's works are never meant to be mere acid trips with no meaning. So you can rest assured that if you don't get the point of the story, it's not an indication of the story being pointless. It just means that you need to think/research about it more. Actually, the above statement is wrong on two points. First, some of the stories certainly are nothing more than pointless exercises - or at least turned out to be, even to Kafka himself. Quite a few of his (rightly) unfinished stories fall in this category. Second, many of his more famous works are really fairly simple in meaning. @santetjan: I did not claim that all of Kafka's works have complex meanings to them but I mentioned that they are not pointless babbling and have meaning. I have not read his unfinished work and even if I do I wouldn't judge them for the mere fact that they are unfinished. It's interesting that you analyzed the story from a social point of view. While my take on the story is from an individual point of view. I think both views hold true while they are totally different. @BlackMagic: It's an interesting point about the pigsty; However I don't think the doctor was forced to sully himself since the pigsty is his. If anything associated with pigs was supposed to be unclean to the doctor, he shouldn't have a pigsty in the first place. While I don't argue with the fact that the Groom crawling out of the pigsty leaves you with the feeling of some impurity, I don't believe that the doctor is being sullied by taking the offer for that reason. The doctor is sacrificing and suppressing everything personal to him for the sake of his image but in the end he's left with neither. I absolutely enjoyed this anime and It's a yes for me too. |
|
| To my knowledge there's nothing wrong with having a pigsty..I'm sure there were/are plenty of Jewish farmers who have pigs on their farms. I just looked it up, and according to one source, Jews dislike pigs because they are frauds. Generally, kosher animals have 2 traits: cloven hooves and they chew their own cud. A pig appears to be kosher due to its hooves, but it doesn't chew its own cud so it's actually not. This is supposedly a reason why pigs are so reviled since they are seen pretending to be something they are not. If this is the case, or even if it isn't, this is pretty interesting as it applies to the groom since he appears to be a good samaritan, but we are shown that he actually has filthy motives. The horses likewise are frauds in that they appear to be grand beasts ideal for pulling the gig and display this trait when taking the doctor to the boy, but then when it comes time to return the doctor home their speed is nowhere to be found. |
| @BlackMagic "Relatively Obscure", meaning he isn't exactly Shakespeare with a huge body of work. Different high school teachers teach different works, Kafka didn't happen to be on my honor's reading list or perhaps it's been so long that I've forgotten, the books should be here withing the next few days, it's very possible that I have read some of his works and simply forgot them with time. I have read some of his other works from my grandfathers library who was proficient in German as am I. The Continual focus on Kafka instead of the actual animation done by Yamamura, Koji still holds my opinion to be valid. So far there hasn't been any specific examples of why this short animation deserves to be added to the registry. For symbolism alone? Perhaps the reason of it following a literary work so closely? I'm thinking that the art, animation, sound, characters, voice acting and overall enjoyment still need to be factored into the equation. My Opinion on those are as such. Story: Abstain form giving a score until I read the original Kafka. However by they animation, the story is relatively short and undeveloped, it's main themes can be interpreted as either hidden or on the surface. Part of it's genius? Perhaps. The chaotic nature of it's tale does add significantly to it's successful execution. Both the clear and hidden themes seem to fit symbiotically together to make a whole story either a simple moralistic tale about the human experience or a deep symbolic look into the nature of human society, rituals, duties, and greed.... Art: 5/10: It gets five points simply for it's attempt in creating heta- uma or bad-good art work like the work of Misaki Kawai. Animation: 3/10: The animation in this show seemed at best very low budget, jumpy and inconsistent throughout it's entirety. Sound: 5/10: Nothing special about the sound track or the sound effects in this show at best average. Voice Acting: 5/10: Once again the voice acting was nothing to write back home to mom about. Characters: 7/10: All of the characters are static in that there personalities never have time to be developed in such a short period. However in that short time there usage as metaphors and symbols of the larger picture of the human condition does have to be taken into account. The characters did fascinate me and kept me watching. Overall Enjoyment: 6/10: The overall artistic style seemed to take away from my overall enjoyment. It made it more difficult for me to engage in the symbolism and metaphors. For me the stylistic approach just didn't work, it actually annoyed me, but the story and characters kept me engaged until the end, where I was just really just not very impressed. Whether that be because of my unfamiliarity with Kafka or not remains to be unseen but will soon be deciphered with further reading. |
kokuro said: I have not read his unfinished work and even if I do I wouldn't judge them for the mere fact that they are unfinished. No, the works themselves wouldn't have me judge. Kafka's own notes and diary entries on how he did not finish something because he felt that it was really going nowhere have. I'm not saying here that this means that the pieces themselves were meant to be pointless, but I would caution against reading much in pieces the author himself abandoned, just like I would against searching for a deeper meaning where none was intended. Of course, some of the themes and symbols mentioned are not obscure references to societal issues and there is certainly room for a more in-depth investigation of parts of the plot, the most obvious being the connection between the very name of Rosa (who is hinted at to become sullied) and the description of the young man's wound as a bloody flower. On the other hand, much may equally well be simply literary technique. But this does veer to far from a discussion on Inaka Isha. Orion1, I can understand and agree with your comment that it isn't the source material we should be talking about, but the adaptation. However, in this particular case the adaptation sticks so close to the source, content-wise, that the two cannot really be separated, whereas the animation, to my mind, clearly follows from the story. I agree that it is low-budget and that the sound could have been of better quality (note to the side: The quality is reminiscent of that in far older films. Could this have been intentional?), but I think these are, in this case, really secondary to the design and direction of the visualisation of this type of story. Also, the discussion above shows how divided opinions on the meaning or import of the piece are, making me consider the move by the director to stay close to the source and not infuse his own interpretation on the importance of certain themes a wise one. |
| You do not beg the sun for mercy. |
| Pretty much right after I wrote my last entry I opened my door and UPS had faithfully delivered my Kafka books, The Metamorphosis and other stories published by Penguin, translated by Malcolm Pasley's and Franz Kafka: Collected Stories Everyman's Library translated by the Willa and Edwin Muir. The Muir's translation seemed to be a more literal translation, but now I'm interested in reading the original German text. Pasley's translation was better English, but it did leave out minutiae details that did make a the Muir's translation more interesting. For our purposes the Inaka Isha translation seemed to walk in between both translations I read. I'm not exactly sure what the little dark children are always in the background, but I don't remember them in kafka's work. After reading the story and re-watching the short animation, I must say that my enjoyment level did go up significantly. Particularly watching how Yamamura, Koji was able to squeeze in those minutiae details with the usage of imagery. One part that was very poignant was Rosa's image popping up behind the doctor while in the house treating the boy. This little image went a long way in describing the torment the doctor was going through in dealing with the guilt of loosing his servant to the unworthy groom. It appears that reading the story did have a significant impact in my second viewing. The artistic style is still a factor, but played a less substantial role after having read the original story. The boys voice acting bugged me more the second time through, but I must say I was quite enamored over how well Yamamura followed Kafka's story and how well Yamamura's visualizations effectively portrayed Kafka's words. I stand corrected, I think my vote just changed to a yes. |
| I just wanted to add that it's important to notice that the art style adopted in this anime is highly inspired in German Expressionism, which appeared in the early 1920's. Also, reading the original version of "Landsarzt", it's amazing to see how well it was adapted, and I must agree here with santetjan, "Inaka Isha might be one of the best adaptations of a literary work in film". Yes, this deserves to be in the relations list... |
| German Expressionism paintings. I was guessing with heta- uma, but both styles are so broad that almost any abstraction could probably fit into both. Saying that the animation and art of Inaka Isha is influenced by German expressionism seems plausible considering all art like writing has to be inspired somewhere. It is equally plausible that you could call the art in Inaka Isha heta- uma art which is also heavily influenced by all sorts of artistic styles including Expressionism. I was under the impression though that German Expressionism is mostly known for it's achievements in Film. Although I definitely see some Edvard Munch (Norwegian) and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (German) and I see some Georges Rouault (French) in the line work, particularly with his work Slaughter. Still the first viewing wasn't all that enjoyable and it isn't clear if the story needed abstraction to make it more effective. However it's artistic style did grow more on me the second time I watched it after reading the kafka's original work. I must say though that this work certainly demanded a lot of effort. The effort can be seen as positive and negative or neither even. Usually if a work makes me work for it, it's a good thing. I'm thinking most people would never make the effort of getting past the seemingly bad animation. You definitely couldn't claim this style to be anime although it obviously is because of its' creator and studio's origins. Good observation Peroxid. |
More topics from this board
Sticky: » The End of Critics and ConnoisseursHiroM_ - Dec 31, 2022 |
31 |
by danz
»»
Nov 10, 2023 1:08 AM |
|
» Challenge You Decide: Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (Anime) (1/1)HiroM_ - Dec 3, 2022 |
44 |
by 25saix
»»
Dec 30, 2022 3:10 PM |
|
» You Decide: Golden Kamuy 2nd Season (Anime) (12/4)HiroM_ - Dec 2, 2022 |
42 |
by 25saix
»»
Dec 30, 2022 3:10 PM |
|
» Resurrected You Decide: Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica (Anime) (12/4)HiroM_ - Dec 2, 2022 |
47 |
by 25saix
»»
Dec 30, 2022 3:09 PM |
|
» Blue N Rescue Mission: Eikoku Koi Monogatari Emma (Anime) (12/4)HiroM_ - Dec 3, 2022 |
24 |
by Dramaddict
»»
Dec 28, 2022 6:02 PM |