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{{short description|1995 Japanese animated science fiction anthology film}}
{{Infobox Film
{{Infobox film
| name = Memories
| image =
| name = Memories
| image = Memories 1995 poster.png
| caption =
| caption = Japanese theatrical release poster
| imdb_rating =
| director = [[Kôji Morimoto]]<br>[[Tensai Okamura]]<br/>[[Katsuhiro Otomo]]
| based_on = {{based on|''Magnetic Rose'', ''Stink Bomb'' and ''Cannon Fodder''|[[Katsuhiro Otomo]]}}
| director = [[Kōji Morimoto]] <small>(''Magnetic Rose'')</small><br />[[Tensai Okamura]] <small>(''Stink Bomb'')</small><br />[[Katsuhiro Otomo]] ({{abbr|Chief|Chief director}}, <small>''Cannon Fodder''</small>)
| producer =
| producer = Atsushi Sugita<br />Fumio Sameshima<br />Yoshimasa Mizuo<br />Hiroaki Inoue<br />Eiko Tanaka <small>(''Magnetic Rose, Cannon Fodder'')</small><br/>[[Masao Maruyama (film producer)|Masao Maruyama]] <small>(''Stink Bomb'')</small>
| writer = [[Kon Satoshi]] (script)<br/>[[Otomo Katsuhiro]] (story, script)
| story = Katsuhiro Otomo
| starring =
| screenplay = [[Satoshi Kon]] <small>(''Magnetic Rose'')</small><br />Katsuhiro Otomo <small>(''Stink Bomb'', ''Cannon Fodder'')</small>
| music = [[Yoko Kanno]]
| studio = [[Studio 4°C]] <small>(''Magnetic Rose'', ''Cannon Fodder'')</small><br />[[Madhouse (company)|Madhouse]] <small>(''Stink Bomb'')</small>
| cinematography = [[Vladimír Malík]]<br/>[[Ivan Pit]]
| music = [[Takkyū Ishino]] <small>(opening and closing credits)</small><br />[[Yoko Kanno]] <small>(''Magnetic Rose'')</small><br />[[Jun Miyake]] <small>(''Stink Bomb'')</small><br />Hiroyuki Nagashima <small>(''Cannon Fodder'')</small>
| editing = [[Helena Lebdusková]]
| editing = [[Takeshi Seyama]]
| distributor =
| released = [[1995]] ([[Japan]])
| distributor = [[Shochiku]]
| released = {{Film date|1995|12|23}}
| runtime = 113 min
| country = Japan
| runtime = 113 min
| language = [[Japanese language|Japanese]]
| country = Japan
| language = [[Japanese language|Japanese]]
| budget =
| budget =
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
| imdb_id = 0113799
| amg_id =
}}
}}
'''''Memories''''' (also ''Otomo Katsushiro's Memories'') is a [[1995]] [[anime]] based on three [[manga]] by [[artist]]/[[Film director|director]] [[Katsuhiro Otomo|Otomo Katsuhiro]]. The film is composed of three episodes: "Magnetic Rose", "Stink Bomb" and "Cannon Fodder".
'''''Memories''''' is a 1995 [[Japanese film|Japanese]] [[Animated film|animated]] [[Science fiction film|science fiction]] [[anthology film]] with [[Katsuhiro Otomo]] as executive producer, and based on three of his [[manga]] short stories. The film is composed of three shorts: {{nihongo|''Magnetic Rose''|彼女の想いで|Kanojo no Omoide}}, directed by [[Studio 4°C]] co-founder [[Kōji Morimoto]] and written by [[Satoshi Kon]]; {{nihongo|''Stink Bomb''|最臭兵器|Saishū-heiki}}, directed by [[Tensai Okamura]] and written by Otomo, and {{nihongo|''Cannon Fodder''|大砲の街|Taihō no Machi}}, written and directed by Otomo himself.


Originally released on home video in North America by [[Sony Pictures Home Entertainment]], [[Discotek Media]] acquired the rights in 2020 along with Mill Creek Entertainment. Their 2021 [[Blu-ray]] release includes English subtitles and a new English dub produced by [[NYAV Post]] (for ''Magnetic Rose'') and Sound Cadence Studios (for ''Stink Bomb'' and ''Cannon Fodder'').<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sherman|first=Jennifer|date=2021-02-04|title=Memories Anthology's English Dub Streams on February 6|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2021-02-04/memories-anthology-english-dub-streams-on-february-6/.169120|access-date=2021-06-16|website=Anime News Network|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Chapman |first=Paul |url= https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2020/05/03-1/discotek-announces-memories-urusei-yatsura-movies-and-more|title= Discotek Announces Memories, Urusei Yatsura Movies, and More|work=[[Crunchyroll]]|access-date= November 14, 2020}}</ref>
==Magnetic Rose==


==Plot==
"Magnetic Rose" is about what happens when a deep space corporate freighter is called upon to investigate a distress signal from what ought to be a derelict space station. The space station is run by the deranged [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] imprint of a lovelorn, jaded opera diva, who controls the station's functions, including its life support systems and (to more dramatic effect) its VR holography and supporting nanotechnical systems.
===''Magnetic Rose''===
The ''Corona'', a deep space salvage freighter, is out on a mission when it encounters a distress signal and responds to it. They come upon a spaceship graveyard orbiting a giant space station. The crew's two engineers, Heintz and Miguel, enter it to get a closer look. Once inside, they discover an opulent European interior and several furnished rooms in varying states of decay, but find no signs of life.


The men learn that the station belongs to a once-famous opera diva named Eva Friedel who disappeared after the murder of her fiancé, Carlo Rambaldi, a fellow singer. Continuing to search for the distress signal's source, the engineers split up, with each experiencing paranormal encounters, including strange noises and visions of Eva. Miguel enters the dilapidated underbelly of the station, and in a cavernous chamber, he finds a broken piano playing the distress signal. He begins to hallucinate and Eva suddenly runs up to kiss him. Heintz finds a theater stage and sees Eva, who stabs him when he approaches. Suddenly paralyzed, Heintz relives a memory of his wife and his daughter Emily. The illusion disappears when Eva takes his wife's form and tells him that he "will never leave".
Directed by [[Morimoto Koji]]. Script by noted anime director [[Kon Satoshi]], from a story by [[Otomo Katsuhiro]]. Music by [[Yoko Kanno]].


Heintz rushes to save Miguel, but Miguel disappears deeper into the cavern, having been seduced by Eva into thinking he is Carlo. Eva reveals to Heintz that she murdered the real Carlo for refusing to marry her and has since forced others to relive his likeness. She makes Heintz relive Emily's death, and entices Heintz to stay with his daughter's [[Doppelgänger|doppelganger]]. Heintz resists and shoots the massive computer embedded in the ceiling of the cavern, causing the [[AI]] hologram of Eva to malfunction.
==Stink Bomb==


Meanwhile, the ''Corona'' has been struggling against a powerful magnetic field coming from the station, pulling the ship towards it. In desperation, the crewmen Aoshima and Ivanov fire a powerful [[Directed-energy weapon|energy cannon]]; gouging the structure deep enough to reach the cavern before leaving on the escape pod. Heintz is ejected into space along with the skeletons of Eva's past victims, as Eva hauntingly sings to a conjured audience. The ''Corona'' is crushed and becomes part of the rose-shaped structure around the station. The whereabouts of the real (and long-deceased) Eva is shown, and a representation of Eva is seen talking romantically with Miguel (now fully embracing his new identity as Carlo). Heintz is last seen drifting in space, still alive.
More comical in tone than "Magnetic Rose", "Stink Bomb" concerns a young man who shows up to work at a bioresearch facility whilst flu-ridden. At a colleague's insistence, he takes some pills. These turn out to be part of a biological weapon program—the young man soon acquires a (literally) deadly body odor and becomes a walking weapon of mass destruction. The self-defense forces, in scenes reminiscent of the [[United Nations|UN's]] failed attempts to deter Angels in ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'', futilely attempt to keep him from delivering the toxins to [[Tokyo]].


===''Stink Bomb''===
Perhaps noteworthy for its portrayal of a Japanese war room (a scene common in ''[[kaiju]]'' films) as under the authority of the American occupation.
Lab technician Nobuo Tanaka, battling the [[flu]], mistakes some experimental pills for medicine and swallows one. The pills were intended to help soldiers counter [[Biological agent|biological weapons]], but it reacts to a flu shot already in his body. Tanaka soon develops a deadly body odor and becomes a walking weapon of mass destruction. While taking a nap, the odor he emits kills everyone in the laboratory. Horrified, he reports the incident to headquarters, who instruct him to deliver the experimental drug to [[Tokyo]].


Meanwhile, the odor he emits grows stronger to where it affects several miles of the surrounding area, killing every living thing that smells his odor, except flowers and plants (which are seemingly strengthened by the odor). The odor is so potent that neither [[gas mask]]s nor [[NBC suit]]s offer any protection against its effects. His odor kills everything in the [[Yamanashi Prefecture]], including all 200,000 inhabitants of [[Kōfu]] city. Nobuo continues on to Tokyo unaware of the death his smell is causing, but the rest of the country is in a complete panic. The head of the research company and the Japanese military deduce that Tanaka is causing the poisonous gas and order him to be killed. The [[Japan Self-Defense Forces|Japan Self Defense Forces]] try in vain to stop Nobuo, causing immense collateral damage to the Japanese countryside, but to no avail, as the chemicals in Nobuo's smell interfere with the targeting systems of their weapons.
Directed by [[Okamura Tensai]]. Script by [[Otomo Katsuhiro]].


The [[United States Forces Japan|U.S. military]], who have been observing the situation to that point, utilizes [[Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan|Japanese policy]] to take over the operation, and calls in a [[NASA]] unit with space suits to try and capture Nobuo alive. After Nobuo enters a tunnel, the Japanese army collapses part of the bridge and the tunnel behind him, trapping him with only one way out. They turn on wind generators in an attempt to stop the odor's advance. As the soldiers in space suits approach Nobuo, he becomes scared and more of his odor bursts out of him, disabling the lights and wind generators.
==Cannon Fodder==


After the cloud settles, the soldiers appear to have subdued Nobuo. One of the suit-wearing soldiers is escorted to the military headquarters in Tokyo and delivers the drug. Then the visor opens, revealing that it is actually Nobuo inside the suit, still unaware of his deadly odor. He then opens his suit, killing everyone.
In a walled city perpetually at war, everyone's lives and livelihood depend upon maintaining and firing the cannons: millions of cannons, ranging from cannons the size of the [[Seagram Tower]] to cannons the size of a bottle of [[Seagram]]'s. The entire city is cannons: they take the place of smokestacks, of satellite dishes and TV antennae. The action directly concerns a young boy and his cannon-loader father, but is really about the faceless masses who slave to fuel and maintain this parody of the twentieth century war machine.
During the course of the film, the city is surrounded in fog and the "enemy city" is never shown, leading the viewer to wonder if there really is an enemy at all, or if the walled city is simply firing into the clouds to perpetuate a war that has become its entire means of economy. This theme is similar to [[George Orwell]]’s [[Nineteen Eighty-Four]].


===''Cannon Fodder''===
Written and directed by [[Otomo Katsuhiro]].
In a walled city perpetually at war, everyone's livelihood depends upon maintaining and firing the enormous cannons that make up most of the city. Nearly every building in the city is equipped with cannons of varying size, able to fire huge artillery shells over the city walls. The story is animated into one [[long take]], conveying the daily life of a young schoolboy; his father, who works as a lowly cannon-loader; and his mother, a munitions factory worker.


The city is surrounded by a crater-filled wasteland that is covered in clouds of smoke and dust provoked by the cannon fire. Despite propaganda emphasizing the threat of the enemy, there is no visual confirmation that this is true, or even if there is an enemy at all. The boy's father is assigned to one of the city's largest cannons: an enormous red [[railway gun]] that is personally fired by a lavishly-dressed officer. The father is blamed for a safety mishap, and made to stand next to the cannon without safety gear while it is fired again.
==Relations to memories==


That night, the family is at home and hears a news report proclaiming the devastation unleashed on the enemy city. The boy then asks his father why they are fighting in the first place, only for his father to tell him that he will understand when he is older. As the boy gets into his bed, he fantasizes becoming the lavish officer who fires the cannons. As he sleeps, a [[civil defense siren]] sounds and a blue light sweeps across the window.
Each segment has a relation to the issue of memory in a [[metaphoric]] way. The first segment "Magnetic Rose", it's about how people can manipulate their memories to their own will and the effect they can create in others. The second part, "Stink Bomb", although a bit spare, is more about responsibility, or the lack of it (the main character never forget about the task they give him). The third and last segment, "Cannon Fodder" deals more with mortality and deception.

==Cast==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
|+Cast
!Character
!Japanese
!English<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sevakis|first=Justin|date=|title=Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/worldofcrap/status/1353179416063406080|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=January 27, 2021|website=Twitter}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Sound Cadence|url=https://twitter.com/SoundCadence/status/1338669733412032513|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=Twitter}}</ref>
|-
! colspan="3" |Magnetic Rose
|-
!Heinz Beckner
|[[Tsutomu Isobe]]
|Marc Swint
|-
!Ivanov
|[[Shōzō Iizuka|Shouzou Iizuka]]
|Frank Todaro
|-
!Miguel Costrela
|[[Kōichi Yamadera|Kouichi Yamadera]]
|[[Robbie Daymond]]
|-
!Aoshima
|[[Shigeru Chiba]]
|[[Derek Stephen Prince]]
|-
!Emily
|Ami Hasegawa
|Alexa Careccia
|-
!Eva Friedel
|[[Gara Takashima]]
|[[Laura Post]]
|-
! colspan="3" |Stink Bomb
|-
!Nobuo Tanaka
|[[Hideyuki Hori]]
|Stephen Fu
|-
!Oomaeda
|[[Kenichi Ogata (voice actor)|Ken'ichi Ogata]]
|Chris Guerrero
|-
!Kamata
|[[Osamu Saka]]
|Gianni Matragrano
|-
!Grandma
|[[Hisako Kyōda|Hisako Kyouda]]
|[[Karen Kahler]]
|-
!Nirasaki
|[[Michio Hazama]]
|Steven Kelly
|-
!Sakiko
|[[Kayoko Fujii]]
|[[Kira Buckland]]
|-
!General Officer
|[[Ryōichi Tanaka|Ryouichi Tanaka]]
|[[Mike Pollock (voice actor)|Mike Pollock]]
|-
! colspan="3" |Cannon Fodder
|-
!Boy
|[[Yū Hayashi|Yuu Hayashi]]
|Jack Britton
|-
!Father
|[[Keaton Yamada]]
|[[Mike Pollock (voice actor)|Mike Pollock]]
|-
!Mother
|[[Keiko Yamamoto]]
|Ellen-Ray Hennessey (''as Elley Ray'')
|-
!Teacher
|Ryuuji Nakagi
|[[Michael Sorich]]
|-
!Loading Operator
|Nobuaki Fukuda
|Phillip Sacramento
|-
!Commander
|[[Hidetoshi Nakamura]]
|Ray Hurd
|}

==Production==
===''Magnetic Rose''===
Directed by [[Kōji Morimoto]] and animated by [[Studio 4°C]]. Script by noted anime director [[Satoshi Kon]], based on a story by [[Katsuhiro Otomo]]. This episode featured music from Puccini's ''[[Madama Butterfly]]'' and ''[[Tosca]]''. Specifically sampled in the episode was ''Un Bel Di Vedremo'' and ''Con Onor Muore... Tu, tu? Piccolo iddio'' from ''Madama Butterfly'' and ''Non la Sospiri, la Nostra Casetta'' from Act I of ''Tosca''.

Music was composed by [[Yoko Kanno]] and largely influenced by [[Giacomo Puccini]]'s ''Madama Butterfly''. It is primarily operatic and highly involved, reflecting the serious, intense nature the film takes on as it progresses.

===''Stink Bomb''===
Directed by [[Tensai Okamura]] and animated by [[Madhouse (company)|Madhouse]]. Script by Katsuhiro Otomo. Music is by [[Jun Miyake]] and uses jazz and funk as its main influence, adding to the film's chaotic, comedic nature.

It is mentioned in the interview featurette that the story for ''Stink Bomb'' is based on [[Death of Gloria Ramirez|an actual event]].<ref name=GloriaRamirez>{{cite web| url= http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/999/whats-the-story-on-the-toxic-lady| title= What's the story on the "toxic lady"?|access-date=2013-06-27 |publisher=The Straight Dope|first=Cecil|last=Adams| date= 22 March 1996}}</ref>

Otomo initially asked Yoshiaki Kawajiri to direct the film, but Kawajiri did not accept because the script was different from his own style. Kawajiri was involved in storyboard revisions as a supervisor, and also worked on the tunnel scene as a key animator.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://febri.jp/febri_talk/okamura_tensai_3/ |script-title=ja:岡村天斎③ 多くの人に助けられた初監督作『最臭兵器』 | language=ja |access-date=April 17, 2023 |publisher=Febri |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407043408/https://febri.jp/febri_talk/okamura_tensai_3/|archive-date= April 7, 2023 |date=7 April 2023 }}</ref>

===''Cannon Fodder''===
Written and directed by Katsuhiro Otomo and animated by Studio 4 °C. Music by Hiroyuki Nagashima. The score of ''Cannon Fodder'' is difficult to categorize; blending [[brass band]], [[orchestra]]l and avant-garde compositional techniques.

Through unusual animation techniques, the illusion is created that the film consists of one continuous shot or [[long take]].

==Reception==
In 2001, [[Animage|''Animage'' magazine]] ranked ''Memories'' 68th in their list of the 100 greatest anime productions.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-01-15/animage-top-100-anime-listing| title=Animage Top-100 Anime Listing |access-date=2009-03-15 |publisher=Anime News Network |date=2001-01-15}}</ref> The film was met with positive reviews, although reception for each of the three stories varied. ''Magnetic Rose'' has generally been deemed the best episode,<ref name=Scifi>{{cite web|url=http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue363/anime.html |title=Memories |access-date=2009-03-15 |publisher=SciFi.com |first=Tasha |last=Robinson |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318204419/http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue363/anime.html |archive-date=March 18, 2009 }}</ref><ref name=Academy>{{cite web|url=http://animeacademy.com/finalrevdisplay.php?id=335|title=Memories|access-date=2009-03-15|publisher=Anime Academy|author=Kain|author2=Kjeldoran|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090805103612/http://animeacademy.com/finalrevdisplay.php?id=335|archive-date=2009-08-05}}</ref><ref name=Jump>{{cite web|url=http://www.animejump.com/index.php?module=prodreviews&func=showcontent&id=665 |title=Memories |access-date=2009-03-15 |publisher=Anime Jump |first=Chad |last=Clayton |date=2005-08-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071108091843/http://www.animejump.com/index.php?module=prodreviews&func=showcontent&id=665 |archive-date=November 8, 2007 }}</ref> with critics at Anime Meta-Review and T.H.E.M Anime saying it alone made the film worth watching.<ref name=AMR>{{cite web|url=http://amr.nextstudio.net/html/memories.html |title=AMR: Memories |access-date=2009-03-15 |publisher=Anime Meta-Review |first=Andrew |last=Shelton |date=2006-08-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031160157/http://amr.nextstudio.net/html/memories.html |archive-date=October 31, 2007 }}</ref><ref name=THEM>{{cite web| url=http://themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=199| title=Memories |access-date=2009-03-15 |publisher=[[THEM Anime Reviews|T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews]]|first=Carlos| last=Ross}}</ref> Anime Academy thought it was "a pure symphonic treat from start to finish” and “running only forty-five minutes, it can still be compared with the greatest anime productions in every single aspect from animation to storyline."<ref name=Academy/> John Wallis of DVD Talk called it "a great opener, a strong, moving story of love, loss, haunting heartbreak, and horror chills."<ref name=Talk>{{cite web| url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/9566/memories/| title=Memories |access-date=2009-03-15 |publisher=DVD Talk |first=John| last=Wallis|date=2004-02-18}}</ref> ''Magnetic Rose'' was also regarded as "a science fiction marvel" by Homemademech’s Mark McPherson, who praised its dialogue and realistic presentation of outer space physics.<ref name=HMM>{{cite web|url=http://www.homemademech.com/anime-reviews/memories/|title=Memories Anime Review|access-date=2009-03-15|publisher=Homemademech|first=Mark|last=McPherson|date=2004-05-20|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010140151/http://www.homemademech.com/anime-reviews/memories/|archive-date=2008-10-10}}</ref> Chris Beveridge from Mania.com, however, felt that the story had "some feel of being done before to some degree."<ref name=Mania>{{cite web|url=http://www.mania.com/memories_article_75900.html|title=Memories|access-date=2009-03-15|publisher=Mania.com|first=Chris|last=Beveridge|date=2005-02-22|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210034830/http://www.mania.com/memories_article_75900.html|archive-date=2009-02-10}}</ref>

Comments on ''Stink Bomb'' and ''Cannon Fodder'' were less favorable. [[THEM Anime Reviews|T.H.E.M. Anime]] reviewer Carlos Ross stated that "the other two entries don't quite equal the sheer excellence of ''‘Magnetic Rose’''.<ref name=THEM/> McPherson referred to ''Stink Bomb'' by saying "compared to the other episodes of ''Memories'', it's the weakest and less creative of the bunch",<ref name=HMM/> while Anime Jump’s Chad Clayton thought ''Cannon Fodder'' did not "match the complexity of the preceding two films."<ref name=Jump/> ''Stink Bomb'' was nonetheless praised for its humor and high quality visuals.<ref name=Academy/><ref name=Jump/><ref name=AMR/><ref name=THEM/><ref name=Talk/><ref name=HMM/><ref name=Mania/> ''Cannon Fodder'' was viewed as "the strongest work in terms of its allegorical message" by DVD Talk,<ref name=Talk/> and visually "inventive" by both Anime Jump and Anime Academy.<ref name=Academy/><ref name=Jump/> Tasha Robinson at [[Sci Fi Channel (United States)|SciFi.com]] described the animation of every episode as "stellar", claiming the film as a whole went "well beyond memorable".<ref name=Scifi/>


==See also==
==See also==
*[[List of anime]]
* [[List of animated feature films]]
*[[List of animated feature films]]
* [[List of package films]]
* ''[[Neo Tokyo (film)|Neo Tokyo]]'' – An Otomo anthology film from 1987.
*[[List of package films]]
* ''[[Robot Carnival]]'' – An Otomo anthology film from 1987.
* ''[[Short Peace]]'' – An Otomo anthology film from 2013.

==References==
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
* {{imdb title|id=0113799|title=Memories}}
* {{AllMovie title|154334|Memories}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0113799|title=Memories}}
* {{anime News Network|anime|424|Memories}}
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990220171718/http://www.jurai.net/amplus/1.2/lynx/21-memories.html |date=February 20, 1999 |title=''AMPlus'' review }}
* [http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/memories Entry] in [[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]]


{{Navboxes
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}}
{{Portal bar|Anime and manga|Speculative fiction}}


[[es:Memories]]
[[Category:1995 films]]
[[Category:1995 anime films]]
[[fr:Memories]]
[[Category:1990s science fiction action films]]
[[ja:MEMORIES]]
[[Category:Discotek Media]]
[[pl:Memories]]
[[Category:Japanese anthology films]]
[[pt:Memories (filme de 1995)]]
[[Category:Japanese fantasy adventure films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Katsuhiro Otomo]]
[[Category:Films set in Yamanashi Prefecture]]
[[Category:Japanese science fiction action films]]
[[Category:1990s Japanese-language films]]
[[Category:Madhouse (company)]]
[[Category:Animated anthology films]]
[[Category:Shochiku films]]
[[Category:Studio 4°C]]
[[Category:Films directed by Kōji Morimoto]]
[[Category:Japanese adult animated films]]
[[Category:Japanese animated science fiction films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Yoko Kanno]]
[[Category:1995 science fiction films]]

Revision as of 21:42, 5 July 2024

Memories
Japanese theatrical release poster
Directed byKōji Morimoto (Magnetic Rose)
Tensai Okamura (Stink Bomb)
Katsuhiro Otomo (Chief, Cannon Fodder)
Screenplay bySatoshi Kon (Magnetic Rose)
Katsuhiro Otomo (Stink Bomb, Cannon Fodder)
Story byKatsuhiro Otomo
Based onMagnetic Rose, Stink Bomb and Cannon Fodder
by Katsuhiro Otomo
Produced byAtsushi Sugita
Fumio Sameshima
Yoshimasa Mizuo
Hiroaki Inoue
Eiko Tanaka (Magnetic Rose, Cannon Fodder)
Masao Maruyama (Stink Bomb)
Edited byTakeshi Seyama
Music byTakkyū Ishino (opening and closing credits)
Yoko Kanno (Magnetic Rose)
Jun Miyake (Stink Bomb)
Hiroyuki Nagashima (Cannon Fodder)
Production
companies
Studio 4°C (Magnetic Rose, Cannon Fodder)
Madhouse (Stink Bomb)
Distributed byShochiku
Release date
  • December 23, 1995 (1995-12-23)
Running time
113 min
LandJapan
SpracheJapanese

Memories is a 1995 Japanese animated science fiction anthology film with Katsuhiro Otomo as executive producer, and based on three of his manga short stories. The film is composed of three shorts: Magnetic Rose (彼女の想いで, Kanojo no Omoide), directed by Studio 4°C co-founder Kōji Morimoto and written by Satoshi Kon; Stink Bomb (最臭兵器, Saishū-heiki), directed by Tensai Okamura and written by Otomo, and Cannon Fodder (大砲の街, Taihō no Machi), written and directed by Otomo himself.

Originally released on home video in North America by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Discotek Media acquired the rights in 2020 along with Mill Creek Entertainment. Their 2021 Blu-ray release includes English subtitles and a new English dub produced by NYAV Post (for Magnetic Rose) and Sound Cadence Studios (for Stink Bomb and Cannon Fodder).[1][2]

Plot

Magnetic Rose

The Corona, a deep space salvage freighter, is out on a mission when it encounters a distress signal and responds to it. They come upon a spaceship graveyard orbiting a giant space station. The crew's two engineers, Heintz and Miguel, enter it to get a closer look. Once inside, they discover an opulent European interior and several furnished rooms in varying states of decay, but find no signs of life.

The men learn that the station belongs to a once-famous opera diva named Eva Friedel who disappeared after the murder of her fiancé, Carlo Rambaldi, a fellow singer. Continuing to search for the distress signal's source, the engineers split up, with each experiencing paranormal encounters, including strange noises and visions of Eva. Miguel enters the dilapidated underbelly of the station, and in a cavernous chamber, he finds a broken piano playing the distress signal. He begins to hallucinate and Eva suddenly runs up to kiss him. Heintz finds a theater stage and sees Eva, who stabs him when he approaches. Suddenly paralyzed, Heintz relives a memory of his wife and his daughter Emily. The illusion disappears when Eva takes his wife's form and tells him that he "will never leave".

Heintz rushes to save Miguel, but Miguel disappears deeper into the cavern, having been seduced by Eva into thinking he is Carlo. Eva reveals to Heintz that she murdered the real Carlo for refusing to marry her and has since forced others to relive his likeness. She makes Heintz relive Emily's death, and entices Heintz to stay with his daughter's doppelganger. Heintz resists and shoots the massive computer embedded in the ceiling of the cavern, causing the AI hologram of Eva to malfunction.

Meanwhile, the Corona has been struggling against a powerful magnetic field coming from the station, pulling the ship towards it. In desperation, the crewmen Aoshima and Ivanov fire a powerful energy cannon; gouging the structure deep enough to reach the cavern before leaving on the escape pod. Heintz is ejected into space along with the skeletons of Eva's past victims, as Eva hauntingly sings to a conjured audience. The Corona is crushed and becomes part of the rose-shaped structure around the station. The whereabouts of the real (and long-deceased) Eva is shown, and a representation of Eva is seen talking romantically with Miguel (now fully embracing his new identity as Carlo). Heintz is last seen drifting in space, still alive.

Stink Bomb

Lab technician Nobuo Tanaka, battling the flu, mistakes some experimental pills for medicine and swallows one. The pills were intended to help soldiers counter biological weapons, but it reacts to a flu shot already in his body. Tanaka soon develops a deadly body odor and becomes a walking weapon of mass destruction. While taking a nap, the odor he emits kills everyone in the laboratory. Horrified, he reports the incident to headquarters, who instruct him to deliver the experimental drug to Tokyo.

Meanwhile, the odor he emits grows stronger to where it affects several miles of the surrounding area, killing every living thing that smells his odor, except flowers and plants (which are seemingly strengthened by the odor). The odor is so potent that neither gas masks nor NBC suits offer any protection against its effects. His odor kills everything in the Yamanashi Prefecture, including all 200,000 inhabitants of Kōfu city. Nobuo continues on to Tokyo unaware of the death his smell is causing, but the rest of the country is in a complete panic. The head of the research company and the Japanese military deduce that Tanaka is causing the poisonous gas and order him to be killed. The Japan Self Defense Forces try in vain to stop Nobuo, causing immense collateral damage to the Japanese countryside, but to no avail, as the chemicals in Nobuo's smell interfere with the targeting systems of their weapons.

The U.S. military, who have been observing the situation to that point, utilizes Japanese policy to take over the operation, and calls in a NASA unit with space suits to try and capture Nobuo alive. After Nobuo enters a tunnel, the Japanese army collapses part of the bridge and the tunnel behind him, trapping him with only one way out. They turn on wind generators in an attempt to stop the odor's advance. As the soldiers in space suits approach Nobuo, he becomes scared and more of his odor bursts out of him, disabling the lights and wind generators.

After the cloud settles, the soldiers appear to have subdued Nobuo. One of the suit-wearing soldiers is escorted to the military headquarters in Tokyo and delivers the drug. Then the visor opens, revealing that it is actually Nobuo inside the suit, still unaware of his deadly odor. He then opens his suit, killing everyone.

Cannon Fodder

In a walled city perpetually at war, everyone's livelihood depends upon maintaining and firing the enormous cannons that make up most of the city. Nearly every building in the city is equipped with cannons of varying size, able to fire huge artillery shells over the city walls. The story is animated into one long take, conveying the daily life of a young schoolboy; his father, who works as a lowly cannon-loader; and his mother, a munitions factory worker.

The city is surrounded by a crater-filled wasteland that is covered in clouds of smoke and dust provoked by the cannon fire. Despite propaganda emphasizing the threat of the enemy, there is no visual confirmation that this is true, or even if there is an enemy at all. The boy's father is assigned to one of the city's largest cannons: an enormous red railway gun that is personally fired by a lavishly-dressed officer. The father is blamed for a safety mishap, and made to stand next to the cannon without safety gear while it is fired again.

That night, the family is at home and hears a news report proclaiming the devastation unleashed on the enemy city. The boy then asks his father why they are fighting in the first place, only for his father to tell him that he will understand when he is older. As the boy gets into his bed, he fantasizes becoming the lavish officer who fires the cannons. As he sleeps, a civil defense siren sounds and a blue light sweeps across the window.

Cast

Cast
Character Japanese English[3][4]
Magnetic Rose
Heinz Beckner Tsutomu Isobe Marc Swint
Ivanov Shouzou Iizuka Frank Todaro
Miguel Costrela Kouichi Yamadera Robbie Daymond
Aoshima Shigeru Chiba Derek Stephen Prince
Emily Ami Hasegawa Alexa Careccia
Eva Friedel Gara Takashima Laura Post
Stink Bomb
Nobuo Tanaka Hideyuki Hori Stephen Fu
Oomaeda Ken'ichi Ogata Chris Guerrero
Kamata Osamu Saka Gianni Matragrano
Grandma Hisako Kyouda Karen Kahler
Nirasaki Michio Hazama Steven Kelly
Sakiko Kayoko Fujii Kira Buckland
General Officer Ryouichi Tanaka Mike Pollock
Cannon Fodder
Boy Yuu Hayashi Jack Britton
Father Keaton Yamada Mike Pollock
Mother Keiko Yamamoto Ellen-Ray Hennessey (as Elley Ray)
Teacher Ryuuji Nakagi Michael Sorich
Loading Operator Nobuaki Fukuda Phillip Sacramento
Commander Hidetoshi Nakamura Ray Hurd

Production

Magnetic Rose

Directed by Kōji Morimoto and animated by Studio 4°C. Script by noted anime director Satoshi Kon, based on a story by Katsuhiro Otomo. This episode featured music from Puccini's Madama Butterfly and Tosca. Specifically sampled in the episode was Un Bel Di Vedremo and Con Onor Muore... Tu, tu? Piccolo iddio from Madama Butterfly and Non la Sospiri, la Nostra Casetta from Act I of Tosca.

Music was composed by Yoko Kanno and largely influenced by Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly. It is primarily operatic and highly involved, reflecting the serious, intense nature the film takes on as it progresses.

Stink Bomb

Directed by Tensai Okamura and animated by Madhouse. Script by Katsuhiro Otomo. Music is by Jun Miyake and uses jazz and funk as its main influence, adding to the film's chaotic, comedic nature.

It is mentioned in the interview featurette that the story for Stink Bomb is based on an actual event.[5]

Otomo initially asked Yoshiaki Kawajiri to direct the film, but Kawajiri did not accept because the script was different from his own style. Kawajiri was involved in storyboard revisions as a supervisor, and also worked on the tunnel scene as a key animator.[6]

Cannon Fodder

Written and directed by Katsuhiro Otomo and animated by Studio 4 °C. Music by Hiroyuki Nagashima. The score of Cannon Fodder is difficult to categorize; blending brass band, orchestral and avant-garde compositional techniques.

Through unusual animation techniques, the illusion is created that the film consists of one continuous shot or long take.

Reception

In 2001, Animage magazine ranked Memories 68th in their list of the 100 greatest anime productions.[7] The film was met with positive reviews, although reception for each of the three stories varied. Magnetic Rose has generally been deemed the best episode,[8][9][10] with critics at Anime Meta-Review and T.H.E.M Anime saying it alone made the film worth watching.[11][12] Anime Academy thought it was "a pure symphonic treat from start to finish” and “running only forty-five minutes, it can still be compared with the greatest anime productions in every single aspect from animation to storyline."[9] John Wallis of DVD Talk called it "a great opener, a strong, moving story of love, loss, haunting heartbreak, and horror chills."[13] Magnetic Rose was also regarded as "a science fiction marvel" by Homemademech’s Mark McPherson, who praised its dialogue and realistic presentation of outer space physics.[14] Chris Beveridge from Mania.com, however, felt that the story had "some feel of being done before to some degree."[15]

Comments on Stink Bomb and Cannon Fodder were less favorable. T.H.E.M. Anime reviewer Carlos Ross stated that "the other two entries don't quite equal the sheer excellence of ‘Magnetic Rose’.[12] McPherson referred to Stink Bomb by saying "compared to the other episodes of Memories, it's the weakest and less creative of the bunch",[14] while Anime Jump’s Chad Clayton thought Cannon Fodder did not "match the complexity of the preceding two films."[10] Stink Bomb was nonetheless praised for its humor and high quality visuals.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15] Cannon Fodder was viewed as "the strongest work in terms of its allegorical message" by DVD Talk,[13] and visually "inventive" by both Anime Jump and Anime Academy.[9][10] Tasha Robinson at SciFi.com described the animation of every episode as "stellar", claiming the film as a whole went "well beyond memorable".[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ Sherman, Jennifer (2021-02-04). "Memories Anthology's English Dub Streams on February 6". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  2. ^ Chapman, Paul. "Discotek Announces Memories, Urusei Yatsura Movies, and More". Crunchyroll. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  3. ^ Sevakis, Justin. "Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  4. ^ "Sound Cadence". Twitter.
  5. ^ Adams, Cecil (22 March 1996). "What's the story on the "toxic lady"?". The Straight Dope. Retrieved 2013-06-27.
  6. ^ 岡村天斎③ 多くの人に助けられた初監督作『最臭兵器』 (in Japanese). Febri. 7 April 2023. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  7. ^ "Animage Top-100 Anime Listing". Anime News Network. 2001-01-15. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
  8. ^ a b Robinson, Tasha. "Memories". SciFi.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
  9. ^ a b c d Kain; Kjeldoran. "Memories". Anime Academy. Archived from the original on 2009-08-05. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
  10. ^ a b c d Clayton, Chad (2005-08-06). "Memories". Anime Jump. Archived from the original on November 8, 2007. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
  11. ^ a b Shelton, Andrew (2006-08-20). "AMR: Memories". Anime Meta-Review. Archived from the original on October 31, 2007. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
  12. ^ a b c Ross, Carlos. "Memories". T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
  13. ^ a b c Wallis, John (2004-02-18). "Memories". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
  14. ^ a b c McPherson, Mark (2004-05-20). "Memories Anime Review". Homemademech. Archived from the original on 2008-10-10. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
  15. ^ a b Beveridge, Chris (2005-02-22). "Memories". Mania.com. Archived from the original on 2009-02-10. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
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