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REVIEW: Sky Crawlers, The (Blu-ray)

So you don't think there's any room at all for social critique or analysis? Anything that examines a social movement with any sort of critical eye is bad or insulting? This seems like a convenient excuse to never have to examine yourself.

It's an intense and angry piece, quietly resentful of both a dead creative environment (the industry) and the people that mindlessly feed on the same decades-old garbage repackaged in different colors (the fans).

Whoa whoa, hold on, when did Oshii directly state that a critique of the anime industry was one of his intentions behind the film?

To the best of my knowledge, at the Venice Film Festival there was a short videotaped introduction before the premiere of the film in which Oshii commented on how developed societies have come to a position of developmental stagnancy, where the youth of these societies find little motivation to strive for something in their lives because of instant gratification or innate privileges.

Now, the idea that this film is also a critique of the anime industry is certainly plausible, but this is Justin's interpretation of the film, and not Oshii's explicit intention. Unless there is some more illuminating material in the interview on the Blu-ray release, I'm fairly certain that Oshii's primary intentions were directed more towards the japanese youth.

That would be a very profound and accurate critique...if the above quote defined what exactly is a contributing member of society.
[snip]
This is no excuse to become a recluse, or hikkomori. I'm well aware of the pathetic, pitiful state most hikkomori are in. (My brother is one.) Many people think of them as unhappy, semi-living zombies who have no life purpose except to see the next episode of their favorite anime. But then, I look at the modern workplace, and I still see unhappy, semi-living zombies who have no puporse in life except to see their next (shrinking) paycheck.
[snip]
If Sky-Crawlers is about empty cycles vs truly living, it should be interpreted as an allegory of human life worldwide. To narrow it down and exclusively attack the anime industry (not even media in general!), seems discriminatory and narrow-minded.

TranceLimit174 wrote:

humans work in order to attain pleasure in some form. If I could live a life of pure pleasure without work I would in a heartbeat and I can't think of a person who wouldn't. What I'm saying is it's easy to present a problem but a challenge to come up with a solution. Without a counterpoint as to why the lifestyle is wrong the whole film sounds like a bore on the surface and pretentious fingerpointing at its heart.

But it isn't a life of pleasure. Suito is a suffering wreck the entire film, and none of the pilots seems particualarly enthused about anything at all. Even if they're doing things you might expect them to enjoy, they've really just fallen into mindless, empty habit. All things tarnish in time.

I'll say this while walking on eggshells, as someone that has yet to see the film, but while Oshii has laid out his criticism of the anime industry and its fans both in Sky Crawlers and in the past, I would really like to see him actually make a work that breaks through all of those staid ideas and expectations and ascends above what has and is being done.

Though I'm nowhere near as pessimistic or damning has he has been, I can see where he is coming from, but at the same time, if he truly has a problem with everything, instead of solely complaining and going on diatribes about it, he should do something proactive about it and challenge the industry by example. Produce something that, in your mind, will introduce new narratives and be confident and bold with it. Show everyone how things should really be done. Even if it's not limited to one single series or movie, lead by example and show everyone the way.

I'll give him credit and his due for making an unflattering, critical piece like SC, but after that and numerous other times he's stated his displeasure, I think it's long overdue time for Oshii to truly put his money where his mouth is and create the "antithesis" of anime. He has the clout and resources--do something about it, not just merely say/write/make something about it.

Exactly. If his target audience is Japanese youth, and specifically anime fans within that demographic, he's turning them off to what he has to say. As if hikikomori will rush out and get jobs after seeing a film openly bashing them. He's deluded. He's solving no problems. He's offering nothing new and exciting. He's just sitting back and flipping the bird at anime and its fans. What's that phrase, "If you can't walk the walk, don't talk the talk." Yeah, that about sums it up.

It's been nearly a decade and a half since then and all he's directed is one shitty sequel so yeah, it definitely strikes me as hypocritical, or at least rather silly to finally direct another movie and have it complain of how there nobody is doing anything original in the anime industry.

This[Nights1stStar's analysis] is by far the smartest thing I've read thus far regarding this film and the hikkomori phenomenon in general. I haven't seen Sky Crawlers yet but based on the review and my own views, this makes a whole lot of sense.

Veers wrote:

You can call this kind of film pretentious or obtuse or whatever you want and in some ways I can't really disagree, but the point is that like it or not, if you're bothering to discuss it then it's likely done its job in making you think.

But people like to look at train wrecks, too. Surely you’ve seen lengthy discussions on why some piece of fiction was awful?

JairStout wrote:

Exactly. If his target audience is Japanese youth, and specifically anime fans within that demographic, he's turning them off to what he has to say. As if hikikomori will rush out and get jobs after seeing a film openly bashing them. He's deluded. He's solving no problems. He's offering nothing new and exciting. He's just sitting back and flipping the bird at anime and its fans. What's that phrase, "If you can't walk the walk, don't talk the talk." Yeah, that about sums it up.

You're telling an artist to shut his mouth because you don't like what he's saying.

That is what you're doing. You may not believe it - I'm sure you don't - but that is exactly what you're doing.

ikillchicken wrote:

This[Nights1stStar's analysis] is by far the smartest thing I've read thus far regarding this film and the hikkomori phenomenon in general. I haven't seen Sky Crawlers yet but based on the review and my own views, this makes a whole lot of sense.

I agree. Although I've yet to see SC from what I've read about it in this review and elsewhere Nights1stStar's analysis seems to make the most sense. Though there might be some bias since it coincides with opinions about work and life that I also have. Is the "quiet desperation" line in the review an allusion to the Pink Floyd song "Time"?("hanging on in quiet desperation..." the tone of the review really reminds me of that song.)

But with ridiculous divorce rates and the threat of child support payments, and a lifetime of heavy taxation in the new socialist world, I have come to the conclusion that this society is not worth supporting, and if I can totally withdraw, I would.

I've heard the term "quiet desperation" used from rock songs to Catholic preachers ( Exclamation ), so I can't say where it began.

Help_me_Im_a_n00b wrote:

But with ridiculous divorce rates and the threat of child support payments, and a lifetime of heavy taxation in the new socialist world, I have come to the conclusion that this society is not worth supporting, and if I can totally withdraw, I would.

I think you've got way too bleak a vision of the future, but setting that aside, if you really feel this way, you first might want to talk to someone about it - a therapist, a spiritual adviser, even just a friend. Get to the root of your problems and find a way of overcoming them.