My best friend Michael sends me the best stuff via emails. Today's little gem is a trailer for a new Anime film called Paprika (there's a link below). If you don't know what I mean by "Anime", please click this link. I have enjoyed Anime since I first discovered it in the late 1970's. How could I not since it saved my life. Anyway, moving right along, the trailer for Paprika is visually stunning, but one thing grabbed me more than anything else, and that is a quote by Manohla Dargis of The New York Times, "Evidence that Japanese animators are reaching for the moon, while most of their American counterparts remain stuck in the kiddie sandbox." To us long time anime fans Dargis' quote is nothing that we haven't thought and been thinking, since the 1980's. I would say that Japanse animators went beyond the moon two decades ago and are now reaching beyond our solar system. Most of American animation is geared for the kiddies and what has come out for adults is not worth the time to watch (there are a fw exceptions, although I can't think of any at the moment). To see what I mean watch this trailer, and also go to the video store, or Netflix and rent anything by Hayao Miyazaki, pick up Cowboy Beebop, The Macross Saga and Space Battleship Yamato (either season one or the first movie). Then watch any animation produced in America from the same years and you'll see what I mean. Oh, and never say that it all looks like Speed Racer unless you enjoy being referred to as an uncultured boob.
let's hope the only place it's showing isn't the crappy Charles with their 10kw softwhite lightbulb projection system.
Sorry to be hatin', still gotta respect the Charles for bringing so many odd flicks to town that I'd have never gotten to see, but come on, how about some new equipment...?
Posted by: mm on May 12, 2007 08:40 AMI saw the anime Metropolis at the Charles and because of their ancient equipment - it may have been a candle - the colours were all dull and washed out. When I saw the movie on dvd it was a totally different film. The image was bright, clear and sharp.
Fortunatley with the success of Hayao Miyazaki films in the USA, Paprika just might come to theatres with modern equipment. Fingers crossed.
PS, being at work on a Saturday both sucks and blows!
Posted by: Will Burnham on May 12, 2007 11:54 AM