Harp of Burma is a two-part anime film adaptation of the famous Japanese novel Harp of Burma by Michio Takeyama. It is set towards the end of WWII. After my research about it on the internet, I found that it was also adapted into a Japanese film named The Burmese Harp and follows the same story. After reading Death and Other Bad Stuff in Samurai from Outer Space and watching the film, I came to a conclusion. The Japanese have no problem talking about death, whilst in America, bringing up the topic sets a kind of depressing mood in a conversation and is to be avoided.
In Harp of Burma I could not stop thinking ‘Muzishima is so loyal’ and I kept wanting to say ‘spiritual’. He did not join his battalion in returning home because he wanted to bury his fellow Japanese soldiers. I think it is amazing how loyal Japanese soldiers are to each other and to their country. After reading War Films Depict Japan as a Misunderstood Victim I also could not help but think, ‘is this how loyal they really are or is this how they want everyone else to think they are?’
I do think the Japanese are depicted as poor pitiful victims after reading War Films Depict Japan as a Misunderstood Victim. Then again, there are far more films produced by Japanese directors than there are one produced by American directors. The Japanese don’t have a problem with discussing death. It is a natural part of life and it happens to everyone. Another big difference in Japanese and American views on death is suicide. In America, suicide is a way out that cowards take. As America is predominantly Christian, as Americans we see suicide as a sin. In the Japanese culture, for samurai, ritual suicide is praised and is honorable; this idea is true for most other battle situations. In Harp of Burma the Japanese soldiers accept the fact that they might all die now that the fighting has stopped. Sure, they may be sad about it, but they accept it. The Japanese accept the fact that the world is an amoral place.
The way the Japanese address death is a drawing point of a great deal of anime, I think. There are so many out there that deal with death and the afterlife, spirits and demons, the intertwining of the living world and the world of the dead. Like our culture has been fascinated with fairy tales and magic, Japanese culture regards the world of spirits and the dead as fantasy rooted in something that is actually realistic. In regards to a war movie, however, we see this Japanese view of death in a more natural way- they have such great respect for honoring the dead. This idea is also instilled in their legends and beliefs.
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