MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO
(TONARI NO TOTARO)
A film review by Chris Meadows
Copyright 1995 Chris Meadows
Produced, Directed, and Written by Hayao Miyazaki 1988 (1993, American release), color, 87 minutes
Available on videocassette, ~$20
My Rating: 9 out of a possible 10
I'm an anime fan. Yes, that's right, one of those people who religiously collects Japanese animation by methods of sometimes dubious legality, huddles in dark screening rooms at science-fiction conventions to get my "fix," complains prodigiously about dubs (especially those from Streamline), and is probably looked upon rather oddly by most of the people I know because of it.
As I said, I tend to complain prodigiously about dubs, especially those done by Streamline. As such, it's probably more than a little surprising to you that I'm rating this particular Streamline dub so highly. I know it's *damn* surprising to me.
You see, Streamline has this annoying little habit of *changing* the lines that they're supposed to be dubbing. The most notable example that comes to mind is when Goemon the samurai cuts Lupin's burning clothes off of him in the movie LUPIN III: CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO. In the original, he says afterward, "Once again, I've cut a worthless object." In the Streamline dub, he says, "Should've worn an asbestos suit." And the president of Streamline, Carl Macek, has stated that he will never subtitle any of his films. Purist that I am, I find this kind of thing totally unacceptable, so I was, to say the least, highly dubious of Totoro.
What made the CAGLIOSTRO dub all the more disappointing was the fact that the movie was one of my favorites in the subtitled format. It was a Hayao Miyazaki film, and Miyazaki is my favorite anime creator. He's done some truly beautiful films--CAGLIOSTRO, LAPUTA: CASTLE IN THE SKY, KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE, NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND, and MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, to name a few. It is sadly ironic that Streamline got its hands on most of these, and thus no "decent" commercial version will ever be produced.
Anyway, enough Streamline bashing; that isn't the point of this review. As I've said, I was skeptical of TOTORO, even though some friends and acquaintances told me it was quite good. However, since Miyazaki *is* my favorite director, I knew I would eventually have to see it. But as my concession to myself before seeing a Streamline dub (an act which tends to make me come away feeling rather dirty), I decided to obtain and view the fan-subtitled version first. Thus, I watched the TOTORO fansub one night and the TOTORO commercial dubbed release the next.
Even though TOTORO is touted as a children's movie (and a very good children's movie it is, too), is is a film that will likely enthrall and at the very least not bore (or, for that matter, nauseate--Barney, anyone?) any grown-ups who watch it too. The story is fairly simple--two young girls and their father move into a house in the Japanese countryside to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and the girls meet and befriend the magical creatures that live in the forest nearby. But there's more to this film than that. My Neighbor Totoro gives us sort of a window into Japanese culture, painting a picture of life amid the rice paddies that is filled with all the wonder and magic it has when seen through the eyes of a child. It's not my favorite Miyazaki story, but I couldn't help but be entranced by its simple charm all the same. Miyazaki always does that to me.
One thing about Miyazaki is that he likes to make references to other films. For example, in both LAPUTA: CASTLE IN THE SKY and an episode of the "Lupin" TV series that he directed, a robot is featured that looks remarkably similar to one from a 1930s Fleischer Superman short. In MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO there are references to at least a couple of children's movies--namely, MARY POPPINS and ALICE IN WONDERLAND. I had to smile.
As I've said, I was quite skeptical up to the moment when I put the dub into the VCR and pressed play. My skepticism began its immediate decline when the opening theme began playing. As this is a children's movie, it was to be expected that the music would be translated into English, and I was half-expecting some sort of stupid kiddie song that would be entirely unrelated to the spirit of the original. But as soon as the theme began, my jaw dropped, for they had somehow managed to translate that song almost *excatly*. The English singer even sounded like the original Japanese one!
And it was thus throughout the entire film. Not only were the translations nearly flawless but even the voice-acting was dead-on! My friend had said to me that the voices in the English version sounded just like the voices in the Japanese version. And they did! The translations were 98% accurate--even trivial lines that weren't important to the story were often rendered correctly. By the time the closing credits had rolled, I had realized that my fansubbed copy of this movie was going to be gathering a lot of dust.
A brief summary of the most noticeable differences between the original and the dubbed versions: The opening and closing songs are in English, as I've said. The minor elements of Buddhism (the religion usually depicted in anime) have been removed: where in the original the older sister prays at a shrine to let them take shelter from the rain there, she now asks, "Would it be all right if we stay here?"; where an old lady was chanting a prayer to Buddha she is now murmuring in the style of someone praying under her breath. The film has been pan-and-scanned, as well.
One thing which particularly relieves me is that Carl Macek didn't pull any of his usual "hide-the-kanji-at-all-costs" tricks which so often make the opening credits of movies he dubs look like crud. (In order to hide the Japanese symbols in the Castle of Cagliostro opening credits, for example, he slowed down the opening animation and reframed parts of the picture, and it looked utterly disgusting.) In the scenes where a bus's sign changes to indicate its destination, he dubbed in a voice (provided, so I'm told, by Carl himself) that said, "Next stop..." In one instance a subtitle is provided for translation. As many instances of kanji as there are in this film, I'm glad he didn't try to hide them this time.
Another thing which relieves me is that none of the names are changed. All the original Japanese names are still used, and even pronounced properly, as far as I know (I especially like the way the older sister pronounces "Totoro"). This is one more element that adds to the general Japanese ambiance of this movie. It makes me feel as though the characters actually *are* Japanese, but I just happen to be able to understand them for some mysterious reason. Very few dubs have ever done that for me.
And now I've reached the point where, in summing up, I'm probably supposed to draw upon those phrases that have become cliches by virtue of repeated use in magazine movie reviews and inclusion on the backs of video boxes. Things like "This is a magical film for all ages," for example. But I'm not trying to advertise this movie; it's not like I'm going to make money off of it or anything. So, I'll just sum up with a few observations, instead.
This is one of very few dubs that I would not feel ashamed to show to other people. It maintains the integrity of the original almost to the last detail. The film itself is easily comparable to some of Disney's best, with an attention to detail that Disney sometimes lacks.
If you're looking for something you can show the kiddies that won't have them karate-chopping around the house afterward, get MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO. If you're a fan of good animation yourself, get MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO. If nothing else, rental will only cost a buck or two, and trust me--the experience is more than worth it.
(This review is copyright 1995 by Christopher E. Meadows. Distribution is okay as long as it's not for profit and this notice remains intact. Distribution on CD-ROM is verboten without Chris's permission, however.)
-- Chris Meadows CHM173S@NIC.SMSU.EDU ROBOTECH@EYRIE.STANFORD.EDU http://www.halcyon.com/superguy/
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