Discussion: Dragon Head
Discussion
Separate the class into groups of 4-5 students, erring on the smaller size. Assign the following questions to the class and allocate 15-20 minutes for these small groups to discuss. As groups discuss these topics, move among groups and evaluate the content/quality of their discourse.
Discussion Questions
1. Spend a few minutes in your group discussing your opinion of Dragon Head.
2. Where can you find representations of the concept of “community” in the film?
3. With your knowledge of the 2011 earthquake/tsunami disaster in Japan, how do the reactions of the characters in Dragon Head compare with the reactions of the Japanese in real-life disaster situations? Reference 1 / Reference 2
4. What do you think is the ultimate message of this film? (Hint: Think about the last scene in particular)
Now, have the small groups choose a single member to act as a representative of their micro-discussion. Then, give the groups 3 minutes to write a question for the class that relates to one of the previously discussed questions. During this time, go from group to group and check their question. Below are examples of appropriate and inappropriate questions.
O How do the scenes with the mind-numbing food reinforce or disarm the concept of “community?”
**A good question, as it requires students to choose examples from the film, along with their knowledge of community, to instigate discussion
× What was the cause of the disaster in Dragon Head?
**Not a good question, as the film does not answer this and requires only supposition to answer
Next, bring the group representatives to the front of the room or arrange all chairs in a circle to facilitate a class-wide discussion. At this point, the group representatives will take turns asking their questions to the class and seeking the other students’ opinions. Give full control of the discussion to the students at this point. The role of the instructor is to evaluate participation and the quality of the discourse. If at any time the students are wandering away from the main topics, interject and course-correct them. The following Focal Points are important to cover:
- Teru and Ako represent the “everyman” Japanese person. They are not particularly unique and they are roughly the same age as the target audience. They have no special talents and react to most situations as the average person would. This is key in order to allow the viewing audience to identify and sympathize with the characters during the crisis.
- The cause of the disaster is unknown. Although some hypotheses are given during the film, the actual cause is never concretely identified. The unclear nature of the disaster leads to a feeling of fear in the film; one of the major subtopics.
- Fear is what provokes the survival instinct. Without this instinct, there is no impetus to live. This is also contrasted with the two children who have undergone brain surgery. They are no longer able to feel fear and, thus, are no longer able to really “live.”
- The mind-numbing food found beneath Tokyo is another example of how lack of fear suppresses the survival instinct. People who have eaten the food allow themselves to die without any attempt at self-preservation.
- In the final scene, Teru and Ako stand looking at an erupting volcano in the center of Tokyo. Teru exclaims that they will survive no matter what happens. This is ultimately a call to the audience to maintain a will to live in any disaster situation. This is an important message for the Japanese people: their country is very prone to natural disasters, and the end of World War II was also apocalyptic in nature for the country and its people.
- The sense of “community” is reinforced throughout the film by showing that people who have chosen not to work with others and only for their own benefit are “punished” (i.e. killed), whereas characters who band together for self-preservation are allowed to survive (Teru and Ako). This supports the social concept of “community before the individual” for the audience.
Homework
Assign the following reading as a homework assignment. Readings are available on repositories such as JSTOR:
“Images of Armageddon: Japan's 1980s Theatre Culture.” Uchino Tadashi. TDR (1988-) Vol. 44, No. 1 (Spring, 2000), pp. 85-96
Assign the following quiz. This quiz can either be assigned as a take-home open book test or given at the beginning of the next class period. Correct answers are highlighted.
1.According to Uchino, which religious group performed a gas attack on a Tokyo subway on March 20, 1995?
a. Aum Shinri-Kyo
b. Tokyo Defense Force
c. Souka Gakkai
d. Zenrinkyou
2. In what year was the first Toga International Arts Festival held?
a. 1980
b. 1981
c. 1982
d. 1983
3. In subculture genres of the 80s, they were often concerned with what theme?
a. utopia
b. dystopia
c. flagging economy
d. Imperial destiny
4. The term _____________ is used by Uchino to refer to a Japanese form of melodrama in which an unarticulated subjectivity, neither singular nor collective, dominates the theatrical space, including the audience.
a. Theater of the Private
b. Theater of the Round
c. Theater of the Participants
d. Theater of the Public
5. Which anime does Uchino refer to in his discussion of post-apocalyptic theater?
a. Mad Max
b. Dragon Head
c. Ghost in the Shell
d. Akira
Download a printable PDF of this quiz here.
