Rate the last anime you watched out of 10

Though it's tough to compare a film and TV series, I'd say I enjoyed SAC quite a lot more than the Ghost in the Shell film. I think the series benefits greatly from having time to develop it's characters and do more than just focus on a few philosophical ideas. I do think it's worthwhile watching the film before the TV series because, although they're separate continuities, a lot of the terms are used in both and the series doesn't really hang around to explain things (not that the film does either). I suppose maybe it could work the other way, where you pick up the terms in the TV series so that you're more prepared to understand what the film is trying to say.

I'm not sure they ever exactly explain what a "Ghost" is though. I mean, I suppose it's supposed to be a kind of nebulous concept anyway similar to a "soul". It seems to essentially be "what makes you who you are", which is especially important in a world where you can essentially upload your mind to other devices and have a complete body replacement. It's also possible that I just didn't really understand it, though if that's the case it didn't hamper my enjoyment of the series.

I did wonder if being used to similar kinds of sci-fi, and thus similar concepts, makes the film and TV series easier to watch. I found that I could mostly pick things up quite well but I wasn't sure if it was because I was given the information I needed or because I was comparing it to things I'd heard before. I think the TV series might be a bit better at making sure you know what's going on but that could have been because I watched it after the film and had picked up some of the general ideas by that point.

If you had trouble with the Ghost in the Shell film, Innocence will probably be much worse. It's mostly philosophical rambling, though there's also a little bit of story and character snuck in too. It's probably better from an "artistic" point of view and it seems like you have to put a fair bit of effort in to get a lot out of it. Still, I did kind of enjoy it and thought the characters kept things interesting for the most part (when they were allowed to be characters rather than just spouting random quotes). I'd maybe suggest starting the TV series then watching Innocence after a few episodes, you could treat it as a kind of slightly surreal dream/alternate universe extended episode. It does also bring up some things that might be useful to know for the TV series, there's one concept that I don't think the series really explains at all but gets a bit of explanation in Innocence (though it's not especially important).
 
Sometimes, I wonder how much the enduring reputation of the first GitS film is down to critical acclaim from outwith the general anime fandom, rather than within it. I know it's still highly rated, but I do see a lot more criticism of the film now than once was the case.
 
Junkers Come Here: Review (Movie, 1994)
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Junkers Come Here is a beautiful, gentle and heartfelt film about a young girl living in a world that is suddenly changing before her very eyes. We all become content with the routine of life itself, adamant that things will never change, but the reality is that the world does change and any alteration to our lives is not only hard to adjust to but even harder to come to terms with. We cling onto those things that we’re most comfortable with, often satisfied with our current situations and so we try to deny those around us the chance to change too as we struggle to keep all the pieces that make up our lives together as they ultimately drift away. Junkers Come Here is a relatable story and a film that resonates with people of all ages, both young and old alike.

Directed by Junichi Sato and released back in the summer of 1994, this 1 hour 40 minute motion picture tells the story of a girl named Hiromi. Hiromi’s family are pretty well off and she’s both peppy and energetic. From the outside you’d assume that she is a very joyful and well-loved kid, with parents that coddle her and spoil her each and every day; however her relationship with her parents is a distant and complicated one. Both of her parents work, her father a director he works abroad commuting from place to place rarely finding the time to come home and her mother a businesswoman who comes home to see her daughter whenever she gets the chance, usually late in the night and usually too tired to truly interact and bond with her child. On the outside Hiromi is a resilient and mature individual however it is clear that her detached relationship with her parents upsets her greatly. Even so she is surrounded by people who care about her, but due to her reserved nature people don’t consider looking closer at her true feelings. On the outside she is a happy child, but on the inside her heart aches as she deals with this disconnected relationship that she finds herself in with the very people that should be there for her the most.

Junkers is ultimately a story about a family that is falling apart and how it affects this young girl’s life. Junkers is so beautiful in its depiction that anybody who has been in the middle of a divorce will be able to relate to this film and its characters. It goes without saying that people who haven’t will still be able to relate to the story and the predicament young Hiromi finds herself in. Hiromi is young and like most young people, their fates are often left in the hands of their parents, and although parents try to understand their children it becomes tough due to the way in which we function. We’re taught, indirectly or otherwise when growing up to conceal our emotions, that crying is for kids and so Hiromi no matter how much she’s hurting acts mature and grown up throughout the whole ordeal. Because of this, her parents assume that she’s okay with every revelation they throw at her. She doesn’t complain and tries to get on with her studies but take one glance at her declining grades and it’s obvious that this is affecting her and more importantly it’s hurting her and she’s left tearing herself apart.

Her parents rarely have an honest conversation with their child and never truly get to know her feelings on the matter. In fact it seems as if her mother has already made her child’s mind up for her. In order to make the film more entertaining for the younger audience, Hiromi shares her screen time with her pet Junkers, a miniature Schnauzer. If you know this breed, you know that they’re pretty fun to look at, however what makes Junkers every more fun is the fact that this dog talks. This is the plot device that is used in order to get Hiromi to open up and discuss her feelings as she converses with Junkers. Junkers is a fundamental element that makes up the success of this film, balancing both the comedy and drama elegantly in order to keep the audience engaged throughout. Young’uns will become fascinated by the talking dog while also finding themselves relatable to Hiromi, her loneliness and her efforts to juggle her school work, the emotional turmoil that comes with divorce and the fleeting moments of love that she finds within her heart as she matures and goes through puberty while the parents watching will also be able to resonate with these same themes while also finding themselves relating to the two parents in the film as well as finding young Hiromi’s erratic behavior to mimic their own child’s. The film works in order to become relatable to people of all ages as the stories here are both very human and presented delicately.

It’d be doing this film a monumental disservice to go on without mentioning the beautiful artwork and animation that makes up this film. The aesthetics remind me a lot of the Isao Takahata directed Only Yesterday which came out a few years prior to Junkers. Junkers is very pastel-like in its appearance, with everything having a warm and homely look to it. This helps foster an aesthetic that is both welcoming and appealing to the eyes. Some scenes have faded out edges, very similar to the flashback scenes in Only Yesterday. The movie as a whole is very bright with lots of whites being used especially indoors, particularly the walls that populate the house but at the same time the backgrounds look realistic and lived-in, with rooms cluttered with random utensils and adorned with decorations. Of course this goes a long way in immersing the audience and making this house feel like a real home and not just a movie set. Hiromi has grown up in this house and has accumulated all sorts of memories which work together in order to construct a sentimental feeling that encapsulates the whole film and rubs off onto the watching audience. Junkers looks handmade in its visuals and approachable because of this, both warm and endearing.

Although characters are realistically proportioned, each one still stands out due to unique features and mannerisms not unlike people in the real world. This is further supported by the fact that the cast is very tightly knit together. Characters are designed here by the late and very talented Kazuo Komatsubara. It goes without saying that the characters in Junkers are a lot less exuberant and boisterous than the ones in his other works such as his collaborations with Leiji Matsumoto. The character designs here yet again remind me of Only Yesterday. The characters are both charismatic in their depictions as well as in their vocals and mannerisms while still feeling grounded in reality and neither overly exaggerated nor too cartoony. They’re not photo-realistic and remind me a lot of the characters that make up the work of the late Yoshifumi Kondo. Their realistic nature is brought to life through their mannerisms as well as the great script. Like many of the Takahata works, Junkers spend time on the mundane, allowing for the world and its inhabitants to breathe freely as the film develops naturally.

While the animation is amazing, the music and audio is also well directed. The cast does a fantastic job in breathing life into each and every character and the music works in harmony with the visuals. The voice acting accompanied by the great script goes hand in hand in nurturing the correct emotional response from the viewers. It’s not laugh out loud funny but charming it is.

Shinya Ohira contributed to the original character designs however again these are not as exaggerated as his other works. Both he and Mitsuo Iso contributed to key animation and it is evident. The animation is smooth and detailed and the motions of the characters are nuanced. Junkers boarders on the fantastical with many magical elements littered throughout, none of which I will go into detail with however it still manages to stay grounded and realistic. Although I don’t want to spoil anything when it comes to this film, the last act in Junkers Come Here blew me away from an audio and visual standpoint with a scene that reminded me of the animated short The Snowman which may come across as a strange parallel to make, but an appropriate one nonetheless.

Junkers is unwavering in its depictions of a girl growing up in a fractured home, it’s a beautiful film that had me laughing at its subtle humor that relies on the mannerisms of the characters instead of slapstick and it also had me crying at the honesty of it all. It’s genuine, beautiful and evokes emotions that I rarely feel from anime today. Both nostalgic and at times gut-wrenching it is a film that I’d recommend to anybody no matter the age. Junkers contains everything that I look for in an animated film; it entertains but at the same never holds back with the emotional punches. The Japanese voice track is outstanding, the music is fantastic and emotionally charged while also whimsical and the animation is sublime. Junkers is both insightful and meaningful and a film that everybody should watch.
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10/10
 
Arjuna

We are screwing up the planet and eating bad processed foods ans we wouldn't know **** how to survive without a shop to go and get food and something to drink..... pretty heavy stuff in some parts.

8/10
 
Genius Party

Seven short animations, it varies a bit. I'd say my favourites were the last two, the first two were quite good and the middle three are weaker.

I'll talk about each individually but I guess I could use that spoiler button thing so that the post doesn't look too huge:

[spoilerbutton]It opens with a short that seems to be just called "Genius Party". I can't decide if it was a good way to start or not, it kind of sets the tone (expect craziness) and it's actually quite a good piece of animation but someone hoping for a story to follow might switch off and thus miss out on the later shorts, which they might prefer. Saying that, I'm not sure that anything else would make a better choice to open with, whatever you choose will likely give some people the wrong impression. I guess maybe this one went first because it seems to be representative of having fun with ideas and that's kind of the general point of the collection.

Then you have "Shanghai Dragon", it's quite a fun story (and it does have more of a story) about a kid who finds a device capable of making his imagination into reality. I don't think there's a fixed theme through these shorts but it's interesting that imagination, creativity and freedom seem to pop up quite often, as if the lack of a theme became the theme. Anyway, I liked this short and it's got an easily relatable premise that it has some good fun with. I particularly liked the revolver wielding cyborg and all the things involving him (minor spoiler, but marking it just to be safe).

"Deathtic 4" is next, it's about zombie kids living in a zombie world and their attempts to rescue a wayward living frog. It's not bad really but I didn't think it was great either. It's kind of a light-hearted little adventure, I'd say it would normally be my kind of thing but maybe that's part of the problem since I've seen much better examples.

The fourth short is "Doorbell". It seemed like the story might have some potential but it seems to lack an actual core idea. I guess there's a thin line between leaving things open to interpretation and not really having any idea about what you're doing and this one seems to be on the wrong side. I think people could still enjoy it, especially if they went with their own idea of what it might mean, but I found it a little disappointing in the end.

Rounding out the run of shorts I found to be weaker is "Limit Cycle". It's a bunch of possibly philosophical (or at least philosophical sounding) ramblings with a background of flashing images (mostly related to religious imagery). I'm sure some people would find it fascinating and I also expect there'll be some people saying "you just don't understand it". Maybe they have a point but it does seem that it's deliberately constructed to be tough to follow and I couldn't help feeling that it was another case of the creator trying to pretend they have some grand idea by making something that looks like it could have depth. I could imagine a lot of people giving up here, which is a shame since they'd really be missing out on what I found to be the best parts of the collection.

"Happy Machine" is a whimsical tale of a baby that finds itself alone in a strange world and goes exploring. I found it quite fun and it's another piece that's quite imaginative. I think the story does a good job of keeping it from relying on art and fancy visuals alone, with a particularly strong ending. There's probably more depth in what goes on than I picked up on but I think one of the strengths of this short is that it can work on a variety of levels.

The last short is "Baby Blue", I'd say it's one of the best of the collection so it's interesting that it's also a mostly down to earth story with a real world setting and focussed on two students. It does a great job of telling an interesting story in a short time without feeling a need to go far from reality. To be fair, there's one part involving a grenade that pushes the boundaries of realism a bit but it's a relatively minor deviation (though I have to admit, there could maybe have been a better way to say what that part was saying). While animation can be about taking us to cool and other worldly places it can also be about more human stories so it's nice that the collection includes both.[/spoilerbutton]
Overall, I did enjoy the collection. I think most people would find at least one or two of the shorts enjoyable and it does cover a decent variety of styles and themes.

Genius Party Beyond

Related to the above, it's a collection of five more shorts. I loved the first one, wasn't keen on the second, quite liked the third and fourth then really enjoyed the last one.

As before, thoughts behind the button:

There's a brief opening before things get rolling, it doesn't seem to count as an actual short though (if it does then there are really six shorts). I quite like the way it mixed elements from the previous Genius Party, so I thought it was worth mentioning.

"Gala" is the first proper short, it's a neat little fantasy tale that starts with a giant object crashing into a village and then shows how the villagers react to it. It's not so different from the type of art and animation you might see in a normal show (especially a fantasy one) but it was still creative and fun. I particualrly liked the way it played with some fantasy tropes, having a kind of "destiny/chosen one" story without bothering to explain the details (since they're not the point). I did also like the ending quite a bit, it was maybe predictable but I didn't feel that took anything away from it. I thought it was a great way to kick things off.

Unfortunately, I didn't really like the second short "Moondrive". The story had potential but the recurring joke of what the group use as payment put me off and there wasn't really enough going on otherwise to make up for it. The story was also a bit predictable and it did seem to suffer for it here (maybe it's another case of having seen too many similar stories done better). I expect quite a lot of people will enjoy this one but it didn't work for me.

I did enjoy the next short "Wanwa The Puppy", it's a bit of a crazy kids drawing come to life adventure story but it also comes together well at the end to make sense. I wouldn't say it was one of my favourites but it was still pretty good.

The fourth short "Toujin Kit" is a strange one, set in a drab looking world (it seemed kind of steampunk/cyberpunk to me) and with a story about a girl growing something odd illegally. While there are a lot of elements of the story that aren't ultimately explained, I think it gets away with it because it doesn't seem to be trying too hard to be deep and the world and visuals make up for it. It could maybe have been stronger if it had been more clearly trying to say something but as it is it was an enjoyable short.

I can't decide if the last short "Dimension Bomb" was my favourite from this collection or if it was the first one. Dimension Bomb doesn't really have a clear story but it does have a lot of great visuals, plus potential hints that could be interpreted in different ways. I found it very enjoyable, though I think I might have liked a slightly more solid conclusion to the story (if there was one). I could actually see people reacting to this in a similar way to the way I reacted to Limit Cycle in the previous collection. It could perhaps come across as trying to be philosophical without really saying anything but I felt it was a lot more coherent and the visuals felt like they had more value on their own. I thought it was a good way to end things and I'm glad that both collections ended on a high.
Overall, I enjoyed most of this one. Since I only really found one entry particularly weak, it has a greater proportion of "hits". The best of each were quite close though and the short I found weakest overall was from Beyond. I think it's probably worth watching both collections and I'd imagine that opinions will vary a fair bit.

Professor Irony said:
Sometimes, I wonder how much the enduring reputation of the first GitS film is down to critical acclaim from outwith the general anime fandom, rather than within it. I know it's still highly rated, but I do see a lot more criticism of the film now than once was the case.
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I think it's at least partly popular because it was a major "gateway" anime for a lot of people when it was released. There's also the fact that a western company was involved in it's production, that at least adds to it's notability. The director is one of those with a fandom so that's probably a factor as well. In fairness though, I think the film does hold up quite well so perhaps the change in views of it has more to do with changing tastes than the film itself. I mean, I liked it but it's no Non Non Biyori and that's not something you could have said in 1995 (well, it'd be kind of strange if you did).

qaiz said:
Junkers Come Here: Review (Movie, 1994)
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I'm guessing this is another one that sounds very interesting but I'm unlikely to be able to see legally. Oh well, in some ways it's nice to know just how much great stuff there is out there even beyond the great stuff we do get legally.
 
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Smeelia said:
I'm guessing this is another one that sounds very interesting but I'm unlikely to be able to see legally. Oh well, in some ways it's nice to know just how much great stuff there is out there even beyond the great stuff we do get legally.
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It actually came out on DVD in the US back in 2003 and in Australia on DVD back in 2005 both with Japanese and English audio and English subtitles. The Australian cover is a lot nicer tho :p
US: Amazon.com
AU: madman.com
Also available to stream on Hulu Link
 
I have a copy of the US DVD (which I've not watched yet...) (it was a gift from a friend who lives over there). As far as I understand, despite being Bandai, there's still a fair amount of copies floating about.
 
Patlabor (The first Movie).

Finally got around to watching this. I'd say I enjoyed it more than I expected to and given how much I like Patlabor that's quite an achievement. If you only ever watch one thing with mecha in it, I think Patlabor is a particularly good choice (especially if you don't really like mecha).

I was a little worried that it might turn out to be filled with philosophical rambling since it's directed by the same person that directed Ghost In The Shell but I think they actually did a very good job of capturing most of the best aspects of Patlabor. It spends time on the characters, fits in some nice comedy moments and has a fairly interesting case to be dealt with.

I think it'd make a decent entry point for people that are new to Patlabor since it gives a good taste of the different sort of things you get in the OVAs and TV series. I suppose coming into it knowing the characters and the show can help you get more out of it as well though, it might be interesting to start with the film then come back to it after watching everything else.

If I have one complaint about the film, it's that I'd probably have liked a bit of an epilogue. It's not really essential but some of the events of the film would certainly have a knock on effect and we don't really get to see anything about that (though there are comments on what is likely to happen). Maybe that's part of what the next film is about though and to be honest the film works just fine without saying more than it does.

Apparently the next film is the darker and more philosophical one, I'm interested to see how much like Patlabor it feels. While Patlabor is mostly light-hearted it does kind of do a bit of everything so I could see it being possible to have a darker story and still keep it true to the characters and world.
 
Although some people rave about the first film, I think it and the second one are like light and shade - they're that different, right down to the art style.

I'm a fan of Patlabor as a whole, but can safely say the 2nd movie is flat out one of my favourite anime movies of all time - it's *that* good. It's super philosophical, for sure, but I'd rank it up with the original GITS film as the finest example of Oshii's directorial style. It just blew me away.
 
Look forward to seeing your impressions on Patlabor 2. Both are amazing and have totally different tones. This being anime and anime being anime, people can't like more than one thing at a time with everything being a competition but personally I love both of the films equally although the second film had the biggest impact on me. I love the whole cast of Patlabor, it goes without saying but the second film focuses of two of my favorite characters in anime. Being a massive Patlabor and animation aficionado I've often researched and read up on the production of certain films and series and as such I have an appreciation for why the movies ended up the way that they did which helps I guess.
 
If you're watching Zone of the Enders you should definitely watch the Idolo OVA as I'd argue it's much better than the series itself and quite a bit darker in tone.
 
Madoka Magica Rebellion.
So I went to see this at the cinema on Tuesday (thank you Scotland Loves Anime) and now I understand why my best friend insisted on coming up from Newcastle despite it being a weekday and her having to work the next day. The visuals are stunning, especially on a big screen. She'd seen it before (several times) but I hadn't. Having not seen the show for a while, I perhaps didn't notice some of the details but oh well.

The plot mostly made sense, but it perhaps merits another viewing. But the visuals were absolutely amazing. The transitions between 2D and stop motion were very jarring, as was probably intended, but the visuals were also beautiful in places. 10/10.
 
The tale of princess kaguya

Ok I have mixed feelings about this series and its by all means not bad or I want say it's not for me... but it's how it ends.

Ok a bamboo cutter finds a baby in a bamboo and she is magic... she grows fast an get her parents rich with all this magic...ans then... Well il let you watch it and see for your self.

But for the animation it's like my neighbours the yamabas but more scraggly in fact it feels like those old Japanese art scrolls pictures things.

The story.. I wish lasted longer and concentrated on the main lead and who and what she is and more slapstick on the people who wants to marry her.

The characters... well the father wants to make her happy and wants her to be treated like a princess but loses to what she wants. Kaguya is a likeable character ans the mother is well nice.

I really wanted this to be longer I had a feeing of wanting more and felt it had more to give... I mean if It was given its own 25 episode series I'm sure it would of been more good.

Like I said I had mixed feelings about it and it was this...

It was good but I wanted more

9/10

Gibli you did it again
 
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