Post Japanese-related YouTube links here
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- 27 Dec 2003
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- #554
I was surprised to learn that Toshiro Mifune's grave is in Kawasaki (near Tokyo) and can be easily visited.
www.findagrave.com
Toshiro Mifune (1920-1997) - Find a Grave Memorial
Actor and Producer. Best known for his starring roles in Akira Kurosawa films, as the Samurai or Rōnin warrior. His forceful personality, projected through his baleful expressions and a dynamic physical presence, was perfect for iconic warrior roles. His critically-acclaimed performances earned...
www.findagrave.com
- 27 Dec 2003
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- #555
One of the best Japanese films of all time is Spirited Away. It is the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time and it is the only anime film to ever win an academy award. One of the fascinating aspects of this video is that it was created especially to be watched by 10-year-old girls. Here is a video discussing the symbology in the movie.
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HELL YEAH this is the it movie
- 27 Dec 2003
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- #557
I forgot to mention the film that is the most famous Kurosawa-Mifune collaboration of all time, the 1954 classic Seven Samurai. Here is a movie trailer on the movie. (I remember being shown this movie in my Japanese Humanities class in college, it is that important of a movie.)
- 6 Mar 2003
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I also saw this and several of the films you brought mentioned in a college class.
- 27 Dec 2003
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- #559
I just realized both Godzilla and Seven Samurai movies were released in 1954. That was one heck of a year for Japanese movies!
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The producer/director of the movie Spirited Away was Hayao Miyazaki. He really takes anime to a new level. Here is an analysis of Miyazaki's techniques.
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The producer/director of the movie Spirited Away was Hayao Miyazaki. He really takes anime to a new level. Here is an analysis of Miyazaki's techniques.
- 27 Dec 2003
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- #564
My all-time favorite Hayao Miyazaki movie is Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便) (まくじょ の たっきゅうびん) (Majo no takkyūbin), a story of a young witch who goes out into the world and tries to make it on her own.
Here is another movie trailer, all in English. (The movie was released in two versions, one in Japanese with English subtitles, the other dubbed into English.)
Here is another movie trailer, all in English. (The movie was released in two versions, one in Japanese with English subtitles, the other dubbed into English.)
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- 27 Dec 2003
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Here is a video starring a little girl named Hibari Misora (美空ひばり) (みそら ひばり), who was a movie star in post-war Japan. Life in Japan just after WWII was very harsh. Many Japanese people practically starved for years. Along came young Hibari, making people think about happier times. She became a huge star as a happy child that unhappy Japanese people could relate to.
- 27 Dec 2003
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- #568
Pink Lady
One of the most amazing Japanese music groups of all time was Pink Lady. When I first arrived in Japan, I unknowingly arrived right in the middle of a huge Pink Lady explosion. They were HUGELY popular. Pink Lady merchandise was everywhere — Pink lady pencils, Pink Lady bicycles, Pink Lady garbage cans, you name it. (It was very similar to the Beatles invasion of the USA more than a decade earlier.)
One Pink Lady song that became bonkers popular was UFO. I still cannot forget the gesture of putting my hand behind my head and opning it while sayig UFO! (Take a look at 1:47.) To this day, I still make this crazy-popular gesture whenever I hear the word UFO.
One of the most amazing Japanese music groups of all time was Pink Lady. When I first arrived in Japan, I unknowingly arrived right in the middle of a huge Pink Lady explosion. They were HUGELY popular. Pink Lady merchandise was everywhere — Pink lady pencils, Pink Lady bicycles, Pink Lady garbage cans, you name it. (It was very similar to the Beatles invasion of the USA more than a decade earlier.)
One Pink Lady song that became bonkers popular was UFO. I still cannot forget the gesture of putting my hand behind my head and opning it while sayig UFO! (Take a look at 1:47.) To this day, I still make this crazy-popular gesture whenever I hear the word UFO.
- 6 Mar 2003
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They're before my time so I don't know that much about them beyond their famous name. So I Googled a bit and was surprised to learn they had one Top 40 hit in the U.S. and even had a short-lived TV show. So I guess PuffyAmiYumi weren't the groundbreakers I thought they were.
- 27 Dec 2003
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Pink Lady was so popular, they even had their own TV series on American TV. (Such a thing was unheard of at the time.) The series was not popular in the US and was cancelled after only a short run. Watch episode 3 as they sing their big hit, UFO. (Watch from 3:24.) In what must be a very rare piece of footage, we see the Pink Lady duo sing You Needed Me and Don't Go Breaking My Heart in English from 24:43. They also sing Chicago from 41:46.
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- 27 Dec 2003
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Seiko Matsuda was one of the first Japanese female singers who are known as アイドル ("idol"). The biggest thing for me watching these singers was their exaggerated gestures. Watch the singers' gestures in this video from 8:14, 12:38, and 13:22.
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- 27 Dec 2003
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There is a dark side to the アイドル ("idol") entertainment industry. The pressure on アイドル singers to be "cute, pure, friendly, and flawless" is huge, as described in this video. (Having high school girls practice dancing until midnight??) The video emphasizes how being 可愛い (かわいい) (kawaii) ("cute") is the number one aspect many Japanese men look for in a woman. In addition, many アイドル are extremely taken advantage of financially by their agencies. This video covers all of the issues many アイドル have to suffer with. (This is another video by Nobita, a Japanese man who is willing to discuss negative aspects of Japanese society many other people refuse to discuss.) Listen as Aya Kotobano is interviewed from 2:18 about her negative experiences as an アイドル.
- 6 Mar 2003
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Makes me wonder if they will ever get their #MeToo movement. I'm afraid there is exploitation beyond the overwork and financial aspects.
- 27 Dec 2003
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- #575
There are a number of pre-WWII Japanese movies on YouTube, all in Japanese with no English subtitles. Here is Spring on Small Island (1940). Notice how the kanji for the title at the beginning of the video are written from right to left.
