Synopsis
Asuna is a relatively independent young girl as her mother
works long hours as a nurse and her father died when she was younger. When
Asuna is not at home doing chores or at school studying, she is in the
mountains near her home where she’s built a place of her own, a clubhouse. She
spends her time listening to the mysterious, ominous-like music that stems from
a radio her father has given to her as a memento.
Despite warnings from adults and teachers in school about a
possible bear sighting in the mountains, Asuna makes her way to her clubhouse
one day only to be attacked by a frightening creature. She is saved by a boy
who introduces himself as Shun, and later treats his wounds that he sustained
while fighting the creature. While they are together, Shun tells Asuna that he
is from a faraway place called Agartha and has come here in search of
something. He gives Asuna a blessing by kissing her forehead and an abashed
Asuna promises to come back tomorrow. Shun reaches up to the stars, saying that
he fears what’s coming, and falls to his death from the ledge.
Asuna is given the news of Shun’s death by her mother but
Asuna brushes it off as a mistake. She returns to the mountains in search of
Shun but he’s no-where to be found. At school a new substitute teacher, Mr.
Morisaki, teaches the class about Kojiki Mythology where Izanagi travels deep
underground in search of a way to resurrect his dead wife. Mr. Morisaki
mentions that many stories of resurrection appear worldwide across different
cultures and that the land mentioned had different names such as Yomi,
Underworld, Hades, Shambhala, and Agartha. Asuna finds Mr. Morisaki at his home
after school to ask more about Agartha. Mr. Morisaki shares that long ago,
people needed guidance from beings or gods called Quetzal Coatl, the
gatekeepers of Agartha. They retreated into the underground when the human race
matured along with a few humans.
Asuna goes back to the mountain and encounters another boy
who looks like Shun. The two are attacked by a group of men from an
organization that the boy calls, Arch Angel. In an attempt to escape the armed
men, the boy takes Asuna underground, but they are captured. The commander of
the Arch Angel group forces Asuna to use the crystal key, called the clavis,
that was on Shun’s body when he died to open a gate to Agartha. Once inside,
the commander reveals himself as Mr. Morisaki and the boy reveals himself to be
Shun’s little brother, Shin. Mr. Morisaki says that he does not seek eternal
life or wisdom, but only the methods of resurrecting his dead wife. Shin takes
back the clavis and allows Asuna and Mr. Mosisaki to do as they please and
leaves for Agartha. Mr. Morisaki gives Asuna the choice to follow him down to
Agartha on a journey or to go back home. Asuna chooses to travel to Agartha. Mr.
Morisaki and Asuna set out to find the Gate of Life and Death, where one can
bring back those who have died.
Shin returns to his village where the elders notify him that
he has failed his mission because Asuna’s radio memento had a fragment of a
different clavis. Shin is then tasked to stopping Asuna and Mr. Morisaki. Asuna
is captured by the Izoku, a cursed tribe tasked with wandering Agartha and
devouring the “defiled”, or half Agarthan and “topsider” (those who live up on
the surface) children. Asuna awakes in a nest of Izoku and meets Manna, a mute
child who was also kidnapped from a village called Amaurot. Shin finds and
rescues both Asuna and Manna but is injured in the process. Mr. Morisaki find
injured Shin, Asuna and Manna and set out to return Manna to her village and to
find out information on where to go to find the Gate of Life and Death.
Although they are met with resistance at Amaurot, the grandfather of Manna
takes the travelers in to provide shelter and information.
Asuna and Mr. Morisaki part ways with Shin, who is too
injured to travel, and Manna to go to the Gate of Life and Death. Soldiers from
the village Amaurot meet them there to stop them. Shin arrives to fight off the
soldiers so that Asuna and Mr. Morisaki can go forward but when the two get to
the entrance of the gate, a large cliff down to an abyss, Asuna backs out. Mr.
Morisaki continues alone with the clavis that Asuna received from her father.
Asuna tries to go back to the village to wait for Mr. Morisaki but gets
surrounded by the Izoku. Shin arrives just in time to defend Asuna and the two
hold out until daybreak where the Izoku is powerless. With the help of a
Quetzal Coatl, the two are allowed to easily travel down to the Gate of Life
and Death.
Mr. Morisaki reaches the bottom and opens the Gate of Life
and Death. There he is confronted by the god and is given a wish; Mr. Morisaki
asks for his wife back for the price of his eye and the clavis. The god asks
for a tribute, a vessel in which Mr. Morisaki’s wife’s soul can reside. At that
moment, Asuna and Shin reach Mr. Morisaki, who chooses to use Asuna as that
vessel. All seems lost as Asuna changes form into Mr. Morisaki’s wife but Shin
intervenes and destroys the clavis, breaking the transition. Mr. Morisaki
realizes his actions as Shin says that the living are much important than the
dead. The film ends with Mr. Morisaki and Shin remaining in Agartha while Asuna
returns home.
Scene Analysis
Resurrection of Lisa
The scene starts with a blurry night sky filled with stars
into focus. Mr. Morisaki has reached the bottom of the cliff and has entered
the Gate of Life and Death. He’s sitting on a rock in a vast field, head down
and the clavis he’s taken from Asuna rests on a smaller rock in front of him.
The clavis lights up and changes into a more defined clavis, just like the one
seen on Shun and Shin.
Shakuna Vimana, the Agarthan God descends to where Mr.
Morisaki is sitting and opens all of his eyes on its body. The God asks Mr.
Morisaki to state his wish; as the camera moves slowly to the left with Mr.
Morisaki off to the left of focus, Mr. Morisaki states that he’s tried his best
to move on but he cannot live without his wife, Lisa. He asks Shakuna Vimana to
resurrect Lisa. The God opens a rift to start the process.
Shin and Asuna have reached the bottom of the cliff as well.
Although they are at the bottom of a massive cliff, the viewers can see clouds
and the floor is reminiscent of the sea. A black sphere, The Gate of Life and
Death, can be seen to the left of center and Shin and Asuna are a few feet
away, to the right of the focus. Shin approaches the Gate and touches it. He’s
pulled in and Asuna grabs hold as well. They arrive in the field where Mr.
Morisaki has met with Shakuna Vimana but cannot see him. It seems that this is
the first time Shin is seeing stars. In the distance they spot the God, the
shot is has Shakuna Vimana hovering over a small distant light, and the
landscape is curved. Asuna and Shin run towards the God.
Rays of light come out of the rift that Shakuna Vimana has
opened and the model of Lisa appears before Mr. Morisaki. As he reaches out to
touch her his hand goes through what seems to be a liquid representation of
Lisa. Shakuna Vimana states that Mr. Morisaki must offer a living vessel for
the soul of his wife to reside in. Asuna calls out to Mr. Morisaki; the focus
shifts from Mr. Morisaki to Asuna. The next shot shows the backs of both Asuna
and Mr. Morisaki, with the focus on Mr. Morisaki and the model of Lisa. Mr.
Morisaki turns around with tears in his eyes and says that he did not want
Asuna to come.
Mr. Morisaki offers Asuna as the vessel for Lisa’s soul; the
rift is the main focus as a red light springs forward and hits Asuna. Shin has
been off to the side but as Asuna is hit he runs over. Again, the focal
characters are off to the left, Shin is running towards Asuna from off-screen
right, and Shakuna Vimana hovers over the scene. A green liquid surround Asuna
and Shin states that the soul of the dead is indeed inside Asuna now.
Lisa wakes up and calls out to Mr. Morisaki. As Mr. Morisaki
walks towards Asuna/Lisa, his right eye is hit with a smaller red light. Red
vein-like things appear on Mr. Morisaki’s face and forcefully closes Mr.
Morisaki’s right eye; both his eyes are bleeding. The camera is looking up from
the ground, a bit in front of Mr. Morisaki, and captures both Mr. Morisaki and
Shakuna Vimana; Mr. Morisaki verifies that the offering of a living soul was
not enough for the resurrection.
The next shot is a point-of-view shot as Mr.
Morisaki. Asuna’s body has transformed to that of Lisa. The two are reunited
after 10 years. The focus of the camera is on Mr. Morisaki and Lisa, stars and
the night sky in the background. As the two are exchanging a few words off in
the near distance, Shin can be seen running towards the clavis, as he tries to
free Asuna from the transformation. The camera moves to the right, intensely,
and Shin can be seen running to the clavis sword in hand.
The next shot, the
camera is at a tilted angle as Shin strikes the clavis with his sword. Rays of light emit from the clavis as Shin tries to destroy it and despite
being thrown back, Shin tries over and over to bring back Asuna. Mr. Morisaki
and Lisa’s attention are directed to Shin; the boy can be seen off in the close
distance trying to break the clavis; Mr. Morisaki and Lisa are out of focus but
the viewers can see them taking up the screen on the left and right. Mr.
Morisaki tells Lisa to wait and approaches Shin, knife in hand. The camera
focuses on Shin and Mr. Morisaki. Shin is on his knees trying to break the
clavis and Mr. Morisaki holds the knife to Shin’s neck with one hand, the other
hand stopping Shin from striking the clavis. The camera then focuses primarily
on Shin who states that the living are more important than the dead. Shin
breaks away from Mr. Morisaki’s hold and strikes the clavis one last time, to
break it.
The scene shifts to Lisa’s old bedroom. Shun and Asuna are
sitting at the table. Mimi, the cat that guided and protected Asuna before is
also there. A tea pot, flowers, cups and what seems to be a music player are on
the table. Shun asks if Asuna is going to leave to which Asuna responds with a
yes and a farewell.
The scene then moves to the clavis breaking. It was night
before when Shin was trying to destroy the clavis but now the landscape glows
slightly and appears to be morning. Lisa closes her eyes and falls to the
ground. Mr. Morisaki runs over and catches her, trying to get her to wake up and
says that he loves her. The transition is reverting and Lisa tells Mr. Morisaki
that she hopes that he finds happiness. The liquid that appears over Lisa
breaks away and Asuna is returned to her body.
Shinkai Makoto versus Hayao Miyazaki
General Thoughts
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| Howl's Moving Castle Miyazaki |
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| From Up On Poppy Hill Miyazaki |
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| 5 Centimeters per Second Shinkai Makoto |
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| The Garden Of Words Shinkai Makoto |
Shinkai Makoto has been called by various critics as the new
Miyazaki. Although Shinkai Makoto himself believes this statement to be
incorrect, viewers can see various similarities between the two directors,
especially in Shinkai Makoto’s Children
Who Chase Lost Voices. Miyazaki is well known for his fantastic
story-telling and careful attention to detail. In my own opinion, I believe
Shinkai Makoto also focuses heavily on details and backgrounds as you can see
from Children Who Chase Lost Voices. But
I think this movie is an unfair representation of Shinkai Makoto’s work in
comparison to Miyazaki. For one, the art style is very similar to that of
Miyazaki and I think Makoto did so on purpose. Children Who Chase Lost Voices is Makoto’s longest film to date and
I think to adhere the taste of anime movies at the time, Makoto drew and
produced something similar to Miyazaki. Makoto’s other films like 5 Centimeters per Second and The Garden of Words highlight and
showcase, what I believe, is Makoto’s true artistic style in anime (See the two pictures above). There is an
element of realism in these two latter films, whereas Children Who Chase Lost Voices is more fantasy, with an addition of
monsters (Quetzal Coatl) as Miyazaki has done countless times before. I think both have an uncanny ability to capture detail and background, as shown in the above snapshots of some of Miyazaki's work and Makoto's. Both sets highlight attention to detail and the use of background as an effective tool for storytelling. I think
both Miyazaki and Makoto do a wonderful job of storytelling within their movies
but I did notice that Makoto’s movies has always centered on this element of one-sided
love. In Children Who Chase Lost Voices
that element is a bit more obscure. Instead, the movie has a lot to do with
loneliness and finding the strength to move on from this feeling or one’s past.
In our readings, we’ve come across the view that many Japanese were independent
and lonely; I’m not sure if Makoto was addressing this view in his movie but
there were many similarities between Children
Who Chase Lost Voices and some of the other movies we’ve watched in class.
The main character is essentially on her own; she lost her father at a young
age and her mother works long hours as a nurse to provide for her daughter. Ringu and Tampopo both exhibited the single mother with a child, trying to
provide for the family. But in Children
Who Chase Lost Voices, the main focus is on the child instead of the
mother. Though I can see why the two directors can be compared in terms of storytelling and some techniques used in their movies, I think the comparison takes away from Makoto's abilities and style. Makoto is rather limited, so far, in his movie elements; I mentioned before that most, if not all, his movie centers on this forbidden or unrequited romance. Makoto is excellent in bringing out and capturing emotions especially when it has to do with love, but I hope he expands his horizons in the near future.
