"If the world you live in is a hell, then I'm willing to live there with you."

[here_inmyhead]

It's interesting visiting other people's journals, really. I hopped on Zar's journal regarding an entry to a movie she shared that's become one of my favorites this year ("You Are Umasou") and clicked on one of her friends. Browsing through their tags, I discovered an entry where they talked about Unico. I thought, "Hey, I liked Unico!" and agreed with all the sentiments the poster shared regarding the two movies and the TV pilot. Then a different film was brought up in the comments: Ringing Bell. Curious, I searched for it on YouTube, since the original link was dead. Lo and behold, both the English dub and the Japanese version. :o Since the movie was short, I took the time to watch both, nom.

Ringing Bell(known as CHIRIN NO SUZU in Japan) is a Legendary Shock Movie which was controversially marketed towards very young children in the USA. It is most notable for being a G-rated Children movie which halfway through makes a sharp and sudden turn into a violent, morbidly-depressing dark story.

Because this cartoon was marketed towards very young children, the "Shock Effect" that this movie presented created controversy when it was first brought to America. Many parents were outraged at the G-rating of this film and complained to Sanrio that the film had caused their children emotional trauma and nightmares. The English Version of this film(which is featured on this channel)was modified to be more age appropriate for young children. The dialogue was changed, and many "childish" noises and sound effects were added. Yet, the scenarios and the outcome of this film was still seen as age-inappropriate and Ringing Bell was pulled off of shelves in the mid 1980s and never again released in America.

In Japan this film is remembered as being a cautionary tale which symbolized the post WW2 society. It deals with issues such as non-conformity, self hate, depression, revenge, discrimination, and coping with death, loss, and disappointment. It is still distributed in Japan, yet impossible to find in the USA.

It reminded me something of when Zar mentioned Chimecho back when Gen III was still new. What I remembered was she told a story about a lamb who went into the mountains to become a wolf. Eventually, it had become a bloodthirsty killer, who one day went back to the fields he was born in and became shocked at what he's become. He destroys the wolf he has been living with and has come to see as his only companion, and the sheep are too horrified and reject him from their kind as a monster. Neither wolf or sheep, the full-grown ram was banished and returned to the mountains where he was never seen again, with only the bell around his neck ringing to clarify his existence. Hence why the ringing Pokemon Chimecho was such a rare Pokemon on top of Mt. Pyre...

For the longest time, I thought it was a Japanese folk tale (and I completely forgotten that it was a Revenge is Bad story; the lamb went to the mountains so he could kill the wolf who murdered his mother), but I couldn't remember the name of it (or the sheep, for that matter). I even checked Chimecho's Bulbapedia entry and there was no mention of the "legend." So I brace myself as I start to watch Ringing Bell, and I'm thinking, "Something about this seems familiar." Sure enough, it was the same story. The pieces came together and I realized what was going to happen, which didn't make it any less powerful or horrifying to watch.

I appreciate the silences in the Japanese version more, but it was spooky in the dub that Chirin had the same voice as Unico's. Compare Unico, this pure and innocent being no matter how tragic his fate, to Chirin, a lamb consumed with hate and rage until it's the only life he knows. Talk about discordant.

Usually I don't like depressing films, but I think Ringing Bell is a very important film to see. You'd be hard-pressed as hell to find anything like this being made today, especially marketed as a kid's film. Not in a "DUR HUR HUR LAMBS AND BUTTERFLIES KIDS WILL LOVE THIS" way, but as an intentionally frightening fable about revenge, nonconformity, and even the horrors of war. I remember watching one of my Beatrix Potter tapes and refusing to watch the Aunt Jemima one again because there was a scene where her eggs got smashed and it left her in sobbing hysterics. How would I have reacted to the egg-smashing scene in Ringing Bell as a kid? Hoo boy.

I know it's Banned Book Week, but considering this movie's been yanked off shelves into obscurity in the US, it feels oddly appropriate to have watched this. :o

Comments

[zarla.livejournal.com]

RINGING BELL WAS MY COUSIN'S CHILDHOOD MOVIE like Unico was for me, haha. It took us ages to finally find a VHS copy of it once we remembered what it was called. Mine was Unico, hers was Ringing Bell, and then my other friend's was The Sea Prince and the Fire Child (I think that's what it was called). ALL OLD AND WEIRD ANIME
Finding a copy of the Unico movies was NOT easy in the late 90s let me tell you

But yes I named my Mareep after Chirin, and she does indeed wear a bell. :> It's a pretty depressing movie but the voice acting in the english dub is kind of hilarious I think, haha. COME TO THINK OF IT BOY DID I WATCH A LOT OF DARK KID'S MOVIES AS A CHILD
Watership Down comes to mind

[insanepurin.livejournal.com]

I AM SO INTRIGUED BY DARK/DISTURBING NOSTALGIC FILMS LIKE YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE. I love getting to watch these movies, and YouTube is a lot of help. :o

Some voice-acting in the English dubbing is a bit narmy. :P Namely Chirin's mom's big "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" when she tries to save him, which kind of killed the impact of her death. In Japanese, she calls Chirin's name and that's it. XDDD;;;

[zarla.livejournal.com]

Man if you can find it, you should watch the Sea Prince/Fire Child one, that was a weird movie. It's original name was The Legend of Sirius in Japanese I think.

[tillieyo.livejournal.com]

I had a copy of the second Unico movie recorded on VHS that I WORE OUT. I still watch it on the youtube sometimes. When I was a kid, I wanted to grow up and be a magical cat juuuuust like Katy. Was trying to get my boyfriend to buy me a Halloween shirt today that said "Witch in training". There is probably something desperately wrong with me concerning the fact that I still talk about Unico everyday.

[zarla.livejournal.com]

AND THE ISLAND OF MAGIC! omg i loved that movie so much, i watched it freaking obsessively. KURUKU SCARED ME SO BADLY AS A KID
I SWEAR TO GOD JUST EVERY SCENE HE'S IN JUST NOOOOOOOO

[insanepurin.livejournal.com]

I'm 23 and Kuruku scares the living crap out of me. It's... that voice. Could you imagine picking up a phone and hear him calling your name? D: That said, Island of Magic = ♥♥♥ So much love. The ending made me wibble. ;;

[insanepurin.livejournal.com]

Aww, that's adorable. X3 There's nothing wrong with discussing Unico. He brings joy to everyone's hearts~

[typhlogirl.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I just watched part 1, and this looks like it will be good! I will tell you my thoughts once I finish it!

[typhlogirl.livejournal.com]

....omg D:

[insanepurin.livejournal.com]

That was my reaction too. Along with "...WOW." ;;

[typhlogirl.livejournal.com]

That is a helluva story! How depressing, lmao. I liked the music, although I could've left some of the lyrics orz

But I like the link with Chimecho! That pokemon just got ten times more interesting xD

[tillieyo.livejournal.com]

I'm probably in the minority, here, but I hate how things marketed towards children are. Guess what? People fight and disagree and die. You'll have to accept it one day.

[insanepurin.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, you're totally not alone. Kids can handle more than they're expected (and contrary to belief, they're definitely not angels. :P) and the way our generation is grown into thinking children's books/movies MUST be shallow saccharine tripe is truly disheartening. I'm not saying we should shove our kids copies of Cannibal Holocaust, but the way overprotective soccer moms try to shelter their kids "because they wouldn't get it" or "PROTECT OUR CHEEELDREEEN" is harmful.

[placetohide.livejournal.com]

Dang, that was a depressing movie. I can't even tell what the moral was, but since it's Japan, it was probably "be a sheep and just conform with everyone else or bad things will happen," ugh. D:

[insanepurin.livejournal.com]

There's a lot of depressing Aesops in there, but I think what got me most was the fact that even if Chirin had killed the wolf that haunted the sheep, they refused to let him back instead of treating him to a hero's welcome home aka Hollywood Ending. And why should they? They witnessed this lamb they used to play with grow up into a ram that murdered all the guard dogs and turned on his own partner; who knows if Chirin would turn on them next at any moment? Driving the point that revenge = pointless and empty.

An interesting note regarding the death of Chirin's mom: Emperor Hirohito's favorite film was "Lambert the Sheepish Lion" where the baby fights off the wolf and saves the mother. This very scene was a statement towards the Emperor of Japan to show him what many Japanese children lost when he decided to force their families into a war.

[slaygirl.livejournal.com]

Kind of late, but thank you for reccing this - I watched it last night, it was beautiful.