MovieChat Forums > Tokyo Sonata (2008) Discussion > About Takashi(spoilers)

About Takashi(spoilers)

posted 15 years ago by prashn64
12 replies | jump to latest

In the letter Takashi wrote to his mom, he said he now realizes that the Americans might not be right. He also mentions fighting for someone. Is he fighting for the Iraqis or Afghans now?

[–] rainbird131162 15 years ago

What Takashi actually says is,

'I've come to realize that America isn't the only one that's right. That's why I've decided to stay awhile in this country [Iraq] so I can learn to understand the people better. I've come to the conclusion that the best path for me is to fight alongside these people in order to find true happiness.

I think when he says 'fight' he means fight alongside the majority of Iraqis who want to build a more democratic society & see the insurgents & terrorists defeated. And of course 'fight' in this context doesn't automatically mean picking up a weapon. It could be building a school, delivering supplies, administration or working on any number of vital infrastructure projects. At any rate I think it would be downright perverse to interpret Takashi's remarks as him joining Al Qaeda. That doesn't make any sense at all.

Mai Yamane! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD83P-vn5JI&feature=related

[–] jerry4444 15 years ago

Oh, he stayed in Iraq? I thought he meant he wanted to stay in the US, d'ohhh. Thanks for clarifying that.

[–] paultagonist 14 years ago

That makes more sense to me than the other answer given below. Yakashi says "Americans aren't the only ones that are right," which I took to mean he does think the Americans are right in being over there but there are also other people/groups that feel the same way. And now that he is no longer part of the American army, he wants to align himself with these other groups to continue to help and do what he thinks is right.

I, too, want to thank you for the clarification.

The real trick to life is not to be in the know, but to be in the mystery. -Fred Alan Wolf

[–] JayCeezy 14 years ago

Just saw this, and the letter from Takashi really stood out to me.

I took it to mean he was fighting "alongside" the people in the Middle East. If the Americans are not right, then he would be fighting against them and "alongside" terrorists. There is nobody fighting in the Middle East that feels neutrally about U.S. presence.

The U.S. wants to leave, but can't leave without a stable government. The joke is that the Iraqis will "fight to the last U.S. soldier." But the people getting killed by the marketplace bombs and carbombs and terrorism are mostly regular people.

Anyway, I thought this was a cheap political statement intended to make the mediocre movie seem more thoughtful. How can an 18 year-old Japanese, who speaks no English or Arabic, fight "alongside" anybody except terrorists?

The Japanese people were suicide pilots and glorified self-martydom with hari-kari. They are just 60 years out of WWII, when they attacked China and Japanese soldiers laughed at babies thrown on their bayonets. Thanks to the U.S. rebuilding of Japan, and paying for military protection, the Japanese have been able to grow their economy to the third largest in the world. They are not reproducing, and demographics is driving Japanese decline.

In any event, Takashi's father was right to ask him to stay in Japan and try to make a difference there. Takashi has turned his back on his people and culture.

[–] mclevels 14 years ago

If you look at the young man's character nothing in it implies that he will kill people for unknown agenda's. The letter's tone seemed as if he was slightly fed up with what he had to do in the army. I believe he's trying to find a better way to fight for the people of Iraq. And that doesn't mean to blow up things until America leaves.

Being in the army limits the actual help you can give to any country you deploy too. Your forced to protect your people there and carry out missions not related to rebuilding.

An 18 year old Japanese man can help by doing actual construction work. You can't just imply it's in a person's blood to be evil. Also in war every side does cruel things to each other, whether it's formally done (knives, guns) or informal (bombs).

This young man is writing a letter to his parents so his value system hasn't degraded. I think Takashi saw that he is also a member of the world. He saw that in his country people were still able to run around screaming in a store without the threat of explosives being involved. I say Takashi has not turned his back on his people, because he can't fix the Japanese Economy but he can help rebuild a school in Iraq.

[–] JayCeezy 14 years ago

That is one way to look at it.

Rebuilding requires a safe and civil environment, free of criminal and terrorist interference. Without western military forces (and even with!), there would be no rebuilding at all. And without western money, Iraq would continue to be a third-world place where there is no manufacturing, and no exports other than petroleum.

Westerners are not welcome in Muslim countries. Try to get a tourist visa (just google it, much faster), and you will see what I mean, if you do not already know. Westerners are not free to wander around and pick up a job on a construction site. There are no-travel warnings from the U.S., and Japan, about kidnappings, and crime. Here is a brief about some Japanese citizens who tried to "volunteer" and caused a huge embarrassment and expense. http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/43182127/The-Homeco ming-of-Japanese-Hostages-from-Iraq-Culturalism-or-Japan-in-Americas-E mbrace

If you happen to know any Muslims, just ask what their opinion would be for an 18 year-old Japanese with no English or Arabic to be in Iraq to volunteer help. I would like to hear back after you do, if you are so inclined. Thanks, and cheers.

[–] Sarevok-2 14 years ago

I also had the same conclusion as rainbird131162.

And in regard to previous post I travel to Egypt quite often and have been to Iran a few times, both muslim countries yet I walk around freely (granted with friends because I don't speak arabic), and people there seem to have no problem with westerners. Then again I'm not American, so it may be a different story. (i'm from UK)

[–] JayCeezy 14 years ago

Thanks for your thoughts. I'm guessing you go to Egypt and Iran on work visas, is this right? Does your physical appearance identify you as not from Egypt or Iran? What would your friends think might happen to you if you were to wander around by yourself?

For a moment, can you imagine yourself as an 18-year-old male who not only doesn't speak Arabic, but speaks only Japanese? Would you be able to work in those countries? How would you live? Can you ask your friends who speak Arabic what they think about that?

Did you read the link about the Japanese held hostage, in my previous post? What did you think about that? Anyway, it just seemed a like some perfunctory political statement for the filmmaker to say this. I am curious about the answers to my questions, if you are so inclined to find out from your friends. Anyway, thanks again for sharing your thoughts. Cheers.

[–] Sarevok-2 14 years ago

I do go to Iran on work visa but to Egypt it's always as a tourist, really love going there, never had a problem getting the tourist visa though. Before, my friends would think that if i went solo, that i would get lost, or ripped off(common for tourists), now days anything can happen it's more a case of better to hang out with someone the locals know well...

I did ask one of my arabic friends the question (about 18yr old only japanese speaking etc..), they said that it would be pretty bad idea and that he probably wouldn't get very far, higher possibility of kidnapped as he would stand out quite a bit,

However another of my friends has a Syrian friend who knows a Slovak guy that works there, don't know what work,but he doesn't speak arabic, only speaks a few words of english, but he seems to be getting on fine. So to answer your question I guess if you have the desire, work is possible in these countries.

As for the article, ain't had time to read it yet, get back to you when i get the time.

[–] iainhammer 14 years ago

But as one of the interviewees on the tv news show points out, Japanese are forbidden by their Constitution to go to war (this was at the insistence of the Americans post WW2). Indeed the Japanese were not allowed - again, post WW2 - to have a military at all. Their involvement in Iraq was at the level of ground support, medical etc. Although as I understand it, the US in Iraq welcomed Japanese nationals into the US military; it's simply that there is no Japanese military per se that could be recruited as an "ally". As for the boy's letter, I suspect the translation in the subtitles was somewhat inaccurate, and missed nuance. But it certainly meant that he - Takashi - was making a break with the received "wisdom" of his young contemporaries who all thought that America was a "friend in need" and must be supported. In fact, Takashi (and through him, Kurosawa) was - I thought - being intentionally vague about the people he was trying to stay and work with/for. Takashi simply had discovered "the world" that his father had disavowed. I think it's all too easy to fall into the trap of being literalist in interpreting this movie, which takes great delight in ambiguity, in narrative playfulness, and in disorienting swings between serious and comic; as does all Kiyoshi Kurosawa's work, in fact. This is, however, something of a masterpiece, and stands right up there beside KK's astonishing 'Bright Future'.

[–] clow987 13 years ago

"Here is a brief about some Japanese citizens who tried to "volunteer" and caused a huge embarrassment and expense. http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/43182127/The-Homeco ming-of-Japanese-Hostages-from-Iraq-Culturalism-or-Japan-in-Americas-Embrace"

There's actually a movie about that called Bashing. Beautiful but heartbreaking film.

[–] JayCeezy 13 years ago

Thanks, I just checked out an article about this. It is always heartbreaking, when good intentions are squandered. I'll put it on my list to see. Cheers.