平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ/Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko/Pom Poko

If Miyazaki-sensei is the main-mast of the good ship Stajio Jiburi-go, his sturdy foremast has to be Takahata Isao, director of the haunting Hotaru no Haka (Grave of the Fireflies), quirky Tonari no Yamada-kun (My Neighbours the Yamadas) and this warm, extremely Japanese but highly idiosyncratic film, Pom Poko.

Named after the nursery rhyme sound effects supposedly made by tanuki (racoon dogs) as they beat their stomachs, the movie revolves around the folklore associated with the popular creatures. When I was in Japan, there were a great many images of tanuki – one at the door to our hostel, several simply on the street, numerouin the shrine dedicated especially to them in Asakusa. Every Japanese child grows up hearing tales about Tanuki, many of which (I’m told) were referred to in the movie, and they’re prevalent in anime and manga that draw heavily from Japanese tradition, such as Naruto. Drawing on typical Ghibli themes, the story revolves around the Tanuki losing their homes as the development of Tokyo reduces the forests, pitting nostalgia for an old, bucolic way of life against modernisation in a way that is one part nostalgia, one part heavy-handed preaching, but makes for a sympathetic cast and a compelling situation.

However, focussing on an entire ‘clan’, rather than individual stories, while giving an entertaining variety of situations, means there’s never really any compulsion to see what’s going to happen next, or any sense of a solid goal that may or may not be achieved. This makes the film drag at times, and at two hours, it was a little overlong.

But it was great fun to watch, and I spent most of it with a big smile on my face. The simple-minded tanuki are so amusing and so much fun that their antics are hugely enjoyable. The sight gags are often utterly brilliant, from hapless tanuki trying and failing to transform in time with the others to the surprising appearance in human form of the characters – the best being the three old masters. The characterisation was never short of perfect, and the voice actors were perfect. But, as with Tonari no Yamada-Kun, offsetting the generally humorous tone with moments of deadly seriousness worked superbly, really hammering home the fact that an easygoing lifestyle does not mean cruel truths simply vanish, or on a more superficial level, that a comedy film cannot make you think seriously.

And like Yamada-Kun, Pom Poko sometimes emphasises such changes with changes in art style. There were three main ways the tanuki were drawn – semi-realistically, as cartoon characters and as simple caricatures (though I think it would have been better without the latter, which were apparently an homage to some old manga and didn’t suit the tone of the piece…) – and this helps one think of the real animals as though they were sapient.

With its ghost parade and its numerous transformations, the film is chock-full of Japanese cultural references. Just about every monster I’ve ever heard of, from faceless women to living lanterns and umbrellas made an appearance, as did traditional icons from Shintoism and Japanese Buddhism. Even Christianity got a nod, with one choral ‘Amen’. In-jokes were also plentiful; I spotted Kiki and apparently several other Ghibli characters were slipped in.

The film was a lot of fun, and its affection for a world gone by was (as with Cars) understandable and rather sweet, if not exactly something that’s going to change anyone’s lifestyle. It was enjoyable on many levels: just because I enjoyed recognising all the different bits of Japanese folklore, doesn’t mean someone who knows nothing about it won’t be equally entertained, and I'm sure people with more knowledge of the subject would understand more than I did. I’d recommend the film to anyone. As long as they’re not offended by the idea of giant, multi-purpose testicles being used as weapons, parachutes, mats and just about anything else you can think of.

(originally written 17.8.06)