welch.virgil - 2016-04-30 00:16:12

"Oh damn, it's by Studio 4C, that means CGI doesn't it?"
Not to worry, the CG is highly watchable with proper movie-level production values. For the most part. Some parts the CG is unnoticeable, and actually looks crisp and great, but it does stand out in certain parts, especially with some CG backgrounds. Not to worry about that either, as Studio 4C has been noted to integrate a lot of hand-drawn artwork into their anime (IE the Berserk movie trilogy). The characters models and art is also done quite well, opting with a more sexy look for the women than cute, and it doesn't disappoint there.

Compared with the first movie in Project Itoh, the writing is less solid, but is a tragedy instead of what seemed to be like a popcorn-flick in Empire of Corpses. The whole tone and atmosphere is more subdued and serious, yet slightly nervous and off-putting.

And this is why I personally believe that Studio 4C with their 3DCG models were a good choice to adapt this movie. With what you can infer from the synopsis, a dystopian society is a heavily regulated world, where everything is controlled, your body, your habits, your whole world basically. Because of this, the whole of society within the walls seems to be robotic and devoid of personality, in which the 3D models portray very well as "off-putting." 

You may hurry to compare this to Texhnolyze or GitS, with themes of human evolution, but nothing largely cyborg is implicitly stated, the society is just gradually being subdued to cardboard cut-outs of former people. And in a way, this is justified by an event, though the way the world reacts is not extremely realistic.

Putting aside the realism of the premise, I found there to be 2 central themes. One is of free will, and the other is the theory that all will is driven by desire. The new government of the World Health Organization basically appeals to desire and stability, gradually depriving people of negativity, and their wills. In a way, kinda like Psycho-Pass, though no system is thoroughly developed. These are both interesting ideas, albeit not original, that are only slightly explored in the movie. Instead, it opts for the duality and relationship between the 2 lead characters.

And this is where the majority of the problems begin. It's obvious from the very beginning that Tuan's friend is not dead, and it's also irritating that the show is constantly going "Miach this, Miach that" like she knows everything just by reading a few books and saying a few deep phrases. Miach is a fairly fleshed out and flawed character in her way of thinking though, and her backstory is relevant to the plot, though delivered hurriedly. And when I say friend, more accurately it would be "lover," as the movie does sport an obvious and open lesbian relationship. Yes, it's there, and while it did feel like fan-service at times, it's made believable if one see's it as an "intimate friendship" sort of thing; where a girl is hounded by society and has no other choice but to further attach herself to the one's she already knows or relates to.

The MC Tuan serves more as a calm and collected duality to Miach, but unfortunately lacks any real distinct personality traits or ambitions. She only did what she did because Miach had influenced her to, and mainly serves as a point of narration and thought for the viewer. She has a slight development of character, though it's short and a bit too unattached. This can't really be said about the rest of the characters; they're one-dimensional or killed off/abandoned by the show before anything important happens to them.

The way the story progresses is linear and methodical. Despite the multitude of views and opinions dumped on the viewer along the way, they are mostly just forgotten as Tuan moves from place to place. The whole thing is just a search for her friend, as simple as I can put it, making stuff said before seem unimportant as it's just left behind, and the most meaningful conversations happens at the end or in flashback. 

The main conflict, or goal of Miach may seem confusing, as multiple different signs are given to what she really wants to do. The movie did a good job of gradually revealing her true intentions behind her actions. It can be compared to the journey to find Johan in Monster, where Tenma seems to constantly find new motivations for Johan's actions where ever he goes, until he finally stumbles upon the truth. Other than that, one might feel bored or overloaded with campy philosophy at when watching.

And occasional shock and awe, as shit happens, the gore and violence is not toned down.

Like I said, it just feels like everything important happens at the end, with only one really relevant event happening in between, and that's what gives Tuan the motivation to go in the first place. Basically, she is just moved around by the plot, not her own decisions. Miach is made out to be a villain, though in actuality, she is really more of a proxy villain with her own intentions to the larger villains, who are just 1-dimensional formless men who have gotten tiring after SEELE in Evangelion.

In all honesty, though it looks nice, the 2-hour long movie is not worth your time if you're looking for cheap entertainment. It's for people who want to think a bit that can ignore the problems and questions that pop up for the most part. Questions to the plot that is, the movie will make you ask questions such as "Why is this happening?", or "How did this come to be?", which are answered. Even then, you can probably find the themes explored more somewhere else, as the movie is more about characters who struggle in their environment.