The Greatest Horror Director Is Not A Horror Director (Masaki Kobayashi)

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Bushido code being mostly nonsense reminds me heavily how in Hinduism, a lot of horrible practices were done like 'sati pratha' (widow burning practice) in name of tradition. These got abolished by social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Swami Dayanand once they actually brought up the scriptures and proved it was nonsense.

[@nonAehT]

i hate that the youtube algorythm buried these videos, but i am glad it gave me the two and a half men one to check out the rest of the channel. These videos definately earned a sub!

[@AL-lh2ht]

his most recent video has a million views now, the algorythm found him!

[@shaynehughes6645]

So real, and I was going to not watch him specifically because he made a Two and A Half Men video. Can't imagine what it's like to miss out because of that perfectly reasonable reaction.

[@awpandamia]

you are seriously one of my favorite video essayist. cant wait for you to blow up. thank you for making me discover artists i had never heard off. i am excited to discover theyre work for myself next. cheers !

[@LowercaseJai]

this is incredibly kind of you to say, thank you!!

[@awpandamia]

thank you for putting so much work into what you make. recognising it is the minimum :3

[@darcyoconnor6083]

This rocks so hard Jai

[@AmityRosefist]

Me: cool video Dark clone:sigh........

[@geno7_]

this vid ruled, it explores a ton of really interesting ideas. some of masaki kobayashi's movies have been on my to-watch list for a bit, this makes me wanna actually check them out

[@LowercaseJai]

thanks dawg!! hope you enjoy them!

[@Brezifus]

watched the two and a half men video, got surprised by the subscriber count, saw this, saw japanese films in the thumbnail, clicked, started cheering because masaki kobayashi is my Favorite japanese film director alongside satoshi kon. i have to go to bed but this is cued for the next time i open up youtube.

[@cheri31]

Same, just came from the two and a half man video. been going on a marathon. :)

[@cosmicspooks]

Beyond peak vid as always, dude! Also a real psychic-link deal--just watched my first Kobayashi (Harakiri) last week. I was already all in on him, but after watching this?? Oh baby, gimme all the 'yashi all the time, I'm so ready

[@LowercaseJai]

hell yeah dude!! i can definitely see kobayashi being up your alley

[@DeviousJinjo]

Keep it up guy, you're doin' good. Stuff worth talking about, done in ways that are entertaining and easy to follow.

[@LowercaseJai]

thanks dude!!

[@jorge23483]

I still remember it! At least Hoichi the earless and Yuki Ona stories… man, they just captivated me, especially the story of the Yuki Ona. This movie is really something worthy to rewatch. Thank you for the video.

[@LowercaseJai]

thanks for watching it!

[@kaaaputnik]

Just want to say that this is a PHENOMENAL video essay and is what introduced me to your channel before I checked out all your others - thank you for making this!

[@bunp12]

another one out of the park ⚾

[@bown]

just watched Kwaidan and it ruled so then watched this vid properly and it kicks ass

[@osmosisjones9341]

Already fiending for the berserk video, I love your analysis and writing!

[@forestine_]

i watched this film after seeing this video and wow. i just love it so much. the score and the painted background and kind of stillness of everything is amazing and i feel like i haven't seen any film like it

[@AdaraHepburn938]

This has now become one of my comfort videos, i'll be coming back regularly

[@gggob666]

Nice video, Jai 😀

[@Martinmd12-zt7vu]

Brilliant video. Honestly, there’s a strong case to be made that the golden age of Japanese cinema was the greatest era in film history. Because there were many filmmakers that were so distinctly different from one another, but all made amazing movies. I’m working on writing a full breakdown of Harakiri on Letterboxd, and this came just in the nick of time, providing a lot of helpful information, so thank you

[@LowercaseJai]

thanks for watching it! send me a link when you're done if you like

[@Martinmd12-zt7vu]

@@LowercaseJaijust completed it but I am having difficulty sending a link here because it gets deleted.

[@testigo2]

two and a half men brought me here and i am SO GLAD. really loving all of your video essays! specially Japanese cinema ones

[@testigo2]

and also the ending with the resident evil tune has me HYPED

[@moe3235]

Every video of yours so far👌👌 awesome writing, editing, topic choices, dissemination, keep it up 💪💯

[@Keaks_]

You have clearly been hammering away constantly with great content. Glad to catch you before the 100K mark.

[@Oubliettine]

I found Harakiri in a DG 1$ movie sleeve and it sent me down a complete rabbit hole watching his entire filmography. Love the vid. Now that you mention the swords being real I can’t unsee that detail.

[@m4shsmash8]

This is honestly one of the best YT videos I've seen in a while! Really great job I have seen Harakiri and really loved it and i have The Human Condition in my watchlist but this really made me interested in checking out Kaidan soon!

[@LowercaseJai]

thank you! also hope you enjoy it!

[@spaghetto_depressi]

Watched three of your videos today and they're all bangers, I think that more than deserves a sub! Kazuma's a good shout too, dude writes great stuff!

[@aaronfletcher8745]

I just got recommended this channel today, the day after my Harakiri and The Human Condition criterions came in from Amazon. I love these films and I love this video essay!

[@biglou5787]

Really excellent video. I appreciate all the research & context on Kobayashi as a film-maker & the deep dive on the beauty and potential of cinema as an art form. More movies should look as good & be as considered as Kwaidan. There were at least 7 points where I felt compelled to puase & watch the whole film. Keep it up & keep talking about the important stuff (salute) (salute) (salute)

[@Beansquishy]

This video deserves way more views but I love that the people who are really interested in stuff like this managed to find it.

[@SimplyMavAgain]

always love me a new episode of "Jai picks what i'm watching this week"

[@saps5831]

Great video as always. All your videos I've seen are very informative and the topics you pick end up being interesting. I'll have to check the ones I still have yet to see, like the kitchen one.

[@LowercaseJai]

that's kind of you to say! glad you enjoyed it

[@AlephFromTheSouth]

Excellent video, Jai! It's really important to remind (well in this case actually inform) people that the Bushido was made up as government propaganda! From the Meiji restoration onwards, the japanese powers that be often and clearly used art and educational material to shape their population according to their own whims, including the very japanese language we know today in the mold of what used to be spoken in the new capital of Tokyo. And that we're not free from the dangers of revisionist propaganda, be it in Japan, the USA or even Britain. Also, while I've not watched Kwaidan (yet), your description of it and the ways it contrasts with Lafcadio Hern's rendition of the story made me remember another famous japanese artist, but in this case Akutagawa Ryunosuke, the man who wrote the 2 short stories that would be used by Kurosawa and his team to make Rashomon. One of Akutagawa's most notable traits was his acute eye towards traditional japanese stories, and how to add dimensionality to them that they didn't have. Rashomon is one of those examples, though the movie itself uses the short story 藪の中 (translated as In a Grove, generally) as the basis for its script. So, while a classic font such as the Konjakumonogatarishuu would have a short story that feels more like an anecdote, Akutagawa instead rewrote those stories to represent more psychological and social perspectives that weren't present in them (or if present, only tenuously insinuated).

[@chrisw451]

Amazing video. Currently watching and reviewing all of Kobayashi's films. Thank you for your insights!

[@humzter452]

I was shown your Fresh prince Video a while ago, forgot about you and found you again through the Two and a half men video. Now I am a proud subscriber.

[@saymyname2417]

Lying to people by creating fake nostalgia to make people go to war: "Which luckily, DEFINITELY doesn't happen today". I sincerely hope people realize that was only a joke.

[@Siskiyouoffroad]

I found your channel through the two and a half men video and you are one of the few video essay makers I really enjoy. You provide commentary that’s actually good and insightful while being entertaining. I feel like most video essays are really either very surface level analysis or extremely boring and too long. You’re doing great, can’t wait for your channel to blow up!

[@Yixdy]

25:15 subbed. Love that shizz mang, also the algorithm showed me the two and a half men video so I'm going backwards through everything. You've got it man, you're in

[@birgittnlilli9726]

What a fantastic video, I loved it. I saw Harakiri and Kwaidan and have yet to watch Human Condition.

[@schmedly_in_real_life]

nice video jai!

[@wizcatcheslightning]

10:45 excellent use of the Kokiri Theme here

[@beneathsands]

I know it's not the OOT Kokiri Forest theme, but I can't actually place what it is, it's so familiar

[@wizcatcheslightning]

@@beneathsands Tears of the Kingdom Korok Forest Theme* I believe

[@estezapatero2713]

You make amazing content man keep it up. glad I found you from the two and a half men video

[@Aaron537_UNIQUESTRING]

Best video essay channel I've found in awhile. Subbed for sure ♥

[@moxbagel]

Finally some romanization tea

[@sagewaterdragon]

The only one of Kobayashi's movies that I've watched is Harakiri, this video convinced me that I've got to watch more. Thanks!

[@goop_lord]

look at him suited up smoking in the theatre with that big bucket hat and sunglasses. fuckin. look at him. god i love him so much

[@stelios6521]

I got owned for not pronouncing kwaidan correctly. Convinced to watch all the Kobayashi movies I haven't!

[@Wombola]

Sorry, just had to pause this video to go watch kaidan then I’ll finish the other 3 vids u have aswell. Awesome channel

[@fudomyoo77]

sick video, stumbled across this while playing ghost of tsushima so thats cool

[@drone124]

don't think we didn't notice the Bomberman Hero OST. Jun Chikuma is a genius

[@quebon2]

Fantastic video. I love Kobayashi but have only watched half his oeuvre, so thanks for getting me back into it.

[@LowercaseJai]

thanks for watching it! glad you enjoyed it

[@NanaIsMyNickname]

30:45 the bgm music made me feel like if i had an ink ribbon i could save the game

[@PatrickTheFeerick]

another great vid @LowercaseJai ! if anyone's interested in revisionist bushido films like harakiri, i recommend kon ichikawa's the wanderers.

[@LowercaseJai]

i’m definitely gonna have to check this out, i hadn’t even heard of it before!!

[@jummy0]

16:08 as far as modern Japanese pronunciation, the first attempt was pretty much correct: "hey-K" or "hey-keh".

[@tragicduckling]

CONGRATS ON 10K!!!

[@hadinasrallah8928]

Kobayashi mentioned 🗣️🗣️🗣️

[@brutusalwaysminded]

Great work. Thanks!

[@Fakery]

Beautiful work, i appreciate the video

[@kayeskibbler647]

Dang, i watched ur fesh pince video when it came out and i have to say im very happy you got a banger vid, 1m views is crazy, congrats 😌

[@eraldodumas8193]

loved this Jai! Keep it up!

[@radishfest]

Oh. I LOVE this channel.

[@heathquinby229]

comment for the algorithm: Kaidan is one of my favorite movies and when I found out how old it was i was blown away. It looks so good I assumed it was a new movie. amazing. this was the late 80s or early 90s. It looked as good or better than the current movies I had available at the time.

[@Mitsurugi117]

I just wanna say you have great taste in music. Smt3 and FFT have godly ost's

[@franciscohenriquez3856]

Excellent video. thank you very much. Greetings from El Salvador.

[@ConvincingPeople]

It's probably worth noting that the reason that "k(w)aidan" was spelled like that pre-spelling reforms was that the term is, as with many Classical Japanese formal terms, derived from Middle Chinese, and thus pronounced with that initial kw- sound, but as Japanese evolved kw-/gw- merged into k-/g- in all but a few very conservative rural dialects. In other words, pronouncing it "kwaidan" would kind of make you sound like a historical reenactor or a zillion-year-old hick.

[@dyip-vb1wl]

OMGGGG MASAKI KOBAYASH, TATSUYA NAKADAI, AND THE HUMAN CONDITION MY THREE FAVES ❤❤❤❤

[@dalalex_4298]

Ooooo potential berserk video I'm excited

[@mikesnitzel5404]

hidden gem youtuber

[@bluecrow3748]

I’m glad to have found this

[@littIebeats]

great vid! I'm gonna make my friends watch some of these movies

[@jacobwood1914]

so real for using the Brave Story song

[@forestvvoods577]

Happy to be here

[@ithink857]

what a great video

[@golok7141]

Good stuff :)

[@kohalurker]

legalize gay weed

[@StakeFromJateFarm]

and straight heroin

[@otneyat]

im feelin gay tonight

[@StakeFromJateFarm]

@@otneyat I'm gay

[@potato23116]

​@@StakeFromJateFarm i'm straight, I say we should breed and ask our kid if he is straight or gay.

[@solharv7817]

Great video. On Kobayashi being more outwardly political than Kurosawa, I’d have to agree. But I also think Seven Samurai and Kurosawa’s other samurai films are no less aware or critical of the fascist reworking of samurai.

[@LowercaseJai]

thanks! it's a fair point but I also think Kurosawa often glamorises the samurai far more than Kobayashi ever did. at least to such a degree that I think there's some ambiguity about how he felt, like the ending to Seven Samurai praising the samurai's heroism in the face of the villagers

[@Tyler-db6bu]

do u still need that harakiri blu ray or nah just wondering thanks

[@LowercaseJai]

i could do with another

[@CertifiedSlamboy]

I didn’t know KZbin videos could get this good

[@BlackEsqShogun]

I cant stop watching these videos this must be the 9th time i watched this video essay lol

[@peterdavidallison]

There's a great, beautiful comedy in how you spend so long justifying the pronunciation of Kwaidan, only to then mispronounce Cannes. If intentional, well done to you, and if not, well...claim it, it's yours.

[@Koupip]

Vibyl is actually a really interesting technology how it works is that an ancient wizard inscribes runes into the disk and then an elf reads them out to a small group of trained goblins inside of the machine who play whatever sound you want

[@ametdepri1919]

Came from two and a half men to this fucking banger. Definetly got some more movies to watch and thoughts to consider.

[@karu6111]

I was just searching about Yukio Mishima's view on bushido before you mentioned it lol

[@StarStroid]

These videos rip it is awesome that the algo pushed it to me and I got to subscribe and watch them all!! Also more deep dives on the letter W pleease

[@beneathsands]

What song starts playing at 10:38? I know it but it's driving me nuts.

[@LowercaseJai]

it’s the night time korok forest music from breath of the wild!

[@aaa6072]

Love the channel. You should review the Battles without Honour and Humanity series when you can

[@thewizard2390]

Gotta watch these films now

[@greenhowie]

I have absolutely no previous knowledge of this. But it was still very interesting. I definitely understand that I'm kinda dumb as well.

[@intake_cinema]

Excellent video! Reading that Bushido artcile now, I've always known it was nonsense but I've never known the origins of it.

[@LuisPimentel-wm4ue]

Excelent video

[@tannernemitz]

I had to dig deep to find this video (thanks to the frustrating algorithm). Honestly, you deserve to be up there with the great video essayists. I can't wait to see you achieve that one day, my dude!

[@brianthomas8411]

Okay, I watched the Two and a Half Men video like others are saying then came here. I've recently realized to not care how many subscribers a channel has, or even how many views a particular video has and its been paying off so well. i already subscribed! lol. I'm about 10 minutes into this one and i just wanna thank you for taking the time to explain the why i shouldn't pronounce the W. Some people are detailed oriented and appreciate that kind of thing. Anyway keep up the work! I think you will grow a lot. I'm getting big Hbomberguy vibes. I mean that it the best way and its not just the accent. lol

[@pukelius4128]

Always remember to click like and share and even comment on these smaller channels. Its really helpful for them!

[@YamiHoOu]

I mean knight chivalry was also all bs haha. Even when people tried to make knights be more honorable they misinterpreted it. Like the guy who said knights should protect women, so they only protected noblewomen and continued to pillage peasant women *facepalm*.

[@nao__channel]

great video! btw what is the song used at 20:38? it's very familiar but i cant remember where i know it from

[@LowercaseJai]

it's castle in the mist off the Ico soundtrack!

[@ErinJeanette]

I'm so glad two and a half men got me here too

[@maarekstele2998]

I found out this movie is on max guess i know what im watching next

[@erfangholizadeh8052]

I have one minor gripe with this video, towards the beginning you pointed out how directors tend to stick to what works for them and proceeded to make a case for Kobayashi being prolific by comparing him to Kurosawa. I think this comparison, if anything, works against your point. Kurosawa himself had a career that I think anyone could argue is far more prolific, you said that out of the 19 films he made after Rashomon half were Samurai films which still leaves more movies in other genres than the number of Kobayashi's classics. You then went on to say how Kobayashi has made a sports film, a comedy and a documentary, when Kurosawa's films also vary vastly in genres. He has made comedies, existential dramas, a documentary, crime thrillers and a handful of films with a lot to say about the effects of the second world war (Drunken Angels, Stray Dogs, The Quiet Duel). To make the exact opposite point, one could argue that unlike Kurosawa, apart from Kwaidan, all of Kobayashi's masterpieces are saying the same thing and carry the same sentiment. Harakiri, Samurai Rebellion and The Human Condition are much more similar to each other than Ran, Seven Samurai and High and Low (Which many would consider Kurosawa's best works). I think picking one of THE MOST prolific directors in all of cinema to compare to Kobayashi was ill-advised. Might be kind of pedantic of me but I thought I should leave a comment. This was a great video, Kwaidan's my favorite horror film of all time.

[@Fatovarius]

BEAST

[@chadwicktouchdown]

legalizejai

[@DRAGONBLOODX]

AMAZING VIDEO NEW SUB HERE FROM PARAGUAY!

[@RileyZilla1001]

I wish you talked about The Human Condition a little more

[@TheMotlias]

The west is also guilty of innaccurate of romatisisation of Knights compaired to how they were, many were also selfish and mercenary but we like to think they were all like William Marshall, a great, Noble man who was loyal and honorable and who's deeds litterally still have significant effects on modern society 700 years later. I think it's true for every culture, but what is the purpose of that inaccuracy

[@brunofrossard1148]

BRO FSR OST AT THE START OF THE VIDEO WTFFF do uou have a gaming video essay channel???