Movies
Star Wars: Visions
I'm always in the mood for a good anthology, certainly when some of my favorite anime people are involved. Disney released this Star Wars-influenced project as a series, but with 9 shorts and total runtime of 150 minutes I don't see how this differs from any other anthologies that have been released, so I'm just treating it as a regular film. The first film is by far the best, it's also the only one that doesn't look like a typical anime. Imaishi's entry is cool, but a bit tame compared to his normal work, the Tezuka-inspired film is cute, and the two final shorts do make a real attempt to offer something slightly different, but overall the quality level isn't up to par with something Studio 4 °C would release. They're also the studio that is oddly absent from the line-up. Visions is no doubt one of my favorite Star Wars things, but with the wealth and support of Disney, I expected something more eye-popping.Read all
Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society
Solid State Society was an interesting thing. It turned two of the most beloved anime movies into a TV series, back when Production I.G was still an industry leader. Watching this movie back now, it's obvious that the style has aged quite a bit. The plot and setting are still cool, but that's not enough to make this a true classic. It's unfair to compare the visual quality to the movies (it is a TV spawn after all), then again, the difference is so big that it would be strange to completely dismiss it. The score is nice but not up to par with Kawai's work either. The cyberpunk elements are cool though and the mix of hard sci-fi, crime, and political elements is sorely missed nowadays. I still enjoyed it quite a bit, but not enough to forget about the stylistic limitations.Read all
Napping Princess
A cute but relatively complex story about fantasy, dream and reality blending together. The film seems geared at younger viewers, but the narrative may be a bit too complex for them. It's a strange mix of oldskool and modern, cute and complex, resulting in a somewhat confusing but nonetheless agreeable experience.