Mono No Aware: A Sensitivity To Things

A strong reoccurring theme that frequently appears in Japanese film, music, and art is sadness that's wrapped in beauty. Recently as I was watching a Japanese film about a group of men following out a suicide pact, I realized that every single one of the previous Japanese films that I watched earlier in the week had ended in loss, tragedy, or an ambiguous sense of melancholy.


But yet, not a single one of these films left me depressed and cold. The thing is, despite the longing and sadness on the screen, these films were absolutely beautiful, and the beauty of those films is what resonated strongest within me, and so I fell for the strange power of Japan's most personal examples of film making.


From the early arts of the Edo-Period, and through the difficult post-war years, the Japanese mastered expressing what they call "mono no aware", a transcendental understanding of our lives being impermanent and the world ever-changing.

This zen-like acceptance greets tragic events with a bittersweet awareness that they cannot altered, much like the lazy flow of a river that occasionally floods over violently. I find this cultural philosophy fascinating and inspiring.


With this understanding, Japanese films which deal with heavy-hearted emotions often contain a positive undercurrent that helps the viewer see the ending in a affirmative way. I've found over the years that I simply adore a good sad Japanese film, and likewise I savior sitting in the dark listening to a wistful enka song.


To some people, the Japanese passion for the melancholy must seem somewhat odd. But you see, the yearning and the despair never bring me down, rather they help me embrace life and this gorgeous world we're born to, and as weird as that may seem, that makes me very happy.

And with that, I leave you with a lovely enka song performed by Fuyumi Sakamoto. Enjoy!



This post is also my entry in the July 2009 Japan Blog Matsuri....


About the films in the images above...

Tokyo. Sora is a fascinating study of loneliness in modern Toyko by minimalist filmmaker Hiroshi Ishikawa. Trailer here.

Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Story is considered by many to be his masterpiece, an amazing film about generational differences in post-war Japan.

Ikiru is Akira Kurosawa's highly personal film about a man reflecting on his own mortality.

5 Centimeters Per Second is a gorgeously animated film made up of 3 short stories. A beautifully sad small-scale epic with a glimmer of hope within. Music video for the film's theme song here.

If you have your favorite films that explore these themes, please share in the comments, I'd appreciate your suggestions!

Rob Ullman Gets Lurid In An Atom-Bomb Bikini....

So I'm counting myself among the incredibly fortunate people to get their mitts on an early copy of illustrator Robert Ullman's first hardback collection of pin-up art, Atom-Bomb Bikini!


Rob does the sexy pin-up thing in a style all it's own, and cooks up some delicious cheesecake that's bound to get any red-blooded male's (or girl, it's all cool with us) temperature up. You're pretty much guaranteed a eye-popping, sweaty good time as you lust over the pages of good and bad-girl hotness!

Rob's got a cool style that's his own, but gives a nod of respect to other masters of the craft. My favorite images in here are a couple of terrific Jack Kirby tributes with a babealicious twist. Oh, and Rob's a big hockey fan, so if that's your bag, you're gonna love this book. My other personal faves in here are the rough sketches he shares with us, giving you a window into his creative process. The whole package is a groovy 64 page tome of babe-worshiping art in lurid full color!


So what do you have to do to get a copy of this book? Well, the most immediate thing you can do is hop on over to Rob's blog and you'll see the details there. Another option is to get your ass to San Diego's ComiCon and meet the artist in person! (Table P-10, in the small press section where the cool people hang out). And if you live in Richmond, Va., drop by his book signing on August 1st!


Atom-Bomb Bikini Blog

Robert Ullman's Twitter

Girls Meet Jazz in SWING GIRLS!

Shinobu Yaguchi's terrific 2004 film スウィングガールズ, aka Swing Girls (That's the Korean poster above) instantly became one of my favorite movies before I was even quarter way through watching it. It's a simple little film that wins you over with it's upbeat tone, physical comedy, and the absolutely charming cast headed up by the delightful actress Juri Ueno.




Swing Girls is the story about a high school student named Tomoko and her summer school classmates. Tomoko lacks direction and the motivation to complete anything she begins. Her friends are pretty much the same, with minds set on materialism and karaoke.

None of them want to spend their summer trapped in math class, and through chance, (and largely due their slack efforts) the girls happen into being pressed to form a band by fellow male student Takuo. Takuo is tired of being in a marching band, and wants to play some swingin' jazz...



Along the way an epiphany comes to Tomoko and the girls. They realize they love jazz music, and when their services are no longer required, the void left behind becomes something to motivate them. And so the Swing Girls are born...




From here on it's pretty familiar movie territory. Our underdog girls struggle to polish their craft and hone their group into a tight jazz unit. An unlikely mentor tenatively approaches them, and helps instill the heart and soul that the band needs to finally break through to their potential. Naturally the girls set their eyes on a major concert event, and work hard to get on the bill...




I'm not exactly giving away anything revelatory here. Yaguchi's film doesn't have any interest in breaking new ground and you can pretty much guess how this story plays out. What you do have is a movie that is so wonderfully endearing and good-hearted that you can't help but be taken in and captivated. The cast is completely likable and has you cheering them on to succeed and come out on top.

The film is beautifully shot and the details on the screen are rich and colorful. The other thing that makes this film work so well is the comedy, mostly physical and often visually hilarious. Swing Girls is a winner all around, and it's a nice break from much of the considerably darker material that's out there in Japanese cinema.



Of course if you're going to have a movie with a band, you need music, and that's where the film really gets impressive. Director Shinobu Yaguchi is well-known for his commitment to realism and accuracy in his films. All of his movies are preceded with through research and training where needed.

Every single girl in this film actually learned to play the instruments they used in the film, and by time the movie was finished, they were a true swing band in every sense of the word. When the Swing Girls perform in this film, every note you hear came from them.


This film was a such a huge hit in Japan, that the Swing Girls (and boy) were brought together to perform a few live concerts, which they delivered with the same joy and enthusiasm you see it the film. C'mon, how cool it that?



Trailer for Swing Girls here.
A news story about the film here.
More concert footage here!