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The Librarians is the television equivalent of comfort food to me. Watching the show just makes me happy whenever I watch it. Even if star Noah Wyle is the least great thing in it.
The Librarians is the television equivalent of comfort food to me. Watching the show just makes me happy whenever I watch it. Even if star Noah Wyle is the least great thing in it.
By Valerie Complex
The famed painting, ‘The Great Wave,’ is a major artistic achievement by Japanese painter Katsushika Hokusai. What most don’t know is his daughter O-Ei Hokusai was also an accomplished painter and feminist icon of her time. Her life is chronicled in the Hinako Sugiura manga titled Miss Hokusai. Too bad the Production I.G. animated film of the same name doesn’t focus much on her, her art, or much of anything. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad film as it’s a typical ‘slice of life’ animation, but it’s not a film that belongs in theaters.
It’s a beautiful hodgepodge of memories more in the vein of 90s television show, My So-Called Life, and less a celebration of art, femininity, and spirituality. This may keep it in tune with the book but it never gives the audience enough to work with.
The movie starts with a gorgeous view of Edo (modern-day Tokyo) in the 19th century. O-Ei is our narrator, and right away she wants the audience to know exactly what they are getting into. She’s stoic, experienced, and a bit of a smartass. (She gets it from her father, of course.)
She likes to reminisce over childhood memories of her father painting his most famous works. All of this happens while an instrumental version of the Power Station’s “Get It On” plays in the background. This may seem like an odd musical choice due to the time period, but it fits well for O-Ei, who is clearly a woman ahead of her time. Being in the constant shadow of her father, she isn’t quite ready to step out on her own, but a chance encounter with Japanese nobility soon elevates her popularity in Edo.
This chance encounter gives birth to the ‘Dragon,’ a mural designed for the emperor. Katsushika completed it, but it gave his daughter a chance to shine. She finds this to be a thankless task, unfortunately, and isn’t interested in doing anything similar- she’s allowed to get away with this.
After getting to know O-Ei, the film skims over the connection between art and spirituality briefly. almost too brief. For example, there is an unforgettable scene where Katsushika describes an out of body experience where the spirit of his hands escaped his body and traveled across the city before the spirit reconnected with his hands. This occurred shortly before he began painting ‘The Great Wave.’
In Japanese culture Ikiryo or ‘the living ghost,’ takes place when the body of a living person projects a spirit, which subsequently haunts other people or places across great distances. There is a special connection every artist has with their works that can be otherworldly, but the audience doesn’t get any depth on this subject. That is really too bad because the Japanese have deep beliefs in the afterlife and the paranormal world. This would have been a great learning experience for American audiences who are unfamiliar with this aspect of Japanese folklore.
The film isn’t without its enjoyable moments, though. Visually, the colors pop and blend beautifully. Thank goodness there are still production companies that value 2-D animation because Miss Hokusai wouldn’t have made an impact any other way. The dialogue is surprisingly well written and made me laugh more than I expected because O-Ei just says what’s on her mind and doesn’t care what anyone thinks.
She was a multifaceted woman with a rich, fulfilling life and the audience misses out on all of that. All the effort seems wasted on a hollow story arc where as soon as a new subject is introduced, the audience is only given a few details, and then it’s on to the next thing. As an #anime lover, I miss good 2-D animation–which Miss Hokusai delivers– but I need more than just visuals to be convinced a movie is worth the watch.
Rating: 6/10
Valerie Complex is a freelance writer and professional nerd. As a lover of Japanese animation, and all things film, she is passionate about diversity across all entertainment mediums.
The post BGN Cinema: Miss Hokusai Review appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them isn’t out until November 18, but we’ve already got some news about its sequel: Johnny Depp is joining the cast. He’ll be a new element in a film which will otherwise have the same director (David Yates), screenwriter (J.K. Rowling), and star (Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander).