Sea Without Exit - WW2 Movie Review

A review of "Sea Without Exit" (2006) a Japanese WW2 historical drama.
#ww2 #history #japan

[@Godzilla00X]

Fact: Johnny has never recommended a bad movie. Nothing but quality

[@ThommyofThenn]

Correct

[@alanburke1893]

....ahem...Great fan of Johnny's output...but he recommended 'Lanconia'.... a great true story rendered barely watchable by an excruciating love triangle BS plot shoe-horned in. I called him on it... he apologised... he still owes me 3 hours of my life... Johnny is, like all of us ... fallible. But still produces top grade material 99% of the time👍 (I suspect he likes Lanconia because he could finally watch a WW2 submarine show with some cutie curled up on his lap... the hungry dog 😂)

[@ThommyofThenn]

@@alanburke1893 eh that's more a random fluke or maybe it didn't meet your personal criteria for a good movie. I haven't seen it so maybe it is a piece of crap but hopefully it had good history or accurate props. Sometimes even a terrible script can be interesting if it happens to also have great props

[@wiktorberski9272]

Coffin torpedo - the best description, at least in my opinion, of the whole Kaiten programme

[@alessiodecarolis]

I read that the sub that would've sunk the Indianapolis, was on a Kaiten's support mission, but when the Commander saw how useless they were, refused to send other youngs to death, and decided to employ sub's (excellent) torpedoes, and logically (but tragically for Indianapolis ' crew) they worked. Kaiten's program was another madness, more useless than kamikazes, at least the aircrafts gained some results, but it didn't worked.

[@schizoidboy]

All things considered the Italians had a manned mini-sub that could deliver a warhead to a ship. Unlike the Japanese the Italians were not known for being suicidal. It's not to say the missions weren't dangerous, but there's a difference between risking your life and tossing it away because someone ordered you to do so.

[@bobmetcalfe9640]

I did an assignment on this sort of thing when I was at university. I think volunteers might be a little strong - many of these guys were actually quite conflicted, but there was incredible social and familial pressure often for them to do this.

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

Yes, absolutely, thank you for adding that

[@MM22966]

The problem is just about everything in Japan (especially back then) has strong familial & societal pressure compared to modern Western society. I am not sure how you could quantify it as abnormal. I remember in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, a group of older men volunteered for cleanup duty in the sloshed reactor room, knowing it would involve fatal doses of radiation. Their response was a shrug; that they'd had a good long life and Japan would better off if the spill was cleaned up quickly. The Japanese government didn't take them up on it, but just the fact the offer was made was...very Japanese.

[@aaronjohn6586]

Keep these recommendations coming, really appreciate seeing movies from other countries.

[@varovaro1967]

I had absolutely no idea about this movie….. a big thank you. Keep it up

[@jaydeister9305]

Thank you Johnny for the great report! Always good to see the face behind the voice!

[@vespelian]

Thanks for this one. I'll have to check this one out. For years I've been commandeering chief of my own multiethnic battle fleet (mainly 1/700 scale admittedly due to budgetary restraints) but each nationality of warship with concomitant crews. So I would wonder how clans of British, German, Russian (both imperial and Soviet) French, Italian and Japanese etc, would get on in the same service. Units included the Japanese submarines I-16, I-46 and I-360 all equipped with HA or Kaiten craft, and I would ponder the cultural impact of this death on such a service, especially in peace time.

[@christophersnyder1532]

I remember when I watched this that I was surprised to see Yamato briefly, and it was intriguing of the officer's interest in the American pastime, baseball. Wonderful film, keep it up. Take care, and all the best.

[@Elcore]

Maybe surprisingly, baseball has quite a long history in Japan - first introduced in 1872, first pro league in 1920. It was really popular by the time of WW2.

[@Riceball01]

Are you talking about the Admiral or the ship? Because that Admiral was Yamamoto, while the ship was Yamato.

[@christophersnyder1532]

@Riceball01 You need to read carefully, I meant the Yamato, as in the battleship, which the crew were waving, as a send off. However I do own the 2011 feature of Vice Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku, as well, including the 2005 film about the battleship Yamato. Take care, and all the best.

[@Ralphieboy]

They look so kick-ass Brue Lee in those Samurai headbands.

[@brokenbridge6316]

I'm surprised a movie like this exists. But I can appreciate humanizing people that otherwise wouldn't be and deserve it too.

[@AndrewDederer]

I always thought of the Kaiten Museum (on Ozushima in the inland sea) as a sort of counterpart to all the displays about the Hunley. Weapons of desperation that killed more of their users than their foes. This would make a good companion piece.

[@Bercyable]

This program is also described in a book called "I boat captain", By Zengi Orita and Joseph Harrington.

[@Lance-Urbanian-MNB]

Good review. Thanks.

[@Kekkeri59]

I watched this movie about 6 months ago, was very happy to see a review about it! Thank you, subscribed :)

[@idaho_girl]

I watched this and would say Johnny's review is spot on. The only thing I could add is a more general comment about how a society could evolve to a place where such sacrifice for an aggressive war could occur.

[@Dog.soldier1950]

The U.S. Naval Undersea Museum at Keyport Washington has one of these captured after the war. Very primitive

[@eamonnclabby7067]

Another excellent choice, the Italian navy in WW2 had useful frogmen operated torpedoes too...cheers ,Johnny...E...😊

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

I've been meaning to make a video on those! Thanks for stopping in E.

[@eamonnclabby7067]

....slainte...​@@JohnnyJohnsonHistory

[@MrPh30]

Decima Mas .Flottilla learnt the allies much about underwater warfare and equipment .

[@MM22966]

The Italians designed them so they could get off and swim away before detonation, though. :)

[@evancrum6811]

I find WW2 Japanese movies interesting.

[@Kekkeri59]

I try to watch each one, as I find more.

[@josephbingham1255]

Sea Without Exit sounds interesting. "They Died For You" Is also a Japanese film humanizing & honoring the young men that volunteered as kamikaze pilots. I also saw a Japanese film where after the war the sister who honored her missing soldier brother tried to discover what happened to him. She tracked down one of his group now working at a scrap yard. He told her not of glory but of how their small group had been starving and hiding in the jungle. An officer after coming upon them wanted participation in a Banzai Attack. A fight occurred between the men and the officer and he was killed. During the fight the officer's arm was cut off and landed in the campfire. The smell of roasted meat drove them to devour it. The man telling the story had survived, returned to Japan and would only work at the lowest jobs as he considered himself a ghoul. The sister left the story teller no longer holding her brother in honor. Not because of what he had eaten, but because he had REFUSED TO DIE FOR THE EMPEROR! A shameful thing. The nuance being until her generation had passed away such thoughts would exist among them at some level. I cannot remember the name of the film. Maybe something I saw when I was goin to Japanese movie theaters or a rental from a Little Tokyo video store?

[@KB-313]

good stuff! I love your content

[@Stonewielder]

This looks like something I will find very interesting.

[@p.strobus7569]

Calling commanded suicide “self-sacrifice” makes the murder of these men by their commanders sound slightly noble. After the fall of Saipan there was no possible win condition for the Japanese outside of the rich and varied fantasy life of the IJA commanders on the imperial cabinet.

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

Well, it wasn't of course. But the movie is based on a perspective separate from mine. It may have seen noble to some of the pilots.

[@kongthemayor5481]

Where can I stream this or atleast get a physical copy? I've looked everywhere

[@palomac7041]

Same I’m having trouble

[@TPDManiacXC626]

Johnny, I got at least three movies that would be good for you to watch and review. 1) ‘71 by Yann Demange (His directorial debut film) 2) the Netflix German film Blood & Gold, practically Germany’s answer to Finland’s Sisu. 3) The Yakuza Papers, essentially Japan’s Yakuza equivalent to The Godfather.

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

Excellent and thank you! I will likely do all three eventually =)

[@mineplow1000]

Thank you!

[@danodamano2581]

Not all imperial navy leadership wanted this. Plenty viewed it as a terrible waste of lives and scarce material. This was first used by the Italian navy with some success but overall not enough to turn the tide. Imperial navy intended them to be used as harbor defense but the insistence of one commander privey to the plans to attack pearl harbor wanted in on the glory.

[@cinematicsunproductions7748]

Can you do Submarine I-57 will not surrender or Storm over the Pacific?

[@palomac7041]

Where can I watch this? Can’t find a platform for where it’s streamed

[@Lawman212]

Very interesting idea for a movie. Now I just need to find it.

[@45stg18]

This film is one of them, but here are some things to keep in mind when watching Japanese films about suicide attacks ・Focus on the perpetrators of the suicide attacks, vaguely blurring the suicide attacks themselves as an inevitable event in the war. ・The perpetrators of suicide attacks depicted in the film are usually naive, intelligent nice guys. ・There are few fanatical militarists, fascists or other psychopaths who glorify suicide attacks. ・They do not depict the ugly side of the perpetrators, or the perspective of those affected by suicide attacks. Note that most of them pretend to deny suicide attacks, when in fact they hide the ugly parts and glorify the perpetrators, thus making suicide attacks beautiful.

[@MM22966]

Well, the Japanese (to my understanding) have a very different attitude toward WW2. Much different, than say, the Germans. For that matter, they have a different attitude toward death, period.

[@TV-jg2kj]

​@@MM22966The Japanese tend to hide their minds and there are still people who praise the glory of the Japanese Empire, like Neo-Nazi.

[@TV-jg2kj]

​@@MM22966In particular, Japan calls for the U.S. to apologize for the nuclear bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but I have never heard the U.S. apologize to Japan for the attack on Pearl Harbor. They were hit by nuclear bombs in Nagasaki and Hiroshima on their own. Why? Should the U.S. apologize?

[@TV-jg2kj]

Furthermore, during World War II, Japan committed brutal crimes against Allied prisoners of war. He was mobilized for human experiments and subjected to forced labor and abuse. Although Japan's postwar appearance was hidden as beautiful and excellent, Wafaniz has limitations in preventing indelible sins.

[@MM22966]

@@TV-jg2kjCheck your translator. You're all over the place.

[@mikloridden8276]

Can you do a review on the Japanese film series The Human Condition? It follows a Japanese soldiers story from the start to finish of the War. It’s starts with China and ends in Manchuria against the Russians. Very depressing film

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

Will do!

[@airmackeeee6792]

Hey Johnny, this movie's narrative structure confused me. It seemed to be one long sub plot!. 😜

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

Haha you know me well 🤪

[@TellySavalas-or5hf]

Is this movie like the "Lorelei" Japanese sub movie?!

[@billlexington5788]

As I understand it, the Indianapolis was also sunk by 1-2 piloted kaitans. It has been years since I’ve read up on the subject though.

[@45stg18]

That's not true. The Indianapolis was sunk by torpedo attack by the submarine I-58. This submarine was indeed armed with human torpedoes as the mothership of a suicide attack mission, but the captain decided to torpedo the submarine in a conventional manner.

[@dareka9425]

I'm interested to watch Japanese WW2 movies but I'm put off by one particular soundtrack. I don't know its name but I first heard it in Eternal Zero and it seems to be constantly reused in other WW2 movies. In addition to the similar looking CGI they feel like the same one giant movie cut up into several series. In a similar fashion I like the John Wick series of movies but I'm not a fan them reusing the same one cool action OST introduced in the second movie. The only reason why I tolerated the reuse to a degree is because the whole story is one single story that happened in one short time frame.

[@JustPeasant]

This isn't about WWII in the Pacific. Indoctrination of self-sacrifice for these young men started in first day of grade school, and would contine until they were drafted (conscription). If you peek trough cracks of contemporary Japanese culture, this military fanaticism is still well and alive to this very day...

[@dereknoll1499]

DId these pilots have a job on board the sub?

[@salinagrrrl69]

Kinda like the first suicidal submariners..... for the CSN Hunley.

[@MyBlueZed]

Hi Johnny! Have you seen the TV movie ‘The Hunley’ with Armand Assante? You reminded me of it when you told of the designers and trainees killed in development of the torpedo. 😢

[@johnjon1823]

What the hell! Where's Slim Pickens?

[@cuttersgoose]

Is it subtitles? Or English ?

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

I could only find it in subtitles

[@memonk11]

Let me guess. The movie portrays Japan as the victim, just like ALL Japanese WWII movies.

[@brianhotaling5849]

Maybe “Endless Sea” instead

[@Talltrees84]

Das Boot and Run Silent Run Deep but Japanese.

[@jonaspete]

Human centipede

[@padawanmage71]

I will comment with 'Blah Blah Blah'. :D

[@kamikazekyre6101]

Is this the first face reveal?, or is this a deep fake of a Hasselhoff?❤😂😂

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

Hey don't Hassel the Hoff

[@HerrKurt]

BANZAI BANZAI BANZAI 🇯🇵

[@korosuke13]

回天

[@WilliamAndrewPhilipBodie]

First ??? 😛

[@ddegn]

Bla, bla, bla.

[@ddegn]

I'm interested in Japanese WWII history but I don't know if I can watch this movie. It looks very disturbing. Thanks for the video Johnny.

[@Kekkeri59]

@@ddegn It's worth the watch. There are many more violent war movies out there, this one is more psychological in it's tense atmosphere

[@edmundotoole00]

blah blah blah

[@ddegn]

I wonder why Johnny wants this comment so much.

[@HerrKurt]

I LOVE TO WATCH AXIS MOVIES THAN Allies