The Harp of Burma, is not like any anime I have seen recently. The animation is low budget, the characters are not cleanly cut, and the story line is relatively simple. The setting of this anime is in Burma around when WWII ended. The group that we follow has learned how to sing from their leader so when they are low on morale, they can sing away their troubles for a while. The character who can play the Burmese Harp, Mizushima, is a good man with a strong sense of duty. This sense of duty leads him to stay behind to bury the people who were killed in the war and whose bodies were left out in the open where animals can get to them. Death is a big part of Japanese culture. Americans tend not to put death as a major role in television, especially suicide. In Japan, suicide is a major part of history. There are two distinct types of suicide, and they way they are looked at is different. The respected suicide is the type that is to regain honor or in battle, i.e. suicide missions. These types of suicide are regarded very highly. In Letters to Iwo Gima, a group of soldiers commit suicide because their superior ordered them to. I think he did this to ensure none of his men would be treated brutishly by the American soldiers. The other type of suicide is when someones kills themselves over a lost love or not doing well in school. This type of suicide is looked down on and is not considered honorable at all. Americans, most of the time, see suicide as sin because of or Judeo-Christian beliefs. Committing suicide is killing God's creation, and that is a sin. The Harp of Burma is about taking care of the dead who fought with honor. It is a peaceful movie with a positive message about humanity.
Yes, I do agree with you on the fact that the animation was low-budget, the characters were not cleanly cut, and the storyline was indeed very simple. The battalion definitely used music to give the soldiers hope when they were low on morale. Mizushima does have a strong sense of duty, but he also has strong feelings towards his battalion, which makes him have a conflict between ninjo and giri. Mizushima does end up choosing to follow his duty to the fallen soldiers because he feels that it is his destiny. The Americans do view suicide as a sin because of their Judeo Christian beliefs, so they don’t show much death in their films or television shows. The Japanese on the other hand, view suicide as honorable. That is the reason why the soldiers in Iwo Jima kill themselves. Their leader didn’t want them to be treated brutally by the Americans so he told them all to kill themselves. He also wanted them to die with honor. In all, the Harp of Burma is a peaceful movie, as you said. This movie sort of brings people closer together.
ReplyDeleteOh hai der. :3
ReplyDeleteYou are too right about The Harp of Burma, it’s a very simple low-budget styled anime. But sometimes simplicity is key. Maybe that’s how the animators wanted to convey their message, simple and straightforward. Death and suicide are on completely opposite sides of the spectrum in the United States and Japan. Americans shun the idea of suicide because to them it is immoral and blasphemous while in Japan, death and suicide is a large part of their history and culture. The Japanese giving suicide as an option to soldiers instead of being captured in battle is deemed as honorable. Americans unfortunately don’t understand the Japanese’s reasoning behind this. I greatly appreciated the message given from The Harp of Burma. We need to respect those who died with honor, whether it be from natural causes or from committing suicide. I think The Harp of Burma is trying to say that if we do what is right, humanity will thank us and we can make the world a better place.
Well, yes I think it is quite easy to see that the anime is a low budget film, but personally did you appreciate the art in it? I remember watching it together, but I can recall if you alright with what you saw. I agree with you when you say that Mizushima is a man with a strong sense of duty, because that is exactly what he is. Throughout the entire film, he only wished to accomplish what was right and do what he had to do. Even though he wanted to be with his men, deep inside he knew that he had to stay behind and properly bury the bodies of his fallen comrades. And yes, death does seem to be a more prominent theme in Japanese culture, especially suicide as you stated above. I thought Letter to Iwo Jima was very sad – sad being an understated word for what it really was. Watching the men kill themselves for “honor” was extremely heartbreaking. But I’m glad we balanced the two movies out together. The Harp of Burma has a happier feel, while Letter to Iwo Jima shows a more sad view.
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