As the first animated work to adapt the classic Chinese love story of the same name, Butterfly Lovers: Leon and Jo (
It is an acceptable film. As a tragedy, it makes you cry. And as a story about Chinese culture and sentiment, it has also got the right feel. There are even two Mando-pop divas singing love songs in the movie, adding more touching sentiment.
However, it is not hard to find some obvious problems.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CMP
The story of Liang Shan-po (
In order to pursue her studies, Jo dresses as a boy when she meets Leon on the way to school. They quickly become best friends, carrying on a flirtation that hints at Jo's sex. When Jo is revealed as a woman, Leon immediately falls in love with her, only to find out she is about to married, forced by her father to couple with the son from a rich family.
Those familiar with Disney animations will find the animation work in this movie a little raw and the movement of the characters a bit stiff.
Those seeking a Pixar-standard of 3D animation may be a little disappointed. Fortunately, the music and the dubbing has added some class to the movie.
Both Rene Liu (
The music for the movie adapts the world-famous Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto, by Chinese composers Chen Gang (
The flowing Chinese-style violins represent the "falling in love" segment; and the high and rapid tones represent the
"refusing to marry part."
At the end, the powerful sounds of gongs represents the climax of the tragedy -- as the protagonists metamorphose into butterflies.
The picture also improves when the pair are ready to sacrifice their love. The colors are glowing and their use is wilder, making for a more imaginative section of the movie.
June 9 to June 15 A photo of two men riding trendy high-wheel Penny-Farthing bicycles past a Qing Dynasty gate aptly captures the essence of Taipei in 1897 — a newly colonized city on the cusp of great change. The Japanese began making significant modifications to the cityscape in 1899, tearing down Qing-era structures, widening boulevards and installing Western-style infrastructure and buildings. The photographer, Minosuke Imamura, only spent a year in Taiwan as a cartographer for the governor-general’s office, but he left behind a treasure trove of 130 images showing life at the onset of Japanese rule, spanning July 1897 to
One of the most important gripes that Taiwanese have about the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is that it has failed to deliver concretely on higher wages, housing prices and other bread-and-butter issues. The parallel complaint is that the DPP cares only about glamor issues, such as removing markers of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) colonialism by renaming them, or what the KMT codes as “de-Sinification.” Once again, as a critical election looms, the DPP is presenting evidence for that charge. The KMT was quick to jump on the recent proposal of the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) to rename roads that symbolize
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In an interview posted online by United Daily News (UDN) on May 26, current Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) was asked about Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) replacing him as party chair. Though not yet officially running, by the customs of Taiwan politics, Lu has been signalling she is both running for party chair and to be the party’s 2028 presidential candidate. She told an international media outlet that she was considering a run. She also gave a speech in Keelung on national priorities and foreign affairs. For details, see the May 23 edition of this column,
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