Kotodama is a spiritual concept in Japanese culture that refers to the power of words and language. The belief is that words carry a certain energy and can have a direct influence on reality. This concept can be both positive and negative, with the potential to bring blessings or curses. Kotodama spiritual curses are considered to be a form of black magic in Japanese folklore. These curses involve the use of specific words or chants that are believed to cause harm or misfortune to the target. It is believed that the spoken words can resonate with the spiritual realm and invoke negative energies.
Kotodama: Spiritual Curse is kind an intriguing. It is so outright bizarre that I actually want to see it again. But I’m not going to head into cinemas for my repeat viewing. It just isn’t worth spending the money for a product that is so sloppily made. What hurts is that it isn’t the movie’s fault at all. This film suffers because it had to go through the extra process of Tagalog dubbing. The film is showed utter disrespect as its components are ruined by bad recording. They’ve done better before, and these films deserve better.
Little bit later, we are introduced to the final protagonist, a lone woman entering the abandoned building to honour the memory of her late mother s school mates; the very same mates that died in the freak accident all those years ago. As it turned out, the picture was only OK, offering a few interesting ideas but undermining itself with tongue-in-cheek humour never really reaching the nightmare pitch achieved in the best of its predecessors Ringu , Ju-On The Curse , Ju-On The Grudge , The Ring.
It is believed that the spoken words can resonate with the spiritual realm and invoke negative energies. Historically, kotodama spiritual curses were believed to be practiced by onmyoji, Japanese occult practitioners who specialized in spiritual rituals. These practitioners would use kotodama to curse their enemies or protect themselves from harm.
Sloppy Dubbing Ruins the Bizarre ‘Kotodama: Spiritual Curse’
Kotodama: Spiritual Curse is made up of three interconnected stories. One part of the movie concerns first year students at Kitayamda Middle School. The students tell scary stories to each other about the abandoned classroom next door, and soon fall victim to paranormal threats that seem to be drawn directly from their words. In another part of the film, a group of filmmakers sneak into an abandoned building to shoot a viral video, and run into a real ghost. And finally, a young woman tries to fulfill her mother's final wishes, digging into her past to male peace with a tragic event from the past.
This movie is very bizarre, and that’s mostly a good thing. The rhythms of J-Horror are so worn out and familiar at this point that much of its edge has been lost. Horror tends to benefit from the unknown, and the endless use of the same tropes over and over again tend to make things less exciting than they could be. But Kotodama, while still using many of these tropes, is actually playing a very different game. It bends space and time as it tells a pretty wacky story that wields illogic as a weapon. It’s just too bad that the version we’re getting is technically inferior.
It should be said right away: the Tagalog dubbing of this film is pretty terrible. The SineAsia dubbing has been pretty hit or miss, but generally they seem to be at least professionally done. But the seams are showing at every corner of this film. There are scenes where you can still hear the original Japanese dialogue. And there’s more than one sequence where the dubbing really steps on the film’s sound design. Practically all the SineAsia releases have some problems with the sound design, but this film seems to be particularly bad with it. There are whole scenes that just go without sound effects altogether. And there are some lines of dialogue that they seem to have forgotten to dub.
It’s a shame, because this is actually a pretty intriguing picture. It’s often so weird that it just becomes unsettling. The movie exhibits little regard for keeping the audience in the loop. It just throws out scene after scene of horror weirdness, doing very little to indicate what it is that holds all of these together. It should feel frustrating, but it isn’t. The movie establishes right from the start that this isn’t going to be a typical experience. It isn’t trying to put together a simple three-act story. It just wants to keep ramping up the weirdness until the whole thing breaks apart.
But it just isn’t worth seeing in this state. Sound design is a huge part of horror films, and to have whole chunks of it just disappear isn’t right. This whole initiative to dub these Asian movies in Tagalog has been questionable right from the start, but I’ve been willing to give the whole thing the benefit of the doubt. But this film is so sloppily dubbed that it’s hard to give SineAsia a pass. If we really need to have these films dubbed in Tagalog, then they need to at least be done well. The bad dubbing just kills whatever appeal this film might have had.
AdvertisementKotodama: Spiritual Curse is kind an intriguing. It is so outright bizarre that I actually want to see it again. But I’m not going to head into cinemas for my repeat viewing. It just isn’t worth spending the money for a product that is so sloppily made. What hurts is that it isn’t the movie’s fault at all. This film suffers because it had to go through the extra process of Tagalog dubbing. The film is showed utter disrespect as its components are ruined by bad recording. They’ve done better before, and these films deserve better.
My Rating:
My Rating:
The curses were thought to be effective due to the inherent power of words and the belief that they could manipulate the spiritual forces around them. The belief in kotodama spiritual curses is still present in modern Japanese culture, although it is not as widely practiced. There are still individuals who claim to have the ability to perform these curses, and there are various rituals and incantations associated with them. It is important to note that the concept of kotodama is not limited to curses alone. It is also believed that positive words and intentions can have a beneficial effect on the individual and their surroundings. This belief is often invoked in practices such as affirmations and positive affirmations. In conclusion, kotodama spiritual curses are a part of Japanese folklore and occult practices. The concept centers around the power of words and the belief that they can have a direct influence on reality. While the practice of kotodama curses may not be as prevalent today, the belief in the power of words and language still holds significance in Japanese culture..
Reviews for "Kotodama: The Forbidden Art of Cursing in Japanese Culture"
- Jane - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "Kotodama spiritual curse". The graphics were subpar and the controls were clunky. The story was confusing and hard to follow, and the dialogue was just cheesy. Overall, the game felt unpolished and uninteresting. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for a good horror game.
- Michael - 1 star - "Kotodama spiritual curse" was a complete waste of my time and money. The gameplay was repetitive and boring, and there was no real challenge. The puzzles were overly simplistic and lacked creativity. The voice acting was painful to listen to, and the characters were one-dimensional. I regret purchasing this game and would not recommend it to anyone.
- Emily - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "Kotodama spiritual curse", but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The gameplay felt clunky and unresponsive, and the controls were confusing. The graphics were disappointing, with low quality textures and glitches. The story had potential, but it wasn't executed well, leaving me feeling unsatisfied. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this game to anyone looking for a captivating and enjoyable gaming experience.