Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem

I think I love Anime now. Yeah, weird isn't it, those who know me knew how much I thought Anime was overrated, bubbly and irritating. But the more I think about it, Anime has been part of my life since I was six, like many of us. I grew up up watching Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh, many of these films are underrated compared to the more mainstream American films and they have great imagination and creativity. But at the same time I can get really annoyed by people telling me that it's flawless and incorruptible. The story can be lacking in some, the characters can be over-sexualised (Thank you Sailor Moon) and the animation can be disorientating some times due to how over-the-top or flashy it can be. Hopefully some films take a page out of this film in it's creativity and ingenuity.

And this film is actually very innovative in its animation and story-telling techniques. Here they communicate through their facial expressions and the music. It's essentially a silent movie, with the occasional use of sound effects. It was a collaboration between french house Daft Punk and Japanese director Kazuhisa Takenouchi for a visual realization of the album Discovery. I wonder what the pitch was like for this movie. The music will be based on: Daft Punk, the animation will be: Anime and the story will be:

Four aliens in a band who are kidnapped by an eccentric, evil music producer so that he can make millions off of controlling their minds and making them the optimum music experience. But a malevolent plot underlines their success and a member of their species races to save their lives as he is infatuated with Stella, the bands Bassist. Arriving on earth they are converted into a generic rock band and have their memories erased to be more compliant to demands. They are an instant hit and are marketed world-wide. It's a race against time to save the band from a fate worse than death (turned into pop stars)

The film is too short for me to find any real problem. I mean, this is the first non-Miyazaki Anime I have seen and it just pops. The Anime is used to great effect, creating worlds and cultures and even simulating the ending of 2001:a Space Odyssey as they fly through space and dimensions. The designs and movements are flowing, and the characters each have their own designs that reflect their personality. Stella is slender and meek, yet no-nonsense and caring, Baryl is short and energetic, yet tough and quick, etc. The villain is also very good, his evil holds no bounds as he seeks vast amount of power. My only real problem is it's length. It felt less like a movie and more like a very long, but very good music video. And the music is just fantastic. It's like an updated Fantasia with modern music and imagery. I found this movie after I listened to Daft Punk for a while (yea, I like Daft Punk, what about it!). The music produces a feeling of space and mystery, while at the same time keeps the excitement and wonder of exploration. I think my favorites are "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger", "One More Time" and "Digital Love". Oh and for those who think Kanye West can hold a candle to the original you will be sorely mistaken. It did so much from one little idea and it really paid off. Critics and audiences loved it, now so do I. It felt like an experience and a trip that you never wanted to end.