#249: Uchida Shungicu no Noroi no One-Piece (The Cursed One Piece) (1992)

 

Studio: Kyoto Animation and Shin-Ei Animation

Director: Yoshiji Kigami

Screenplay: Miho Maruo

Based on the work of Shungicu Uchida

Voice Cast: Chisa Yokoyama as Michiyo, Hiroko Moriguchi as Kaori, Mariko Kouda as Yuuko

Viewed in Japanese with English Subtitles

 

A short horror special based on the work of Shungicu Uchida, this production by Kyoto Animation is sadly too short to easily distribute outside of digital streaming or purchase, which is a shame as making this widely available to non-Japanese anime fans would lead to a lot of people embracing this production, in its thirty minute form, to their hearts with what it has, a sumptuous little horror anthology based on gender peer pressure. About three girls in three tales, the stories are based around the titular one piece dress, a thing of horror in elegance whose existence also comes with themes of gender stereotypes.

Shungicu Uchida herself is distinct, someone I had known in the least expected way but emphasising her as a provocative creator, as she plays the mother in Takashi Miike's Visitor Q (2001), an infamous film even in the career of an infamous cult director like Miike's. A controversial film, it is like a retelling of Pier Paolo Pasolini's Theorem (1968), in which a man (Terrence Stamp in the Italian film) seduced the men and the women of a family, even the maid, taking a seemingly steady middle class/upper class family and breaking their facade. Visitor Q was about an already broken family, a male stranger named Q coming into their lives, and bringing them together as a happy family even if it involved murder and necrophilia among the many taboos broken onscreen. A satire, Uchida's role as the mother was a brave one, as alongside baring her body in nude scenes, one of the taboos broken, even though it is a natural part of the human body, was lactation, taken to its extreme with the kitchen floor covered in breast milk in the film's exaggerated and extreme humour. Hers was a good performance, and it is delightful to realise this, one of my few encounters with her creativity, was to someone whose career as an author/manga artist/singer/essayist/actor was openly confrontational even when it came to her semi-autobiography Father Fucker, or how one of her works was adapted into a genre film, Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl (2009).

This adaptation, for its luscious style, is a series of simple horror tales with twists, trademark for the genre, which however are all connected by peer pressure and expectations of teen girls to look feminine, the dress (brought by ghosts of malicious intent to their door steps barring one) an elegant gown of prettiness. Yuuko's tale is entirely that, wishing to be pretty to attract a boy, a monkey's paw scenario as to attract him, her clothes her mother buy looking inferior especially next to the popular girl they are going to the birthday party of, who is able to look ultra stylish and has an eye on him too. Immediately as well, you see, as this TV special has been preserved and made available in higher definition, how beautiful it is to look at. Sumptuous to look at, Kyoto (with Shin-Ei Animation) is well regarded for shows like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006), but this is a surprise in their early career for experimentation. It offers an interesting contrast in the catalogue of anime horror too as because, whilst the stories have horror beats, the horror twists here are mostly in pure day light in homes and quaint locations, between teen bedrooms to outside in the day, presenting a significant contrast. Depicted in mostly bright colours and with distinct character designs, what was originally a shoujo story for young women shows horror contrasted by how gorgeous the visuals are, even if, with little time here to elaborate, the visuals will get to the goods when it comes to the horror itself, such as the dress being cursed and turning one briefly into a possessed demon.

Kaori, the next victim, is brought the dress by the young brother of family, finding herself waking up wearing the dress constantly as a living nightmare, literally becoming a skin as a costume of elegance can for people. All of this is in mind the show can have scenes drawn like pastels, or with distinct use of space, for simplifying the image to only what needs to be drawn to the viewer's attention even if outlines, to get the point across perfectly, a visual style which is distinct and also precise for very simple tales, making them work far more in the little time they are afforded. When it wishes to be more detailed, the production does, and even ends this second one on a face of madness manga author Junji Ito would be proud of. Michiyo's tale, sad to know a boy she knew has transferred schools, emphasises gender stereotyping as she internalises guilt of never being able to comment fully to him, with emphasis as a teenager who is a tall tomboy, not good at sports and even teased by her own mother for not fitting the ideas of being ladylike at all. Hers is a radio drama twist waiting to happen, involving ghosts, but together with the other two shorts, Noroi No One Piece is a compelling production which took me by surprise. Tragically, it comes with the knowledge that Kyoto Animation's history includes the July 2019 arson attack that took place to their studio, one which took the life of this production's director Yoshiji Kigami among others, an attack which thankfully has not undercut their legacy in producing titles but was a tragedy no one would want and took the likes of Kigami who were visibly creative as here. One Piece itself was one title I had no knowledge of even in terms of horror anime's more obscure productions, as it was not an OVA either, and it did floor me without any expectations. If you can find it, it is recommended, and more voices becoming aware of this could like make the title properly appreciated.