An in-depth interpretation of the anti-war theme of "Tang Detective 3": exposing the shortcomings of Japanese society
The movie "Tang Detective 3", which will be released during the Spring Festival in 2021, is undoubtedly a work that has attracted much attention. This comedy reasoning film directed by Chen Sicheng not only continues the humorous style of the previous work, but also has more new attempts in plot design. What the audience didn't expect was that this commercial film, which was supposed to be mainly funny and suspenseful, actually hid quite a deep anti-war theme and a deep criticism of the ills of Japanese society.
Behind a large number of seemingly "ridiculous" details in the film, there is actually director Chen Sicheng's deep reflection on various problems in contemporary Japanese society. From the foreshadowing at the beginning to the final court trial scene, "Tang Detective 3" permeates this theme everywhere, which is really refreshing.
In this regard, many viewers have a new understanding and evaluation after carefully tasting the movie. They believe that "Tang Detective 3" is not just a simple comedy and suspense film, but the director skillfully conveys his deep reflection and criticism of many issues in contemporary Japanese society through this form.
Foreshadowing at the beginning: "I thought Japan was a society governed by the rule of law"
Let's first take a look at the hidden connotation in the opening foreshadowing of "Tang Detective 3". At the beginning of the film, Tang Ren, played by Wang Baoqiang, expressed doubts about the state of the rule of law in Japan: "I thought Japan was a society ruled by law. This sentence seems to be just a joke, but if we interpret it in combination with the theme of the whole movie, we will find the deep meaning contained in it.
Japan has always been regarded as an "orderly" country and a typical "society governed by the rule of law". But in fact, beneath this glossy appearance, there are also many judicial injustices and human rights problems in Japanese society.
For example, some of the details that appear later in the movie vividly reflect this. When the protagonist group arrived at the airport, they were blocked and fought by various forces, which just shows that under the superficial "order" of Japan, there is actually a chaotic situation of illegal forces running rampant.
For another example, when the protagonist group arrives at the location of the boss of the club that employs them, Tang Ren asks, "Is it the regular one?" This sentence clearly alludes to the existence of some underground transactions and illegal industries in Japan, which is very different from the image of a "society governed by the rule of law".
The setting of these details undoubtedly raises questions and criticisms of the "rule of law" situation in Japanese society. Director Chen Sicheng tried to tell the audience that Japanese society, which seems to be well-organized on the surface, actually has various legal loopholes and black-box operations.
This opening foreshadowing undoubtedly sets the tone for the anti-war theme of the subsequent film, and also reveals a slow but deep mystery for the audience.
Ageing and social apathy
In "Tang Detective 3", in addition to criticizing the state of the rule of law in Japan, director Chen Sicheng also made a deep reflection on the aging problem and indifferent tendency of Japanese society through some details.
For example, after the protagonist group entered the location of the boss of the club that hired them, a group of old people who were "in their last years" appeared pretending to do things such as grabbing land. This is undoubtedly a mockery of Japan's growing aging population and the apathy of young people to participate in nation-building.
Obviously, the emergence of such a group not only reflects the grim situation of Japan's aging society, but also hints at the indifference and indifference of young people to national affairs. This is reminiscent of the fact that this apathetic tendency in Japanese society may well be one of the important reasons for the gradual forgetting of the memory of the war.
What's more, when these old men wield knives to cut their fingers, this practice is undoubtedly a complete mockery of the so-called "bushido spirit" in Japan. On the surface, they shout positive slogans, but in reality they have not taken any real action. It's like they talk about dealing with the problem of nuclear radiation every day, but they never really take effective measures.
It can be seen that director Chen Sicheng wants to highlight this hypocrisy and indifference in Japanese society through this obvious exaggeration. Whether it is dealing with national affairs or personal commitments, the Japanese seem to lack the sense of responsibility and spirit they should have.
Such a scene is undoubtedly a profound criticism that Japanese society is gradually losing its proper values and sense of responsibility, which also lays the groundwork for the subsequent anti-war theme.
A radical deconstruction of Japanese culture
In addition to the criticism of the aging problem and indifferent tendencies of Japanese society, "Tang Detective 3" also makes a thorough deconstruction and ridicule of traditional Japanese culture through a series of details.
For example, the scenes of maids costuming to cosplay in the film are directly impacting people's perception of Japan's "ingenuity" culture. Today, this fashion has completely departed from the original cultural connotation, and has become a superficial commercial expression.
For another example, when the protagonist group meets those exhibitionists roaming the streets on the street, it is undoubtedly mocking the so-called "order" and "civilization" of the Japanese. After all, such a scene is very different from what people usually think of as "well-organized" Japanese society.
What's more, when the protagonist group sees passers-by running red lights on the street at will, this is also a satire on the so-called "order" and "etiquette" of the Japanese. After all, such behavior is contrary to the impression that the Japanese are "law-abiding".
In general, through the setting of these details, "Tang Detective 3" is completely deconstructing and negating traditional Japanese culture. The film tries to show the audience that the superficially glamorous Japanese culture has completely lost its proper connotation, and has instead been reduced to a superficial commercial representation.
This deconstruction is an important part of the anti-war theme that director Chen Sicheng is trying to convey. He wants to show the audience that the superficial glossy image of Japanese culture and society is actually hiding a country that has decayed internally.
Through the in-depth deconstruction of Japan's rule of law, aging, traditional culture and other aspects, "Tang Detective 3" finally achieved the purpose of criticizing Japan's war history and responsibility. At the end of the film, a court trial scene full of dramatic conflicts completes the ultimate examination of history.
In this trial, we see the setup of a triple trial.
The first is the trial of the daughter's murder of her father, which is the most superficial case to solve; This is followed by the judgment of the daughter's years of hatred and revenge against her father; Finally, there is the director's trial of Japan's war history and responsibility.
In this layer of trial, director Chen Sicheng tries to tell the audience that all the ills of contemporary Japanese society stem from their indifference and evasion of war history. For example, the daughter's father has obviously committed a bad act of hurting his wife and daughter, but he has been emphasizing his innocence and trying to evade responsibility.
And when he finally knelt down in the courtroom and begged for forgiveness, his daughter still left without looking back, which undoubtedly told the audience that even after such a trial, it is difficult for the Japanese to truly reflect on and shoulder their historical responsibilities.
Through the setting of this series of details, "Tang Detective 3" finally achieved the anti-war theme that director Chen Sicheng wanted to convey. He tries to show the audience that there are many ugly sides to the ostensibly prosperous Japanese society, and that the root cause of these ills is their indifference to and evasion of the history of war.
In general, "Tang Detective 3" is not a simple comedy and suspense film, but the director skillfully conveys his deep reflection and criticism of many issues in contemporary Japanese society through this form. This work is undoubtedly injecting new vitality and ideological depth into Chinese films.