Memories

Not counting Roujin Z, for which he came up with a story and some designs, this is Otomo's first animation feature since Akira: a portmanteau film (based on three of his graphic short stories) which fully represents his range and at the same time fulfils his dream of providing real creative opportunities to young artists stuck in TV animation hell. Magnetic Rose, the first episode, is spectacular space opera: two intrepid scouts, a ghost ship and the story of a love without end, set in a cosmic Sargasso Sea. Stink Bomb is cautionary sci-fi comedy: a guy takes an untested drug in mistake for a cold cure and turns into a maximum security risk. And Cannon Fodder, directed by Otomo himself, is a bizarre parable of war, peace and expendability. All three episodes are cogent, provocative and superbly designed.