[quote name='Bharatvarsh2' date='31 January 2014 - 07:24 PM' timestamp='1391176005' post='117029']
That particular article was written by me, but that blog is shared between me and a friend (not Bodhi or HH) so some of the posts such as response to Han imperialism are his. The one's on Japan are mine.
[/quote]
*Ohhhhh*, that explains a lot (not everything, but a lot). Yeah I remember, 'cause you also used to use HH-type terminology. (You say there's yet another one of you at the blog? Does HH even know he's given birth to so many following in his footsteps/channelling his style on the internet?)
I was happy to see the article on Japan and was happier to find and read a few more articles on Japan there. Very good for Hindu readers and also like that it connected things back to how Hindus could learn from the Japanese such as their way of and reasoning for tackling christianism etc. [Also, I approve of everything that speaks well of the Shintos, being terribly biased in favour of Shintos and Daoists.]
And it's sadly so rare to see Hindus take an interest in heathen religions to our east, that it's such a welcome change: most seem to only care about learning of religions to the west of us - if at all - or else threaten (wrongly) that the rest of Asia is "Buddhist" in identity (before concluding 'Indian superiority' for the great 'achievement' of spamming Asia with Buddhism).
Anyway, my half of the bargain.
Japanese Animation (anime):
[quote name='Bharatvarsh2' date='29 January 2014 - 10:02 PM' timestamp='1391012695' post='117025']
^^ "Including in animating these. E.g. they've animated Daoist, Hindoo, Hellenistic and other sacred heathen katha."
can u give me titles/links? thanks[/quote]
Want your bairns to be watching good stuff eh? I got ya, I got ya. Say no more.
Note that Japan doesn't make as many live-action films. Anime has instead become the medium they use to tell stories. As a result, there are anime for adults (some with adult content) and anime for all ages kids inclusive. This is something you need to be aware of if you're trying to choose Japanese animation for your kids: don't get the wrong stuff.
(Anime for adults include thoughtful sci-fi, fantasy, historical and action stuff - some have heathen backgrounds. I'll be mostly skipping these and limiting myself to heathen titles for kids.)
- All Studio Ghibli movies are recommended (and their pre-Ghibli work). Just like Ghibli's Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi [sp?]), some are very Shinto in their basis such as Tonari no Totoro (classic!), Mononoke Hime (epic!) and Pom Poko, which last showcases both Shinto and Buddhism in recent JP. Others are based on ancient JP narratives despite being set outside Japan: e.g. the character of Nausicaa's eponymous heroine is based on The Princess Who Loved Insects; Hols the Prince of the Sun is actually an ancient JP narrative transposed to a Norse setting) and yet other Ghibli films are a product of JP/heathen principles despite being fantastical (Kiki, Rapyuta/Laputa) or have a Shinto background in modern/recent history (e.g. Omohide Poroporo/Only Yesterday - where characters bow to Amaterasu Amman at dawn) or are based on popular JP novels (Umi Ga Kikoeru, Poppy Hill). And others, while loosely based on western fantasy stories (Hauru/Howl, Arietty, Gedo Senki/Earthsea), were significantly altered by the directors. Castle of Cagliostro is straightforward comedy-action.
[color="#0000FF"]Grave of the Fireflies is NOT for kids: WWII tragedy where the main characters - two kids - die.[/color]
- Tatsu-no-ko-Taro (available in US) - ancient Shinto narrative. Also highly recommended. Watch on your own first and then decide if you think your kids are ready to watch it.
- "Tao Tao" (available in mainland W-European languages, DE, FR). Animal stories from around the world.
- Ulysse 31 (En dub and Fr dubs - En is Out of print and can be expensive to acquire). JP-FR co-production. Sci-fi. While the Olympic Gods are not presented as good - because the French wrote the plot - many of the adventures are still there in some way, but transposed to a space setting. Japanese animated it and so the character design has clear influences from Hellenistic statue art.
- various other 70s (or was it 60s) Japanese animated series and movies: The latter are not yet all released, and some are not released in English regions as far as I'm aware.
The episodes from one of the series I saw in my early childhood had Hindu and I think Daoist narratives. One episode had Ganapati, another I think was actually the narrative of Erlang Shen vs River Dragon. We're still searching for the title of this series.
Available on DVD: Lady White Snake (JP animation of Chinese narrative), Sorceress and the Robbers (JP narrative). Japan's Nezha animated series (distinct from China's Nezha film) - not watched this. The first two are/were available from Germany (Lady White Snake has English subs, Sorceress is Out of Print). Japan's Nezha series, and Japan's animation of Chinese Buddhist fictional novels is/was available from Japanese and Chinese online stores. Can try cdjapan.
Note a lot of this stuff, being things I watched in my childhood, is obviously meaningful to me - perhaps owing to what others might call nostalgia. It may not appeal to others. Studio Ghibli films and Tatsu-no-ko Taro however have universal appeal and come highly recommended.
(I do have Ramayana/Legend of Prince Rama on DVD, but it never much appealed to me or my family. The story wasn't much like the Ramayana and also dragged. I suspect it was the Indian half of the JP-IN co-production that is the reason for this.)
That particular article was written by me, but that blog is shared between me and a friend (not Bodhi or HH) so some of the posts such as response to Han imperialism are his. The one's on Japan are mine.
[/quote]
*Ohhhhh*, that explains a lot (not everything, but a lot). Yeah I remember, 'cause you also used to use HH-type terminology. (You say there's yet another one of you at the blog? Does HH even know he's given birth to so many following in his footsteps/channelling his style on the internet?)
I was happy to see the article on Japan and was happier to find and read a few more articles on Japan there. Very good for Hindu readers and also like that it connected things back to how Hindus could learn from the Japanese such as their way of and reasoning for tackling christianism etc. [Also, I approve of everything that speaks well of the Shintos, being terribly biased in favour of Shintos and Daoists.]
And it's sadly so rare to see Hindus take an interest in heathen religions to our east, that it's such a welcome change: most seem to only care about learning of religions to the west of us - if at all - or else threaten (wrongly) that the rest of Asia is "Buddhist" in identity (before concluding 'Indian superiority' for the great 'achievement' of spamming Asia with Buddhism).
Anyway, my half of the bargain.
Japanese Animation (anime):
[quote name='Bharatvarsh2' date='29 January 2014 - 10:02 PM' timestamp='1391012695' post='117025']
^^ "Including in animating these. E.g. they've animated Daoist, Hindoo, Hellenistic and other sacred heathen katha."
can u give me titles/links? thanks[/quote]
Want your bairns to be watching good stuff eh? I got ya, I got ya. Say no more.
Note that Japan doesn't make as many live-action films. Anime has instead become the medium they use to tell stories. As a result, there are anime for adults (some with adult content) and anime for all ages kids inclusive. This is something you need to be aware of if you're trying to choose Japanese animation for your kids: don't get the wrong stuff.
(Anime for adults include thoughtful sci-fi, fantasy, historical and action stuff - some have heathen backgrounds. I'll be mostly skipping these and limiting myself to heathen titles for kids.)
- All Studio Ghibli movies are recommended (and their pre-Ghibli work). Just like Ghibli's Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi [sp?]), some are very Shinto in their basis such as Tonari no Totoro (classic!), Mononoke Hime (epic!) and Pom Poko, which last showcases both Shinto and Buddhism in recent JP. Others are based on ancient JP narratives despite being set outside Japan: e.g. the character of Nausicaa's eponymous heroine is based on The Princess Who Loved Insects; Hols the Prince of the Sun is actually an ancient JP narrative transposed to a Norse setting) and yet other Ghibli films are a product of JP/heathen principles despite being fantastical (Kiki, Rapyuta/Laputa) or have a Shinto background in modern/recent history (e.g. Omohide Poroporo/Only Yesterday - where characters bow to Amaterasu Amman at dawn) or are based on popular JP novels (Umi Ga Kikoeru, Poppy Hill). And others, while loosely based on western fantasy stories (Hauru/Howl, Arietty, Gedo Senki/Earthsea), were significantly altered by the directors. Castle of Cagliostro is straightforward comedy-action.
[color="#0000FF"]Grave of the Fireflies is NOT for kids: WWII tragedy where the main characters - two kids - die.[/color]
- Tatsu-no-ko-Taro (available in US) - ancient Shinto narrative. Also highly recommended. Watch on your own first and then decide if you think your kids are ready to watch it.
- "Tao Tao" (available in mainland W-European languages, DE, FR). Animal stories from around the world.
- Ulysse 31 (En dub and Fr dubs - En is Out of print and can be expensive to acquire). JP-FR co-production. Sci-fi. While the Olympic Gods are not presented as good - because the French wrote the plot - many of the adventures are still there in some way, but transposed to a space setting. Japanese animated it and so the character design has clear influences from Hellenistic statue art.
- various other 70s (or was it 60s) Japanese animated series and movies: The latter are not yet all released, and some are not released in English regions as far as I'm aware.
The episodes from one of the series I saw in my early childhood had Hindu and I think Daoist narratives. One episode had Ganapati, another I think was actually the narrative of Erlang Shen vs River Dragon. We're still searching for the title of this series.
Available on DVD: Lady White Snake (JP animation of Chinese narrative), Sorceress and the Robbers (JP narrative). Japan's Nezha animated series (distinct from China's Nezha film) - not watched this. The first two are/were available from Germany (Lady White Snake has English subs, Sorceress is Out of Print). Japan's Nezha series, and Japan's animation of Chinese Buddhist fictional novels is/was available from Japanese and Chinese online stores. Can try cdjapan.
Note a lot of this stuff, being things I watched in my childhood, is obviously meaningful to me - perhaps owing to what others might call nostalgia. It may not appeal to others. Studio Ghibli films and Tatsu-no-ko Taro however have universal appeal and come highly recommended.
(I do have Ramayana/Legend of Prince Rama on DVD, but it never much appealed to me or my family. The story wasn't much like the Ramayana and also dragged. I suspect it was the Indian half of the JP-IN co-production that is the reason for this.)