Recently saw this film in Tulsa. I highly recommend it. It contains 4 short films, and here are my favorites in order:
1. A Farewell to Arms. I thought this film, which was the last one in the series, was the most enjoyable, having the most completely fleshed-out storyline and the most engaging characters. The artwork and soundtrack were outstanding, and it contains a strong message about war and how humans really can't control their own violent creations, no matter how hard we may try to do so. Don't want to say much more than that - it's a minor miracle of a masterpiece from the great master Otomo. 2. Possessions. I also saw this when I caught the Oscar nominated short films for animation, and this one is a real gem. Colorful, humorous, with a wonderful message about usefulness and creativity. This one gets the prize for the most adorable animated frog of all time, short of Kermit (which was a puppet anyway.) 3. Combustable: The artwork on this short was outstanding, done in a very traditional style, as if you were watching an animated film through the lens of an traditional Japanese scroll or painting. The story was enjoyable, and was actually enlightening to see how traditional Japanese fire-fighting was conducted. Amazing story with a tragic ending, Possessions just barely edges this one out, I think. 4. Gambo. This one was my least favorite for some reason. While the artwork was wonderful, I kept feeling like I was missing something from the story. I realize that these are short films and you can't give much back story - or maybe none at all - but I had the feeling I didn't really understand some of what was going on between the characters. Perhaps if I were more familiar with traditional Japanese mythology I would have understood it more, so the shortcoming was probably entirely mine.
If you can see this film, please do so! Really hope that it comes out on DVD / Blueray some day, as I will definitely be purchasing it.
1. A Farewell to Arms. I thought this film, which was the last one in the series, was the most enjoyable, having the most completely fleshed-out storyline and the most engaging characters. The artwork and soundtrack were outstanding, and it contains a strong message about war and how humans really can't control their own violent creations, no matter how hard we may try to do so. Don't want to say much more than that - it's a minor miracle of a masterpiece from the great master Otomo. 2. Possessions. I also saw this when I caught the Oscar nominated short films for animation, and this one is a real gem. Colorful, humorous, with a wonderful message about usefulness and creativity. This one gets the prize for the most adorable animated frog of all time, short of Kermit (which was a puppet anyway.) 3. Combustable: The artwork on this short was outstanding, done in a very traditional style, as if you were watching an animated film through the lens of an traditional Japanese scroll or painting. The story was enjoyable, and was actually enlightening to see how traditional Japanese fire-fighting was conducted. Amazing story with a tragic ending, Possessions just barely edges this one out, I think. 4. Gambo. This one was my least favorite for some reason. While the artwork was wonderful, I kept feeling like I was missing something from the story. I realize that these are short films and you can't give much back story - or maybe none at all - but I had the feeling I didn't really understand some of what was going on between the characters. Perhaps if I were more familiar with traditional Japanese mythology I would have understood it more, so the shortcoming was probably entirely mine.
If you can see this film, please do so! Really hope that it comes out on DVD / Blueray some day, as I will definitely be purchasing it.