Steve Reviews: The Ringing Bell (Chirin's Bell)

Lambs. They're adorable. You guys. You have a habit of requesting really dark and weird stuff. The Ringing Bell. An animated film that contains an adorable lamb, but has also been highly requested by you guys. I'm sure it'll be fine. The Ringing Bell, or Chirin's Bell if you translate it directly from its Japanese title, is a Japanese anime film that was released in 1978, and is actually based off a book which goes by the same name. It was directed by… Masami Hata? Forgive me if I pronounce that wrong, and was produced by Sanrio Studios. Again, forgive me if I pronounce that wrong. The same studio that also produced the Hello Kitty series. That's right, the studio that produced this. Was now producing this. The Ringing Bell is notable for its incredibly dark nature and intensive violence, especially during the second half. Despite the fact that it was actually made for children. I kid you not, this film is rated a G. But is this film really as dark and shocking as people make out? Or is it just a case of people being a little too… Sheepish. The film's opening credits has us looking at various landscapes in the midst of winter, with vocals singing about Chirin's Bell. Chirin being a lamb that we focus on throughout this film, and the bell being attached around his neck. Though the vocals are sung quite softly, there's still an eerie vibe given from them. Okay, I know nothing bad is actually happening here yet, but for some reason I'm already on edge. The eerie silence with nothing but the bell quietly ringing, while Chirin walks aimlessly through this sea of cloud. Is it meant to be heaven? Is this one of those stories like Grave of the Fireflies where the character starts off dead, and we've got to see how they end up dying? I don't know if I can watch a film knowing that a cute innocent little lamb is going to meet some tragic fate at the end. Knowing that every step he takes and every challenge he meets, it's all going to be for nothing. I don't think my mind can take it. Oh wait, never mind. Looks like everything is fine. We see Chirin playing happily in a grassy field, where the narrator explains that Chirin wears the golden bell, so that it will be easier to find him should he get lost in the valley. Which makes me question as to why it's only Chirin that has this bell, as we can clearly see that none of the other lambs do. Either Chirin is specifically known for running off, or the farmer just doesn't give a crap about the rest of them. Chirin's mother tells Chirin that he is never to go beyond the boundary fence, as there is a wolf living in the mountains who preys upon the sheep at night. Sure hope that information isn't going to foreshadow some horrific events later on in the film. Chirin however doesn't seem to take this warning too serious, and later that night when the rest of the sheep are getting ready to settle down for the night, Chirin goes missing. Leaving his mother having to frantically look all over the pasture for him. Well I guess that bell didn't do such a great job after all. Eventually Chirin turns up, as it seems he was merely sleeping the entire time. And though initially cross, Chirin's mother is just so thankful that he's still alive, and both go to settle in for the night. Well so far this actually seems to be quite a pleasant movie. Bright colours, upbeat music, adorable lambs, and oh my god it's Scarface, I mean the evil wolf. Who not only takes out one of the sheep in a pretty brutal fashion, but also Chirin's mother. Oh who could have seen this coming a mile off. Chirin, distraught with his mother's death, runs off out of the pasture in hope that he can track the wolf down. To which the other sheep… Do absolutely nothing to stop him. Heck they don't even bother to comfort him whilst he's sitting there grieving over his mother's loss. Sheep are assholes. Chirin eventually manages to track down the wolf, and demands answers for why he killed his mother. Unfortunately for Chirin however, the wolf doesn't seem too interested. Oh no, he's not actually dead. Despite being knocked down a deep dark pit with nothing but sharp rocks at the bottom, Chirin manages to survive completely unharmed. How did Chirin survive this deep and hazardous fall completely unharmed? With determination to avenge his mother, Chirin once again confronts the wolf. Wait, what? Chirin, I don't know if that fall caused you to suffer from amnesia, but this is the wolf who just yesterday murdered your mother in cold blood, and the only reason you ended up here in the first place was to avenge her death? I get the fact that you want to become strong in order to face the wolf, but asking to become that very wolf student so he can train you to... become a wolf yourself? That'd be like if Bambi went up to the humans that shot his mother, and begged them to make him into a human. Or if Littlefoot asked to become a sharp tooth. Or if Simba asked to become... the wildebeest. It just seems a little contradictory to your mission. Speaking of contradictory, why isn't the wolf simply mauling Chirin to pieces right now? It can't be that he has some sort of moral against murdering children, as he was quite literally prepared to murder him in the pen last night. Getting no answers from the wolf, Chirin decides that he'll go and train himself up instead. But that doesn't go too well either, as he gets kicked aside by a herd of bison, sprayed by a skunk, and rolled into a dirt ball by some... gophers? I'm really not quite sure what these things are. So Chirin decides to go back to the wolf, and we get a montage of Chirin trying to follow the wolf. Oh no, wait. It looks like he's somehow survived again. Exactly how did Chirin survive seemingly drowning in a violent set of rapids? Chirin later comes across a snake, which is attacking a bird and its eggs. Jesus. Chirin attempts to protect the eggs, and actually manages to fend off the snake. But unfortunately, ends up breaking the bird eggs in the process. Leading to a pretty touching scene. Pretty upsetting right? Then why is it that when this exact thing happens in Shrek, it's played up for laughs? I'm serious. During the film, Fiona accidentally kills a mother bird, notices that it has a clutch of eggs in its nest, and then ends up eating the eggs. Everyone always laughs at this scene, and I just sit there... horrified. Fuck you Fiona. The wolf sees what's happened, and gives a pretty compelling speech to Chirin. Except, you know, that time that you raided the pen, murdered a sheep, and then proceeded to also attack a young lamb? If you're going to give the indication that animals only kill in order to survive, then why would you go for a tiny lamb, when you already have a massive sheep carcass, that could last you for a week? On top of the fact that even before attacking the sheep, you murdered several guard dogs outside, that could have also provided you with plenty of food. The wolf now agrees to train Chirin, where we then get a montage of Chirin becoming stronger, and stronger over the years. Whereas a little lamb, he is able to take down... a group of mountain lions, a fully grown grizzly bear, and smash his head through a freaking tree. Three years have now passed, and we cut back to Chirin, who is now fully grown. Well, that's certainly done a 180 turn, hasn't it? We've gone from Chirin wanting nothing more than to kill the wolf, to Chirin wanting nothing more than to train under the wolf, to Chirin now seeing the wolf as a father figure. Also, on another note, what the hell is with Chirin's horns? Ram horns are not shaped like that. Ram horns tend to curve back and round again. They do not face forward like some sort of... Bull horn? Wait, no? Goat horns? No? Antelope horns? No, wait. I don't think there's actually any modern day mammal that have front-facing horns like this. I mean, if you guys know of one, then please by all means let me know in the comment section below. Chirin and the wolf head back to the pasture where Chirin grew up, where he is instructed to murder every single one of the sheep inside. Which again, what happened to the whole one creature must die so another may live philosophy? Chirin agrees and charges down to the pen, where he brutally kills several guard dogs along the way. Okay, I know this is meant to be an intense scene and all, but the reaction of the other sheep in the background is just downright hilarious. Chirin manages to defeat all of the guard dogs, and enters into the barn. But just as he's about to start his attack, he sees a mother sheep diving on top of her child in order to protect it. This, in what is actually a pretty emotional scene, causes Chirin to remember back to his own mother protecting him, and he finds that he can't go through with the attack after all. The wolf, unmoved by any of this, says that he will go ahead and show Chirin how it's done. Chirin says that he can't let him do that, and ends up impaling the wolf with his nature-defined front-facing horns. After the wolf is defeated, the sheep see Chirin's heroic act and hail him as a hero. So it turns out that because of the anger and rage inside of Chirin, the other sheep don't see him as one of their own, and so Chirin is forced to retreat back to the mountains, alone, where he grieves the loss of his only friend, the wolf. The narrator tells us that Chirin is never seen again, but on some blizzard nights, his bell can still be heard ringing, echoing its call throughout the barren land. And that was the ringing bell. So what are my thoughts? The plot is definitely an interesting one. On surface level, it seems simple enough. Young child who is completely innocent suddenly faces emotional trauma, and so has to learn on how to deal with those emotions, and use their newfound strength in order to overcome the thing that took their loved one away. The difference with this film however, is one, it's a lot darker. Like, a lot darker. And two, I'm not quite sure what lesson it's trying to teach. I mean, sure, Chirin learns to become stronger, and manages to defeat the wolf that killed his mother, but he still gets an unhappy ending. I think the film is supposed to be showing the moral that you should not become consumed with wanting vengeance. But here's the thing, Chirin wasn't consumed with vengeance, as he quite clearly states later on that he no longer wants to kill the wolf, and even states that he sees him as a father figure. The only reason Chirin ends up killing the wolf, is because he didn't want the wolf to slaughter an entire herd of sheep, which I think is a pretty valid reason. Yet he's punished for this anyway, as the other sheep reject him, because sheep are assholes, and ends up losing another parental figure, which forces him to play out the rest of his life in cold isolation. Like, what? I honestly don't see what Chirin could have done in this movie, to make him the bad guy. I think his motive for wanting to become stronger in order to defeat the wolf, is a fair and reasonable one. As the only alternative, would have been for him to live the rest of his life in the pasture, and merely wait for the wolf to come back and kill him another day. That's a completely valid reason. Is the moral of this film to be complacent and to accept your fate? Is the moral of the film not to give into your feelings, as you'll end up killing the only people close to you, and those that you try to protect will end up turning their backs on you anyway? The only moral I can see this movie having, is that the strong survive, and that the weak fail. As Chirin was at his peak when he had completely gotten rid of his emotions, and only fell from grace once he let his feelings get the better of him. But that seemed like a pretty weak and slightly twisted moral you want to be teaching kids. Or is it that the moral is simply, Sheep are assholes. Because that was definitely achieved. There were times where I just don't think this film quite knew what it wanted to be. Perfect example of this is in the scene where the wolf is fighting a bear. We get some great animation, with a realistic art style. But then the wolf suddenly pulls off this insane movement where it darts across the bear's head, and then once the fight is over, the bear goes from this realistic intimidating art style, straight over to this cartoony Disney style, where he then runs away in a comedic manner. It just seems to be an inconsistent tone. But let's move on to some of the more positive aspects of the film. First up, the animation. The animation for this film is pretty decent. Backgrounds are these lush watercolors, characters are well designed, and you get some nice fluid movements throughout. I also love how the style of the film drastically changes. In the first half you have these very bright, soft and warm colors, which actually give it a very Disney-like look to it. But then in the second half where Shirin is now grown up, the palette switches to a much darker tone, with a lot of blacks, dark blues, and fiery reds. Very much representing the emotional change going on in Shirin. From the bright childlike innocence, to a tortured soul consumed by anger. I also really like the music to this film, as it does a fantastic job of setting the tone. And in a similar sense to the animation, the music also seems to change style throughout the film. At the start we get this very whimsical soft tune, with a lot of flutes incorporated. But towards the end it shifts to a much sharper, and more intense soundtrack, replacing the flutes with drums, and even a bit of guitar. The vocals used throughout the film give it a calming, but also slightly eerie charm. But of course the highlights for me, are the scores used during the emotional scenes. Such as the death of Shirin's mother, and the choir vocals used for when Shirin has his emotional conflict towards the end. But in saying that, the film also knows the exact time where there is no need for music at all. There are a lot of moments in this film that hold onto a deathly silence, really driving the impact of certain scenes to build the tension. One particular moment is the silence used, as Shirin discovers that his mother has been killed. Very similar to the silent moments used in the film Barefoot Gen, where the character on screen hasn't quite realised the extent of the tragedy going on. And the silence is used to make the scene as tense as possible, as we the audience hold our breath, and wait for them to come to the realisation. Now a quick mention about the sound effects. I've gotta say, despite my praise for the music used throughout the film, the sound effects just feel... weirdly out of place. Look at this clip for example. It's like they were taken from a stock footage library. They come across as incredibly cartoony and goofy, for a film which is trying to present itself as more realistic and serious. In conclusion though, despite everything I have to say about the film's plot and it's questionable morals, I still found it very enjoyable to watch, and I would recommend for you guys to go give it a watch too. The art style is visually pleasing, the musical score is fantastic, and the emotional scenes really do drive home the feels. I think this film could have benefited from a longer runtime, as it's trying to cram a lot of events into it's limited 45 minute duration, there are moments in the film that seem incredibly rushed in order to move the plot along. The montage as being a prime example. I think having more time with Shirin interacting with his mum, would have given us more of an impact when she was killed. I think after Shirin's mum is killed, that a bit more time could have been given to Shirin struggling by himself, and trying to control his emotions, before he runs away to confront the wolf. That way we'd get more justification at how he resorted to wanting to become more like a wolf. And I definitely think more time should have been given to showing us, the growing bond between Shirin and the wolf. As all we get in the film is a quick montage of Shirin's training, to which he suddenly tells us, that he sees the wolf as a father figure. Would have been cool to have some additional dialogue, as Shirin begins to see the world from the wolf's perspective. But don't let me pull the wool over your eyes, because at the time of this review, the film is actually available to watch free on YouTube. Both the original Japanese version with subtitles, and the English dub. And at only 45 minutes long, it's a very quick and easy watch. Also how did that bell stay around his neck as he grew bigger?