Thought of the Day: Uesugi Kenshin
Yeah, took me long enough, but I finally finished watching "Ama Kakeru Ryu no Gotoku"! It really was an inspiring piece!
Let me just start with a little review of the DVD.
The DVD includes some of the most memorable appearances of GACKT-san in Fuurin Kazan. There is also footage of GACKT-san visiting Uesugi's temple and grave in Nagano, as well as behind-the-scenes footage from production of the drama. A real gem is GACKT-san's physical training. ^_~*
Of course, this DVD features a lot of interviews.
In one of the first interviews, you get to learn how GACKT-san got casted into the Taiga drama in the first place.
Later, you learn about Ogata Ken's chemistry with GACKT-san, which aids in performing their proper roles. It just brought a tear to my eye when Ogata-san imitated the "thumbs-up" sign he gave to GACKT-san in praising his performance.
My favorite chapter of the documentary was the one covering the shooting of the drama's climax. In the final episode, there is a scene of the legendary face-off between Uesugi-dono and his enemy, Takeda Shingen. (Here you can see a statue depicting the event in Kawanakajima: http://bit.ly/7C9fl3 ) It turns out the director had initially sacrificed the authenticity of the event in order to preserve the actors' safety. But of course, GACKT-san was not satisfied with such a half-assed job, and wanted to do it for real. It really made quite a difference when watching the finished product.
Finally, as the title suggests, there is a lot of comparison done throughout the documentary, between Uesugi-dono and GACKT-san. I have to say: when I hear GACKT-san talking about his values, I feel like he's quoting "GACKTIONARY". Hahaha! I guess the man is just that honest with himself.
As I was further in watching the documentary, the more I was convinced that GACKT-san is indeed an incarnation of Uesugi-dono.
One example is seen in one of Uesugi's famous quotes: "Those who fight with the will to die, will live. Those who fight with the will to live, will surely perish." GACKT-san explains that how he has always lived his life was by preparing to leave something in this world once he dies. By expecting to die at any given moment, he has always lived his life to his fullest. So it greatly pleased GACKT-san that his philosophy was also adopted by a war hero 450 years ago.
Another comparison is in their goals. Uesugi-dono waged war against greed. In order to accomplish this goal, he had to overcome himself as a human being. So Uesugi-dono devoted himself to Bishamonten, and rid himself of romantic relationships with women. Similarly, GACKT-san wages war against denial. He notices that a lot of people are giving up on doing their best. So as an artist, he wishes to inspire youth in living life to the fullest, without holding back.
During production of Fuurin Kazan, GACKT-san trained in the early morning, then quickly headed to the set, only to come back home in the early morning to repeat the process. Others would be amazed at GACKT-san's brutal training, as well as be amazed at Uesugi's sacrifice of women. People would wonder at how they could manage living like that. Yet, since those two are driven towards their goals in enlightening the world, to them it is not very burdening.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed watching this DVD, and I highly recommend it to any devoted fan of GACKT-san. It may only be an hour long, but the footage you get to see is purely priceless, as well as the knowledge you will obtain about these two honorable Japanese men.
Let me just start with a little review of the DVD.
The DVD includes some of the most memorable appearances of GACKT-san in Fuurin Kazan. There is also footage of GACKT-san visiting Uesugi's temple and grave in Nagano, as well as behind-the-scenes footage from production of the drama. A real gem is GACKT-san's physical training. ^_~*
Of course, this DVD features a lot of interviews.
In one of the first interviews, you get to learn how GACKT-san got casted into the Taiga drama in the first place.
Later, you learn about Ogata Ken's chemistry with GACKT-san, which aids in performing their proper roles. It just brought a tear to my eye when Ogata-san imitated the "thumbs-up" sign he gave to GACKT-san in praising his performance.
My favorite chapter of the documentary was the one covering the shooting of the drama's climax. In the final episode, there is a scene of the legendary face-off between Uesugi-dono and his enemy, Takeda Shingen. (Here you can see a statue depicting the event in Kawanakajima: http://bit.ly/7C9fl3 ) It turns out the director had initially sacrificed the authenticity of the event in order to preserve the actors' safety. But of course, GACKT-san was not satisfied with such a half-assed job, and wanted to do it for real. It really made quite a difference when watching the finished product.
Finally, as the title suggests, there is a lot of comparison done throughout the documentary, between Uesugi-dono and GACKT-san. I have to say: when I hear GACKT-san talking about his values, I feel like he's quoting "GACKTIONARY". Hahaha! I guess the man is just that honest with himself.
As I was further in watching the documentary, the more I was convinced that GACKT-san is indeed an incarnation of Uesugi-dono.
One example is seen in one of Uesugi's famous quotes: "Those who fight with the will to die, will live. Those who fight with the will to live, will surely perish." GACKT-san explains that how he has always lived his life was by preparing to leave something in this world once he dies. By expecting to die at any given moment, he has always lived his life to his fullest. So it greatly pleased GACKT-san that his philosophy was also adopted by a war hero 450 years ago.
Another comparison is in their goals. Uesugi-dono waged war against greed. In order to accomplish this goal, he had to overcome himself as a human being. So Uesugi-dono devoted himself to Bishamonten, and rid himself of romantic relationships with women. Similarly, GACKT-san wages war against denial. He notices that a lot of people are giving up on doing their best. So as an artist, he wishes to inspire youth in living life to the fullest, without holding back.
During production of Fuurin Kazan, GACKT-san trained in the early morning, then quickly headed to the set, only to come back home in the early morning to repeat the process. Others would be amazed at GACKT-san's brutal training, as well as be amazed at Uesugi's sacrifice of women. People would wonder at how they could manage living like that. Yet, since those two are driven towards their goals in enlightening the world, to them it is not very burdening.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed watching this DVD, and I highly recommend it to any devoted fan of GACKT-san. It may only be an hour long, but the footage you get to see is purely priceless, as well as the knowledge you will obtain about these two honorable Japanese men.