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REVIEW: Fusé: Memoirs of a Huntress [Premium Edition] Sub.Blu-Ray




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pachy_boy



Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 1323
PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 3:52 pm Reply with quote
I remember having first seen this movie on (I believe) Hulu, and all I could remember were the first bits being so dumb I didn't care that I dozed off through the rest of it. Go ahead and correct me if I'm remembering wrong, but I kind of recall Hamaji keep getting frequently mistaken for a boy--how does she even remotely resemble a boy at any kind of a glance, especially in that getup I'm not all too sure girls even really did wear at the time? (if by chance that kind of clothing for girls did exist, you know more than I, but it came across as just fan-service to me). How was she able to go into the men's bath at all without getting physically found out? And when that stereotypically-portrayed clothing-store gay guy showed up, that was strike three and I was out. Did this movie really get better later?
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nightjuan



Joined: 22 Jan 2008
Posts: 1473
PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 4:16 pm Reply with quote
I'm mostly in agreement with the review. Fuse is a nice little movie that does look quite pretty and tells an ordinary story with a couple of surprises but doesn't really shake things up.

The literary references are perhaps the most unfamiliar part for non-Japanese viewers, which can be considered either a positive or a negative, but I decided to take them in stride.

While it's nothing we haven't seen before, overall, I think there were some amusing bits of dialogue between Shino and Hamaji as well as a few other short character moments for the supporting cast. Nothing truly special, but I might re-watch it some day if the mood is right.
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18136
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 5:45 pm Reply with quote
Hamaji was specifically dressed up as a man at one point so that she could enter and leave Yoshiwara. (Historically, women were not allowed to leave it - for fear that one of the prostitutes might try to escape - and could be severely beaten or even killed if they tried.) That might be the scenes you're thinking of, pachy_boy.
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pachy_boy



Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 1323
PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 8:01 pm Reply with quote
Key wrote:
Hamaji was specifically dressed up as a man at one point so that she could enter and leave Yoshiwara. (Historically, women were not allowed to leave it - for fear that one of the prostitutes might try to escape - and could be severely beaten or even killed if they tried.) That might be the scenes you're thinking of, pachy_boy.

I thought I remembered her being mistaken for a boy even before she was officially disguised as a man, hence my confusion. And it still doesn't explain how she was able to be in the men's bath without getting found out--unless she wrapped a towel around her whole body and none of the men somehow found that odd. I know I'm probably making a big deal out of nothing, but still...
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 11:10 pm Reply with quote
A beautiful but messy movie, it was too unsure of itself and what exactly it wanted to achieve. The lead relationship was weak and it wasn't the most tightly written of movies. However it did have some good ideas and action sequences.

It was enjoyable but forgettable, so I'd give it a B-. One thing I did notice was how its tone reminded me of a Ghibli movie; either it deliberately aped the style or was just heavily influenced by Miyazaki.
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18136
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 11:48 pm Reply with quote
I'd agree with the "aped Ghibli style" comment. It was an impression I definitely had myself and had intended to comment on but simply forgot to put in the review.
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nightjuan



Joined: 22 Jan 2008
Posts: 1473
PostPosted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 12:49 am Reply with quote
For the record, the director, Masayuki Miyaji, has in fact worked with Hayao Miyazaki and his studio in the past. He was part of Spirited Away and also of My Neighbors the Yamadas. It's not a coincidence that he's definitely familiar with the Studio Ghibli approach.
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phia_one



Joined: 15 Jan 2012
Posts: 1654
Location: Pennsylvania
PostPosted: Sat Jun 14, 2014 10:14 pm Reply with quote
I really want to see this movie, but I'll use Hulu instead of buying it.
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omiya



Joined: 21 Sep 2011
Posts: 1823
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
PostPosted: Fri Jun 20, 2014 6:21 am Reply with quote
Just dug up this photo I took on a Keisei line train to Narita airport in late September 2012:

http://www.madman.com.au/fanzone/display/71080.img

It shows some of the real locations used for the anime.
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