The Japanime Low Down (part 2)
Here's Part 2 of the Lowdown, with more of what you never knew you wanted to know about the anime on offer at J02. Hearfelt apologies are offered for the absence of in-depth detail on Catnapped, the Taka Furakawa Retrospective, Beautiful Cyborg 2, the films of the Nostalgia Session, the Koji Yamamura Retrospective, Tale of the Floating World and the films listed in The Sushi Box 2. Following the festival, Heroic Cinema will be bringing you as many reviews as you can possibly handle, so when you've recovered from the blissful overdose of anime coming to your big screens, you can check back for a decent dose of post-festival recovery remedy. ja matta ne Deni
AURORA [UMI NO AURORA] Dir. Yoshinori Kanno 2000 91 min Subtitled Premiere While a lot of people are aware of the 3D animated feature Alice which screened not long ago on SBS (God Bless Them), not so many will have heard of Aurora. Aurora was the very first fully CG animated film to come out of Japan, and it might be well worth the effort for that fact alone. While I have heard mixed sentiments concerning the quality of the story (among them complaints that it was a little slow so if that sort of thing bothers you…), I suspect that Aurora's experimentalism could more than adequately cover for any of it's shortcomings.
NIGHT ON THE GALACTIC RAILROAD [GINGA TETSUDO NO YORU] Dir. Gisaburo Sugii 1985 115 mins Subtitled Rated PG I have it on excellent authority that in certain respects Night on the Galactic Railroad could well have been a Miyazaki film, while other sources have cited the film in thematic comparisons with Stanley Kubrick's 2001:A Space Odyssey. It's an odd combination but in this case perhaps accurate. Based on a classic novel written in 1927 by Miyazawa Kenji, there is the kind of mixture of maturity and magic, philosophy and poignancy that a creator like Miyazaki is not only known and loved, but respected for. Added to that the surrealism, the symbolism and the unsettling manipulation of reality in Kurbick's film and Night on the Galactic Railroad begins to sound less like a children's anime than the fact that its main characters are cats would suggest. If you prefer emotion over action, and like the time to think about things, this film could be one of the most rewarding experiences of the festival.
PETSHOP OF HORRORS Dir.Toshio Hirata, Norihiko Nagahama, Yoshiaki Kawajiori 1998 25 mins Subtitled Premiere This is classic goth noir anime, lovely to look at, full of tragic tales with less than happy endings, but almost magnetic in its reversion to type. The glossy, graceful style of something like Vampire Princess Miyu with the morally retributive themes of old shows like The Outer Limits or Twilight Zone and the noir horror of work like Clamp's X makes Petshop of Horrors worth the time merely for the convention of it all. And of course no anime festival would be complete without the beautiful, androgynous suspect, the hot-shot, yet sadly clueless hero and their battle of wits versus wills. Not a fight to miss! Check out the official site (yes it's got one!)
REIGN [ALEXANDER SENKI : PTS 1 & 2] Dir. Yoshinori Kanemori 57 min Dubbed For such a seemingly high profile production and its epic subject matter, Reign seems not to have enjoyed the kind of epic attention one might have wanted for it. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that, while anime style is a in general a hugely varied aesthetic, the style of MTV's Aeon Flux creator Peter Chung is so distinctive as to be almost shocking in comparison. Responsible for the character design and art production only, this looks enough like Chung's previous work as to make very little difference. This of course is not to ignore the contribution of producers Maruyama and Rintaro, director Kanemori nor original novelist Hiroshi Aramata, whose five years of research into the subject was used as the basis for the film. If you've seen Aeon Flux or are at all familiar with Rintaro's level of dedication to his medium you will know a little of what to expect. If you haven't then you are in for a visually dizzying spectacle of bold colour, angular lines, unexpected character and brilliant action. The official website
OH! MY GODDESS [AA! MEGAMISAMA] Dir. Hiroaki Goda 2000 105 mins Subtitled Australian Premiere Oh! My Goddess is practically one of the mainstays of anime - it's pretty much got the lot. A long running manga and anime series by Fujishima Kosuke, it's gorgeous to look at, it's full of pretty girls, it's hilarious, and there's plenty of romance. The central theme of the plot, revolving around the unexpected relationship between loser Keiichi and the goddess Belldandy is nothing new really. Yet regardless of that fact this movie will tug on even the toughest heart strings and make even those inured to the romantic comedy genre crack a genuine smile. Irrestistable, and just a little magical for that fact, Oh! My Goddess is guaranteed to delight. For a little more information on the manga and series, try calling the Relief Goddess Office (but you might want to be careful what you order! ;)
PRINCESS ARETE - THE CLEVER PRINCESS [ARETE - HIME] Dir. Sunao Katabuchi 2001 100 mins Subtitled PG Premiere The internet is just full to the brim with wonderful little gems of information, and under normal circumstances I like to take it upon myself to filter through it and pass on to you the pick of the crop. But I just have to share this and I think in so many words it says more perfectly than I could ever manage in even several paragraphs why this is anime worth its weight in gold. From the English version of Princess Arete's Wood: "The princess who is only waiting (for help of prince) is out of date... That's the catchphrase of this book. In many fairly tales, a princess is saved by a prince to be happly because she is beautiful. But in this fairy tale, heroine Arete get over difficulties by herself." You go girl. Stop Press: Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond the control of Dendy, the print for this film could not be screened at Japanime 02. Sessions in Melbourne and Canberra were replaced by Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.
ROUJIN Z Dir. Hiroyuki Kitakub 1991 80 mins Dubbed Rated M Roujin Z is one of those films that has seemed in the past to be somewhat overshadowed by its bigger, more spectacular relatives. Which is a shame because it's a film, concieved by the arguably brilliant Katsuhiro Otomo, that warrants a much larger helping to the limelight. With Otomo's natural flair for chilling social commentary, rather disturbing technology gone awry and believable, vulnerable characters it is in fact a wonder why this film wasn't more of a critical success. Epitomising rather than merely employing so many conventions of anime's classic cyberpunk genre - the usefulness of humans in society and the question of technology's place in our future to mention only the main themes - it ought to hold a highly deserved place in the halls of anime history.
SPIRITED AWAY [SEN TO CHIHIRO NO KAMIKAKUSHI] Dir. Hayao Miyazaki 120 mins Subtitled and dubbed versions Australian Premiere Spirited Away. What can I possibly say here that would do any justice or serve in any way the expectations surrounding this film? Miyazaki's name is practically part of the English language (in the dictionary under 'anime', I believe…). And no I haven't seen it yet, even though it was released in the cinemas while I was working in Osaka, and despite the fact that a friend's parents sent a DVD copy to him from Taiwan… And in fact, I've deliberately avoided reading reviews and articles on it, despite the fact that I have dozens in my possession. The only explanation I have for this is: I don't want to spoil the magic, for without a doubt Miyazaki films are if anything, unfailingly magical. The reports I have heard have muttered something about Spirited Away being in danger of possibly suffering the 'too weird' anime curse - as in too wierd for Western audiences' delicate sensibilites. Personally, this report has not phased my faith that Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi will be as magical an experience, and as unique, as any Studio Ghibli film has ever been. After all, what's magic without a little faith? And of course, the gorgeous official website, not to mention the absolutely fabulous Hayao Miyazaki Web at the unbelievably cool Nausicaa.net
SPRING AND CHAOS [KENJI NO HARU] Dir. Shoji Kawamori 1996 53 mins Dubbed Buddhist, philosopher, crusader, poet, geologist and pawnbroker. Author of Night on the Milky Way Train - the story upon which the anime Night on the Galactic Railroad is based. A film about someone who, as modern myth has it, was all of these things and more, cannot possibly anything other than fascinating. Kenji Miyazawa is Japan's modern Aesop. Rather than reiterate the excellent synopsis provided at the Japanime website, or indeed even make sounds (or in this case words) encouraging you to see this film, I will only direct you to one of the most comprehensive Miyazawa sites on the web. Read even a little of what this site has to say about Kenji Miyazawa as poet and artist and no one will need to convince you at all. The World of Kenji Miyazawa
A TALE OF GENJI [MURASAKI SHIKIBU GENJI MONAGATARI] Dir. Gisaburo Sugii 110 mins Subtitled Although this is perhaps one anime that might seem a little visually dated in comparison to most of the more modern anime on offer at the festival, it is not a film to miss for that reason. Not only is it extremely hard to get a copy of (about as impossible as finding a copy of 1001 Nights in fact), it has the distinction of being based on one of the two oldest novels in Japanese history and is in fact accepted as the oldest novel ever written! Not only that but it's actually a good story, all 54 chapters of it, which might make the problems inherent in a 110 minute animated retelling quite apparent. I've heard it's slow, but I always take such reports as a by-product of our instant-gratification society. When watching a film based on a novel written over a thousand years ago, speed of narrative or frenetic battles between giant warriors probably shouldn't be an issue. The frequency of political intreague and the love affairs of the beautiful Genji are sufficiently fascinating to make the time pass pleasantly indeed. For information on the original Genji Monotogari this page is an excellent resource (and it's not 54 chapters I assure you!)
URUSEI YATSURA [BEAUTIFUL DREAMER] Dir. Mamoru Oshii 1984 119 min Subtitled Rumiko Takahashi, probably the most successful female manga artist in Japan today, has a pechant for odd characters, crazy hijinks and completely irrestistable romantic comedies. Responsible for several of the biggest cult series in this genre, including Ranma ½ and very recently Inu Yasha, Takahashi blends gender themes, role reversal, social commentary and as in the case of Urusei Yatsura, pretty yet somehow inately troublesome aliens, to create something that is both true to form yet completely, spectacularly original. Urusei Yatsura the manga series ran for close to nine years, from 1978 to 1987 over 35 volumes and is still popular today. The TV series ran for 216 episodes over five years. However if you are expecting the standard TV formula in Beautiful Dreamer, you are in for a nice shock, because, despite the comedy, amidst the romance, this is one fine, freaky film! There is an excellent (and long) article on Rumiko Takahashi and as a matter of special interest the 2nd last paragraph cites a literal translation of the title (which is by the way a fairly amusing pun if you are able to read Japanese).
A TREE OF PALME [PALUMU NO KI] Dir. Nakamura Takashi 2001 136 min Subtitled Premiere Among the films also credited to director Nakamura Takashi are Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds and Macross Plus, and as long time Hayao Miyazaki collaborator that is credential enough. Tree of Palme however illustrates a fine understanding of one of the main textual themes common in anime film - the transience of life - accomplishing this successfully only through the eyes of someone who is not and never will be human. A little bit Pinnochio, a little bit A.I., Tree of Palme as slightly surreal allegorical adventure will surprise and delight. You can try the official Japanese website, because the pictures are spectacular and it's a really nice site but be warned, it's Flash and it will take over your browser.
Deni Stoner reporting   Heroic-Cinema's guide to Japanime 02

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