10:21 p.m. - Wednesday, Jun. 15, 2011
Memories (Magnetic Rose, Stink Bomb, and Cannon Fodder) Review 10/10
*The following anime is mostly for ages 17 and upward, but I think all ages could enjoy if only they could understand. For younger children, Parental consent is advised*
Okay everyone! Animejournal is back! And as you're all well aware, I'm watching anime, particularly from the horror genre until the conclusion of my own horror story. It's reaching it's end so I'll be done with horror soon!
This next review is about the anime called Memories.
I will be reviewing the story(s), characters, animation style, and music.
Story-There are three parts to this anime, short stories written from three individual mangas: Magnetic Rose, Stink Bomb, and Cannon Fodder.
Magnetic Rose
This story is about a space ship in 2029 that sets sell to find wrecked ships. As they float in space, they receive an S.O.S signal in a graveyard of ships, so they decide to explore, finding an old ship (circa 2005). As two men board the ship and observe, they recognize that it is really a beautiful mansion owned by a beautiful opera singer named Eva...they also realize she is dead. But that doesn't mean they're alone on the ship. They soon realize that Eva is still haunting the ship...or is she?
Magnetic Rose is an excellent masterpiece. It is most connected to memories of the past. It is not only scary, haunting, and horrorific, it is also psychological and twisted. A well-told story.
Stink Bomb
This story is about a group of scientists who were ordered to make a new biological weapon. One of the scientists has a fever, so he decides to go and take that medicine, thinking it's for a fever. Soon after he takes it, a whiff of perfume fills the air. The scientist goes into a room to rest only to wake up and discover that everyone is dead. As he goes to sound the alarm, the head of the place discovers him and asks him to bring the pills and papers only to him. As the man roams through the town and mountains, he's bringing this deadly aroma with him. Soon, the UN discovers that the town has been wiped out, and only one man has been able to take it. They try to save the man only to find out he just might be the cause of it.
This story is comedic. I laughed the whole time. Ever been around someone who stank so bad you passed out? But the story is very interesting at the same time.The scary part is this is based on a true story. That's what takes the humor out of it. It's based on a story about Gloria Ramirez.
Cannon Fodder
This story is about a town that was converted to nothing but warfare and shooting off a big cannon. The whole town is about the cannon, from schools, to jobs, to television shows spreading it's propaganda. "No Labor, no Victory!" But underneath it all, people are suffering because of the cannon fire and many people don't like the chief, who fires the cannon. The air is polluted, so is the food, and the children only know warfare. There is one main family of the story. We see that the mother wants her son to do better in cannon school, the father is a loader of the cannon. His son just doesn't want to be a cannon loader like his dad, he wants to fire the cannon, which only the chief does.
The story teaches us about the life of people in warfare. It really is a bit satirical in nature.
Characters-
Magnetic Rose
The main character is a man named Aoshima, I believe. He and a man named Miguel board a haunted ship. The main character is interesting. He's very focused, but the ship tends to reveal some dark memories he has. He's a family man, with a dark past, or dark fears...it's hard to tell. Miguel is more fanciful and loves beautiful women. He isn't as focused and easily gets maneuvered from his job. The rest of the men remain on their advanced ship and observe what's happening on the ship. Eva is somewhat a character. Her true nature is unknown. She was once an opera singer, she won many awards, and she was involved with a man named Carlo. The rest is in the story. But it's difficult to pinpoint her nature. One can say she is the antagonist. The character roles feed the story's haunting tone.
Stink Bomb
The main character is an idiot. He doesn't realize that he is an issue. Furthermore, he is also running from the mist, even though he's the one producing the mist! The ending just makes me roll off of my seat! Perfect characters for the story.
Cannon Fodder
Satirical character development, each representing a role each household member plays in the creating and shooting of this cannon and the way propaganda is meant to teach the children to do what their parents are doing to "win" the war. They center the lives of the people around this cannon, and the characters bring this story to life in that way.
Animation style-
Magnetic Rose
It kind of has a realistic touch. The style at some moments are beautiful works of art and capture the beauty of the mansion, at the same time captures the haunting memories.
Stink Bomb
The stink Bomb has a realistic look for such a comedic role. It is like a normal film anime. It's not as dramatic looking like shojo and shonen with the large cup-like eyes and over exaggerated faints and movements. But it is goofy.
Cannon Fodder
This animation to me is most different. The depiction of each character is rough-looking. The men wear yellow/orange uniforms and masks most of the time. The women wear aprons and helmets. Even the children wear helmets. It just appears like a polluted town. Even where they sleep, it looks like a boiler room of some sort, still designed around that cannon. It is a cannon city, so the design screams pollution.
Music-
Magnetic Rose
The music in this anime story is haunting. Because Eva is an opera singer, the music uses that classic ballroom sound.
Stink Bomb
The music is jazzy and funky. It has a '70s disco feel about it to me, given it's humorous nature.
Cannon Fodder
There aren't a lot of musical undertones. Mostly, war-like. Band-like.
Overall, this is an excellent anime. I give it a 10/10. It kept me interested the whole time, all stories. All of them were different one scary, one funny, one interesting and satirical. By the end of the anime, I was very satisfied. A couple of cliff hangers, but it only added to the beauty. A story sometimes is better left completely untold and left up to the imagination of the watcher, and that's how I felt at the end of this. I felt like "Wow...I wonder why that happened?" It can be very confusing for people who aren't old enough to understand or who aren't that deep of thinkers. You will REALLY have to open your mind to accept this anime. It's adult without being too much. Some anime artists believe an anime has to have tons of sex and violence to be excellent adult entertainment, not excluding naked women half of the time, or half-naked women. But this anime actually is adult because only the most mature minds can grasp this anime completely.
10/10 from me.
~Over and Out~
