Mind Game

After seeing her jump onto a subway at the last second and getting her ankle crushed between the doors, Nishi reconnects with his high school sweetheart, Myon. Nishi is still very much in love with Myon, but is shocked to learn that she is engaged to another man. Nishi agrees to meet Myon's fiancé at her family's Yakitori restaurant, but members of the Yakuza storm the joint and murder Nishi when he tries to stop them from raping Myon.

Nishi, now dead, wakes up and meets a constantly shapeshifting god, who mocks him for dying. The god tells Nishi to walk into a portal and disappear from existence, which Nishi rejects, choosing instead to sprint past the god and reanimate. With a new outlook on life and knowledge of how the Yakuza are going to attack him, Nishi kills one of the Yakuza with his own gun, fleeing in a stolen car with Myon and her sister.

Acclaimed director Masaaki Yuasa's debut film, Mind Game's constantly shifting visuals tell a story about living one's life without regrets that is unlike any other.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Nishi Main

Imada, Koji Japanese

Myon Main

Maeda, Sayaka Japanese

Jii-san Supporting

Fujii, Takashi Japanese

Yakuza Supporting

Nishi, Rintarou Japanese

Atsu Supporting

Chuujou, Kenichi Japanese

Yan Supporting

Takuma, Seiko Japanese

Watanabe, Shinichirou Producer

Tanaka, Eiko Producer

Yuasa, Masaaki Director, Script, Character Design

Fayray Theme Song Performance

Reviews

Mar 18, 2024

JJ_Wip7

Recommended

"Mind Game" is an expansive journey through the complexities of life, beautifully brought to life through Yuasa's experimental and psychedelic animation. The film delves into the theme of embracing life's endless possibilities, showcasing how even the most insignificant of lives can transform with self-expression. The protagonist, Nishi, initially portrayed as a “loser” with unfulfilled desires and somebody who lived through life in a disassociated manner as expressed by his work of being a mangaka. Nishi embarks on a surreal adventure after a brush with the Japanese mafia. Through twists and turns that take him to heaven, Nishi discovers profound truths about existence and the subjective ... nature of our perceptions. One of the film's standout features is Yuasa's daring use of creative liberties, employing vibrant imagery and symbolism to convey deeper meanings. The animation style constantly shifts, keeping viewers engaged and reflecting the unpredictable nature of life itself. Despite its abstract narrative, "Mind Game" manages to deliver a cohesive message about overtly connectedness of our lives and embracing life's uncertainties. It's a visually stunning and thought-provoking experience that encourages viewers to appreciate the diversity of human experiences and the boundless potential within us all. As for this next section it is spoiler heavy as it touches on my love for the final scene. You have been warned!!! In the final scene of "Mind Game," as Nishi and his companions run up the towering wave in the sky, we are given a mesmerizing montage that encapsulates the film's central themes with stunning visual symbolism. This sequence serves as a culmination of Nishi's journey and the interconnectedness of all lives, emphasizing the boundless potential and infinite possibilities that exist within us. The imagery of the wave itself is symbolic of life's challenges and the constant flow of change. As the characters ascend the wave, it represents their determination to confront past obstacles and embrace the unknown. The wave also carries echoes of traditional Japanese art, representing the need for resilience within the scene. Lastly, the montage showcasing snippets of different lives intertwined further reinforces the film's message of interconnectedness. It draws emphasis on how every individual, no matter how seemingly insignificant, contributes to the never ending encyclopedia that is life. "Mind Game" is truly a testament to Yuasa's innovative storytelling, this is unlike anything I have experienced. This is a movie that truly made me want to live my life, thank you Yuasa.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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May 19, 2024

SmokingTire

Mixed Feelings

This animated movie is definitely unique in style, however in lacks a narrative through line (specifically the ending). At the last stage of the movie it seems to end twice? meaning it showed us the title card two times along with a assortment of short animated sequences we have already seen before from the beginning of the movie.
I think with some light editing work this movie could valued much higher than it already is. I enjoyed the direction style and shot composition, the usage of colors was great to see. I think we spend to much time in the whale and the movie cuts off ... at an interesting point (what happens when they leave the whale?!) ie the gangsters coming after them. Of course there is some character progression with the MC.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Jun 9, 2012

mjharper

Not Recommended

I like arty and pretentious anime as much as the anyone. I think Neon Genesis Evangelion, whose seemingly innocuous mecha beginnings give way to stream-of-consciousness psychoanalyzing, is a high-water mark. Confusing or confused, it's worth it. And I'm a huge fan of Satoshi Kon's work, all of which pushes the limits of anime. I enjoy the challenging stuff.

So when I read several fairly glowing reviews of Mind Game, I was curious. But I'm not sure if we were all watching the same film. Yes, the art and animation are spectacular, shifting between contrasting styles with grace and ease. It's certainly a visual showcase. Yet none ... of the reviews mention the aspects I'm going to talk about below; and I'm inclined to think that beyond the artwork, Mind Game is really just art-house by numbers. Fill in the dots between seemingly edgy elements, and you'll have a great piece of cinema. Or not.

Take the characters. Nishi is a wannabe Manga-artist. Fine. Myon wanted to be a swimmer until her breasts got in the way. Um, fine. The old man prepares gourmet dinners and talks to his friends, the dinosaurs. Whatever. And Yan wants to be a performance artist and likes nothing more that taping balloons to her chest, covering herself with paint, and throwing herself at canvas. While trapped inside a whale. Er… what?

This is all meant to be psychedelic and avant-garde, I suppose. Subtle it isn't. For example: Nishi tells Myon a story about space explorers for whom the only source of food on the planet they were stranded on was alien excrement. But then it turns out that the space explorers were actually on a cell in Myon's body, and they grew larger until being flushed out of her system. You can imagine the details, I'm sure. This charming tale has the inexplicable effect of seducing Myon; I can only suppose that her eyes were so clouded with love that saw in it the unrestrained imagination of her beau, and that the story was meant to have the same effect on the viewer. Personally, I just thought it was tasteless.

Duly seduced, Myon and Nishi have sex. Fortunately, there isn't any nudity, as their bodies dissolve into a kaleidoscope of lines, colours and images. Unfortunately, this sequence resembles nothing so much as a 1969 sketch by Monty Python: trains entering tunnels and then crashing, waves lashing against the shore, that sort of thing. Only in the sketch, we ultimately pan away to reveal an inept guy playing the film to his increasingly frustrated girlfriend. See, the Python sketch is a parody. Which says a lot for the sequence in Mind Game.

It's as if the whole thing is trying too hard to be different, to be absurd, to be psychedelic. Towards the end all four of the main cast pool their resources to escape, rowing as hard as they can through the water-filled stomach of the whale—until their boat is broken. With only the momentum to carry them forward, they use whatever comes their way as leverage to propel them forwards: bits of wood... fish... a fly... Onwards they run, as the whale swallows successively large objects: a ship, an airplane (which explodes behind them), an office block, which Nishi has to navigate his way through, leaping over tables and through windows…

Then finally we see a almost identical stream of images to those which opened the movie, only with slight differences; so whereas at the start Myon caught her foot in the door of an underground train, now she doesn't. This is art-house by numbers again: repeat the same four minutes of footage with minor changes and in so doing give 'meaning' to the changes. What it actually means is not actually the issue; the fact that it's meaningful is all that's important.

In the end, Mind Game is a hodgepodge of highbrow and lowbrow; of comments about breast size and toilet jokes combined with literary references and pseudo-symbolism. Perhaps it wants to exploit the contrast in a kind of cinematic magical realism; but in my view it fails completely. Nothing represents the film better than Yan's paint dancing: it wants to be art, but it's mired in vulgarity.

Bought, watched, and offered for sale on amazon marketplace before I'd even finished it.
__________
Poor; I wish I'd done something better with my time. Its merits are few and far between.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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	Mind Game Kickstarter GoldNautilus - Mar 27, 2017	0 replies	by GoldNautilus »» Mar 27, 2017 5:05 PM

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