Japanese Folklore creatures
Creatures linked with death and represent rotten flesh, the Nuppeppo:''An extremely unusual and pretty unnerving yōkai from Japanese folklore, the Nuppeppo is a, basically, a supernatural blob of flesh. Most commonly characterised as being a genderless lump of flab no taller than a metre-and-a-half in height, a face and features such as fingers and toes may also be attributed as anatomical features amindst the folds of skin. Legend has it that the mythical "Blobby" is a passive, benign being who harmlessly wanders around deserted graveyards, temples and villages. What is truly offensive though is the smell of the Nuppeppo: said to be body odour worse than the stench of rotting flesh (some believe that the Nuppeppo is decaying flesh). Despite its odious nature, eternal youth allegedly awaits those who eat the skin of the lumpy spook and, altogether, it's hard not to find the 'the Blob' of Japanese legend just a little appealing.''
A link to the site: http://hundredmythologyhaiku.blogspot.co.uk/2010/02/day-lxxxii-nuppeppo.html
Image of the Nuppeppo.
''ぬっぺっぽ Nuppeppo, the Stinky Sack of Flesh Monster
Nuppeppo is patently ridiculous, a ridiculousness reflected in his name with its cute double P’s, a rarity in Japanese. Like most of the monsters I’ve written about so far, he is basically harmless. He doesn’t drink blood or haunt people. No, he just smells.
Nuppeppo, you see, is a fat sack of flesh with terrible B.O. The folds of its obese, pink flesh form something of a face. It is said to be seen on empty streets at night, and around temples and graveyards.
In other words, a Nuppeppo is basically just gross. And not in a decaying-flesh zombie sort of way, but in a juvenile, vaguely annoying sort of way, like the stew of various lunch foods mixed together 3rd graders dare each other to eat.
It’s hard to believe a creature like the Nuppeppo would come from the same dark place in the human psyche as vampires, werewolves, or ghosts. No, I think the ancient Japanese passed around stories of the Nuppeppo precisely because it was ridiculous and funny. Most probably didn’t believe that old graveyards were haunted by a harmless stinky bag of skin. But they probably liked telling tales of the Nuppeppo, just like parents like telling their kids about Santa Claus, because for those moments they were telling them, they lived in a world that was absurd and magical enough to host something as weird and fun as a sentient sack of noxious flab.''
Link: http://austinhgilkeson.wordpress.com/2010/10/25/the-gross-stinky-monster-of-our-dreams/#comments
Link: http://listverse.com/2010/01/20/10-bizarre-creatures-from-japanese-folklore/
Studio Ghibli Short film 'On Your Mark'
Studio Ghibli 1995 On Your Mark VOSTFR by NeoNemesice
Even though Hayao Miyazaki's short was in the form of a music video, it still had a solid structure in terms of its compelling storytelling. The story is set in a futuristic city with the police investigating a group resembling a cult. Two heroes find a young angel girl amongst the dead and debris, but their greetings come to a end when the authorities take her away. Both heroes are taken back by the girl and soon go break her out and free her in the beautiful, green outskirts of the city.
Even though there is a dominant sound track, spot effects such as gun fire, ships engines and cars help engage the audience with the story. The emotions and tone reflect the soundtrack and in terms of looking at this as a music video it does this effectively because certain imagery or scenes and the pace match up with the feeling of the singer or sounds within the music track.
In terms of narrative structure, the story begins with the end- the two heroes driving with the young girl in the back seat about to take flight. The whole story doesn't dwell on details such as who is the angel girl and why was she captured and no voice acting was needed. It is clear, short and concise to get Miyazaki's message across about freedom and flight. As backed up by comment on IMBD about the simplicity:
'So how could a short, 7 minute anime action/music video get so much attention and high score? Hayao Miyazaki is the answer.
Two futuristic/alternate reality policemen become involved with an unusual prisoner, a girl with wings. Realizing that she must be set free, they set a course of events to free her. No words are spoken by the characters. And no need to sit for 2 hours worth as to why the girl has wings, or why the police decided to do what they do. It would make a great movie, I'm sure, but it's to the point subtlety is what make this interesting, what it's meant to be. The music that plays isn't bad. And Miyazaki leaves his usual trademark with someone flying.
It isn't the most perfect short I've ever seen, but I'm glad I watched. If your a fan of Miyazaki, anime, or anything animated and out of the ordinary, hunt for this.' (silentcheesedude, 2005)
Because it starts with the end it seems to have a non-linear structure, sometimes repeating the scene but with a different outcome. This can be a little confusing but overall engages the audience's imaginations because it adds a sense of mystery. As stated by another IMBD reviewer:
''It tells a story (of sorts) which is a little confusing, owing to how it does not follow a linear time-flow, and has no dialogue. However, the stunning visuals and amazing sound-effects enable the viewer (even if unfamiliar with Japanese) to create their own story. Definitely more entertaining if you are familiar with Miyazaki's work, as certain motifs (the face of the angel, flight, etc.) reappear from his earlier work. '' (Michael Last, 1999)
Link to reviews: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114038/reviews?ref_=tt_urv
I must make sure that my film is similar with time and a clear structure. I am intrigued by the idea of a non-linear narrative or possibly two points in time that reflect each other to represent a link between them. Miyazaki is getting the audience to question and use their own initiative to imagine some implied areas of the story.
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