Five Classic Anime Movies You Probably Haven’t Seen

The BFI’s sprawling Japan 2021 retrospective, which commemorated more than 100 years of Japanese cinema across a myriad of trends, genres and formats, came to an end in January this year. But now a very welcome epilogue will be released at the end of this week. ‘animated‘ is a celebration of some of the country’s biggest film exports, and this two-month season of animated programming will see both fan favorites and cult classics hit the big screen in London from now until the end of May. .

Along with classic Studio Ghibli fare, which includes princess mononoke and made to disappear, there are retrospectives spanning the careers of contemporary authors such as Makoto Shinkai (Your name), Mamoru Hosoda (The girl who jumped through time) and Satoshi Kon (perfect blue). Trends in women’s voices include Naoko Yamada’s 2016 film a silent voice, while the ‘History of Anime’ collection is based on works dating back to 1917. And the obscure cult features and anthologies are interspersed with groundbreaking animation milestones, as well as a series of trailers showing what the next wave could be. of definitive anime works.

Read on to explore a list of five less-watched highlights from five different decades, all of which contribute to what looks set to be the UK’s anime event of the year.

Director Eiichi Yamamoto, who sadly passed away at the end of 2021, initially made his name adapting the works of “godfather of manga” Osamu Tezuka for television and film in the 1960s.

AstroBoy it remains one of the most successful manga and anime franchises in the world, with over 100 million copies sold of the original manga series. kimba The White Lion, meanwhile, it would later be a considerable and controversial influence on Disney’s smash hit The Lion King. (Film adaptations of both Japanese franchises can also be found elsewhere in the BFI Anime season lineup.) However, as the ’70s approached and softcore “pink movies” flooded Japan’s arthouse theaters, Yamamoto and Tezuka sought a decidedly different angle: with a threesome. of X-rated anime features collected under the banner animerama.

Arabian Nights (1969) had been a huge box office hit; cleopatra (released as Cleopatra: queen of sex In the USA; 1970) much less. The third and final entry in the series retained the erotic themes and explicit imagery found in its two predecessors, but increased the avant-garde experimentation through the use of pastel watercolors and psychedelic dream sequences. Belladonna of sadness (1973) was a catastrophic financial failure, however, and bankrupted the production studio behind it.

Considered lost for years, this quintessentially feminist tale of rape, revenge, and satanic demons in medieval Europe received a loving restoration in 2015 and today enjoys a cult following. Much of the praise has gone to its surreal imagery, inspired by Gustav Klimt and Impressionist artists, and composer Masahiko Satoh’s symphonic psych-rock and acid jazz soundtrack.

Cult anime filmmaker Mamoru Oshii is best known in the West for his 1995 classic Ghost in the shell – possibly the best anime cyberpunk film made other than 1988 Akira. His 1989 feature film patlabor: The Movie, however, it’s an oft-overshadowed highlight that takes aim at the aforementioned two with its crushed-concrete aesthetic, sci-fi undertones, and techno-mystery story.

In an imaginary future set in 1999, Tokyo relies heavily on giant industrial robots for a large-scale refurbishment project, until a suspicious defect coinciding with the unveiling of a new machine model causes various “jobs” to act. The consequence of this, as seen during the film’s chaotic opening act, is terror and destruction, and the Tokyo police soon find themselves embroiled in a plot involving a mysterious suicide, a devastating typhoon, and strong symbolism. religious.

Parallels can be found in everything from the giant robots of transformers to the techno-paranoia of classic sci-fi movies 2001: a space odyssey and the terminator. But at the heart of the film is its vivid art style, imbuing construction site dystopias with delirious summer heat, contributing to an evocative atmosphere throughout. The sequel to the 1993 film, also from Oshii, can be found elsewhere during the BFI anime season, and it’s arguably even better.

Speaking of akira, Visionary director and manga artist Katsuhiro Otomo served as executive producer on this 1995 sci-fi anthology film, consisting of three brilliant short films based on his own manga stories: Magnetic rose, stink bomb and Cannon fodder.

The first, directed by Koji Morimoto (the animatrix), and based on a script by Satoshi Kon (perfect blue), emphasizes HR Giger-esque imagery as a cargo spaceship floats through the cosmos. The ship’s crew is soon lured by a mysterious SOS signal, landing on a satellite housing an opulent mansion filled with banquet halls, lavish decor, and lush, rolling gardens, like a psychological horror mystery that marries plotlines. from Alien and Solaris early it develops stink bomb then traces the aftermath of a viral contagion in a quaint mountain town, with nods to Dawn of the Dead galore.

Cannon fodder, led by Otomo himself, acts as a kind of missing link between Akira and the director’s 2004 steampunk film, steam boy (both also appear in BFI’s Anime programming). Set in a walled city of the future lined with gigantic artillery cannons, where televised propaganda encourages citizens to “fire and blast with all your might for our nation,” this vivid short film fetishizes images of steel, industry, and war. militaristic in a plot reminiscent of the dystopian classic 1984.

Director Shunji Iwai is best known for his live-action dream works, such as the Japanese Academy Award winner. Love Letter (1995), and the lyrical, elliptical cult classic All about Lily Chou-Chou (2001). The case of Hana and Alice it remains his only animated feature film (it is actually a prequel to his film Hannah and Alice, filmed over a decade earlier), but its innovative hybrid animation style makes it one of the most memorable works in its canon.

The film is essentially about two high school girls working together to uncover the truth behind a local tale: Alice’s (Yū Aoi) school desk, she learns, apparently belonged to a boy named Judas who was allegedly killed by one of four wives he later married. Quirky neighbor Hana (Anne Suzuki) helps Alice formulate a plan to find out what really happened to the missing student in this sweet and funny teen drama.

Aside from its obvious narrative charm and whimsical piano and string score (also by Iwai), it’s the film’s visuals that make The case of Hana and Alice so compelling. The film was created using rotoscoping, a technique in which live actors are filmed, and then the footage is replaced or traced by animators, resulting in a rich and realistic hybrid animation style. In Iwai’s film, every scene feels intricate and full of detail, with the addition of a pink and purple lens flare ensuring every shot is full of vibrancy and color.

An exclusive preview of Masaaki Yuasa Inu-Oh, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2021, takes place on March 30 at the BFI before a wider release expected in May. Set in 14th-century Japan, this historical-musical hybrid adapts the story of a physically deformed dancer (the titular Inu-Oh) branded an “ugly monster” by the townspeople, who harbors dreams of becoming a famous artist. His struggle is shared with the blind musician Tomona, whose artistic talents are similarly overshadowed by his own disability.

Inevitably, the duo become the talk of the town as members of an avant-garde performing arts group (“Biwa and drums like you’ve never heard before!” says one reveler) who reimagine traditional lute playing as innovative rock and roll. Tales of warring clans and ghostly folklore are appropriately set to the sound of heavy riffs and solos (nods to Jimi Hendrix and Queen, included) in this imaginative love letter to a culturally significant period of Japanese history.