Amazon.com: Although these three shorts were made to be shown together, they have little in common beside lavish production values. In "Magnetic Rose," a two-bit salvage rig answers an SOS in deep space from the palatial ship of a former opera diva. Koji Morimoto (Fly Peek!) blends shimmering visuals and snatches of Puccini, turning the derelict vessel into a lovely, fatal siren's song. Nerdy researcher Nobuo Tanaka takes an experimental drug and begins emitting a murderous gas in Tensai Okamura's (Kikaider) "Stink Bomb." Too silly to be scary, but too grim to be funny, it's the weakest entry. In "Cannon Fodder," Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira) uses long tracking shots and an acid palette of khaki greens and faded reds to depict a militarized civilization where gargantuan machines dominate vapid little people. This brief but timely vision of the insanity of war suggests a mixture of 19th century Prussia and World War II Japan. (Rated PG-13: profanity, violence, tobacco and alcohol use) --Charles Solomon
Description: The masters of anime join forces to create this stunning animated film featuring three separate stories: Magnetic Rose, Stink Bomb and Cannon Fodder. In Magnetic Rose, two space travellers are drawn into an asteroid world created by one woman's memories. In Stink Bomb, a young lab assistant accidentally transforms himself into a human biological weapon set on a direct course to Tokyo. Cannon Fodder depicts a day in the life of a city whose entire purpose is the firing of cannons at the enemy. Created by the world's leading animé talent: Koji Morimoto (The Animatrix), Tensai Okamuro (Android Kikaider: The Animation), Katsuhiro Ôtomo (Upcoming Steamboy, Akira), Satoshi Kon (Tokyo Godfathers, Millennium Actress, Perfect Blue).
Very good... Particularly "Stink Bomb" Ep. 2, very funny and clever. This reason I did not give a 5 star is that this DVD should have been overdubbed too. We now have a broad enough anime to USA market that most of these films should and could get good voice acting talent done to them...
Thinking required! Even though I was not a huge fan of "Akira", I could see that the work Otomo did with the animation was outstanding. In this production, the legendary artist and director, delivers three stories (directed by others) that are not as spectacular in terms of the graphics, but that more than compensate for this with the quality of their plots.
In Magnetic Rose, a spaceship that is ready to return home after one of their typical and uneventful missions gets a distress signal and has to provide assistance. Upon arrival, they find a strange ship, inside what looks like an asteroid. Thus starts a wonderful story, that makes us use our brain throughout its duration and leaves us thinking afterwards. The beautiful Opera music brings an emotion to the action that I have seldom seen in the genre. This was my favorite piece of this set.
Stink Bomb has a completely different flavor; it is highly entertaining, but consists of a much more linear story. A scientist fighting a cold is looking for relief and takes a pill from his boss' office thinking it is an experimental cold medicine. To his surprise it is a bio weapon that has some pretty nasty effects on humans and animals around him. This is definitely an original view on a doomsday scenario.
Finally, in Cannon Fodder we find a society dedicated to waging war. Kids in school study trigonometry to understand how to find the theoretical location of the target and aim accurately. Men work manning the cannons, which are present all over the city. Women are in charge of manufacturing the bullets. The story is interesting but compared to the other two I found it to be too slow at times. The message is conveyed loud and clear though.
The common denominator across these stories is that they make you think. This is not the typical anime, with a hero fighting against the evil guys. Instead we find stories that have many layers and messages for the viewer to discover and ponder. As I mentioned before, the graphics are not the best I have seen, but they are still pretty good. Those that are looking for a more meaningful and complex anime experience should definitely investigate this collection.
MEMORIES Otomo is able to break away from the juggernaut that is Akira in this three-part mastery. MEMORIES itself is three films in one, all overseen by Katsuhiro Otomo, but each possessing its own distinct self. I had originally seen Otomo's own animated portion called "Cannon Fodder" on YouTube. I was absolutely enthralled.
All three animes in MEMORIES are based upon their own respective manga. Each has a distinct visual style and the motion within each piece is uniquely fascinating.
If you are a newcomer to anime, this is the perfect introduction to what anime can do. The films are based around a narrative structure (as most anime film is), and this will help anchor down western-raised audiences who might be skeptical concerning the "validity" of an animated feature. The major hang-up that many of us get in to is that anime and animation in general is a kid's toy. This is mainly due to the fact that almost all animation in the US and western Europe is directed at children. Asia, and more particularly Japan, has been on the forefront of serious animated features almost since animation's inception.
MEMORIES is also a strong addition to avid anime enthusiasts. I can't recommend MEMORIES higher. It's an amazing production and I am very proud to say I have it.
Great!!! I really liked this 3 short stories, all are great but my favourite is Magnetic Rose, If you like watching anime, you should watch this and enjoy the very best.
Otomo the satirist I watched Memories back in the 90s when it was still hard to come by here in the US. Arriving in the US nearly 10 years after it was made, the film stands among the best of the current crop of anime, as it should being produced by some of Japan's masters. And while the animators are different on each of these pieces, the constant is Otomo, providing the stories for all three and himself directing the final segment.
The first segment is the beautiful and somewhat horrific Magnetic Rose, where a ship's crew stumbles upon a world produced by a girl's memories. Imagination in designed is paired with a beautiful soundtrack, heavily based on Madame Butterfly. Despite the scifi aspect commonly found in anime, this piece has a certain elloquence and beauty to it that just doesn't find its way into modern anime. I love the way the girl's memories start preying on the ship's crew with some of their own.
The second piece, entitled Stink Bomb is right at home on Otomo's Resume. Produced by Madhouse studios, the story revolves around a man who contracts a certain odor from a lab that kills whoever smells it. With tongue firmly in cheek, the story follows the government's folly of trying to contain it. It reminds me a lot of Otomo's own Roujin Z. It's the lightest segment on Memories, preparing the viewer for the conclusion.
Otomo directs the final segment, Canon Fodder, which shows a dark dystopic world where the inhabitants fire canons at each other all day. While some of the artwork seems almost comic, the mood of the story is not. Otomo again provides a satire criticizing the very thought of going to war and the sometimes ambiguous reasons for fighting.
After watching Memories, I couldn't help but feel that Otomo has positioned himself as something of a satirist in the world of manga and anime. He did it with Akira, though quite subtly, and moreso with Roujin Z and even in Steamboy. It's nice to see one of the masters still at the top of his game, producing meaningful works high above the sex and violence fare of lesser anime titles.
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