Ask John: Will the Kill Bill Anime Begin an American Anime Renaissance?

Question:
Last week I saw Kill Bill and my God was that movie amazing. It was really unique amongst other “normal” American films. I thought it rather looked like Rurouni Kenshin in how the action and gore was portrayed. Also, there was actually a mini anime within the movie when we are introduced to the female assassin Oren-Ishii. I was wondering, do you think that other movie directors would place/show more anime-esque type movies out in the North American movie industry? Would more and more directors break the traditional trend of American movies and place bits of anime in them? Would anime even dominate the industry in the future?

Answer:
Kill Bill Volume 1 is probably one of the most personal mainstream movies the American film industry has ever produced. The film is little more than a collection of influences and homage to the elements of pop culture that director Quentin Tarintino himself cherishes. As someone who also appreciates many of the same genres of entertainment that Tarintino likes, I personally think that Kill Bill Volume 1 is a masterpiece, a finely constructed cinematic work of pure brilliance. But it’s not an influential film; it is the result of being influenced. I don’t believe that Tarintino created his film with hopes of encouraging new trends in American film making, nor do I believe that Kill Bill will result in an unanticipated revival of “grindhouse” films or the increased exposure of Japanese animation in America or the inclusion of more Japanese animation in American film.

You mention that Kill Bill “looked like Rurouni Kenshin.” The similarity is intentional. As a traditional period samurai drama, albeit a slightly more action oriented one, Rurouni Kenshin was an extension of the style of Japanese “jidaigeki” samurai period films dating back to at least the 1960s. Kill Bill also pays homage to these classic Japanese films by Kurosawa and Inagaki and Okamoto and others in its pacing and use of music and silence and its exemplification of the Bushido code of respect and honor among warriors. The House of Blue Leaves battle sequence is a direct homage to Toho’s famous Kozure Ookami movie series from 1972-1974. And as has been pointed out elsewhere, the blue silhouette fight sequence from the House of Blue Leaves battle is strikingly similar to the famous one-sheet image of Hiroyuki Nakano’s 1998 film Samurai Fiction. Much of Kill Bill Volume 1 feels like a traditional Japanese samurai movie, and emphasizes the attitude of a classic Japanese samurai movie because Kill Bill is intentionally copying the style of a traditional Japanese samurai movie. So Kill Bill is far from original, but deserves high praise for so masterfully capturing the essence and spirit of classic Japanese cinema and modernizing it.

The “anime sequence” of Kill Bill is likewise the essence of anime, but not quite the same. The “sketchy” character design style and muted colors of the animation are far different from the traditional visual style of anime that uses long, smooth lines and vibrant colors. The tight focus, rapid cut editing and camera placement during the pugilism is also atypical for anime. The visual direction of this sequence has far more in common with American action film framing than Asian cinematic traditions. The tight focus seems much more reminiscent of American cinematic fight sequences from films like Lethal Weapon and Gladiator than anime fights which frequently use medium and long range camera shots to give a more static view of the action. The literal visualization of words from the mouth of young O-Ren also has far more in common with traditional American cartoons than Japanese animation. And the rapid forward momentum of the entire animation sequence, devoid of any slack shots or “unnecessary” footage, is again not characteristic of anime. There are no shots in the animation sequence included for atmosphere or setting. There are no shots in the sequence that slow the pace. The animation is an amazing display of visual exposition that entirely eliminates the subtlety and deliberately languid pacing that’s characteristic of traditional Japanese animation. Ultimately, the “anime” sequence (my quotation marks around “anime” are intentional) in Kill Bill Volume 1 is Japanese animation specifically created for Western audiences. It uses the editing and camera positioning that Western audiences are used to, avoids the use of typical anime character design styles that many mainstream American viewers dislike (the only other “anime” character design style reminiscent of Kill Bill that I can name is “Kid’s Story” from The AniMatrix, which was also “anime” made primarily for Western viewers), avoids the use of traditional anime color schemes, and chooses not to use the slow and steady pacing of typical anime and Japanese cinema.

In effect, the animation sequence in Kill Bill Volume 1 was designed to be easily digested by Western viewers. Beside the fact that it deals with adult subject matter and violence, it’s not visually or stylistically challenging or “foreign” for American viewers. I’d like to clarify again that this is an observation, not a complaint. The Kill Bill animation sequence is stunning, but not intriguing. It’s not an unusual and foreign animation style that generates curiosity about Japanese animation in Western viewers. The animation sequence is masterful at achieving its purpose within the movie, but judging by media reaction, or lack thereof, it clearly hasn’t had an influence on American filmgoers or the American film industry. While it may be technically unusual, the Kill Bill animation sequence is not revolutionary or influential. Or at least, there’s no evidence so far that it has been or will be the catalyst for a convergence of 2D or Japanese animation in forthcoming American films.