The delicate relationship between human beings and nature has always been a topic often touched upon in environmental protection films. Animated films are no exception, and many of Miyazaki's works alone have explored this aspect.
But today we are going to talk about not a film produced by Studio Ghibli, but "Summer of Kappa", in which Keiichi Hara, an animator who has participated in the production of more than a dozen theatrical versions of "Crayon Novel", is the screenwriter and supervisor.
Although it is not as stunning and brilliant as Miyazaki's films, and the wonderful imagination of the imagination, the characters are not beautiful, and even look a little bland at first glance, but all this can not hide the excellent temperament of "Kappa Summer".
It is like a fresh turquoise cucumber, the appearance is simple and grounded, but it is fragrant and refreshing. Take a bite in the hot summer, crisp and juicy, cool and cool at the same time, but also make people in the urban desert dried up the soul, get silent infiltration.
Why use the cucumber as a metaphor? Because in Japanese legend, cucumbers are one of kappa's favorite foods. And the protagonist of the movie, Kappa Xiaoku, chews on the cucumber, which is really cute.
The film makes the kappa, a legendary creature, appear in the human world very naturally. Through the depiction of the relationship between Xiao Ku and his human friend Kang Yi and his family, it triggers the audience's thinking on "how to live in harmony with nature".
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > face the unknown of nature, you should be in awe and goodwill, and should not kill maliciously</h1>
About Kappa, I don't want to give you more science to repeat. In short, it is like those "strange beasts" in China's "Classic of Mountains and Seas", which are creatures of Japanese myths and legends. The beak resembles a bird's beak, the hand has frog webbing, the body resembles an ape, and carries a turtle shell, which can also be said to be the "four different" living in the water.
For the kappa, although it has never been seen, people have never stopped depicting it through their own imagination. Even in the Edo period, kappa was once rumored to be an evil monster that was transformed by the spells of human craftsmen and would harm people and animals.
This is why, in the Edo period at the beginning of the movie, two samurai adults, after listening to Kappa's father's request, were still frightened and drew their swords at it.
Partly, because, in their minds, there is an inherent prejudice: "Kappa = a monster transformed by spells = something harmful."
On the other hand, they have a ghost in their own hearts, thinking that Kappa's father heard his secret conversation about "making false accounts" just now.
In the final analysis, these two aspects are still human beings themselves doing evil. He is inherently evil in his heart and has a strong hostility towards the unknown of nature.
Similarly, there may not have been kappa in the world, at least not the kind of harmful kappa that these samurai recognize. But because of the evil of the human heart, they see the kappa blocking the way, and their first reaction is that the other party wants to hurt people.
But actually? The kind kappa father only wants to beg them not to turn the swamp into a paddy field, not to let themselves and their families, and the countless beings who live in this swamp, lose the home on which they depend for their survival.
He is well versed in human feelings, and in order to ask for people, he also prepares the most precious gift in his opinion, a huge carp, and the words are full of sincere pleading, and there is no human imagination as a monster.
However, Papa Kappa was killed by the samurai. At this moment, the ugly faces of two human men who are timid and arrogant are fully displayed in front of the kind and humble kappa. All this also caused great impact and harm to the young mind of the little cool.
Subsequently, the blood-soaked earthquake raged and cracked. It swallowed Xiao Ku, but it also invisibly protected him, keeping him from being hunted down by humans, and making him sleep quietly underground for more than two hundred years.
However, the two evildoers did not fall into the cracks of the ground, and did not seem to be punished by nature. Not only that, but one of them also passed on his "fighting kappa" deeds, along with the dry arms of kappa's father, to his descendants.
Nature is not without the power to punish human beings. On the contrary, if it really angers people, it is certainly much easier than if humans trampled an ant to death.
But the brilliance of this film lies in the fact that it does not try to render this kind of karma theory of "evil has evil retribution" and "if you anger nature, you will inevitably bear the evil consequences". On the contrary, it focuses on the interaction between good thoughts and good thoughts between good children and good kappa and dogs.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > should be grateful for nature's gifts and avoid asking for excesses</h1>
In this movie, most people, compared to Kappa Cool Father and Son, should be ashamed of themselves.
As mentioned earlier, Kappa's father is humble and courteous in front of humans, so here, let's take a look at Xiao Cool's performance.
When he was just picked up by Kang Yijun and returned home, he got food and care from Kang Yijun's mother, and Xiao Ku, who was so weak that he could not move, still did not forget to say "thank you" to the hostess who took care of him.
After his body was fully restored, Xiao Ku thanked the Original family for a very solemn prostration, the wording was solemn and sincere, much stronger than ordinary human children and even many adults. He promised that in the future, he would offer a big fish as a thank you gift to Engong, and then immediately got up and left, ready to leave for his impression of his home" "Dragon God Swamp", unwilling to cause more trouble for the benefactor's family.
He ate the snail raised by Kangichi's sister, Hitomi, and took the opportunity to pick up a beautiful stone (glass) and give it to his sister as compensation.
He is cared for by the big yellow dog Arbor and is intimate with Abel. After Abel was hit and killed by a car to save himself, Xiao Ku finally could no longer suppress the grief in his heart, and the huge mysterious force that was out of control shattered the camera lenses of all the reporters present, and at the same time, the crows coveting Abel's body were instantly torn to shreds.
Even with such a powerful strength, he still did not retaliate against humans, but silently picked up his father's dry arm and climbed the Tokyo Tower alone and helplessly. In desperation, he even wanted to jump down and go to heaven to reunite with his father.
In the middle of the reinforced concrete jungle, under the scorching heat, the plate above Xiao Ku's head gradually dried up, and his heart gradually withered.
In the long course of history, kappa have been killed by humans. Nowadays, Xiaoku can no longer find a place without human habitation, and can no longer find a partner who can live together. The human family that originally took care of him compromised with the TV station due to social pressure and vanity, and the only animal partner died tragically to save himself.
What is even more tearful is that even so, the good thoughts in Xiao Ku's heart have not changed.
In the face of nature, even in front of arrogant human beings, Xiao Ku seems so humble, cautious and careful. It is precisely because he, like his father, has a heart that knows how to be grateful, and is always grateful for the gifts of nature.
It's so ugly!
Fortunately, there are humans like the Uehara family. Although they were momentarily confused by the scenery of tv and ignored Xiao Ku's feelings, at the juncture of Xiao Ku's life and death, they still repented.
People and kappa love each other and respect each other, eat the last reunion dinner together, thank nature for the gift, and record this scene forever with a camera. At this time, Xiao Ku was no longer afraid of the flash, because this was a testimony to his friendship with Kang Yi and the Uehara family. There are also good beings in human beings, and they happen to be met by him, and the little cool who knows enough to know enough feels that he is very lucky.
But they didn't really live together like fairy tales, and Xiaoku didn't want to give up the search for other kinds, nor did he want to abandon the way of life of his ancestors. He wanted to live like a real kappa and die like a real kappa.
And the Uehara family also respects XiaoKu's ideas. They are grateful for the time they have spent with Xiaoku, and they are both curious about the unknown existence of nature like Xiaoku, but also full of kindness and awe - this is the most worthy of advocating, the harmonious coexistence of man and nature.
With the help of Kang Yi and his family, Xiao Ku finally came to a land where few people set foot on, surrendered to a kind monster uncle, and began the life of a kappa that was far away from humans and returned to nature.
And even in this quiet river that no one disturbs, Xiao Ku still has gratitude and awe, and does not forget to pray to the land father first, hoping that this land can accept the soul of the little him and his father.
"Allow me to catch fish in this river, just catch a little to fill my stomach."
This sentence makes me feel deeply ashamed as a human being. In life, many of us are eager to maximize our own interests, hoping to get more benefits, and after getting it, we can't help but pursue more and more.
However, while pursuing, we should think more about whether we have gone too far, whether we have exhausted ourselves, whether we have offended other creatures in the natural world, and whether we have left some room for ourselves and future generations.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > concluding remarks</h1>
"Summer of the Kappa" does not have any grand scenes, nor does it depict the "heavenly punishment" of nature's anger on people. The faint brushstrokes, like the river that XiaoKu faces at the end of the film, looks clear at first glance, but in fact, the still water flows deeply. Unconsciously, it will subtly and slowly inject the attitude towards nature into the bottom of each of us.
In the face of human destruction, nature can choose to "destroy you, what to do with you" such a thunderous and strong blow, but it has not done so, it still gives us countless opportunities to change over.
Therefore, human beings should also be like the kappa father and son in the film, with gratitude and reverence for nature. While thinking about human development itself, we should also take into account other life in nature.
After all, human beings have never been the masters of nature, but only a drop in the ocean in this vast universe, the vast world, and all sentient beings. But it is also an indispensable link in the biological chain, like other life, from nature, and eventually, will return to the embrace of Mother Nature.