Tentacle-Free Anime: Nihon Animator Mihonichi (2014) Review
Happy New Year, everyone! It's 2015 and it's time for an even better year of reviews and surprises. Got a lot of awesome things coming down the pipe for this year, and it all starts here. I hope everyone had a good New Year holiday, mine was very relaxing which I was so thankful for. Well, you know how much I love anthologies, so I'm going to start out the year with a high profile anthology project that started late last year and is still continuing. It's super interesting, and one of the stories has already become a bit hit among fans. So, without further ado, everything starts now!
Anthologies are great in that they allow for a lot of freedom in how you get to work your magic. As a storyteller, animator, and director. Especially if the theme is “do whatever you want” then free range is the catch of the day. With Studio Khara's latest project, there isn't really a theme to it. You do what you want, and you tie it into whatever you want basically. So there's not just short stories, there's also music videos, animated storyboard collections from older shows... there hasn't been a lot produced as of this writing (7 in total so far), but Khara plans for at least 30 shorts. So there is still quite a way's to go. Making this project even better, you can go online and legally watch each of these for free and with English Subtitles via the AnimatorExpo.com website.
The Dragon Dentist - Directed by Outarou Maijou. This short struck me as very odd the first time I watched it, and the more I do watch it – especially with the intent of reviewing it – it becomes even more of an enigma for me. To be frank, I don't understand what Maijou was trying to accomplish with this piece. It's very confusing, and while exhilarating at least in small bits, it fails completely as a story. The whole thing revolves around a young girl named, well, 'Girl' because we never learn her name who has signed up to become a “Dragon Dentist.” We're given a little info about the world she inhabits, there's a war going on and it's hinted that Dragons are being used in this war as soldiers. But DD's are incorporated to keep the Dragon's teeth in check so that they can continue to fight. At least this is what I gather. 
Remember: Dragons cry through their teeth.
We're instructed to remember that “Dragon's cry through their teeth.” And not once during the whole of the episode do we learn what that actually means. Things get truly bizarre though when we first meet a dragon, and our main girl gets and up close and personal look at the beast's jaws. I won't spoil, but it makes this short all the more confusing and I doubt I'll fully understand it all. The animation is, nice the music is nice, but sadly there's not much more to go on here. What could've been a very basic, yet engaging tale about a Girl simply trying to learn how to become the Dentist of a Dragon unfortunately got turned into a confusing mess of a metaphysical experience. I really don't know, and I really don't care. I'm sure someone out there to could tell the story much clearer in the same amount of time. So while I can't recommend the first short on our list... the next one was no such troubled hill to climb. Hill Climb Girl - Directed by Azuma Tani. This short is probably the best short out of all of them so far to have premiered. It's basic, easy to follow, colorful, and oh so much fun. It revolves around a young girl and guy whom, everyday, race one another on their bikes up a hill, through town, on their way to school. Both are big fans of professional, competitive racing but the guy always seems to win. The main of the story revolves around the one day of the race where the girl resolves to give it her absolute all in order to win. Does she? Well, I'll let you find out. Just remember that anime is very well known for crushing the dreams of characters. Regardless, you can feel the passion for biking put into this short and the passion to tell a simple, fun story. Because why not? You get a few minutes to tell a short story of your choosing, why bother trying to make it difficult to understand? Just have fun with it! 
Competitve Bike Racing Power Make-Up.
Competitive biking anime has seemed to be a big deal recently with another currently big series centered around the sport, no doubt part of the inspiration for this episode. It's nice to see creators who are passionate about something being allowed to tell a fun-loving story centered around that passion. The animation reminded me a bit of the animation used in Possessions (from my Short Peace review), in that it used very finely polished CGI that is a little wonky when you first notice it, but you easily get used to it as it grabs a hold of you. They even manage to put a biking themed magical girl transformation scene into it and make it work. This short has everything and everyone should go watch it. Me! Me! Me! - Directed by Hibiki Yoshizaki, with music by Teddyloid feat. Daoko. This is the first big one that's come out of this anthology project. When it first premiered it went completely viral. Especially on Tumblr for its – ahem – overly sexual nature. I see Me! Me! Me! As a Nicki Minaj music video, if it was an anime, she wasn't afraid to get fully nude, and the music was better than what she normally puts out. This short is a music video, first and foremost but it does try to tell a story. The music is by a little known artist known as Teddyloid – and from what I can find online, a non-existent vocal artist by the name of Daoko and it. is. JAMMIN'. Seriously, I absolutely adore the music in this it's so good. It's incredibly entrancing and hooks you the second that beat drops. It's great party music, as well as just something nice to have playing while driving. It's very heavy electronica, but knows when to tone it down for the softer parts so it isn't constantly make you want to groove quickly without end. 
Not my best night to remember.
Daoko's voice is very nice, raspy, and is edited a bit to fit a more electronic sound. Nothing overly obnoxious though or too auto-tuned sounding. The story that this tries to tell is a little hard to decipher, but not as hard as others. I think it tells the story of a man who recently broke up with his girlfriend over his overwhelming desires for an idol and now his fantasies have the two battling it out for him. He wants to return to her, but he also wants this music idol, and they're literally eating him alive over the agony of indecisiveness. The animation is incredible, and even features a cameo from the Evangelion characters which I thought was awesome. There is a lot of different colored lights in this, but the overall tones used are Pink, Blue, Black and Red. There is also a lot full frontal nudity and sexual overtones so the video itself is NSFW. Be warned. However, I do highly recommend Me! Me! Me! As something to treat yourself to when you can. Carnage - Directed by Akira Homma. Carnage is a fundamental tale of revenge, really nothing more or less. And that's alright, it tales its story with an eerie amount of subtlety and respect for the subject. Our main character is once again a girl who we never learn he name, but unlike in the Dragon Dentist we do learn about her past and what drove her to kill those who harmed her. There is nudity, but also unlike Me! Me! Me! there's nothing perverse about it. You see her naked in areas where you'd expect a woman, home alone, to be – believe it or not a lot of women don't mind spending time in their homes alone topless – plus she has lost an arm. Which is so not a weakness, isn't played up for laughs, and actually makes her a lot more badass. Set in the wild west period, this girl knows her way around a gun with one arm and will kill you without hesitation. That is pretty awesome. 
Hit-Girl done right.
Like I mentioned, this story is set in the wild west or something very similar. A setting anime rarely covers, and I think that helps make this story feel very fresh. The only thing really holding Carnage back is its decision to tell a partially confusing ending when it very much didn't need one. Near the end we see what is possibly our main character's next target but we really can't be too sure. The scene really is out of place with the whole story, and that's the biggest tragedy here. The animation is kind of gritty, and dusty. Something befitting the setting really well. I like and I wouldn't mind seeing a longer short based around Carnage, or maybe a movie. There doesn't have to be much of a deeper meaning than a revenge tale, how the characters are portrayed in this the revenge tale is already fascinating enough. This isn't one of the best shorts to come out of the anthology so far, but it's still up there in quality. Yoshikazu Yasuhiko & Ichiro Itano: Collection of Key Animation Films – Directed by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko & Ichiro Itano. And yes, it's a long name, but it's most definitely not the longest name on this list. Just you wait. The Collection of Key Animation Films short isn't so much a story – and thus there isn't a lot I may be able to say about it – instead it's a collection of storyboards vs. finished animation from the original 1979 series Mobile Suit Gundam. Which is one of the quintessential giant robot anime series of all time. What makes this a bold decision to release among these short stories, and thus making one of the more peculiar additions to the line-up is that while many people love, love, love Gundam, there are soooo many Gundam series out there now and I'm just very curious as to why they chose the original MSG. Not that I'm complaining, I'm just curious. It really is neat to see the differences in storyoard animation vs. what ended up being the final product when the images are sat beside on another. Which is exactly what plays out for over 7 minutes. 
Side by side beauty.
This short is mostly meant for the animation buffs, and not really the story buffs. And that's perfectly fine. I'm actually glad this was added as it really proves that the Nihon Animator Mihonichi is living up to its word that these videos can be tied to anything, and about anything, and we best be prepared. It's also very nice to see a bit of important history from anime resurface after all these years. I love old anime, and I really need to see more Gundam. 20min Walk From Nishi-Ogikubo Station, 2 Bedrooms, Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, 2mos Deposit, No Pets Allowed - Directed by Takeshi Honda & Mahiro Maeda. Aha! Told you the last one wasn't the longest title on this list, yes that full residential description you just read is the title of the next short. A peculiar, but fun short about a girl who suddenly shrinks down to bug size and her husband thinks she is a bug. Hilarity ensues. The title is an interesting choice, considering it simply describes their place of living but has absolutely nothing to with the story at all. The short, by contrast, is literally a fun chase scene around the apartment complex for several minutes as her husband tries to squash her, and this poor – fully nude, so also NSFW – girl runs around the room for her dear life. Does she survive? I won't spoil, but she does happen to defy the laws of physics a lot. But considering the circumstances the story is set around and that it's supposed to be a fun little romp, not a meaningful little something, obviously these moments can be overlooked. 
It's like a bad scene from the borrowers.
I actually really enjoyed this short, and it is kind of endearing towards the end with these two characters living together. It's also very funny, with a lot of moments of the guy getting hurt in various ways just by trying to kill a bug. In a way you end up feeling sorry for both parties involved, and then laughing at their pain. The animation is really interesting, it's almost has a water-color based painted look to it. The action is incredibly kinetic, and fast-paced. And the flow of the animation to keep up with it is spot on; the animation is also quite colorful. The story is very bright in overall aesthetic, as if the story is set in a daze. While a curious title indeed, this one is one of the more fun events to come out of the anthology project. I recommend sitting down to watch it. And then go home and apologize to your significant other. Until you come to me. - Directed by Tadashi Hiramatsu. And thus we come to our final story – for now – of the Nihon Animator Mihonichi anthology project for this review. This story is the kind of story that I don't think any of us were expecting to see, a tie-in to Evangelion? What? Could this be the sign we needed to know that Hideaki Anno is soon going to bring an end to his long and near-disastrous retelling of the anime that made him famous? Well by golly, I hope so! 7 years and 3 out of 4 planned movies later, we finally get at least something to satiate ourselves with Evangelion goodness until the final movie airs. So how does the short fair? It's really interesting, as in that it doesn't have much of a story to it – go figure – and serves a bit more as a peek into this dystopian world that the new movie universe now inhabits. Since we didn't get to see much of it in the 3rd movie. There's a lot of apocalyptic imagery you'd expect from Evangelion, really grand shots that look amazing, and a lot of introspection going on at the same time. I think the story trying to be told here is from the p.o.v. of two different Shinji's at two different points in his life. When things were much simpler, and we get to see a world without as much chaos as the series in known for, and after the 3rd impact where everything has basically gone to shit. While in the original series, the main relationship pairing was built around Shinji and Asuka, in the recent films it's shifted to Shinji and Rei which plays out through the short. 
Don't do drugs, kids.
The animation style is also very painted, oil-based looking this time. I think it's a good style to go with for this kind of story, especially when the apocalyptic images kick in. There is a bit of actual animation near the end though that strikingly enough doesn't feel out of place, but actually enhances the look and feel of the short. Until you come to me. is really just meant to wet your appetite for the – hopefully to be released soon – upcoming ending to the franchise. It's not mind-warping, or thought provoking, it's just pretty. And after Evangelion 3.0 my brain needed that kind of aesthetic tied to one of my favorite series of all time. Now, bring on the final film! The Nihon Animator Mihonichi anthology project is ongoing. With the 8th out of a planned 30 shorts premiering on the 9th of January which is just a few days from now. It will be titled Tomorrow from There, but I'm unsure of what it's about, although you can already watch a preview for it. You can go here to watch the reviewed titles in full, for free legally, and with English subtitles: http://animatorexpo.com/titlelist/ I highly suggest checking everything out. I love anthologies, and this has just been my bread and butter since it began. While not everything has been a solid hit, I feel more than confident that majority of the upcoming shows will. Final Score: 4.5 Sexy, Blue-Haired Clone Idols out of 5 Based on what has aired so far. Have you been checking out the anthology? How do you like it? Leave us a comment! 
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