Postby TheSubtleDoctor » Mon Aug 15, 2011 8:38 am
Tetsujin 28: Morning Moon of Midday
Tetsujin 28, or Gigantor as it was once known stateside, was the second anime I ever saw. The 1980 cartoon would air on some obscure channel or other when I got home from attending the 4th grade. This was a remake of the original which aired from 1963 to 1965 and was the first super robot anime ever made. More recently, Yasuhiro Imagawa's 2004 (re?)remake turned the heretofore kids' show into a tragedy-laden tale of Japan rediscovering itself in the years following WWII. Morning Moon of Midday is a movie side-story that spawned from this project and is also directed by Imagawa.
I am an admirer of Imagawa and a fan of everything I've seen from him, but Midday Moon let me down. It gets the somber yet hopeful Tetsujin 28 "feel" spot on, and its music and animation are top quality. The initial setup is also executed fairly well, but the movie falls flat in its denouement. The movie doesn't quite tie together its various threads in a satisfying manner; some character actions feel a bit odd as well.
There are also continuity issues that make it difficult to place the movie within the time-line established by the TV series. I guess this wouldn't normally be something I'd hold against a series, but (1.) it's Imagawa and I expect more from him, (2.) it's Tetsujin 28 and I expect a lot from the franchise, and (3.) you clearly need to have seen the TV series to know who some of these folks are (Dr. Bigfire, for instance).
To be fair to Imagawa, he is aware that the movie isn't up to par and lobbied to shelve the project permanently. Alas, that did not occur.
For me, the film is for Tetsujin completionists and/or Imagawa fanatics only.
Angel's Egg
This is a 1985 film by another director that I admire, Mamoru Oshii. In my opinion, Angel's Egg is the kind of thing that was created for the purpose of making a work of art rather than for putting food on someone's table and this is exceedingly rare for anime. Angel's Egg is far and away Oshii's most experimental movie, and it just might be his best. It is also a a very personal film, so I think would-be interpreters are best served by examining Oshii's beliefs and attitudes.
I'm not going to pretend to know what Angel's Egg is "about" in any complete or concrete sense. Certainly, this is the sort of movie that invites various interpretations. However, there are a couple of things that one should understand before forming detailed opinions on AE. First of all, it does mean something. Because deciphering the significance of symbolism and well-done allegorical storytelling is hard work, I think some people defensively react and say things like, "Meaning is an overrated concept," and, "The iconic imagery doesn't really signify anything; it's just there to displace the viewer." Such a line of thinking may be valid for some movies, but not anything done by Oshii. He is very adamant that every shot of each of his works is pregnant with meaning of some sort.
Second, the Christian symbols and imagery is meant to say something about Christianity and also the spiritual realm/transcendent in general. Whether that's a good-something or a bad-something is up for debate; however, that fact that Oshii himself was a hair's breadth away from entering a Catholic seminary. He is deeply interested in Christianity, and Angel's Egg is not the only film to contain lengthy and/or obscure quotes from scripture and Biblical motifs. Having said all of that, I think that, while the film is the sort of thing that people can take away lots of different things from, to dismiss the Christian symbolism as something that is there just to look cool, a la Eva, would be erroneous.
Now, You can still enjoy the movie without knowing what everything means. I certainly DO NOT grasp the meaning of everything the film. The haunting music, the gorgeous animation, the iconic shots, the atmosphere...there's a LOT to love about the movie that doesn't require a scholarly bent. I do quite like analyzing it, though, and I believe that the experience of critically examining Angel's Egg is a rewarding one.
Crusher Joe: The Movie
When talking about anime that not many people have seen, I often like to find comparables for it. I think that Crusher Joe is an 80s like Sword of the Stranger in many ways. How can a sci-fi action/comedy and a samurai period piece be alike? Well, I think that they each represent the peak of their genre and format. Also, they are both choked full of beautifully animated action.
Like SotS, Crusher Joe squeezes all it can out of its structure, namely a two hour science fiction film that is carnal rather than cerebral. I believe that CJ represents the pinnacle of the anime sci-fi action movie. All of the action sequences, be they space combat, gun fights or chase scenes, are exciting, gorgeous and interestingly choreographed. This is a movie that will entertain you, and that's all it wants to do. Deep characterization? Complex plot? CJ doesn't go there. Instead, we get a string of action set pieces tied together by a solid, if simple, narrative. Basically, Crusher Joe is all about executing an established premise rather than inventing a new one.
It's also pretty 80s-tastic. From the outfits (I NEED a Crusher jacket...like, bad) to the technology to the locales (dat club), CJ definitely has that specifically early 1980s vibe.
I really enjoyed this movie a whole lot and actually recommend it to anime fans of all stripes but especially those who love sci-fi that doesn't get existential. It's the kind of thing I want to watch again ASAP.
