Memories

6 reviews - 21.5 total score (Explanation of the rating system)
avg. score: (3.6)

6. h8er13

Katsuhiro Otomo is probably most well-known for his work Akira, which isn't necessarily one of my favorite movies, but nonetheless, was highly acclaimed worldwide.  Otomo was also the screenwriter for 2001's Metropolis, an anime that fails to add any depth to its genre but still provides stunning visuals.  Because of my preconceived notions of Otomo's works, I watched Memories with a bit of reluctance, which may also explain my somewhat mediocre review.

Memories is a collection of three short films, each directed by a well-known director.  Therefore, I will provide three short reviews.

Magnetic Rose: The first film, literally translated as "Her Memories," was probably my favorite.  Space Debris collectors (Planetes?) receive a distress signal and proceed to investigate.  Great visuals and an interesting sci-fi story.  Directed by Koji Morimoto, who is usually known for his animation and character design, but he also directed a section in The Animatrix.  Satoshi Kon (Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers) was also one of the writers for Magnetic Rose.

Stink Bomb: This next film was definitely the one I most disliked.  Stink Bomb is about a lab technician who takes a pill, which he mistook as a cold remedy, and the disastrous side effects ensue.  The following is a bit of a spoiler.  Even though the animation was commendable, I was terribly annoyed by the main character whose ignorance and naivety fueled the plot.  Stink Bomb was supposed to be a humorous film, but I didn't find it very funny.  Directed by Tensai Okamura, one of the animators for Evangelion and director of 2003's Wolf's Rain.

Cannon Fodder: This last film was directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, himself.  If you've read A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, then Cannon Fodder will seem a bit reminiscent of that.  Cannon Fodder is a glance into the daily life of a bleak, totalitarian society where cannons are shot daily at an undisclosed enemy.  Well-made, visually, but a little on the boring side.

Memories, much like Akira and Metropolis, provide stunning, almost breathtaking visuals.  Even in Katsuhiro's interview about Memories, he expressed his concern for making a visually appealing and unique anime.  It'd be great if every anime achieved such high levels of animation as Memories does, but it'd also be a waste if all the plots followed the same pattern as does Memories, which is simple, yet pretentious at times.

5. Tempy

From the creative mind of Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira) comes a trio of unique stories created by an ensemble of talented individuals.

Magnetic Rose - The space debris collecting ship Corona receives an unusual emergency signal and heads off to a graveyard of spaceships. Heintz and Miguel examine the wreckage of a spaceship once inhabited by popular opera singer Eva Friedel. Soon they find themselves trapped by the hallucinations caused by Eva's memories, unwilling to let go of the glory she once knew. It's a rather straightforward story, but the fantastic imagery makes it very worthwhile. The art and animation are quite scrumptious. Though a romanticized tale of sadness and tragedy, it doesn't quite attain its potential, perhaps because Eva's character could've been elaborated upon more intensely - we know the why's, but her emotions are held back because all we've got are her memories. Heintz on the other hand gets some good scenes making use of him not having seen his family in a while.

Stink Bomb - Pharmaceutical lab worker Nobuo Tanaka has a cold and takes what he believes is a new cold medicine. When he wakes up, everybody is dead from a poisonous gas and he is told by higher-ups to quickly take the medicine back to their headquarters in Tokyo. Little does the hapless Nobuo know that he's the source of the gas! The attempts of the military to stop him from reaching Tokyo forms the basis of most of the humor. Despite the action and humor, the whole setup feels rather contrived, but it's a fun little story nonetheless.

Cannon Fodder - This story is a more artsy one, and follows a family in a country where people help fire huge cannons at an unseen enemy. The visuals are very unique and remind me somewhat of Enki Bilal's work. The scenes move along fluidly - it's filmed as if it's just one very long cut, where the whole process of loading and firing the cannon is given most of the screen time. The utilitarian world is reminiscent of George Orwell's 1984, though any similar themes are skimmed through. Ultimately this story feels like watching a moving painting, a short sketch providing glimpses into a strange mysterious world - anyone seeking a more traditional story will be disappointed.

4. Leliel

Three directors, one vision. Three fantastic composers, one presentation. Three short stories, one movie. This is Memories. Magnetic Rose (Kanojo no Omoide -- "The Lady's Memories", from which the overall title is derived), follows a deep space junk-collecting team stumbling into the forgotten realm of a once-famous opera star. A wonderful score by the firmly-entrenched Kanno Youko includes segments of the Madame Butterfly opera. Stink Bomb (Saishuu Heiki, a kanji pun: "The Ultimate/Stinkiest Weapon") is a dark satire on modern bureaucracy. Hugely comedic in my opinion, and the jazz soundtrack by Miyake Jun is nothing short of outstanding. Cannon Fodder (Daihou no Machi "City of Cannons"), the last and by far shortest of the three, is a peculiar social commentary on warfare and propaganda. A thinking otaku's anime and (therefore?) the least popular episode, it follows the day in the life of an ordinary family in a most unnatural setting. Military-themed music by Nagashima Hiroyuki is appropriately bombastic and subdued in turn, but like the rest of the episode doesn't quite measure up to what has gone before.

The entire package is some of the finest animated work to date, and with three completely distinct parts it's likely at least one if not two or all three will appeal. Expensive to import and unlikely to be released outside Japan any time soon, it's little wonder many haven't seen this gem, and truly a shame. An excellent, excellent work.

3. hakootoko

Memories is an art piece that didn't impress me, and I usually like art pieces. Only one of the three pieces seemed to have an interesting story, and even that doesn't make up for the other two which can be completely described by their first two minutes of animation. This is not another Labyrinth Tales, though it wants to be.

2. weasl

Memories was a mixed bag for me. While I enjoyed the first 2 parts, the third part I found quite boring, to the point that I started watching the clock hoping that it would end soon. The first "episode" had a nice dramatic approach, and the whole ordeal reminded me a bit of Alien. The second was extremely funny and well paced enough that it kept me interested till the end. The third... well I paid more attention to the clock then the third. All three however had great art, interesting stories, and were topped off by a really great soundtrack. In the end I was fairly disappointed with Memories. It's worth a watch though simply for the art and soundtrack.

1. bremmi

From the creator of Akira, Otomo Katsuhiro, Memories is really three separate stories combined into one movie. The first one, Magnetic Rose, is definitely my favorite. Some trash-collectors in space in the future happen to come across a strange SOS and go in to investigate. What they find inside is illusions and memories of an old Opera singer that threatens their sanity and their lives. The second show, Stink Bomb, is pretty much what it sounds like. I'm not a fan, it's fairly humorous but pretty silly. Lastly, Cannon Fodder is a very artsy show that describes the life of a family living in a time where the whole population of the city does nothing but fire cannons at an unseen enemy. This part of the movie is eerily well done and I enjoy it a lot, though I never really know why.