``Isle of Dogs'' A fusion of Wes Anderson's play and Japanese storytelling

Some historical facts brought to mind by the dog isolation policy

Due to the spread of dog disease in Megasaki city, Mayor Kobayashi captures all the dogs and quarantines them on the garbage island, or Isle of Dogs. This introduction reminds us of some historical events.

First, there is the "Edict to Show Compassion for Living Things," enacted by the fifth shogun, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, during the Edo period, which is considered one of the worst laws in Japanese history. It is said that dogs in particular were given generous protection, and the government ordinance in "Isle of Dogs" is the inversion of this law. Although they are polar opposites, they are very similar in that both common people and animals are at the mercy of the unreasonable policies of those in power.

Broadening our perspective to world history, the racial segregation policy during World War II comes to mind. The persecution of Jews by Nazi Germany in Europe is well known (a plot reminiscent of the Holocaust is set up at the end of "Isle of Dogs"), but the Allied powers, led by the United States, also internment camps for people of Japanese descent.

“Isle of Dogs” ©2018 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

The depiction of the land where mountains of garbage are dumped and the characters who live there are borrowed from Kurosawa's " Dodesukaden ." The film was shot on location in Horie-cho, Edogawa Ward, where a garbage dump was located in the late 1960s, but many people will recall the reclaimed land "Yume no Shima" in Koto Ward at the same time when they hear "garbage" and "island." Even in such places, our memories are connected to the story of "Isle of Dogs."