March 19, 2005
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Inuyasha – Toki wo koeru omoi
(Affections touching across time) is a good example of the standard
Japanese Anime movie based off a comic book / TV series. Most of
the time, these types of movies rely solely on the fanbase, as they
usually assume you know who is who without much explanation. The
problem there is that it usually ends up becoming a movie that just
feels like an extended TV episode. Sure the animation is of
higher quality than the TV series, the use of certain camera shots are
clearly stylized in the idea that this is a full fledge movie, and
there is the use of Computer Graphics spliced in regular cel-animation
that is popular in animated features nowadays. But either than that,
it’s the same as the TV show. As a fan of the show I enjoyed it,
but for those who aren’t fans I can’t easily recommend it to them. With
all it’s plus and minuses, I would give the movie a “C+.”—————-
Ghost in the Shell 2 : Innocence follows in the same footstep of it’s predecessor.
It greatly excels in evolving the mixture of traditional cel animation
with computer graphics. One thing about the Ghost in the Shell movies
is that compared to normal anime movies, this ones treats themselves as
FILMS and not simply as TV/comic book adaptations. While the fans do
benefit in knowing the characters when watching the film, the non-fans
can still enjoy the deep and serious noir atmosphere that this movie
evokes. But then that’s where part of the problem is, because the movie
can be too serious most of the time that it can come off as
pretentious. It dragged a bit at some parts, but it’s overall not bad, so I would give this film
a “B-.”—————-
Cowboy Bebop : Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,
was a very pleasant surprise to me. I honestly thought that this was
going to be your standard anime movie based on a hit TV show, but what
I got was the next action flick in the idea of a Die Hard or a Mission Impossible. Like GITS2,
you do not have to be a fan of the show to appreciate the movie. In
fact, if you are simply a fan of action movies with a few doses of
sci-fi in it (not overbearing sci-fi), then this movie is for you. The
characters are easily memorable just based on the movie alone and the
story is good enough to hold your interest, even if you are not a fan
of the series or anime in general. Needless to say, recommended
with a “B+.”
