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Ami Hasegawa, Hideyuki Hori, Hisao Egawa, Kayoko Fujii, Masato Hirano ... see more see more... , Michio Hazama , Nobuaki Fukuda , Shigeru Chiba , Tsutomu Isobe , Shôzô Îzuka

Katsuhiro Otomo garnered worldwide attention in 1988 for his cyberpunk classic Akira, featuring a fully realized dystopian future that rivaled Blade Runner. In this animated triptych, all written by O... read more read more...tomo, he once again gazes darkly into the future. The first segment, called "Magnetic Rose" and directed by Koji Morimoto, is set in the year 2092 and centers on a quartet of futuristic losers on a orbiting garbage ship, collecting junked satellites. While trolling about the heavens, they encounter a massive rose-shaped structure. Venturing into one of its petals, the two crew members suddenly find themselves in a European-style opera house adjoining a sun-dabbled garden. They hear the sound of a soprano diva in mid aria. As the section progresses, the crew members learn that this idyllic though bizarre satellite was the refuge of an early 21st century opera singer whose ghost still haunts its metallic halls. The second segment, titled "Stink Bomb," is directed by Tensai Okamura. A nerdy research assistant finds himself the unwitting center of a civic chaos and panic when he accidentally swallows a chemical that renders him a human stink bomb. Unable to smell the stench himself, he is baffled as to why humans and animals alike keel over at the very sight of him. Trying to meet a deadline of delivering vital info to government organ, he blithely causes a national incident when he hops and his scooter and heads to the downtown Tokyo. The final segment, directed by Otomo, is titled "Cannon Fodder." Set in a bleak Orwellian future in which a forest of massive cannons fire at an unseen enemy, this section focuses on a man who crew of cannon number 17 and his son who worships his dad and his grim profession. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

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77% liked it

7,830 ratings

PG-13, 1 hr. 54 min.

Directed by: Katsuhiro Ôtomo, Kôji Morimoto, Tensai Okamura

Release Date: May 4, 2004

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DVD Release Date: February 24, 2004

Stats: 343 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (343)

  • SirPant
    November 21, 2011
    SirPant
    Memories is a collection of three unrelated Manga animations, each one directed by a different director and with their own unique styles. Magnetic Rose, directed by Kôji Morimoto is the serious short that sees 2 astronauts trapped in a fantastical world aboard an unmanned spacesh... read moreip. It's beautifully animated and aptly dark and mysterious it's almost a shame that it wasn't made into a feature length film. Stink Bomb, directed by Tensai Okamura seems to be the least popular film of the three among reviewers but I rather liked it. It is full of the odd and surreal humour that many Manga films are known for and it breaks up the two other films rather well - again, a feature length version or even a real life version (directed by either Joon-ho Bong or Joon-Hwan Jang) would be awesome! Last of all, Cannon Fodder, directed by Katsuhiro Ohtomo has a much more serious tone but a more childlike style of animation. It's quite Orwellian in its idea and like an Asian LS Lowry in its style (if you can picture such a thing). It's probably the most thought-provoking and original of the three films but I would say they are all equally good in their own different ways.
  • Stinger839
    February 3, 2008
    Stinger839
    a great troligy of sci-fi animation
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    October 13, 2007
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Excellent first segment, forgetable second, and perfect third. The last one is probably the most sharp and accurate commentary anyone has ever made about war since George Orwell.
  • ceWEBrity
    March 20, 2007
    ceWEBrity
    A collection of three anime short films. The first, Magnetic Rose, is easily the best, full of atmosphere and beauty. That in itself is a 4.5 star effort. The second is okay, and the third is basically filler.
  • vierasesine
    June 18, 2006
    vierasesine
    SPOILER WARNING
    Kanojo No Omoide
    Really beautifully drawn depiction of a dead woman who, wanting never to part from her husband, had created a virtual reality based on her memories in which two space refuse dealers get entangled during a rescue mission. ***
    --
    Saishu Heiki
    A man ... read moreis called to deliver a package to his superiors containing information that might save Tokyo from a terrible biological weapon. The funny thing is that he is the weapon, but just doesn't know it... And neither do the others until it's almost too late. ****
    --
    Taiho No Machi
    A day in a town whose only purpose is to fire cannons at an unknown enemy. Really a sad story, in a way. **
  • robotbling
    June 21, 2010
    robotbling
    I love animation collections, and Memories is one of the better ones. It features three animated shorts written by Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira, Steamboy) although I use that term loosely because the episodes are a decent length.

    Memories opens with the tour-de-force Magnetic Rose, ... read morea ghost story in the great haunted house tradition with a sci-fi twist. Basically the crew of a deep space corporate freighter receive a distress signal and decide to investigate. What they find is a ship in the shape of a rose, a luxurious palace which an opera singer built with her fortune. Once inside, they discover that the ship?s automated functions, including holograms given flesh by gray goop nanomachines, remain eerily active even decades after the singer?s death. Magnetic Rose is really the main reason to watch Memories, featuring a compelling cast of characters, insane production values and dramatic impact. It could serve as a stand-alone film, and I think it would make a brilliant live actioner someday.

    The next story, Stink Bomb, is a black comedy that fails to rise to the same level. A worker at a pharmaceutical company accidentally takes the wrong pill to thwart his flu, thus activating the pill?s bio warfare properties. He begins emitting a foul gas which promptly kills everyone in the building. He is unsuccessfully assailed by the military as he works his way to headquarters, oblivious of his condition. The production values, like the rest of the shorts, are quite high but I personally felt the gag ran out of steam before the end. If it had been a touch shorter it would have worked really well.

    The third and final story takes a completely different style to any other animated film. In Cannon Fodder, a city armed to the teeth with cannons of all sizes, all pointed in the direction of the ?enemy?, a lowly Cannon loader?s daily routine unfolds. As we watch the ridiculous ceremony involved in loading an individual shell the size of an elephant into its cannon, and listen to the mindless drone of propaganda over the loud speakers, the satirical nature of the film is made clear. I really enjoy the look of this one, and if you watch Cannon Fodder carefully and you may notice it has something in common with Hitchcock?s Rope. This disdain for the military industrial complex would later be echoed in Otomo?s Steamboy.

    Memories is essential viewing if you are a fan of animation, and makes for a wonderful companion to Neo Tokyo. And Magnetic Rose is worth a watch if you?d like to see a depiction of Bill Joy?s nightmare, though the film actually preceded his famous essay.

    This review is a repost from my site: www.plasticpals.com
  • jpnittolo415
    January 29, 2010
    jpnittolo415
    I could really only appreciate the first sketch of this film Magnetic Rose. Basically if your lookin for some acid and cant find it watch Magnetic Rose it'll blow your mind.
  • RicC
    January 10, 2010
    RicC
    This was actually released in 1995, but I still don't qualify it AS avant-garde. An anime three-part anthology that has random moments of superior craftsman animation and forgettable imagery. First is a futuristic romance/wannabe ghost story, second is a tight horror/thriller/com... read moreedy, last is a lifeless political social commentary.

    Already with three Flixster peeps that have seen this (Myself included), respective episodes are favorited. Mine was the middle - well directed, balanced, and it combines genres with ease. Master director behind that one. Altogethor, it gets its consensus-message expressed rather poorly. Perhaps it needed to be R-rated to be worth considering? There were dull moments sprinkled throughout Magnetic Rose and Cannon Fodder.
  • gwynfallan
    November 19, 2009
    gwynfallan
    Three disjointed segments with nothing in common other than the fact that they're short. Given the title, you start off with preconceived notions, the the first chapter "Magnetic Rose" comes at you. As you watch a phenomenal story emerges and you begin to understand the title a... read morend think you know what is to come. Wrong. "Stink Bomb" is thrown at you leaving you confused as you try to make sense of "Cannon Fodder". The last is good, not great, but it takes so long to recover from the previous segment that much of its meaning and emphasis is lost to the viewer. Additionally the animation quality/style degrades with each segment, though that is likely each director's prerogative.

    As a whole I can't give Memories a high rating as it seems disjointed and lacking focus or purpose, far less than Akira Kurosawa's Dreams and those were dreams not memories. Individually, "Magnetic Rose" would earn 4-stars, "Stink Bomb" would scrape together 2-stars and "Cannon Fodder" would earn 3-stars.
  • sxeptomaniac
    October 30, 2008
    sxeptomaniac
    Great set of stories. The first, Magnetic Rose, is worth it alone, but I still like the dark humor of the second, Stink Bomb and the insight of the third segment, Cannon Fodder.

View All Memories Reviews

Critic Reviews

Beth Accomando
January 17, 2008
Beth Accomando, KPBS.org

A trilogy of anime aimed more at adults than kids. From slow and thoughtful to hilarious to pointedly satiric. Anime at its best.

March 17, 2004
Film4

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Memories Trivia

  • Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, and Kirsten Dunst all played in which 2004 flick about having memories erased?  Answer »
  • An epic love story centered around an older man who reads aloud to an older woman, in order to gain her love and memories.  Answer »
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