MovieChat Forums > Gohatto (1999) Discussion > I know what Kano said! (spoilers)

I know what Kano said! (spoilers)


Major spoilers ahead...

I've been watching the TV series "Shinsengumi Keppuroku", which was based on the same short stories as "Gohatto".

One episode, "The Lad with Bangs" is the Kano story almost exactly as in the movie. The same characters and incidents, with the major difference that it is Kondo, not Hijikata, who is fascinated by the beautiful boy, and Kondo who goes with Okita to watch the fight between Kano and Tashiro.

In this version of the fight Tashiro (who incidentally is quite spectacularly ugly) has Kano completely at his mercy, two swords at his neck. And Kano says "I'd rather be killed by you than kill you. I love you. If I can be killed by you I'd be happy to die. I'll wait for you in the next world." Tashiro is understandably thrown by this, and Kano instantly kills him and slashes at his dead body. There is little doubt that Kano's words were a ruse to put Tashiro off guard; Kondo and Okita realise and say to each other that Kano was the murderer and he framed Tashiro. Okita makes some remark of disgust and walks away, and it is Kondo who kills Kano. He later says "What I slew was the devil within", and Hijikata, who narrates the series, speculates on whether he meant the devil was within Kano or within himself.

Another episode deals with the incident of the two men who looked into the dojo and laughed insultingly, leading eventually to the fight in the river. We don't get Inoue's weird stories about the clever foxes, and the young pupil he takes with him is not Kano, but otherwise it's the same story.

The series is excellent, by the way, thoroughly recommended.

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This may answer the banale question from the standpoint of standard narrative, but it does NOT address the matter of why Oshima chose to leave the words unheard in GOHATTO, or even how he might interpret the words that you cite.

Personally, I believe that the "key", if there is one, to the meaning of this dénouement is to be found in the tale of scholar and samurai that Okita tells as set up the the final scene of Gohatto.

We ought perhaps to discuss that tale.

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Yes, very good point, Aulic. So what does the sad tale mean? What do you think? Love is more important than death? Platonic love is higher than physical affection?

Isn't it odd that Okita tells this moving tale, when he has earlier expressed his distaste for 'men chasing men'?

And what do Hijikata's variant visions mean? I can't see any evidence of particular feeling between Kano and Okita, one way or the other - in fact we only see them together once, when they are discussing Inoue, and it's not at all an intimate scene; Okita's laughing at Kano the whole time. Hijikata and Kano, yes, perhaps...

Baffling, neh?

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I thought that Kano just said, "Forgive me . . ." to sucker Tashiro into letting up so that he could sucker-cut him. Okita and Hijikata just don't hear it.

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Yes, he said "forgive me", in the italian dubbed version is clearly udible.
It's the same line he said before beheading the traitor soldier at the beginning.

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He says "forgive me", but then he clearly adds something we are not supposed to hear. This is what throws Tashiro off-guard.



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