Reviews

Review by James Goodwin

In “Akira Kurosawa and the Atomic Age”, James Goodwin mentions about the social stigma and the marginalization suffered by hibakushas which are portrayed in ‘Black Rain’. According to Goodwin, ‘Black Rain’ shows how the lives of the survivors are completely turned upside down and do not resume to normal even years later or forever. The effects are unimaginable and they linger on both body and mind. The most depressing thing of all might be the fact that the survivors are now victims of caste division by the Japanese society. Also as a country, the bomb magnifies problems in the city such as official corruption, civil chaos, and degrading of moral consciousness. As in the countryside even though some local festivals are revitalized, the family life of the hibakushas can never turn back to the way it used to be. Goodwin also notices how the novel contains information regarding unexplainable changes to ecology caused by the bomb which manifests itself in the form of grotesque. As for the movie, the main focus is more on Yasuko who is looking for a marriage partner while being concerned of her potential health condition.

I think Goodwin is trying to compare the differences in Japanese society’s reaction that happens in ‘Black Rain’  to another of his analysis of ‘Ikimono no Kiroku’ AKA ‘I live in Fear’ by Kurosawa which came out in 1955 during the hydrogen bomb testing era.  In ‘Ikimono no Kiroku’ , Nakajima who has a fear of radiation fallout and wishes to seek a hide out with his extreme ways is regarded as crazy by both his family and the society. The film really raises the question of absurdity between a man who wants to take a refuge because of the potential dangers and the society that seems unaffected by them. On the contrary, those around Yasuko in ‘Black Rain’ are very concerned of the nuclear effects and constantly express their fear by outcasting the hibakushas. However, in ‘Ikimono no Kiroku’the the story takes place in a city, therefore I believe that the economic issue should also be considered because the people are under extreme pressure and therefore cannot concern themselves with the topic which according to them has low possibility in occurring. To sum up, although the events in two films occur not many years apart and are both results of the bomb and its existence, they show differences in the views of the Japanese society.

           

Review by John Bester ( 'Black Rain' novel translator)

According to John Bester, He himself was hesitant at first when asked to translate “Kuroi Ame” despite the acclaim it had received. He was not sure that the author could have really written the book without making it too harsh or too sentimental due to the nature of the theme. However, after having done the work his opinions changed and he actually gained new insights of Japan and its people. What makes Ibuse’s work valuable is the fact that it is able to remain balanced while being full of a variety of themes and moods. Ibuse’s work as Bester says, has elements of a documentary. Some events and characters mentioned in the book actually exist; one example is the story of Shigematsu Shisuma. The book is a mixture of contrasts as a result of Ibuse’s ability to put horror and humor together without sounding disrespectful or insensitive. When judged with an unbiased mind, readers will understand reasons for their existence and the effects they create.  Another intense contrast is violence and peacefulness, and instead of focusing on the downfall of the country the author offsets it with the effects the bombing has on the people. The discreet and reserved nature of the Japanese is portrayed through the story of Shigematsu in the scene where he reunites with his wife. Even though years have passed, there’s no denying that the subject within living memories still brings back agony and distress. However, the author successfully manages to refrain from adding political aspects to the story. For those who feel that the book may be a work of protest, Ibuse proves it not to be the case. What is more, due to the use of real-life situations, readers are able to relate to the stories. The order in which the events are organized also displays the skills of Ibuse, with the story going back and forth in time, scenes that seem unrelated at first will reveal their important connotations later on. Unlike other novels where the narrative usually goes back to the equilibrium after the disruption has been resolved, in this novel the start of new life is once again at risk of another disruption.'Black Rain' serves as memoirs that provide such vivid pictures of the event and its consequences in all aspects of life including physical, mental, emotional and social destruction while also avoid being biased.

Review by Maya Morioka Todeschini


In this book, Maya compares two movies 'Black rain' and 'Diary of Yumechiyo' focusing on female hibakusha as  cultural heroines, and the politics of A-bomb memory.  According to her, Black Rain depicted precious insight of female survival in Japanese culture, and emphasized on women central role in a making larger 'politics of memory'. She mentions the movie tried to avoid emotional depiction and instead the director used humor and irony. Despite all of the hardships, Yasuko continues endure and bravely fights until the end of the movie (Eating herbs, sacrificing her marriage, helping another man who also is the victim). Maya's idea about Black Rain is however the female protagonist endures everything and lives positively, there is "no sense of people's complexity of relationship to the historical situation they inherit"(cited Carolyn Steedman).

I liked the new way of approaches in this review. Maya finds some symbolic parts in the movie focusing on gender and politics of A-bomb memory. The movie depicted 1950s, the pre-modern society of Japan, and I could find some symbolic scenes that I couldn't notice until I read this review. For example, the movie shows modernization and westernization of Japan by contrasting Yasuko(the main character) to another girl in her age who speaks brash language and is bit rude to her parents. It also used irony portraying typical womanly character to act manly than other characters like Yuichi .


In this review it talks about the narrative strategy of Black Rain in both the novel and film. The director and author both state that they did not want to take the role of making it too political and wanted to at the same time not down play the horrors, two different kind of criticism came from the film, the first being that it wasn't horrific enough (favoring strong political statements on the other hand some thought it was too horrific (those who don't want art to be mixed with politics. but both artists wanted to cut down their authority on the things happening at the time because after 5 years Japan started to think it was the past and they wanted to show that people are still suffering and dying after the fact in the present and people should not forget and also the threatening of mankind.The author's use irony and humor to put humility and honesty in the face of potentially overwhelming subject matter.

Review by John T. Dorsey

In this review it talks about the narrative strategy of Black Rain in both the novel and film. The director and author both state that they did not want to take the role of making it too political and wanted to at the same time not down play the horrors, two different kind of criticism came from the film, the first being that it wasn't horrific enough (favoring strong political statements on the other hand some thought it was too horrific (those who don't want art to be mixed with politics. but both artists wanted to cut down their authority on the things happening at the time because after 5 years Japan started to think it was the past and they wanted to show that people are still suffering and dying after the fact in the present and people should not forget and also the threatening of mankind.The author's use irony and humor to put humility and honesty in the face of potentially overwhelming subject matter.




References:
Broderick, M. (1991). Akira Kurosawa and the Atomic Age. In: Goodwin, James. Hibakusha  Cinema: Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the Nuclear Image in Japanese Film
Broderick, M. (1991). Death and the Maiden's Female Hibakusha as Cultural Heroines, and the Politics of A-Bomb Memory. In: Todeschini, Maya Morioka. Hibakusha  Cinema: Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the Nuclear Image in Japanese Film
Broderick, M. (1991). Narrative Strategies of Undrstatement in Black Rain as a Novel and a Film. In: Dorsey, John T., Matsuoka Naomi. Hibakusha  Cinema: Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the Nuclear Image in Japanese Film

Ibuse, Masuji. (1969). Black Rain. Tokyo: Kodansha. (Trans. John Bester)


By: Pim & Sandy, Keiji