Negadon Attacks (2006)
- three animated odysseys from Japan
review by Amy Harlib
A New York-based media company, Central Park Media, that imports Japanese manga (comics) and anime (DVDs) for sale in the USA, arranged for limited theatrical distribution for a 90-minute presentation of a trio of its best offerings under the title 'Negadon Attacks: three animated odysseys from Japan'. All readily available on DVD, it was a great delight nevertheless, to see these productions on the big screen. They were all skilfully dubbed into English.
The programme started with Negadon: The Monster From Mars, the independent dream project of writer, director, animator and CGI effects' creator Jun Awazu - who has poured his passion for the kaiju (monster) film genre into this first all computer generated homage to the original Godzilla and numerous other classics of that ilk that followed. The story, set in 2025, concerns a world with the population exploding to over 10 billion, and with a global effort to terraform and colonise Mars well underway. A Japanese spaceship on a return voyage from the red planet, carrying for in-depth study, a mysterious object found in ancient ruins there, catastrophically crashes in central Tokyo, unleashing a giant and ferociously monstrous creature. Dr Narasaki (Dai Shimizu/ Sean Schemmel), who gave up on his Miroku giant robot-construction project a decade earlier after an on-site accident tragically killed his only beloved daughter Emi (Akane Yumoto/ Annice Moriarty) - shown in flashback, gets motivated to reactivate his powerful invention from its dormancy and, controlling it from within, fights the mindlessly ravening alien (a particularly superb 'mega-starfish' design concept).
Negadon, thanks to uniquely invented special rendering algorithms, looks terrific with a wonderfully retro feel to the incredibly realistic-looking, detailed imagery that includes passing nods to Godzilla and Mothra which fans will gleefully spot. Creator Jun Awazu also took care to enhance his plot with quite a decent dose of character development and backstory, which greatly enriches the viewing experience as does his ingenious scene-staging and the excellent score by Shingo Terasawa who also wrote the lovely closing credit song. A winner of many awards in its home country, Negadon deserves its accolades and bodes well for Awazu's future in genre feature-length films.
Next came Kakurenbo: Hide And Seek from Yamatoworks with original screenplay, direction, storyboards, production, CGI animation and editing by Syuhei Morita, and with character design, layouts and art by Daisuke Sajiki. Equally compelling as Negadon, Kakurenbo, set in a contemporary but still rather traditional, small Japanese town, focuses on a deserted, sinister street, reputed to be demon-haunted, and where ghostly lights flicker in the gloom. Rumours abound that children who play 'otokoyo' hide-and-seek there after sunset, get snatched by the demons and are never to be seen again. The story concerns one group of seven youngsters led by a lad named Hikora (Junko Takeichi/ Michael Sinteriklaas) who participates in the game with the express purpose of finding his sister Sorincha (Mahito Suzuki/ Veronica Taylor) who had never returned after the previous hide-and-seek event. In the midst of the area's maze-like structures oddly lit by streetlights that inexplicably flare at unexpected, unnerving moments, the game proceeds with its participants discovering all too soon that the demons are very real indeed, their purpose for kidnapping children being truly horrific!
Kakurenbo, rendered in a clever CGI technique that uncannily resembles hand-drawn cel animation, offers up astonishingly detailed and intricate visuals and fluid character movement all graced with an appropriately sombre, earth-toned palette so subtly shaded that the complexity of the action never feels obscured. Expert pacing, fine character development to make the viewer feel sympathy for the children and more concern for their plight and an excellent atmospheric score by Karin Nakano and Reiji Kitasato combine to build suspense and to deliver genuine frissons of fright. Another multiple award-winner, this memorable, dark fantasy-horror story and its fiendishly inventive denouement disturbs and haunts the mind, as much as it thrills.
Finally, there was Cat Soup: Nekojiru-so, the oddest of the three. Another award winner, produced by J.C. Staff, this wonderfully strange confection, directed by Tatsuo Sato who also collaborated on the scenario with storyboard artist and animation producer Masaaki Yuasa, employed a hand drawn style that cleverly combined na�f primitivism with impressionism and also utilised a contemporary yet still mostly traditional village setting. In this seaside community, there lives a family of anthropomorphised cats consisting of a husband and wife and two kittens, the boy Nyatta being very close to his sister Nyaako.
When Nyaako falls gravely ill and while her soul is on its way to the Underworld, escorted by Death, Nyatta tries to retrieve his sibling's life essence, but is only partially successful in doing so. Nyaako revives but is left in a zombie-like mental state. Nyatta then takes Nyaako on a quest to search for the rest of his sister's personifying animus, a wondrous and disturbing journey that takes them through surreal, dreamlike milieus crammed with fantastic characters and backdrops. These include a wacky sea voyage, a crazy carnival, a creepy mansion, and all sorts of constantly morphing beings and places - everything contributing to the overall hallucinogenic effect. Cat Soup takes place with no dialogue, but clever sound effects and an excellent eclectic score by Yutoro Teshikai creates a suitably eerie atmosphere and continuity, watching this creation inducing the feeling of pleasantly amazed bewilderment. Although a discernable theme concerning the transience of existence underlies Cat Soup, this opus is best enjoyed by relaxing and letting its trippy, mind-bending, bizarre and fascinating imagery flow. 'Hello Kitty meets Salvador Dali' aptly describes Cat Soup!
Whether seen preferably on a big screen or viewed on DVD, Negadon Attacks: 'three animated odysseys from Japan' reveals a variety of styles and a range of subjects that impresses and proves hugely entertaining. The creativity and imagination displayed by the creators of this programme's three short films is profound and a valuable addition to the genre. Anyone who loves animation and fantasy must not miss these treats!
Comprar Negadon attacks Review and Opinion
Negadon attacks Review and Opinion
Negadon Attacks (2006) - three animated odysseys from Japanreview by Amy HarlibA New York-based media company, Central Park Media, that imports Japanese manga
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2025-01-21

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