Aoi Bungaku - 06
Seriously, are there no bounds to this series’ awesomeness? In this episode, Aoi Bungaku yet again surpassed my expectations, it was nothing like any other series of this show so far, it was full of the most awesome graphics, and the direction was just incredible. And then to think that there still remain four stories left! What the bloody hell do the creators have in store for those?
This episode was just crazy. But when I say crazy, I mean that in a Madhouse sort of way. This ranged from those small jokes as the cow people enslaving the humans and the old lady who thought she smelled her old husband, to the lead character cutting off even more heads, so that the lead female could play with them like dolls. What the hell?1 the final scene, in which the lead character runs into his feared cherry blossoms, freaks out and strangles her to death was incredibly intense. No Longer Human was very subtle in showing the mental decay of the lead character, but here it’s totally different. The mental delusions of this guy are in your face, but also absolutely beautiful and full of eye-candy.
This story really strikes me as a very critical look at the traditional roles of the male and females. It’s overblown of course, but the lead character just keeps killing people for the woman he loves, until the past finally gets the chance to bite back. It portrays these values as utterly ridiculous.
What also makes this series pretty unique is that the longest stories aren’t saved for last. If this already was a mindfuck, then I really don’t know what the creators have in store for the final two episodes, which if I’m not mistaken are going to be two stories of just 20 minutes.
Rating: *** (Awesome)
Well, the last two stories are both adaptations of works by Akutagawa Ryuunosuke - IIRC the very last is an adaptation of “Hell Screen,” a very disturbing short story, and I’m quite sure that it’s going to be a spectacular mindfuck.
Anyway, I didn’t see the story as a take on male/female roles, more like a clash of different cultures: simple man content with living a simple life and a decadent “city girl” who needs luxury and beauty like she needs air.
Comment by kuromitsu — November 16, 2009 @ 3:15
Wow, that’s hella weird. o_O The animation looks good, but so strange at the same time >.>
Comment by Watch Anime Online — November 16, 2009 @ 19:55
According to Anidb, the sequence of the series is thus:
7. Kokoro - Chapter 1 25m 22.11.2009
8. Kokoro - Chapter 2 25m 22.11.2009
9. Run, Melos! - Chapter 1 25m 29.11.2009
10. Run, Melos! - Chapter 2 25m 06.12.2009
11. The Spider`s Thread 25m 27.12.2009
12. Hell Screen 25m 27.12.2009
With all that, there’s definitely some mindfuckiness going to happen! :D
Also, here’s an essay about the story: http://www.asle-japan.org/pdf/eng20-nakamura.pdf
Apparently the author’s intent was about the screwed up relationship between man and nature, but I think that your male/female interpretation works just as well.
Comment by Jenny Dreadful — November 17, 2009 @ 3:33
The most confusing thing about this for me was the ending. He ended going insane and killing her, thinking she was a demon, only in the end we see him laying on the ground supposedly dead as well, in a similar position as she was. Only she’s no longer there.
Maybe he imagined killing her when she actually killed him in the end? I don’t even know.
Comment by Marion — November 17, 2009 @ 6:51
a bit disappointment for me,I already predict this ending from the beginning.
everyone die at the end kinda nice to see one a while, but not after seeing No Longer Human. 2 show both the same fate. I hope next show don’t follow the same route
Comment by reverse — November 17, 2009 @ 16:10
@Marion: I was confused by the ending, too, so I did some research about the story and formulated an opinion from that. I think the reason that he died when he’d killed her is because man and nature are inextricably connected within a person, and if one of these is removed, the person would be figuratively destroyed. Thus, as a representation of nature, the bandit is literally destroyed.
I’ve written about it at much greater length in my blog, explaining the human/nature allegory of the book, which will probably make it make more sense. I think that you could apply the same theory to psgel’s man/woman interpretation as well, that male and female require each other to exist, in a yin/yang sort of way.
Comment by Jenny Dreadful — November 17, 2009 @ 23:12
It feels more weird than awesome to me at this point. Collecting heads was pretty gg.
Comment by Reltair — November 18, 2009 @ 6:04
Woah this series is seriously awesome. I wish more people watch this instead of flashy, generic, tasteless ones. I like your picks in shows, because your tatse is more unique and similar to my strange ones. XD
I can’t wait to see Konomi Takeshi’s character designs next.
Comment by Forwho — November 22, 2009 @ 13:15
Haha…this episode was funny in the beginning. I couldn’t help it but choke up laughing when 2 city guys started taking pictures on their cell phones of the lead guy because they could tell he didn’t fit in.
I love these literature adaptations…more anime should be like this. This anime is great and I’ve gotta say that the first story was better than the second story just because it got more episodes.
Comment by headachebaby — November 23, 2009 @ 10:07
“No Longer Human” was much better in my opinion, simply because it delivered its themes through the realistic development of the characters, while straight-up allegories like this always sacrifice too much from the story and characters in order to make everything symbolic. That doesnt mean that this still wasnt a good story, just not a truly exceptional one in the way No Longer Human was. Just my opinion, ymmv.
Comment by PL — November 24, 2009 @ 11:43