Spring and Chaos Anime Review

Quick Review

• Reviewer: Matt
• Review Date: 2011-06-05 (updated 2011-06-05)
• 4 stars out of 5 (?)

The story of Kenji Miyazawa is great biopic material. A man ahead of his time, moving to the beat of a different drum. A bit of an eccentric who thought big and deep yet felt even deeper and died young. Shoji Kawamori manages to get a lot of mileage out of the hour-long TV special he was given. The anime's narrative has a free-flowing feel to it that shows us the ups and downs of Kenji's experiences and his strong desire to communicate those experiences. The visuals suffer from some problems due to combining computer graphics with traditional animation, but are otherwise effective, with some amazing sequences that explore a sense of something greater in the world and the possibility that Kenji was closer than many of us ever have or ever will be to understanding it. A wondrous musical score and solid Japanese voice acting complete the picture.

If Miyazawa were alive now, he would likely be considered just as strange and unconventional in modern Japan. Spring and Chaos probably won't turn you into poetry connoisseur, but it might help give you a different perspective on the world we live in.

Read the full-length review...

Full Review

• Reviewer: Matt
• Review Date: 2011-06-05 (updated 2011-06-05)
• 4 stars out of 5 (?)

The story of Kenji Miyazawa is great biopic material. A man ahead of his time, moving to the beat of a different drum. A bit of an eccentric who thought big and deep yet felt even deeper and died young. Although a TV documentary about his life was made, this hour long TV special represents the only biopic that has been made about Miyazawa. That might sound insufficient, but Shoji Kawamori manages to get a lot of mileage out of the framework he was given.

Spring and Chaos does an admirable job of giving the viewer a sense of who Kenji Miyazawa was by attempting to show the world as he might have seen it. Throughout the special we learn he was a man who loved the beauty of the world and the science behind it. When something in nature catches his eye, Kenji freezes and intensely writes about what he sees in a notebook while seemingly entranced. At the same time we learn he could be captivated by modern technology as he stares hypnotically at a light bulb as it burns out.

The anime's narrative has a free-flowing feel to it that shows us the ups and downs of Kenji's experiences and his strong desire to communicate those experiences. Although he derived great joy from what he saw in the world and passionately committed those thoughts to a collection of free-verse poetry, it fails to sell a single copy. His students were witness to some of the creative process of the book, but they still regard it with confusion.

Kenji was woefully unappreciated by his community. Despite that, his heart broke as he witnessed the plight of his people. It's arguable that he felt too deeply as he thrust himself headfirst into their hardships only to be met with their ridicule. Kawamori is careful to provide scattered bits of foreshadowing to the posthumous appreciation of Miyazawa's works, ensuring there is always a feeling of hope and triumph even when things get as desperate as you can imagine.

In order to maintain pacing, some aspects of Kenji's life are only touched upon briefly. He loses some people who are important to him, and while those plot points are important to give context to Kenji's downward spiral, they must have affected him far more than the feature has time to show. Occasionally this can make parts of Spring and Chaos hard to follow. While ordinarily I don't think one should have to do research before watching an anime, it might not be a bad idea to read a little about Miyazawa's life before watching this one.

The visuals work in conjunction with the narrative to create a moving piece of work. Scenes of starry or cloud-filled skies give way to amazing sequences that explore a sense of something greater in the world and the possibility that Kenji was closer than many of us ever have or ever will be to understanding it. At the same time the visuals can give way to violent and disturbing images as Kenji wrestles with his inner torment. Not to get into spoiler territory, but the subject of death is explored in a highly memorable yet indescribable manner. Intense yet never frightening, sad yet hopeful, it's truly something that needs to be experienced firsthand.

Computer graphics don't always integrate well with traditional animation, and this mid-90's production is certainly no exception. Some scenes have an artificially layered look to them and there are moments of awkward editing and that can occasionally take the viewer out of the story. Thankfully, these problems are overcome by what the production does right, and the wondrous music is successful in driving the emotional impact of the story home. It's also impressive how well the humanity of the story is depicted by anthropomorphic cats. Even the character model used for the titular character actually looks a little like the real Kenji Miyazawa.

As you might expect, the Japanese voice acting is all-around solid. Shirou Sano's low-key take on Miyazawa carries the character well and I liked Taichi and his fellow classmates. Kenji's sister Toshi has a contemporary cuteness to her voice that doesn't suit the show's atmosphere but otherwise the acting from the supporting cast is fine.

It's a small miracle that Kenji Miyazawa's work has been preserved and appreciated since his death. If Miyazawa were alive now, he would likely be considered just as strange and unconventional in modern Japan. I can only hope wherever he is now, Kenji has found the answers he was seeking. Spring and Chaos probably won't turn you into poetry connoisseur, but it might help give you a different perspective on the world we live in.

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Related Recommendations

Spring and Chaos is unique because, while there are other anime biopics out there, such productions tend to be designed for classroom use, and thus emphasize educational value over artistic and narrative quality. Night on the Galactic Railroad is a film based on Kenji Miyazawa's unfinished children's novel and also uses anthropomorphic cats for the majority of its characters. Studio Ghibli's Isao Takahata directed a feature based on Miyazawa's Gauche the Cellist and there is another TV special that adapts Miyazawa's The Biography of Budori Gusko, sans cats. Other anime that feature anthropomorphic animals tend to be of the sillier variety, and in that vein you could do worse than K.O. Beast Century.