Memories (1995) [Anime Review]

Memories; or, Space Butterfly
     Memories aren't an escape!
I think it would be fitting to begin this review by stating that After Akira there were Memories… How come no distribution label used this as a tagline?! So yes, indeed, Memories is an anime feature, an anthology of science-fiction tales to be exact, adapted from manga stories created by Katsuhiro Otomo.

Release Info

Directed by: Koji Morimoto, Tensai Okamura, Katsuhiro Otomo

Language: Japanese Original Title: メモリーズ Runtime: 113 min

Synopsis
The movie presents us with three stories: Magnetic Rose; Stink Bomb; Cannon Fodder. The first one is basically a rescue mission in deep space which goes totally wrong. The second one presents us with a scientific worker who wakes up from a nap and discovers that all of his colleagues are dead. Whereas the final vignette introduces a bizarre world of a society that is at war with an unknown enemy and their lives constantly revolve around cannons.

In the Realm of Sci-Fi
I do not want to call this movie a spiritual companion to Akira (1988), but it goes without saying that Memories bears a distinct auteur mark of Katsuhiro Otomo in terms of animation style, colours, and motion fluidity. Nevertheless, this is first and foremost a joint-project made by three directors and their distinct visions.

As a result, Koji Morimoto’s Magnetic Rose consumes the majority of the film’s runtime, and rightfully so, because it is a stunning piece of sci-fi storytelling. It obviously takes visual cues from Alien (1979) and 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984), but this segment also manages to precede with its ingenious storyline Paul W. S. Anderson’s Event Horizon (1997). Magnetic Rose is an enchanting (Madama Butterfly!) yet at the same time demanding viewing experience. I felt so exhausted towards the end that I had to take a break and check out the remaining parts of Memories later on.

Tensai Okamura’s segment called Stink Bomb is undoubtedly the most light-hearted one in the entire movie. Thanks to bright visuals and kick-ass jazz/funk music score by Jun Miyake, the viewers can have a laugh at the wild misadventures of Nobuo Tanaka, a nerdy scientist who is determined to transport a top-secret drug from Kofu to Tokyo at all costs! This is my personal favourite segment, and allegedly, it was inspired by a real-life incident that took place in the US in 1994.

Last but not least, there is Katsuhiro Otomo’s Cannon Fodder. This is, unfortunately, the shortest segment of Memories, yet it does not mean that it is weak or bad. Within 20 minutes, Otomo really grabs you by the heart with his hot take on Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927) mixed with a touch of George Orwell’s 1984. Many questions were running through my head with regard to the setting, context, and characters, but Otomo does not provide any answers at all. When a child asks his father about the enemy they are fighting, the father does not provide the details but only replies, “You’ll understand when you get bigger.”

Recommendations
All things considered, I highly recommend Memories if you are in need for a dose of old-school anime science fiction. The movie was released last year on Blu-ray from Discotek Media. I believe it is also available on Tubi, at least according to the letterboxd site.Overall score: 8/10

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Samjin Company English Class (2020) [Film Review]

Samjin Company English Class; or, Girl Power!
     Do you know why office workers can’t be detectives? We have neither time nor authority.
I think I would not have discovered this film if it had not been for a recommendation from my wonderful friend from MDL, Yuanwei. Samjin Company English Class is a 2020 comedy drama directed by Lee Jong Pil and Lee Jung Beom. It is yet another motion picture (see Office Royale: Hell’s Garden and Shomuni franchise) focusing on the challenging plight of hardworking office ladies.

Release Info

Directed by: Lee Jong Pil, Lee Jung Beom Starring: Go Ah Sung, Esom, Park Hye Soo

Language: Korean Original Title: 삼진그룹 영어토익반 Runtime: 110 min

Synopsis
South Korea, 1995. This is a time of major economic growth for the country. Companies are expanding to international markets and Windows has become a leading operating system across the globe. We follow three office ladies: Lee Ja Young (Go Ah Sung), Jeong Yoo Na (Esom), and Sim Bo Ram (Park Hye Soo) who are forced to do petty tasks at Samjin Corporation. Nevertheless, the three friends are ambitious and resourceful. They want to climb up the career ladder. As a result, they sign up to TOEIC-level English class. One day, Lee Ja Young accidentally discovers that there is a spill of a toxic substance known as Phenol from the Samjin factory. The office ladies begin their private investigation in the course of which they uncover a corporate conspiracy.

English is easy
I have to say that Samjin Company English Class feels very much like a spiritual companion piece to Shomuni (1998). The narrative structure is the same: OLs with vibrant personalities are basically the underdogs, and they oppose their white-collar superiors; the time setting fits perfectly: the 1990s; and even their company uniforms look very similar. Needless to say, these are the basic ingredients which make this movie entertaining, and even better than the reboot season of Shomuni from 2013.

I very much appreciated that the main heroines are not hateful or toxic towards each other, but from beginning to the end, they had each other’s back and were really engaged in doing their own investigation/corporate espionage. What is more, each character utilised her personal skill to get the job done. At first, I thought that the English class with this introverted, yet a bit impatient teacher (totally me, by the way) was just a comic-relief gimmick, but it actually served a purpose in the context of the film! In consequence, I very much value the message coming from this movie. That is: If you want to achieve something, you need to better yourself and never give up.

The ending was, in general, satisfying but a bit convoluted. In order to understand what is going on, you need to have a good idea of how big corporations actually work. Initially, I thought that there would be a hostile takeover, but actually, the baddies lowered the value of a company and tried to merge it with another one. I hope I understood this correctly. I sucked at a Business English course at my university. In addition, I don’t think that what I just wrote is a spoiler because there are many plot twists in the finale.

Speaking about performances, I love all the main actresses so much! Esom in particular won me over with her elegant and confident demeanour. Go Ah Sung is adorable as the office lady who wants to make a difference. Sim Bo Ram is extremely funny as a reserved maths genius who constantly looks for a fish called Rambo(!). Kim Jong Soo has a great supporting part as Sim Bo Ram’s mentor and friend. It is also nice to see Bae Hae Seon in a small role as a copywriter. As for David McInnis (who did very well as the CEO), casting foreign actors as baddies in Korean productions gradually becomes a clichéd trope. Please someone do something about this.

Recommendations
Samjin Company English Class is worth your attention mainly due to great performances, wonderful retrowave music score, top-notch production design, and cinematography filled with warm colours. The end credits constitute a separate, little artwork as well! So yes, you can’t go wrong with these office ladies. I am hoping that there is a chance for a sequel.

Overall score: 8/10

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A Confucian Confusion (1994) [Film Review]

A Confucian Confusion; or, The Way of a Copywriter
     Don't you feel emotion is becoming dangerous nowadays? Emotion has only become an excuse. It can be faked. Take you, for example, your innocence, loveliness, tenderness, vivacity. They all can be faked. Think about it.
Recently, I found myself in a dire need for Edward Yang. Yi Yi (2000) is obviously a masterpiece and to date remains one of my all-time favourite movies, but I wanted to check out the director’s earlier works as well. My choice became A Confucian Confusion from 1994. I have been eyeing this particular motion picture for quite some time, but I was either not in the mood for it or too tired to pay attention to multiple storylines. Well, I finally watched it, so here are my thoughts on the film.

Release Info

Directed by: Edward Yang Starring: Suk Kwan Ni, Bosen Wang, Chen Shiang-chyi, Danny Dun

Language: Mandarin Original Title: 獨立時代 Runtime: 125 min

Synopsis
The story focuses on the misadventures of Molly (Suk Kwan Ni), a fast-paced yet moody businesswoman who is unhappy at work and also within a relationship. She is engaged to Akeem (Bosen Wang) who is a businessman doing international travels. Needless to say, he is hopelessly in love with Molly and incredibly jealous. Molly manoeuvres through her friends, former colleagues, and relatives, who are also in search of true meaning in life and true love. Will they be able to find both?

Taipei Nights
Description of the film on MyDramaList says that if Woody Allen were to direct a Taiwanese picture, then it would have looked like A Confucian Confusion. In my opinion, this statement is a bit far-fetched. Edward Yang, in his own, idiosyncratic auteur style, mercilessly dissects the social stratum of Taipei yuppies. The 1990s were a decade in which Taiwan was a rapidly growing economy; therefore, people became overwhelmed by rampant consumerism. What were the implications of that?

In A Confucian Confusion, Yang elaborates on the themes of fakeness and emptiness. It is always so easy to fake emotions or to pretend to be somebody else at work just to achieve a certain goal. What is more, the masses are interested only in the mainstream stuff, opting to cheer for a scummy artist rather than series writer. If Confucius himself got reincarnated and returned to Earth, people would tell him that he is a fake.

So this is the main modus operandi of the characters. They are deeply unhappy in modern society and desperately try to do something about it, to make the right choice. Here Yang's allegory about choosing either autocratic rule or democracy is important. To be honest, I very much enjoyed all the interactions and conflicts presented in the film. Yang presented the whole thing as if the audience performed the function of bystanders who witness flashes of events concerning ordinary people. My favourite subplot was the one focusing on Qiqi and her boyfriend.

With regard to performances, I obviously enjoyed Suk Kwan Ni as the main lead, but I also greatly liked seeing Chen Shiang-chyi and Danny Dun in the supporting roles. Interestingly, there are small parts done by veteran actresses: the late Chen Limei who played Molly’s sister and Elaine Jin who portrayed the Auntie.

Recommendations
If you are in the mood for a satirical (nearly Shakespearean, indeed) comedy flick from Edward Yang that rides to the ground the unlikable (yet deeply existentialist) business people from Taipei, then I recommend A Confucian Confusion. It is indeed a hidden treasure from director Edward Yang.

Overall score: 7/10

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