Kimu no Juujika (Kim's Cross)

Kimu no Juujika (Kim's Cross) is a 1990 movie based on the novel of the same name by Wada Noboru. It tells the story of Koreans forced into slave labor in Japan during the waning days of World War II. This is still a touchy subject in Japan, and the movie shies away from the worst excesses of the Japanese colonial regime, which included forcing Korean women into prostitution. Still, it's a forceful indictment of Japanese policy, wrapped in a story of spiritual redemption.

The story begins in 1944. The Kims are a family of tenant farmers barely scraping by. The father, Henju, must pay 70% of his crops as "rent" for what used to be his own family's farm. 

His wife, Gyeonja, older son, Jeha, and daughter, Sunni, all help with the subsistence farming. 

The Kims must use Japanese names instead of Korean ones. 

They are not allowed to learn their own writing (Hangul). 

But the younger son, Sehwan, wants more from life, in particular, an education. 

With the help of a local girl, Youngsoo, Sehwan sneaks off to the local church to learn Hangul, to read

and write via Bible studies, and to become a Christian. This worries his father, because the occupying Japanese regard Christianity with suspicion and as a source of resistance. When a local Christian is arrested by the authorities, Sehwan's father sends him across the mountains to become a blacksmith's apprentice. Shortly thereafter, Jeha is taken by a local press gang for forced labor in Japan.

Late in the war, Japan is very short of manpower. The authorities conscript upward of three million Koreans for forced labor in the homeland. Jeha is sent to work on an emergency project: digging an underground Imperial headquarters (and Imperial residence) out of the side of a mountain near Matsuhiro in Nagano, in case Tokyo is overrun in an American invasion.

Between 7,000 and 10,000 Koreans work on the project, and more than 1,500 die in the process.

Jeha survives, but he witnesses the brutality and indifference of the Japanese overseers first hand.

With the end of the war in August, 1945, work on the project ceases, but shortage of shipping forces Jeha to remain in Japan for a few months. As he explores the worksite, he finds evidence that his younger brother Sehwan had been brought to another part of the site. 

Jeha's quest to learn Sehwan's fate is the climax of the story.

The translator would be the first to admit that the spelling of the Korean names is uncertain, at best. For example, Jeha might be Jaeha or Jae-ha (the green dragon in Akatsuki no Yona). Sehwan might be Sewon or Se-won. At least the names are consistent throughout the subs.

The voice cast includes:

• Furuya Tooru (Jeha) played the lead male roles in Kimagure Orange Road and Sailor Moon, the title roles in Casshern Sins and Kyojin no Hoshi, and recurrent roles in the Dr. Slump, Dragonball, and Mobile Suit Gundam franchises. He also starred as Kosaku in One Pound Gospel, Niimi in Nine, Kosaku in Stop!! Hibari-kun, Beat, aka the Rabbit, in Choujikuu Romanesque Samy: Missing 99, and the title role in Bavi Stock, all Orphan releases.
• Nozowa Masako (Sehwan) is a legend. She played the title roles in The Adventures of Gamba, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry no Bouken, Billy Inu nan demo Shoukai, and Hey! Bumboo. She was Enma-kun in the original Dororon Enma-kun, Son Goku in the original Dragonball, and Kitarou in the 1968 and 1971 versions of GeGeGe no Kitarou, as well as Hakaba Kitarou. Even though her first role was in 1965, she is still active, appearing as Obaba in Ping Pong the Animation, Madame Curie in Marie & Gali, and of course, Medama Oyaji in the most recent version of GeGeGe no Kitarou. She played the title roles in Manxmouse and The Green Cat, Isamu in Kaitei 3-Man Mile, Lek in Cool Cool Bye, Wolf in Kiku-chan to Ookami, Taira no Tokuko in Genji, Part 1, and Costar in 15 Shounen Hyouruuki, all Orphan releases. She won a lifetime achievement award in 1997.
• Miura Masako (Sunni, their sister) appeared in Mock & Sweet, Showa Aho Zhoshi Akanuke Ichiban!, Watashi to Watashi, and ESPer Mami.
• Kataoka Tomie (Gyeonja, their mother) played Bogud's mother in Michite Kuru Toki no Mukou ni, Blonda in Don Dracula, Tomeko in Meisou-ou Border, and appeared in Bagi, all Orphan releases.
• Kitamura Koichi (Henju, their father) played Honda Sadonokami Masanobu in the Sanada 10 special, Paolon, the intelligent spaceship in Hi-Speed Jecy, Professor, the wise old cat, in the Ultra Nyan OVAs, and Coach Naoko in Nine and its sequels, and he appeared in Hidamari no Ki and Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou, all Orphan releases.
  
• Nakajima Chisato (Yoongsoo) played Mari in the Kinnikuman franchise and appeared in Nine, Nora, and Tenjou Hen: Utsu no Miko, all Orphan releases
• Takamori Yoshino (Sunja, a Korean girl in Japan who looks a lot like Yoongsoo) played the arch oujo-sama Sayaka in Yawara! and the twin roles of Juliet Douglas and Sloth in Full Metal Alchemist. She starred as TChika in Ohoshi-sama no Rail and appeared as Tomoko in Raiyantsuuri no Uta, 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.
• Yara Yuusaku (Yang, Jeha's strong coworker, a teacher) played the destroyer captain in Zipang. He had many featured roles, appearing in Kimama ni Idol, Hayou no Tsurugi, Eguchi Hisashi no Kotobuki Gorou Show, Eguchi Hisashi no Nantoko Narudesho, Next Senki Ehrgeiz, Eien no Filena, Hidamari no Ki, Nozomi Witches, both Sangokushi OVAs, Prime Rose, the second Sangokushi movie, and both What's Michael? OVAs, all Orphan releases.
• Maruyama Hiroko (Tesu, Jeha's frail coworker) played Peter in Alps no Shoujo Heidi, Mokku in Kashi no Ki Mokku, Kenta's mother in My Neighbor Totoro, and Baby Panda in Panda! Gopanda, as well as the title role in Robotan. She played Moko in Hitomi no Naka no Shounen: 15 Shounen Hyouryuuki, an Orphan release.
• Kobayashi Kiyoshi (Narrator) is best known for playing Jigen in the Lupin the Third TV shows and specials since the inception of the franchise. He also played Sekai in Wild 7, Keiko in Okama Report, Valhiss in Amon Saga, and the Narrator in Naki no Ryuu '91, all Orphan releases.

The director, Yamada Tengo, has no other anime credits.

Perevodildo translated and timed the show; he gave it his highest accolate, "kino." Paul Geromini edited. I fine-timed and typeset (the typesetting is 90% of the script). ImAWasteOfHair and I QCed. WOWmd encoded from an R2J DVD. Because the encode is anamorphic, the diagonal signs in the moving maps may play incorrectly in some setups. They look okay in mine; YMMV.

I tend to agree with Perevodildo's assessment. It's much better than Ohoshi-sama no Rail, which focuses on the plight of Japanese colonists in Korea at the end of the war and glosses over the treatment of Koreans. The segment in which the Kim family is forced to take Japanese names really struck a cord. Late in my career, I managed a world-wide engineering group that included a team in China. When I made my first visit there, I was astonished to find that the company's HR department forced the Chinese engineers to take Western names. At the time (15 years ago), this was common practice for Western companies. I put a stop to it on the spot.

Kimu no Juujika is a fine movie, touching on a neglected and important subject. It's an important milestone for Orphan, too; except for me, the entire staff comes from the Discord side of the team. You can get it from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Swearing Off Yakuza Shows

As I said in my previous post, Orphan is done with Yakuza shows, at least for a while. That means we won't be subbing Abe George Kattobi Seishun Ki: Shibuya Honky Tonk (familiarly known as Shibuya Honky Tonk), even though we commissioned a shiny new set of encodes from the R2J DVDs.

This is an anime version of Abe George's troubled adolescence and his run-ins with  yakuza.

However, the gangster argot is almost impenetrable. The scripts we have, though workable, would require specialized checking. In addition, the translator thought that the portrait of 50s Japan was romanticized. In the 1950s, Japan was impoverished, still reeling from World War II, and wracked by social unrest. Here, it looks more like London in the swinging 80s, with plenty of sex and violence to spice up the story.

The encode is by an anonymous friend and looks very nice.

So if you have a team that would like to take a run at this, feel free. Or if you're a translator with the experience (hopefully not personal experience) to handle Yakuza argot, get in touch. In the spirit of "Never Say Never Again," it's always possible that Orphan will return to this.

Late breaking news (June). As soon as I published this blog entry, condemning the show to untranslated oblivion, the translator had second thoughts, said the script was okay, and encouraged me to get it completely subbed. So it's in process. I guess "at least for a while" has now officially expired. 

 

Mahjong Hishouden: Naki no Ryuu

As I promised/threatened in my blog post about Naki no Ryuu '91, here is the predecessor three volume OVA, Mahjong Hishouden: Naki no Ryuu (Flying Legend of Mahjong: The Calling Dragon), aka Naki no Ryuu '88. It tells the story of the nameless mahjong player and his numerous encounters with the Yakuza in greater detail than the '91 version.

The show centers around a mahjong player known as the Calling Dragon. He is phenomenally lucky and always wins. His specialty is "calling": announcing how he will win before he has acquired the discarded tile he needs. (I think that's right.) Actually, his mahjong play is nothing to write home about, according to people who actually play, and he mostly sits around, smoking and looking cool. 

He gets entangled with various Yakuza gangs, notably the Kai Group of the Kanto-based Oudou Syndicate. When the Oudou boss, Sakurada Michizo, is assassinated, the subgroups of the syndicate start fighting for supremacy, particularly the Kawachi group and two rivals within the Kai Group, underbosses Ishikawa and Motomiya.

Lurking in the wings is the Kyoto-based boss of western Japan, Kaitou Takeshi, who sees the infighting in the Oudou Syndicate as an opportunity to take control of the whole country.  

Somehow, the Dragon is the proxy or the prize for this gang warfare. Various gang chieftans want to "own" him for his luck or kill him to deny him to their opponents.

Episode 1 (no subtitle) covers the same territory as Naki no Ryuu '91: the assassination of Oudou Syndicate boss Sakurado Michizo and Kai Group boss Kai Shouzo, and the rise to power of underboss Ishikawa Takashi. Episode 2 (Soaring Dragon Chapter) covers the struggle, covert and overt, between Kaitou and Ishikawa for control of the Kanto region. Episode 3 (Dragon Wolf Chapter) covers Ishikawa's downfall. At the end, the Dragon is yet again looking down the barrel of a yakuza's pistol, his ultimate fate ambiguous.

I quite disliked this show. It's disjointed. The timeline jumps back and forth, with frequent flashbacks and recaps; it's difficult to keep track of the plot. (Episode 2 at least uses color to clarify the timeline: black-and-white for the present, color for the past.) The mystical connection the yakuza feel with mahjong and the Dragon's luck is intended to make some kind of profound statement, I think, but it's just pretentious. And most of all, the characters are unappealing. The Dragon is a cipher. The yakuza are crude, violent, and detestable; their brief strutting upon the stage and sudden exits make no impression, except relief.

The leading voice actors also appeared in the '91 version.

• Ikeda Shuuichi (Dragon) played Char in Mobile Suit Gundam, Gilbert Durandal in Gundam Seed, Ulrich Kessler in Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Alex in Dallos, and Azuma in Starship Troopers. The last two are Orphan releases.
• Kobayashi Kiyoshi (Narrator) is best known for playing Jigen in the Lupin the Third TV shows and specials since the inception of the franchise. He also played Sekai in Wild 7, Keiko in Okama Report, and Valhiss in Amon Saga, all Orphan releases.
• Jinnai Tatsuyuki (Kai) played Principal Kuno in the original Ranma 1/2 and Hans Hakase in the original Rurouni Kenshin.
• Utsumi Kenji (Ishikawa, Kai's successor) played Roah in Fist of the North Star, Kaioh in Fist of the North Star 2, Senbei Norimaki in Dr. Slump and Arale-chan, the village chief in Watt Poe, and Alex Louis Armstrong in both versions of Fullmetal Alchemist. He appeared in Nora, Bavi Stock, Stop!! Hibari-kun!, Techno Police 21C, Don Dracula (title role), 15 Shounen Hyouruuki, and Sanada 10, all Orphan releases.
• Andou Arisa (Dragon's girl) starred in the title role of Eien no Filena, as Naoito Emi in Aoki Honoo, and as Mako in Doukyuusei: Climax, both Orphan releases. She played Rosa in Makyuu Senjou and appeared in a number of h-anime, including Cream Lemon. 
• Ebara Masashi (Motomiya Haruki) appeared in Shakugan no Shana, Nodame Cantabile, Metropolis. He also appeared in Sanada 10, Blazing Transfer Student, Akai Hayate, Eiyuu Banka Koushi-den, Mikeneko Holmes, and Apfelland Monogatari, all Orphan releases. 
• Katou Seizou (Kaitou Takeshi) played Doushi Houki in Utsu no Miko the movie, Nanni Spannu in Tottoi, Jashinsai in Tengai Makyou, Admiral Putyatin in Bakumatsu Spasibo, Ii Naosuke in Hidamari no Ki, Abraham in Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, Norbert in Apfelland Monogatari, Hatsutori Juuzou in Kage, Billy Bones in Shin Takarajima, the old stationmaster in Sotsugyou: Graduation, and Jeigan in Fire Emblem, all Orphan releases. 
• Yasuda Takashi (Kawachi Koichi, head of the Kawachi group) appeared in Belle and Sebastian, Pinnochio, and The Rose of Versailles, as well as Rain Boy, an Orphan release.
  
• Arase Nagahide (Murota Sakae, Kawachi's lieutenant) appeared in Tobira o Akete, an Orphan release.
• Inaba Minoru (Miyoshi Tatsuje) played Neptune in One Piece Log: Fish Man Island Saga, Dr. Garaki in Boku no Hero Academia, Bart Bagley in The Faraway Paladin, Tatsuma in The Morose Mononokean, Ham in Tezuka Osamu's In the Beginning: Stories from the Old Testament, and the High Priest in Izumo (1991), among numerous featured roles. The last two are Orphan releases.
• Sakurada Kazuko (Boss Sakurado's widow, ep2-3) appeared in Kasei Yakyoku, an Orphan release, and played Fujiko's mother in Yawara!

The director, Dezaki Satoshi, is the older brother of Dezaki Osamu and directed some of the Urusei Yatsura OVAs and movies, as well as Naki no Ryuu '91, Dioxin no Natsu, Yume Kakeru Kougan, Bakumatsu no Spasibo, Boyfriend, and Time Slip Ichimannen Prime Rose, all Orphan releases.

Perevodildo agreed to translate and time and soon regretted it. Muzussawa checked the mahjong terminology and play. Paul Geromini edited. Eternal Blizzard fine-timed, QCed, and double-checked the mahjong play. ImAWasteOfHair and Uchuu also QCed. I typeset and RCed. WOWmd ripped the raws. They're full of blended frames, so the tracking of moving signs doesn't work well in many places, but they're an improvement over previous rips, which were watermarked.

Perevodildo has now sworn off both mahjong and yakuza shows; I'm swearing off them too, at least for now. But if you'd like to see our last word (I sincerely hope) on those subjects, you can download  Mahjong Hishouden: Naki no Ryuu from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net