How Japan Portrays Serial Killers

hey wow this was a fun one to make, and also kind of a nightmare, shoutout adobe for the headaches
also you would not believe how much time i spent picking & editing the music for this thing

Chapters
0:00 Introduction
1:09 TRAGEDY
10:35 CATHARSIS
15:02 ORIGIN
27:03 RESOLUTION

[guyjin]

Japan's high conviction rate has a lot more to do with the fact you can be held for up to 23 days without being charged with a crime and can also be questioned by police without a lawyer present than it does with any particular competence of their prosecutors.

[starlanaa]

The serial killer and rapist from 'Memories of a Murder' was most horrifying to me because the killer was never even a suspect. They were flawless and described as "plain and ordinary, " not sticking out like Hollywood movie serial killers. The fact that they could blend in, making it possible for anyone to be the culprit, is an idea that horrifies me.

[ilikeyoutube]

In Better Call Saul, i LOVED how they showed Walter from Sauls POV.
When u watch breaking bad, walter is a cool, calculated cool guy.
When u see him from Sauls POV, hes weird, uptight, annoying, u kinda wonder how he even got married to begin with.

Showing how the west depicts criminals vs japan made me think of this.

[bananatiergod]

Fun fact: Each movie on this video shares the same actor in different roles (the yakuza in Himizu, Mitsuko's father in Forest of Love, Yukio in Cold Fish, the police officer in Cure).

[toolatetothestory]

I didn't think I could cry at the DESCRIPTION of a movie.
But Himizu... The small bits you showed already were so heartfelt, I did actually tear up.
I wish someone would love and support me like the small community Sumida has.

[Romanticoutlaw]

I think a pitfall western storytelling falls into is that because the unknown is scary, the known must not be scary. Knowing and understanding and still being afraid of serial killers seems pretty powerful

[sleepyguy]

Huh, so they treat serial killers in media as awkward lame people instead of the west where they are cold, cool and calculating

[Hanilavi]

the og writers and directors for The Ring said something like this when the first The Ring portraition was happening in USA. That they feel like english media over explains and over shows things which ends up ruining the tension

[amphiptered.]

Man, I've never heard of Himizu. But damn, never expected a serial killer-esque story to make me cry. That really sounds like an amazing story. I'll see if I can find a sub somewhere.

[yikaii]

This is so fucking well edited. I sincerely hope you one day become famous/popular. Youtube isn't recommending your videos much but please don't let that stop you from continuing to upload.

[Throwæy]

Highly recommend The vanishing 1988.
It tells the story of a guy preparing to be a serial killer. Some of the best editing Ive ever seen in a movie.

[Ravewolf]

I think the difference between Japanese and Western crime films is partly a reflection of how the societies fear different things. In Japan, an at least traditionally collectivist society, the fear of the common man failing to maintain a sense of responsibility to the broader society runs deep. So, you see films like Cure, in which, with a little hypnotic nudging, the otherwise normal detective in the story kills his wife because he wants to be free of being responsible for a mentally ill person, not because he relishes killing.

Whereas, in the West, we often have a narrative of Stranger Danger, so we have films that otherize the killers and make them seem more exotic, skilled, and with harder to relate to motives for most people, and not necessarily being a reflection on the broader society in themselves.

Of course, neither of these approaches is a perfect reflection of reality. Regarding the Japanese approach, while it's true that some killers are affected by their upbringing and environment, some are a lot harder to explain as a result of society or a reflection of it. The real life BTK killer mentioned having violent fantasies, and killing small animals, even in early childhood, despite having a normal and healthy upbringing. Sometimes, they really are just built different. Yet the Japanese films often depict a cycle of violence theme, and crimes with profit motives that are easier to understand or even relate to for ordinary folks.

But per the Western stories, actual killers are often clumsy and not great planners. Many of the famous 1970's killers got away with stuff more because the analog world of that time wasn't prepared for them, and DNA evidence was not a thing until a bit later in the 80's. Yet our killers are super competent master minds in the movies, instead of the impulsive people that actual psychopaths often are. Also, despite our mysterious stranger danger character narratives, one is statistically more likely to be harmed by someone they know.

[kirstengeddes]

This was such a good essay-well articulated, well paced, well edited, and genuinely captivating!

[the_rat_under_the_hat]

ORIGIN sorta reminds me of Crime and Punisment tbh
• both main characters have a plan they fail to go through with
• both's motive for murder is to rid the world of evil
• both struggle with love and acceptance
• both have a love interest that tells them to go confess
• both end on an optimistic note (after showing the suffering of the protagonist)

[dewaeryadi]

Its sad how overlooked is modern japanese cinema, with most youtubers whove only seen some live action anime adaptation with purposely comical acting, label it as bad acting and ignore the scene as a whole, label it as cringe, you are doing a great work showing the brilliant part of japanese long history of cinema

[robokill]

The depiction of serial killers as masterminds who masterfully outwit the police is a form of copaganda. The vast majority of serial killers have below average IQ and are very sloppy, the fact that police have trouble catching them is far more often due to police incompetence and a lack of care for the victims, who are usually people who society does not care about, such as prostitutes and drug addicts. Look up the cases of the Yorkshire ripper and the Grindr killer. In the latter case, it was blatantly obvious to everyone that there was a serial killer at large, but he got away with it for a long time because the police didn't bother to investigate because all the victims were gay men who had drugs in their system.

[mekkimechanicvt]

This is an incredibly well written and presented essay. The contrast between Japanese film culture's humanistic presentation of serial killers, as people who were driven to such points by both the world around them and themselves. Versus American film culture's paragonic presentation of the subject, as the end all be all of irreconcilable evil which comes about as a matter of evil and personal failure is an interesting conversation I have always wanted to see in conversation more.

[Malkamok]

Jesus Christ the editing is SMOOTH. Great content, thanks man

[AirAnimeAngel]

Japanese cinema generally feels quite a bit more introspective than Western(though obviously there are many exceptions), thus I`m not surprised this is the way they present so many serial killers. I wish Japanese dramas in particular were more popular among general audiences, because they also flex those curious muscles over there. For example, Saka no Tochu no Ie(House Atop a Slope) is a 4 episode short drama dealing with postpartum depression, expectations put on new mothers, as well as lack of support from everyone around, leading to an infanticide, observed by the main character. It`s a fantastic show.

Kenja no Ai is also 4 episodes long and details one of the most messed up stories and revenges I`ve ever seen and it`s not bloody at all.

[DrMedicsGameSurgery]

this video is so goddamn good, i hope you get the recognition you deserve dude