A human rights lawyer in Japan denounced the popular movie, One Piece Film: Red as “anti-revolutionary, anti-feminist and anti-democratic.”
As detailed on J-List Blog, lawyer Hajime Kambara launched a lengthy Twitter thread breaking down his views about the film. Kambara, who went to see the movie with his daughter, criticized it for reflecting a “chivalrous, gangster ideology” with its cast of “macho,” bodybuilder-like male characters. He also accused the movie of depicting a revolutionary movement that is “destined to lose popular support” because of its leader’s “self-righteous” motivations. Notably, Kambara’s critiques ultimately extended beyond the film itself to Japanese society as a whole, which he denounced as “hopeless” for its popularization of Film: Red and other similar anime.
The Lawyer Questioned the Plot of One Piece Film Red
There is no question of One Piece Film: Red’s popularity, as it is currently Japan’s highest-grossing film of 2022, having earned an impressive 18.54 billion yen (over $135 million at the time of writing). However, Kambara feels that Film: Red promotes an anti-democratic and anti-revolutionary message in its principal character, Uta, who desires to use her music to “build an era of happiness for all.” As part of his argument, Kambara pointed out that the pirates, who are normally anti-authority figures, team up with the Navy as part of the plot’s resolution. Because of this, the lawyer feels that audiences will come away with the message that “if they want peace, the opposite will happen.”
Kambara’s critique of the film as “anti-feminist” stems from the movie surrounding Uta with buff, chauvinist male characters that do “nothing but violence” to thwart her quest for peace. In the lawyer’s view, Uta’s parent and primary opponent, Red-Haired Shanks, is an example of stereotypical “Showa Era” masculinity that is “mysteriously” still popular in modern Japan. Kambara goes on to criticize the anime’s creators as being stuck in the Showa Era and for fostering the “regression and corruption” that is present in Japanese society. While several Film: Red supporters urged the lawyer to read the One Piece manga and then reevaluate the movie, Kambara dismissed these requests, arguing that since he is giving his opinion of the film, it is unnecessary to read the original work. He also challenged these fans by asking them why they were not protesting the film if it was so radically different from the manga.
One Piece Film: Red has achieved massive success both in and outside Japan. The movie had its North American theatrical debut on Nov. 4, earning over $9.3 million at the box office during its opening weekend. Film: Red also made waves in Saudi Arabia, earning roughly $1.04 million at the box office and beating out the action/adventure film, Black Adam, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Film: Red also had its Chinese debut on Dec. 1, earning approximately $10.5 million during its first four days in theaters.
The One Piece anime is available on Hulu and Crunchyroll. The manga is available in English from VIZ Media.
Source: Twitter, via J-List Blog
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