Je T'aime

Humans: the only beings able to change Earth from worse to better; or from better to worse. Combining our survival insticts and our high intelligence, we humans are able to set long term goals depending on our needs - and daily strive to achieve them. We inquire, then we are looking for an answer. This is our nature, this is how humanity manages to have absolute control over the planet.


Spoilers start here


Have we made a good effort so ... far? The only thing that is for sure, is that we have been trying our best. But have we reduced the number of our needs and questions? Are we able to hypnotize our existential crises, or maybe find the answer we're looking for? Mamoru Oshii decided to create this short, yet fascinating masterpiece, instead of giving answers to rhetorical questions.

We have all met a dog in our life. Dog's nature is easily comprehensible, even to a child. Dogs are one of the simplest creatures; once you approach them with good intentions, play with them or feed them, they will give their heart to you. They are a mirror of your intentions and emotions. And that's the most common reason people adopt dogs, in order to have a guaranteed friend for many years who'll remind them to smile. Most of us find them dumb, and some of their actions funny or disgusting. But, in its "dumbness", once a dog fulfills his temporary need, he's happy. And its happiness is something fundamental many of us are lacking.

In our story, the main protagonist is a common dog who wakes up and takes a walk in the city. He's just a dog fooling around with balls, drinking water from the ground and searching for company.

During his walk, our protagonist spots crows, on the top of a tank-like vehicle. Crows symbolize transformation and change. The city is deserted. What happened to us human beings? Shortly afterwards, the question is answered.

The dog encounters a humanoid robot. It looks lost, emotionless. At first, the dog just wants to play. The robot is hostile. Then war begins - dog's ball becomes a grenade, humanoid uses his gun. Dog wins and looks at the robot's corpse from above, disappointed at it. Then, our friend continues its journey, lonely, strolling down the road.

Conclusion

The humanoid robot symbolizes humanity's whereabouts if we only cared about power, status, solving the unsolvable. Taking into account wars, egoism, greed and technological evolution just for our own convenience while harming the environment, becoming the robot is just a step further from our current situation.

"I can't live without love, and there is no reason to live without love."
Satellite of Love / Glay (insert song)

On the other hand, "Je t'aime" (I love you) are the words the dog wants to say and hear. Though, this short film does not concern dogs, but people. This dog is humanity's hope for kindness, love and peaceful coexistence. But dogs are like mirrors, aren't they? If you treat your fellow man badly, it means you self-destruct.
In the end, the "dumb" dog's pure heart won the fight, while the humanoid robot self-destructed.

There are some things we cannot avoid to evolve mankind, but if we forget the true meaning of life, the little things that make us happy and mentally healthy, our future will not be bright. Try your best and say "Je t'aime" more often. To your friends, to your family, to the world.

Note: Forgive me if I miss some parts or forgot to mention something. I saw it on premiere in an animation festival, so I can't rewatch it.

Je t'aime is a fairly enjoyable short, but don't expect groundbreaking story mechanics of any sorts.

The concept is relatively simple. Situated in a ghost town, there resides a dog that's aching for contact with another living entitiy. This is very obvious: the dog roams the streets without other living soul, and just wanders around with no purpose. These particular scenes would also show off how refined the backgrounds are.

What I love about this movie is the stark contrast between ... the two main characters; it's some sort of a modern approach to the beauty and the beast. It wouldn't be anime if it isn't put in an extreme way (one you would only expect from anime). One protagonist is an android, the other one is just a mere animal. And that's the premise of this whole story. As a viewer, you simply can't help but to empathize with this lonely dog.

The music could be considered a minus. It's your good old melodramatic love song. When I watched the screening in the cinema, the western crowd -that most certainly isn't used to anime- burst into laughter. The reason is probably because it sounded so kitsch. I've personally never realized that before, due to the fact that anime is full of kitsch moments like that. But one thing is for sure. That incident did make me realize one thing: the fact that I'm used to it, means that this song most certainly isn't original. Maybe it's a bad thing, maybe it's a good thing. But it also means that it wasn't anything peculiar at all.

Overall, I did enjoy a few aspects of this movie. The weird relationship between the two protagonists was touching. Other things like the detailed environment that set the mood, and the surprising plot made this anime somewhat memorable.

Misleading synopsis.

Je T' aime begins mysteriously enough, with a beautiful piano soundtrack and desolate, melancholic feeling perhaps. And then it just loses me completely.

Obnoxious musical stings and heavy soundtrack that do not belong in this story kick in and we encounter a humanoid. And, a contrived, silly message with it. (Probably.)

Why was it done this way??

You had a phenomenal premise, you could've done so much with it! A lonely dog's point of view after the rapture or apocalypse. Painting strong feelings of despair, fragility and cruelness of nature. And what's been brought upon with time...

... Wasted.

This one's a skip...

...Honestly it's no wonder I have heard ABSOLUTELY NOTHING of this piece of media from anyone ever.