OUT THIS WEEKEND: Brand New Abroad in Japan Video | *FILM FRIDAY* "Isle of Dogs" (2018)

After wave after wave of tedious technical issues, at last this weekend the new video on Why I Hate Japanese TV will be out on the Abroad in Japan channel.

The week after that: Why I Hate Blue Screens.
(Though in fairness, most of the technical issues were to do with bloody Adobe).

Sorry for the wait though guys - I hope it’ll be worth it. There’s a lot packed into this one; from my three most awkward encounters on Japanese television and two blue screen sequences in the tiny 1980’s diorama, to a horrifying career-ending scene involving Abroad in Japan "Japanese TV style".

There’s really no holding back on this one and I look forward to talking about the behind the scenes aspect of it, in the Patreon video that’ll follow in the days to come (along with answering your questions).

I also took my first trip to Tokyo this week for the first time since February (as of last week, people can travel freely around Japan for the first time). In the space of a few days I had 4 months worth of meetings and 4 months worth of filming for Tokyo Creative, as well as becoming the first guest (as seen in photo) on Joey the Anime Man’s brand new Youtube channel Trash Taste ( https://youtu.be/3E0JIBNlmco ).

June may appear to have been a quiet month, but behind the scenes it could not have been busier or more productive, and I look forward to sharing stories of what’s to come in the upcoming Patreon exclusive video, including a Treasure Island Escape with Natsuki and details on the impending road trip series.

Keep an eye out for the new Abroad in Japan video this weekend and in the meantime, here’s this week’s recommendation as we dive into FILM FRIDAY!

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ISLE OF DOGS (2018), Wes Anderson
Trailer:https://youtu.be/dt__kig8PVU

Official (and somewhat ridiculous sounding) Synopsis:
When, by executive decree, all the canine pets of Megasaki City are exiled to a vast garbage-dump called Trash Island, 12-year-old Atari sets off alone in a miniature Junior-Turbo Prop and flies across the river in search of his bodyguard-dog, Spots. There, with the assistance of a pack of newly-found mongrel friends, he begins an epic journey that will decide the fate and future of the entire Prefecture.

Abroad in Japan Review: If I was stranded on a desert island with 20 moves of my choice, one of those movies would be Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel, a stunning comedic masterpiece with an ensemble cast and cinematography and set design so good it’s essentially art work. I implore you to go and watch it if you haven’t already. 

After watching that, I spent a good week lost in Wes Anderson’s films, including Moonrise Kingdom and Life Aquatic and quickly understood why he has a cult following.

So unsurprisingly, I was ecstatic two years ago when I heard his latest film was a stop motion epic set in Japan called “Isle of Dogs”.

That excitement faded when I discovered that while the film would be released in March 2018 worldwide, here in Japan it wasn’t released until May - despite being set in Japan! I seethed with envy as friends in the UK and America got to enjoy it months beforehand, including the cheeky Pete Donaldson who revelled in the early viewing.

Fortunately, the long frustrating wait was worth it.

With an almost uncanny attention to detail, and some of the best stop motion animation committed to film, Isle of Dogs follows the story of a boy searching for his lost dog, alongside a pack of cheeky canine companions voiced by an all star cast including Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Edward Norton and my good friend Bryan Cranston.

After all, it’s thanks to the Isle of Dogs that we got a shoutout from Bryan Cranston on the Abroad in Japan Podcast back in 2018, when Pete Donaldson interviewed him while he was promoting the film! For that reason, the film will always have a special place in my heart and Bryan Cranston is essentially my friend.

Er,  we’ve yet to meet.

I’ll admit, though the story is fun, for me Isle of Dogs never quite reaches the point of being truly memorable or laugh out loud funny like aforementioned Wes Anderson classics such as The Grand Budapest Hotel or Moonrise Kingdom. The story is continually overshadowed by the mind-blowing visual aesthetics of the settings and the characters. I particularly enjoyed the design of the main city featured in the film “Megasaki”.

At the time of release, critics debated over whether or not the film’s portrayal of Japanese culture was condescending or based too heavily on foreign assumptions and outdated tropes of Japan. And confusingly, despite being born and raised in Japan the cast of dogs can’t speak or comprehend Japanese.

Overall, most critics - including Japanese critics - rushed to Anderson’s defense and attributed the portrayal of Japanese culture down to Wes Anderson’s crazy imagination more than anything. 

My only advice is to watch Isle of Dogs and decide for yourself.
Hopefully, you’ll be as blown away by the artistic direction as I was.

Then once you’ve finished, go and watch The Grand Budapest Hotel if you haven’t already!

Available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play