Different Anime #2

"And Now For Something Completely Different"

Some less well known anime titles #2
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REVIEWED

  • MEMORIES
  • ROMEO'S BLUE SKIES
  • LIKE THE CLOUDS, LIKE THE WIND

    MEMORIES

    - from the manga by Katsuhiro Otomo (3-disk CAV set, NTSC, (J), approx Y15,000) This is a 3 part movie with the 3 sections made by different anime directors.
    Magnetic Rose, story by Otomo, dir. Koji Morimoto.
    This is the most satisfying item of the three; a bleak and wondrous tale in which three spacefarers encounter a colossal space station, which initially semms deserted but proves to be haunted by the ghost of a dead opera singer, and controlled by a computer projecting a confusing array of virtual-reality images.
    Stink Bomb, story by Otomo, dir. Tensai Okamura.
    A darkly amusing tale in which a biological weapon is accidently created and kills everybody and everything in its past except an ineffectual research assistant, who heads for Tokyo carrying vital evidence of the disaster. It becomes increasingly obvious that a cloud of plague is following him. He persists despite the efforts of the Japan Self Defense Forces to stop him. A bit of a joke really. It has some impressive aerial sequences.
    Cannon Fodder, story by Otomo, dir. by Otomo.
    A day in the life of a community at war, dedicated to firing huge cannon from their city-fortress across a desert. Even the children wear steel helmets. This episode has a strong retro-mecha feel that is also seen in Giant Robo, Orguss 2 etc. The enemy (if they exist) are never seen.
    Comment:
    This three-part movie has been out in Japan for some time now, but has evoked little response among Western fans. Perhaps a three-part movie, scripted and directed in a rather cryptic manner, is too far from the tastes of the average fan. Indeed it does partake rather of the manner of the art movie, not helped by the lack of translation. What are they saying? What's going on? What does it all mean?
    This is a technically superb movie, with some of the most impressive animation you will find anywhere, and a fine soundtrack. But this could be another problem. I was lucky enough to see it played from laserdisk on a conference-sized TV with 4-channel sound and separate speakers. I also have a mono tape copy, which, even on a 28" TV, is much less impressive. (It's hard to read all the end credits). If you were thinking of getting a fan tape and playing it on a 14" portable TV, forget it; you won't see the movie the Japanese animators made. This is a (home) cinema movie, and doesn't work in any lesser format.

    ROMEO'S BLUE SKIES

    Eps #1-4 (fan subtitled)
    This is a later title in Fuji TV & Nippon Animation's World Masterpiece Theater TV anime series of adaptations of classic children's books, which were made more as prestige projects than for purely commercial reasons.
    Romeo lives in a village in the mountains of northern Italy, in conditions of abject poverty. The village is stricken by drought, and a child-buyer is sniffing around, looking for children to be bonded for work in Milan. It is rumoured that none of these children return alive. Romeo's father refuses to sell, but conditions become so bad that Romeo volunteers himself.
    Comment:
    This title has been somewhat hyped up by some fans (notably the Techno-Girls, who subtitled it). A WMT title is always worth a look, and prejudice against titles that are not "pure Japanese" [like Bubblegum Crisis, Golgo 13, Streetfighter II, Miyuki-Chan in Wonderland :-) ?] should be resisted. I've sampled several WMT titles now, and have to say that I liked some others (notably Little Women and Little Princess Sara) more than this one. (In some of them, the child characters look so appealing on a high-definition 28" screen that one feels rather a bastard on switching them off).
    The story looks like it might be good, but it develops slowly, and seems pitched more firmly than the other WMT at a juvenile audience, and the credit sequence animation looks irritatingly low-budget.

    LIKE THE CLOUDS, LIKE THE WIND

    (=Kumo no you ni, kaze no you ni) I've had this tape for several years, and I've always thought it was pretty good; the heroine is cute and a lot of it is very funny. It's nearly as good as a Miyuzaki movie, which is the nearest one could compare it with, and it's far better than a lot of stuff released in the UK. It's listed in Vince Ho's Shoujo Anime List, and if you like gentle movies in Japanese, this is for you.
    I only just found out more about this movie, so an entirely derivative synopsis follows:

    Like the Cloud, Like the Wind:Genre: Drama
    Japanese Title: Kumo no Youni Kaze no Youni
    Cast:
    Tamyuun .................................. Junko Takahata
    Queen mother Koto ............................ Ikuko Tani

    Synopsis:
    In medieval China, the Emperor dies. His first-born son assumes the throne. The young Emperor doesn't have an empress, so it is ordered that a contest be held in order to find a suitable girl. Signs are posted in villages around the provinces, and one day, a young girl reads one. Kinga promptly decides to enter it and heads to the palace. Along the way, she encounters Kannon and the warrior Heishou. The group heads together to the palace, and they leave Kinga there. Inside, Kinga encounters her three roommates who are also her competitors. We will follow Kinga as she adjusts to palace life and goes through her tasks as she is judged on her suitability for becoming the next Empress. She will also become friendly with a young man that she meets there. Times are changing, however, and the winds of revolution are blowing. The story is based on an award-winning childrens' book, and makes a fascinating historical drama.

    Rating: 5/5
    For illustrated synopsis check:LCLW
    Source: Anime Web Guide Home Page
    [G.Cowie,11.8.97]