Simms - Life and Death in Anime

Harp of Burma

Mizushima’s journey is an example of how anime will look at the universe from an amoral point of view. The young soldier was someone who helped keep the spirits of comrades up and was obviously important to the rest of the men. However, the story ends with Mizushima taking on a somewhat morbid task that will take over the rest of his life. This highlights, though, the nobility of his character and the sacrifices that he is willing to make. It could also probably be an example of mono no aware, that having this constant reminder of death is giving Mizushima a greater appreciation of life.

It’s interesting how the movie is more focused on the aftermath of the war compared to the fighting that took place. The main Japanese division that the film was focused on had more of a desire to return home that to continue fighting against their enemies. Many of their comrades’ remains were left to decay in a land away from their loved ones. It even showed how one Japanese troop did not want to accept that there was surrender. This was also highlighted in Letters to Iwo Jima, also, when it portrayed Japanese soldiers chose to end their lives instead of risking capture by their enemies. I think it is good to look at how different films portray different cultures motivations during war times.

I think that it’s interesting that anime takes a different approach to the subject of suicide than American television does. In anime, sometimes suicide is looked at as a noble sacrifice in some cases or an honorable act. It is sometimes see as selfish or as a form of protest.  The most important point is that anime will actually confront this topic. The subject of death and suicide is not downplayed or ignored in a way that some American shows handle it. In American television is may be seen as an act of cowardice or mental instability, and most of the time it is a taboo subject. I think that Japanese anime deals with the fact that tragic deaths and bad things happening to good people is a part of life that cannot be ignored.