DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - New to Kendo, Has Kendo been over romanticized by Hollywood? What is it really like?

**Machater** · 09-09-2010, 05:49 AM

James Bond: Moonraker was on TV the other day. Bond was sneaking around a precious Venetian glassware exhibition room when all of a sudden the never-says-a-word-assassin-asian-henchman comes out of nowhere in kendo kit and proceeds to attack 007 with a shinai that still had the factory ties still on. The movements included olympic fencing style balustre-lunges and were nowhere near actual kendo movements. In the end Bond defeats the assassin, though the assassin could never kill Bond with a shinai anyway.

I remember also that one episode of the Gung Ho TV series (about Japanese managers trying having culture clashes with their American workers after having been convinced to buy out a decrepit car factory that was going to shut down) where two of the Japanese managers were practicing kendo and the "winner" was the nastier manager that no one liked (I think I remember he used the shinai to sweep the nice manager's legs).

If Hollywood does depict kendo (rather than some warped idea of kenjutsu), usually they play on the fact that the bogu can look sinister and the movements are superficially wild and aggressive. So whoever is in kendo kit is probably a maniacal bad guy. It's not just Hollywood, but also Madison Avenue (i.e. Nike advert with faceless evil kendo armor chasing soccer/football players).

I'm not sure how romantic this attitude is.

09-09-2010, 05:49 AM	#11
Machater Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 444 Senior Member	James Bond: Moonraker was on TV the other day. Bond was sneaking around a precious Venetian glassware exhibition room when all of a sudden the never-says-a-word-assassin-asian-henchman comes out of nowhere in kendo kit and proceeds to attack 007 with a shinai that still had the factory ties still on. The movements included olympic fencing style balustre-lunges and were nowhere near actual kendo movements. In the end Bond defeats the assassin, though the assassin could never kill Bond with a shinai anyway. I remember also that one episode of the Gung Ho TV series (about Japanese managers trying having culture clashes with their American workers after having been convinced to buy out a decrepit car factory that was going to shut down) where two of the Japanese managers were practicing kendo and the "winner" was the nastier manager that no one liked (I think I remember he used the shinai to sweep the nice manager's legs). If Hollywood does depict kendo (rather than some warped idea of kenjutsu), usually they play on the fact that the bogu can look sinister and the movements are superficially wild and aggressive. So whoever is in kendo kit is probably a maniacal bad guy. It's not just Hollywood, but also Madison Avenue (i.e. Nike advert with faceless evil kendo armor chasing soccer/football players). I'm not sure how romantic this attitude is.
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