War is often illustrated in many medium like film, book, comic, or even animation medium like cartoon and anime, shows the cruelity of the war itself. And when we are speaking about war movie(anime), Japan often released anime which the theme is the war time, especially around World War II period, a war which Japan won but also lost at the same time. WW II period is often portrayed in various perspective on this medium. Grave of Fireflies with survival of two siblings during that period, or The Wind Rises with the bittersweet life of aeronautical engineer during that period as the point of view.
From the movies that I mentioned above, they have some interesting point of view to tell the story during World War 2 period. While Hollywood war films are more focused on the glorifications with their patriotisms and prides, Japanese movie anime take another approaches to depict this period. Wrapped with more dramas, they tend to tell it through the poignant sense or with the spirit to rise up again and again. Deliver a really powerful message for the generations henceforward, and telling that war will and always bring tragedies and grieves behind the short victory of war. Delivering the theme that could make the viewers sob while being wrapped with a powerful messages. That very portrayal of the theme which makes Japanese war movie really special.
But...
Behind the cruelity of war and the effect that it caused to people, there is always a slight ray of hope and the will to survive during this dreadful period. And it is clearly portrayed by a movie which adapted this theme as the meat of its story, a tale from the corner of this beautiful world, that resonates through the emotions; ladies and gentlemen, here I present you the movie that won many awards reaches its peak by bringing home the highest award in Japan's film, the 40th Japan Academy Award, and the movie has the title named Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni, known as In This Corner of The World as its global name.
Kono Sekai no Katasumi Ni is adapted from a manga serialized from 2007-2009 by Fumiyo Konno. It is a movie that being brought by Studio MAPPA (Yuri on Ice!!, Zankyou no Terror) and directed by Sunao Katabuchi (Kiki's Delivery Service assistan director, Black Lagoon) through a crowdfunding from 3374 supporters. A brief synopsis :
Kono Sekai no Katasumi Ni kicks off in 1933, following a young girl, Urano Suzu, beginning with her childhood in Hiroshima. There, we get glimpses of her life as a kid full of laughter, familial love, and artistic skill – painting and sketching her surroundings whenever possible. It becomes quickly evident that Kono Sekai no Katasumi Ni is told in the form of the young girl’s personal diary, quickly skipping through the formative events of her childhood and as her personal history runs parallel to the grinding gears of war. Time passes with the same rapid bliss with which it does in real life, and come 1943, 19-year-old Suzu agrees to a marriage proposal from Shusaku Hojo, a man that she "never" met before and lives in Kure, a port town that located over the mountains but also the naval base of Japan in WW II. Welcomed into the new family, Suzu begin to take on the daily chores of household, also quickly adapts herself to the new environment. The emotional intimacy between her and Shuusaku developed soon enough, also with her new family including her niece and scornful sister-in-law. As the story moves forward, year 1945 finally arrives. Smoke clouds the harbor, hiding unseen danger. Far-off friends and family are connected only by occasional letters and visits. The radio warns of incoming air raids or abruptly falls silent. The slur of everyday changes brought on by the war culminate in the air strikes and bombing raids that finally reach Kure. The theater of World War II at its peak.
The biggest strength of this movie lies on its storytelling. By using the slice of life as its gimmick, the director manages to create the magnificent play from the beginning till the climax of the movie through the sublime storytelling. It is as if we are really enjoying Suzu's daily life as an innocent, funny, yet an inspiring housewife as well. The pacing moves pretty slow but it is not boring at all. Instead, we are being immersed slowly into the daily lives of our casts. The movie does a great job building tension toward a specific end date, you are left on the edge of your seat waiting to see how history will affect the lives of characters that we have come to care for.
First half of the movie is dedicated for the story telling of Suzu's daily life as a new family member of her husband. Doing household chores like crafting kimono, laundry, cooking for family, while trying to fit in her new family. The realistic depiction of the slice of life element flows subtly while being followed by the music that plays gently behind the screen. Creating a harmony, slowly but surely, the viewers are being drawn into the narrative; and me without exception. And then, without realizing it, we have fallen into the trap that set by the director. The moment the movie reaches its climax and tragedy after tragedy befalls, like BAAMM, as we were being struck by a fast moving train. Resulting in an irony of war, this movie makes people woobled in feels ride, and it is without injecting the forced drama element into it. The combination of slice of life and its drama blend really well and successfully create a solid and emotional story. The romance element in the movie is pretty simple and a pretty common among people. There is no fictional romance here. It flows really natural and subtle flavored with husband-wife relationship or first love as spice.
In this period, losing your family member and the loved one is inevitable. Kono Sekai depicts every these moments really well and clear. Many scenes portray those moments on the second half of the movie. It is not a strategy to make us, the viewers cry. They bring a powerful message that war only brings misery and tragedy to the people. And the biggest commentary by Suzu near the end really gives me goosebumps after knowing that Japan lost and surrender after failed to fulfill their ambitions in World War II. The tragedy lies in the fact that we know, even before the movie begins, that these characters are doomed from the start. But was it ever about the course of the war? Certainly not for us, and in the end, certainly not for Suzu and her family. For just as this a film set in war, that is not about war, so too is her life one that precedes, and even ascends, the circumstances that define it. Many powerful scenes that show the cruelity of the war and they strengthen the fact of this movie as an anti-war movie.
Kono Sekai no Katasumi Ni itself is told from Suzu’s point of view ,from her corner of the world. This movie knows how to do a character development on Suzu perfecty. We see Suzu as a girl, a bit of a daydreamer, and an artist; a good one, at that. And she has an affinity to often see the art in many situations, although this often means she loses focus on the here and now (in one scene during an air raid the puffs of smoke from the anti-aircraft fire become a beautiful impressionist painting to her eyes – gorgeous but it also means she is too mesmerised to take cover).Without exaggerating, her characterizations are done in a really natural and realistic way. Started from a young girl and then becomed a housewife on her beginning of her adulthood time who should endure all the hardships in this wartime. Suzu is an admirable protagonist not because she’s a stereotypical strong character with superhuman physical strength and mental fortitude, but because she is an ordinary person living through terrible events who nevertheless decides to keep going. Non as her voice actress really did a great job in portraying Suzu's character. Her Hiroshima accent fits really well with Suzu who comes from Hiroshima as well. She knows how to voice a simple yet innocent girl but with never give up attitude on Suzu. Supporting casts like Suzu's family, neighbors, or even a prostitute are adding another new layer on Suzu's life. With all the people around her, sometimes carefully, oftentimes spontaneously, Suzu chooses to protect and love who and what she can as best she can, and to find a future for herself among the ashes of the past. She knows about fighting for what she can change and adapting to the things she can’t, and about the ordinary power of enduring, persisting, and coming out the other side, bent but not broken.
Despite the wartime conditions, the premise of the movie appears at odds with what we see on screen. Kono Sekai no Katasumi Ni prides itself on its hand-drawn animation, a level of effort that's becoming rare nowadays. The rich colours of the beautifully hand-drawn animation seem almost too radiant to be found in a war film. The animations are really simple and give nostalgia vibes to the viewers. The artstyle fits perfectly with Suzu's humility and produce a visual formula which is pleasant and enjoyable to watch. Hiroshima and Kure are beautifully portrayed. The sea is really calm and inviting, the scenery does bring the calmness, costumes, bustling roads of Hiroshima, and naval base with their legendary battle ship like Yamato and Nagato docked. The atmosphere of war is detailed portrayed and bring impacts to the viewers, even without adding tensions or gripping tones. I can imagine how nostalgic and important this film can be to Japan. The film is like an epitome of Japanese history, traditional culture and art. More so, the painterly approach to the look of the film encapsulates the waetercolor goggles through which Suzu views the world. In her earliest moments, the character is established to be an avid artist; one illustrative sequence shows that the young girl has sketched so extensively that her costly school pencil is now an impractical nub.
Sometimes, the animation in the movie shifts from its realist mode to capture an impressionistic vision of the surrounding beauty. The blend of visual styles, one representing the real world and the other representing the imaginary or the idyllic; White rabbits illustrate the cap of waves, the bombs and explosions turn into expressive looking fireworks being drawn by an unseen hand. The most radical stylistic departure follows the movie's traumatic incident. The movie relies on an artistic representation of the scene in order to convey its full impact. For all its impressive attention to detail, Kono Sekai no Katasumi Ni is a painting of history, not a photograph of it. It also answers the question "why anime?" This is one of the movie that could effectively uses animation to deliver the meaning.
The music on the other hand, is very simple and fits very well with the animation. Kotringo's composition brings a melancholic feelings to us as the viewers. Sometimes, the music brings you a happiness with its gently note. Sometimes, it brings you a sadness with its rhythm that echoes through a tragedy scene. The songs on the other hand, remind me with Hitomi's song on Planetes. It gives you a calm feeling. But on one particular scene, one of its songs really hit me with all the feelings from all the tragedies that have happened. A powerful moment with a powerful song and put an end to this movie.
Another think that I believe it's worth pointing out the movie's context is the historical aspect of this movie. The one unavoidable reality that the film largely ignores is that Japan is historically seen as one of the villains in World War 2. The scars that they left to countries due to their colonization still remain. Whether it’s denial of Japanese war crimes, or the enshrinement of the men responsible for these war crimes, I think it’s fair that Japan inability to fully reconcile with it’s dark past is a lingering, festering wound on the psyche of an entire region.
Kono Sekai no Katasumi Ni is a very human movie. Beautiful, artistic, historical accuracy, timely messages and thematic depth, thoughtful, and more importantly, it is a genuinely enjoyable viewing experience that I won't forgot. A movie that echoes with me through its emotional journey. A movie that I enjoyed the most from all movie that I have ever watched before. It’s a provocative, engaging, and thoughtful look at a very problematic time in history. A movie that brings back everything that has been lost for many years on animation medium, especially movies. A great showcase for animation as a storytelling medium, unafraid of using the unique aspects of animation to its advantage. If a person ask me what movie that I should recommmend to him/her, I will proudly answer Kono Sekai no Katasumi Ni. If a person ask what is the best movie in 2016, Koe no Katachi or Kimi no Na Wa? Nah, it is Kono Sekai no Katasumi Ni. And I believe, this movie will yield more blog posts and essays for years to come.~
"In the end, the cicadas do not stop playing just because there is a war. And that's why life should go on while we are busy dealing with its tragedies"
