Title: Sekai Seifuku: Bouryaku no Zvezda (aka World Conquest: Zvezda Plot)
Release Date: January 11, 2014
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Genre: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi, Comedy
Synopsis: Precocious little girl Kate Hoshimiya is the leader of a mysterious secret society composed of social misfits and odd characters. Their goal: world domination.
Verdict: From the anime that started it all, Osamu Tezuka's Tetsuwan Atom (aka Astro Boy), to last year's break out hit, Attack on Titan, successful series have usually been based on popular manga, video games or light novels. However, although anime began as a means of adaptation, every once in a while a completely original work will come along and blow your mind. In the late 90s, it was Shinichiro Watanabe's Cowboy Bebop. In the mid-00s, it was Imaishi's Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. This year, it just may be Bouryaku no Zvezda.
Bow to your new (adorable) lord and sovereign!
Everything about the show is bursting with originality and inventiveness. Studio A-1 Pictures, which was behind 2010's Anime no Chikara (lit, "the power of anime") series, is right at home developing an original project. Director Tensai Okamura, whose given name translates to "genius," has helmed several successful series over the course of his multi-decade career (including original series Wolf's Rain and Darker Than Black). To complete the production trifecta, scriptwriters from dojin circle-turned-industry giants Type-Moon have designed a colorful cast of characters to fill out Zvezda's roster.
Gathered here for a group photo.
Apart from their chibi-sized leader, the society's ranks include a hulking skeleton with a penchant for military dress and cake; a scantily-clad scientist and her robot sidekick; and a crass, katana-wielding femme fatale. Second-year middle school student and runaway Asuta Jimon rounds out the rogues gallery after finding himself caught up in the gang's latest skirmish with the JSDF. Just how Hoshimiya and company plan to take over the world remains to be seen, but, with the personnel involved, it's sure to be an exciting romp.
As you may have guessed, I, like most of those who appreciate anime and science fiction, am familiar with giant robots. Anime's very foundation is built on the likes of Astro Boy and Gigantor, and Adult Swim fostered my own appreciation for the likes of Big O and Evangelion. I've read a BattleTech novel or two. And I enjoy the musical stylings of MC Frontalot from time to time. So when Legendary Pictures released this trailer a few months ago:
I rejoiced...or had heart palpitations, I'm not sure (whatever happened it ended with me foaming on the floor). I had avidly followed the development of the project from initial pitch to post-production. The inclusion of the visionary Guillermo del Toro and his glowing track record did much to put me further at ease. And yet my inner pessimist had convinced me to take it all with a grain of salt. I'd been burned by hype before, and no amount of flowery language was going to sway my heart without seeing it in action. And then two and a half minutes of video took away all worries, reservations and concerns; whether it was a visual triumph or a dud, I was all-in.
So now comes the (200) million-dollar question: does Pacific Rim deliver? Well, it depends on what you're looking for. If you came to see huge metal contraptions the size of skyscrapers punch it out with gargantuan reptilian beasts who come by land, air and sea, then Pacific Rim is sure to delight. If you were looking for a giant robot film that contemplates the complex moral nature of man and raises questions about what it really means to be a hero, then you're a glum individual who should dive back into those philosophy textbooks before attempting to over-analyze Evangelion again.
Pic unrelated.
The story of Pacific Rim is straightforward enough. For those who didn't click on the trailer above, the story takes place 12 years into the war with kaiju, mysterious creatures who emerge from an interdimensional rift in the the Pacific seabed. The common threat forces the nations of the world to put aside their differences and pool their resources to construct giant robots, called jaegers, to combat the beasts. The reluctant hero, Raleigh Becket, is a washed-up jaeger pilot who watched as the kaiju eventually turned the tides against mankind, losing his brother Yancy in the process. As the jaeger program suffers increased losses, the world governments lose faith, pull funding and begin building questionably effective coastal walls. All of this, which could easily have been a movie in itself, is summed up before the first title card. The narrative picks up here, as veteran jaeger commander Stacker Pentecost calls Becket out of retirement to mount one last desperate offensive and close the rift for good.
First the good: everything about the movie, the robots, the monsters, the musical score, the action (oh god, the action), looks and feels big. A film of this scale has rarely been attempted, and the ease with which del Toro executes these truly massive sequences is enough to fool anyone into thinking he's done nothing but make giant robot movies for his entire career. The jaegers really do come to life under his masterful eye, each with its own personality formed by unique weapons and abilities. The first time you see the three-armed Crimson Typhoon fight is a wonder to behold. And as impressive as the jaegers are, the kaiju are equally worthy of praise. Categorized by threat level, like hurricanes, the kaiju inspire a true sense of danger whenever they're on screen, and it is made abundantly clear that jaegers are the only thing capable of stopping the considerable havoc they wreak. This really is a movie that's meant to be seen on a big screen.
Paper beats Rock, huh? We'll see about that...
The bad is mostly a matter of opinion. Many of the negative reviews I read criticize the plot for its simplicity and dismiss the main players as one-dimensional stock characters. They are absolutely right. The story and the characters involved in it only work if they are straightforward and earnest. It's hard to be tortured and conflicted when literally everyone on the planet will die if you don't do your job. What more motivation do you need? That can-do attitude was exactly what del Toro wanted to portray. He, among others, is getting tired of these darker, edgier "heroes."
Pacific Rim is not entirely devoid of character, either. Raleigh and his co-pilot Mako are pretty cut-and-dry, but the supporting cast are able to inject some color into the proceedings. Idris Elba owns every scene he's in as Stacker Pentecost, a picture of undying will. Burn Gorman's Dr. Hermann Gottlieb is an annoyingly-written cane-walking caricature of a scientist - strait-laced, physically infirm and haughtily dismissive of his rival - but his fellow kaiju researcher Newt Geiszler, played amicably by Charlie Day, might just be my spirit animal (smart, tattooed, thinks of himself as a rock star? yes, please). And I'd die happy if I could achieve a tenth of the swag Hannibal Chau (portrayed with scene-stealing aplomb by Ron Perlman) has on display.
Seriously, what the fuck is that suit? The threads are spun from baby angel hair.
At the end of the day, Pacific Rim may not be a perfect film, but it does make for a perfect spectacle. The true characters of the movie, the jaegers and kaiju, are truly a technical achievement that will live on in the annals of pop culture history. Del Toro has given birth to a monster, and it is a big, fierce and beautiful reminder of why we go to the movies.
