Story of the Last Chrysanthemum

Story of the Last Chrysanthemum

Summary: 

     This is a story about Kikunosuke and his journey to become a great actor. He was adopted by a well known Kabuki actor and was being prepped and trained to follow in his adopted father's foot steps. He is publicly praised for his performances but contrary to his belief, his cast members talk behind his back about his sub par talent and performances. Only when he meets Otoku, his step brother's wet nurse is he finally able to hear the truth about his abilities. As their relationship grows, Kikunosuke's parents fire Otoku causing him to leave home. With Otoku by his side, Kikunosuke begins his journey to become a great actor.

                         Themes:

     Female Sacrifice:

     In an effort to continue supporting Kikunosuke and his journey to become a great actor, Otoku has to sacrifice her job and her health. Because Otoku is of a lower class than Kikunosuke and his family, she is not able to express how she truly feels or how she is wrongly accused in a situation. We can see this in the scene where she gets fired from being a wet nurse. Even though she did not do anything wrong other than eat watermelon with Kikunosuke and tell him about his career, she was being viewed from the eyes of his mother and unable to express her innocence in the situation. Her voice basically did not matter during that conversation. Ask the story continues, Otoku becomes sick with tuberculosis and soon becomes bed ridden, of course this is not anything she could have prevented, but at the end of the film, she is so invest in Kikunosuke that she tells him to go to the parade so the people can see him and congratulate him on his finally successful performance. Even though she is on her death bed, she continues to put herself on the back burner.

Coming of age: 

        I believe this is a common theme in older Japanese films. Kikunosuke is clearly not a skilled actor in the beginning of the film but is held to a certain standard because of who his father is. He has the pressure of trying to appease his family while lacking in the talent his father is so well-know for. Through out the film it is clear to see how he develops into the character and figure everyone wanted him to be. Without the help from Otoku, her truthfulness and loyalty, Kikunosuke would still have the same lack luster talent as he did in the beginning of the film. Otoku was the fire he needed to start his journey towards a "better" person, but in this case, a better actor. At the end of the film we are shown him at the parade getting adorned by compliments and applause from the public. This signifies that he has reached his goal of becoming who he wanted to be and who his family wanted to be. Common with coming of age themes is sacrifice. By the end of the film, Kikunosuke has gained everything he wanted to accomplish but ends up losing the person that helped him get to that point, Otoku. It is almost as if Otoku's life was only necessary in helping Kikunosuke.