Topic: Critter's Animated Film/Anime Marathon

[snowcat]

Jon I always felt that rape scene in Ninja Scroll only stayed because of what happens afterwards

also, the Street Fighter animes are quite weird... not as bad as the Van Dam though. :/

¬_¬ that trailer used to give me the creeps! I have the Guyver on 12 videos... and a double VHS version of Akira that advert haunts me :K (sadly my VHS doesn't work )

[Critter]

Akira



Anime Type: Movie

Year: 1988

Director: Otomo, Katsuhiro

Plot: In the year 2019, thirty-one years have passed since the outbreak of World War III. In Neo-Tokyo, all authority is waging a never-ending struggle against the underground that virtually rules the shattered city. A top-secret child with amazing powers of the minds breaks free from custody and accidentally gets a motorcycle gang involved in the project. The incident triggers psychic powers within one of the members, Tetsuo, and he is taken by the army and experimented on. His mind has been warped and is now on the path of war, exacting revenge on the society that once called him weak.

My Thoughts:
Akira is an outstanding film from its opening seconds to its final, climactic scenes. The cel animation in the film is amazing and to this day is some of the best animation of this format I have seen. I watched this film last night for the first time and then this morning woke up and re watched several scenes that I just had to see again. Akira presents a truly devastating plot which could really have a strong effect on the viewer. This effect is heightened even more throughout the film by the attention to detail used that really brings the setting, Neo Tokyo to life. Neo Tokyo is a city who wields a crumbling society living amongst violence, terrorism and corruption and can easily be compared to other messed up cities such as Gotham.

Throughout Akira there are fast-paced action scenes, some truly frightening parts, scenes that are genuinely scary and disturbing and everything in between. It is almost a rollercoaster of a film as you travel with Tetsuo along his tragic story of human experimentation and his efforts to prove his worth to the world. I have not read the manga for this film, although I now want to track it down but I have heard that the manga has the possibility of clearing up the storyline somewhat. This may be true but without having read it I found the story easy enough to follow, I feel the manga would maybe just add more depth to some parts.

I found Akira somewhat refreshing as a sci-fi anime that differs from most others of this genre. This was sci-fi set in a realistic environment, unlike many other sci-fi anime within the mecha or space realms of anime. The music and sound effects of this film are another amazing factor too it and added a sense of realism and strong atmosphere through all of the scenes. The soundtrack especially was fantastic and I would like to try and track down a copy. I don’t know why I waited so long to watch this wonderful film but I can see it fast becoming one of my favourite animated films and I look forward to watching it time and time again in the future.

My Rating

[Najemikon]

Great review, Sophie! 

I watched this film last night for the first time and then this morning woke up and re watched several scenes that I just had to see again.

That's exactly how I felt when I first saw it. And when I finally watched it again after some years just recently for that review, but for the umpteenth time anyway, it was still an exhilarting experience. Those opening scenes are sublime.

I have a couple of anime soundtracks, this one included. Well worth tracking down. It's absolutely nuts, but addictive! 

The Manga is huge, like many. The Japanese think nothing of publishing a book the size of a telephone directory for a relatively tiny price! I read it some years ago because it was serialised in a magazine called Manga Mania that exploited the new craze for a few years. Oh, yeah, that reminds me; I have a feeling I can make you quite jealous. That magazine ran a competition once in which I was a runner-up and I won...

(click to show/hide)

Four original Akira painted cells with underlying sketches... 

 

[Critter]

Four original Akira painted cells with underlying sketches...

 

When you said you had a feeling you could make me jealous I think you underestimated just how jealous that was. I'm actually considering breaking into your house to steal such an amazing piece of art work. I can't believe you won something like that, talk about a fantastic prize. That would have to be worth a lot wouldn't it?

[Najemikon]

Four original Akira painted cells with underlying sketches...

 

When you said you had a feeling you could make me jealous I think you underestimated just how jealous that was. I'm actually considering breaking into your house to steal such an amazing piece of art work. I can't believe you won something like that, talk about a fantastic prize. That would have to be worth a lot wouldn't it?

 

I wouldn't have thought so, because these are simply character frames, so there would have been hundreds of them. And they were picked at random, so some people might not find them interesting (though I suspect I'm not alleviating your desire! ). They're full size cells, but with a relatively small image, so no background. Still, I find them more interesting, because it's part of the real animation process. Each one has a paper underlay with a sketch version of the image, and one includes a sketch of the next frame on the underside. I assume that's where the animator can keep flipping the corner to check the progress.

I'll try and take some pictures of them one day and tease you further... 

[Critter]

I was just about to day that I would love to see photos of them. I understand that there would have been thousands of character animation cells but the thought of having one to me is almost too exciting. There is a gallery in Melbourne that sells a lot of old animation cells. I've always wanted to head up and check it out but Ive never had the chance. I have looked at their website though and it has some interesting stuff.

http://www.silverkgallery.com.au/

[Critter]

Up




Year: 2009

Director(s): Pete Doctor

Run Time: 96 minutes

Plot: By tying thousands of balloon to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn't alone on his journey, since Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years his junior, has inadvertently become a stowaway on the trip.

Cast:
Edward Asner – Carl Fredrickson
Cristopher Plummer – Charles Muntz
Jordon Nagai – Russell
Bob Peterson – Dug/ Alpha
Delroy Lindo – Beta
Jerome Ranft – Gamma

DVD Extras:
•   “Dug’s Special Mission” – Short Film
•   “Partly Cloudy” – Short Film
•   Adventure Is Out There
•   The Many Endings Of Muntz
•   Disney DB Live
•   Global Guardian Badge Game
•   Married Life
•   8 All- New Documentaries
•   DVD Feature Film

My Thoughts
This is not my favourite Pixar film but it sure is close. As usual Pixar deliver another solid winner with Up. This film contains some of the most heartbreaking scenes I have seen in any film, animated or not and that is just in the first 20 minutes. The film is not all tears and sorrow though as it also delivers some unique and quirky characters who provide some of the funniest scenes I have seen from Pixar. However the balance between happy and sad is managed exceptionally well. The emotional impact throughout the film is undying however and how they manage to capture so much within a wordless montage is just another example of why Pixar are at the top of their game.

The film is visually flawless and like all other Pixar films carries small jokes and references to their other films without which is always a fun feature in each one. The thing that really gives this film it’s spark is the mismatched team of lead characters; A grumpy old man, an 8 year old explorer, a rare giant bird and a talking dog. Very few storytellers could take such a random group of characters and make it work so well, yet in Up everything fits perfectly together and I am at trouble finding even one flaw within the film. The musical score was amazing and so vivid and prominent throughout the film that it was almost a character itself. I cannot wait to watch the special features of this DVD and go behind the scenes yet again of one of my favourite filmmaking companies in the world.

My Rating

[Critter]

Black Blood Brothers



Anime Type: TV (12 Episodes)

Year: 2006

Director: Otomo, Katsuhiro

Plot: Ten years after the Holy War in Hong Kong, Mochizuki Jirou, aka the Silver Blade, and the lone hero who fought and defeated the Kowloon Children despite the loss of his lover, returns to Japan with his young brother, Mochizuki Kotarou. The two quickly discover that the Kowloon Children who survived the Holy War are seeking to infiltrate the "Special Zone" ,a thriving city protected by an invisible barrier that will not allow Kowloon Children entrance, unless they're invited. Red Bloods refers to the humans; Black Bloods are the vampires, and the Mochizuki Brothers are Old Blood, the last descendants of an elite clan of vampires. When Kotarou is abducted by one of the Kowloon Children, Jirou has no choice but to fight once more.

My Thoughts:
Black Blood Brothers is the first vampire anime I have watched and hopefully not the last as I know the vampire genre is very popular within anime. This is a 12 episode series so I watched it all in about 4 days and found it to be an okay series but nothing outstanding. The series is based off a manga and I feel that if I read the manga I could have enjoyed this a lot more than I did, as the biggest problem I had was that I sometimes got lost with the storyline, or had trouble knowing who characters were. I actually had to Google certain characters to read up on a back story of them as while a lot of detail seemed present in the manga, a lot was taken out in the anime. This was a story where I found understanding the background of the characters almost crucial as well which is why I found it disappointing that I had to go and research it on my own.

This anime did have its high points though, I quite enjoyed the set up of the episodes how every one started with small flashbacks of the characters, I also loved the art of the backgrounds and thought the character design was fantastic. Another highlight for me was that while this was a vampire show it didn’t follow a classic route of vampires versus humans, instead there were many different types of vampires, some trying to protect humans and others trying to kill them so it was often the vampires fighting amongst each other in the show. Overall I enjoyed watching this series but wish that they put more detail into the story, perhaps made it longer than 12 episodes and gave us more plot and character development.

My Rating

[Najemikon]

Hope you don't mind me butting in, but I thought this a nice place to post something of interest to you animation geeks...

This is a fairly interesting, if cursory history of some of the scandals Disney has faced in regards to various films. Strange, they don't include the Jessica Rabbit one. 

Empire: Disney Controversies

[snowcat]

  Roger Rabbit isn't a Disney film... its under the touchstone label.... Disney didn't want to be associated with it...even now its still Touchstone branded

...Most of those I had heard before... just Lady and the Tramp and Pochantus I hadn't.... I was surprised they didn't have the lion king "sex" thing in.

...I have to admit... I have seen the Whiter Wilderness and I always thought it was funny that they had to pretty much push those poor lemmings off the cliff XD

[Critter]

Roger Rabbit isn't a Disney film... its under the touchstone label.... Disney didn't want to be associated with it...even now its still Touchstone branded

...Most of those I had heard before... just Lady and the Tramp and Pochantus I hadn't.... I was surprised they didn't have the lion king "sex" thing in.

...I have to admit... I have seen the Whiter Wilderness and I always thought it was funny that they had to pretty much push those poor lemmings off the cliff XD

I thought most people were aware by now that The Lion King "sex" thing actually said SFX (which it clearly does) and that the special effects people put it in. They also edited it out in recent DVD releases.

Hope you don't mind me butting in, but I thought this a nice place to post something of interest to you animation geeks...

This is a fairly interesting, if cursory history of some of the scandals Disney has faced in regards to various films. Strange, they don't include the Jessica Rabbit one. 

Empire: Disney Controversies

Thanks for the list Jon, some of those such as The Song of the South and The Rescuers one I haven't read before so it was interesting to see.

[Najemikon]

My pleasure! I also looked for Mark Kermode's review of the new one, but it isn't anywhere "linkable" yet. It's brief, but I think you'll be pleased by some of his comments.

Roger Rabbit isn't a Disney film... its under the touchstone label.... Disney didn't want to be associated with it...even now its still Touchstone branded

Of course it isn't! I was so engrossed in "animated scandals" my brain failed. There's no need to even say Disney didn't want to be associated; of course they didn't, it was sodding Warner characters! Jeez, where are my bloody tablets?  

[snowcat]

Roger Rabbit isn't a Disney film... its under the touchstone label.... Disney didn't want to be associated with it...even now its still Touchstone branded

...Most of those I had heard before... just Lady and the Tramp and Pochantus I hadn't.... I was surprised they didn't have the lion king "sex" thing in.

...I have to admit... I have seen the Whiter Wilderness and I always thought it was funny that they had to pretty much push those poor lemmings off the cliff XD

I thought most people were aware by now that The Lion King "sex" thing actually said SFX (which it clearly does) and that the special effects people put it in. They also edited it out in recent DVD releases.

..Yeah... it didnt actually say anything.... it was pure coincidence it even said SFX...

...I thought they would have added seeing as they had the "good teenagers take off the clothes" and the "little mermaid priest incident."

[Critter]

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within



Anime Type: Movie

Year: 2001

Director: Sakaguchi, Hironobu
Plot: A planet is overrun by a mysterious group of creatures that infect and destroy all life on Earth. Only the determination of a single woman to find a cure will prevent the world from slowly being eaten away. Yet there are those from within who are impatient for results and will do anything to win this war.

My Thoughts:
This film felt a little flat for me, the realistic animation and visual side was fantastic yet I felt very detached from the characters for a lot of the film. I don’t know exactly why this was, the plot of the film was interesting, quite different from the other Final Fantasy film and presented a completely different world. Indeed this one very much reminded me of Aliens with a bit of Halo thrown in. The visual side and amazing design of this film, combined with a couple of nice action scenes made it an interesting watch, but nothing that will really stick with me for a long time.

My Rating

[Critter]

Mulan



Year: 1998

Director(s): Tony Bancroft, Barry Cook

Run Time: 88 minutes

Plot: To save her father from death in the army, a Chinese maiden secretly goes in his place and becomes one of China's greatest heroes in the process.

Cast:
Ming-Na – Mulan (voice)
Lea Salonga – Mulan (singing voice)
Migual Ferrer – Shan-Yu
Harvery Fierstein – Yao
Eddie Murphy – Mushu
Pat Morita – The Emperor

DVD Extras:
•   Lyric Book
•   Music Modes
•   Downloadable Song

My Thoughts
It has been quite a long time since I have watched Mulan, and while I have always loved the film I seem to have forgotten just how fantastic it is. I watched it tonight for the first time in a long time and was truly blown away by it. Mulan is one of Disney’s most daring stories, especially considering that it is based off a Chinese legacy and China has known to be quite touchy about these controversial topics. When I say legacy I refer to an ancient Chinese poem about a girl named Mulan who follows a loosely similar journey to the character in the film, to this day however no one is sure if the poem is factual or not. After researching a little I found out that Mulan did have a very limited release in China however I didn’t find what their actual reception to the film was. Either way watching this film is still a fantastic viewing experience.

Considering most Disney films are made with a young audience in mind they did not really hold back with this one and that is something I admire. While it may not be overly violent some scenes are still quite haunting, such as images of villages in flame and battlefields strewn with the bodies of hundreds of dead soldiers. Aside from that the film is filled with scenes of stunning beauty, such as the wonderfully drawn landscapes of ancient China. And then there is the sublime, the massive Hun army charging down a snowcapped mountain on horseback, the leader of the Mongolians holding the Emperor hostage in The Forbidden City with thousands of Chinese citizens looking on. These images are both memorable and amazing for the sheer scale of them achieved within hand-drawn cell animation.

Another high point of the film is the music, and not only the fantastic songs, as like most Disney films this is a musical, but also the beautiful score that can be heard throughout the film. This Eastern inspired music delivers the perfect background for the film and enhances the atmosphere to a large extent. The films story of a girl breaking out in a male-dominated society and proving her worth, even though it could cost her life is admirable, and for the most part I feel told quite well. It really is a film for empowering young girls and women into believing that they are strong and can be whatever they want to be. While this message may not be as relevant today in most Western countries I still feel this is an important film for both young girls and boys to watch.

While I have to admit that some parts towards the end of the film, when all the men learn their ‘lesson’ about treating women equally did come off as a bit cheesy, the message is still there however and it’s a good one. While the film obviously has quite a serious plot and many darker moments there is still humour here, most of which is provided by Eddie Murphy’s character ‘Mushu’. I feel that the humour is well timed and even had me laughing out loud a fair few times, as well as feeling as if it added to the film, rather than cheapening it as these ‘clown’ characters sometimes can. Although the exception to that being the ‘ancestor party’ scene towards the end of the film which I did feel was a bit cringe-worthy and unnecessary.

My Rating