Matcha To Bon Odori (Green Tea and the Spirit Dance)

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9.5 (10)
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Overall rating
 
9.5
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9.4(10)
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9.7(10)
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9.8(10)
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9.4(10)
Enjoyment
 
9.4(10)
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Overall rating
 
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
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10.0
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10.0
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10.0
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10.0
Bravo!

I had reservations about what this short film would deliver as well as my initial skepticism of the de-saturation. However, after a brief 15 minutes steeped in the strangely rich scenes contained in "The Karate Kid Part II" my prior suspicions were expertly dispelled. I greatly enjoyed this edit and was genuinely moved. Although, I have always been a sucker for the gentle and thoughtful demonstration of humanity expressed through culture.

The grainy B&W presentation and Bill Conti's sensitive composition seem as though they were always meant to be. The editing is top notch and I quite enjoyed the cross-fading transitions, which lend an comfortable flow to the mindful passage of time throughout Daniel and Mr. Miyagi's visit.

There is a subtlety to the conflict and theme in this short film that I really appreciated: The characters face and subsequently overcome grief, the contrast of a younger person consoling his mentor with the development of their individual relationships that are newly beginning or warmly renewing, and the rituals and traditions that become a cultural medium for the events the characters experience.

This short film edit is such an interesting and rare anomaly of a thing. It sets out very specifically to convey an experience unlike many other pieces of media do and I am glad for it. Still, with the peculiar conditions for this edit's existence there is a non-trivial threshold to entry. I needed to pause mid-watch to explain Mr. Miyagi's motivation and history to my wife because she was confused. Somehow the intro narration had failed to established what we needed to know to understand what was going on. Even knowing the source material I also felt I was missing context. I think our attention to the visuals together with the audio mix of music to voice during the narration segment contributed to the miss.

The only other bother I had was the abrupt audio ending. It was a bit jolting and stuck out as strange to me. Although, that might just be a subjective take. Otherwise, this was an absolute joy to have found and watched. Great job TM2YC and thanks for your hard work!

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Yes
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S
1 reviews
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Overall rating
 
10.0
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10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
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10.0
Stumbled upon this edit and I love It!
Bonus that I got to watch it right away on the video tab, and its only 15 minutes but it is excellent, elegant and simple. Even had me getting emotional at one point.

Love this creative approach to a movie that I already loved, and again TM2YC displays why he is such a legend in this game. Great fun.
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Overall rating
 
9.8
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
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10.0
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10.0
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10.0
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9.0
TM2YC really kicked ass with this Consecution. I totally forgot how fricking great "Karate Kid Part II" was. And instead of just condensing the story down, the editor made it a unique experience with the black & white and reframing and making it feel like Japanese cinema. Bravo!
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Overall rating
 
9.4
Audio/Video Quality
 
8.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
I've always loved The Karate Kid Parts I and II, especially how the second film is so different from the first. While the first is an 80s 'you can do it!' rah rah kid against the bullies romp the second was more of a master and apprentice adventure to another culture, and exploring Mr. Miyagi's past was always the best part of the movie.

So to see this unexpected experimental short come together of editing together of just 15 minutes of spread out parts was really a wonderful surprise. It's not just about taking great parts of The Karate Kid Part II and making a short film, but rather something truly reflective on love and loss in the Japanese culture. I was moved and intrigued the whole way through, and I give MAJOR props to TM2YC for the effort made here-- and turning out something awesome in the process.

If I had anything I'd gripe about it would be that I wished somehow the ice breaking scene (or some parts of it) made it into the short. Sure, it has basically nothing to do with the overall theme of the short but that scene was BY FAR my favorite in the original movie, about believing in yourself and finding the focus to accomplish the impossible. No big deal though :)

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Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
K
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Overall rating
 
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
Life, death, age, youth, and more are juxtaposed in this fantastic short - and love ties it all together. Aesthetically beautiful - nails that 50's Japanese look. Reframing seems perfectly natural. Excising the Karate from Karate Kid works better than it has any right to. I have a soft spot for the concept of TM2YC's other contribution, Birthday Presents - but the exceptional execution of this short wins me over to declare it my personal favorite short of this Consecution.
M
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