Building Up The Hype

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Movie trailers sure used to be a bit different back in the day, huh? This trailer seems more like a promotional advertisement for a product than a traditional trailer by today’s standards. Most trailers today just try and give you an idea of what to expect from the movie and show some of the good stuff you can expect to see more of in the theater. This trailer has a narrator that basically just tells you how cool the movie is over and over again.

A really interesting thing about the movie though is the amount of non-Japanese actors in it. I watched the dubbed version of the movie, so everyone was speaking in English – but for the Japanese version, they must have just had subtitles for the English actors. The hype certainly focuses a lot on its international cast, but it really is interesting to see something like this coming from Japan in the 70s.

Along with Vic Morrow (famous American actor), the film also features Sonny Chiba who was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills as a martial artist. However, he does not perform the insane action sequences we’ve all come to expect from him as he unfortunately injured his ankle during filming.

I really think someone should do this to the whole movie.

Another crazy thing about Message From Space is that they actually got the Japanese government to delay the release of Star Wars in Japan so that its inhabitants would be sure to see Message From Space first. Star Wars was delayed for an entire year. Pretty ridiculous if you ask me.

As for the film’s plot, IMDB describes it as such: “The peaceful planet of Jillucia has been nearly wiped out by the Gavanas, whose leader takes orders from his mother (played a comic actor in drag) rather than the Emperor. King Kaiba sends out eight Liabe holy seeds, each to be received by a chosen one to defend the Gavanas. Each recipient, ranging from hardened General Garuda to Gavana Prince Hans to young Terrans Meia, Kido, and Aaron all have different reactions to being chosen.”

The reason I had to borrow this from another site is due to how hard the plot is to follow in the movie. It moves along way too fast that eventually you just realize you’re watching and seeing people do things, but you aren’t really sure why they are where they are and what led them to that particular situation. The movie really is packed full of action, but most of the time you’ll be kind of confused as to what’s really going on.

This is another reason I think it might be best to enjoy this movie in dubbed form. The plot is hard enough to follow as it is, and there’s always action happening on screen that begs your attention – throw a bunch of reading into the mix and you’ll have no hope for following along with what’s going on. Plus, a good amount of the cast is speaking English anyway, so it’s no big deal.

Why This Movie Deserves Attention

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I found this video on Cinemassacre and I think the reviewer does a really great job discussing the highlights of this movie from the perspective of people watching it more than thirty years later. He focuses mainly on its similarities to the original Star Wars, but watching the video really gives you a much better idea of what to expect from the film itself.

Today this film garners more attention due to how similar it is to Star Wars rather than its qualities as an original film. There have been many films released after Star Wars that were similar to it, but Message From Space really stands out. It doesn’t have lightsabers (unfortunately), but it does take a lot from the film and it’s really interesting to see how these ideas play out in Message From Space.

Unfortunately the ideas in this film are less inspired by Star Wars and more so stolen. The film’s plot also moves way too quickly and is hard to keep up with. Your ability to enjoy old movies and things that are similar to Star Wars but definitely not Star Wars will determine how much you enjoy Message From Space in my opinion.

The characters, the premise, and even the music borrows heavily from the original Star Wars. But the most incredibly obvious rip-off has to be how they destroy the main enemy ship at the end of the movie. Remember how they took out the Death Star by having to fly through a trench and hit a small target with space fighters? Yeah, the same exact thing happens in Message From Space. Good thing they got the real Star Wars delayed, otherwise it would’ve been way too obvious how much they ripped off Star Wars here.

That being said, the film definitely has a Japanese touch to it. The bad guys all look like alien samurai and there are even a few sword fights to be seen. The main bad guy’s mother is even made up like an old-style Japanese actor, which kind of makes sense as the mother is played by a dude in drag and pretty much all traditional Japanese performing arts had males playing all of the roles.

But Should I Watch It?

Nah. Nobody would fault you for passing this one up. I watched it at a friend’s place and we both agreed that the movie was bad, boring, and kind of hard to follow. Both of us really enjoy goofy movies and we’re both big fans of Star Wars, but this movie just didn’t cut it. Like the video before said, the best part about watching it is waiting for the next blatant Star Wars rip-off. But if you watch his video, you pretty much know what all of them are going to be.

I’d be more inclined to recommend it if the movie were shorter. However, with a run time of 105 minutes, the merriment gleaned from the blatant Star Wars rip-offs are not nearly enough to set off the movie itself being boring and entirely too long.

So, bottom line – I’d say skip on this one. Unless you are a hardcore Star Wars fan and need to see all the films it inspired, or have some deep interest in old Japanese films, it’s no big deal if you never see Message From Space. However I would definitely recommend watching the trailer and a handful of clips because they are indeed hilarious. The movie is also on Netflix, so if you ever do feel inclined to watch the film in its entirety, it’s not that hard to do.

As for Japanese movies from the 70s, you’d be much better off with something like House from 1977. You can read more about House along with a list of other must see Japanese films in my Top 10 Strange Japanese Films You Need to Watch post.

So, have any of you actually seen this movie? What did you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Not content to blindy folllow popular methods of language study a Jedi Knight searches the near and far galaxies for hitherto unknown tools and techniques with which to master Japanese. Hidden beneath the long sleeves of a hooded cloak is a tool for deciphering even the densest of Japanese literature, the Kanji Sono Mama Rakubiki Jiten on Nintendo DS.

Kanji Sono Mama is a dictionary, translated “Kanji just like that, easy to pull”, which puts any authentic Japanese text within the reach of a mere mortal. Sure there are other electronic dictionaries, but none I’ve found come close to the utility of this sleekly packaged touch generation device. I’m going to show you the method I use to expand my vocabulary with Kanji Sono Mama.

This method works with any dictionary which allows you to look up kanji compounds online or off. The Kanji Learners Dictionary is a good example of a dictionary that will allow you to look up compounds based on recognition of their radicals. If you’re reading kanji online then you could use a combination of QuickKanji and Jisho.org. For this post however I’m going to focus on using Kanji Sono Mama, because it’s mobile and it has a flash card function that combines well to make it an all-in-one vocabulary droid.

Your choice of reading material

I’m a big proponent of reading authentic Japanese while you’re learning. Textbooks simply don’t have the variety of language that literature does. Your choice of literature is up to you, I’m a big  fan of Manga as you might know. I welcome a debate about the merits of manga over classical Japanese literature any day, but ultimately the choice of reading material is yours.

I covered some techniques for reading authentic Japanese manga where I talked mostly about short sessions without a dictionary. This post picks up where that one left off, because ultimately you’ll want to know the meanings of words you’re reading.

Choosing what to study.

People often ask me how to select books that are the right reading level. I usually answer that what you find interesting is usually more important than what reading age it’s aimed at. Reading Chibi Mariko Chan or Sazae San is not just for kids, it’s important social commentary. Although, if it doesn’t interest you it’s not going to hold your attention for very long.

Let’s imagine you have something you really want to read, it’s important to select vocabulary for further study with real intent. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is trying to read too much in one go. Other mistakes that will slow you down are selecting too many items for review or words that are too far out of reach.

Keep the passage you intend to study short, use the techniques I’ve covered elsewhere. Before you pull out your DS decide what vocabulary you’re going to study.

• Finish reading: Only after you have finished your reading session should you start to go back and find vocabulary you want to study. Keep these two sessions separate as much as possible, punctuate them with a short break if necessary. Make sure you have come to a point in your reading from which you will go no further.
• Choose things you understand: If you’ve seen something before but in a different context it is going to be useful for you to get a real fix on it through further study. You know these items are going to be useful because they just keep popping up. They may also be used different ways, so learn them well.
• Choose things you partially understand: In a new context things may look a little different, you may be able to infer meaning but you’ll need a bit more study to come to a full understanding. Choosing words you almost have a handle on is going to be much more fruitful than taking words completely out of context.
• Don’t choose more than you can commit to memory: Even for a Jedi Knight short term memory typically holds no more than seven items. For words you want to learn no more than five a day is a good rule of thumb, particularly if they are new and complex. You should spend as much time on these five items as you did in reading the passage of text you selected.

Practical example #1 – Guessing at the reading with hiragana

Good for: When you can guess from context what the kanji might be.
Method: Use your hiragana input to extract a dictionary entry.

The girl in the picture is on the phone, I could try keitai [けいたい] but that would be incorrect, next best guess is denwa [でんわ] Bingo! Now when I select the entry in the dictionary I get an English equivalent from the Ei-Wa jisho and some usage examples.

The guess work is important because it helps you make leaps at understanding, it doesn’t matter if you fall short a couple of times. Don’t dwell on it, just find the right answer and move on.

Practical Example #2 – Direct entry of the kanji

Good for: When you can’t guess the reading.
Method: Copy the strokes.

The big bold kanji in this cell is easy to copy. You may have seen it before but can’t remember the reading, 大丈夫, just use the touch pen.

I immediately get two readings as before, and some uses in fairly easy to understand sentences.

Practical Example #3 – Stab in the dark?

Good for: When you have to use the force.
Method: Use English input.

I use English input for the word ‘think’, there are two occurences of something that it might be. I get the entry from the Ei-Wa jisho. There are lots of examples, but not all of them contain the kanji I’m looking for.

Caution: Use sparingly!

Using the flash cards.

Now you have a word that you can add to your vocabulary list. This where I really like the DS Sono Mama Rakubiki Jiten, with a simple tap of the touch pen you can add the word to one of three flash card groups.

They have their advantages over hand made flash cards.You don’t have to write anything out carefully on tiny bits of paper. Each card links to a full dictionary entry if you want to see alternative uses and meanings. You can move the flashcards between groups, which is perfect if you are using a Leitner system.

The DS also has a one handed mode. You can collect vocabulary and then causally flip through you cards while sitting on the bus. Perfect for the incognito Jedi in you.

If you have technique for breaking down what you read into reusable chunks please share it in the comments. Do you use flash cards? How do you build your vocabulary?

Keep Reading! Take a look at the companion article: “Are You Still Lugging Dead Tree Bilingual Dictionaries?“

Brett Fyfield is the Chief Rainbow Maker at Rainbowhill Language Lab. He enjoys Aikido and is often mistaken for “suits homeless” because of his dishevelled appearance. If you want more tips on incorporating authentic Japanese literature into your study routine tweet him up on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

The Manga is Homunculus by Hideo Yamamoto. 2003.