This one is set in Modern Japan and revolves around a schoolgirl named Mitsuko. I don't really want to tell you much about the plot as i think some people would really enjoy seeing it and watching it cold ... with no spoilers. I will say that this one starts right away. At the 3:40 mark 2 school buses of Japanese schoolgirls meet their gory end except our hero Mitsuko who was bending down at the unfortunate moment.
Her life cascades from there into a never ending pursuit by a force she cannot see or anticipate. She stumbles into various schoolgirl realities finding friends along the way and just as quickly losing them to the invisible attacker.
In the end the movie is about how Japanese media panders to dirty old men and what that does to the children they portray in their entertainment. (i know ... how was that for a jump?) Although it appears that much of Japanese media is geared towards kids and mountains of it to young girls, it can, in reality, be a veiled strategy to sexualize young Japanese girls without actually admitting it. The Otaku call it "Ecchi" which is used to describe Anime that doesn't portray actual sex (that would be Hentai) but portrays the characters (mostly teenage girls) in a sexual light ... an object of desire so to speak and not an actual person. One of the first things you learn about Anime is it isn't always for kids.
But "Tag" isn't anime and not all Ecchi is anime. In Akihabara (the game and Anime mecca in Tokyo) there are girls dressed as sexy french maids on every corner giving out coupons to their diners. The misogyny of Ecchi pervades much of the Game and Film culture and women are just finding their voice in fighting it. That's what this movie is about.
It is also a blood fest that would challenge any Friday The 13th or Halloween film for gore. There are more than a few creative deaths and the Bus is a prime example. I can say in the end Mitsuko wins out but it is an unsatisfying win as she has to give up more than she should just to get a little respect from a culture that claims to cherish it so much.
You can watch this for free on YouTube in SD or HD+ if you have Prime Movies.
I give this one a solid 7 out of 10. It can be hard to watch due to the subtitles but well worth the pain.
Her life cascades from there into a never ending pursuit by a force she cannot see or anticipate. She stumbles into various schoolgirl realities finding friends along the way and just as quickly losing them to the invisible attacker.
In the end the movie is about how Japanese media panders to dirty old men and what that does to the children they portray in their entertainment. (i know ... how was that for a jump?) Although it appears that much of Japanese media is geared towards kids and mountains of it to young girls, it can, in reality, be a veiled strategy to sexualize young Japanese girls without actually admitting it. The Otaku call it "Ecchi" which is used to describe Anime that doesn't portray actual sex (that would be Hentai) but portrays the characters (mostly teenage girls) in a sexual light ... an object of desire so to speak and not an actual person. One of the first things you learn about Anime is it isn't always for kids.
But "Tag" isn't anime and not all Ecchi is anime. In Akihabara (the game and Anime mecca in Tokyo) there are girls dressed as sexy french maids on every corner giving out coupons to their diners. The misogyny of Ecchi pervades much of the Game and Film culture and women are just finding their voice in fighting it. That's what this movie is about.
It is also a blood fest that would challenge any Friday The 13th or Halloween film for gore. There are more than a few creative deaths and the Bus is a prime example. I can say in the end Mitsuko wins out but it is an unsatisfying win as she has to give up more than she should just to get a little respect from a culture that claims to cherish it so much.
You can watch this for free on YouTube in SD or HD+ if you have Prime Movies.
I give this one a solid 7 out of 10. It can be hard to watch due to the subtitles but well worth the pain.