Whottawhottawhottawhotta!
T.H.E.M. is an organization that does anime reviews, among other things such as Reduced Anime. Their reviews, etc. tend to take a humorous bent.

At some point in time, someone posted this review of The Dagger of Kamui. The author of the review didn't like it too much, and thought it was boring. The review contains the following lines:

Plus, it doesn't help that just before he gets attacked, we get treated to this annoying whottawhottawhottawhottawhottawhotta sound, along with that bizarre 70's disco soundtrack (he's just staying alive, I guess).

However, someone doesn't agree with the reviewer's assesment that the movie was boring and shows up in the forums. Arguing that, among other things, the whottawhottawhotta sound is symbolic of Buddhism. Or the Ainu. Or hell if I know.



kagekirazuul: I've read the review by Raphael See of this movie and was totally appalled. While, yes, there is some cheese factor (the cameo by Mark Twain), the movie on the whole is an excellent portrayal of actual shinobi villages. The intricate (not just a long genius) plot is very illustrative of the intelligence webs employed by shinobi. The "whotta" sound is heard in many anime and is pretty normal in Japanese culture. The 70's soundtrack adds to the cheese factor; however, that's because it was made IN JAPAN in the very early 80's. Secondly, for "ninja action," Ninja Scroll is not your best bet. It doesn't portray ninja accurately at all. Curse of the Undead Yoma was closer to the mark than that of the wandering vagabond swordsmen Jubei. Again, this movie is definately for someone who isn't looking for Anime chicks with cat ears holding large guns and flashing fanservice every 10 seconds. It's for someone who actually enjoys Japanese culture and the nuances of one of its oldest and most mysterious shadow societies, the Shinobi.

You have to be a registered member to view the thread, so I'll provide you with some highlights:



curlyconnor: ...Whotta you talking about?!



doink-chan: I agree with Northdoinkies. Just write your own reader review if you don't agree with our review. It's better than acting like a doink and ranting just because *gasp* the reviewer on this site didn't agree with you.

And as for your comment about "whotta"...doinkies has never heard that sound in any other anime I've ever seen. Nor have I seen it in any other Japanese TV shows, like J-dramas. I do know that the Noh sound ("Hyoooooooooooooooooooooo~~~~! *doink doink*") is heard in quite a few anime, especially when they cut to some sacred statue or something, but you are obviously not referring to that sound.


[insert a few comments agreeing/disagreeing with the OP in a sane and rational manner here]


kagekirazuul: I would've posted a reader review, but there wasn't a big shiny button saying "post your own review here" for the computer impaired newbie. I did look through the forum index and saw the heading "review discussion." I figured this was the place because I wasn't posting my own actual review, but giving an opinion to another person's review. This is under the review discussion heading, I hope. As for the "whotta" sound, it's not exactly "Japanese pop culture (Thu Feb 24, 2005 4:19 pm curlyconnor)" It's more Traditional Japanese culture. Though sound did make an appearance in Serial Experiments Lain. Also in some of the old Zatoichi movies, it can be heard. I was wrong in saying "The 'whotta' sound is heard in many anime and is pretty normal in Japanese culture." It's not exactly normal in Popular Japanese culture, rather its heard in traditional opera and music and a select few of anime. The sound isn't really "whotta whotta" either. It stems from the Hindu Ramayan, where Ram goes to get Sita back and attacks with the monkey king Hanuman. The sound is heard in most singing of the Ramayan, specifically in Bali. The sound is said "Kecak" and represents the thousands of monkeys going in the barrage to rescure sita. It's in Japanese culture because of the residual Hinduist practices left over in Buddhism. This is important in the film because this sound represents the lost past of Buddhism and this parallels the lost past of the Ainu (Japan's Native people).



curlyconnor: WOAH! You must be an expert on the "Whotta sound". I had no idea of your expertise!



miwasatoshi: Wow. That is ... a rather extreme amount of analysis for a sound effect.

Do keep in mind that Raph wrote this review way back in 1996 -- when very few American viewers had that sort of context. From the reaction of the majority of the readers here, it's still large the same situation.

So "It's not exactly normal in Popular Japanese culture". It's even less normal in the West -- and the movie did not come with cultural notes when it aired on US cable television.

I'm sorry you were "appalled", but the gross historical inaccuracies in this film detract immensely from its value, and there is a good deal of evidence that the "shinobi tradition" is largely fabricated by Meiji / Taisho / Showa era fiction writers.

As it is, equating the Ainu with *Hindu* traditions is just plain incorrect. The word Kamui is based on the Ainu word for "gods" ... the basis for the Japanese word "kami", a word primarily associated with Shinto, which originally arose independently from Buddhism and Hinduism. If anything, the Buddhist-influenced Imperial Court are exactly the forces that helped lead the Ainu into isolation!



Noir: I thought whotta! was just a random sound popularised by Chinese kung-fu flicks?! Especially by Bruce Lee if he is whielding the nunchukus (sp?). Ya'know, those short two sticks that are held together by a length of short chain?

It's just me, mind you but I think the Hindu theory is waaayyyyyy too far-fetched!



BuddyJesus: How do you know so much about samurai? I strongly doubt that you lived during that era to give us a first hand of what it was like to be one.

Saying "it was made in the 80's is no excuse". Castle of Cagliostro was made in 1979 and Dagger of Kamui doesn't even come close to its quality.

If you not already done so, please post a reader review. It is the most effective way to respectfully disagree with the reviews already on this site.



Nsight7: Come on dude. He could legitimately be a Japan history buff. And I think it is obvious that he is NOT claiming a first-hand account of that era.

But I do agree, the fact that it was made in the 80's doesn't excuse it for bad quality (not that it is necessarily bad, since I have yet to see it).



kagekirazuul: "If anything, the Buddhist-influenced Imperial Court are exactly the forces that helped lead the Ainu into isolation! (miwasatoshi)." Yes. That is correct. But the ol' "whotta whotta" sound is heard when there's fighting. I stand by my earlier statement that the sound is linked to buddhism in that it represents the its lost roots and that this idea parallels the lost roots of the Japanese people. A person could interpret that the use of the sound is precisely for this antagonistic manner (only during the fighting). The Ainu descendant is fighting against pre-industrializing Japan and this is also represented in the Hindu infused music. It is as if all of the past is coming to a forte each time this clash is illustrated each time there is a fight scene.

"How do you know so much about samurai? I strongly doubt that you lived during that era to give us a first hand of what it was like to be one (BuddyJesus)." Um... dude, open a freaking book. Turn on the history channel, discovery channel, or checkout a documentary on samurai from any public library. Even better, because these may seem too much like learning, go rent Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai.



miwasatoshi: This totally ignores that the Ainu WEREN'T BUDDHIST. Why apply a Buddhist sound to a non-Buddhist people?

I still think you are heavily over-analyzing this. Again, this is a movie where Native Americans speak perfect Japanese and Captain Kidd was a ninja. Striving for historical accuracy? WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!?



kagekirazuul: "This totally ignores that the Ainu WEREN'T BUDDHIST. Why apply a Buddhist sound to a non-Buddhist people? "

Because Hindus are not Buddhists, genius!
The Shinto religion is actually not that far off from the Hindu religion in essence. The pantheon is different but the core values are very similar to traditional Hinduism.

Now why is it that everyone thinks Captain Kidd is a ninja? The movie never says he's a ninja. The Native American girl the main character marries has a map to Captain Kidd's treasure. Does this means her French parents were ninja? Oh wait, Mark Twain shows up, he must be a ninja too. You know that black sailor guy.... yep, you guessed it, ninja as well. Brilliant!


Alas, the mod locked the post soon after that.