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Arashi No Yoru Ni reflections
11 years ago
General
Arashi No Yoru Ni, or One Stormy Night, is a Japanese movie released in Japan in 2005 but hasn't found its way over to the States. In fact, while there is a (silly) English dub, no official subbed version has been released, and sadly I don't think we'll ever get more than fan subs. It does exist in a couple of versions on YouTube, and I highly recommend the subbed version to anyone who's a fan of animated films, cute anthropomorphic animals, and a touching story of friendship (basically all furries x3). I've been blabbing on about this movie a bunch to a couple of friends, so I figured it's probably best to just make a detailed commentary on why I like it so much.
I've watched it a couple of times now and it's one of those movies that's lingered with me long after the end credits rolled around. I suppose I'm kind of a sucker for mushy heartfelt movies, especially ones with talking animals; and...here I am on FurAffinity! That said, I think it's a remarkable film despite its presentation as a kids movie (most of the time...it has its gripping moments too), because its main focus is on an issue near and dear to me: male-male bonding. We live -- at least here in the States -- in a culture where there are established gender roles: men have to act like 'men' and women have to act like 'women', even at the expense of shutting down pieces of ourselves that go against the grain of what's expected. While I can't deny that the biological differences between males and females exist and create something of a divide between the genders, it's a very fuzzy distinction and almost everyone acts in 'feminine' and 'masculine' ways depending on the context. That's not hypocritical; it's being a human being.
In Arashi No Yoru Ni, the main focus of the story is the unlikely friendship between a wolf and a goat and the hardships they endure as a result. Gabu's wolf pack and Mei's herd both adamantly reject their relationship, thereby setting up the plot for a good portion of the movie. I'm not going to go into spoiler territory for those of you who might want to see it; suffice to say, it has many lighthearted and dark moments, but ultimately keeps you fully engaged throughout because the main characters are compelling and extremely likable. Getting back to the soapboxing of the previous paragraph, though, the two have a very close friendship, to the point where there is a significant amount of speculation as to whether Gabu and Mei are romantically involved or just close friends. I'll let you decide that for yourself. The writer of the books that inspired the film, though, deliberately left Mei's gender ambiguous in the books but always intended for both characters to be male, so take that as you will.
The point is, regardless of whether or not the mostly-subtle and infrequent suggestions that their love may be more than platonic, ultimately the movie is about their partnership together. They go through remarkable lengths for each other throughout the course of the story, many times at the risk of losing their lives. They love each other. Love is an emotion everyone has the capacity to experience in many different contexts aside from physical intimacy. So, even though I'm gay and wholeheartedly support the push for acceptance of homosexuality (and LGBTQ in general) in popular culture, I prefer to look at Gabu and Mei's relationship as a true friendship. In a way, the film is more groundbreaking in its attempt to flip our notions of gender roles, which it does in an extremely tasteful way. While I can see people not liking this movie for one reason or another, it's a hard film to hate, and that's a remarkable feat unto itself. It's sweet but not saccharine, intense but not overwhelming, cute but not pandering, and really just an enjoyable experience throughout.
If you've seen it, great! I hope you enjoyed it. If you haven't seen it and aren't turned off by the stuff I've described above, then go see it! There are many worse ways to spend 90 minutes of your time. The Fox and the Hound is probably the closest American analogue if you're looking for a comparison, but I think Arashi No Yoru Ni goes a bit further in exploring same-sex intimacy and that sets it apart from any other animated film I've seen.
~Ty
I've watched it a couple of times now and it's one of those movies that's lingered with me long after the end credits rolled around. I suppose I'm kind of a sucker for mushy heartfelt movies, especially ones with talking animals; and...here I am on FurAffinity! That said, I think it's a remarkable film despite its presentation as a kids movie (most of the time...it has its gripping moments too), because its main focus is on an issue near and dear to me: male-male bonding. We live -- at least here in the States -- in a culture where there are established gender roles: men have to act like 'men' and women have to act like 'women', even at the expense of shutting down pieces of ourselves that go against the grain of what's expected. While I can't deny that the biological differences between males and females exist and create something of a divide between the genders, it's a very fuzzy distinction and almost everyone acts in 'feminine' and 'masculine' ways depending on the context. That's not hypocritical; it's being a human being.
In Arashi No Yoru Ni, the main focus of the story is the unlikely friendship between a wolf and a goat and the hardships they endure as a result. Gabu's wolf pack and Mei's herd both adamantly reject their relationship, thereby setting up the plot for a good portion of the movie. I'm not going to go into spoiler territory for those of you who might want to see it; suffice to say, it has many lighthearted and dark moments, but ultimately keeps you fully engaged throughout because the main characters are compelling and extremely likable. Getting back to the soapboxing of the previous paragraph, though, the two have a very close friendship, to the point where there is a significant amount of speculation as to whether Gabu and Mei are romantically involved or just close friends. I'll let you decide that for yourself. The writer of the books that inspired the film, though, deliberately left Mei's gender ambiguous in the books but always intended for both characters to be male, so take that as you will.
The point is, regardless of whether or not the mostly-subtle and infrequent suggestions that their love may be more than platonic, ultimately the movie is about their partnership together. They go through remarkable lengths for each other throughout the course of the story, many times at the risk of losing their lives. They love each other. Love is an emotion everyone has the capacity to experience in many different contexts aside from physical intimacy. So, even though I'm gay and wholeheartedly support the push for acceptance of homosexuality (and LGBTQ in general) in popular culture, I prefer to look at Gabu and Mei's relationship as a true friendship. In a way, the film is more groundbreaking in its attempt to flip our notions of gender roles, which it does in an extremely tasteful way. While I can see people not liking this movie for one reason or another, it's a hard film to hate, and that's a remarkable feat unto itself. It's sweet but not saccharine, intense but not overwhelming, cute but not pandering, and really just an enjoyable experience throughout.
If you've seen it, great! I hope you enjoyed it. If you haven't seen it and aren't turned off by the stuff I've described above, then go see it! There are many worse ways to spend 90 minutes of your time. The Fox and the Hound is probably the closest American analogue if you're looking for a comparison, but I think Arashi No Yoru Ni goes a bit further in exploring same-sex intimacy and that sets it apart from any other animated film I've seen.
~Ty
Tumalu
~tumalu
Oh... now I understand the response you made to me before. It's a gooooat. I think I had said bunny or something. I ONLY SAW A COUPLE PICTURES
