So far, we’ve touched on milestones of Japanese animation
like Akira and Cowboy Bebop—all well known in those circles, but here’s one
that may be less familiar to contemporary fans. There’s a Korean remake on
Netflix, but for now, let’s go the original source. Though it wasn’t supremely
popular in video stores on release, it’s still considered a gem by some
commentators, and, well, it’s certainly something different. There’s no upbeat
jazz music, no spectacular powers, no magic or supernatural ninjas—but a very
sober tale about terrorism, political power play, and mofos in scary looking power
armor. Let’s take a look at Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade.
The film is directed by Hiroyuki Okiura, who was influenced
by Polish cinema—and as someone who knows a little about that, I can tell you
that this entails grim, cynical tales set in environments of drab concrete and
corrupt edifices. And this goes right to the backstory presented—namely an
alternate history where Japan was occupied by Germany after WW2. Other than
some stills at the start, Jin-Roh doesn’t really spell out this background or dwell
on it much, but there are lots of subtle ways it shows, like everyone driving a
Mercedes, or the makes of all of the firearms.
Things are kicked off as we start in a 1950s where Japan is
struggling with riots and terrorist groups, and the government decides that a
superb way to deal with these sorts of things is a division of elite soldiers
in heavy armor whose standard weapon is a machinegun designed to shred entire
platoons. You may also notice that the design of this armor was totally knocked
off for several videogames, such as Killzone. In any case, we focus on one such
initially faceless stormtrooper, Kazuki Fuse, who fails to kill a young suicide
bomber right before him. Different factions in the police organizations try to
use this in different ways, with Fuse himself caught in the middle—and soon
contending with the sister of said bomber latching onto him.
First off, the animation hits that sweet spot of enhancing the
atmosphere and matching the tone; the painted backdrops are suitably drab but
detailed, selling us the setting of a mid-20th century Tokyo that,
clean though it may be, hides all sorts behind concrete facades. The animators
take advantage of the orange glowing eyepieces of the armored troopers for
various illusions of lighting—and then there’s the violent gore that punctuates
it all. The general feel of it all to me highlights why I tend to prefer this period
of anime production over today’s largely computer-churned efforts (though lest
you accuse me of nostalgic blindness, there was also plenty of crap produced around
her as well, and we’ll get to that sometime…).
The story is, however, somewhat slow, with it generally
having the feel of a slow-baked procedural. There’s lots of meetings in shadowy
rooms, lots of Kazuki questioning himself and his sense of duty, and some might
lose track of the different factions and agendas. The final act definitely
ramps things up very dramatically, as we get gunfights and blood-soaked
perforation aplenty, but to be honest, a lot of the middle doesn’t really hold
up to the powerful and grabbing opening of riots and suppression.
And the ending…suffice it to say, much like some of the
Eastern European dramas it took inspiration from, its bittersweet at best, and
at worst, extremely dark. You can see it as a take on getting behind the visor of
your typical faceless minion in many a production, but by no means should you
expect sunshine and roses to come out of anything.
Jin-Roh definitely stands out when you compare it to other
known titles here—it’s another one that frankly, I’m not sure I could really
see being made today, at least not in this form. It’s definitely not going to
be for everyone, and if you want a rip-roaring fun time from your animation, I’d
say avoid this. For those that want something different, something with a good
bit of mood and dourness, check it out. The DVD is somewhat pricey and it’s not
on streaming places I know of, but if any of what I’ve described sounds
appealing, it may be worth adding to your collection.
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