Conde - Harp of Burma

The Harp of Burma is a different kind of anime than the other that we hve been watching. We are used to seeing animes with different types of "supernatural" elements to them, and for one week it is actually kind of interesting to see something that strays from that trend. I think what is interesting about this short film is that it talks and displays something real, and we are more able to relate and understand the human heartache that these soldiers and such are going through. Since much of it was based off of real events, we know that a lot of it isn't made up so it makes us realize that it is really a little more serious of a topic that is being displayed.

Although there are many versions of the Harp of Burma, or the "Burmese Harp", they all follow a similar pattern. Throughout all of them, and throughout the Japanese culture itself, they are very honorable. This film along with it's other versions depict how honor is a underlying trait that the Japanese all seem to have. Everything they do is out of honor and they are some of the bravest people ever. Whether the reason that they are so honorable is a religious or a cultural thing is left up to interpretation, but it is a fact that they are.

In class we talked about suicide and whether it was an honorable thing to do or a cowardly thing to do. As everyone agreed, it really depends on the situation, but in Letters From Iwo Jima it is definitely done in an honorable way. Giving up hope and killing yourself is one thing but when you have a legitimate reason for it, it may not be the most cowardly thing to do, but the quite opposite. In this film it is done to prevent the enemy from gaining information that could possibly take away from the chance of success for the Japanese. In a situation like that, if you are killing yourself to protect a large amount of people, than that is one of the most heroic things you could possibly do. It surely shows that you are/were someone who cared about the situation to an extreme extent.

Honor in unfortunate situations like that is still something important. That is a trait that really shows you are a good person, and it seems that in this film, and possibly the people in the situation that this film was based off of, were able to stay honorable until the end.