Memories

Memories is a theatrical anthology of shorts that came out in the 1995. It is made up of three independent vignettes done by 3 different directors. The shorts are, Magnetic Rose, Stink Bomb and Cannon Fodder.

    The first short, Magnetic Rose, is a beautifully detailed futuristic drama that deals with the crew of a salvage ship discovering the mother lode in a derelict space junk yard. Two members of the four man crew leave the ship to investigate an asteroid with a house built into it after picking up a distress signal. As they explore it they discover it was the residence of an opera diva from the previous century. While searching for anything valuable to scavenge they are attacked by the automated defenses of the residence. As they fight to get back to their ship they discover that the automated systems have gone haywire with years of solitude and soon they have to fight between reality, fantasy and their own pasts to make it out alive.

    The second short, Stink Bomb, is a comedic yet sinister romp that deals with the possibility of biological weapons falling into the wrong hands. A young assistant at a bio research facility accidentally ingests a top secret military bio weapon thinking it was a cold remedy. He passes out to wake up the next day still at work, finding everyone in the facility dead. After calling an ambulance he realizes he took the wrong pill and quickly calls the government alerting them to the problem as he heads out on his own to Tokyo to meet with them. Unknown to him, the effects of the weapon emanate from his body and as he recklessly travels to Tokyo he endangers millions of people’s lives. The power of the weapon increases with his stress and as the military tries to capture him his stress level increases exponentially.

    The third story, Cannon Fodder, is a stylized and socially critical adventure that takes place in a 1984 type world. In a city that is always at war with an unknown and distant enemy country the business of the day is operating the large cannons that dot the cityscape. One way or another the resident's of the city work in jobs relating to the cannons and their operations. Our story follows one lower class family in a day of their life, the father works on a cannon loading crew, the mother works at a munitions factory and the son goes to school to learn the finer points of operating the cannon. As we progress through the day we see the realities of the underclass grunts coinciding with the son’s childlike fantasies of the magnificence of operating the towering behemoths. The citizens don’t really know why they are fighting or who they are fighting, in the end of the day they are safe and sound, their job is done and they live to see another day of the same thing.

    Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira, Steam Boy) is the overlying name behind the movie. Magnetic Rose is based on a manga of his.  He wrote and directed Cannon Fodder and produced the entire movie. Satoshi Kon (Paprika, Perfect Blue) wrote the script for Magnetic Rose which was directed by noted music video director Morimoto Koji. Stink Bomb was written by Otomo and directed by Okamura Tensai (Wolfs Rain).

    Each story is unique and different in scope and message. Out of all of them Stink Bomb is my favorite, for its comedic value alone. Magnetic Rose is beautiful and haunting while Cannon Fodder is very unique. I enjoy this movie and have since I first viewed it in the mid 90’s. Even with its aged it is still a good film. The animation isn’t of the highest quality compared to today’s standards but it is still quality none the less. The soundtrack is highly entertaining and well done, with each sequence having diverging styles. Most people will find something to enjoy from the movie. It took a long time for it to be released in America and is currently a little hard to track down. It is one of the gems of the industry and deserves a spot on every collector and fans shelf.