The latest Matrix movie, Resurrections, was released in 2021. Everybody can recognize the unique fighting scenes, the tiny black sunglasses, and the green vertical codes. The movie, in fact, is a masterpiece of cinematography that changed the industry forever. Matrix took inspiration from many cultures and has many philosophical references. However, influences from Japan are particularly high, and tributes to Japanese culture are frequent.
Here below are 6 ways Japan is related to Matrix movies!
1. The green code, a sushi recipe?
Matrix digital rain, the green vertical code, includes mirror images of Western Latin letters and Arabic numerals. Moreover, it is full of katakana characters, used mainly to represent foreign loan words in Japanese.
The code was designed by Simon Whiteley, who in a 2017 interview at CNET, he attributed the design to his wife, who is from Japan, and added, “I like to tell everybody that The Matrix’s code is made out of Japanese sushi recipes. Without that code, there is no Matrix”.
Moreover characters are scrolling vertically from top to bottom on the screen like the Japanese (and Chinese) writing system.
2. Matrix is the “live-action” of an anime from Japan: Ghost in the shell
The plot is about a cyborg police officer attempting to bring down a villainous computer hacker who built a parallel world. No, not matrix, but the amine Ghost in the shell. Familiar right?
It is well known that the Matrix directors described their intentions by showing the anime “Ghost in the shell” to the producer and saying “We wanna do that for real“.
The film’s opening title sequence, as well as the general look of the Matrix code throughout the film resembles the opening credits of the 1995 Japanese cyberpunk film.
Moreover, characters access the Matrix through holes in the back of their necks, exactly like in the anime.
3. Influences by other anime: Akira and Ninja Scroll
The Wachowskis said “We liked the Ninja Scroll and Akira anime. One thing that they do that we tried to bring to our film was a juxtaposition of time and space in action beats.”
In particular, Many consider the famous “bullet time” sequences in the original Matrix film, where the camera rotates around the scene frozen in time, as a specific tribute to the [Akira] manga.
Moreover, praised for its animation and action scenes, Ninja Scroll is regarded by many as one of the most influential anime films ever made. It was one of the responsible for increasing the popularity of adult-oriented anime outside of Japan. The film has been cited by The Wachowskis as an influence on the Matrix franchise. Kawajiri, the anime director, later even contributed to The Animatrix, an animated science fiction anthology film telling the backstory of The Matrix film series.
4. Seven Samurai tribute: big battles and rain
The visuals, plot and dialogue of Seven Samurai by Akira Kurosawa have inspired a wide range of filmmakers, ranging from George Lucas to Quentin Tarantino. Elements from Seven Samurai have been borrowed by many films, examples include visual elements in the large-scale battle scenes of films such as The Matrix Revolutions (2003).
Additionally, one of the visual elements from Seven Samurai that have inspired a number of films is the use of rain to set the tone for action scenes. Examples of this include Blade Runner, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and The Matrix Revolutions.
5. Japanese Martial arts and clothes
A Guardian article states that “ Neo’s long cloak and his Karate expertise were also borrowed from Japan’s traditional martial arts scene”.
Most dominant style of fighting is Kung Fu, (actually wire-fu, a cinematic adaptation) but many other martial arts are used. These include:
bojitsu (a martial art from Okinawa where a long pole is used to strike enemies and defend yourself)
kenpo, (a variation of Karate)
Japanese jujitsu.
If you remember, Neo’s first practical test ever is a battle with Morpheus in a virtual fight. The costume created for it is a two-piece uniform based on the traditional Karate “Gi”.
Furthermore, costume designer Kym Barrett stated that to help Neo sartorially channel “The One” in his duster-length wool coat, she looked at a mix of cultures and religions around the globe, starting with Japanese Samurai.
6. Scenes of Japan in Matrix Resurrection: cherry blossoms, tea house, bonsai
Watch the Japanese trailer here below, you can see Keanu Reeves bowing and saying a few words in Japanese. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XXoSCyG3Zo&t=5s)
Moreover, you can perceive a few scenes set recalling Japan: a bullet train with a cherry blossom view and a beautiful tea house decorated with katana swords. I am pretty sure you can even spot a bonsai tree in another scene of the movie.
In addition, in the previous movies there is an early mentioned famous fighting scene in a dojo, which is a Japanese hall for intense training. I recently learned that nowadays this term has been borrowed by other fields, in particular a “Coding dōjō” is a space and associated technique for groups to practice computer programming skills, which perfectly fits with the movie topic.
Conclusions
The movie series is a masterpiece for its special effects, engaging plot, and exploration of deep themes such as reality, identity, and freedom. It draws inspiration from many cultures, but we can affirm that Matrix and Japan sahres many references and funny anecdotes.
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Sources list:
https://web.archive.org/web/20121006041445/http://www.warnervideo.com/matrixevents/wachowski.html
https://www.cnet.com/news/lego-ninjago-movie-simon-whiteley-matrix-code-creator
https://www.japaninc.com/article.php?articleID=1160
https://fashionista.com/2019/03/the-matrix-20th-anniversary-costumes
“200 Things That Rocked Our World: Bullet Time”. Empire. EMAP (200): 136. February 2006.
https://budodragon.com/what-martial-art-does-neo-use-in-the-matrix/?amp=1
Sato, D. T.; Corbucci, H.; Bravo, M. V. (2008). Coding dojo: an environment for learning and sharing agile practices.
