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 Animefringe Editorial:
Summer of San
By guest columnist John Oppliger
Summer is here, and with it the traditional offering of big budget
spectacle movies. Consider how ironic it is that in a summer movie season
that began with the Japanese invasion of Pearl Harbor, this summer may
actually be the beginning of a positive Japanese invasion. While there may
not be any anime films coming to your local multiplex this summer, rest
assured that they are on the way, and this summer may be their flag bearer.
Summer is our escape from stress and routine. We travel, relax,
earn a reprieve from school, and watch summer movies because they carry us
away to realms of fantasy far from the mundane. Anime would seemingly be a
natural choice for summer theatrical release. After all, what type of film
can better transport viewers to fantasy realms than anime? All anime is
fantasy, even the most "realistic," because anime doesn't rely on real
locations or even real actors. Everything seen on screen exists only on the
screen. But while anime does transport viewers to foreign lands, anime
itself is foreign to many viewers. Therein lies the traditional stumbling
block to anime in American movie theaters. The films themselves are Asian,
and the animation medium is not one normally associated with American
mainstream cinema. But both of these traditional barriers may be crumbling,
and this summer's movie season may punch an ever widening hole in America's
wall of theatrical exclusion which may never again be patched. The
unprecedented success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and the upcoming
Asian influence in this summer's movies may signify the beginning of a new
curiosity and sophistication in American moviegoers who are cautiously
expanding their horizons to the East.
First consider Sony's theatrical distribution of "Beat" Takeshi's
Japanese gangster film Brother, the current theatrical release of Tsui
Hark's Time & Tide, the impending release of Final Fantasy: The Spirits
Within, and even Disney's Atlantis and the video game inspired Tomb Raider.
Then consider the number of anime and Japanese genre productions tentatively
scheduled to debut in American movie theaters within the next six months:
Mamoru Oshii's brilliant production of Jin-Roh, the long awaited new Vampire
Hunter D film, the dark horse action/horror Guilstein, the action spectacle
Spriggan, the live-action horror-drama Parasite Eve, and in the not too
distant future, the lush Escaflowne movie and Sony's international
distribution of Metropolis. This summer is clearly a fertile field ready for
the planting of anime seeds.
First and foremost is the Final Fantasy movie. Assuming that
viewers will be willing to watch an animated Japanese film made up of
computer graphics, can we assume that at least some of these viewers that
have never before considered watching a Japanese movie will also be willing
to watch an animated Japanese film made up of hand-painted cel art? The
Final Fantasy movie is a perfect starting point from which to germinate
interest in anime in the minds of people that have never thought of anime
before. The same applies to Atlantis. While not Japanese, the style of
Atlantis is similar to anime, and support for Atlantis may urge new viewers
to seek out more serious animated films, and show studios and theater
managers that this type of film does have market potential. The Tomb Raider
film isn't exactly related to anime, but does present a competent woman
wielding guns and swords in scenes of the same hyperbolic action typical of
action anime. People willing to watch the adventures of a character based on
an animated woman may well be open to the idea of watching literally
animated women in similar adventures. The number of Asian and Asian
influenced films this summer, including Final Fantasy, Shrek, Atlantis, Tomb
Raider, Brother and Kiss of the Dragon may be the first foothold in a steady
climb toward the wholehearted acceptance of anime in America.
In the wake of increasing awareness and interest in Asian film in
America, American studios and distributors are taking notice. Twentieth
Century Fox has secured the American rights to a Gunnm (Battle Angel) film
in the hopes that James Cameron will direct; and Miramax has licensed Mamoru
Oshii's critically acclaimed action film Avalon and his not yet produced
Ghost in the Shell 2 movie along with Tsui Hark's very anime styled Chinese
kung fu fantasy Legend of Zu; and Asian stars Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Ziyi
Zhang, and directors John Woo and Ang Lee are all very much in demand now.
This sort of importation of Asian cinema bodes well for the future of
theatrical anime. The anime films on the foreseeable horizon will all debut
in very limited theatrical release, and may possibly never see the major
distribution that we'd all like to see them get, but that doesn't mean that
all of us will necessarily miss these films in a theater. The only way to
see anime in wide theatrical release is to insure that the theatrical
screenings will be significantly profitable. That means that people must pay
to see these films. Anime fans attending a sold-out show is a positive
start, but we'll need much more support than just one theater to see anime
in our local multiplex. This summer's theatrical offerings are a perfect
opportunity to start a ripple that will swell into a wave of interest in
Japanese animation. Like Mei, Satsuki and Totoro, plant a small seed, and
with time it may grow into a massive tree. Furthermore, if you want to see
anime films in your local theater, films like Vampire Hunter D and Jin-Roh,
ask for them. Especially if you have a local art theater or alternative
theater, these sort of family or community supported and operated movie
theaters thrive on screening foreign and alternative quality cinema that
viewers want to see. Especially since these theaters are often run by
enlightened movie fans themselves, a polite letter or phone call suggesting
a title can result in a local anime theatrical presentation where there
would previously have been none. Asking for a local theater to rent a print
of a new anime film may not guarantee results, but simply making a theater
manager aware of an available title that he or she may not even have been
aware of can infinitely increase your chances of seeing a new anime film in
a movie theater.
It may seem like quite a long wait to see highly anticipated anime
films like Spriggan and Vampire Hunter D in an American theater, and it's
tempting to long for a home video release in liu of a theatrical screening.
A home video release, naturally, provides a sense of ownership, and also
offers the convenience of repeated viewings at your leisure. But in order
for anime to expand in the West, theatrical distribution is a vital
necessity. Extensive home video distribution generates massive revenue, and
television broadcast generates massive recognition, but nothing will confer
"legitimacy" on anime the way theatrical distribution will. Home video sales
in the West have a connotation of secondary market or second-rate quality.
Television broadcasts, with their frequent commercial breaks and the natural
attention deficit that television engenders, smack of commercialism and
children's programming. For anime to earn respect as legitimate cinema, and
gain recognition as more than merely children's cartoons or media for
cultish fans, anime will have to headline American movie marques. Although
films like Perfect Blue, X, Akira and Princess Mononoke have been
commercially unsuccessful in recent theatrical release, their limited
screenings have earned the respect and public affirmation by recognized
names including Roger Ebert, Neil Gaiman, Roger Corman and even James
Cameron. This sort of praise can carry a lot of weight in public opinion,
and is generally reserved only for theatrical releases. In essence,
theatrical releases simply seem more significant and more "important" than
television or home video releases.
Perhaps the limited distribution and short theatrical life of films
like Princess Mononoke and Perfect Blue may be attributed to the films being
ahead of their time, or not quite perfectly attuned to the state of
mainstream America's movie-going whims. These films could be said to have
been victims of circumstance. Not only did Perfect Blue and X suffer from
under-funded distribution, Princess Mononoke suffered under the distribution
of a company not fully convinced of the film's potential, unwilling to
campaign for the film and push its theatrical presence. Furthermore, Perfect
Blue, X, Princess Mononoke and Akira are all distinctly Japanese films. They
deal with Japanese settings and character types and all have endings that
conform to the Japanese dramatic conventions of introspection and tragedy,
but not the American preference for victory and empowerment. The new batch
of theatrical anime on the way are poised to hit American theaters just as
American interest in Asian cinema is reaching a peak, and many of the films
on the way, including Spriggan and Vampire Hunter D, forgo the Japanese
iconography and ideology in favor of more accessible, exhilarating action.
These films may find greater acceptance by mainstream viewers because they
provide exactly what mainstream viewers expect and desire out of anime.
Their straightforward narratives and emphasis on universally appreciated
action may earn more positive word-of-mouth regard than the qualified "It's
great if you like..." opinions that films like Perfect Blue and Princess
Mononoke may have engendered. Capturing the attention of mainstream viewers
will undeniably increase the importation of anime into the West. Theatrical
distribution will generate the respect for anime as a medium for adults and
film lovers outside of merely fans of "cartoons." If American interest in
Asian cinema is currently at a peak, anime fans must hope that this peak is
just one spire of a taller mountain, and urge viewers to seek out still
higher peaks. For mainstream viewers, the top of the mountain is a type of
exhilarating cinema they've never realized that they've always wanted to
see. For anime fans, the flag we seek to post at the top of the mountain is
the ability to experience theatrical anime the way it was meant to be seen-
on a massive theatrical screen with dozens of other totally enthralled
viewers sharing in the experience.
John Oppliger is the news and answer guy editor of the online shopping site AnimeNation.com (http://www.animenation.com/).
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