The movie is called Shōjo Tsubaki. For those of us Americans who don't fancy ourselves bilingual, it is called Maiden Camellia or Midori. For our purposes today, it is Midori.
Midori was made in 1992 by Hiroshi Harada, as a film adaptation of Mr. Arashi’s Amazing Freak Show, a manga by Maruo Suehiro. Unable to find sponsors due to the subject matter (oh, don't worry, I'll get to that,) Harada invested his life savings into Midori, only to have it banned due to graphic imagery deemed illegal in Japan (ILLEGAL in JAPAN? Yes. Don't worry, I'll get to it...)
Midori is considered to be an ero guro work. Ero guro is an art movement originated from Japan in the 1930s. The style is based around physical deformations, missing limbs and generally horrific-looking figures.
Oh, yeah. By the way, that happened.
Anyways, Midori is the tale of a young girl who is left with no family members to care for her. She gets mixed up in a family of circus freaks who travel from town to town, performing to make a living. Throughout the story, things seem to unravel, come together, and fall apart again, keeping both Midori and the viewer on a rollercoaster of "What is going on, and how am I supposed to feel about it?"
The ero guro element is not heavily abused. Graphic scenes are actually few and far between, and when they hit, they hit hard. These scenes range from rats eating a dead woman's vagina, to a giant wave of Asian black magic that expands and contorts victims bodies beyond recognition. The way that Harada is able to represent these scenes in such a cartoonish way is incredible, and in a strange way, perversely beautiful.
Midori straddles many lines and is smart about its schticks. It employs shock, horror, gore and viscera, but relies on none. They complement the less intense moments, making Midori's adventure not only sad, but deeply psychologically disturbing. Here is the bottom line: This movie isn't just for anime fans. I have enjoyed it twice despite my almost complete lack of interest in the anime genre. The storyline and concepts are so rich that it is irrelevant what style it was drawn in, or what language its in. The movie's reception in itself demonstrates that it impacts everyone similarly, regardless of culture or background.
By no means is this a feel good movie. It is a tragic tale that ends with false hope and an uncertain future. But if you're looking for something new and have a high tolerance for the bizarre, Midori may be exactly what you need. Try YouTube or torrents. I can promise you, it isn't on Netflix.
"Strange things happen in the night
During the day, arrows fly
A contagious disease lurks in the shadows
In the afternoon, it becomes fatal
But you have nothing to fear"
