Now, each of the these three 'episodes' has its own setting and flavor. So, I'll deal with them them seperately.
Magnetic Rose
The first and best of the three in my opinion. Magnetic Rose is set in the distant future, a time when earth will most probably require a space garbage collection agency. At the beginning, it seemed a lot like cowboy bebop. But, as it progressed, the story became very surrealistic and a little disturbing. but the thing that sets this story apart from most Sci-Fi stuff I have read/watched is the human element. This is a very down-to-earth story with a lot of thrust just where it is required. Oh and its scripted by Satoshi Kon and the music's by Yoko Kanno. Two of my favorite people from the anime industry.
Stink Bomb
This is a complete 180 from the gloomy atmosphere of Magnetic Rose. its set in the present and revolves around Tanaka Nobuo, a lab technician who mistakenly swallows some experimental pills leading to some truly laugh worthy moments. While this is not completely original, it is one of the better japanese comedies I've seen to date. That said, I thought it fell short of the brilliance of Magnetic Rose. But a good watch nonetheless.
Cannon Fodder
To be honest, I don't know what to think of this one. Cannon Fodder is apperently set in an alternate universe in which people are waging a perpetual war against an unknown enemy. The episode chronicles the daily life of a typical family living in the presumeably unheathy environment. In all honesty, I was unable to comprehend the intentions or the message that the writer might have wanted to convey. On top of that, Cannon Fodder lacked personality to the extent that its execution felt sort of mechanical. Disappointing.
Closing Comments
So, we have a brilliant piece of work which gets steadily worser as it progresses. but this is by no means a bad movie. The first two episodes are well worth your time. But I couldn't help feeling that it hadn't realized its true potential. In conclusion, Memories is a suitable watch for a lazy sunday afternoon.
