SHORT PEACE

This is the second time that Katshuiro Otomo (Akira) is producing an anthology movie. This time featuring works from past collaborators on the topic of Japan. While it's nowhere near the caliber of the "Memories" it's still a good snapshot of the changes in animation techniques since then. CG is a thing and won't go away now and thus the first segment "Possessions" (http://trakt.tv/movie/possessions-2012) by Shuhei Morita (Freedom & Kakurenbo) is more like a videogame sequence than anything else - didn't care for it to be honest. Following the segment is a stark contrast from Otomo's own "Combustible" (http://trakt.tv/movie/combustible-2012) which tells parts of it's story on traditional Japanese art scrolls. While some frames are quite pretty, it's runtime is too short to make any impact. "Gambo" (http://trakt.tv/movie/gambo-2013) is the third of the bunch which I found kinda cool and suprisingly cruel. If you ever wanted to see a polarbear wrestle a demon - here you have it! Hiroaki Ando who directed this doesn't really have many credits but he had the screenplay from Katsuhito Ishii to work with (Redline, Taste of Tea & Funky Forest). The last and longest segment "A Farewell to Arms" (http://trakt.tv/movie/a-farewell-to-arms-2013) comes from Gundam mecha designer Hajime Katoki and is based on a story by Otomo. It showcases some solid action and ends quite ironic. While overall I wasn't really impressed, the last two segments warant the watch if you're into anime, else I would recommend watching Memories (http://trakt.tv/movie/memories-1995) over this (or something from http://trakt.tv/user/sp1ti/lists/ten-great-anime-featurefilms heh).