From the Roman legend of Romulus and
Remus to Rudyard Kipling’s Mowgli, tales of feral children – or what the
Japanese call yaseiji (野生児) – have long captured the imagination of storytellers. These folktales, legends, and myths fascinate
because they deal with the age-old question of what distinguishes human beings
from other animals. Can an abandoned
child who has had to survive on its own in the wild learn human traits such as
empathy, social skills, language, and most importantly, love?
Of all the tales of feral children
that I have read or seen on film, Keiichi
Sato’s animated feature Asura (アシュラ/Ashura, 2012) is
undoubtedly the most brutal. It is
adapted from George Akiyama’s
infamous manga of the same name, which was banned in many parts of Japan when
it was first published in the Weekly
Shōnen Magazine (1970-1) for its depiction of grotesque acts of human
violence including cannibalism. However,
Akiyama’s tale is no more depraved than the ancient Buddhist tales that
inspired him. According to legend, the
Asuras were lower gods who were unduly influenced by human passions such as
wrath, pride, envy, falseness, boasting, and bellicosity (a predisposition to
violence). The Asura represent the
human soul at its most depraved and egotistical, overwhelmed by an urge to
fight and argue with others.
The feral child in Asura acquires his name from a Buddhist
monk (Kinya Kitaoji), who recognizes
his similarity to the legendary Asuras. The
child Asura (Masako Nozawa) is born
to a desperate world of drought and famine.
Set in 15th century Kyoto at a time when the country is on the
verge of a bloody civil war, Asura is abandoned by his mother and learns to
survive in a dog-like manner. He knows
only suffering and uses violence as his only means of survival.
Most of the people that Asura encounters
treat him with fear, disgust, or loathing but two kindly people try to help him
and save him from his destructive tendencies.
The first is the Buddhist monk who teaches him how to speak a few words and tries to appeal to his humanity through Buddhist thought. The second is a young
woman called Wakasa (Megumi Hayashibara), who takes pity on Asura and secretly
looks after him and makes a concerted effort to tame him.
This is not an animation for the
faint-hearted. The violence is graphic
and shocking. Asura’s path to taming the
beast within himself is filled with obstacles that he may not be able to overcome. Although I am not usually a fan of films that
depict extreme violence, it was impossible not to be impressed with the visual
design of Asura. A fascinating mixture of hand-drawn and CGI
animation, the adaptation remains true to the spirit of the original manga
while at the same time transporting us into the world of Asura in an emotional
way that only animation can achieve.
Asura tied for
the Audience Award for Best Animated Feature at the 16th Fantasia
International Film Festival in Montreal.
I saw the film at Nippon Connection 2013.
#nippon13 #nc2013
Catherine Munroe Hotes 2013
The film is available on DVD and
Bluray in Japan (JP only). The soundtrack is also available for order.
