Posted by John on September 16, 2001 at 15:26:43:
I just wanted to post this for any anime fans, or potential anime fans, or fans of Film Festival winning movies.
The Channelside theater downtown is playing "Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade" right now. This is an award winning anime from the director of Ghost in the Shell. I thought it was excellent.
Brief run-down on the story:
Set in Japan in an alternate past that supposes Japan lost WWII to the Nazi's. The story takes place several decades after that where Japan has a distinctly Nazi influence. Social unrest has plagued the country and a special unit of heavily armed anti-terrorist troops was formed to deal with them. The story centers on one of these troops in the last days before this feared unit is disbanded. This man, Fuse, confronts a teenage girl carrying a bomb, and rather than shooting her per orders watches as she blows herself up to get away from him. He is sent back to the academy for "retraining" and examined emotionally. Meanwhile he meets this girl's sister who looks exactly like her and a story of loyalties and political intrigue develops. Fuse is plagued by dreams of wolves tearing apart this girl. And the story begins to parallel the original Grimm Brother's story Rotkapchen (spelling?), (Little Red Riding Hood, but the original has a very different plot) as rumors of a secret counterintelligence agency of the special unit known as the Wolf Brigade enter the picture. Where do Fuse's emotional and political ties lie? Is this hardened soldier capable of feeling? Who are the good guys?
As the movie poster says: A wolf in sheeps clothing is still a wolf.
Slight plot spoiler ahead!!
This movie also contains one of my new favorite lines: Only in the stories humans tell do the hunters kill the wolf.
If you like anime this is awesome, and if you don't give it a try. The art is incredible and the tone is dark and cerebral.
I only advertise it here because this art form is slowly making it's way to this country and is still not profitable enough to merit TV ads. The more people who go, means they will continue to bring these types of artistic and genre films to Tampa.