NoaIzumiAnime Review: Jin-Roh, the Wolf Brigade
February 13th 2009 03:53
Ten years after World War II, Japan is caught between a totalitarian government and a growing urban insurgency. When Fuse, a recruit with the federal anti-terrorist unit, witnesses a girl blow herself up during a raid, he starts to have second thoughts about what he does, and has to decide whether to stay an obedient animal or live as a free man.
Jin-Roh is an excellent thriller with a lot of twists. No one is who they appear to be, including the main character. This movie is part of a much larger arc (the “Kerberos saga”) of films (all directed by the great Mamoru Oshii), radio dramas, and mangas set in an alternate Japan. Jin-Roh is the last in the series, but, being a prequel, it works as a stand-alone.
Fuse himself is a complex character, at a crossroads in his life that the incident with the young woman has suddenly revealed. As he tries to find out where he belongs, he evokes our sympathy, and keeps it even after he’s made his choice. Even he doesn’t know who he truly is until the end (and maybe not even then; the ending is rather ambiguous).
The story of Little Red Riding Hood (or Rottkapchen), which Fuse reads after it is given to him by the dead girl’s sister, fits very well into the story, symbolically, with Fuze filling the role of Little Red and the wolf both, depending on how you look at it.
The symbolism doesn’t stop with the Grimm fairy tale. Wolves, standing for what Fuse is trying to get away from, are prominent in the background in several scenes, and the German cars and guns used by both the Wolf Brigade and the Public Security Division evoke the fascist regime of WWII Germany.
Extras: None (you’d think they’d at least include trailers for the other movies in the series)
Great moments: Not a great moment exactly, but the lead-up to the finale is a chilling scene. As Fuse puts on the armored suit and readies his gun, he figuratively transforms into the wolf before our very eyes.
Summary: Intriguing, character-driven thriller. Grade: B plus
Age rating: 13 and up. No fan service, but some bloody violence.
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