The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

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The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2010) is the latest release in the Haruhi Suzumiya franchise which was originally released (and still continues) as light novels. The fans of the franchise know very well that the anime series has had its ups and downs: while the first season was nearly as perfect as it could get, the second season was riddled with intentional redundancy - unlike anything else I've ever witnessed before. The makers have now resurrected the franchise by animating the most popular volume of the light novels into a 3-hour ride full of astonishment and development.

Writing a compact plot synopsis would be a futile attempt so I'm going to simply refer to what others have written about the TV show that preceded this film. The film leaves behind the show's "pseudo-scifi" (meaning that the science fiction becomes hard this time) and comical aspects so that the focus remains on the complex plot that serves as a great way to explore the main character, Kyon. It's not only Kyon who faces a drastical amount of character development in the film, but the advancement of the central storyline brings forth new things about the characters in a way that is - as much as I hate to use the word - surprisingly deep.

The film is a great visual achievement as well. The melancholic art direction and editing - which were seldomly used in the show - dominate the picture in an enthralling way that fits to the grim content. The simple fact that the film is incredibly well animated for 160 minutes makes the film a special and asthonishing case in the anime industry.

The film left me nearly speechless. It's unlike anything I've experienced while watching an anime film since, well, End of Evangelion and the second Rebuild of Evangelion film. Excluding the latter title, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya is certainly the finest animated effort in the film format in the last 10 years.

Score: 10 out of 10

Super Dimensional Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?

Shoji Kawamori's Super Dimensional Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? (1984) is one of the most stunning animated achievements of the 80's. It's not only an ambitious rewrite of the original show (Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, which started the entire franchise), but its animation quality is miraculous. The franchise is known for combining mecha action, Japanese pop music and love triangles and Do You Remember Love? is not an exception to the trademark. A gripping love triangle is created between Ichijou (a young mecha pilot), Lynn Minmay (a ridiculously popular idol/singer) and Misa (a high-ranking female officer).

The idea of combining an epic battle scene with a pop song is not necessarily inviting, but Do You Remember Love? succeeds at making it work in an awesome way (the same can be said about the entire franchise). The jaw-dropping, mouth-watering climax is the reason why everyone should see it: that scene alone is a masterpiece in editing, animation and songwriting. The narrative rushes forward, but that never lessens the film's impact even though it doesn't give enough space for a few side characters. However, the film works very well on its own and that's a great achievement for a young director like Kawamori (only 20 or 21 years old back then). The idea of a love triangle is usually off-putting for me, but this film made it work incredibly well - and I have to give it credit for that.

Kawamori's insane editing can already be found in this movie (and he will develop it even further in the following Macross shows he went on to direct). For example, there are moments I would call crosscutting at its very best. Character and art design are also wonderful so the animation is not all about ridiculous amount of detail.

Do You Remember Love? is a landmark not only for the mecha genre, but for anime in general. Even though I have to admit that I feel like holding back from a 10 (because Kawamori is not in his most refined state yet), it's a film that should be considered a masterpiece.

Score: 9 out of 10

Neo Tokyo

Neo Tokyo (1987) is an experimental film consisting of three separate sections directed by Rintaro, Yoshiaki Kawajiri and Katsuhiro Otomo (the author and director of Akira).

Even though every segment is quite bizarre, Rintaro's Labyrinth-Labyrinthos is by far the oddest of the bunch. In it, a girl and her cat travel through very surreal landscape only to see a weird circus performance. In my opinion, it explores the psyche of modern children - one sequence reminded me of a video game, and that's how I came up with this interpretation. Kawajiri's The Running Man focuses on a motor racing champion who is driving in a race that becomes his last. Basically it's a psychological story of a man simply "losing it". The final segment, Otomo's The Order to Cease Construction, is the most intriguing one for me. It's a clever yet a bit obvious satire of Japan.

Animation is stunning in each segment - and the art design is fascinating even though it naturally varies in each one because different teams worked on them. I loved the character design in Otomo's segment.

In overall, Neo Tokyo is an interesting collection of experimental anime. It's worth a look for anyone although you shouldn't go in expecting anything traditional.

Score: 9 out of 10

Children of Men

Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men (2006) is a grim take on the future of humanity. Babies havent been born in 18 years and the world is almost completely in chaos. Only the United Kingdom is a safe country, and millions of refugees try to get there all the time. The story focuses on a man (Clive Owen) who by chance meets and then decides to protect a miraculously pregnant woman (Clare-Hope Ashitey) in this cruel world.

Children of Men gives us an uncompromising and unflinching vision of the future. The humans have gone mad and the youngest living person is a celebrity. The story actually begins with the death of the youngest living person, which causes a lot of sorrow all over the country. The mourning is abruptly interrupted when a bomb explodes in a cafe killing a lot of people - and almost the main character too. After that the film rushes towards the ending, and even the short periods of rest are intensive.

Death is always present in the film. Life is very fragile, and that is part of the reason why Children of Men is truly exhilarating - unlike many other films. The film offers such a detailed and deep vision of a possible future that I would claim it is hard to NOT get into this film. It catches you off-guard and doesnt let you exhale before the ending.

The film is mostly built of long takes - some of them are digitally altered to seem like ones, though. In any case, these long takes are a perfect way to tell this story and reflect the mood for the viewer. The narrative is very, very tight and some of these long takes are necessary for the film to develop so fast. It also makes it easier for the viewer to watch this film because everything happens so fast, and the calm camerawork gives us a clearer sense of what is going on.

The use of sound is extremely important in Children of Men. Sometimes there is a huge background noise, but sometimes you can barely hear anything: this is used for the best effect possible. The soundtrack is something you wouldnt at first come up with for an apocalyptic film, but it is used very well. My only problem is the superficial choice for the ending credits that feels a little forced and silly.

The acting in Children of Men is extremely fascinating. The whole cast gives pitch-perfect performances. Clive Owen is surprisingly good, but the most honorable mention goes for Michael Caine. To cast him in an eccentric role like is a ballsy idea, but his performance is unforgettable.

Children of Men is a genuinely admirable film that deserves all the praise it has received - and even more.

Score: 9 out of 10

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004) is a sequel to his massively popular film, Ghost in the Shell (1995). The story continues sometime after the first film, and that's why I won't give a plot outline so that I can avoid spoilers. The film is set in a future world where cyborgs have become very common. The profound themes of the first film are yet again under analysis. This time, though, the characters ponder on them through ridiculous amount of quotes from Confucius to Milton. The quotes are so forced and distracting that they really bothered me. That is the film's major flaw - seriously. The film is visually very beautiful and stunning; it combines cell animation and CGI seamlessly. The form in general works very well, and I can't recall any flaw that is worth mentioning. I strongly recommend to watch the first film if you havent seen it yet.

Score: 8 out of 10