If I were to order those shorts, I would immediately put 2 of them on top :
- « Stop the Time » by Hiroshi Hamasaki (who also directed Texhnolyze among other things). It was one of those moments, a few seconds in and I already knew it was gonna be exceptional. From the hallucinated editing to the use of colours. A story about amnesia (or madness?) that gravitates around a small red ear jewel and a crescent mark. As soon as She speaks, her contact is made dizzying by a brief insert shot. As for Him, he stays haggard in his boat as Her hair floats in the wind, terrifying as black snakes.
- « Those Were the Days » by Takashi Anno (director of Yokohama Kaidashi Kiko’s first OVA), with its characteristic fade outs, fugitive cutaway inserts that imprints on the retina the nostalgic image of a past that has yet to come in the story, the plot presented as a puzzle, plays on lights and the inexplicable, peaceful beauty of this blood pouring in soft geysers. And cherry on cake: a post-mortem moment just like an ending, where Anno creates a sort of experimental clip while Mary Hopkin softly sings the eponymous jazz song. Images flash and twinkle – a trick he will use 5 years later on the YKK OVA. I admit I shivered.
I would also highlight « White Christmas » (by Iku Suzuki), full of a tension that produces a lot of staging ideas, and this conclusion where everything suddenly calms down to the dragging rhythm of the slowest of all Christmas carols.
« Hero » is great as well, thanks to the great Koji Morimoto who animates some great rugby scenes.
« Lion and Pelican » (Koji Sawai) is certainly the most « animated » of all those films, maybe to a fault at times. Characters seem to be constantly on the verge of melting. Anyways, a memorable stylistic venture.
« I Wanna Hold Your Hand » is a simple yet pretty love story with a missed timing and a soundtrack by you-know-who. Great beach scene, with hands that never meet. As for « Betrayal in the City », it goes on a way more tongue-in-cheek fashion, using mostly split-screens to show a guy’s internal monologues as he hatches a plan to break up with his gal. Both are directed by Tomomi Mochizuki.
« Let’s Spend the Night Together » (Mamoru Hamatsu) is fun and notably offers lots of great car animation as the bulk of the story happens as a yakuza pursuits a young couple across town. Characters are particularly expressive as well. You can tell that they didn’t have the rights for the original song of the Rolling Stones though…
« I Can’t Stop Loving You » (Hidetoshi Omori) is the only one I definitely won’t remember. Nothing remarkable really, apart from maybe the interesting design of the lead female character.
