Holding Out For a Hayao

With the retirement of Hayao Miyazaki and the uncertain future of Studio Ghibli I decided to check out some of the acclaimed work of other anime directors and writers. Not to fill the void Miyazaki will undoubtedly leave, filling that void is an insurmountable task, more aptly I was searching for someone or potentially several someones that were producing ambitious animation on the quality and scale of Miyazaki. A Sisyphean task I'm aware and yet I was ecstatic with my findings. What follows are some quick thoughts on some of the films in question as well as some assorted musings on the particular filmmakers.

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Wolf Children

 Written & Directed by Mamoru Hosoda

First up, Wolf Children, probably the most critically acclaimed and commercially known of the films I watched. Wolf Children was also probably the closest to a Ghibli film I found, and one of the reasons I wanted to start with it. The film mirrors Miyazaki’s penchant for blending grounded real world issues with imaginative fantastical elements filled with believable and well written characters. Wolf Children's key emotional pillars are motherhood and coming of age. And it tackles both with flawless precision and a deft touch, a rarity in animation. The film pivots pretty hard after an uninspired romantic opening, turning into a real trial by fire motherhood story for the duration thereafter and that’s when everything really begins to click. The film is far more subtle than most anime allowing for plenty of silent moments that say a lot. It’s in these quieter moments where the film really distinguishes itself from Miyazaki, where he bombarded the viewer with not so subtle commentary, Hosoda leaves a lot untold and unsaid giving the audience more to contemplate which shows both artistic restraint and trust in the viewer. It helps that Wolf Children is a simple story with only three key characters but even still it’s very commendable. The film is beautiful with a stunning level of detail and it’s to Hosoda’s credit once again that he finds interesting ways to play with how the audiences sees this world, with simulated camera moves and shots that are uncharacteristic of other anime and make the film stand out all the more. Wolf Children has a moving emotional story at its core that highlights and explores themes with a quiet assured touch, it’s mature while never delving into melodrama, it celebrates life and all the hardships therein. It’s an exceedingly well made and beautifully drawn film that may just rival that of the once assumed incomparable Miyazaki. A bold statement to be sure but one that I hope gets you to check out, Wolf Children. 

Garden of Words

Written & Directed by Makoto Shinkai 

Garden of Words is a romantic short film, at only 48 minutes including credits, the film resembles something more akin to an experiment for director Makoto Shinkai. What starts off as a generic meet cute romance quickly changes after an out of left field twist that alters the tone of the film substantially for the remainder. That twist comes too late and isn't sufficiently explored to turn around what is otherwise a rather lifeless story. The films greatest strength lies in its art, oftentimes bursting through the reality of the medium and producing an incomprehensibly photo-realistic scene with rain effects that are particularly staggering. Unfortunately the story is rather weak and the characters are nothing more than untapped potential, and quite frankly the entire film reminded me of a Lifetime original movie. I will admit I was surprised at how invested I became in the romance by the end of the film but it wasn't enough to make me forget many of the films glaring faults. The potential is there for a compelling romance and maybe with a longer run time more nuances could have been explored but as it stands Garden of Words is gorgeous artwork that lacks dramatic energy. It's pretty to look at but there isn't much substance, it's not bad by any measure but it won't be an experience you remember long after it ends. 

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time 

Written by: Satako Okudera

Directed by: Mamoru Hosoda

Well it had to happen, but The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is the first bad film in this endeavor. It was particularly frustrating since so much of the film is quite strong, the writing and voice acting were top notch (I watched an English dub) the female protagonist is wonderfully realized and the school aged characters are all surprisingly well depicted in both animation and writing with plenty of subtle and believable interactions. Unto the mechanics. Time travel is a difficult subject to use in storytelling because instinctively the audience wants to understand how it works they want to know the possibilities and the limitations. And on top of establishing the boundaries of the ability it needs to be easy to follow as jumping through time can be quite confusing.Therein lies where the movie falls apart. The films final act, the climax, the reason the entire film is happening is so completely and utterly botched I'm amazing this film was ever released. There is a twist near the end of the film where a character from the future is revealed and the reason he traveled to the past was to see a painting. A painting. Once more in case you didn't yell out "WHAT!?!" in disbelief, a painting. It's never explained why. Nor is it explained what the final statement this future traveler says to our young protagonist means. "I'll wait for you in the future". Why not just stay in the past? Or go to the future and then come back immediately. What about the painting? There is a theory I have, because that's all I can do since the movie explains nothing. The main characters aunt is restoring the important for no reason painting and she explains she traveled through time in her youth as well. She also feel in love with a time traveling boy and has been waiting for his return. Is it the same boy? Still doesn't explain WHAT IS WITH THE PAINTING!!! The whole thing is just frustrating, there is a difference between a open-ended conclusion that encourages contemplation and a jumbled mess of incoherence that quite frankly isn't good enough in the rest of its parts to justify continuously thinking about. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time has a compelling lead character and humorous moments throughout and even inventively plays with the concept of time travel but quickly squanders all of its potential in one of the most staggeringly unthought third acts I've ever witnessed. 

What I've Been Up To

Ryse: Son of Rome (1 out of 5)

Ryse: Son of Rome is more concerned with crafting a visually impressive immensely cinematic experience rather than a video game. Ryse falls short in one pretty important department, fun. The game is staggeringly arduous and monotonous, which is actually impressive when you take into account the game is only 4 hours long. In that time you'll mindlessly hack apart thousands of the same four character models in a display of astounding audacity that only served to bring my initial boredom of the game to a boiling rage. The combat is entirely color coded prompt based, every action you need to take is loudly telegraphed. Add to that scripted sequences that are meant to add variety which are then in turn repeated ad nauseam and you have one of the most unnecessary games I can think of. It does nothing. I can't think of a way to devalue it any further. It serves no purpose and should not exist.

Alien Isolation (Did Not Complete)

Alien Isolation is one of the first in a sudden and exciting rise in big-budget horror games. It attempts to redeem the recent trend of piss poor adaptations of the Alien franchise, focusing on what made the original film so ground breaking. Alien Isolation is a horror game in the vein of Amnesia The Dark Descent. There is one major unbeatable threat that hunts you for the majority of the game while you attempt to make it through each environment alive. Isolation does throw in some other adversaries including terrifyingly helpful to a fault robots and human looters but it's the Alien that provides most of the game most memorable moments. Unfortunately the game is a little clunky and so much of the experience leans on AI systems functioning correctly, which it often struggles with. Alien Isolation's greatest accomplishment is perfectly, and I mean perfectly, recreating the look and feel of the Alien movies, particularly the first film. The game is stunning with pixel perfect environments made better with great lighting and ambient effects. The atmosphere is spine tingling right up until you run into a wall trying to survive, the game often times doesn't respond or allow you to respond the way you may want to and it quickly becomes frustrating. It was fun for a few hours but I quickly gave up and left after a few hours, the presentation makes a strong impression but that is a facade that hides a far more unimpressive mechanical mess.

Roundabout (4 out of 5)

Roundabout is one of the most random and absurd video games I've ever had the pleasure of playing. Tasked the controlling an perennially spinning limousine as you take passengers, all of whom are introduced in magnificent FMV cut scenes, to their destinations. Reductively it's Crazy Taxi in a limo, but Roundabout has so much more heart and damn good game design it managed to spin right into my normally cast iron heart. It's easy to play but difficult to master, the game wonderfully ramps up the difficulty throughout the roughly 3-4 hour campaign while also introducing new mechanics at a steady pace that vary up your driving style till the surprisingly touching conclusion. Roundabout is indelibly sweet for what could have been a simply joke taken too far, the FMV cut scenes start off as one off gags but quickly start forming an arc for main character, Georgio Manos, and even introduces a romantic relationship which becomes the driving force in the final hour or so of the game. Roundabout is an absolute joy and way more thoughtful and engaging than I would have initially guessed. Do yourself a favor and spend an afternoon with Georgio and the increasingly hilarious denizens of Roundabout (yes, the city is named Roundabout) you'll have a mile long grin plastered across your face for the duration.

Shovel Knight (5 out of 5)

Shovel Knight perfectly recreates classic Nintendo platformers from the 8-bit era. It adheres to the same limitations as well with color restrictions and number elements on screen. The games tight controllers and careful balance are necessary as the game also evokes a level of difficultly often unseen in today's games. Every boss and their associated worlds all make a strong impression which is surprising considering how many there are. I kept waiting for the one level I wasn't going to like, but it never came. Shovel Knight isn't for everyone but it is for people who love games, even if you don't have any nostalgia for the era of games Shovel Knight emulates it manages to capture the immeasurable quality of classic games such as Super Mario, Mega Man, and DuckTales to such a degree it feels in the same league. I'm struggling not to call this game perfect because no game is ever perfect but Shovel Knight is so finely tuned and meticulously designed and crafted it comes damn close. A game layered with nostalgic tinges that improves on those it emulates with smart modern design senses. Shovel Knight is a true homage, it doesn't lean on the games that inspired it but it uses them as stepping stones to achieve something altogether new.

Dead Rising 3 (2 out of 5)

Upon first booting up Dead Rising 3 I was met with the warm and fuzzies, it was like returning to a familiar and comfortable bed, but those feelings quickly slipped away into the darkness and that same bed quickly chewed up and spit me out in a horrific nightmare of an experience. Dead Rising 3 has a lot of the things the franchise has always done well, or really the one thing the franchise has always done well, killing thousands of zombies with ridiculously random weapons. Each game has added a minor tweak to that core concept, the first sequel added combo weapons and now in this third entry combo vehicles. Both of these things are great additions but not with a formula that is in desperate need of resuscitation. Dead Rising 3 is filled with laborious missions that are all the same and task you with treading over the entirety of the map multiple times needlessly extending the already doldrum filled experience. The bosses are weak, the story is tissue thin and the entire experience outstays it's welcome after just a few short hours. It's a shame such an ingenious and wacky franchise has gone the way of populous trash. Dead Rising 3 is disappointingly dull and entirely forgettable.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (4 out of 5) 

Emerging from a train tunnel into a beautiful forested area you breathlessly take in the gorgeous environment and wait for some clue as to what to do next. But it never comes. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter never explains what you are supposed to do at any point and rewards exploring every nook and cranny with excursions into reality bending side stories hidden in little side areas throughout the game. You play a classic hard boiled detective investigating a mysterious town and deducing the events that transpired before your arrival. The game boils down to finding clues and then ordering the sequence of events correctly. But game play is not what Ethan Carter is all about, the game is at all times haunting, a nervous feeling of unease permeates the entire game as you endlessly wonder whether whatever mysterious force is at work in this small town will come out from the shadows and confront you. I won't spoil exactly what awaits anyone who decides to give this game a look, but suffice to say it provides plenty of intoxicating atmosphere and a real sense of mystery which while disappointing in its final moments doesn't detract from the experience as a whole. I loved every second of this game, it evoked a great sense of  wonder and lured me in by my obsessive need to discover. I hypnotically made my way through the ominous mystery discovering every secret along the way without pausing once. I was completely enamored with the game and was only slightly disappointed with how it wrapped up.