Earthquakes, tsunamis and human errors are commonly found in the history of Japan. They live upon destruction and reconstruction, old and new. As a quote in the reading suggests, Japanese ” regard life as the period of insecurity “. We feel insecure and we need a window to escape. It turns out that they convey this mixed feeling into monsters, and become an icon of the pop culture. In monster films, the fierce ones destroy the iconic architecture ( and ideology ) which prompts the civilization to rebuild, recreate and rebound. We put all the blame on monsters, create pretexts which unite us and start over. Moreover, in such a catastrophe, the films highlight the bright side of human nature and give us a glimpse of hope. All of these are quite a cliche but I believe it is necessary for films and their post-production to convey such ideas.
Lok Man Poon
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A good reflection on the genre of monster films and on the reading of Tsuitsui. You note that “we need a window to escape”. Do you think monster genre films offer viewers a reprise from reality? Given your understanding of Tsuitsui and discussions in the tutorials, what more do you think this genre of film serves in the wider socio-historical context and national/global gaze?