Memories is a package film consisting of three short films: "Magnetic Rose", "Stink Bomb" and "Cannon Fodder". Below are the short analysis of each.
Episode 1: "Magnetic Rose"
Although this episode was directed by Koji Morimoto who directed The Animatrix I must note that the script was written by director Satoshi Kon who is much more well known today for such films as Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Paprika and shows like Paranoia Agent.
This is a story of space junk collectors who embark a space structure while trying to respond to an SOS call. There they find a luxurios European Neo-classical interior, the owner of it
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being a once famed opera diva, Eva. While still trying to locate the distress call the story leads the characters into the world of memories of Eva who does not wish them to leave. Thus this science fiction story turns into a thriller ghost story. Although they seem to enter her memories they also end up re-living their own memories. The story moves at the a slower pace but the spectacular visuals and thrilling opera music is what keeps you waiting and puts you in a little corner of yours. Thus, you not only watch this story enfold, it includes you and makes you think about the things that you yourself would end up hallucinating if you were there with the two crew members. It is interesting how such a short story would get you to care about and get to know the characters even though they are "only" space junk collectors.
The animation is beautiful with wonderful visuals ranging from the European Neo-classicism to the science fiction/futuristic graphics mandatory for such a setting. The animation thus complements the story excellently as well as the music does.
What one would not like in this episode is perhaps the slower story and perhaps the psychological games that are being played, but I assumed this would not please only a select few.
Otherwise, I would call "Magnetic Rose" as the best out of the three episodes from the collection. If not for its art and music, then for its story most definitely.
Episode 2: "Stink Bomb"
Stink Bomb is about the a young man working in a lab who after getting a cold takes a new medicine developed by his boss. He takes a nap and after he awakes he finds everyone at the company dead. He is soon contacted by the superiors who tell him that he must bring the pills to Tokyo as those pills were developed secretly by the government and police must not find out. However, on his way to Tokyo we find out that his body is releasing a stink that makes everyone around him die. The government has a new objective: to kill the man.
Even though the story has presented us with a serious matter, it could be seen as more comedic than serious. However, although less serious in its development, the story can be seen as a criticism of politics, news reporting and blind order-following in the present day society. We have a government in secret, conspiring with another government (the U.S. in this case) for military reasons. On the other hand, news reporters are risking their lives in order to not just save a human life but get the best news story. And finally we have a young man following the orders of his superiors without even caring about what happens around him and without noticing that everything around him dies. His will to follow his orders is seen in the twist in the end when he takes human stupidity to the next level.
The animation in this episode is fine, nothing you have not seen already. However, seen as the part of the collection it is the weakest one, and the most conventional and less creative. It may be possible that the creators wanted to focus on other things like the themes I briefly discussed above but it gives a good comedic addition to the collection.
The comedic atmosphere is even more supplemented by the funky and jazzy music.
What one might not like about this episode is the conventional artwork and more conventional premise (the government secretly developing a unique pill) and conventional problem-solving (seen in the U.S. already having a suit that was recently developed) but it is all working out in the end.
Episode 3: "Cannon Fodder"
The last episode in this collection is Cannon Fodder by Katsuhiro Otomo. The story focuses on a boy, his mother and his father on a typical day during which they all work in different departments in the maintenance of huge cannons that are on almost every building in their city.
The story features a firing of a cannon at the enemy. The people are shown as well disciplined and organized and they do get punished for a single mistake made by them. The military official who would push the firing button is presented as theatrical and very procedural. The story then shifts to lower levels of the city and we are shown the factory where the boy's mother work with other women. The lunch break is in process and we see unsatisfied woman not willing to cheer and salute but is only pushed by another woman to show solidarity. We see that they are unsatisfied yet no one is openly revolting except the environmentalists. These environmentalists are shown in the streets protesting the air pollution caused by the cannons, but no one is talking about the enemy or the economy, or the terrible situation they are in. This just shows how no one dares questioning the government and their "war efforts."
We are left with questioning who are these people fighting and why and that answer was left unanswered. We are only told that the enemy has a "mobile city". If we look it through the Orwellian perspective then we might come to the conclusion that there is no enemy city, that the country's economy is based on having an imaginary enemy, which they fight and which leaves citizens abiding the militaristic/fascist government. To make its citizens satisfied the government does opt out to report on great success achieved by their subjects.
At the end the boy asks what we would want to ask the director and the father tells him that he will understand when he gets older. The boy goes to sleep wishing that he becomes a great soldier, thus showing us the brainwashing he has been gone through and showing us that there is no brighter future for the city with its future cadre having goals like that in their childhood.
This episode is characterized by Otomo's visual departures from the conventional anime. At times the character design does not even look human. Almost all the buildings are equipped with large cannons. It very much Orwellian and militaristic, thus the art very much reflects this bleak atmosphere. It does, however, resemble Otomo's steampunk style and work. The art borrows not only from steampunk visuals but also dieselpunk and Nazi German military outfits, as well as typography that is a combination of Cyrillic, SS symbols, Latin characters and imaginary typography to spell out English words. These details would just even more involve you and make art unforgettable and impressive. And story-wise it criticizes societies and wars wether they are "Democratic West" seen in English words, "Communist East" seen in Russian Cyrillic or the "Fascist/Nazi Ideology" seen in the SS symbols. Thus not only visual for the sake of visuals but very smart and symbolic employment of such details.
The music is very much reflecting and complementing the atmosphere of the film with orchestral music mixing with avant-garde structures.
Overall:
I would highly recommend this film. It is an important step in the history of anime, as it tries to depart from the norms of anime at that time and clearly is one of those that succeeds. Moreover, as a collection it has everything you would ask for in an anime, from science fiction, through horror and thrills, to comedy. It is, however, a serious take on anime, so no melodrama or brainless attempts at attracting the viewers attention. Each story has a unique atmosphere to it, and even though they are around 40 minutes each it would feel as if you watched three movies, yet the time would no take as much.
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Jan 28, 2012
Memories is a package film consisting of three short films: "Magnetic Rose", "Stink Bomb" and "Cannon Fodder". Below are the short analysis of each.
Episode 1: "Magnetic Rose" Although this episode was directed by Koji Morimoto who directed The Animatrix I must note that the script was written by director Satoshi Kon who is much more well known today for such films as Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Paprika and shows like Paranoia Agent. This is a story of space junk collectors who embark a space structure while trying to respond to an SOS call. There they find a luxurios European Neo-classical interior, the owner of it ... |
