Ranked #847

Memories: Stink Bomb

Directed by a guy who has been involved in plenty of great anime, Stink Bomb is a gloriously insane depiction of what not to do in the face of a bio-threat in the shape of an utterly witless Japanese salaryman with a cold and penchant for surviving military strikes.

The set-up is simple: dude takes wrong medication at his workplace; everyone around him starts to die. The brilliance is in the farcical nature of the anime, the Dr Strangelove-esque incompetence in handling the national crisis. Wherever the poor bastard goes, he wrecks havoc and has no idea why; he doesn’t question it, and he shouldn’t because this black comedy would never work otherwise.

The music is light-hearted and quirky, totally in sync with the irreverent style. The animation is decent, pleasant to look at whether we're watching characters interacting with each other or landscapes being destroyed by attack helicopters and tanks. The direction is solid, with lots of hilarious pay-offs.

A comedy classic, with an ordinary man in an extraordinary situation who doesn’t help matters by escalating them for our unbridled pleasure. Thanks must also go to the countless numbers of soldiers and generals who died in the name of comedy. I salute them all. read more

A chemist with a cold takes the wrong pill and becomes a living biological weapon unwittingly as a frightening and funny story develops.

Conclusion:
Some good ideas eclipsed by its pessimistic message of incompetence on every level of society.

Positives: Gorgeous artwork, fitting background music, brilliant idea
Negatives: Weak message, frustrating plot devices, frustrating main character


In more detail:

Story: 7

A very simple premise used to great effect. Idiot + wrong pill = disastrous result. it's very believable, and it's easy to accept and get into. Of course, as the story progresses it becomes more surreal. With a length of 40 minutes, the pacing is good too, thanks to the director: Okamura Tensai (who also directed Wolf's Rain, read what you will into that comment). However, the short running time is to both the advantage of the viewer as well as the director. He's able to get his message, about the incompetence bred into modern life by bureaucracy, across very well, and the viewer is able to sit through it.

Art: 9

The artwork was very good. The backgrounds are incredibly detailed, yet the characters are drawn slightly simpler - giving them a cartoon-like feel. This detachment from reality was a good move. Whoever called the shots recognised that many of the characters, especially in this sort of comedic allegorical tale, will be caricatures as it is. By taking advantage of the fact that the story is slightly unbelievable, the art is used for good humour and clear exaggerated emotions. Simple and clean, the art is just great to look at.

Sound: 8

The soundtrack behind the anime reflected the spirit of the piece. It was nice, making an otherwise morbid anime funny. There is a lot of jazzy music and it fits well with the increasingly absurb situations that Nobou faces.

Character: 7

Tanaka Nobou, the main character, is an everyman. It's his unwillingness to question the decisions and circumstances he's in that leads him into so much trouble. He is useless. In terms of character development, there's none. However, the intention of this short film was not to develop it, but to get a message across.

The other characters are also generic. The incompetent bosses of the chemical plant. The arrogant Americans, the angry general... all of the do add to the experience. I personally have no problems with cliches as long as they are done well, and here, they are. Each of them add some entertainment to the short, but not something new.

Enjoyment: 7

It's not the character that's the focus, the viewer comes along for the ride. A very gassy ride. Full of death. I know that the story is meant to frighten as much as entertain. Unfortunately, this humour will only work for some people. Some slapstick, but mainly from people dying. If people dying from getting close to a guy because of his gas still makes you laugh the sixty ninth time it happens then you're onto a winner. Another issue I have with this is that it's not only the army that suffers but the civilians as well, because of the clueless protagonist. I cannot accept that as funny.

Alternatively you can watched the pretty pictures and try not to take it too seriously, that can be quite enjoyable.

Overall: 7

The story is incredibly frustrating. I do not enjoy pointless death. I do not like a protagonist that does not understand why everyone dies when he gets close / why he's the only survivor in the lab etc. How the hell did he become a scientist, researcher person in the first place? He sure isn't smart enough to be. The story tries to be deep but it doesn't manage to pull it off, and as much as they try to obscure it with humour it's still very heavy-handed, not to mention depressing. However, it does have its moments, such as the eventual results of the smell. While not perfect, Stink Bomb is a very entertaining ride - and deserves a very solid seven. Feel free to make it an eight if you mainly enjoy pretty pictures, and make it a nine, or even a ten, if you like your anime short, sweet and Strangelove-esque.

If you specifically enjoy a tenacious yet useless protagonist with incredible survival abilities then I recommend you go watch Naruto or read Love Hina, after you've watched this of course. read more