Completing the accusation-towards-the-system “Resurrection Trilogy”, following “Wolf’s Calling” and “The Day of Destruction”, eloquently titled “Go Seppuku Yourselves” is another audiovisual extravaganza, this time aiming at the samurai system and particularly the Bushido, alongside politicians.
“Go Seppuku Yourselves” is screening at Japan Cuts
The 25-minute short begins with a rather impressive scene, where a geisha is moving in slow motion through the narrow street of a village during the samurai era. The camera follows her from behind, but when it turns to her face, a black oni mask is revealed, before she cuts off her little finger, which is then showed being dropped somewhere. The whereabouts are revealed in the next scene, which changes completely setting, inside the “den” of a pharmacist, where a samurai, Danbe, enters, informing the owner that a well has been contaminated by an oni (a Japanese demon). Danbe also cautions the pharmacist, that the authorities, due to the contamination and the pandemic that is tormenting the area, instead of finding out about its cause and protecting the population, instead are eradicating lawbreaker by either beheading, or in the case of samurais, ordering to commit seppuku. In fact, Danbe himself is to act as the second of another samurai, Raikan, who is to meet the local magistrate a bit later.
The next scene takes place in a temple in the forest, where the local magistrate does order Raikan to commit seppuku, with him obliging, not before he accuses, however, both the way of the samurai and the overall system, in the most pointed way.
The metaphor about the ways the current Japanese government handled the pandemic is palpable here, with Toyoda presenting an accusation that is depicted through an intense ironic essence and a somewhat subtle approach. On the other hand, the accusation towards Bushido and the politicians of the era (which again, can function as a metaphor for today’s politicians) is completely on-the-nose, with Raikan being rather eloquent on the matters. As we hear him utter during his first appearance in the movie, “I am a samurai. Killing people is what I do”, his role in the narrative becomes rather evident, only to find its apogee during his final speech, where he describes Bushido as a boring way of life while mocking the magistrate for his corrupt ways. Yosuke Kubozuka is impressive in the part, with him uttering his lines with a very fitting theatricality, which becomes more and more intense as his speech progresses, only to reach its dramatic apex during the rather bloody finale, which also seems to state how tragic and ridiculous the whole concept is, through an approach that is also quite ironic.
Kiyohiko Shibukawa as Danbe does not say much, but his overall presence, particularly his eyes and body stance, steal the show once more, with his bloody face essentially concluding the short.
In terms of production values, the movie is astonishing. DP Kenji Maki’s cinematography captures the three different settings in the most impressive fashion, with his camera placements adding to the overall ritualism that dominates the short’s aesthetics. The same applies to Takashi Sasaki art direction, with the sets looking astonishing and Masae Miyamoto’s costume design, that communicate the irony and theatricality elements quite eloquently through their extravagance, particularly in the case of Raikan. Lastly the various artists that were in charge of the music, including Seppuku Pistols and Kodo communicate the sense Toyoda wanted to give to each in the best fashion, particularly in combination with the excellent work by Masaya Kitada in the sound.
“Go Seppuku Yourselves” is an ideal conclusion to the “Resurrection Trilogy”, and one of the most impressive (short) films of the year.
