Tag Archives: Masaaki Yuasa

Saturday Matinee: Night is Short, Walk on Girl

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“Night is Short, Walk on Girl” (2017) is a surreal romantic comedy anime directed by Masaaki Yuasa and based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Tomihiko Morimi. The plot follows the intertwined adventures of a college senior pursuing a fellow student he’s infatuated by over the course of a wild night and the various characters they help and and are assisted by in the process. Stylistically and philosophically, it’s a cross between Yuasa’s 2004 masterpiece Mind Game and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Amélie (2001). This anime is also notable for being oddly prophetic with its out of left field subplot in the third act involving a flu-like epidemic originating from a selfish and cynical old oligarch.

Watch the film on Hoopla here: https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/14253206

Saturday Matinee: Genius Party double feature

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Synopsis from Shout Factory:

“Simply mind-blowing. A must see!” – Niels Matthijs, Screen Anarchy

From groundbreaking animation outfit STUDIO 4°C (MFKZ, Mind Game) comes two extraordinary projects with a shared, simple vision: to take an all-star team of some of the best animators working in anime today, and give each free reign to tell a unique short story built around “the spirit of creativity.” The results are GENIUS PARTY and GENIUS PARTY BEYOND, two animated anthology films featuring contributions from directors Shoji Kawamori, Shinichiro Watanabe, Masaaki Yuasa, Mahiro Maeda, and many others. Full of boundless imagination, fantastic worlds, and unique visual styles, these two acclaimed films are now available for the first time in North America.

Watch both films through Kanopy here:

https://www.kanopy.com/product/genius-party

https://www.kanopy.com/product/genius-party-beyond

 

Saturday Matinee: Kaiba

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A young man awakens without memories. There’s a hole in his chest, a symbol on his belly, and a blurry picture of a girl in a locket he has. Knowing nothing, he tries to escape a twisted city of stolen memories and exchangeable bodies in a world where minds are stored on chips when individuals die and the manipulation of other people’s memories has become the norm.

A surreal series of thirteen 26 minute episodes written and directed by Masaaki Yuasa (“Mind Game”).

Watch the full series here.

Saturday Matinee: Mind Game

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“Mind Game” (2004) is possibly the strangest anime feature film ever made. It was produced by the groundbreaking Studio 4C animation studio and directed by Masaaki Yuasa, previously most famously known for his involvement in the “Crayon Shin-chan” series (sort of a Japanese take on “The Simpsons”). The film’s plot is deceptively simple, centering on a young man named Nishi who is killed while trying to defend his childhood crush Myon. After a short visit to the afterlife he has a chance to change his fate, transforming his previously dull life into a psychedelic, mythopoetic adventure. At times the film overwhelms the senses with its wild mix of animation styles, exaggerated colors and perspectives, absurd situations and wild soundscape by Seiichi Yamamoto of noise rock band The Boredoms. Mind Game has never had an official DVD release in the U.S. but last June a kind soul put it on YouTube for the world to enjoy.