The film takes place primarily within an advanced OS capable of actually recording data of all periods of time and space, including the people who lived there. Two anti-virus programs, Dual and Dorothy are entrusted with destroying the corrupted data. Known as viruses, they infect the artificial worlds as well as the data of the people who once lived there. Duel and Dorothy have to go inside the data worlds and find the ones that are too corrupted to be saved. Of course, this means they have to destroy the people there, including the ones they consider to be “friends”.
Those harrowing days soon change when one day, a mysterious girl known only as Remo falls from a defeated virus. Unknowing of who she is and where she comes from, Remo starts to hang around with Dorothy and Dual, and the three of them share an amazing bond that will transcend the very essence of what it means to be real…
If that sounded like a cop out…
CONGRATULATIONS!! You get a cookie.
The movie is way more darker than it appears to be. But it was a rich and endearing movie in so many aspects, creating a visual masterpiece with a simple but endearing message.
ART
10/10
The visuals were absolutely breathtaking in this film! I especially liked the parts where the girls visited data versions of landmarks like Niagara Falls, and how much work the staff took to not only recreating them, but animating them in a way that seemed like they were realistic. The viruses were just typical fodder; nothing too special about them. But the colorful landscape of the data world was an absolute marvel to behold, and while the character models were just typical moe, I didn’t seem to mind all that much. Moe is good when it’s done right!
MUSIC
8/10
There were two songs in the middle of the movie that were kinda iffy for me. However, what really worked for me was the background music. The piano not only complemented the story as an important plot point to drive the story forward, but was very stunning and kept me soothed and relaxed while watching. It was especially nice during character interactions and the final act of the movie how much the music got me to feel during those moments, particularly for tropes I’ve seen done on screen hundreds of times. But that didn’t really diminish my enjoyment of it.
STORY
7/10
Plot wise, there was nothing too different to separate this film from others of this genre. But it did raise some important questions about humanity and what it means when trying to retain it long after its gone. What’s the best justice towards that end? Is it only important to remember the most “beautiful” parts like joy and love and happiness? Things like pain and war are sad, but they are just as much a part of what make us human as the happy things. I thought that was a really deep thought, something I have seen in anime before but never really thought about until now.
CHARACTERS
10/10
According to the Director’s intro, the most important part of this film to him were the characters. There aren’t that many, and there wasn’t much time allotted I’m the movie to truly explore them, so I’ll simply go through them one by one.
DOROTHY
A “tsundere” program with a seeming nonchalance about deleting viruses and getting too attached with the data-people, Dorothy is not really that much of a focal point in regards to the story. Nevertheless, she does have an interesting character growth during the film. She initially finds human emotions and feelings like taste and happiness to be “weird”, but learns to appreciate life over time and realize things like “dreams” and “feelings” aren’t such bad things after all. It’s a trope that’s been done to death, but it was done here so beautifully that it appears so endearing when it happens to her.
DUAL Originally introduced as someone who does her job of deleting viruses like it’s no big deal, Dual is revealed to be more “human” than she initially lets on. Being able to taste yummy things if she tells herself they are “delicious” is just a small indicator of how self-aware she really is. This only increases through contact with Sumire, a data-person with a passion for piano that develops a friendship with her, and the enigmatic Remo, a girl who changes her world forever.
REMO
There are a few interesting things about her character to note, but the only thing that really matters is how dedicated she really is, both to her newfound friends and her secret mission, one that really demonstrates just how important humanity really is, and why it’s worth preserving!
OVERALL
While this is defiantly not “Anime Film of the Year” material, it’s DEFINATELY an enjoyable movie with a simple message about life (and maybe about technology) that will leave you thinking for at least a few minutes afterwards! Make sure to see it on Crunchyroll, complete with an introduction and Q&A from the director himself! You won’t wanna miss this one!
Garakowa – Restore the World can be found on Crunchyroll, complete with a intro and Q&A by the director himself, to describe key aspects of the film both going in and coming out of it. It’s really a treat to see, so I recommend watching those along with the actual film.
