Review of Memories
Memories is tricky to review for two reasons- 1. Rather than being a movie in and of itself it is actually a collection of three entirely different movies, which are completely unrelated to each other and from different directors, and 2. At the time of this writing it is nearly THIRTY YEARS OLD, and while you can certainly look back at something and review it from a modern perspective or discuss how well or how poorly something has aged, the only proper and fair way to review a piece of art is in its own time. With those important items out of the way, let'sget into it!
The three movies, while all generically sci-fi to varying degrees, are not particularly similar or of the same subgenres. The first movie, Magnetic Rose, has a space theme and setting, could be aptly categorized as adventure and mystery and dips lightly into horror, though I think simply calling it creepy or spooky might be more applicable. The second film, Stink Bomb, is more or less just a comedy or perhaps to some extent a parody. The final film, Cannon Fodder, is steampunk with a military subtheme and one could argue it is also a social commentary.
It would be fair to say that all three films are artistic, original, experimental, prime examples of "anime as an art form" and a far more pure form of the medium than what we see today. They put a creative type at the helm and gave him the green light to create whatever he wants rather than the overwhelming majority of modern anime that feel very corporate and have to go through a cost/benefit analysis before they can be created. These films also look INCREDIBLE for 1995. Obviously thirty year old graphics won't blow anyone away today, but wow were they a visual marvel for the time! The amount of detail and very obvious thoroughness and care put into these pieces absolutely oozes off the screen and only magnifies one's appreciation for how dedicated these artists were to their work.
As far as the individual films, while I genuinely enjoyed all of them to varying degrees, the clear winner for me was the first film, Magnetic Rose, which felt a notch or two above its successors. It felt fleshed out, very well-paced, atmospheric, creepy, original and genuinely engaging from start to finish. This was by far the closest of the three to an actual MOVIE with an actual STORY rather than simply feeling like a setting and a concept. I have very few criticisms about this film and would confidently give it an 8.5 or even a 9, and if the entire anthology were as good as this opening film, Memories would be a timeless masterpiece.
Stink Bomb was perhaps more amusing than actually funny, and it continued to be more and more over the top as the film continued on, but unless you really appreciate its one and only joke and are way into the base concept, I don't see how one wouldn't feel like this film drags on a little too long, wears out its welcome and simply doesn't have enough meat on the bone to justify its runtime. There's zero character development here and its simplistic plot revolves around one thing and one thing only. To love this film you have to find its base concept hilarious to begin with and then you have to still find it hilarious 40 minutes later. I definitely got to a place around the midway point where the joke just wasn't funny anymore and it was like "Okay, I get it. Is there more to this?" and the answer is no, there is not. For me, this film is perhaps a weak 7. It looks nice, it's mildly amusing but there really isn't anything to it beyond that.
The third film, Cannon Fodder, is probably going to be the most hit or miss for most viewers. It's simplistic, lacks character development or meaningful plot points and is closer to a fleshed out setting and concept rather than a proper "story". My wife liked this film the least of the three and found it outright boring, which I can see others agreeing with, but for those a bit more appreciative of art, social commentary, bigger picture messages and concepts to think about after the credits roll, perhaps this is for you. Thematically, and as far as its allegorical message is concerned, this is the strongest piece. It's also the shortest piece, so I feel like this should be inoffensive and pretty enough to look at for most people even if you don't find its content riveting. This is likely the most difficult film to give a rating to because first and foremost it's trying to give you something to think about, and depending on how well that resonates with you and how much you care about its message, your personal score for this may vary wildly. I feel comfortable giving it a 7.
Ultimately I am going to give this collection a 7.5. Generally speaking I click "Mixed Feelings" rather than "Recommended" for anything below an 8, but in this case I'm going to make an exception and go ahead and recommend it because if nothing else it's an excellent representative example of anime as an art form and it's very original and has a notably distinctive feel compared to the overwhelming majority of modern anime. It's worth experiencing for how unique it is, even if it doesn't end up being your cup of tea. This anthology is probably best enjoyed a smaller, more specific audience, who I think will really love it, rather than "for the masses", and I think it's very important that those kind of anime continue to live on and not everything is about marketability and profit.
OBJECTIVE RATING- 7.5-8
PERSONAL ENJOYMENT RATING- 7.5