Inception

Inception directed by Christopher Nolan

Last week, I went to the theater to see Inception at midnight showing.  Almost three weeks had passed since Inception released in Tokyo, Japan. Nevertheless, many people sat in the theater even late at night.

Inception is a story of layers of dreams.  People dream in a shared dream and dream again into a shared dream of a deeper layer and again...

Inceptions shows some rules of dream world. For example, man who dies in a dream wakes up at the upper layer.  For example, time passes faster than the real world.   And there were many significant words.  Despite many hints, Inception deluded me.  Because, the movie seems to explain well but it's not so kind.  I want to see it again!  The impression of the movie still lingers.

I saw The Dark Knight, too.  The Dark Knight provided a inextricable question as a last one from Joker.  It's so-called "prisoner's dilemma".  (I didn't know prisoner's dilemma is a well-known subject of game theory until I read Prisoner's Dilemma written by Richard Powers.)  Eventually Christopher Nolan must like elaborate puzzles.

I thought about Inception at the night until I fell asleep "What does the scene mean?  What does the words mean?  That is to say, ....zzz."  When I slept thinking about Inception, I dreamed about sleeping on a light-blue box!  If I will practice hard,  I can dream about dreaming in a dream?

The Dark Knight (+ BD Live) [Blu-ray] Warner Home Video 2008-12-09 Sales Rank : 124 Average Review See details at Amazon by G-Tools

Neuromancer

Neuromancer by William Gibson

I like the movie, The Matrix.  So, my friend strongly recommended Neuromancer.  He said " if you like The Matrix, you have to read Neuromancer.  It's the originator of cyberpunk like The Matrix."

I'm not familiar with science fiction.  I learned by his explanation that the science fiction such as The Matrix is called cyberpunk.  Before, I have seen the animated movie, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence.  I know the famous Japanese comics, Ghost in the Shell (攻殻機動隊 Koukaku Kidoutai).  I've ever read only one comic book of Ghost in the Shell series.  I've read the Japanese comics, AKIRA, too.  I found out that all of those were categorized as cyberpunk.

In Neuromancer, there are many various city images of Chiba City, the Eastern United States, Istanbul and a space colony.  All of them are very likely future scene.  The reason is that each smell of regions remains at the future of the cities in the novel.  I was excited at author's imagination of Chiba City, because I'm a Japanese.  Only the description of Chiba City will be able to shoot a two-hour movie.  Eventually Blade Runner was created by only one city of the future Los Angels that was to all intents and purposes Shinjyuku Tokyo.  I was overwhelmed by the enrichment of author's depiction of fiction.  The author wrote so many new ideas that the novel possibly enables to shot for almost six movies.

Anyhow,  Neuromancer was published on 1984 before The Matrix, Ghost in the Shell, AKIRA and Blade Runner.  If Neuromancer had been the first time experience of cyberpunk, I wouldn't have been able to follow the description of frequent and quick scene changes of cyberspace.  In fact, I've learned the cyberspace visualization without my knowing it.

No matter how colorful idea, I think that the theme of Neuromancer is serious.  The main character doesn't care about his body but he exchanges the body messages in cyberspace at the end part of Neuromancer.  How inconsistent human beings are!

Neuromancer William Gibson Ace Hardcover 2004-11-02 Sales Rank : 22087 Average Review See details at Amazon by G-Tools

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence [Blu-ray] Artist Not Provided Bandai 2009-01-13 Sales Rank : 9466 Average Review See details at Amazon by G-Tools

Ghost In The Shell Volume 1 - 2nd Edition (v. 1) Masamune Shirow Dark Horse 2004-11-17 Sales Rank : 95472 Average Review See details at Amazon by G-Tools

Akira Volume 1 (Akira) Katsuhiro Otomo Kodansha Comics 2009-10-13 Sales Rank : 25290 Average Review See details at Amazon by G-Tools

Blade Runner the F [Blu-ray] 2008-12-16 Sales Rank : 37264 See details at Amazon by G-Tools

The Matrix [Blu-ray] Warner Home Video 2010-01-12 Sales Rank : 9155 Average Review See details at Amazon by G-Tools

Yoko Ogawa 小川洋子

Yoko Ogawa (小川洋子 OGAWA Yoko) is a strange woman.  Most novelists are really eccentric but she is seemingly a sophisticated lady.  Her face is always serene when I see her on TV programs or magazines.  For some reason or other, her novels aren't serene at all.  There is poison behind romantic settings.

Pregnancy Diary brought her recognition in 1990.  It's the story of two young sisters.  The big sister becomes pregnant, then the little sister starts to have bad intentions.  The big sister who has a nervous disposition broods with ups and downs specific to a pregnant woman.

The annoyed little sister recalls that the grapefruit from United States includes a material that destroys the chromosome.  It's small dairy knowledge she get by any chance.  She buys grapefruit imported from United States and makes jam out of them.  The big sister who regains appetite after morning sickness eats it delightedly.  Because, pregnant woman often wants something sour.  The little sister makes and makes, the big sister eats and eats.  The little sister tries to dream of the growth situation of the baby but she cannot.  She can image only damaged chromosome......

Pregnancy Diary in the following book.  I like The Diving Pool, Pregnancy Diary, Dormitory in her early works.  The Diving Pool, the translated version, contains all three of them.

The Diving Pool: Three Novellas Yoko Ogawa Stephen Snyder Picador 2008-01-22 Sales Rank : 88688 Average Review See details at Amazon by G-Tools

Some disabled person appears in the novels of Yoko Ogawa.  The disabled person accepts his or her situation and lives quietly.  He or she is so quiet that he or she looks like a spirit who has a body.  Her novels show that body is connected to living.  As well, the depiction of eating often appears in her novels.  Even if we have to harm our body in order to keep living, we cannot abandon our body.  Imprisoned body expands to imprisoned love.

Yoko Ogawa seems to be popular in France.  The Ring Finger (薬指の標本 L'annulaire) was made into a movie by French director.  I think Hotel Iris are the stories of imprisoned body and love.  Two of these are a bit more erotic than other Yoko Ogawa's works.

Hotel Iris: A Novel Yoko Ogawa Picador 2010-03-30 Sales Rank : 29879 Average Review See details at Amazon by G-Tools

薬指の標本 L'annulaire SPECIAL EDITION [DVD] Diane Bertrand ハピネット・ピクチャーズ 2007-03-23 Sales Rank :  6608 Average Review  See details at Amazon Japan by G-Tools

Happy End はっぴいえんど

When I saw Lost in Translation on DVD, it surprised me that the sound of Happy End (はっぴいえんど) came out at the end of the film.

Happy End is an old acoustic band in Japan in the 1970's.  Each former member became a big musician or big producer and so on.  They work at the center of Japan music currently.  People say that Happy End is a legendary band that all members are too talented to get together again right now.  Members are Haruomi Hosono, Eiichi Ohtaki, Takashi Matsumoto and Sigeru Suzuki.  Melancholic and political music like flower children flooded here and there when Happy End appeared.  Their music was light, and had dry humor.  Some people felt they were a new band, but Happy End weren't in mainstream because of their stance of staying at the cutting edge.

Keiichi Suzuki (鈴木慶一 SUZUKI Keiichi) joined Happy End as a member of backing band.  He provides his music to Takeshi Kitano's movie.  The other big musicians were related to Happy End.  Sometimes talented people interact each other at a very narrow point.  Happy End was such a place.


Digitally remastered CD of Happy End

はっぴいえんど はっぴいえんど Pony Canyon  2009-02-18 Sales Rank : 70272 Average Review  See details at Amazon Japan by G-Tools

Zatoichi sound track by Keiichi Suzuki

座頭市 オリジナル・サウンドトラック 鈴木慶一 Sound track Dreamusic 2003-09-03 Sales Rank : 15506 Average Review  See details at Amazon Japan by G-Tools

Lost in Translation

Lost in Translation (directed by Sofia Coppola in 2003)

I saw Lost in Translation on DVD.  Leading parts, Charlotte who is around 30 years old and Bob who is over 50 years old, have sorrow of life.  They felt they didn't get anything and reach anywhere right now.  They are in Tokyo that provides discomfort because of strange people, strange scenery and strange custom.

I'm afraid that there isn't any witty Japanese in this movie.  All Japanese behaviors are queerly theatrical.  I understood that.  Some Japanese people who can speak English play the personality who can speak English.  According to my observation, voice becomes high and loudly. Women's voice turns to high-pitched voice.  I think such transformation looks flippant.  But, it's a movie.  Don't forget many intellectual people who can speak English well!

Anyway, this story is that lonely two souls meet in a foreign country that is out of place and they feel sympathy for each other.  It's a kind of I-Novel (私小説).  I-Novel is the one of traditional genre in Japan literature that novelists write their private issues and feelings.  There is very few accident and incident in the story.  I felt that this movie was an I-Novel of Sofia Coppola.

At the same time, the film reminds me of Yoshikichi Furui (古井由吉 FURUI Yoshikichi).  I'm not sure whether Yoshikichi's novels are involved in I-Novel.  His stories don't have ups and downs.  The characters feel that there is nothing interesting and exciting somehow.  They get bored as hard as they can.

I'd like you to read Yoshikichi Furui if you like Lost in Translation.

Child of Darkness: Yoko and Other Stories (Michigan Monograph Series in Japanese Studies, No. 18) Univ of Michigan Center for 1997-06 Amazonで詳しく見る by G-Tools