Gosenzosama Banbanzai 御先祖様万々歳! OVA, Mamoru Oshii 押井守 Note

《御先祖様万々歳！》押井守先生於1989年監督的作品，引入戲劇動畫的手法，解構當時經濟泡沫後日本社會中家庭的脆弱與虛偽。

Gosenzosama Banbanzai! (Ancestors Forever!) is a 1989 work by director Mamoru Oshii, which introduces theatrical animation techniques to deconstruct the fragility and hypocrisy of families following the economic bubble

故事背景為夢想破滅的80 年代末日本社會，一個平凡、互動乏味的典型家庭，被突然闖進了一段科幻情節打亂，一位戴著西式黃色蝴蝶闊邊帽、穿著黃色 tea dress 的少女磨子突然出現，聲稱自己是主角犬丸的曾孫女，後來時空警察「文明」突襲及追擊主角一家。（其實動畫隱藏著一個徹底顛覆的大反轉，真相遠比表面更加殘酷，建議大家親自揭開這場結局。）因著這個不知是否「外人」的強行介入，導致母親離家出走、父親破產，犬丸和磨子私奔，為整個故事帶來不同的衝擊。

The story is set in the late 1980s, amid the shattered dreams of Japanese society. An ordinary, dull family finds its life disrupted by a surreal sci-fi incident. A Westernised girl named Maroko, wearing a wide-brimmed yellow hat and a tea dress, suddenly appears at the home of the protagonist, Inumaru, claiming to be his granddaughter. Soon after, the “Time Police” arrive, pursuing Inumaru’s family. (The story features a major and cruel twist ending, so it is best to uncover the truth for yourself.) The intrusion of the “outsider” causes the family to unravel: the mother leaves home, the father goes bankrupt, and Inumaru eventually elopes with Maroko. These events create much of the conflict that drives the plot forward.

這部六集的OVA幾乎以舞台劇的形式演譯，角色的活動設計參考木偶戲的生硬擺動、並以充滿激情的獨白取代日常對白，帶動劇情的張力。舞台上的聚光燈準確照著該場的重點人物、角色甚至會隨舞台地下機關漸漸升降。劇中不時有「打破第四牆」的戲劇方式，讓角色從劇中抽離，直接與觀眾對話，藉此打破觀眾的距離感，提醒觀眾：你也可能跟他們在一樣的社會環境、引誘與災難中生活。

The 6-episode OVA unfolds in a theatrical style. The stiff, puppet-like movements of the characters, along with the use of passionate monologues instead of everyday conversation, drive the dramatic tension. The stage spotlights precisely illuminate the key figures in each scene, while characters even gradually rise and fall through stage trapdoors.

The anime also frequently employs “breaking the fourth wall,” where the characters detach themselves from the plot to speak directly to the audience, thereby reminding viewers that they may be living within the same social environment, temptations, and disastrous lives as the characters themselves.

家庭脆弱的連繫——舞台與現實的虛偽 Fragility of a family bond — Reality and Drama

日本講談師在講《少女革命ウテナ》的訪談*中提到『一直看戲的人，最能欣賞「演劇式風格」式的美吧。』再說到：「押井守先生的《祖先大人萬萬歲》也曾做過實驗性嘗試，但我看起來有點古板，而且只是在模仿而已」。在我而言，《少女革命ウテナ》(1997) 把舞台劇元素融合動畫中的確更平衡，但年份上差了接近幾代的距離，而且主題複雜性、意識形態、人物塑造及故事脈落分段等等，要交代及轉化的事情多太多了，可見《祖先大人萬萬歲》在動畫創作實驗上的前瞻性。

短短的六集的《御先祖様万々歳！》中，在前半部中的開頭都會花幾分鐘介紹鳥類生態，暗喻家庭成員由本來充滿凝聚力，其後因為其他烏類在家庭的巢裡生蛋，將原本的蛋推下山邊而瓦解、或默默等蛋孵化出小企鵝，最後只有數隻企鵝生存的可憐狀況。這與接下來以舞台效果呈現的故事主線相輔相成，比擬了當時家庭連繫的假象，家庭以至整個社會都不堪一擊：人們習慣只跟著劇本走，即使少量的衝突都足以令家庭崩潰。倒不如說，這是刻意打破動畫技術與虛擬現實的框架，進而回歸對寫實大眾面貌的描繪。

In an interview regarding Revolutionary Girl Utena 1997*, a Japanese storyteller mentioned: "Those who constantly watch plays are best able to appreciate the beauty of 'theatrical style'." They further stated: "Mr. Mamoru Oshii’s Ancestors Forever also conducted experimental attempts, but to me, it looked a bit old-fashioned and was merely an imitation."

In my view, Revolutionary Girl Utena indeed achieved an excellent balance of theatrical elements within anime. However, there is a gap of several years between the two works. Moreover, Utena incorporates a mixture of themes, ideologies, character development, and narrative contexts, all of which require far more transformation and conveyance.

In the 6 short episodes of Gosenzo-sama Banbanzai!, the first half of the series begins with several minutes of stories about bird ecology, hinting at the cohesion of a family. These families later collapse because other birds lay eggs at the same nests and push the original eggs down the hill; penguins silently wait for their babies to hatch, with only a few surviving the harsh environment. These stories echo the anime’s presentation of the plot in a theatrical method, comparing family ties to an illusion: fragile and easily shattered. Ordinary people usually follow a written script of how they should live, and only a few sudden conflicts are enough to destroy the concept of family. Rather than reinforcing illusion, this anime deliberately breaks apart its own advanced techniques and fabricated reality in order to depict the truth of society.

*螺旋の薔薇ーウテナにおける神話考察—【Examination II：物語の扉は開かねたか】

夢想碎片的爆破 Shattered Dream

戰後日本在西方介入後，日本的大城市都充滿著犬馬聲色的光影。整個社會動員全體為國家、企業與家庭打拼，創造了經濟奇蹟與文化輸出的神話。當一般サラリーマン (Salary Man)**終於事業有成、建立家庭，掏空積蓄付上首期，住進人人夢寐以求的高樓大廈，遠眺整個城市時，等待他們的卻是沉重的長期房貸——這是什麼社會陷阱？

After the war, Japan rapidly transformed into a highly Westernised sensory society. The nation focused on mobilising everyone to rebuild and work for the country, corporations, and family, creating the myth of an economic miracle and cultural prosperity. As common salaryman/officers worked hard and married, paid the deposit and moved into the dream high rise apartments overlooking the entire city and burdened by a long term mortgage. What once appeared to be a dream gradually revealed itself to be a trap.

**日本有分正社員同派遣社員，サラリーマン（Salary Man）一般都是正社員，直接、無期及月付薪金員工。根據NIRA綜合研發機構，90年代初正社員還個企業約80%。後來經濟不景，降至75%。

為探討現實中真實與謊言之間的界線，動畫不時在「美好的生活想像」與「崩壞的現實真面目」之間切換。1）情節從和諧公寓轉眼變成危樓破產，父母關係破裂，最終演變成父債子償的悲劇、2）接著到犬丸磨子私奔，犬丸彈著結他彷彿過著雙宿雙棲的生活、而背景巨大的Kodak招牌，暗示這只是一場預設佈景。隨後的主角獨白更說出男女主角在戲劇中本應走向美滿，在現實中卻落入因血緣而不得越界的虛構誘惑。3）最後是以荒謬的祖父悖論，將家庭結構徹底導向崩潰。

這些鋪排呼應了結局的名稱《蝴蝶之夢》，揭示出新穎而美麗的誘惑未必是真正的幸福。在短暫美好過後，緊接而來發展成生活的苦困，迫使人們發現社會上的奢侈想像與慣性角色扮演，在現實面前全都是不堪一擊。故事最終，主角犬丸在雪地中追逐著那艘象徵夢幻泡影、逐漸駛遠的黃色飛船，在接近瀕死及生存的邊緣中叫喊。

This narrative, as the final episode named "The Dream of a Butterfly,"uncovered the beautiful temptation might not be the real happiness. After the allure developed into a harsh life, people will find out the luxurious imagination and written script of a role are all very vulnerable. As like the protagonist Inumaru chasing the yellow zeppelin, metaphoring dream and illusion, struggling on the edge of survival and death.

This narrative, as the final episode titled "The Dream of a Butterfly" suggests, uncovers that beautiful temptation may not be true happiness. Once the allure gives way to a harsh reality, people come to realize that luxurious imagination and a scripted role are both deeply fragile. Like the protagonist Inumaru chasing the yellow zeppelin, a metaphor for dreams and illusion; he struggles on the edge of survival and death.