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.