Japanese Storytelling Part 1: Savoring the Moment, A Study of Ma, and Mono no Aware
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- čas přidán 3. 07. 2017
- I've been a fan of Japanese Films, Anime, Video Games, Novels and Manga for a while, and I've noticed they all contain uniquely Japanese characteristics. In this video, I will breakdown one of these characteristics, that I call "Savoring the Moment". It has some similarities to the Japanese concept of Mono no Aware, or the appreciation of fleeting beauty. I will examine this aspect of Japanese storytelling though Japan's Literature, Cinema, Anime, and Video Games, as it appears in all. Sorry, I'll have to save Manga for next time!
Please let me know if you agree with my points in the comments below, and what Japanese Movies, Anime, Novels, ect, you think "Savor the Moment".
All Clips are re-edited for the purpose of critique & commentary and credited in accordance with CZcams's Fair Use Guidelines
This is one of the most essential pieces of storytelling, to me. When a story lacks the ability to let you sit back and feel, it loses an indefinable immersion.
Japanese cinema, and especially Japanese animation, has this reputation for being remarkably dynamic, which I think is paradoxically a result of this kind of slow, still shot. You _notice_ when things are moving more because that movement is contrasted by the lack of motion two minutes ago. In American cinema and animation, the ethos seems to be that you go to the moving picture show to see moving pictures, and by god that's what you're gonna see.
It's strange... I grew up on a lot of Japanese culture and media (it just seemed cool to me at the time... I'm sure you can relate), and if I hadn't watched this video I would have never realized I'd been imparted with a feeling/technique so culturally specific. I was young enough to not question it and learned to think it was something that everyone felt and, more importantly, wanted to feel. So, now when I see western things there is a certain something missing, a sentimentality, or an existential honesty ... I notice. Sometimes I even pause a movie or game to experience it. I don't think it's untranslatable though... we just don't prioritize it enough to warrant a quick way to say it (I mean.. it took you almost 20 minutes lol jk). The closest way I can think to describe it is somewhere between sonder, the cosmic perspective, and collective introspection or nostalgia.
Thanks for the comment! My experience is very similar. I was exposed to Japanese media at a fairly young age, and I kept noticing this "thing" that I couldn't quite define, but I knew I enjoyed it. I didn't really question it at first either but over time I became more and more intrigued with it and started seeking out Japanese Films, Anime, ect, specifically because they had this "thing". Doing this video was in part a way to motivate myself to research it and figure out what it was, because I was really interested. The emotion might be translatable to English, but I think "Mono no Aware" is a very specific, cultural term that is very difficult to translate. That's is in part why I went with my own term "Savouring the Moment", so I could talk about this "thing", I was noticing, and not presume it was definitely Mono no Aware.
Exactly. In fact, nowadays, when I see it in things that aren't Japanese, I always get really hype... like, my brain has divided media into things that will take the time to savor those moments, and things that won't as a way to curb disappointment. So, I'm always really appreciative to things like Samurai Jack or the examples you mentioned that show that other cultures are capable of it.
i grew up in japan as a westerner and experienced this very similarly and intensely, being caught between those two cultures. it's kind of soothing to hear others have had these experiences as well :)
@@StoryDive Hyouge mono deals with it a lot.
@@StoryDive were part 2
Last years "Your name" has some of this during most of its travel sequences. It spends a lot of time with the smaller details of a long walk up a mountain for example. The scene could have easily been cut far shorter but instead the audience gets to take in the landscape and the family dynamic of the characters.
simongreve that movie was pretty quiet. The scenes without dialogue were incredibly resounding.
A lot of Miyazaki's films feature this technique, not just the two you showed. One of my favorites, "Howl's Moving Castle", has several scenes of "Savoring the Moment". There's one where, after Howl shows Sophie the new color on the doorknob and takes her through the portal, she stops and looks around. The scene then changes to the fields and hills of flowers, before cutting back to her. Earlier, when she's doing some of the chores, she sits in a chair by the lake, and just takes in the scenery, before Markl comes to get her.
Absolutely. Miyazaki and Ghibli films are the reason I began noticing these moments in Japanese films and Japanese stories in general. I would also recommend the films of Shohei Imamura and Hirokazu Kore-eda although they only work in live action. They are both masters at it.
I think a great manga series that holds these moments is "Berserk".
Berserk is about a traveling swordsman named Guts, as he travels around the world fighting off horrifying monsters and demonic entities. With a synopsis like that, you'd probably don't expect quiet or ritualistic type of moments, but Berserk is actually all about that. There are many moments in the manga where it's quiet and has this melancholy feel to it. It especially feels sad when you get attached towards the characters and what they've been through. This series has it's fair share of bloody fights and bad-ass moments, but the ones where it's simply pure imagery are the ones that makes Berserk so unique. My favorite moment in all of Berserk is seeing Guts sitting down in a window filled with scars and bandages, while looking at the moon in the dark sky. This quiet moment makes me feel sad and glad. Glad because of whatever battle he's fought is over, but sad because of the truly terrifying encounter he has witnessed.
Berserk is amazing and I definitely recommend you to read it.
I've seen a bit of the series, but never read the manga. You've convinced me I have to check it out now!
Berserk is the manga that ever written and Drawn.
Samurai Jack had a lot of these moments throughout the series. At least to me it did.
Samurai Jack is an unrecognized masterpiece.
Yes, SJ very consciously draws on this tradition.
You probably dont give a shit but if you're stoned like me during the covid times you can watch pretty much all the latest movies and series on InstaFlixxer. Have been binge watching with my girlfriend these days xD
@Brian Kole yup, I've been watching on Instaflixxer for years myself :)
Samurai Jack has an episode where Jack prepares the Japanese Tea Ceremony.
There is nothing that is more Mono No Aware than that.
The musical interlude with scenes from the city in Ghost in the Shell is absolutely iconic. It gives me chills every time.
I think Mushishi captures this feeling really really well
It does.
YES! Please make the rest of this series! And I would love to see your take on Korean culture/storytelling...
One of the first thing that actually pops into my mind is the first couple pages of the Manga for "Valley of the Wind Nausicaa". It welcomes you to a world of the unfamiliar, even though that aspect typically brings about fear from the unknown in people, but the author Miyazaki ushers you into the daily trot of the Heroine. Also to note, that the pacing is almost like an movie would be. I mean he is an animator first before an manga artist so it is a given, but Nausicaa and Akira both open/introduce you like how a movie would.
Though not strictly from Japan, samurai Jack is a perfect example of this mentality. Every episode has a moment like this.
Wonderful video. In answer to your final question: one of my all time favourite anime, Mushishi, is loaded with Mono no Aware and is much more about the curious world the protagonist lives in than any particular plot point. I would be shocked if you haven't already seen it, but this video beautifully captures that particular atmosphere that I loved in that series so I had to bring it up. Similarly there's a more obscure series called Zettai Shounen, which uses this device a lot to let you really connect with the characters as they go through their strange coming of age tale. Lastly, I think Blade Runner 2049 (released since this video was created) is another good example as well, a lot of people have criticised the characters as shallow but I really didn't get that, as how they act in those quiet moments often shows far more about their personality than words alone could. Having Joi with K at the orphanage so he had someone to monologue to wouldn't have had the same sense of curiosity, tension, and ambivalence upon discovery of the horse as the him simply walking through that forgotten place alone and silently.
If you remember, in a lot of anime fights, there are moments when the actions are intentionally slowed down sometimes, scenes where one swing of a sword would take an entire 10 seconds, and even the ever-famous anime flashbacks. Those are the moments that would allow the viewers to break away from the tension of the fights and build up emotions for the final moments
Currently doing a research paper surrounding this topic, and this was very informative! Thank you!
Watching your video made me open my Nitentdo DS to play Pokemon again. I do have memories of temples, "dera", in Japan which inspired the creation places in the Pokemon world. When I was there, in Japan for studies, I couldn't help notice how pokemons had their inspiration from living creatures in Japan, so inspiring. The notion of ma is embodied in the train scene. But for me, the notion of ma can also be found in visual novels like "Another Code". Ma is like the notion of break both in time and space. I'm drawing a webtoon right now and getting myself inspired by studying the notion of "ma".
The first film of Kara no Kyoukai is literally “Savouring the Moment” the Movie(the Ice Cream eating Scene in particular comes to mind). And Mushishi also does this ALOT as it is basically the entire point of the anime.
Wow what a great video, I am a huge nature lover and "The Garden of Words" is one of my all time favorite anime movies, and I'm usually an action driven viewer.
This is so wonderfully made! Looking forward for the future parts of this series!
Plz continue this series! I’d love to learn more about Japanese storytelling
The Iyashikei genre of anime is made of this sensibility almost exclusively. Entire seasons of TV shows with no real plot to speak of and hardly anything can be said to have happened. It's less like entertainment and more like a cartoon-based meditation aid.
This savoring the moment technique reminds me of the iconic sunset of the 2 suns scene in Star Wars A New Hope. Which shows Luke staring at beautiful sunset that says all.
Ghost in the Shell also has one of these moments I think. It's when the character Mokoto Kusinagi(? Forgive my spelling if I got it wrong) takes a stroll through her city whilst having an existential moment.
Ugh, finally someone makes this video !! Great job, man. Fascinating content, perfect execution.
Great video! ^^- Can't wait for part 2
I love those slow peaceful moments and want to incorporate it into my own writing. this is very helpful, thank you!
i was searching for a breakdown of modern japanese anime storytelling techniques and common practice in comparison to eastern media, but your assessment of Savoring the Moment is also interesting.
thank you.
Wow. Thank you! Looking forward to seeing the pt.2
This is such a beautiful and well done film essay, congratulations, I hope to see more of these in the future. ^_^
Just amazing, very clever and complete, perfect for a cinema student. I hope to see the next video soon.
Not sure if it's been said yet, but one of the best anime's to incorporate this idea of taking hold of the moment is Fullmetal Alchemist (either series/manga). Hard to believe, in such a fast-paced action anime, but recall the scenes where you're at a funeral, the cemetary, overlooking the boys' ruined home and the countryside, and the contemplative, almost tense moments within the major cities themselves.
I love this idea of a series, and you have won yourself a subscribe and a like. Keep going!
I found this video very helpful, I would love to see many more like this.
I had a sense of this sensibility, but I didn't get it in any concrete way. At least not until I enjoyed your video.
Thank you.
Some of my ideas of how to translate it into a phrase.
Mono no aware:
1) resting in the fleeting things
or
2) gazing at the things that do fleet
or
3) beholding the fleeting things/moments
or
4) beholding them that pass away as a fleeting smoke
or
5) beholding as God seest
or
6) watching the twinkling of the eyes
or
7) the beholding of the temporal things
I LOVE THIS PLEASE MAKE MORE!!!
The animations i've watched from Studio Ghibli are so calm and relaxing..
Wish you had continued this! Really good
A good example in western film is The Secret Life of Walter Mitty from 2013. It has several such moments. For example where Walter rides on the bicycle. The view of the little house when he rides by seems directly inspired from the train scene in Spirited Away. Or where he meets Sean on the mountain and they watch the snow leopard and then they join some people playing ball because it just "looks like fun". Probably why I like that film so much.
Hello, StoryDrive! Nice video! It seems you never made the part 2 of this one. I'd really like to see that. Thanks! ^^
I got this feeling reading more than 10 books for Haruki Murokami , thank you for explaining and the great effort in editing the video
It's nice to know another Murakami fan has noticed this.
Me too! I love Murakami mostly for that quality of his stories. But I could never quite put my finger on it, until now. Well done explaining it!
Brilliant! Although I'd love it if you mentioned the sixth station scene in spirited away. This moment in my humble opinion is one of the best moments in history of cinema and it is a pillow shot.. however thank you for this wonderful effort
I agree. It's an amazing moment and you're right, it is an Ozu-esque "Pillow Shot". There is so much I wanted to include in this video but cut for time, at least I included the visual of the sixth station.
Wow... I feel like you understand Japanese culture better than I do! :) Brilliant.
wish you'd continue this series it's great
I spent an hour trying to find this video again, and in the end only found it by browsing through my old playlists. CZcams needs to stack rank this hugely underrated video.
CZcams buried it! I must have angered the algorithm gods. lol. You should find it by typing "Japanese storytelling".
Amazing video! Could you do you one on Nordic/Scandinavian storytelling please?
That's actually the culture I was planning to cover next. That or Eastern European.
You can cover it in one word: Jantelov
Hi, excellent video. Could you please release more parts?
I'm a Christian, and the biblical book I like best is Ecclesiastes, so I think I see how much of what is said in Ecclesiastes relates in some way to this idea of mono no aware.
On the one hand, there is Ecclesiastes' summation of all things, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity", and how that's defended throughout--the seemingly endless cycling of all things, from water in the rivers to the sun in the sky; the man who works himself to death to gain but doesn't live to enjoy it; the end for the righteous is the same as that for the wicked; the man who strives to create great works only to find that they don't satisfy; the decline of the body as one grows older and older.
On the other hand, it is not a completely negative book. Eating and drinking are gifts from God to be enjoyed, as is the love of one's wife. There is a time to laugh and dance, as well as a time to weep and mourn. There is good, but it's also transient, temporal.
The first time I saw the phrase "mono no aware" was from some music by an artist called Amethystium. He opens one of his albums with a track with that name. I didn't know what it meant until seeing your video, though, so I'm grateful to understand it better now.
This is the most enlightening video I have seen about film in my life. Thank you so much for the video definitely planning ons watching/reading everything mentioned. If I may ask, does the genre of horror affect societies through the storytelling thereof?
Thanks for the comment. This is actually my favorite video that I've made so far so it's nice to know some people dig it! There is definitely a distinct horror story or scary story tradition in many cultures, and it's usually a reflection of that culture's specific values. The Japanese have a very unique way of approaching horror stories, that once again contrasts the standard western style. But, I will probably tackle a different culture's storytelling style before I cover more of Japanese storytelling. Stay Tuned!
I'm usually not a fan of video essays, because the most I've seen lack any real meaning, but this one is different.
Like with Japanese literature, I feel a sense of calmness and respect towards the medium, that truly describes the beauty of their cultural distinct art.
This explains why Japanese storytelling never clicked with me. I just want them to get on with it. Thank you for explaining the history if their technique.
「面白うてやがて悲しき」's been considered to be the ideal for Japanese Art/entertainment for a long time.
The phrase means, "Fun and enjoyable, with melancholy aftertaste."
Amazing. I want more about Japan. It was a beautifu moment watching this video.And sory for my poor English.
Part 2!!!
O how Still Walking was slow. If I wasn't already used to the Japanese atmosphere & culture (I read & watch a lot of Japanese everything), I wouldn't have been to watch it or maybe fully appreciate it as a westerner. Especially since I went to see it at the cinema, subtitled, during the day, with almost only me in there. It left me a bit shell shocked & I had to go sit & wander in the park afterwards. The outside world was too jarring. Good thing it was a sunny day. The truth is, It is one of those movies I would never be able to watch with the people I know. I would only be able to share with them the rare Hayao Miyazaki movie. My very western sister sighed every time I made her watch those with me. Meanwhile I have adopted this contemplative view of the world. I unconsciously make an effort to notice the simplest details & changes, stop so I can to truly absorb the change in season, so many little moments taken out of the fast pace of life in Paris.
The Garden of Words is a moment of pure beauty. I don't know how to explain it in any other way. I watch it when I need to leave the world outside for a while. One of those little jewels I also keep for really bad days.
This was awesome is there a part 2? Please say yes!!!
the american movie Last Days by Gus Van Sant has many moments of "savouring the moment" it's very contemplative.
Is there a Part 2? Would be lovely!
I agree.
Maybe that is why many video games and anime can have off the wall stories and still feel real. I can never explain to my friend how the stories feel real I just say you will understand.
um hey I was wondering if its possible that I can get a copy of the script I'm writing a paper on Kafka on the shores and I've been researching the role Japanese story telling and Japanese Philosophy play in the book or rather how unpacking them can better help us understand the book in a better way in ur video is truly amazing, you explained it beautifully and in a simple way , your work is truly remarkable
First because the loneliest place you can be is in a crowd. Happy 4th eeribody!
I would love to see you explore both other aspects of Japanese film making as well as that of other cultures which have a very strong cinematic voice outside of the Western perspective we (or at least I) are exposed to, especially Chinese film (I am personally fascinated by the 5th Generation of Chinese directors and their bodies of work) and Bollywood.
I would like to see a video for french storytelling.
could i please have the soundtrack name throughout the video? thank you
Wonderful video. I'm not sure if you're still replying to this video but would it be possible to name the bgm/music that you are using for the vid? Looking forward to seeing part 2 😊
Great video. will there be a part 2?
I’m a bit late on this but could you do “Mushishi” It captures what you just outlined n your video. Thank you!
can you research Native American Storytelling Style and do more episodes and can you do a western culture episode as a baseline or control group
First Snow on mount Fuji, from Yasunary Kawabata... And Somersault, a novel by Kenzaburo Oe...
With seeing this video I understood something: Did you have seen the movie Roma, created by the Mexican director Alfonso Quarón? I had understood that this movie has those "savoring the moment" that we can found in the Japanese Story Telling. What do you think?
Hayao Miyazaki specifically calls these savorable moments "Ma" and tries to incorporate them in all of his films. He goes into more detail about it in the fantastic documentary "The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness".
I first learned of "MA" and "Mono No Aware" after I noticed similarities in the storytelling of Miyazki, a contemporary animator and Yasujiro Ozu, a live action director from a previous era.
I then began a deeper study into Japanese Philosophy and became a wiser and more peaceful man.
Hi. This is sort of an emergency. Can you tell me where to find the haiku by matsuo basho mentioned in here.
Which one?
Hi, I really enjoyed this! Will you be making another?
Yes, when the time is right.
When will part 2 be released?
I just read 1q84 by murakami and i definitely see the relation. Mostly it being so long.
More recently I’ve found Death Stranding to be particularly meditative
Is there part 2?
What's the movie at 0:11?
I'd like to see a list of the movie clips used in this video as a list in the description.
It would take me a while to write them all out but if you watch the video they are all credited in the lower left-hand corner of the screen.
When is the second video
If you like mono no aware you should watch some iyashikei anime. It's basically the entire point of the genre to saviour the moment like that. A good example would be Aria.
Please do Britain!
What is the song’s name?
Skyrim is wonderful in this sense. You can play the game as a fast-paced adventure, or you can simply roam the land, doing absolutely nothing other than enjoy the beautiful view, listen to the birds, the water courses, letting the seasons go by you as you walk in the rain, or watch the snow fall, all the while letting the peaceful and relaxing sound track carry you.
And if you have the right DLC, you can spend some time building a house, doing some fishing, practicing with your bow... When the game first came out and I had an especially rough day at work I didn't come home and kill some dragons to feel better. I just let my character walk through the forest and soak up the peace. I always made it better.
Thank you for discussing this topic, it is talked about far too infrequently in Anglophone media.
can you do something simillar with greek story style?
Good video, and understandably under-watched, because CZcams and modern fast-paced culture is pretty anti-savoring-the-moment. Recently the Japanese game, Death Stranding gave me the feel of Mono no Aware, and the game got many bad review for its pacing, which in my opinion is its strong suit. Really wish more people today can learn to appreciate slow-pacing entertainment.
Please do a video essay on the storytelling of India. 🙏
part 2
I’d recommend learning about “Ki-shō-tetsu” if you want to learn about storytelling in stuff like manga, books, movies. Anything really.
Kishotenketsu. But yes, very important part of eastern storytelling.
Berserk and Vinland Saga do this a lot, believe it or not.
talk about the end of the world and a wonderful wonderlad
hi. am a hard manga fan.
please can you do a video for Nigerian movies.
Hyouge Mono deals with these themes head on.
I think Adventure Time has some moments like this. And alson, Zack Snyder movies sometimes.
Will we ever get part 2?
This video kind of bombed when it came out, so I abandon Part 2. I might pick it back up again eventually, but maybe I will title it differently.
Is there going to be a part 2 at any point this year?
Part of the reason I haven't done part 2 yet is that this video was not very popular compared to some of my others and also the subject I was going to cover for part 2 has since been covered by a popular youtube channel, BUT, this is still one of my favorite videos that I have made so I will do part 2 at some point.
@@StoryDive Oh. Are you trying to keep the subject a secret?
@@Radrey Sort of because I still might do it, just from another angle, and I don't want another channel to cover the same subjects I plan to first, lol. I'm a bit paranoid I guess.
@@StoryDive Awesome. I'm glad I happened to stumble across your videos. I really liked the interview with Matt Alt you did.
@@Radrey Thanks! Yeah, Matt is a great guy and one of the best authorities on Yokai in the English language. The interview was a lot of fun. I want to do more videos like that when I go back to Japan.
Evangellian has the classic elevator scene.
12:27 for those who came for anime
0:49 Anyone else lose their eyes during this little scrolling segment? @_@
It looked better when I was editing it, but I admit it's distracting in this video :P