Hi. Below is a clip from an anime called One Piece that I used to watch. In the clip, a pirate crew is singing their last song before they die. I found the scene to be a bit emotional even though it’s a cartoon and the song is in a language I don’t understand. Do you think that the language or the fact that the show is animated has much effect on the emotional aspect of the song and scene?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IihaX89WUUA
The emotion comes out mainly because the creators wanted to communicate a universal human emotion (in this case that emotion is sadness). The emotion comes out when you build a relationship with the characters. You come to love them and understand them and eventually befriend them. So you end up feeling sad when you see them singing their last song in the case of this scene.
If you see this for the first time you could still feel sad because there is a mutual understanding of what is happening by way of the translation and the animation. I can see why the animation might make this scene more emotional since 2D animation is most known for its colorful scenery, exaggerated expressions and exaggerated actions. The animation tells a story and that story could act as an interpretation of what is happening. You can easily read the lyrics and make a connection but let’s say those weren’t available. Then instead you would be associating the song with this depressing scene. You may not understand the words all the way but in some ways you feel a sadness when you hear that song. It would be different if that song was played in a cheerful scene involving the pirates. In that case the song would be happy.
It’s surprisingly effective, especially after this weekend’s look at death in CT and across our nation. Certainly, it would be nice to see our loved ones sing as they enter their new reality.
Bravo, Nelsyda. By the way, someone once wrote: “Death is the last chapter in time, but the first chapter in eternity.”