Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade

We are not men who dress like dogs. We are wolves disguised as men.

Jin-Roh is a very important movie today, even more so than it could've been back when it was originally released. It raises great questions: how can one retain their humanity in a cruel world? Should you retain it, or should you become a monster instead? Does your choice even make a difference or is it all truly worthless? It's hard to answer these questions on the fly. It was all the harder for Kazuki Fuse, who at the beginning of the story couldn't bring himself to shoot a little girl, even though she was a terrorist. His reluctance not only gets him reprimanded and assigned to retraining, but it also sets in motion a plan with societal and political implications far greater than him in which he's but a mere powerless pawn.

What follows is a complex story with a simple premise: the weak are destined to be killed by the strong. There is no place for morality or feelings in the equation. There can be morality and feelings, but they essentially do not matter. This is made abudantly clear by the movie when it refrains from ever telling you how to feel about this faction or the other, or even when it comes to the characters themselves. It is not a coincidence that mainstream society within the setting of this movie doesn't care about either the police or the insurrection. It is not a coincidence that mainstream society is barely featured at all. When making history, the neutral masses do not get to have a say, and are completely subject to the display of power between two sides as is the case in this movie.

But even if you do involve yourself in all these machinations behind the scenes, that is no guarantee you will be the victor. There is no guarantee that you will always be the strong trampling over the weak. Or that you will be happy. Kazuki Fuse joins the Special Unit out of the desire to belong. To call a place his home, and his comrades-in-arms his family. But is it worth it? I have my own answer to this question, but I'm not here to preach.

The point is that Jin-Roh is far more than what meets the eye at first, but it does struggle to show this and it is partially to blame for it. The pacing is very slow and sometimes it is difficult to catch on things. The characters are nothing to write home about and the lore, while interesting, isn't fleshed out as one would like, but neither of these are the strong suits of this movie. The visuals and the music are absolutely gorgeous and I love them. The biggest flaw this movie has in my opinion is the fact that it really pushes you to focalize on the correllations between Little Red Riding Hood and its own story, in such a way that can diminish an appreciaton for its more subtle themes that are arguably far more interesting.

This is quite obviously not a movie for everyone. If you're looking for something easy and conventionally entertaining to watch, this isn't it. Chances are you won't care "to get" this movie. That is perfectly okay and valid. But if you are willing to let it do its thing on its own terms, you will be rewarded with a breathtaking finale and plenty of real, meaningful things to think about.