KIKUJIRO
The most Totoro-esque scene
Spoilers for Kikujiro [Kikujiro’s Summer] (1999)
If you’ve ever seen any movie by Takeshi Kitano (aka Takeshi Beat) then you will expect a certain amount of violence. Even an exaggerated amount.
Well, Kitano himself has stated that Kikujiro is an antidote to that violence. The whole movie travels a thin thread that divides good from evil. A boundary that is continually overstepped.
Kitano confronts his consciousness in this film like he cannot decide which side he belongs on.
This is not a conventional movie. It’s divided into chapters, like a book, with childish covers for each. There is very little dialogue, leading to long moments of silence, sometimes meaningful, sometimes because there’s nothing really to say.
The cinematography is not fancy but it takes its time exploring the environments, giving each backdrop a sense of character and giving the viewer the time to wonder.
Let’s take a step back…
It’s summertime in Tokyo. Masao (Yusuke Sekiguchi) is a kid and all his friends are leaving the city with their families to enjoy the holidays. Masao lives with his grandmother who works all day long. His father is dead and his mother lives far away.
The movie starts with melancholy. Masao feels lonely and he’s constantly looking at the floor.
One day, he finds his mother’s address. She lives far away from Tokyo and he takes it upon himself to visit her alone. On his way, he meets a couple (Takeshi Kitano and Kayoko Kishimoto) who know his grandmother. They tell him that he cannot go alone. So, the man, Kikujiro (Kitano) offers to accompany him. This is the moment when the weirdest of road trips starts, with the sounds of bells ringing and cicadas chirping.
A man and a kid who don’t know each other. Isn’t this already weird?
They first stop at a bike racing arena, where Kikujuro hopes to win some money and pay for the trip. The bell (pay attention to bells, they are symbolic in this movie) rings to announce that the race is over and they win some money for a hotel.
This is one of the many lines Kitano crosses. Is it a good thing to show a kid the betting world?
They come back the next day but do not win anything. Kikujiro blames Masao for their bad luck and forces him to stay outside of the restaurant as a punishment. Again, his actions are questionable.
As the trip progresses, they have a lot of good and not-so-good adventures together. Kikujiro does not take his responsibilities seriously, nor does he act as a guardian to Masao. He does not consider that the shoulders of a kid are not made to bear the same weight as an adult’s.
The role of an adult is surely to preserve their childhood and innocence for as long as possible. Instead, Kikujiro keeps trying to teach him to act badly so as to get ahead. Masao only keeps his innocence because he does not fully understand the weird acts and requests.
My Neighbor Totoro is also a story based on sadness. The mother is ill, the father needs to work all time and the two sisters are all alone. That’s why the spirits of the forest appear and take care of them.
It might not seem it at first, but the scene that made me understand how closely linked these two films are happens at a bus stop. A very old bus stop where no buses stop. Ever.
Day turns to night and they are still waiting for a lift. It starts raining and Masao falls asleep with a soft light and a weird “creature” keeping him company. Does that ring a bell?
Perhaps Kikujiro isn’t particularly Totoro-esque at the beginning but the change happens when this incredible duo reaches the address of Masao’s mother. There’s another name on the door and she has another family.
He finally understands how heavy this is for Masao and transforms metaphorically into Totoro. He arranges a spontaneous camp with a few people they have encountered during this road trip and finally, Masao can be a kid and starts smiling again.
The camping scene is hilarious, fantasy is always the best resource.
During their journey, Masao receives a bell, which Kikujiro tells him is a symbolic angel meant to protect the one who has it. Is Totoro not an angel in this sense?
Kikujiro is not a good man for much of this film. There is violence everywhere in this movie but always balanced by the sad face of a poor kid that has done nothing wrong.
When they say goodbye to each other Kikujiro says: “We should do it again”. As Totoro, he is a medicine for all the horrible things adults create and pass on to kids as a disgusting inheritance.
Shake your bell, ask your angel for help and your own version of Totoro will appear.
It is not by chance that Masao has a little cute rucksack with angel wings.
Writer & Director: Takeshi Kitano
Starring: Takeshi Kitano, Yusuke Sekiguchi
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