Adapted from the original work of the same name by Yuki Urushihara, "Insect Master" aired in 2005. At that time, Japan's animation industry was somewhat different from the current one. It may be that the relics from the end of the last century have not been burnt out, or that an extreme aspect of ACG culture has not overly eroded the industry, or it may also come with the economic downturn. The double panic of production costs and ratings.
From "Knight of Chaos", to "Symphonic Poems", to "Brightening Shana", in 2005, there were a considerable number of images, whether it was the artistry of the images, the depth of expression, or even the experimental nature of creation, as well as the basic commercial nature. His works can take into account all aspects, and become famous and handed down for a long time.
Insect Master is undoubtedly one of them, and maybe only Chaos Warriors can be compared to it that year. However, it is analogous to the image experiment attribute and hip-hop cultural attribute of "Chaos Warriors", or more accurately, to all styles that existed in the animation industry in 2005, such as the robot fighting style inherited from the last century, the cyberpunk style, or Whether it is a combination of the survival of the world from EVA and the daily life of teenagers and girls, or some more terrifying and gloomy styles, "Insect Master" should be completely different: it is loyal to traditional Japanese aesthetics, and it is precisely this. This kind of loyalty endows the image with a sensuous quality of its own. In fact, "Insect Master" perfectly realizes the animation and imaging of traditional Japanese aesthetics, and this is not simple.
Japanese traditional aesthetics cannot be said to be an extremely complex system. From the novels of "The Tale of Genji" and "The Tale of Heike", the essays of "Pillow Grass", to the poems of "Manyoshu", and the works of Hikaru Matsuo Basho , and even Shiami's Noh, Sen Rikyu's tea ceremony art, etc. Although all kinds of arts are different, they are in the same line. In fact, there is no more meaning of blooming flowers. However, countless artists have continued to create, and a large number of scholars have made theoretical summaries. Japanese culture has invested heavily in this aesthetics, and this aesthetic system of simple quality, simplicity and tranquility has been acquired in the process of accumulation and precipitation for thousands of years. great development.
For "Insect Master", simple inheritance may not be difficult: the accumulation of a large number of literary and artistic works, and the basis of the original comics, can easily create a work with traditional aesthetic symbols and elements by copying - just images The piling up of details and the generation of an inner feeling of loneliness, sadness, and desolation cannot be done effectively.
As an image, "Insect Master" itself is not a novel, a sentence, nor a manga, Noh, or tea ceremony - the image itself is an independent art category, and from another perspective, it is also a synthesis. Therefore, it is possible to analyze and explain the fit of the various contents in "The Insect Master" to the traditional aesthetic characteristics of different Japanese genres of art, so as to complete the classification of the "Insect Master" image and the analysis of its feelings conveyed.
A "sincerity"
As the core element of the work "Insect Master", "Insects", in addition to their vivid images, also have some unique conceptual characteristics: they are mysterious existences in nature, but they also have some unique conceptual characteristics. It exists almost as a natural phenomenon, and at the same time symbolizes the original tension of life, and produces an incredible feeling of transcendence to the viewer.
Of course, from the image to the concept, although the "worm" is beyond the real sense of nature, its generation undoubtedly comes from the perception and experience of nature.
The Japanese aesthetic consciousness originated from the perception of natural beauty. Japan has a natural environment with four distinct seasons, which is naturally the object of worship and worship. Living here has also cultivated the Japanese people's natural love and delicate feeling for nature, which forms the basis of their aesthetic perception. Specifically, it is the sympathy and appreciation for the life gestures of forest plants and many natural objects such as romantic scenes. The changes of life forms and colors of these natural things lead to people's deep feeling of seasonal changes and understanding of the essence of life.
As Japan's original belief, Shintoism is essentially based on the worship of natural spirits. There is no doubt that it belongs to animistic polytheism, but this is different from Hinduism or other polytheism: the gods of Shintoism are not given to the gods. Personalities, objects of worship are actually closer to the feelings themselves produced by the natural things that are their archetypes: not named, not specifically described, but similar to the unique and pure feelings produced by art.
However, analogous to the spirit worship of Shintoism, "worm" may be more pure and simple: it is no longer attached to reverence, it is no longer attached to many prayers, it does not require piety, it does not require religious character and ethics - it It just coexists with people, affects people's lives, and allows people to feel it, and to feel the world in which the two coexist. Although in the world of "Insect Master", this form of coexistence has to be accompanied by the passing of life, and it continues in various emotions such as sadness, agitation, pain, and anger. But this does not make all this muddy and chaotic, on the contrary, it shows a kind of candor and simplicity, a natural expression of emotion and nature, a lyrical expression of almost realism without pretense and decoration: this is the "sincerity" ", "まこと".
"Sincerity" not only refers to the respect for all things in nature, but also refers to the natural nature of human beings. Harmonious coexistence with the surrounding natural vegetation can make the sincere emotions flow out naturally.
In the "Cage" in Chapter 14 of "The Insect Master", the man who is the protagonist of the chapter chooses to live in a bamboo forest with his wife, who is a foreign object. His wife is also willing to cut off his mother's body for him and let him return to his hometown, just as a village in his hometown. No longer accepting their family, when his wife and daughter also withered and withered with the death of the mother, he also had to live in isolation again due to extreme grief, but on the tomb of his wife and daughter, he found a new life emerging from the ground. . The emotions born in this family of three are sincere and warm. Between the two choices of living in a small family and returning to their hometown, due to their sincere and unreserved love for each other, the people in this family are born. Both individuals have given up their own lives to complete each other - this is undoubtedly the "sincere", sincere, strong, full and clear and honest.
Two "Sorrows"
As mentioned above, the whole world of "Insect Master", especially the concept of "Insect" itself, needs to carry the aesthetics of "sincere" and sincere and complex emotions and emotions. Although it is also like in Chapter 6 "The Dew-sucking Group", the "worm" is more of a tool in the story, or used to rule and make money, or make people drunk and dream dead: the "worm" in this chapter is more of a gift A certain characteristic of people, it is more just a function of the plot and the expression of emotions and emotions still originate from people. But as the core symbol of the whole work, "worm" is not only an object in the story that affects the world and is perceived by the character, nor is it just some raw material that makes the character feel emotional. In the image, it is like pure feeling, which complements the emotions of the characters in the image. "Insect" does not only provide a plot role, it constitutes the aesthetic characteristics of "Wu Sorrow" in the physical posture of the object.
The "sorrow" of "things sorrow" is not just lamentation or sadness, it has richer emotional content. "Sorrow" is the emotional expression of the subject's emotional interpenetration with the external world, but at the same time its prototype is the sense of life and seasons in the concept of natural beauty. sentimental tone. Even if it is the same as the 6th episode "The dew-sucking group", although the "worm" mainly plays the role of the plot, but its life and death are full of happiness in the experience of time, but it has to make us as human beings. Boundless sigh: This is undoubtedly "sorrow", a feeling that comes after a strong experience of natural life.
But of course, "sorrow" is not only sentimental or sad, but also contains other real emotional value judgments. Before the word "sorrow", add "thing" to become "things sorrow". The "things" here have the limited meaning of "external nature and real society". Write down the things that move you. In fact, "sorrow" is closer to a simpler emotional description that only targets the subject, while "material sorrow" closely links emotion with the external world. The interweaving and interpenetration of heart and object is caused by "object". Feelings of joy, anger, sorrow and joy.
In a sense, "worm" is the original form of life, and every interaction between its world and human life will inevitably generate a strong experience of natural life, which will be emotion, admiration, and Sadness, anxiety, and sigh. At the same time, "Insect Master" shows not only the life of "Insect" and the wonders of nature. In the world of "Insect Master", the "Insect" that appears in people's lives will always push people to a special place. And extreme situations, the impermanence of life, the loneliness of the world, the sudden changes of the world, these are all perceived by the characters who live in them, which also forces every character in the lonely world to stare at the other person who accompanies him. A person regards it as a "thing" and "sorrows" it with his heart, and the emotions between people also flow like this.
From the first chapter, the light wine, the insect feast, the wine glass, the insect's whisper, the green mountains, the flying words, the grandmother and the grandchildren's life, and then to the second chapter's light pulse, eye dark insect, artificial eye, eyelid The darkness, the gushing liquid, the friendship between cousins, the joy of returning to the light... Every episode in "The Insect Master" is derived from nature and life, and it is only related to the life of ordinary people. Unbelievable, they appear in the images as feelings, what touches our endless sadness and sighs.
Three "You Xuan"
In addition to content elaboration, symbol display, emotional carving, and character characterization, "Insect Master" is particularly noteworthy as an animation work. It is a very stylistic and natural beauty beyond the original comics. In essence, the formal characteristics of this image are actually extended from the aesthetic characteristics of "sincerity" and "material sorrow". It focuses on the display of individual's experience of nature and the characterization of nature and life. At the same time, as an animation work, its lens no longer captures the real world, but presents the artist's brush and ink. The drawing style of this work is delicate and gentle, and the natural scenery is also vividly outlined, and even endowed with a special texture beyond the real thing. For example, in the first episode of "The Green Seat", under the smudge of ink and wash, the green mountains and forests are like cages in fog, so green and incomparably hazy - this not only outlines the most typical natural features of Japan, but this mountain forest is also So incredible: the mist with delicate brushstrokes covers the green, and the white and yellow sky also appears hazy and deep. a source of power.
This kind of aesthetic characteristic is called "youxuan", the so-called "speaking is full of meaning", the word "youxuan" is not actually the expression of beauty itself, it expresses the scale of beauty, and youxuanmei actually refers to "profound beauty" . Zhengche explained in "Zhengche's Diary": "The so-called secluded Xuan is something that comes from the heart and is expressed in words. The thin clouds cover the moon, and the autumn dew sprinkles on the red leaves on the mountain, which has a unique style, and this style , is the posture of Youxuan." Here Zhengtou understands Youxuan as the beauty of hazy, vague, reserved, distant, empty and still. In addition, "you" in "youxuan" also refers to "you world", "xuan" refers to "porch" and "entrance", so it is "the entrance to the world": the way of life is nothing but the entrance to death, life is limited, there are There is a sense of sadness in the aesthetic qualities of life and death.
"Yu Xuan" fully shows the aesthetic taste and appreciation of the Japanese nation. This is an aesthetic concept involving the real world: the surface is beautifully interpreted with the symbolic world, but everything hidden in the plane is even more fascinating. In fact, all kinds of art in Japan regard the beauty of "secret and mysterious" as the realm or principle of the highest taste and the most elegant beauty. Regarding the "Insect Master", in addition to the beauty of the picture, the many formal characteristics in the image are also an excellent presentation of "Yuanxuan".
Taking episode 7 "Rainbow after the Rain" as an example, the video depicts the protagonists chasing the rainbow-like "flowworms" in the mountains and fields. In addition to the simple and natural medium scene selection to present the communicative dialogue between the characters, in the video The use of long-range and panoramic shots, as well as many empty shots, is also excellent enough: large-scale pictures of mountains, forests, flowing water, and falling rain, as well as any arbitrary grass and trees, are presented delicately and peacefully, and the image is very good for this kind of work. In the display of natural situations, a kind of poetry is generated. Individuals walk, run, and chase in this unrefined natural situation, but these are no longer just simple spatial position changes, or normal movements that include blood and passion. In this story, the use of medium and panoramic shots completes the presentation of the movement as a whole, while there are also close-up shots that depict unique movements: the first two allow the character's movement to be integrated with the surrounding environment, and make these movements also constitute an impact on the environment. There is a poetic expression hidden in it; and the latter strengthens the movement's display of the inner activities of the characters. Compared with Honglang's memories of his father and his own obsession with rainbows in the plot, this chase undoubtedly has a deeper meaning. Psychological real meaning.
All the undercurrents surging in the image finally completed a kind of intersection in the appearance of the iris: the iris may itself be the core signifier and concentrated expression of all the hidden poetic meanings in this chapter. However, in the story, the rainbow worm is not really pursued: in fact, the search and yearning of Hong Lang and his father for the unparalleled beauty of the "Rainbow", as well as the entire story process that is finally approaching but not available, is undoubtedly also It has a "secret" interest. In fact, an adequate display of the poetic nature of nature is necessary, but a thorough presentation that allows the audience, the reader, and the characters in the work to actually possess it, will destroy all good imaginations about it. The so-called "speaking is exhaustive, but meaning is endless", "secret and mysterious", as a measure of beauty, is undoubtedly an excellent measure of the poetic quality of natural situations.
Four "Empty Silence" and "Idle Silence"
However, it is worth noting that the three basic aesthetic concepts of Japanese traditional aesthetics, "Sincerity", "Material Sadness" and "Youxuan", provide more of a formal outline and framework. Even in "Material Sadness", which requires a simple and profound love for the object, there is also a hidden sadness about life and death in "Youxuan". In fact, any works that are classified into the category of traditional Japanese aesthetics, the subject's mood and the inner feelings of the work are undoubtedly silent mixed with sadness, pity, sympathy, resonance, love and other moving elements. . And their content, their appearance, their style, and the feelings they can bring, the emotional and emotional characteristics they can be described, are actually more about "silence".
"Silence" itself refers to a pessimistic and lonely state of mind due to the decline and desolation of all things in nature. This originated in the Heian period, but in later generations with the development of art forms such as tea ceremony and haiku Looking for a simple and natural aesthetic taste in the lonely and desolate. Therefore, "silence" is often expressed as the idea of detaching from the worldly conflicts of fame and fortune, restoring the indifferent concept of the natural self, as well as the dull and simple beauty with sadness and silence as the undercurrent, a kind of lonely and lonely beauty.
"Silence" is mostly related to two aesthetic concepts: "empty silence" and "idle silence". "Empty silence" is mainly reflected in the spirit of the tea ceremony represented by the mid-century Sen Rikyu as an art of living, and "free and silent" is mainly reflected in the haiku taste represented by the modern-day Matsuo Basho as an expressive art. The artistic spirits of emptiness and idleness are almost the same, especially in the early stage of the germination of the Manyo period, the meanings of the two are almost the same, until the Heian period, the two have the same meaning in terms of beauty and disposition. Start to separate. "Empty silence" is based on secluded and mysterious, and its distressed duty is more emotional; while "Xianji" is based on elegance, and its loneliness is more emotional. At the same time, both of them are subjective things with strong spiritualism and mysticism. The meaning of both is particularly ambiguous and can only be grasped by God.
"Sakuji" first appeared in "Manyoshu", but later from the novel Romance of "The Tale of Genji", to Seami's Noh drama art, to Japanese ink painting that emphasizes white space, and finally to Sen Rikyu's tea ceremony art , "emptiness" was completed and entered the highest realm, so "emptiness" also changed from the tragic love between men and women, as for the repressed dissatisfaction and melancholy of life, and finally turned into seeking one from the realm of "emptiness" and "nothingness". A utterly pure spiritual beauty.
Sen Rikyu's "empty tea" takes "poverty" as its aesthetic taste. "Poverty" is not pure poverty in the general sense, but rather like "a bucket of food, a spoonful of drink" that does not follow the world, and feels in "poverty" to a unique value. "Kongji Tea" emphasizes removing all the decorations and pursuing simple taste. The small hut-style tea room, quiet and incomplete tea sets, and standardized tea-eating actions, the entire tea room is immersed in a quiet and low-key atmosphere, and the emotions of the tea eaters enter a dull state, giving rise to a kind of open-heartedness. Impressive and leisurely aftertaste, and in the sense of beauty generate a kind of afterglow and mysterious: this is the pure spiritual beauty that is rich in material even though the soul is "poor".
In "Insect Master", the protagonists of each chapter always live in groups because of the influence of "insects" or the naturalness of their ancestors. The grandfather and grandson hiding in the mountains in the first episode, the long-horned boy who grew up in the snow in the third episode, and the swamp girl in the fifth episode... This is the case with many protagonists. They have distanced themselves from society and abandoned more interpersonal relationships. In a poor and simple, but stable and natural, but also extremely lonely way to survive. After being far away from the world, nature has also permeated their lives in a strange form, and the characters who are accompanied by many strange pains, and the characters who have to live in harmony with the pain, make the whole situation also permeated with a kind of silence and lowness. , It seems that time has stagnated, and life will flow so quietly. This is undoubtedly the unique presentation of the beauty of "emptiness" in "Insect Master" as an image.
"Idle silence" is the unique beauty of the haiku art represented by Matsuo Basho, but at the same time it is gradually formed in the long historical development of poetry, waka and lianko. The word "idle silence" and "empty silence" appeared almost simultaneously in "Manyoshu", expressing a sense of loss due to the loss of the object of love, as well as a sense of tranquil loneliness that evolved. However, after the Middle Ages, the creator gradually visualized "idleness" subtly, and moved away from the loneliness of the Manyo era that simply expressed nostalgia for human feelings, and leaned towards the melancholy induced by nature, and purified it to express the emptiness of nature. As a natural image, Fenghuaxueyue contains its own sad and lonely beauty, and when this is integrated with the bitterness of life, the desolate and melancholy beauty expressed by "idle silence" is undoubtedly more profound.
In recent times, Matsuo Basho pushed this aesthetic concept to a peak in the art of haiku, that is, the elegant beauty centered on "silence", making it the basic concept of the aesthetics of haiku. "Fengya" here does not refer to general elegance, but refers to the beauty of nature, which is a wide range of natural scenery. At the same time, for Basho Matsuo, in order to get rid of all commonplace thoughts, he adopts a contemplative attitude and embraces a lonely state of mind in order to face the natural scenery and related life and life. In a sense, Fengya is loneliness, and the spirit of Fengya and beauty is also a kind of eternal loneliness. Even if "idleness" contains simplicity, indifference, simplicity, and poverty, even if it can grasp the pulse of natural life, It contains strong enthusiasm and spiritual joy, but in the final analysis, it is loneliness and silence, and what exists at the very core is still loneliness. And this can only be achieved when the self, the beauty of nature and art are mixed into one, and it is the observation of beauty after the fusion of subject and object.
In contrast to the characters in each chapter, as the protagonist Yingu of "The Insect Master", he can never "live in isolation", because he can never stop in a certain place for a long time-in this sense, he is far more than any other. A character is even more lonely, even if his friends are all over the world, but hidden in him is eternal wandering. Chapter 11 is the possibility of becoming a mountain master, Chapter 12 is the loss of his family, relatives, teachers and memories, Chapter 15 is a family-like experience of coexisting with a pair of brothers and sisters, and Chapter 20 is incomparable with Yingu. Yingu seems to have too many opportunities to stop, but he can't. He seems not only lonely, but also eternal loneliness without anchor. He has reserved a position for us as the audience in the video. This position seems to be a "bug master" to solve the problems encountered by the characters in each chapter, but in fact, this position is also a thoroughly contemplative position: Just like the subject of creation, even if he can experience it, he seems to be passing by in a hurry to everything. In the jungles, mountains, rivers, oceans, and various "worms" constructed by animation images, all the natural features, under the walking and viewing of Yingu, show the desolate and pathetic aesthetics in an empty and deserted manner. In contrast to Yingu's own loneliness, it is undoubtedly the beauty of "freedom" with loneliness as the core, which is indifferent and simple and contains spiritual joy.
In addition to "Insect Master", the traditional Japanese aesthetic style is still particularly active in the video, and based on the concepts of "Sorrow of Things" and "Secrets of Mystery", many distinctive artistic elements and creative frameworks have been formed, such as urban sadness and small town complex. Wait. Regarding images, we still believe that the traditional Japanese aesthetics will continue to continue in this modern art.
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