Mezame no Hakobune

An ancient anime artefact, this is, probably, the only way I can find to describe this relic.
You simply cannot ignore “Mezame no Hakobune”, its power is almost unreal. This CGI animation will pull you from within the depths of the ocean (SHO-HO), as you swam with whales and sharks and rays, lifting you then, leading through a surreal stream of consciousness. Transpiring widely across the skies (HYAKKIN), will acknowledge you as you watch, through the eyes of the seagulls, the land from above. In a more somewhat melancholic, yet enlightened finale (KU-UN), you might question, and wisely doing so, the very origin of life; the ... genetic roots from humans to dogs.
Oshii Mamoru-san is the director, do I guess that’s everything needed to be said. The soundtrack might surprise you, because this is a well-known and superb collaboration, being Kawai Kenji-san classical suspect behind the score; you Ghost in the Shell aficionados are in for a pleasant surprise, it is honestly perfect.
Lastly, I have to say that “Mezame no Hakobune” is ultimately a triumphal piece of art; to tell a story with simply images and music is overwhelmingly beautiful, and this one in particular speaks directly to our hearts.

If i would have to describe Mezame no Hakobune with one word, i'ts gonna be "INHUMAN". There’s no story, no dialogues, and at first glance, the anime doesn't make any sense. While watching the OAV, we’re slowly being pulled into an extraterrestial universe, where various dimensions are overlaping themselves. Not knowing anything about the reality surrounding us, we travel through these weird worlds, trying to understand what’s going on. It’s a voyage of consciousness, mind, and soul.

The animation is quite nice; it’s mostly made of 3d graphics, though there are some live-action scenes as well. Some stunning colors ... are used (mostly blue/white/gold), but the true beauty of Mezame no Hakobune is definitly the OST. The soundtrack, composed from new age songs, really fits the scenery of the OAV, and creates unique atmosphere.

Mezame no Hakabune has only one weakness- some of it moments are boring as hell, and it’s an unforgivable mistake for a 42 minutes long show. Also, I wouldn’t recommend this anime to people who don’t like to think pointlessly. There are no given questions and answers, so it might be quite difficult to expect anything from the plot.

Still, it’s one of the best experimental anime out there, so be sure to watch it if you like these kind of things.

Medium-length movie directed by Mamoru Oshii to represent Japan at the Aichi expo.

Oshii's has touched the visual ceiling of animation, visually I have not seen animation movies as tremendously impressive as 'Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence' or this one. The bad thing is that in 'Open Your Mind' removing the sublime that it is in those aspects, it left me a bit cold in what it tells, I felt like something is missing.

Here we see an association of images and concepts that seem to represent the creation and evolution of life on planet Earth.
It all starts with a meeting of gods of various religions ... in a forest. All of them are impressive, especially Anubis that seems tremendously powerful and it is to whom more attention is given, possibly for having the same ears as the dogs of the Basset breed that appear in all Oshii movies.

All those gods are those who start the beginning of the universe, they are before the big-bang in a forest that is not known where it comes from, on a morning when time flows slowly. Then the explosions begin (the beginning of the universe), the water in which the fish appear later; then we get closer to the sky, to the birds, to that feeling of freedom, to that evolution in which the creatures already take flight. From there everything is complicated with games with DNA, dogs, human babies, dog-human babies, centaurs and other mixtures that seems to suggest that they could have happened.

Visually it is a jewel, in everything else it is just good.