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| JAPANIME
02 PRIMER
I'm not telling anyone here anything they don't already know.
Anime has been a part of Western culture for quite some time
now. Who of us old enough to remember series like Astro Boy,
Kimba, Speed Racer, G-Force (aka Battle
of the Planets) Star Blazers (aka Space Battleship
Yamato) and of course Robotech will have anything
other than fond memories of afternoon cartoon experiences that
were merely consumed as part of being a child? At the time I
don't think I even knew what a Japan was, let alone that
I was engaging with a uniquely cultural product that was in many
ways quite different from my own. All I knew was that I loved
it!
And I love it still, because part of growing up, part of
realising that there was a Japan and that I was watching
something that was (is!) in many very important ways particular
to it, I have come to realize that anime is not just a form of
entertainment, it is art. It is something that, through
it's astonishing diversity, is able to, on occasion, live up to
increasingly mature expectations while at the same time
withstand deeper, more in-depth readings and examinations. But
also, it continues to embody those qualities that drew me as a
child, the sense of fun, of wonder, of escapism in all its
exciting extremes. |
| And so, from those extremes and many nuances in
between, Japanime 02 is set to bring some of the best
contemporary anime to our doors. Comedy, tragedy, apocalyptic
futures and utopic pasts, there is enough variety on offer to be
able to approach and experience anime in all its forms. With the
screening of Miyazaki's Spirited Away (in Japanese, Sen
to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) the festival will be kicking off
to a fantastic start. Miyazaki's films are always worth every
single moment of your attention, but by the reviews to date, the
awards the film has already won (the Berlin Film Festival's
prestigious Golden Bear among them), and the literally
staggering box office takings, both in Japan and the US (in
Japan, $83 million in the first 25 days, breaking Princess
Mononoke records) Spirited Away will be another
Miyazaki experience not to be missed.
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Something I am also personally looking forward to in the way
of experience is the screening of the re-mastered version of
Otomo's Akira. There's been a lot of complaint about the
changes in dialogue and voice talent about this new, improved
version of one of the most impactive animated films ever made,
and fair enough I suppose. But I've yet to see this magnificent,
frenetic, apocalyptic film on the big screen in all its newly
digitised, glossy glory with full Dolby Surround Sound and I am
not letting a little thing like the difference between 'pops'
and 'old man' undermine my enjoyment of the experience.
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| Speaking of digital, the festival program will
include several exemplary works in that media, notably Blue
Submarine No. 6, reportedly a "visual feast… [where
the] technical aspects of the animation take a back seat to the
narrative richness of this compelling work" (Akadot).
In a world that has been flooded by global meltdown and nuclear
abuse, the remnants of an International navy are the last and
only line of defense. If Blue Submarine sets against this
backdrop the often complex characterization common to most
serious anime, it will be a film likely to linger in memory for
years to come.
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On the perhaps arguably less serious side and, let's face it,
in the style of anime we all (secretly or not) love, comes Cowboy
Bebop the Movie. I've just seen Volume One
of the series, so I can tell you now that it is
hands down the hippest, the coolest, the most entertaining anime
I have seen in years! Jazzy soundtracks, frenetic action and
slick attitudes abound. How can it fail?
Also of worthy note, Patlabor 3 is another heavily
anticipated feature on show during the Japanime frenzy.
Based on manga by the very talented Masami Yuki, the first two
Patlabor films stand out as equally unique treatments of the
'human factor in mechanised society' style story, particularly
for their characterisation and well executed narratives, but
also for the sheer fact that they are wonderfully animated. Patlabor
3 shouldn't disappoint.
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But then, it will be surprising if any of the fare being
presented in Japanime 02 comes even remotely close to
disappointing. Merely the huge variety of product, theme and
style will be impressive enough. From the shoujo-based,
gender-bending Rose Princess (Prince!) in Revolutionary Girl
Utena to the ground breaking narratives of Satoshi Kon's Millenium
Actress (from the director of Perfect Blue, this is
the first foreign language animated feature to be picked up by
Dreamworks Studios); from a retrospective of superstar artist
Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma 1/2 and Inu Yasha) to
independent director Koji Yamamura; from the astonishingly
modern to the misty nostalgia of those old, childhood
favourites, Japanime 02 will be entertainment bordering
on subversive, transcendent, outrageous and astounding.
Not to mention, fun. I wouldn't want my cartoons any other
way.
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Stay tuned here at Heroic Cinema over the next several weeks
as I bring you a more in-depth look at the Japanime 02
program, review the coinciding Madman releases becoming
available and post my two-cents on the festival screenings as
they happen!
Deni Stoner reporting
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H E R O I C * C I N E M A
http://www.heroic-cinema.com
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