BLACKFOX

This movie wasn't made for us. No, I don't mean this movie wasn't made for me. No, I don't mean this movie wasn't made specifically for you. What I mean is that the people that are likely to watch this movie and find information about it through this site, are not the people likely to enjoy this movie. Black Fox is a superhero origin story, about a girl that has been trained to be a ninja and has access to a lot of technological gadgets, whose appeal as a person is her kind nature. A budget teenage girl Batman if you will. I do think that the movie did accomplish to imitate the exact same process other western movies have used, but not actually succeed in what those movies had

Now let me ask, have you ever seen a movie about a superhero origin story, that has had huge success in the western media? Your answer, if yes, is probably: yeah, I watched [insert random Marvel movie]. Well, this movie is a japanese attempt to cash in on that marketing strategy, by making a movie that employs the exact same style and structure. Given what I said, you probably know what to expect already if you were familiar with those, but even then, you might still be like: "Yeah, but it is Japan, this movie is still going to be anime as fuck, right?" Actually, that's what I would have expected too, but the answer is actually no. The only thing that is particularly anime about this, is that they are girls of high school age doing things they should not be physically capable. There's one part in the climax of the final fight that you might assume is anime as fuck, but honestly, that actually is how most final fights in Marvel movies are resolved too, so at best I'd call it overlap. It is genuinely faithful to that formula, and I'm sure it is just an attempt to see if it has any success outside the west, or it could be that someone enjoyed that formula so much they just wanted to test it out.

Now for those of you unfamiliar and not knowing what to expect, superhero origin stories are so frequent that they pretty much have a template they always follow. And Black Fox is no exception to this. They are often very predictable, and the template itself is not actually what sells the movie, it's just a tool to make the movie be sufficiently competent and present the character to both an audience that is familiar with them and one that is unfamiliar with them at the same time. If you go watch a superhero movie, you often already know entirely what it is about, since you are familiar with DC and Marvel. Black Fox however is something entirely unfamiliar to the audience, and the only way it relates to the viewer is whether or not they are aware of such content. It uses the structure and techniques of such movies but do they actually work in its favor?

My answer is that the only way it would work is if you were unfamiliar with that structure. The way Black Fox is structured imitates pretty much every movie of its type I am familiar with, to the point I could predict every single story beat as soon as it was set up. So, if familiar with these types of movies, you will see absolutely nothing new. It has no degree of subtlety and it continuously moves forward, by first presenting a setup (which can be as small as a tease) and next presenting its payoff. The thing is that makes the movie even more predictable since every single story beat presented on screen, is either there to set up something later down the line, be it a twist or to raise the impact a scene will have, 5 minutes later. It feels like every single thing presented is not presented to tell a story but rather to serve the structure used in the prior movies, like a template for success. The structure for such movies doesn’t simply work because the structure itself is a failsafe way to present a superhero origin, but rather they are a template to adapt one superhero origin people already have knowledge of and interest in.

To an audience that is unfamiliar with said structure, they may have some success but their actual reasons they sell in the western media are: brand recognition, (since it is something people are familiar with, the movie will pull its already existing fanbase, as well as their friends that are not familiar with that character) acting, (actors are capable of breathing even further life into the characters, and making them even more appealing based on their performance) solid source material, (in most cases, the template can work because the character has an already defined identity that is appealing to its audience, and they don't have to put much thought into presenting the story since the source material has already done so, and the story will already have plenty of bones and meat, allegedly) and accessibility. (comic books are not the most accessible media to consume, as most of the hero origins were released prior to content being digitized, and as a result they often end up rereleased with some modifications or redone from zero, to familiarize the audience. Movies are more accessible to a wider audience and they are easier to preserve and spread, since their content is digital, not physical. So, if anyone was genuinely interested in the concept of the comics, but they didn't have accessibility to the source material, now they have an easier way to access the content)

Black Fox has no brand recognition or source material, it is an original concept after all, it doesn't rely on acting, since its visual are carried across through animation and voice acting doesn't require the voice actor to project as much personality as a normal actor. They definitely do and can even do it better than the visuals in some cases, don't get me wrong, but they are not entirely relied on for that purpose usually, which is no exception here. But well, it might have plenty of accessibility and novelty to a japanese audience. That's why I said this movie was not made for us. We are likely going to have plenty of familiarity, be it direct or indirect, with pretty much everything Black Fox attempts to achieve as a movie and as a story. But since it is a superhero origin story in its most basic form, it might have success in japan, presenting more westernized story structures and concepts and see if they appeal to their audience, to people that wouldn't otherwise engage with them, in the medium they are familiar with.

As a result, I do think Black Fox is a test, to see if this story structure can be successful to a japanese audience. The movie pretty much put its entire focus on following this standard structure (beware that this might spoil you, there's no concrete plot details, just the average structure of such movies): Present the hero's life prior to starting their journey (in order to show who they are and how they are different from the average person) -> Define their motivations and future goal (Happens through one of the following three: a tragic event that redefines their life, a mission that is given to them because they are the only one who can accomplish it or an accidental event that grants them the ability to do exactly what they always wished for. In some cases, there is a certain degree of overlap and it is going to be a combination of those.) -> Have them prepare for their journey (This is either done through them training, or them undertaking their journey while not entirely prepared, with their actions acting as an experience that will prepare them for the future) -> Have them engage the antagonist but not be able to win straight up (This is to create tension and present in what ways the antagonist is a foil to them) -> Give them a moment of respite to reflect on their loss (used to reflect on what differentiates them from the antagonist and some self-reflection for their character arc) -> Reignite the conflict with even bigger stakes -> Have the character complete their character arc and learning from their past mistakes, helping them resolve the conflict -> Conclude with the foil being rejected and the hero identity finally being assumed -> Tease the sequel.

The biggest problem with Black Fox for someone familiar with the structure, is that it feels exactly like this:

Japan: Can I copy your homework?
America: Yes, just change it up a bit so it doesn't look obvious that it was copied.
Japan: Black Fox

Japan managed to copy the homework correctly, on a subject they don't really have a solid grasp of. As a result, its hero, doesn't feel heroic or like a genuinely good person. There's not really any point where the heroine here acts either heroically or outside their own self-interest. It hardly feels like someone conquering their demons to do good in the world, but more like a character wanting to do what is their self-interest, but what's morally good denying them of their desire, and them having to adjust. The main character is supposed to have as her appeal in her kindness, but they are not kind, they are just a brat. She's neither a compassionate or good person and she has operated entirely in their own self-interest the entire time. She hasn't done anything outright good, just things that aren't morally reprehensible, yet the story does praise them for their kindness. She can also appear quite weak-willed at times, since she sometimes does not fully pursue their goal or respects what she says and due to that appears undecisive. Truth be told, the qualities that would make her a hero are absent, but I guess that is somewhat acceptable, since she hasn't really been acknowledged as such. The only reason I take issue with these traits, is because the movie acts as if they are her virtues, but they are at best traits that are currently a work in progress and at worst non-existent.

The movie has every single thing executed correctly, it has the structure, the beats, the concept, the visuals, perhaps even the audience. But it lacks the substance. The appeal that has made the stories that were adapted attract the interest of various people around the world. It may have some passion and enjoyment of everything that has been made with this structure, but it is not its own thing.

As a result, I find it hard to recommend to someone familiar with this type of movie, since there is absolutely nothing new for you to see, and I also have a hard time to recommend it to someone unfamiliar, since there are so many better alternatives that use the very same structure and also present a character that has both charisma and is very admirable. Black Fox doesn't manage to capitalize on any of the qualities using the structure it has appealing, but it is an interesting enough experiment to watch. I'd recommend showing this show to an unsuspecting audience unfamiliar with this style of movie, if it's more accessible to them than a western superhero movie, and to gauge their reaction. Because that's who this movie was made for. And if continuously invested in, the success of the western superhero blockbusters can be replicated in anime form. Even though it might not be an interesting watch, it might the start for the pursuit of an interesting result. So, if you want to watch this movie as an informative way to observe their strategy, I fully support that, because that part of the movie is genuinely interesting, and that's what made me talk at length about it. I wish it had more substance to discuss the actual things it tried, but the only thing I could observe how hard it tries to imitate what it wishes it would've been. And by pursuing every single technical detail about it, it manages to entirely miss the point. That these movies are meant to present the best qualities humanity has to offer and demonstrate them. And that it doesn't.