Blog 4

Blog #4

1. “This achievement-based society and the equal opportunities provided by the educational system created a competitive world and reinforced the gambari spirit of the Japanese people” (p.88). What scene in the movie demonstrated this concept well? Explain the 

reason.

The baseball players tell the Jazz Band over and over that the Band needs to work hard in order for the baseball team to do well.  This is an example of the Japanese dependence on community; the baseball team is counting not only on their own hard work, but on the hard work of the other school members.

 2.Considering gamabari, do you consider Naomi as a Gambari in terms of losing weight using the muscle stimulator? Why? Why not? Explain the reasons through explaining Gambari.

I think Naomi embodies the struggle in modern Japan between adhering to gambari enforced in their past and the desire to attain individualism for the future as their culture changes.  While she does work hard to try and fit into society’s expectations by using the muscle stimulator and choosing the drums (because it burns the most calories), she also reverts to eating sweets and desserts much more often than the others.

 3. Considering kenkyo, who do you think is the most and least kenkyo? Explain the reasons.

Kaori probably exhibits the most kenkyo, because she is much quieter.  Even when it is obvious that she has more potential to be a musician during the beginning of the film, she does not say so; she simply does her best.

Takuo is probably portrays kenkyo the least – when he tries to train the Swing Girls in the beginning of the film, he tells them they’re no good.  To be fair, he is the only real musician among them, but he is rude to them even by American standards, let alone Japanese ones.

4.Considering Honne to Tatemae, after brass band got food poison, the girls decided to have jazz band. Although the girls practiced hard and were able to play a little, the brass band came back and took their places back. What was Honne and Tatemae of Tomoko? Explain why she acted like that. What kinds of influences contribute to group of jazz band.

On the outside – tatemae – Tomoko acted smug, trying to convince those around her that she had only orchestrated this whole “swing band” in order to get out of class, and that she didn’t care that she would not get to play anymore.  Internally – honne – Tomoko was clearly upset that she could not continue to enjoy what she had just learned to do.  She acted this way in order to get her group to leave the music room, and to allow the original jazz band to have their established place.  It is her way of stepping down out of the place she does not really belong in. 

5. What kinds of feelings/motives are changed from skipping make-up classes to gambaru.

The audience of the film sees that Tomoko has never stuck to anything – she has never truly practiced gambaru.  Her family tells her that she never sees anything through, and refuses to buy her anything else that may relate to a hobby she will be bored with quickly.  The fact that she is in summer make-up classes also suggests that she did not work hard enough in school during the normal school semester.  However, her discovery of music and her love of playing give her the motivation to gambaru.

6. In the end, jazz band ended up playing great music. How would you end this movie, if it was not based on ganbari spirit? Explain the reasons.

The fact that the band was able to achieve such success is clearly due to the entire group’s newfound gambari spirit.  If one were to rework the movie to say that gambari was not the key to success (if working hard wasn’t always enough), one could have it end by having the Swing Girls never reach the music hall – it would say that, no matter how hard these girls tried, they were fated to not succeed.

7. Amae (dependence) is related to another characteristic of Japanese, Enryo (restraint) which stands along side Amae in the Japanese human relationships. In Swing girls, in the school, inner circle, Amae is present among students. How about the relationship between students and teacher(s) in the middle zone? Is Amae present or is Enryo present in the relationship between students and teacher(s)? Use a scene in the movie that demonstrated this in order to explain your opinions.

I think that there is a strange amount of Amae between the Swing Girls and their sensei/director.  The girls do not seem to have any Enryo towards him as they repeatedly ask him for favors and even invade his home.

 

8. Reflective inquiry--- Among four concepts, which one is the most difficult to understand. Analyze why you think so comparing with your own experiences and American (or your country’s) standard.

I think Amae is the most difficult for me to comprehend.  In American culture, individualism is highly encouraged and praised – the word “dependence” holds the negative connotation that one is either physically incapable of or not mature enough to take care of oneself.