Survive Style 5+

    For this week's watching and listening assignment, I dove into the world of Japanese absurdist comedy with Survive Style 5+ by Sekigushi Gen. Rather than a standard narrative, the film intertwines 5 seemingly unrelated stories all linked together through the presence of an English hitman played by Vinnie Jones. From these different narratives we are able to see the different lives and lifestyles that are present in Japan, ranging from the NEET lifestyle of youth, the Japanese Salaryman and his family, and even the world of Japanese advertisement creation.

                                      

The film was extremely engrossing, utilizing the absurd nature of the plot to keep the audience invested despite the lack of a standard plot line. I particularly found the recurring plot line of the man turning into a chicken to be a great gag, as well as the science fiction heavy plot of the wife constantly returning from the dead in order to attempt to murder her husband.
                            

            

            

Because Sekigushi was primarily a TV advertisement director, the film is interspersed with absurd commercial structures including the pouring of water on one's head to grow hair as well as a Janus esque man arguing with himself as to whether he wants bread or rice. These gags, along with the themes of the film itself create a slapstick style of humor that fully enthralls the audience into the narrative as they watch eagerly for the next aspect of comedy.

         Because of the absurd nature of the film, the dialogue and sound design of the film almost comes as an afterthought, though I did find it interesting to highlight the absurd variation between the english terms used by hitman Vinnie Jones and his Japanese translator. These scenes that link the plot of the film together depict the indirect way that the Japanese society and language take in approaching the world around them. It is due to this difference that multiple problems ensue, including the death of one of the three NEET/hoodlums in question.

         All in all, I found the film to be quite entertaining, though I would focus on a more traditional film in the future if your goal is to further your understanding and appreciation of the Japanese language as a whole.