amir.crist - 2017-06-26 17:46:13

Amanatsu is a short (14 min) post-apocalyptic, sci-fi movie originally aired at Japanese film festivals and streamed in 2015 over the internet by the creators. It was produced by a certain Kamikaze Douga (may be a studio), which has previously produced music videos like RESTART POiNTER and Yodaka no Hoshi, and OVAs like City Hunter: Ryou no Propose (and apparently worked on Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure openings).
Anyway, let’s split this into categories.

The premise, the pacing, and related areas
The general idea is of course that a calamity has struck humanity (in this case environmental disasters and so called “energy wars”) and that the survivors are doing their best with what they have. They live under a dome which is supplied with energy by a system called the “Amon perpetual motion machine”. Information in the story is mainly conveyed subtly through art and small pieces of monologue - you are meant to connect the dots yourself. At the same time, as it is less than half an hour long, it never does go in-depth to much of a degree when it comes to the setting and instead focuses on the emotional implications of a little girl, something sure to garner sympathy. And yes, I sure did feel bad for her.
In any case, the pacing is generally slow for the sake of allowing the impact of scenes and background art to soak in. And I do think it is necessary to make the troubles of the main lead seem relatable and cogent.

Characters
The short has three prominent characters, only one of which has much of a personality.
The first and most important is Amane Makimura, daughter of the scientist Souichi Makimura who built the motion machine and also the third character of the story; a robot named Amanatsu. As far as details concerning the three go, not much is revealed. Amane is portrayed as feeling down for the majority of the short, likely pending suicide in her mind. The robot is her guardian who protects her and serves as a transport vehicle, and a parent-like figure as she has known it almost her whole life. This, I feel, is the core of the emotional pay-off the movie tries to set-up during its course. More on that in the next section.

Visuals and Sound
The movie mixes dark colours and bright visual effects often, seemingly to allow for smooth transitions to flashbacks. There are also scenes where one looks into the mind of Amane as she thinks about the past, accompanied by similar effects. Anyhow, the overall art quality is fairly detailed and fitting for the setting. The buildings, ruins, skies, and lights look believable enough to not distract one from the story and instead immerse you (I especially like when the damages of the roads are focused on). The problem comes when we look at the character models; they are entirely made in 3D CGI. This means that they are not as detailed as the rest, may move awkwardly, and don’t quite seem to fit in. But I will say that it is clear that a lot of effort was made to make them blend in to some extent. These are not your average, Berserk-level-bad models. They are affected by wind, and it does not look awful when Amane cries.
The movie is also supplemented at times by a soothing and nostalgic soundtrack, like the ringing of bells mixed with guitar sometimes and other minor effects. It is appropriate and successfully establishes proper atmospheres by interacting with the visuals. Frankly, I find this mix of elements to make the scenes look plain beautiful at times - something I surely was not expecting to say when coming into it at first.

Enjoyment
In the end, I was pleasantly surprised. It is hardly an in-depth or especially engrossing story, but it did more than what I imagined it could with what it had. And for that, it deserves my respect.

Now for some excused scoring.

ART SECTION: 6/10

General Artwork 1/2 (fairly detailed but not outstanding)

Character Figures 1/2 (ambitious but awkward CGI)

Backgrounds 2/2 (plain at times but largely gorgeous)

Animation 1/2 (some rough movements and too much panning)

Visual Effects 1/2 (good for transitions but not outstanding)

SOUND SECTION: 5/10

Voice Acting 1/3 (standard and doesn’t add much to the characters)

Music Themes 2/4 (successfully establish atmospheres but are repetitive)

Sound Effects 2/3 (ok I guess)

STORY SECTION: 5/10

Premise 1/2 (interesting but cliché)

Pacing 1/2 (slow but far too short to develop much)

Complexity 1/2 (somewhat complex, but not explored enough)

Plausibility 1/2 (some)

Conclusion 1/2 (dramatic with good build-up, but not great)

CHARACTER SECTION: 5/10

Presence 1/2 (generic)

Personality 1/2 (simple)

Backdrop 1/2 (simplistic and rushed but it’s there)

Development 1/2 (simplistic but it’s there for Amane)

Catharsis 1/2 (there is some I suppose)

VALUE SECTION: 3/10

Historical Value 0/3 (none)

Rewatchability 1/3 (easy to rewatch but boring because of little focus on plot)

Memorability 2/4 (aside from a few aesthetic touches and a decent premise there is not much to remember)

ENJOYMENT SECTION: 3/10

Art 1/1 (the art does stand out a bit along with some effect work)

Sound 0/2 (sounds typical)

Story 1/3 (it is far too short to do much, but at least it tried)

Characters 1/4 (Amane is fleshed-out enough in the short time she is given, but I would like far more in a story)

Recommendations list:

Harmonie

Ergo Proxy

Pale Cocoon

ef: A Tale of Memories.