Reviews

Feb 23, 2015
Do you truly know the people around you? Do you notice the chirping canaries that fly by your side?

Psychiatry deals with grave issues; perhaps triggered by a past trauma, perhaps by an insufferable present; patients find themselves struggling to cope with their daily lives. This gravity is what makes the eccentric Irabu Ichiro, certified psychiatrist, so bewildering a character. Accompanied by his seductive nurse Mayumi, he runs a psychiatric ward offering consultation and treatment for people suffering from various mental disorders. The deceptively simple premise of Kuuchuu Buranko lays the groundwork for an extraordinary exploration of human mind and society.

The first thing in Kuuchuu Buranko to catch people’s eyes is often its distinctive artistic style which utilizes a combination of animation, live-action, and rotoscopy. The colours are vibrant and lively; patterns inspired by pop art overlays various background objects, and work in conjunction with the vivid palette to surround the viewers in a psychedelic ambience. The atmosphere straddles the line between real and surreal. Far from a superficial attempt establishing a psychological tone, the unique style is appropriate for an investigation of the human psyche where reality intersects perception and imagination. The bizarreness does not move out of line: the lifelike character designs and the sincerity of the stories both serve to ground the show in reality. The human mind can be an alien place, but the problems it may cause are nonetheless real.

Being an episodic anime, each episode deals with a new patient and his disorder. Though those who consult doctor Irabu may display exaggerated traits or disorders, these are reflective of universal problems present in the general public. Insight into the viewer’s mind follows alongside the development and unravelling of the characters’ stories. Kuuchuu Buranko does not take the disorders lightly; they can lead to severe difficulties as they do in reality. Yet, the comical depiction of the disorders give the viewers a laid-back and sometimes ironic view of the traits that they themselves likely display to a milder degree. The seemingly detached standpoint on the veritably personal problems stresses the importance of perspective in psychiatry. Each episode ends on an uplifting note, but is not blindly optimistic as the disorders are not always cured. It is rather the outlook on the problems that change by the end of each episode. The psyche is shown as the dynamic and flexible being that it is

Much of the themes of Kuuchuu Buranko are best embodied by Dr Irabu himself, who sporadically transforms between a patched-up teddybear, a young adult, and a child. At times indifferent and other times caring, each persona is marked by a distinctive personality. He is seemingly unbound by physical limitations as he appears at any place and time as he wills. Being the only character without a live-action face, Dr Irabu embodies a concept which drives forward the patients and the show’s messages rather than appearing as a realistic character. In psychiatry the source of the cure is always the patient, whereas doctors and drugs merely facilitate the patient’s self-discovery. Operating completely at his own whims and without regard to traditional medical ethics and practice, Irabu illustrates the importance of personalized and adaptive care instead of systematic approaches on patient treatment.

Often understated in importance is the nurse, whose explicit fanservice scenes may overshadow her comparatively minimal characterization. Shown simply as eye-candy in the first few episodes, her humane side is gradually revealed as time goes on. Through subtle gestures and short remarks, she establishes herself as perhaps the most human of all the characters, in contrast to Dr Irabu. Animated entirely using live-action techniques, she acts as a foil to the doctor and emphasizes the importance of caring for those around you. We are all human being with our own feelings and motives behind each action. She, just like everyone else, quietly and subtly supports others in her own way from the background.

Whereas the doctor and the nurse are both entertaining and thematically dense, the real highlight of Kuuchuu Buranko is the rest of its cast. With focus on characterization rather than plot progression, the patients show significant depth and development despite each being cast in only a single episode. Each episode condenses a widespread problem into a character’s mental disorder, slowly provides perspective and insight into the problem, and ends on a satisfying manner be it conclusive or not. Take episode ten for example, in which a sentimental businessman struggles to relive his youth through his sense of duty and patriotism. Rather than dealing solely with the often deceptive notion of youth, pride and strength, it also discusses the mismatch between the self we conceive and others’ conception of us. The issues dealt with are usually far broader than is apparent but do not suffer from the superficiality commonly resulting from broadness, due to the depth and effectiveness with which the specific issues are tackled and developed. Kuuchuu Buranko is powerful because it knows us.

Others don’t see the world as you do; each person has his or her own struggles and imperfections. Without trying to truly understand and empathise with those around us, we will never see beyond face value. Kuuchuu Buranko is not just a story about psychiatric professionals and patients; it’s a story about each of us struggling with our mind and coming into terms with the world surrounding it. Do you, my friend, notice the chirping canaries that fly by your side?
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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