Ask John: What’s John’s Opinion of Asura?

Question:
I finally was able to see Asura for the first time and I absolutely loved it. I came across a very negative review online which really bothered me. I don’t often agree with your opinions, but I think you give strong reasons for why you feel the way you do. I would appreciate knowing your opinion. If you have seen it, what did you think about Asura?

Answer:
The nature of last year’s historical horror adventure anime film Asura demands critique from two distinct fronts: the narrative and the animation. The short movie is based on George Akiyama’s 1970 manga. Akiyama is a respected talent notable for working in a variety of genres. Apart from Asura, I’ve personally watched the 1982 samurai anime film Haguregumo and the 1989 Koiko no Mainichi yakuza slice-of-life drama both based on Akiyama manga series. So while the film’s story may have a precedent for quality, its animation is rendered in an unusual CG style that evokes as much Zac Snyder’s 300 as Zomanov Higa’s Catblue Dynamite and Urda.

The 76-minute-long Asura movie is condensed from the original three-volume manga. The result is mostly positive. Due to the film’s short length, the movie necessarily relies on numerous montage sequences and narrative suggestion. The wandering monk that frames the story provides thematic context, clearly explaining the film’s philosophical conflict over whether human beings are innately civilized or bestial. The monk’s most memorable scene is one of the film’s most shocking moments but also one of the film’s most bluntly didactic. The character is vital to the film’s narrative progression, but his role in the film also feels a bit heavy-handed, existing to overtly spell-out the meaning of the movie for viewers that can’t interpret the film’s theme on their own. The character Wakasa is a charming and fearless girl, but like the monk, she’s regrettably used more as a plot device than an individual. Like the monk, she’s a foil for Asura to compare himself to, a role-model for Asura to live up to. While Wakasa is a very admirable character, the movie provides very little explanation for why Wakasa is so devoted to her father or exactly how she perceives Asura, whether as a friend or as a pet. The film’s narrative strength partially lies in the fact that its characters are depicted objectively. The films has no clear heroes or villains. The wandering monk encourages Asura but does nothing to help the boy nor anything to prevent the boy from killing again. Wakasa takes pity on Asura but never tries to understand him. The local lord is the film’s most obvious antagonist, yet his behavior and actions are entirely justified and rational within the context of the story. Asura himself is a sympathetic monster, a vicious and brutal creature shaped by his environment rather than any sense of malice. Fascinatingly, the film inspires viewers to compulsively wonder whether Asura living or dying would be for the best. The horror pervasive throughout the movie arises entirely from circumstances and setting. The movie is horror not because it contains bloody violence but rather because it occurs in a horrific time when the threat of starvation causes people to resort to barbarism merely to survive. The way the film evokes strong viewer reactions and an intense atmosphere all without relying on cliche tropes or conventional narrative formulas is fascinating and memorable.

The decision to animate a 43-year-old manga, especially one set in the 15th century, with ultra-modern computer-generated imagery seems incongruous. The actual design of the animation, even more so, evokes strong viewer reaction. Certain full CG anime productions, such as Hottarake no Shima and Hipira-kun, utilize organic design that enhances the effect of the film and draws viewers deeper into the universe of the anime. The CG animation used in Asura does a good job of evoking a desolate, frightening everyday reality. The world appears natural yet dusty, grimy, dry, unfeeling. The animation quality is oddly uneven. Periodically, sequences involving fast-moving action are very fluid, although not more so than comparable 2D anime movements. In many scenes character motion is slightly stilted; the effect distracts the eye and doesn’t look natural. The character design is the film’s biggest point of contention. The character designs are reminiscent of George Akiyama’s original manga designs but have a distinct angular design that’s striking but never feels completely natural. The artificial CG rendering applies a subtle sense of mathematical geometry to characters that just doesn’t feel natural. Regrettably, the film’s character design creates a constant disconnect between the film and viewers. Stylistic character designs should create a sense of foreignness and organic bizarreness that intrigues viewers. The character designs in Asura only remind viewers throughout the entire film’s length that the characters are artificial. The sharp character designs and the crisp artificially rendered distinction between the characters and their surroundings doesn’t help viewers immerse into the story and setting. Instead, the film’s art design constantly reminds viewers that everything on screen is unreal, artificial.

Asura is a striking and memorable film. It’s unlike most movies, not only in visual appearance but also in narrative focus. The film is a rare “thinking” horror that poses difficult moral questions for viewers to grapple. The movie questions the innate nature of humanity, and debates the value of ethics and pride against instinct and survival instinct. Ultimately, the movie is very good but falls short of excellence because the film is very engaging rationally but not as engaging emotionally. The movie is fascinating from both a narrative and a technical perspective, but viewers never fully empathize with the characters and never fully feel like a part of the scenario. I respect and recommend the movie, but I have to concede that its experimental animation design and its superficial analysis of character motivations hold the movie back from being a masterpiece.