Seishun Anime Zenshu Episode 26 Discussion

What did you think of this episode?

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Oct 14, 2009 5:17 PM

RobdeFR

Offline

Apr 2008

1408

THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
----------------------------------------
"The Harp Of Burma" 2nd part

Was I the only person around that just loved this unknown episode of this highly underrated and unknown series?

This episode was so epic, so touching, I can't find words to express it. The characters, their friendship and sense of union, their music...

Old School Anime Club

Apr 11, 2010 3:51 PM

Radagast82

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May 2009

RobdeFR said:
THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
----------------------------------------
"The Harp Of Burma" 2nd part

Was I the only person around that just loved this unknown episode of this highly underrated and unknown series?

This episode was so epic, so touching, I can't find words to express it. The characters, their friendship and sense of union, their music...

+1, I agree. And yeah this is one of the most underrated titles out there. More people should see this gem.

Nov 4, 2010 3:02 AM

Firechick12012

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Jul 2010

503

Do you know where I can find information about this or where I can watch it?

Nov 4, 2010 3:19 AM

RobdeFR

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Apr 2008

1408

I believe that you can find them nowadays at BakaBT

Old School Anime Club

May 3, 2020 12:57 PM

removed-user

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Jul 2018

564084

Episodes 25 & 26 are adaptations of The Burmese Harp (ビルマの竪琴, Biruma no tategoto) by Japanese author Michio Takeyama.

I feel like this had the potential to be a classic. But the first major problem is that very little of the story is told from the perspective of Mizushima, and instead we get a convoluted subplot where his former unit attempts to communicate with him from their P.O.W. camp. (I couldn't quite shake the feeling of ridiculousness that the story was so focused on teaching a parrot to talk, or singing through a fence, instead of simply writing a letter or holding a conversation). It also strained credulity that a Japanese soldier could seamlessly pass as a wandering Burmese monk.

The animation was also sub-optimal. While the major characters all looked fine, the supporting Japanese cast looked extremely cartoonish (above all the lips). That criticism may be subjective to me, but I just detest that animation style.

And while there's a good story to be told here, these episodes suffer from the same focus as a lot of Japanese WWII stories do, which is that the only people who seem to suffer are the Japanese. There is, for example, no explanation as to why the Burmese villagers in Episode 25 wanted to ensnare Mizushima-san's unit. The only casualties we ever see are Japanese. Apart from one vague line in Mizushima's letter about 'the madness of war' there is no reflection upon Japan's own imperial ambitions, no sense of guilt or responsibility.

The novel, at least according to Wikipedia, was more open about this. These episodes would've been considerably stronger if they could've incorporated some more challenging reflections into them.

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