Wow, this came out in 1995? The art is fantastic! It is extremely detailed, and the 3rd movie in particular has an awesome unique style to it!
Story:
These 3 short movies each have their own appeal and strengths.
The first, "Magnetic Rose", is a solid sci-fi mystery. The crew of a spaceship receive a distress signal from an abandoned space station. As they investigate, they have some very strange sights and encounters. "Magnetic Rose" has a highly believable, immersive setting. For the vast majority of the movie it is impossible to tell what will happen next, so many interesting ingredients, this story could have been twice as long and I'd be grateful!
After my expectations were set so high from the first story, the second, "Stink Bomb", was disappointing. An employee at a medicine development company accidentally swallows a new top secret drug, and that has some disastrous effects on the world around him. The story starts out serious and believable, with a premise that could go anywhere, but it quickly throws away your curiosity will all the answers you could want. The first half of the story I was glued to the screen wondering what would happen, but the latter half was hard to care about when the protagonist turns dumb and clueless and takes the least interesting, most predictable path possible. To be fair, the second half is probably funny and enjoyable if you keep an open mind, but I was hoping for a more serious plot, and it easily could've have gone in that direction.
The third movie, "Cannon Fodder", is a really unique watch! It's a slice of life story in a bizarre setting where every aspect of one's education and career revolve around the firing of their town's large cannons. The story isn't incredibly deep, but it does take itself seriously and you can find a lot of meaning if you look for it. "Cannon Fodder" constructs an interesting society and makes you eager to learn every detail about the lives of the citizens. It kind of ends out of nowhere, but it's pretty great regardless.
Character:
There's a rich story to these movies, but honestly the characters are forgettable. The main character of "Stink Bomb" is notably awful, but the characters in the other movies are just good enough to get the job done.
Enjoyment:
I enjoyed these short movies a lot! My friction with much of the second movie did cause me to lower the overall score, but I'd still say Memories is a must watch for anime fans. These short movies have more substance and are more memorable than a majority of airing anime. Everyone will find something to love about them!
Overall:
7 / 10 ... Keep an open mind with Movie 2, but you better watch Movies 1 and 3! ^_^
