User reviews

Memories conveys three of the best anime segments ever done, even if so many anime fans don't know about it. The first time I saw Memories in a film festival in 1998 left me with such an impression that I never forgot about it. Now that finally I own the DVD, I can say that it's the same as I remembered: magnificent.

The "Magnetic Rose" segment feels at times like an homage to Kubrick's "2001 : Space Odissey", and now I could say it's a straight antecedent of the sci-fi tendency about the human mind in a simulated space which we have seen in "Dark City", "Matrix", etc. How a simulation program triggers the memories of the explorers and gets mixed with synthetic memories is done in a very intriguing form. The opera music plays a most important role, since it's the soundtrack what gives depth to the happenings here told.

"Stink Bomb" is funny as hell, taking the typical idiot hero in the Nintendo kind of plot (thhink Koji in Mazzinger, or Seya in Knigths of the Zodiac) as for what he should be (an idiot, every day man with the flu) , the story revolves around on the accidental creation of a human stinking bomb who treat hens the whole island of Japan. Real funny in a way most kid's animes aren't.

Finally, "Cannon Fodder" is the segment which I feel is the true masterpiece in this little anthology. A metaphorical world where a country is in a war against an unknown (and probably inexistent) enemy, and how the cannons are not only weapons, but the complete essence of the cultural, economical and social layers of this surreal "totalitarian" country. Some reminiscence of Orwell's 1984 is present, but the execution is really like anything I have ever seen or read before. It's a one shot segment, so I can hardly imagine the size of some background panels and the animation logistics of this. The music accentuates this strange feeling (very much like in Aeon Flux), and the unusual rendering style makes this a little strange jewel, not only from anime, but from all styles of animation.

As I said before, most movie and anime fans don't seem to know, or don't have any memories about this surreal collection of animated storied. I'm glad I'll never forget them.

"Memories" (1995) is a pretty good movie, and if you want to get as much out of it as possible, there are a few things you need to keep in mind before watching:

Memories is a three-episode anime including three separate stories: "Magnetic Rose", "Stink Bomb" and "Cannon Fodder". There is no cohesion between the stories, so don't spend time looking for similar plot elements. There are none.

The first episode, Magnetic Rose, is a sci-fi anime that occasionally borderlines horror, similar to "Alien" but in a more psychological way. This part is rich with great visuals and superb sound, so get close to the screen and turn all the lights out. If possible, use a pair of headphones to get really submersed.

Stink Bomb is a light, bioterrorism comedy. It provides a few shocking frames in the first third of the movie which can be a bit intense, but it lightens up afterwards and provides a hilarious ride which shouldn't be taken too seriously.

Cannon Fodder is the more artistic and rawer episode out of the three. Pay attention to the smooth flows between the sceneries and get ready for some 1984-like vistas and philosophies.

My personal grade: a solid 7/10. If you found this helpful, check my profile for more reviews.

Memories (1995) is a movie I recently watched on Tubi and is made up of three short films combined into one. The first one involves a space crew that believes they've landed on a planet that can save them but everything isn't as it appears. The second storyline follows a scientist that becomes infected by his own experiment and becomes a walking chemical weapon. The final storyline is about a city that appears to be preparing for war but against what?

This movie is directed by Kôji Morimoto (The Animatrix), Tensai Okamura (Cowboy Bebop: The Movie) and Katsuhiro Ôtomo (Steamboy) and contains the voices of Robbie Daymond (Tiger & Bunny), Frank Todaro (Dolittle), Laura Post (Batman: The Enemy Within) and Ellen-Ray Hennessy (It Takes Two).

The animation in this is fun and does a great job of depicting the universe, characters and circumstances. I really wish I could see this in 3D. The space suits and ghost elements in the first film were awesome. There is a level of mystery throughout the plots unfolding on what could possibly happen next. The one complaint may be character buy-in but that's always tough in short stories.

Overall this is an excellent addition to the anime genre that I would strongly recommend. I would score this a 8/10.

It's an anthology. It's three stories of 45 minutes, 40 minutes and 15 minutes that have nothing at all to do with one another. In fact, the film's title only refers to the first story. This film is one part science-fiction thriller, one part bioterrorism comedy (THERE'S a category I've never put a film in!) and one part single-shot (99% of it, anyway) borderline-documentary.

Disney couldn't make a film this engrossing if the fate of mankind depended on it.

Those who have what I call the "It's an Anime" stigma should shake it off for "Memories". Rent this. Buy this. See this!

After seeing Akira it's natural to be curious of what Otomo's produced. This collection of short movies(all more than 20 minutes though) is a fun, action-packed and imaginative reminder why anime is among the best genres, and NOT restricted to kids(or in the case of these shorts, not really for kids at all).

The last short of the three is called Cannon Fodder. It features a very cool style unlike normal anime, some neat "camera" tricks and illusions of 3D, and a heavy but playful mood. It's quirky and good but not great.

The second short is called Stink Bomb, which is a crazy, fast-paced disaster/action story with a healthy dose of black humour. It's very well made, with insanely detailed tanks, helis, airplanes etc, and lots of explosions. The whole thing is funny and bizarre, and easily a classic.

The first of the three shorts, which in my opinion should have been saved to last, is Magnetic Rose. Here the humour of the two others is gone, and we have a very gripping and serious story set in a sci-fi environment. This is more like Otomo's Akira stuff; epic but with great characters. Some scenes are gut-wrenchingly emotional and disturbing. All set to a classic opera score, it is chilling and eerie and grand-scale in a way Hollywood never seems to get right.

If you like to watch the occasional anime, this is a very good choice. Don't know how easy it is to get a hold of, but it seems to be very popular at least in Japan.

This was an amazingly beautiful film, filled with great music that only pushed each scene along wonderfully. I thought this was a great piece of film. I have had the pleasure of showing this to friends that have always looked down on what anime is, and walk away stunned. Some might find these stories slow, but I think if you have any real appreciation of anime, you will find this to be an interesting piece of work. It consists of three stores. Koji Morimoto's "Magnetic Rose", Tensai Okamura's "Stink Bomb", and Katsuhiro Otomo's "Cannon Fodder". I would say that Magnetic rose was perhaps the deepest of these three stores. Offering a beautiful mix of classical music, with a futuristic settings to offer a sense of contrast. Stink Bomb being the more lighthearted of the three. While still maintaining a grim reality, and almost eerie sense of setting, using a more modern day look, and music. Then Cannon Fodder, right from an Orwell idealized future, with the loud sounds, and marches. These movies all offer up something different, and wonderful, while still working there way along a nice line of thought.

An anthology movie split into three distinct pieces, so I thought it better to review them all separately.

Memories (1/3): Magnetic Rose - 7/10

Part 1 of the anthology movie that is Memories starts with what most people consider to be the best of the three: Magnetic Rose. Broadly speaking, it sees the crew of a ship in deep space investigating a distress signal, and then coming across some unexpected things.

It introduces its premise confidently, a little slowly, but overall surely, and it builds mystery well as things go along. As a piece of sci-fi, it's moderately intriguing, but I think it's all boosted immensely by the visuals on offer. What's happening doesn't seem too important, sometimes, when the animation is this striking.

Memories (2/3): Stink Bomb - 6.5/10

Stink Bomb is perhaps the best Japanese film about bureaucratic boobery that isn't Shin Godzilla. It's a good deal sillier than the first short film in the Memories anthology, but it's still fairly entertaining, following a ridiculous young man who accidentally turns himself into a bioweapon.

It does feel like a bit of a goofy kaiju movie parody, and even if that's the only real joke the short has, at least it's a funny joke, and at least it's only a short film, rather than them trying to stretch something like this to feature-length. I had fun, but it probably won't stick with me.

Memories (3/3) - Cannon Fodder - 6.5/10

The most visually unusual of the three, Cannon Fodder also stands out because it runs for 20-something minutes, while the other two shorts are both approximately 40-45 minutes each. As much as I can gather, it's about the meaningless of war, all done with a futuristic slant that bleakly suggests the human race will never change, and firing increasingly advanced cannons will always just be a thing.

It feels satirical, but not in a truly funny way. It's kind of feel-bad and has a vibe that feels off, but that feels intentional, and I think it makes for an offbeat and sort of fitting end to the overall anthology movie that is Memories.

Amazing anime trilogy from AKIRA's Katsuhiro Otomo, who presents three unrelated sci fi stories directed by different directors (he did the last one, writers/first-time directors Tensai Okamura and Koji Morimoto did the other two). They are amazing vignettes with some stupendous animation in three different styles. Otomo's is especially unique in that there are no cuts – the "camera" moves fluidly through every scene without a jump or a stop. Morimoto's 40-min "Magnetic Rose" is stunningly animated, the most amazing of the two, telling of a space ship's investigation of a distress signal discovering a magnificent world created by a woman's memories – the music takes advantage of the operatic aria, Madame Butterfly, arranged by Yoko Kanno, who also supplies an excellent original score. "Stink Bomb," the middle segment, is clever and funny and fast-paced; Otomo's anti-war statement in "Cannon Fodder" closes out the film with a subtle bit of thought-provocation about a city whose entire purpose is the firing of cannons at an unknown enemy.

These 3 short cartoons are are aimed at adult thoughts. I'm not sure why this is PG-13: I think it's also appropriate for older kids that can handle more than Disney cartoons, and provide some food for thought. People do die however in 2 of the cartoons, and the topics treatment is aimed for critical judgment.

The 3 stories are shorts with a simple original idea. In this approach they are similar to short anticipation novels. The length of the stories is appropriate to the idea exposed and its treatment.

Magnetic Rose: dwelling on lost times is unhealthy Stink Bomb: biological warfare can backfire Cannon Fodder: brainwashing done by the government

Katsuhiro Otomo's "Memories" combines the vision of Otomo's usual "God's revenge for the human race believing too much in science" with two first-time, although far from inexperienced directors. The first of the three films, "Magnetic Rose" is by far the least Otomo-esquire of the three pieces, although based on one of his short mangas. The film centering mainly on the sci-fi side of anime. Space freighters respond to a distress call in a bad sector of space, and become lost in the haunting memories of an intergalactic opera singer. The second piece, "Stink Bomb" shows, if possible, a humorous side to biological warfare, as an unsuspecting pharmaceutical tech accidentally ingests a biological weapon and becomes a walking disaster. The final film, actually directed by Otomo, called "Cannon Fodder" was by far my favorite, and the most disturbing of the three films. The basic story centers around a family living in a town whose citizens devote their entire lives to bombing an unseen enemy in the sky. This story is very politically motivated, very dark, and not at all a "happy little story". The animation is unlike anything I've ever seen from Otomo, and full of sweeping single-cut shots that give you chills. Overall, I highly recommend this movie collection for any anime fan. It most definitely incorporates the vision of three brilliant directors.

It's a masterpiece.

On 23 December 1995, Otomo Katsuhiro, the creator of Akira, released Memories to Japan's general viewing public. A collection of three stories, this movie brings not only variety, but enjoyment to each. "Magnetic Rose" is the first and longest of the three, followed by "Stink Bomb" and "Cannon Fodder".

The animation of each episode differs, depending on how one views it. While all three episodes are very well done, the style of "Cannon Fodder" is vastly different from "Magnetic Rose" and "Stink Bomb". "Cannon Fodder" uses more computer effects than the other two, integrating them into the perspective of the scenes (like the Sharon Apple concert in Macross Plus), rather than just using them for a computer display. All three episodes are very fluid, never once skipping a few cels per second for the sake of the budget.

Magnetic Rose: "Magnetic Rose" is set in space in the year 2092. Four men -- Heintz, Miguel, Ivanov, and Aoshima -- pilot the mighty spacecraft Corona to new heights in interstellar garbage collecting. Actually, they are one of many ships that collect garbage left over from the expansion of humankind into space. When the crew of the Corona run across a distress call, they discover a huge scrapyard of debris floating about a huge, central piece. Heintz and Miguel go to investigate, discovering living area set aside for an early twenty-first century opera diva who went into space after the death of her husband, Carlo. While there, the pair encounter strangely real and seductive illusions which make one wonder what exactly is going on.

"Magnetic Rose" - the first part of Memories, an artistic masterpiece by Katsuhiro Otomo - is one of the best animes we've ever seen. Despite its length, it's only about 50 minutes, its depth and content is amazing. A fantastic story, excellent graphix and some scary touch. We really love "Magnetic Rose's" message, and the ending is tough. You've gotta see it. 6 out of 5 stars. Hehe.

This is a compilation of three different Sci-Fi stories with the figure of Katsuhiro Ôtomo as the main link (he produces the film, writes two of the stories and directs one); even when the first story (and probably the best) is distinctly written by Satoshi Kon and has all his style. Funnily enough, the short that convinced me less was the last one, written and directed by Ôtomo, while the middle one is less pretentious, but at the same time the most fun of the three.

This is a great production in the history of animation. Memories, created by anime master Katsuhiro Otomo, along with Tensai Okamura and Tensai Okamura, is part of a series of short stories published as manga in Japan in 1990. Memories undertakes to adopt a resolutely adult tone in the mix of themes it creates. By adapting Kanojo no Omoide, his own manga, Otomo entrusts the direction of two of the three segments to Koji Morimoto and Tensai Okamura, before taking charge of the third himself as a conclusion. Poetic, absurd and pessimistic in quick succession, this is a marvel to put in everyone's hands. The anthology even goes so far as to begin with his masterpiece.. Each story is told in a different style. In the future, present or imaginary world, Memories reveal themselves, like roses' petals opening !.

The first, ¨Magnetic Rose¨directed by Koji Morimoto, is based on a manga by Otomo, in which two astronauts, following a distress signal, are drawn into a fantasy world created by the memory of a female opera singer. This is the best segment dealing with the tribulations and misadventures of four space travelers are drawn into an abandoned spaceship that contains a world created by one woman's memories. The least accessible project of the lot, Magnetic Rose is nonetheless an authentic visual spectacle coupled with a moving questioning of the notion of memory. An inevitable corollary of his genius, it is not easy to speak concretely about a work that will only reveal its thematic intentions in its last quarter of an hour, while multiplying the revelations necessary for its understanding. However, what will ultimately be transformed into a sensory experience enjoys in absolute terms a simple starting postulate, whose diegetic bases are common to any science fiction film.

In the second, ¨Stink Bomb¨directed by Tensai Okamura, a young chemist accidentally transforms himself into an unstoppable biological weapon that heads straight for Tokyo. This is the only one of the trio of episodes that has some comical moments provided by the botched lab worker who unwittingly carries a disgusting, stinking, lethal virus that could cause world destruction. Tokyo.

And finally, ¨Cannon Fodder¨, directed by Otomo himself, describes a day in the life of a city whose only reason for being is to fire cannons at an unknown enemy. Set in an unknown and supposedly futuristic war, although its images partially resemble the First World War -in fact some images are based on photos of the French Maginot Line.- and in a drawing style similar to those made in his day by the French comic book master Jacques Tardi. Depicting the entire purpose of a war battalion : the firing of cannons at an unseen enemy.

All three segments were overseen by the Otomo genius. In 1982, Otomo made his anime debut, working as character designer for the animated film Harmagedon. The next year, Otomo began work on a manga which would become his most acclaimed and famous work: Akira. It took eight years to complete and would eventually culminate in 2000 pages of artwork. While the serialization of ¨Akira¨ was taking place, Otomo decided to animate it into a feature film, although the manga was yet to be finished. In 1988, the animated film Akira was released. Otomo became the fourth manga artist ever inducted into the American Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2012, and was awarded the Purple Medal of Honor from the Japanese government in 2013.

I first saw Memories in 1997 when I recieved a fansub copy. I had just gotten into Anime at the time. The film is divided into three segments, Magnetic Rose/Stink Bomb/Cannon Fodder. The most impressive segment is Cannon Fodder, directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, to my knowledge its the first animated feature done in One-Shot (Meaning it never cuts, the camera just keeps moving around from scene to scene). Anyways, all the segments are based off of old manga shorts written by Otomo. Its an amazing film, with awesome music, storytelling, and animation. Highly recomended.

THis was one of the best animated movies that I've seen in along time . I'm not a big fan of anime ,but I appreciate originality and "Memories " isn't like the Japanese animation that you see on television .

Katsuhiro Otomo , the director of "Akira " directs with other two animators this collection of shorts .

The first "Magnetic Rose " Takes place in the future , it's my favorite .The animation it's splendid ,full of details and a subtle use of CGI .The opera music was very effective to support the dramatic story .

The second "Stink Bomb " ,takes place in the modern Japan ,and works very well like a dark comedy . The animation it's very good ,just like the first .

The third ,"Cannon Fodder " it's the most original ( and the most strange ) first of all ,the animation doesn't look like it were anime ,but it had a stylish and interesting appearance .The story follows the every day life of a family that lives in a society were every activity it's connected with the war . This movie it's a must see for every fan of animation .Even if you don't like anime ,I'm sure that you will find interesting material on this movie ,and proofs that animation could be art .

Enjoyable but somewhat dated animation from three of anime's leading early exponents. Magnetic Rose is an effective 'Bermuda Triangle' tale; and Stink Bomb neatly covers environmental disaster with a slightly comic tone, but Canon Fodder is the piece that, for me, looks and feels like something different. There are strong notes of Gilliam-esque styling and it left me feeling quite happy to watch another half hour exploring the grim, dystopian lives of the central characters - it feels like the first chapter, or perhaps prologue, of a feature length story of one cog battling against the authoritarian machine. Entertaining stuff for anime fans.

So there are three stories: Magnetic Rose, Stink Bomb and Cannon Fodder.

The last one is a very direct and slap over the head story about a nation that runs for the only purpose of loading a cannon and firing at an enemy nation that supposedly does the same. Magnetic Rose is a pure sci-fi story in a space setting about the power of memories, pretty well animated and with terrific atmosphere. I would argue that, as annoying as the characters were, Stink Bomb was the best one, deliciously satirizing the Japanese social, political and military structure as a hapless idiot tries to escape the terrifying cloud of gas that he is unwittingly generating.

All in all, a wonderful and entertaining retreat into real storytelling and animation art.

The movie is a collection of 3 short movies, each one of them has its own story not relatable to the others, i didnt know that until I watched the movie and got disappointed, simply because the first episode was too good and wanted it to continue with the same art style and story unfortunately it ended too early, the first episode was Horror Sci-fi which reminded me a lot of Alien movies, the story was confusing and gripping and the characters were great for their roles, it was unique.

The second episode was comedic, and intriguing at first but then started losing it at the end however it has funny moments so i give it that.

The third and last episode, besides its art style it wasnt good at all, it felt boring and just wanted it to end, i understand what they were trying to present which is warmongering and propaganda machines but it could have been done in a much better fashion.

So the first episode is 9/10 the second episode is 6/10 the third episode is 2/10.

Some art films are true masterpieces. Others try to be, and fall short.

We are presented with three vignettes... each with its strengths and weaknesses. Let us be honest here, dropping elitist pomp, and talk about actual animation /story / cinema.

The first story, Magnetic Rose, has reasonable animation (one has to consider this was made 25 years ago), and a moderately interesting story. But is really puts the fiction in science fiction, entering well into the area of difficult to believe absurdity (for which even the genre of anime does not present valid reason). The ending just leaves one sitting there. It seems the writer / director attempted to deliver a story with meaning, but immersed too much in their own vision, failed to consider the audience in the process.

The second bit, Stink Bomb, was somewhat entertaining as it held certain comedic elements. But aside from that minimalist comedy, one has to wonder what was really being achieved here. The animation is not all that impressive and the story is weak. No point is really made except for, "This is a somewhat humorous animation" (if one ignores the severe body count). I rather liked the ending and it held true to the characters involved, but that has to do with personal taste, not accomplishment in the anime field. The characterizations are cliche, the shtick nothing more than shtick, and we've seen this before. It never excels in any aspect, settling into the rut of "yet another mediocre Japanime". Like the others, it's just not all that impressive (at least, not for a supposed "masterpiece" collection.)

Cannon Fodder was the most graphically ambitious of the three. If one can get past the unusual style and setting, the accomplishment in the animation here is fairly impressive. Of the three it also has the most to say, a 1984-esque presentation of a society brainwashed into nationalistic fervor. But just as one thinks this may be going somewhere and delivering a real message, it fades to black as nothing more than another slice-of-life story. Expect no resolution or statement here. It just is. Still, creds on the imagination and unusual presentation.

A film isn't great by intent or aspiration; delivery is required. Calling something a "masterpiece" does not make it so. A few people claiming something to be "artistic genius" does not magically imbue a work with greatness. This film being made in 1995 and having (at this time) only 34 reviews on IMDB is a significant meter: the audience is not applauding. "Not worth my time reviewing" shouts more than a few varied-opinion reviews. (I'm reviewing this because well, boring morning.)

As we've seen in many films, the best directors and actors have been unable to save a lead balloon. Claiming a film to be a "masterpiece" because it has the best-of-the-best involved does not actually mean it IS a masterpiece or turned out well. This is a tolerable watch, but like so many of this nature: some will love it, some will hate it, and others (like me) will find it only tolerably watchable. There are far better anime out there, considerably more "masterful" presentations, and actual works of art. This film ends up a masterpiece-wannabe, but falls considerably short of hype/review -created expectations.