I was just wondering what happened with the bean at the end, how did the bean defeat him?, and also who was that guy that said "war makes you hungry"? Also at the very end the last guy you see, isnt that the main villain again with red eyes?? whats going on??
shareThe old man's face in the cart who said "war makes you hungry" is the writer of the original manga on which Yôkai daisensô is based - Shigeru Mizuki. He's in his eighties and I believe is still alive and well. There's some info about him here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shigeru_Mizuki
The villain turns up at the end to ensure the possibility of a sequel ;-)
The azuki bean is a sweet red bean that is an ingredient in manju - Japanese sweet cakes. It's something Japanese really like to eat. I think the idea was that azuki represents happiness, so its presence in the evil entity helped to destroy it. Also that was why in the earlier sean with jiichan the monsters didn't approach his house because he had a plate of azuki rice there.
sharewhy do you see the villan again at the end
oh wait at the end, is the villain's eyes actually beans??
shareYou see the villain again at the end because time has passed and humans have once again started throwing things away carelessly, which upset him in the first place. Did you notice how the grown Kirin Rider took the trash out in the last scene and then the evil guy shows up and looks down at it? Then you see the kids coming up the road. They're the next generation of fighters who can see the Yokai. Kirin Rider (now grown) can't see them anymore because he's an adult. Shunekosuri (the cute little hamster yokai) is screaming at him when he's taking out the trash but he can't be seen or heard.
sharewow... heyyy... i feel quite ignorant for not having noticed this at first.
thank you for explaining that magicvoice. It actually makes the ending more enjoyable knowing that.
be well
-dayton
"I could really use a magic ball of string right about now... or a friendly minotaur."
haha yea i just didnt get most of all that
shareEveryone knows that Azuki beans are so full of love that they can easily vanquish even the most diabolical of evil forces. Grandpa knew, kinda...
Azuki beans are traditionally cooked with sugar and often served with ice-cream. They are as much of an identifier (in bean form - since the Chinese like to make paste out of them)of Japanese culture as Apple Pie denotes US culture.
The fact that Azuki beans are what save the world was one of my favorite things about this film. Not to mention what happens when you drink Kirin beer.
The bean guy was Azuki Arai, a Yokai who likes to count and wash Azuki beans.
If you wish to learn more about Yokai, here is a great link:
http://www.obakemono.com/list.php
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One of the main themes in Japanese stories as appose to westren ones is that evil can be defeated but never really vanquished (say like in Lord of the Rings). The ending fits that pattern.
share"You see the villain again at the end because time has passed and humans have once again started throwing things away carelessly, which upset him in the first place. Did you notice how the grown Kirin Rider took the trash out in the last scene and then the evil guy shows up and looks down at it? Then you see the kids coming up the road. They're the next generation of fighters who can see the Yokai. Kirin Rider (now grown) can't see them anymore because he's an adult. Shunekosuri (the cute little hamster yokai) is screaming at him when he's taking out the trash but he can't be seen or heard."
I'm not sure how I feel about that ending, I mean, I don't know how much discarding old things has to do with the real folklore (and if it doesn't I wouldn't be suprised) but if it does, it's a bit outdated. That is to say, the people that lived in those days didn't have as much, well, STUFF as we do now. I can't see how discarding an expired coupon is going to upset Sunakasuri(?)
(once again, I don't know much about yokai, I just wanted to get that out there)
--Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter--
It's a Miike movie, so it ties a lot of the old folklore in with more modern concerns.
That's the thing, though about the movie... Humans don't *think* about what they throw out. Even at my house where we recycle religiously, we still end up with a trashcan full of wrappers and uneaten food every week... the way I see it, I'm sure those wrappers would have rather have remained part of a tree or whatever.
From what I can tell, Miike is taking the concept of "Yomotsumono" from another, narrower Yokai concept of "Tskumo-gami" which accounts for worn-out useful objects (toasters, victrolas, pans) which have been in the company of humans and in service for a long time. When they're discarded, they feel resentment. So, I think everyday trash is ok - BUT you should be conscious not to waste anyway... y'know, just in case you're making a Sunekosumi cry.
Quite right. The original concept (tsukumo-gami) was there, Miike just expanded upon it with a modern edge.
I for one wish it had just ended with Tadashi getting up from the pavement
and going home. The little "epilogue" at the end didn't really add much
in my opinion.
As for Azuki beans saving the world.. as grandfather said, "Azuki beans are good
for you". I took it to mean they are considered a "pure good", something the
evil forces could not touch or abide by. You might consider it like holy
water to a vampire... but not religious. Full of love and health, too, which
never hurts when fighting evil.