Katsuhiro Otomo had been involved with two other anthologies (and one afterwards) prior to Memories, and while I’m still hunting down Neo Tokyo, I’m pretty confident in saying that Memories will remain my favourite.
And maybe there’s a certain amount of nostalgia in that – some of the stuff we see as teenagers seems to cling to us for decades after, right? Well, this is one of those titles but I think most anime fans would enjoy at least two out of the three shorts in this anthology regardless of the production context or their age.
Actually –
let me re-phrase, if you like science-fiction and a bit of light horror, maybe
some dark comedy or allegory, then Memories
has you covered.
The anthology is made up of three pieces – all based on Katsuhiro Otomo’s short manga works, and features three directors.
For me (and for most folks it seems) the stand out is Magnetic Rose (dir. Kōji Morimoto), which is as haunting as it is beautiful. Everything about it is top notch and I’d recommend seeing Magnetic Rose if you had to choose just one.
Now, I’m definitely biased as there’s a lot of involvement from some of my favourite industry figures – there’s the Otomo source material and a screenplay by Satoshi Kon and music by Yoko Kanno, but the nightmarish search of the ruined ship and its decaying memories really is mesmerising.
The other two stories, Stink Bomb (dir. Tensai Okamura) and Cannon Fodder (dir. Katsuhiro Otomo) are just as well put-together but for me not quite as good as the opener – Stink Bomb has some moments of dark comedy but it’s closer to a tragedy in the end, and features such great animation too.
The final short is easily the more distinctive when it comes to art style, but perhaps due to its allegorical nature the message seemed stronger than the story; it feels closer to being a vignette actually.
I actually would love to see more of the anthology format today, as it seems to have resurface only occasionally across the last twenty years.
Or maybe it’s more that I’ve missed them? Obviously I remember Short Peacefrom 2013 and I was also excited to see that Studio Ponoc’s second work is also an anthology (Modest Heroes) so the anthology approach isn’t ‘gone’ at all but it did seem like it was no longer in fashion for quite a while there.
I want to open this post by saying hi. My name is Scott and I run a blog called Mechanical Anime Reviews. Follow my blog by clicking on the title. Right now, I am in a special monthly event called Mecha March and this is a post sort of attached to it. This is my first time writing a post for this blog and I am hoping to write more of them in the future not attached to Mecha march. Thanks for having me.
About Gun X Sword Episode 3
Gun X Sword is a mecha show from 2005 directed by the great Goro Tanigichu. It was also written by Hideyuki Kurata and produced by AIC. The show itself takes place on a planet called Endless Illusion. Yes, already the show is like a fever dream just by the name alone. A protagonist by the name of Van…
Often when I think about Cowboy Bebop it tends to be the more dramatic episodes that come to mind, like Ballad of Fallen Angels, Jupiter Jazz, etc but the anime is also known for having plenty of humour too – and this is one of those storylines.
Here, the crew are trying to figure out who hacked the Gate terminals, ripping off a LOT of people in the process, but that’s the crime/investigating side of the plot.
For the comedy, there’s probably just as much onscreen – whether it’s poor Ed struggling with the chess game (not to mention being zapped) or bounty hunter Jonathan’s outburst and fate, or the Three Old Men popping up once again.
It’s an episode that features a lot of fun comedy conventions: running jokes, sight gags, slapstick…
While I usually post writing stuff on my other blogs and never here, I’m pretty deep in ‘promotion-mode’ with this campaign at the moment, and so I wanted to mention my current Kickstarter 🙂
If you’re curious, you can take a look by clicking the banner image below:
But more importantly, if you know anyone who reads the fantasy genre and you had a moment to send them my way, that would be great!
The Exiles Trilogy is a multi-pov epic fantasy series with a connected story that follows four main characters on their struggles after being exiled from their homes, their loved ones and even their nations too – more detail can be found over on the campaign page!
Above, I’ve shared two out of the three covers that my amazing cover artist has created, Rebekah from VividCovers.com 😀
It’s the worst possible time for me to do so – I am working extra jobs, have five books I have to finish and release this year, and other things going on etc etc etc
But I’m stubborn. I need to fit in something else that isn’t work.
And so this idea is launching!
At this stage, I’m not sure about the frequency of posts at the new blog, but I’m excited nevertheless – for at least two reasons:
The tone – it’s called Rhapsodise! because I want to write (& feature) posts and reviews that showcase favourite episodes, episodes people really loved, episodes that just blew them away with how great they were, episodes that they have never really been able to stop thinking about.
The focus on each post will cover just a single episode from an anime, which is something I haven’t seen across dozens and dozens of blogs. That could mean that this new blog will meet a need that isn’t being met at present. Maybe 😀
And as I mentioned above, the Rhapsodise blog isn’t only going to be my writing – it’s also open to guest posts etc.
So please click on the banner image below, and take a look at the submissions page on the blog if you think you might be interested!
Here’s something I haven’t really experienced for a while – a series where I really enjoyed the characters, the setting and the individual stories, but deeply disliked the message.
Now, whether I’m actually correct about the message – is there a message at all? – or whether I’m wrong, might certainly be up for debate.
I would like to be wrong actually…
Hatarki Man (2006)
In any event, here’s the premise (as per Wikipedia):
Hiroko Matsukata is a woman who works for a magazine company. She puts all she has into her work, and is known as a strong, straightforward working girl, who can at will turn herself into Hataraki man (working man) mode. Despite Hiroko’s success at work, her life lacks romance. Even though a hard worker, she would leave early anytime to go on a date. Too bad her boyfriend is an even bigger workaholic than Hiroko.
Okay, so what makes the anime work for me?
Well, aside from the almost ‘too-close’ character design of Hiroko (that was nevertheless compelling), I think it is the characters themselves. They’re all stronger than their flaws, and more, they’re able to reflect. And there is variety in both their look and personalities, their problems and the solutions they come up with. I wish it had a been longer anime.
For fans of episodic + overarching plot lines, Hataraki Man should satisfy too. And if you’re like me, with little idea of how print publishing works(ed) in Japan, then you’ll probably learn a few interesting things about the industry too – especially in the ‘Reward Man’ episode.
Throughout, the writing verged on dark comedy, but overall it’s a work-drama. And while I could very easily relate to some of the central struggles both Hiroko and Shinji faced, especially when they were doubting the value of their work, this point brings me to my problem with the message or theme (at least, as I see it).
And it seems to be something like “work is more important than anything else”.
Again, maybe I’m performing a bit of a shallow reading of the text here – I’m very curious to see if anyone else has seen the anime/read the manga?
Soon, I’ll finally present my ‘evidence’ as it were, but first I want to note that I’m basing a large part of my response on the final episode especially, and two moments in particular. (Okay, and a quote from the author, but I’ll include that at the bottom).
Okay okay again, I’m also basing it on a few other general things I’ll outline now:
That ‘work above all else’ thing that I keep harping on about in this review seems to be echoed in just about every character onscreen, since so few seem permitted to/able to make time for anything but work, and if they do, it is not shown to us very often.
Spoilers below:
More, the main long-term romantic relationship in the anime decays week by week in favour of work, and meaningful conversations between characters usually happen jammed in between other events or during periods of exhaustion.
The one character in the office who dares to draw a line between work and the rest of his life is scorned by our main character, and management is so void of compassion that even a water leak that destroys the MC’s apartment doesn’t seem to be relevant. (Of course, folks like that are a dime a dozen in management, but it’s always sad and ridiculous to see someone fight so hard for a company that will immediately discard and replace them the second they burn out).
And burn-out is a vital theme in the anime, and one that I reckon is handled really well too. I could probably recommend Hataraki Man for that aspect alone.
But at last, the notion of burn-out leads me to the concluding episode.
When finally Hiroko and Shinji drift apart enough to call it quits (initiated by Shinji who seems to have given up on the relationship first) Hiroko is stunned into something of walking-coma. Of course, she’s unequipped to process her emotions, but gets some advice from a colleague, which seems to boil down to “it wasn’t your fault you put work before your relationship”.
Which is not true. Both Hiroko and Shinji absolutely put work first, and that’s why everything falls apart for them.
The ending of the episode basically lets Hiroko snap out of her depression thanks to work, and Hiroko’s voice-over even tells us that she will be okay… because she has a job.
Now, obviously after something deeply painful, pouring yourself into another facet of your life can be great – necessary even.
But for every scene of Hiroko working until 2am or slumped over her coffee table in her day-clothes after having stumbled home from work, every time she rang to cancel a date, or was stuck at the office long after others left, it was clear this work ethic left her with nothing else, not even a fun hobby – especially since by end of the series, Hiroko doesn’t even had a boyfriend anymore either.
Once again, maybe I’m being somewhat unfair – many times the series is committed to show us the awfulness of a ‘work is everything style’ culture, yet after I finished the anime, I stumbled across this quote from the creator of the manga, Moyoco Anno:
“The traditional virtue of Japan was that people took everything very seriously. As those traditions have been eroded, the quality of Japanese work has been downgraded.”
The full quote contextualises the comment more around accusations of laziness, which struck me as rather thoughtless when I apply it to Anno’s own industry, one that seems rife with creators working themselves into the ground etc.
I have to note that it’s obviously incredibly risky for me to take one quote (or even a full passage) and use it as evidence of ‘what the anime was saying’.
Even supposedly saying.
And it’s also risky of me to claim the quote as evidence that the anime conformed to more than it critiqued the dominant attitudes toward work that I tried to identify above. Again, I’d like to be wrong.
Because in the end of course, I obviously don’t (and couldn’t possibly) have a handle on what’s going in Japan right now, nor when the manga was written for that matter, or the anime aired, but the stories about burn-out that do reach me today certainly don’t fill me with happiness.
Obviously, overwork is a problem that’s not going away (not just in Japan but anywhere in the world) without radical change – and this rant from me won’t make any difference. Even so, I enjoyed getting it onto paper, as it were.
So… to crawl back to the review itself at long last, I still really liked this anime.
In fact, I love that it gave me pause and made me think. And I will definitely watch it again one day, but I find myself wondering now, weeks later, am I supposed to be happy for Hiroko at the end of the series, or worried that she’ll work herself to death, just like her poor interview subject from episode 9: “Full-Fledged Hataraki Man”?
4 Stars
This resolve and drive is more typical of her as a character, actually – I probably should have taken more similar screencaps for the review.
If anyone out there hasn’t heard of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners yet, and you happen to be looking for something new and something that is aimed at more of a seinen audience, and you also like sci-fi, then take a look.
Maybe even if you don’t like the sub-genre all that much, still give it a try, I reckon. Especially if you’re a huge Studio Trigger fan in general, or perhaps you just love bright, fast-paced anime?
Because as I keep saying, I reckon Edgerunners is worth your time.
(Even if you’re a bit gun-shy after the disastrous release of the Cyberpunk 2077 game, I believe that should you start and finish this anime, you won’t find it to be ‘unfinished’ or ‘rushed’).
Actually, to keep jamming descriptors into my lumbering introduction, and also to go out on a limb a bit with this recommendation stuff, maybe consider trying this anime if you’re into the ‘doomed romance’ thing too.
Especially if you’re not adverse to gore and nudity, since Cyberpunk has a lot of one and some of the other. But to sneak back to my comment on its audience, about it being more seinen, I’d argue that not only due to the visual content, but the themes.
I’m making that claim for a couple of reasons, I suppose.
For one, it feels like the way Cyberpunk: Edgerunners uses revenge almost as bait-and-switch might bug an immature audience (which is not the same thing as a ‘young’ audience). Or the way that communication (or lack thereof) remains a very human theme, and one entirely distinct from the amazing technological advances in the setting.
And further, the anti-corporate, anti-capitalist bent is so clear – perhaps some of the more pointed ‘punk’ aspects to the series.
Body modification is another main theme in the anime, though Edgerunners spends most of that aspect on related violence rather than identity. No surprise, I guess – since the anime is an action-thriller too…
… and I’m suddenly back on ‘genres’ and ‘conventions’ once more 😀
Well, for me, that stuff is almost always interesting at the very least.
And in Edgerunners, I remember the first few episodes setting up what seemed to be an underdog-revenge story. By the end, it’s clear that it fits in a whole lot more.
I finished the anime wondering if, in addition to everything else I’ve mentioned above, there isn’t a bit of Psychological Horror included, with a touch of the ‘last girl’ trope thrown into the pan too.
Connected, perhaps, are Splatterpunk elements, both in terms of story and visuals, which feed into the action and horror as much as the cyberpunk.
That’s the beauty of really effective stories though – they can easily fit more than one aspect from more than one genre. Sometimes, the mix results in something that escapes the bounds of any one genre and either creates something new or at the very least, something that will last.
Having said all of that, the guts of the Edgerunners story does have a single focus, it’s the relationship between leads David and Lucy – and to a lesser extent, between David and his sort-of mentor, the imposing but flawed Maine (not that he’s the only one with flaws).
That core relationship between David and Lucy keeps all the moving parts of the anime together, and each thing I learnt about the setting and world seemed quickly or eventually relevant to David and Lucy’s struggle to survive, and to protect one another.
I’ve already mentioned the range of genres, but another I could see an argument being made for is that of tragedy – well, kinda.
And I’m not talking about the fact that pretty much everyone dies but Lucy, instead it’s that David destroys himself well before his futile (yet understandable) battle with Adam Smasher occurs, even after seeing Maine destroy himself in nearly exactly the same way.
The more I write on this anime, the more I’m thinking that Edgerunners is not precisely a Tragedy. Or, the more I can’t decide how well it follows the classic conventions of a tragedy. So maybe it could be, after all.
Could be that the show is simply not a tragedy in a somewhat narrow sense, wherein a character does all the right things and yet is still punished/made to suffer/fails.
Because I believe that the narrative perfectly shows that our main characters don’t do all the right things, that they aren’t at all ‘unfairly punished by circumstance’. Instead, they make choices themselves, and those choices just don’t work out.
Not that the choices they make are easy ones.
After finishing the anime, I wonder if I missed something or not… because I’m still doubting the idea of it being a tragedy.
For instance, Lucy is shown to be able to hide extremely well. Could not she and David have fled the city? And maybe they wouldn’t have been able to hide forever, but the simple fact that they were (perhaps understandably) too afraid to be honest with each other about who was protecting who and from what, I’d argue that they were doomed by their own failure to communicate.
And so perhaps character flaws (or fear) drove their actions as much as anything else – but whether I’m off the mark or not about genre doesn’t really matter in the end, because that doesn’t change the fact that the characters were written really well.
In terms of an actual issue at last, the first thing that came to mind was that a certain amount of prior knowledge about the Cyberpunk77 universe and world-building would probably help a little. Still, I was never lost.
I kind of hinted above that the body modification theme wasn’t explored all that much, so that felt like a bit of a missed opportunity.
But moving back to a couple of positives to finally wrap up this review, I found it refreshing to see actual daylight in a cyberpunk story! It seems far too often that low-level lighting is the default for the genre, the predictable fall-back for production design (of course, you’ve got to show off all those neons, but still, I really enjoyed the variety here).
And finally, I think that the ending was very, very effective. I was so happy to finish an anime with a conclusion that really worked… but I’d argue it was not at all bittersweet – it was only bitter 😀
This is a sweet short from Disney that I really liked – a perfectly simple story about trying to find someone after a chance meeting.
Paper links the two characters, and it’s both a tool and an impediment for a main character on his search. There’s lots of unity between that and the colour scheme, and the little touches of red are great of course.
There’s always a part of me that has a feeling that a short is often going to be an exploration of a new visual technique, and that the story will come an at times distant second, but I didn’t feel that here.
And so if you have about 7 minutes up your sleeve and maybe want to see some nice CGI + 2D blends, great composition and a sweet story, then take a look at Paperman.
The Review Heap 