The Sky Crawlers
The Sky Crawlers
Ever feel like you are missing some sort of in-joke? That despite people are speaking plain english around you and you can understand what they are saying but still don't understand what they mean?
This is Sky Crawlers in every sense of that. At one point a flipped to the subtitles just to see if the english voice actors were destroying it (they weren't though I suggest the japanese on this one as the delivery is superior to the english track). Every time the action stops and the dialogue begins, it's as though Oshii is on some sort of personal pseudo psychological trip (he actually was). Though this is normal from Oshii's movies and should be expected. Sometimes it's even enlightening.
But this time it's unfortunate because the world the movie is set in is just bizarre, and more so than usual, never fully explained. Any time that is spent on the subject of their world and character histories is mired in Oshii's psychological babble. This part is most troubling for me because it's a plot point of sorts. There are many of these plot crutches in use that are actually somewhat important and incredibly subtle. Typical anime has, unfortunately, caused me to glaze over these land mines of anime logic.
Not so from Oshii; It's something to be respected from Oshii because his films rarely beat you over the head about something that should be implicit, and in other anime would be a mere plot hole. Where other directors would leave these sorts of plot holes and cinematic abberations unchecked, Oshii finely weaves it into the setting and plot to be intrensic. So it's difficult to suggest changes when it's fine. It's well crafted and built to its initial design.
Only nobody realized they were making a beautiful gold plated CG urinal.
Which says nothing of the key frame artists, it appears they must have checked out early because the hand drawn segments are, on average, woefully lacking.
Despite this, it is in alot of ways it's like Jin Roh. There's a wonderful story in there that is far deeper than it initially seems. But you have to be able to have the patience to analyze it wholistically in a mature modernist sense.
The question then becomes, is it worth it?
Despite feeling a little jilted on first viewing, the action scenes, musical score, attention to just feeling authentic, and great story you almost have to work for give an emphatic 'Yes'.
Check it out.
---This is Sky Crawlers in every sense of that. At one point a flipped to the subtitles just to see if the english voice actors were destroying it (they weren't though I suggest the japanese on this one as the delivery is superior to the english track). Every time the action stops and the dialogue begins, it's as though Oshii is on some sort of personal pseudo psychological trip (he actually was). Though this is normal from Oshii's movies and should be expected. Sometimes it's even enlightening.
But this time it's unfortunate because the world the movie is set in is just bizarre, and more so than usual, never fully explained. Any time that is spent on the subject of their world and character histories is mired in Oshii's psychological babble. This part is most troubling for me because it's a plot point of sorts. There are many of these plot crutches in use that are actually somewhat important and incredibly subtle. Typical anime has, unfortunately, caused me to glaze over these land mines of anime logic.
Not so from Oshii; It's something to be respected from Oshii because his films rarely beat you over the head about something that should be implicit, and in other anime would be a mere plot hole. Where other directors would leave these sorts of plot holes and cinematic abberations unchecked, Oshii finely weaves it into the setting and plot to be intrensic. So it's difficult to suggest changes when it's fine. It's well crafted and built to its initial design.
Only nobody realized they were making a beautiful gold plated CG urinal.
Which says nothing of the key frame artists, it appears they must have checked out early because the hand drawn segments are, on average, woefully lacking.
Despite this, it is in alot of ways it's like Jin Roh. There's a wonderful story in there that is far deeper than it initially seems. But you have to be able to have the patience to analyze it wholistically in a mature modernist sense.
The question then becomes, is it worth it?
Despite feeling a little jilted on first viewing, the action scenes, musical score, attention to just feeling authentic, and great story you almost have to work for give an emphatic 'Yes'.
Check it out.
posted by Ouchies at
10:08 AM
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