Summer Days With Coo
December 9th 2007 18:52
The final movie on closing night of the Japanese Film Festival was a family-oriented animated feature, called Summer Days With Coo.
It's a softly idyllic story about a young boy that finds a fossil on a riverbed... when he washes it, the 'fossil' comes to life, turning into a water spirit, or 'kappa'.
What is a kappa? From Wikipedia:
"Kappa are mischievous troublemakers. Their pranks range from the relatively innocent, such as loudly passing gas or looking up women's kimonos, to the more troublesome, such as stealing crops, kidnapping children, or raping women."
Surprisingly, the kappa speaks perfect Japanese, and recovers his strength with the family while getting used to the modern world that is dominated by humans.
Summer Days With Coo is a wonderfully layered anime that brings a pleasing mix of humour and sensitivity to cinema audiences. Children will love the playfulness of the kappa, and adults will find it to be romantically nostalgic, reminding us of carefree days when the summer meant riding your bike along waterways, pedaling so fast that you were certain to lift off the ground.
There is a serious undertone to the film; like the films of Miyazaki, such as Princess Mononoke, there's a strong sentiment of ecological consciousness, and the tragedy of modern development.
It's a slow film, with a long running time. I was comfortable and in a good mood, so the languidly crawling plot was a simple pleasure to watch. The kappa, named Coo, wants to go home, but in the 200 years since he's been fossilized, the swamp where he once lived has become a residential suburb of Tokyo.
It's tragic, and striking how an animated character can provoke such sorrowful sentiments. When Coo cries, it's as if the animalistic center of our being cries out, too. Sometimes, I wish the swamps and the rivers were still there.
Summer Days With Coo is an interesting look into Japanese culture, as well. I previously reviewed Bizan for the Japanese Film Festival - it was thrilling to see a dance festival on a far off island. Similarly, it's wonderful to see this element of Shinto folklore made into a popular film...
It'd be difficult to see this film, now that the festival has been concluded. If you've got children, though, Summer Days With Coo is a beautiful movie to show them when they're young, hopefully imbibing them with a love for nature and respect for animals.
I say: Behind me, a Russian man was translating the English subtitles to his little 6-yr-old daughter. If he was compelled to do that through an entire movie, you can bet it's worth it for you to see.
See it for: Watching the kappa swim will make you want to tear off your clothes and ride the neighborhood dog to the nearest clear-water river.
*this image is from the festival website
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