jeramy11 - 2014-03-13 06:57:46

The review may contain few spoilers. Also, see notes after the review.

'Guskou Budori no Denki', or 'The Life of Guskou Budori', is an adaptation of a half-autobiographic fairy tale by Kenji Miyazawa by Sugii Gisaburo[1]. When we are told to the fairy tale anime, the movies of Studio Ghibli by Hayao Miyazaki are what will come on mind first. Those are action-type adventure movies with vivid characters and some drama story backgroung, yet the story and the ideas exposed in them are rather simple. Modest measured-flowing melancholic slice of life motion picture 'Guskou Budori no Denki' is what one may call the direct opposite of those movies.

The movie indeed starts like a fairy tale, like of those mothers read to their children before bed. Happy bucolic life of Guskou and his family in the village in the vicinity of the town Ihatovo is of the same slow pace as the motion picture the viewer is shown. It is during his childhood that Budori will learn a poem, which will lead the way all his life[2]:

...Called a nobody by everybody
Neither praised, nor censured,
Such is the person I wish to become.[5]

When the cold weather comes to the village, it brings famine to people. Budori's, and his sister's Neri parents die in the snowstorm while searching for food and Neri is taken, or rather kidnapped, by a stranger[3]. It is only after then the viewer, submerged in movies atmosphere, if not asleep already, begins to understand that this is not going to be a common tale of prince saving his princess.

And the movie goes on, representing the steampunk world, with society distantly resembling some kind of communism. Author leads Budori from one person to another, showing us his unfailing concern for them. He joins finally a group of scientists to explore the weather diseaster of the same kind as those which drove him from home. There is nothing to say of the story anymore, except that, the ending, though being predictable, according to the story and considering other books by Miyazawa, was pretty powerful.

Story - 8
'Guskou Budori no Denki' serves a great story of powerful-willed young man, who has devoted his life to serve people. What one has to be ready is to cope with soporific atmosphere of the movie.

Art - 9
One may be surprised that all characters[4] are depicted as cats. However, this is one of important elements[1], which help Sugii Gisaburo to plunge viewer into the motion picture, creating dissonance between gentle pastel shades and difficult fate of Budori and other people (or, rather, cats). In general, art isn't top notch but does an excellent work creating sufficient atmosphere.

Music - 7
Music is represented by soft European-like compositions. Nothing special in here, yet it fits well in the movie.

Characters - 8
While one will not doubt that minor characters are represented by common citizens, rather vivid and realistic, he or she can see Budori in two ways. First of them [2] is regarding him as a willed man, serving his call of duty and never having doubts in that. Second is seeing him as rather blunt one-sided character, less interesting than anyone aroung him. The truth is out there...

Enjoyment and overall point - 8
The enjoyment is directly proportional to how you sees the main character. One may fall asleep in the first half of the movie, other will get non-typical for anime melancholic serious story, able to make him or her think about his or her life.

Notes

1. Sugii Gisaburo has already worked out with other Kenji Miyazawa's book: 'Night on the Galactic Railroad'. Besides depicting people as cats (which is rare in anime itself and is almost a unique feature of movies, set on Miyazawa's books), these two motion pictures share a special kind of mystery added by the director, resembling much of one in 'Tenshi no Tamago'. I would recommend to watch 'Night on the Galactic Railroad' if you liked 'The Life of Guskou Budori' film and vice-versa.

Sugii Gisaburo took a good care of Miyazawa's work, adapting his books into anime almost word for word. Kenji Miyazawa probably would like a runic alphabet of cats, as he himself during his lifetime was enthusiastic about esperanto, as well as that the director didn't do the plot any more adventurous. The only thing different from the book leads us to note 3.

2. Kenji Miyazawa is one of the most popular and appreciated writers of XX century in Japan, yet during his life he had to lead a tough lifestyle, also not being read by hardly anyone. He has been a poet, writer for both children and adults, scientist-naturalist, zealous buddist and communist. The reason of his popularity was his very last and most renown poem 'Be not Defeated by the Rain' ('Ame ni mo makezu, kaze ni mo makezu') where he writes his behaviour canon: to help people without taking neither praises, nor blames. He himself followed it and so do the heroes of his books.

3. In the book the stranger was a common man, who after some time was tired to carry Neri and left her. Later in the story Budori found her. In the movie the stranger was the lord of Buddism varient of Aid, an analogue of Buddism god Yama. He came to Budori sometimes in his dreams.

4. In his dreams, where he met Yama, Budori was in another world with some strange creatures, non resembling people, cats or anyone alive. They looked more like spirits from Miyazaki's 'Spirited Away'.

5. Going east to nurse the sick child
Going west to bear the weary mother’s load
Going south to tell the dying man there is no cause for fear
Going north to tell those who quarrel to put aside their trifles
In times of drought, weeping in pity
In frozen summer, wandering in solidarity
Called a nobody by everybody
Neither praised
Nor censured
Such is the person I wish to become