Space Fantasia 2001 Nights

When I choose to watch a sci-fi anime that takes place in space, I go into it expecting a certain style. What I don't expect is a deadly serious, hard sci-fi space opera that takes tons of inspiration from guys like Asimov, Kubrick and Wells. That's exactly what Space Fantasia: 2001 Nights is, and it caught me off guard. This is not something you see every day in anime; I don't need more than both of my hands to think of other anime films/series that use the genre in the same way.

The film is really good, telling 3 interconnected short stories that span centuries ... and the universe itself. Nothing is taken for granted in this; the scenarios are grounded in science and realism like the bulk of early serious sci-fi is. It's all very artistic, heady, and speculative, and if you're into that type of sci-fi, you pretty much need to seek this out. It's almost a crime that I didn't know this even existed until a little over a month ago; why this has never once been licensed for release and officially translated into English is a real mystery, and a shame. I could see this having a large, vocal fanbase if more people were aware of it.

Partially based on the classic 2001 Nights manga series, it's hard not to compare this anime with the manga. And for those who have read the manga, it does come up a bit lacking.

It's pretty much a straight-up hard sci-fi tale that falls in line with what you might expect from, say, Niven or Heinlein or Brin. Also the story is emblematic of the type of themes that were being explored at the time, as the grand hope of space comes crashing against the hard realities of humanity's foibles. And it's really three parts of a ... story that are interwoven together, across a span of about 400 years.

There are some nitpicky details to the story setup (which comes with the territory when you are dealing with the harder edges of SF). And also, hints of a much larger, broader universal story out there -- but clocking in at just under an hour, there's only time to focus on this one slice of that larger universe.

When I say this comes up lacking, it's because the manga itself was a masterpiece of artwork and storytelling that would be hard for *any* adaptation to compare. Hoshino's artwork is crisp and clean, and that translates into animated form somewhat unevenly. And the animation quality is a bit on the sub-par side, relying heavily on pans-and-scans of grand backgrounds and landscapes and less on movement. Takeuchi does his best, but it's a tall order to capture the grand scope of the manga.

Taken on its own, for someone who is unfamiliar with the manga, it's just "okay". But if you have the opportunity, choose the manga instead.

Story
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It's a simple enough plot. Space exploration and attempting to begin life anew elsewhere. The story is told in a detached historical way that I have not seen anywhere else. It just plows on through making brief mention of how the characters are linked. There was also an unhappy mood hanging over the whole story.

Art
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The animation was very poor by today's standards. Considering when it was made though, this is to be expected.

Sound
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... Nothing really stood out. There was happy and sad music in all the appropriate places though so I guess that counts as a plus....

Character
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There wasn't a whole lot of time to go into character development or anything like that. The OVA seems to be focused on telling the story within that short span of time so there wasn't room for details. I think this is the first of anything I have seen where I can't even pick out a main character.

Enjoyment
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I didn't enjoy this one. My biggest complaint is that it's too short, which makes it feel like there isn't any substance to the story or that little effort was put into making its making. Again, I felt pretty detached when watching it and it might well be because of the lack of a lead character that the story follows. Maybe it's suppose to be like that--maybe the story is suppose to be told in a history textbook type manner.

Overall
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Overall, I think 2001 Ya Monogatari could have been a lot better. I wouldn't recommend this one unless you're looking for different anime styles. The way the story in this one was told is definitely different than any I have seen. Considering my complaints though, the style's probably not something I have missed out on.