Memories

I am usually not a big fan of anime, in fact for the most part I am generally adverse to it. I ended up seeing clips of this video during a music remix on youtube and decided to check it out because it seemed to have common themes I like. The setting is a abandoned space craft drifting aimlessly that has been detected by a salvage crew. We follow two of the primary characters as they explore a very haunted house like landscape that constantly morphs from decrepit and aging to beautiful and scenic as they follow a mysterious woman in red. The story/plot was rather good for a short film being executed at a good pace and not over stuffing itself or falling short. The artwork and animation was very well done creating a wonderfully spooky atmosphere with the music supplementing it perfectly. If you are not a huge fan of anime, but enjoy horror films and good artwork this might be worth looking at. If you are a anime horror junkie you should really not pass this one up.

"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 (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.

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.

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.