I came across an AMV from a movie titled Chirin no Suzu, or Ringing Bell of Chirin. As I write this, the YouTube window for the American version of the movie, titled Ringing Bell, is already up.
When I saw the AMV, I checked the Wikipedia page to see what in the world I was watching. The movie was so intriguing when put together with the AMV that I had to sit down to see it.
It starts as a movie very obviously aimed towards kids. Chirin is a young, hperactive-lamb living with his mother spending his days running free and eating clover. Due to his ADD personality, Chirin wears a bell around his neck so that he won't get lost where his mother can't find him.
Barely managing to get through to her distracted child, Chirin's mother warns him never to venture outside the fence into the mountains where the Wolf King dwells, his favorite food being lamb.
As fall arrives, one night the sheep in the barn are awoken by the sound of dogs fighting. The door bursts open, and the Wolf King enters. Chirin, still half-asleep doesn't flee with his friends and family. As the Wolf attempts to attack, Chirin's mother throws herself in the way to save her child.
Needless to say, Chirin's mother doesn't survive. This is where I bring in the description of the YouTube video I was watching this on: the uploader points out that the lamb goes through the five phases of grief, these being denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
Denial comes first, obviously. As soon as Chirin realizes that something is wrong, he immediately launches into the heartbreaking "please get up", "you can't leave me" rant.
Chirin charges into anger as soon as he's done sobbing over his mother's carcass. He marches into the mountains, calling out to the Wolf. In a pathetic attempt to attack his adversary, Chirin reveals that he plans to kill the Wolf as he killed his mother. However, the apathetic wolf literally flicks the lamb away.
When he returns to bargain, Chirin begs the Wolf to make him his apprentice. The lamb claims he hates being a cowering sheep and wants to become a strong wolf also. The Wolf refuses, and Chirin even suggests letting himself get eaten if things don't work out. Still, the Wolf King couldn't care less. Chirin swears he'll become a strong wolf and sets off on his own.
Our poor little lamb makes an attempt to hunt down prey, but it's obvious he doesn't know where to start. Taunted by the animals he tries to eat, an isolated Chirin starts following the Wolf on his travels, still insisting to be taught. Here we are treated to the Wolf King's harsh lifestyle where he shocks Chirin with his brutality. However, the lamb bears through it, following the wolf exhausted through the mountains. Occasionally seeing other animals with their mothers and remembering his deceased mother, the lamb slips further into his depression.
After accidentally smashing a nest of bird eggs, Chirin falls apart as the Wolf watches. He tells Chirin that sorrow is good, that it will help him "grow fangs" as he finally agrees to take the lamb as his apprentice. Once more, Chirin swears he will defeat the Wolf.
The Wolf is a harsh teacher, and he changes the once happy lamb into a vicious ram with a pair of horns to be reckoned with. The Wolf says he's happy with Chirin's progress, and the ram replies with this:
"You can't imagine the times I looked for a chance to kill you, but, somehow, I could never find one. I could never make myself do it. Living on this mountain has changed the way I think about life, and about you. For now, I think of you as a father, and if the world you live in is a Hell, then I'm willing to live there with you."
Here is Chirin's acceptance, but the story has a bit more to go.
The narrator tells us Chirin and the Wolf are now known far and wide for their ruthless and reckless killing.
On a dark and stormy night, the Wolf and his adopted son return to the ram's childhood home. Claiming he'll have no problem with the sheep, Chirin is shocked that he can't bring himself to attack a young lamb that's shielded by its mother. The Wolf, saying it's the last thing he'll "teach" the ram, tries to enter the barn. Chirin begs him not to enter, attacking the Wolf in an attempt to save the sheep inside.
Running wild, the ram remembers and cries out "I'm a ram! You're the wolf that killed my mother!" and gores the Wolf King on his horns.
The Wolf congratulates Chirin as he stands dying impaled, saying he knew this would be his demise: dying at the hand (or horn) of someone stronger. However, he says he was glad it was Chirin before falling dead to the ground.
Grieving in the rain, the ram turns to his childhood home, hoping to be accepted. The sheep, terrified by the attack and then murder, shut the door in fear of a creature that is neither wolf nor ram. After all, there was no way this fearsome monster had come from their field, right?
A confused and depressed Chirin returns to the mountain, thinking back to the time when he so desperately wished to kill the Wolf. Without a home or companion, the ram screams into the night for his adopted father.
As snow begins to fall, he asks "I'm still alive, but where do I go now?!"
The camera shows us a blizzard over the mountains that the Wolf and Chirin once roamed together as the narrator finishes the story: Chirin was vaguely remembered by some, but quickly forgotten as life moves on. In his field, he was never seen again.
* * *
As I figured I might, I'm not sure how to take this movie. It's an older anime from where the style didn't have the defined style it does today. An unknowing parent who might pick up the VHS tape for their child (God forbid) might not even know that it wasn't originally produced in America. However, the dubbing is excellent for a movie licensed in 1978.
The acting has that feel to it as well - done in a style making me think of Kimba the White Lion and Speed Racer. Therefore, it's hard to judge in 2011.
The movie itself moves at a good pace for kids, despite its heavy storyline. It features musical numbers, oddly. Not by the characters but some band probably hired by the company who dubbed it.
As for watching it, the movie has no DVD. It was released in the VCR days, therefore piracy is barely noticed, that's why I let myself watch it on YouTube. If you have the time, whether you actually want to go through with watching Ringing Bell is up to you.
- Much luvz, Hideki.
