Every O-Kiku

My friends and I got silly. Hope you like it, share it far and wide, and vote Kiku for the One Piece Popularity poll! Remember, Boss Cho is watching. What the Daimyo doesn't know, won't hurt her.

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And for our last entry in this week of movies I watched...a true classic. I don't know why like, four people I follow were on a Lawrence of Arabia kick in recent weeks on here but I'm glad they were. This is one of those true classics you'll see ranking highly on a lot of best movie lists and honestly? Yeah, it's deserved. Just for the scope of it more than anything. I don't really get "sucked in" to the world of a lot of films. But holy hell this one makes you feel like you're right there in the Arab Peninsula.

Essentially, we have here a stylized retelling of the escapades of T.E. Lawerence, a British military officer who played a key role in the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. Peter O'Toole gives an amazing performance as this enigmatic, complex figure and Omar Sharif as Ali on the right up in the picture was an excellent counterpart as well. I also quite liked Alec Guiness as Prince Faisal.

The next Kurosawa picture is a much trickier one to talk about. No Regrets for Our Youth is not a typical samurai movie. Released in 1946, it is about the very real, very raw subject of the Second World War and its immediate aftermath. There's no time for the post-war era to have set in. The only thing I can compare it to is an American film released in the same year called The Best Years of Our Lives. That was the story of three WW2 vets coming home and grappling with the struggle. It's such an interesting movie because you know the story now, how much of a boom period for America kicked off and by the end of the 40s you'd see stuff like South Pacific romanticizing the war. Both grandfathers of mine were that era, Best Years felt borderline voyeuristic for me to see around 2020. The rocky transition to the happy story they'd tell about the good ol days.

Now...how does something with that energy differ for the losing side? This is no Grave of the Fireflies where we really showcase the horrors of war as it started impacting mainland Japan. Instead of returning veterans, the film focuses on the daughter of a university professor who was fired as a result of an early 30s crackdown on academic freedom. She's torn between two suitors, Itokawa who gives up on the protest movement and takes a job in the growing Fascist government and Noge who stuck to his leftist beliefs. We follow our heroine Yukie through this entire era of growing militarism and ultimately losing a war. All while she struggles with the core themes of the story.

Next up is a couple of Kurosawa classics I've knocked off the list. First is one that was very influential on Star Wars, 1958's The Hidden Fortress. Great setup. Hooks you right away as we open on two peasants who have the worst luck. Wanted to join up with an army and seek their fortune, arrive too late, get mistaken for the defeated army and made to dig graves. It gets worse, but when they finally break free and start to head back empty handed they stumble across some gold. Trying to find the rest of it leads them to encounter the general and princess of the fallen Akizuki Clan, which in turn leads to a daring mission. They could never make it across the Yamada/Akizuki border, too tightly controlled. So what if they use the victorious Yamada Clan's turf as a way to get to a safe third domain?

We also saw Backrooms. Yeah I'm taking the week to catch up on some movies I've seen recently. So for starters I am familiar with the online creepypasta and how it started off. Was even in the camp that got kinda annoyed when younger folk took something that was cool from an austere liminal space perspective and made it kinda like another SCP Foundation but it's hard to care too much about something like that. Honestly it's cool Gen Z ran with it and made it their own. Much like Kane Parsons and that if nothing else is a cool story about this movie. Really looks like horror is becoming a hip genre for young creators shaking up the Hollywood formula. Anything to get us out of reboot hell.

Saw a couple of current movies over the weekend. Me and the Sweetie have been really busy past few weeks so did a nice date night at the cinema. The first we saw was Obsession, which is quite the obsession of pop culture at the moment. Very warranted. We've kinda come around on the deconstruction bent so much that we're able to see something like this played straight. Guy's pining for a girl, goes to some woo-woo spiritual shop, buys this pictured "One Wish Willow" and we get a classic monkey's paw wish setup.

Now, a lot of the appeal here is Inde Navarrette as the leading lady. Holy shit was she good at snapping between lovey-dovey and psychotic. That's where a lot of the good aspects of the movie come from. I haven't seen a horror movie that relies on largely jump scares be so effective in a long time. Not to mention...well, pardon the pun but it's a great companion to last year's Companion in terms of holding up a mirror to something real in the dating scene for young people these days. That said, there was one thing that Sweetie really nailed after we were done. I wouldn't even call it a problem or plot hole as much as something that may be hinted at an earlier version of this script? Since it won't work at all without spoiling...

You know...I always thought the panty thing was Brook being a dirty old man. So he was always like that? I love the comedic timing on this stupid bit. Princess Shuri is being adorable drifting into inappropriate. Brook chides her for it before going way more inappropriate and gets clonged in the back of the head with a flying sword attack. Very impressive Shuri! Got some bad news for you about the chest though. What does this all lead to? Another nested flashback!

Okay, so we're just casually back into familiar territory. By which I mean all that stuff about how these later flashbacks and such don't really need to drag things out when they can build off of things we've seen in this story. Like so many others, Brook's origin was as an abandoned child making his way as best he can in the junkyard. Longing to be a normal kid going to music classes. What's really interesting here to me is he almost comes off as like, Izo if they didn't meet Oden until later and Kiku didn't make it. There seems to be a family that fell apart and died before this point. Lil Brook is blaming the current king.

This is overheard by then-Prince Reuven who takes the absolutely based approach of hanging out with this scruffy 11yo and partaking in his grasshopper & toad curry. Sums it up perfectly with "So this is Esperia as well." From Grey Terminal to Okobore Town, we've seen this so many times. Even doubles down on something I said in an earlier chapter with Brook & Gunko, man there was a missed opportunity to work Brook into Wano's core themes more! And that sets up our internal story of this chapter. Brook nicks curry powder from the Marine ships because yeah...it'll overpower any other flavor. This gets him in a sport of trouble when some crooked Marines mistake him for the courier boy in a drug smuggling operation.

Thankfully Reuven & Candelle save the day. They bust up the smuggling op referencing this Mouron Family again. Chandelle chides Prince Reuven for forgetting his standing and what this could lead to but she's pretty cute with Brook as well. Who gets a nice upgrade in living conditions, proper music training, and from here presumably takes an interest in swordplay. Princess Shuri also should be born only a couple of years after this so I do have to wonder what happens with the current king and Reuven/Candelle's marriage and all. Which is a good opportunity to get to the last point today.

There's so much good panel work in this chapter it was hard to settle on one of them. But this one has Tsubame being a total bitch and a solid music shoutout so let's rock! Hibari is futzing with the album Tin Drum by a UK band named Japan. Would have been very new when this chapter was originally released. New Wave like most of Hibari's music, actually think about how hip she'd be to be getting a British album only a few months old at this point in the 80s. This one's all about the fallout from Yakkun's proposal. Starting with everyone else treating it like a big joke or maybe a chance to force Hibari to "admit she's really a boy" or something but the stakes are pretty fucked. Yakkun's a creepy 28yo with a daddy who outranks Mr. Oozora in the underworld. Sure it's goofy but the chapter makes it clear he's comparing her to a better version of a love doll.

It's kinda fucked up honestly. Girl's clearly worried about this from every panel we see her in but the whole family's just having a grand ol time. In a time period you might still see some arranged marriages too there's a pretty cool point on display. How many daughters in Japanese history (or really most of the world to varying degrees) have had this type of moment? Family cheering because you got a marriage offer that's great on paper for everyone but you.

We also get a really sweet moment though. This isn't silly antics, we don't even really see the heartfelt conversation implied because it might spoil the fun. A writing technique I dunno, you may recognize for some reason if you're here reading this. Hibari's asking Kohsaku to say they're already engaged. I really do think that expression says a lot more than teasing out the scene could. Little moments like this give Hibari a real depth, make you wonder if that detached confidence is a front. A...mask dare I say?

Of course, this will lead to Kohsaku being threatened by thugs from the other Yakuza family. And he stands his ground. Kanojo ni, Naru hi does this as a serious romance but the best part about the pair's dynamic is that Kohsaku is consistently a pretty good dude in his own right when it matters. The couple working together are cool as hell. We should do that one down the line, it's short enough. Still a steady hand in the boxing club. Actually pretty chill about living with four girls. Never a little creep. Like, these weren't teen punks they send after him.

We talked about this a little bit yesterday but it's a fun thing in and of itself. What you see above is a shot from a Japanese theatre production in the 50s, and every person on stage is a woman. The Takarazuka Revue is an institution and has been for over a century, popping up as just a tourist attraction to bolster a hot springs town at the end of a rail line. Save for a brief period in WW2 it's been going strong since and this is no niche thing. It's a premier theatre for Western drama, though I'd argue there's an element of smashing them all together. Broadway musicals, Shakespeare & European folktales, Russian drama and dance. Takurazuka has elements of all of them, and typically even one troupe that does traditional Japanese fare.

And all the performers are female as a direct rebuttal to Kabuki doing the opposite. Because in the 1910s Kabuki would be stodgy and passe. The Takarazuka Revue was built on being the anti-Kabuki! How did they get away with this gender treachery 100 years ago? Well, partially by selling people on the idea it's all a way to promote good wives and mothers but also people let you get away with it if it's good. If you've ever asked why shoujo anime is so heavily steeped in androgynous European princes...it's because landmark series like Princess Knight and The Rose of Versailles looked to Takarazuka for inspiration. Especially the former, Tezuka spent most of his childhood in Takarazuka City with a mom who was a fan. We'll also have a great segment about it when I get the next volume of Stop!! Hibari-Kun in.

So Queen Candelle having this aesthetic in a very musical country, being framed just like legit Prince Charming Cavendish, and even adding in the former Royal Guard captain element just like Oscar in Rose of Versailles...yeah clear reference in a long line of them through manga history. Long enough there's a clear evolution between Princess Sapphire and Oscar Francois de Jarjyes.

Great little element the latter's author added early to really nail the difference. Sapphire pouts about not wanting to show up a boy she likes in a swordfight, Oscar initially tries to resist the call to adventure but is prideful enough she just has to still show the guy she's the better swordsman...which in turn leads her to accept the military uniform.

With Kiku & Yamato, we talked about how times have changed and who is this action girl tomboy really for? Oscar still is about the struggle between two worlds but thats so out of touch now in a world where something like Bamboo Blade isn't really breaking barriers. Thats why I get a kick out of Yamato and the reaction to him in the shonen fan base. The biggest "fans" are the ones who took one look, praised the heavens for bonk girl, and proceeded to ignore half the story. Meanwhile Kiku trots along pulling something you probably could build a gangbusters shoujo around today if editors didn't nag it to death. All by recontextualizing those old lady samurai movies.

And now, to compliment our very 70s yakuza flick vibe Rocks flashback and Rayleigh/Shakky's love ballad in a hail of arrows...the old guy on the crew is opening up about how he was inspired by this gallant queen. Yet another variation on a woman playing a man's role. I'm really excited to see where this one leads, because it's just adding in more of my favorite stuff. Brook always had this element to him. He never really shows the type of chivalry Zoro/Sanji do. Quick to cut down Giolla and gives Big Mom his all. That tracks with learning so much from a figure like Lady Oscar. And honestly? I think a new generation of young men, from what I've seen, sorta is more open to that in their own lives than young men in the 70s would be.

We're back again with the chaos unfolding on Elbaph. A giant Aqua-Baddie has taken the field and you know she's huge because remember the people in the foreground are giants. Good moment for Ripley and Sanji's racing to provide backup.

Though...we might see him focus on Kirinham directly while the giants grapple with the big hydro-hottie. Let's see, was there anything else of interest in this new chapter? Guess Imu mentions some kind of "Dozan." Is...is he the one who stabbed Japanese wrestling hero Rikidozan? I don't wanna think about the implications of that. What else we got? Anything? Anything good to really stir the soul? Something that might resonate deep down to the bones?

I've seen this going around, and in lieu of other content (personal life v busy ATM) enjoy. Oden's slot as the favorite backstory is a collective one of course, and honestly Capt. John got the minor character one because Tritoma wasn't on the list. But using the power of magnetism to snatch treasure was pretty boss...

No no, spill that tea Yamada. I love when random moments get funnier with more modern turns of phrase. Especially if we're throwing monster kicks like that. I assure you, Mayama deserves it. As we meander along and he joins the professional world there's some drama that kicks up when his architecture firm wants to contract out some pottery pieces from Ayu and the school. Mayama keeps getting prickly and overprotective about some of his co-workers taking an interest in his childhood friend, and it leads to a pretty classic and grounded secondary love story. He gets called out pretty heavily for still pining after the older Rika and keeping Ayu as his safe, pristine backup option.

Well, this was kinda foreboding in the chapter that unfolded. We get the glorious return of Professor Hanamoto and it's framed really well around how much Hagu regresses pretty much the second he's back. Like, just before she's a lot more social and standing up for herself to Morita's pretty damn funny heckling. Quickly editing her coming-of-age ceremony formal photo into that Shichi-Go-San children's one with the joke you know...she doesn't look different. Reverse energy of that classic Futurama bit where Bender whips out a childhood photo and it's just same ol' Bender with the same ol' cigar and booze.

Though it's a really interesting parallel here. The professor talks about a cute pair of siblings from the host family in Mongolia. The little sister following around her big bro everywhere and how the adults just laugh it off and enjoy the cute phase of her doing that. No, doesn't remind me of certain pretty samurai at all. Yes, I know why this series ended up being pretty controversial but earlier moments like this make me interested to see how it's actually framed when we get there. That's why I really like this scene about Mayama and Ayu in the following chapter. Some of her old family friends around the liquor shop are busy griping about how Mayama spurned her until one points out he's actually a pretty good dude for making it all these years never taking advantage of those feelings. I find I like Mayama a lot more as the story develops and he becomes more of the young professional moving on.

Or maybe this is the type of story where some shit just happens and there's no deeper meaning. You know, like an outdoor shower you hastily constructed at your shitty student apartment. But if we're going that route...

It's nice to pull out the Shojo Beat volumes when I do have them for chapters. The red/blue ink is a neat touch. As we move on from our last visit we're opening up the idea Hagu's uneasy being on her own. She has been living with Ayu but she's out tending to her liquor store-owning family that sound kinda rad. So we get something of a subversion of what you'd expect out of college hijinks manga when Yuta goes over.

And here we bring what feels like a first major "arc" to a close. We've gotten to know the characters, Mayama is off to the professional world, Morita found his way to bum around for one more year, and Hagu has made a big decision. Professor Hanamoto is going on an extended research trip. Hagu has decided to stay with her friends which is a pretty big deal as we unveil some of her troubled upbringing.