Vexille

[sqbr]

My body is reacting to the stress of the last week by shutting down and making me very sleepy, so I finally got around to watching "Vexille", an anime someone recced on my "Anime for sff nerds" discussion.

I wasn't looking forward to it, since it was cell-shaded 3D (which I find distracting) and about robots and mecha etc. Also not my thing.

But I just watched it and it's great. Not fetishing robots in a "Here's a straightforward war story but with giant robots for no logical reason" way, it's actually about robots, it's almost like a prequel to the Matrix. With a few obvious differences of course, but it feels very much like a good slightly philosophical western sf/action movie, except in japanese and more emotionally complex (I cried a little, I am not ashamed to admit) Since I had a headache I watched the first half hour or so in the english dub, and I'm glad I did, since it's set in America with american characters (the last 2/3 is in Japan with mostly japanese characters) I'm pretty sure that an american movie with an equivalent premise wouldn't flesh out the japanese characters anywhere near so well, let alone make one of the them the lead and title character! If anything it felt a little too american, certainly some plot points felt lifted from other sf movies.

The premise is that ten years ago it became clear that Japan was (a)Better than everyone else at robotics and (b)On the verge of making human like machines. The rest of the world freaked out and made it illegal, so Japan said "Screw you" and literally cut themselves off from the rest of the world. Now Weird Stuff is happening, and american special forces(*) operative Vexille's team has been sent to break through the barrier and see what's going on.

When she finds out, I had to stop the movie, walk in to the other room, and tell Cam he might like to watch it after all :)

And the two main characters are kick ass women who, while pretty, aren't particularly fetishised either.

(*)Well "S.W.O.R.D." member. Also the name of the electromagnetic barrier around Japan is "R.A.C.E". Really. An english student could have a field day with the themes in this movie about American/japanese relations, technology, the soul, etc.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/drayke_/]

Wow. I kinda want to watch this now...

[alias_sqbr]

And with the magic of video, you can! :)

[nico-wolfwood.livejournal.com]

Hah! I can't remember if I was the only one to recommend this but I saw it in cinemas here when it first came out and loved it.

I like how it deals with the themes without being a film about cyborgs beating each other to death (although I enjoy those too).

[alias_sqbr]

Yes, it takes the same old tropes and does something really interesting with them. I think it was you who recced it, so thanks.

[nico-wolfwood.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! Now I know that you don't hate robot stories if they're interesting robot stories I might rec you some more?

[alias_sqbr]

Absolutely! I have Appleseed on my "too watch" queue already (also recced by you), just waiting a few days so I don't mix it up in my head with Vexille.

[nico-wolfwood.livejournal.com]

Ah, be aware: I've only seen the second Appleseed (a movie I think), not the first one. I honestly think the Manga did a better job of explaining the innovative bits (simply because it had more story space) but the movie managed to sneak allot of it in.

[alias_sqbr]

Heh. So it turned out "Appleseed Disc One" from Quickflix was the second movie, so that's what I've seen too :) I quite enjoyed it, though Masamune Shirow's girls'n'robots fetish was in evidence and some of the design was awfully reminiscent of Star Trek: first contact. Not sure it would appeal to non anime fans though.

[http://users.livejournal.com/drayke_/]

Wow. I kinda want to watch this now...

[alias_sqbr]

And with the magic of video, you can! :)

[nico-wolfwood.livejournal.com]

Hah! I can't remember if I was the only one to recommend this but I saw it in cinemas here when it first came out and loved it.

I like how it deals with the themes without being a film about cyborgs beating each other to death (although I enjoy those too).

[alias_sqbr]

Yes, it takes the same old tropes and does something really interesting with them. I think it was you who recced it, so thanks.

[nico-wolfwood.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! Now I know that you don't hate robot stories if they're interesting robot stories I might rec you some more?

[alias_sqbr]

Absolutely! I have Appleseed on my "too watch" queue already (also recced by you), just waiting a few days so I don't mix it up in my head with Vexille.

[nico-wolfwood.livejournal.com]

Ah, be aware: I've only seen the second Appleseed (a movie I think), not the first one. I honestly think the Manga did a better job of explaining the innovative bits (simply because it had more story space) but the movie managed to sneak allot of it in.

[alias_sqbr]

Heh. So it turned out "Appleseed Disc One" from Quickflix was the second movie, so that's what I've seen too :) I quite enjoyed it, though Masamune Shirow's girls'n'robots fetish was in evidence and some of the design was awfully reminiscent of Star Trek: first contact. Not sure it would appeal to non anime fans though.