46/16
Four talented musicians from outer space are kidnapped by a music producer who disguises them as humans and reprograms them to forget their true identities and play soulless corporate pop like The Crescendolls. At one point, a soccer match appears on the monitor; the teams playing are Japan and France. The two collaborators, Daft Punk and Leiji Matsumoto, are French and Japanese respectively. The score of 2 for France and 1 for Japan shows how many strings are from each country. The number of strings on various instruments is incorrect. Edited by Daft Punk: Aerodynamic (2001). One More TimeVocals by Romanthony (Thomas Bangalter (as T. Bangalter), Guy-Manuel De Homem-Christo (as G-M de Homem-Christo), Romanthony (as A. Moore)) Lyrics by Romanthony (as Anthony Moore aka Romanthony )Contains a sample of “More Spells on You” Written and performed by Eddie Johns (uncredited). Courtesy of Labels/Virgin France. A unique and truly special film in its own right, it deserves to be more widely known among animation enthusiasts. Co-director Leiji Matsumoto, who has been associated in one way or another with such beloved epics as Space Battleship Yamato, The Harlock Saga, Star Blazers & etc. during his long career in the anime industry, collaborated with Daft Punk (a French two-piece electronic rock band) on this unique project. Deliberately reproducing the extreme glamour stylisation of the 70s and early 80s Japanese animation style, albeit done with a greater fluidity and detail that modern budgets and software allow, Matsumoto has combined image and sound to create a hypnotic effect in a film that is in fact both unique and unforgettable. A “digital love story” of a kidnapped techno group who happen to travel together in Scooby-Do as the “Mystery Machine”; as events unfold – and an evil music impresario (here echoes of the dark Toomorrow (1970) – has anyone seen that?). Despite some criticism of the use of pop, there is not much depth here in terms of plot, although there are dark elements, such as the painful funeral of the deceased main character. But this feature is not essential, as it was not the creators’ intention, leaving the graphic design and times to develop. What makes the film so great is its particular hybrid of manga music, which results from combining stylized visual design and editing beats with a contemporary soundtrack (the entire film is devoid of words except for the text) in a way that is both culturally nostalgic and strikingly modern. The resulting plastic surface transcends its original pulp manga inspiration entirely. In short, it’s a film that sounds naive but somehow works. The result is an achievement that far outshines the director’s previous, hastily produced, adolescent films, and is therefore a must-see.