Shôjo Tsubaki: Chika Gentô Gekiga (1992)
Genre: Animation / Drama
Duration: 56 minuten
Alternative titles: Midori / 少女椿
Country:
Japan
Directed by: Hiroshi Harada
Stars: Keinosuke Okamoto and Minako Naka
IMDb score:
6,3 (4.849)
Releasedate: 2 May 1992
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
Shôjo Tsubaki: Chika Gentô Gekiga plot
"The camelia girl."
When Midori's mother dies, she goes to 'the man in the bowler hat' for help. However, this man turns out to be a lot less helpful than he appeared to be and Midori ends up in a freak show. The insides of the freaks are as twisted as their outsides and they not only keep her captive but also subject her to constant humiliation and rape. A new act that comes over from Tokyo seems to be Midori's rescue...
Actors and actresses
Midori (voice)
Wandâ Masamitsu (voice)
Koijirô Arashi (voice)
Akaza (voice)
Muchisute (voice)
Benietsu (voice)
Kanabun (voice)
Midori's Mother (voice)
Hiroshi Inagaki (voice)
(voice)
Reviews & comments
Onderhond
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- 87623 messages
- 12891 votes
Surprising.
Reminds me very strongly of the films of Teruo Ishii, but then a bit shorter and faster. That is what you can call the introduction of this film. Very bad beginning that even transcends the negative image of anime.
Still, it is very clear that real animation lovers should not expect too much in the field of animation. A textbook example of a film that animates almost nothing, the first 40 minutes consist almost exclusively of stills with sparsely animated figures. Only during the more outrageous scenes does it become apparent that there is some animation talent behind this film. The style is very cool. Very rough, but very fitting.
The film moves at high speed through the story. A gruesome tale in which Midori is central, and in which no taboo is avoided. Maybe it is because it has been a long time since I saw a film like this, but I was a bit shocked at first.
I understand the connection to Kite and FOTNS, but found Hidori a bit more artistic and raw. Not the glib violence, but bitter and effectively depressing.
In terms of animation itself it's nothing, otherwise it's an interesting and short film.
3.5*
Translated from Dutch · View original
maxo922
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- 691 messages
- 627 votes
Disturbing to the bone.
At least, if you are reasonably emotional and have a lot of sympathy. My friend who watched it with me on my second viewing found it only 'vague'.
I found most of this film very gruesome and quite shocking. It's not all scary, but just very nasty and fatalistic in my eyes. I think the animation works very well and especially in the mix with the gloomy and melancholic soundtrack. Cinematography and editing are taken care of down to the last detail. The atmosphere is therefore perfect for a story like this. There is almost no moment of rest, and the moments in which nothing gruesome happens still have a nice prickly atmosphere, since you know without a doubt what horrors are waiting in the next moments...
Read on imdb that this film was banned at first because of the animal violence. Also shows that this man Harada (who almost single-handedly made the film) is not afraid to break the rules. I understand comparisons with torture porn, but I still find them a bit short-sighted. There are maybe 30 seconds of nudity in the entire film, with some sex. Not too bad, right? Not 100% idea of what Harada exactly wants to show with this film, but I don't think it would be something like torture porn. More like a grim fairy tale.
Despite the fact that the film is quite unpleasant to watch and can haunt you for a long time, it is still a strong film in my eyes. It is a beautiful film with quite beautiful images and symbolic scenes. A beautiful job indeed.
* 4.0
Translated from Dutch · View original
Shadowed
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- 11421 messages
- 6719 votes
Tasteless film that aggressively pushes the boundaries. Director Hiroshi Harada clearly has talent when it comes to drawing, despite the rather unfinished look of Midori. However, when he goes all out in terms of animation, he does so in spectacular fashion. It results in a number of dirty, but effective scenes that give the film its own face. However, that should not hide the fact that the film presents rather questionable scenes, often with the sole purpose of shocking. It is still remarkable how adults can come up with this kind of thing, I really could never have come up with it (let alone drawn it). The ugly designed characters, the very unfinished content and the strange ending further complete the low score. Films like Midori give the general public an easy argument to destroy the concept of Japanese anime.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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