Reviews

Gainax's two short films made for the science-fiction conventions Daicon III and Daicon IV. But that's not exactly true. The truth is is that this wasn't made by Gainax in name, but rather a group of young animators that would go on to form that of one of anime's most prolific and influential studios of all time. These seemingly little things birthing such a giant of Japanese animation would come as no surprise to anyone who'd watch them. These music videos are full of fluent, active animation as mascot girls jump between absurd scenes and battles featuring science-fiction icons such as Darth Vader, Gundam, and Transformers. The number of references is astounding, and this is a work that bursts from passion both from its animation and appreciation for the fantasy of anime and its many national and international origins.

The opening for Daicon IV is the most well-known of the two, partially for featuring the song "Twilight" by rock band Electric Light Orchestra from their 1981 album "Time". I was never that much of a fan of that album for getting away from ELO's faux-electro orchestra sound, but if there's an exception it's that single song. And if there's a reason, it's this single short which I saw for the first time ages ago. The use of the track is such literary genius that I wonder if it was accidental because of the language barrier and just chosen for being a cool song. The opening text scroll subtitling the album's concept narrative implies otherwise, as lyrically Twilight conjures up the story of a bewildered man who finds himself transported through time into the future and questioning whether he's in reality or a dream, and that he "only meant to stay a while". These shorts, made at the beginning of the anime Otaku-boom and birth of a true subculture herald such an event, a celebration of the starry-eyed fanaticism that the boundless wonders of escapist imagination anime has been inspired for decades since. It's a beautiful thing to look back on now as a celebration of anime while at the same time being at that early a stage in the medium's life making it an optimistic view looking forward to the countless dreams to come. The bouncing surrealist narrative is unhinged and loose with excitement about all of the creative fantasies that have been created as well as the ones that would be on their way forever more. To give us one last reminder, an ending animation features ELO's "Hold on Tight" which repeatedly states "hold on tight to your dreams". And many of the animators who touched this project did just that.

It's just about impossible for an anime fan to not like the Daicon shorts, because they are so definitively "anime" in their sporadic eccentricities, and that level of energy was only just blooming at the time they were created. It's almost like watching something new come to life, because in a way, that's what was happening.