Raiyantsuuri no Uta

Orphan is pleased to bring you the first English version of the 1994 movie Raiyantsuuri no Uta (The Song of Raiyantsuuri), a title so rare than AniDB doesn't even list any raw releases. Raiyantsuuri is a Chinese white pear, and the movie tells the story of a Chinese slave laborer in Hokkaido, who escapes from a coalmine in the closing days of World War II and lives in the woods, not knowing that the war is over. It is based on the true story of Shandong native Lianren Liu, who escaped from slave labor in 1945 and lived in the wilds of Hokkaido until 1958.

The protagonist of this tale is named Inlen Yang. After escaping, he is haunted by memories of his wife and child in China. To comfort himself, he plants seeds of  a Chinese pear tree and frequently sings a Chinese lullaby, Sleep, My Sweetest Child. His path intersects with Tomoko, a traumatized and mute child who often runs away from her adoptive family to the forest. Inlen's gentle song sparks a memory in Tomoko, and she utters her first sound: "Mama." 

This amazes and bewilders her adopted family, because "Mama", so obvious in Chinese and English, was not known at that time in Japan; Mother/Mom would be (o)kaa-san. Tomoko's frequent trips to the forest eventually lead to a meeting between Inlen and an old hunter named Zenzo. A former "settler" (colonist) in Manchuria, Zenzo recognizes that Inlen is Chinese and tries to build a bridge with him. Eventually, Tomoko's interactions with Inlen reawaken her traumatic memories: the killing of her mother by Russian soldiers during the reconquest of Manchuria. This helps her regain her ability to speak, However, Inlen becomes convinced that local hunters who are pursuing a marauding bear are trying to capture him and flees the area.

Fast forward ten years. Tomoko, aided by her sympathetic teacher, has become a confident young woman, planning to be a teacher herself. Before she goes to university, though, she wants to find the Chinese man who helped her leave her shell. Attempts to trace the workers at the coalmine run into a stone wall of denial and anti-Chinese prejudice. (A mine official calls the Chinese and Korean slaves "employees" and insists they were all compensated.) She goes to a local radio station and sings the lullaby on the air, in the hope that it will reach Inlen. This sets the stage for the final act.

The movie takes a relatively unflinching look at Japanese policies in World War II, including the expropriation of Chinese land and farms, the widespread use of slave labor, and the indifference of post-war Japan to its wartime actions. Perhaps that's why it was never released except on VHS tape. In the real world, when Lianren Liu sued for compensation, the Japanese government denied his claim, because he could not "prove" he had been brought to Japan against his will.

The voice cast includes:

• Horiuchi Kenyuu (Inlen) played the title role in Guin Saga and Oscar in the Angelique franchise. He also played the title role in Amon Saga, Ryuuichi in Aoko Honoo, Jin Akira in Wolf Guy, Nest in Eien no Filena, Kubota in Meisou Ou Border, Lid in Greed, Romus in Choujikuu Romanesque Samy: MISSING 99, and the refined son in Eguchi Hisashi no Kotobuki Gorou Show, all Orphan releases.
• Takamori Yoshino (Tomoko) played the arch oujo-sama Sayaka in Yawara! and the twin roles of Juliet Douglas and Sloth in Full Metal Alchemist. She starred as Chika in Ohoshi-sama no Rail and appeared as Shouko in POPS, Princess Lichia in Amon Saga, Kyouko in Shiratori Reiko de Gosaizsamu!, and in Yousei Ou and the What's Michael? OVAs, all Orphan releases.
• Tahara Aruno (Seisaku, Tomoko's adoptive father) appeared in Sanada 10, Apfelland Monogotari, Bremen 4, and Chiisai Sensuikau ni Koi wo Shita Dekasugira Kojira no Hanashi, all Orphan releases.
• Yuuki Hiro (Shinichi, Tomoko's adoptive older brother) played the title role in Arc the Lad, Marcel in the Angelique franchise, and Masuo in Yume de Aetera. He also appeared in Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, Neko Neko Fantasia, Nozomi Witches, and Yamato 2520, all Orphan releases.
• Takizawa Kumiko (Shige, Tomoko's adoptive mother) played Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz (movie). She  played Elena in Techno Police 21C, Kanako's mother in Boyfriend, Susan the gangster in The Green Cat, and appeared in Fumoon, Makoto-chan, and Scoopers, all Orphan releases.
• Oomiya Teiji (Zenzo, the old hunter) appeared in both Speed Racer and the original Doraemon. He played Burra the tiger in Manxmouse, an Orphan release.
• Fukami Rica (Miss Toshiko, Tomoko's teacher) played Spoor in the Crest of the Stars franchise, Myung Fang in Macross Plus, and Sailor Venus in the Sailor Moon franchise. She appeared in Tobira o Akete, Majo demo Steady, and Ear of the Golden Dragon, all Orphan releases.
• Sadaoka Sayuri (Tomoko's mother) appeared in many shows, including Wolf's Rain, Detective Conan, Tiger and Bunny, Kuroshitsuji, The Ancient Magus' Bride, Kanojo, Okarishimasu, and the two Ultra Nyan OVAs, both Orphan releases.

The director, Arihara Senji, also directed Nagasaki 1945: The Angelus Bell, an Orphan release.

The project started six years ago when Iri purchased a second hand VHS tape and M74 encoded and pre-timed it. Iri started translating, but the project languished (a familiar theme lately) until a Discord colleague, Perevodildo, picked it up and completed the translation. An anonymous staffer reripped the VHS tape and did an updated encode. I shifted the script to the new raw, fine-timed it, and edited and typeset. Nemesis, Rezo, and Topper3000 QCed. The movie is widescreen letter-boxed; the encode eliminates the letter-boxing and slightly upscales the result so the subtitles could be larger.

Although Raiyantsuuri no Uta has a hackneyed setup - mute girl meets caring stranger - it is a very good movie and quite affecting. The scenes between Inlen and young Tomoko are emotionally effective and uplifting. The treatment of Japanese wartime policies and post-war hypocrisy doesn't pull its punches. I only wish it had been released on better media - at least laserdisc or DVD. You can get the movie from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Inochi no Chikyuu: Dioxin no Natsu

Here's another project that has been stuck in limbo for a very long time: the 2001 movie Inochi no Chikyuu: Dioxin no Natsu (Life on Earth: The Summer of Dioxin). This is a very earnest, quasi-documentary look at the 1976 industrial accident in Seveso, Italy, which resulted in the highest level of dioxin exposure by a residential population in history.

On July 10, 1976. an industrial accident occurred at the ICMESA chemical plant in Meda. ICMESA was a subsidiary of Givaudan, itself a subsidiary of the giant Swiss conglomerate Hoffman-La Roche. A reactor producing tetrachlorobenzine (TCP) overheated when it was shut down (improperly) for the weekend, as required by Italian law. When the reactor reached a critical temperature, the reaction became exothermic and began generating its own heat. The further rise in temperature started producing dioxin in significant quantities. Eventually, the pressure relief valve blew, releasing six tons of chemicals, including a kilogram or more of dioxin, into the air. 

The toxic mixture settled over almost seven square miles, on the towns of Seveso, Mesa, Dessa, and others. ICMESA said nothing about dioxin being released for a week, delaying the start of emergency measures. Eventually, the worst-hit areas were evacuated, and more than 80,000 animals were slaughtered to prevent dioxin from entering the food chain. Many people were treated for skin rashes (chloracne) and eye irritation. The disaster eventually resulted in the European Union adopting tough new safety rules for chemical plants.

Inochi no Chikyuu tells the story of that horrific summer through the eyes of a group of local children. Their normal lives are interrupted when a "white powder" falls out of the sky. The locals develop headaches and rashes, and small animals begin to die in large numbers. The children aren't satisfied with the vague explanations from the plant's managers. Aided by a convenient (fictional) Japanese journalist, they enlist help from a local (fictional) technical institute. When they learn that the powder contains dioxin, and that their food, water, friends, and pets have been poisoned, they take their findings to wider and wider audiences, eventually confronting Hoffman-La Roche's continuing evasions at a press conference. While all ends relatively well (no human deaths were attributed to the accident), the children draw solemn lessons, for themselves and the audience, about the need to protect the environment on behalf of all "life on Earth."

Inochi no Chikyuu falls squarely in a line of earnest and well-meaning fictionalized anime documentaries, such as Junod, Bakumatsu no Spasibo, and Yume Kakeru Kougen. All of these tell worthwhile stories, but they forfeit some ability to shape events into a more compelling narrative. The movie tries to add a little drama by focusing on the dilemma of an expectant couple, but it's really very linear: accident, coverup, exposure, morals drawn.

The Seveso disaster has been extensively studied over a 40 year period. A 2018 summary by NIH concludes:

• The area around Seveso was divided into three zones: A (evacuation required); B (caution required); and R (okay). The zones were well chosen, but exposure varied by three orders of magnitude, or more, within a zone. Thus, a person in Zone B could have received a higher dose than a person in Zone A.
  
• The human body can eliminate dioxin. It takes a long time. Half-life is 7 to 9 years, so 21 to 27 years to get close to 90% out, but it is eventually removed... if the person exposed lives long enough.. The movie says it is impossible to get out of the human body.
  
• Dioxin exposure did not increase the birth defect rate among unborn children or the miscarriage rate among pregnant women.
  
• Dioxin exposure did increase fertility issues and long-term liver disease and cancer rates.

The ICMESA plant was decontaminated over many years. After several questionable attempts by ICMESA and Givaudan, Hoffman-La Roche assumed responsibility for disposing of the contaminants. Ultimately, Hoffman-La Roche and Givaudan spent more 300 million Swiss francs on remedial work. Five ICMESA executives were arrested. Two were convicted and spent a small amount of time in jail. Neither Hoffman-La Roche or Givaudan ever admitted wrongdoing. Zone A was bulldozed, and the rubble and contaminated soil buried in a concrete sarcophagus topped with layers of clean soil. Today, it is the Seveso Oak Forest Park, and development there is forbidden.

The voice cast includes well known seiyuu in the adult roles and some of the children's roles.

• Sakuma Nobuko (Giulia, one of the children) appeared in Marshmallow Times and Happy Birthday Inochi Kagayaku Toki.
• Kobayashi Sanae (Marco, Giuilia's little brother) starred as Lucy in Elfen Leid, Allen Walker in D.Gray-man, Maya in Glass no Kamen (2005), and Touya Akira in Hikaru no Go. She had a recurring role as Natsume Reiko in the Natsume Yuujincho franchise. She played Scarlet Church in Cosprayers and Smash Hit, both Orphan releases.
• Mizutani Yuuko (Anna, Giulia's pregnant older sister) played Pinoko in all the Black Jack properties, as well as Hiromi in Milky Passion: Dougenzaka - Ai no Shiro, Rika in Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki, Lila in Eien no Filena, and Dr. Uematsu Kikue in Yume Kakeru Kougen, all Orphan projects.
• Shiratori Yuri (Maria, Giulia's classmate) played the title roles in the Kiko Lala and Angelique franchises, Cherry in the Saber Marionette franchise, Aki in Boys Be..., and Hatoko in Angelic Layer. She appeared as Lilith in Megami Paradise, an Orphan release.
  
• Sasaki Shizuka (Angelo, Giulia's classmate, likes Maria) appeared under her real name in Ayashi no Ceres, Ateru, and Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch.
• Murozono Takehiro (Antonio, Giulia's classmate) had featured roles in numerous shows, including the Macross 7 franchise, Vampire Miyu, Fullmetal Panic, Hanada Shounen-shi, Monster, and Tsurune.
• Orikasa Ai (Enrico, Giulia's classmate, Mayor Carlo's son) made her debut in Shoukoushi Cedie. She played the title role in Romeo no Aoi Sora, Fee in Planetes, Seguchi Touma (the record company president) in Gravitation, Quatre in Gundam Wing, and Ryouko in the Tenchi Muyo franchise. She also played Carrie in Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, Sara in Eien no Filena, Toryune in Al Caral no Isan,  Katchan's mother in Tako ni Natta Okaasan, the narrator in Boku no Boukuugou, Made, Ayuuru's sister, in B.B. Fish, and young Mars in Fire Emblem, all Orphan releases.  
• Baishou Chieko (Grandma Sonia, Anna's neighbor) is mostly an actress. She starred as Sophie (old) in Howl's Moving Castle and was featured in Weathering with You.
• Honda Takako (Lucio, Giulia's classmate) had featured roles in numerous shows, including the Psycho-Pass franchise, the Queen's Blade franchise, Kara no Kyouki, and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.
• Inoue Kazuhiko (Ando Shiro, journalist) starred as Yamaoka Shirou in Oishinbo, Yuki Eiri in Gravitation, the title role in Cyborg 009, Gorou in Moonlight Mile, Tachibana no Tomomasa in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de: Hachyoushou, and my favorite role, the irascible, sake-swilling Nyanko-sensei in the Natsume Yuujichou franchise. He also played Saiki Haruka in Tobira o Akete, Iori in Tomoe's Run!, Kanuma Hayate in Akai Hayate, Ryousuke in Daishizen no Majuu Bagi, Kitten Smith in Starship Troopers, Liu Bei Xuande in both Sangokushi TV specials, Ayako in Lunn Flies into the Wind, Nakatsugawa in Boyfriend, Jinpachi Nezu in Sanada 10, Katsuhiko in Hiatari Ryouko, Minamoto no Yoshitsune in Genji (Part One), Hisui in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 2, and Kajiwara Kagetoki in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 3, all Orphan releases.
• Genda Tesshou (Mayor Carlo) played Colonel Muto in Joker Game, Moloch in Yondemasu Azazel-san, Rei in the Urusei Yatsura franchise, Moguro Fukuzou in New Laughing Salesman,  and "Oyaji" in Mitsuboshi Colors. He also played Akauma in Fire Tripper, Jin Kiryu in Blue Sonnet, Zigong in Eiyuu Banka Koushi-den, Paul Rusch in Yume Kakeru Kougen, Jim Hyatt in AWOL Compression Remix, the loyal lieutenant Galbreath in Next Senki Ehrgeiz, the dragonman Baguda in Greed, the narrator in Akai Hayate and Meisou-ou Border, Dog McCoy in Dallos, Hebopi in Wild 7, rebel leader Oosukune in Izumo, Miyoshi in Sanada 10, and Rikiishi's trainer Kuroki and Kirishima in Eguchi Hisashi no Kotobuki Gorou Show, all Orphan releases.

The director, Dezaki Satoshi, is the older brother of Dezaki Osamu and directed some of the Urusei Yatsura OVAs and movies, as well as Yume Kakeru Kougan, Bakumatsu no Spasibo, Boyfriend, and Time Slip Ichimannen Prime Rose, all Orphan releases.

The project started eight years ago. M74 translated and timed, based on an AnimeGorodok raw with Russian subtitles. I could not get a translation checker, so the project stalled out until this year. Then, two Discord colleagues, NoraInuG and Perevodildo, independently checked and heavily revised the original script. I edited, using pieces from both of them, so it's difficult to apportion translation credit. I revised the original timing, edited, and typeset (not much there). Rezo and Topper3000 QCed. I'm glad it's finally seeing the light of day.

Inochi no Chikyuu: Dioxin no Natsu is a somber reminder of the environmental dangers posed by toxic chemicals. The Seveso accident was followed by the far more catastrophic Bhopal disaster in 1984. Chemical contamination continues to be an ongoing threat, as demonstrated by the recent derailment in Palestine, Ohio. And "forever chemicals" (PFAS) are in drinking water just about everywhere.

You can get this movie from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #new on irc.rizon.net.