"Pure psychic automatism, by which one proposes to express, either verbally, in writing, or by any other manner, the real functioning of thought. Dictation of thought in the absence of all control exercised by reason, outside of all aesthetic and moral preoccupation."
-Discover new surreal shows
-Discuss about any surreal anime
-Define the word "surrealism"
-Decide which animations fit better in the definition of surrealism
-Let the subconscious speaks of itself
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Enjoy your stay here! ^_^
P.S. Any anime/manga recommendations for the club are welcomed as well as corrections, suggestions or anything else.
Point taken, Insania, Cencoroll doesn't really achieve a happy medium. But that implies closure, which, taken from its resolution, or lack thereof, one could say that isn't its intention.
Alien 9, FLCL, Mind Game, and others like Paprika, are all conceptually awesome. But comparing any of them to Cencoroll is like comparing any 4-5min song by Radiohead to Rachmaninoff's The Rock. Their aesthetics are somewhat comparable but the composition/format differs. Cencoroll is a short, in the same vein of Robot Carnival or Neo Tokyo.
Touch_my_bankai (rotfl!! i just lost my shit, great name XD) is getting my drift. The titles you mentioned are sustained efforts made by an animation team, not just one talented dude. So to say its been done better before, I think you're gonna have to mention something more comparable to make the assertion been done better before.
Even when considering format, in most cases watching a single episode FLCL (or an half and hour of mind-game) creates less closure then Cencoroll does. I'd exchange "under-developed" for "visceral", and "unpolished" for "honest".
And can we be so pretentious to assume FLCL's poignant angst wasn't buried among a clever homage to Chuck Jones kinetics and manipulation? Don't think so.
FLCL was also a smorgasboard of ideas, but it repackages them into a cohesive and compelling experience. Once you get past its overly-kinetic nature, you could tell what exactly it is trying to accomplish and explain. Every use of its manipulation of images and narratives drives its point rather than buries it in an attempt to be clever.
Alien Nine, despite meandering well into its ending, stroke a balance with its surreal imagery by injecting some sharp commentary on how the innocence of youth can be easily corrupted or fed upon by the deepest, darkest corners of the adult world.
Mind Game used the manipulation of images to its advantage as an introspective yet vivid look into a weak-willed mangaka's view on life and his emergence from carrying a burden of doubt that serves to be detrimental to his view on life.
Cencoroll never manages to achieve a happy medium the way that both FLCL, A9, and Mind Game did. It ultimately ends up being extremely unpolished and under-developed. It's a simple case of "done better before".
I can see how one could find it blunt and concept-driven, but "purposeless and not thoroughly realized" seems harsh and a little spiteful. Yeah it was hyped up, its only a 120 min and there's no backstory; intentionally or unintentionally it will leave some viewers hungry for more. The milieu is a bit spacious, but I think this adds to the surreal atmosphere.
It does well in delivering all the elements of a strong story: sexual tension, teenage angst, mystery, and a strong antagonist in that short time, while re-packaging some cliches beautifully in a fresh way. Plus the lack of resolution tugs at the imagination a bit. I think its an experience worth remembering until Atsuya's next effort.
These are my thoughts on Cencoroll I posted on an anime forum I regularly visit.
I said: This beauty of an animated piece is consistently fluid, and it makes Cenco's transformations all the while captivating. Unfortunately, there really isn't much as far as story and character depth goes. Some will argue that the main characters' apathy is a natural part of teenage behavior, but it feels purposeless and not thoroughly realized. Significantly, this short is more focused on ''idea" rather than using it to create a full-fledged piece of creative entertainment.
In the end, it's a technical marvel that doesn't have much to say. There isn't anything that makes the experience stick out in anyone's head after a couple of weeks.
I will not comment on the discussion as I understand the points on boths sides, I also didn't read all the four pages of comments, but read most of the first.
To speak the truth years ago, when I stumbled upon works like Tortov Rodle and others at the time, it never even crossed my mind that they would be anime nor did I called them anime, for me they were in the same terms as any other occidental work of the same field.
Only some time later did I learn that it was considered anime and throughout the time, I also began to treat it like "anime" because of its origin. And also, these clubs in the "anime" kingdom feel pretty comfortable to sit and drink my whisky while watching at these animations, so I never really bothered thinking about the issue again.
Just thought I would let you members know that MAL Db moderators are phasing out Stop Motion Animation from the Dbase - if you want to log your objections (or maybe support) you can do so here it makes some very interesting reading, in particular how stubborn the moderators are on the issue
You probably all seen this already but I feel that the message should be spread
