Anime Writer's Review of Notable Anime Films of 2021 [Anime Column].

The writer, who has seen almost all the anime films to be released in 2021, looks back at some of the most noteworthy titles that are currently showing or have packages on sale!　The following titles are currently showing or have packages on sale: "Mobile Suit Gundam: Senko no Hathaway," which takes place 12 years after "Char's Counterattack," "Eiga Daisuki Ponpo-san," a 35mm film adaptation project, "Paw Patrol the Movie," a film version of a dog rescue team, "Hula Hula Dance," a story about a year in the life of a new hula dancer, and "Ghost in the Shell," a Mamoru Oshii film released in 1995, which is now being screened in the IMAX. GHOST IN THE SHELL: Ghost in the Shell 4K Remastered Edition," an IMAX screening of a Mamoru Oshii film released in 1995.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Senko no Hathaway

When it comes to the latest Gundam film, and one that takes place in the space century in which the first Gundam film is set, viewers are inevitably aware of the series' ties to the previous installments. In this light, the depiction of Hathaway staring at the heroine's hair blowing in the wind was enough to remind viewers of the first episode of "Gundam G Reconguista. One could be forgiven for wondering if that cut was a statement of commitment to carry on the work from Yoshiyuki Tomino's novel.
I have no way of knowing whether this is true or not, but the urban battle scene, which is the climax of the middle part of the film, is probably connected to the cut in the first episode of "Mobile Suit Gundam" where the Zaku machine gun shells fall, in that it thoroughly depicts how people on the ground suffer damage when caught in a mobile suit's aerial battle. The action, which progresses in darkness with minimal light, is a masterpiece.
The expression of weightlessness in the outbound shuttle at the beginning of the film is also impressive. It is also nice to see that the film subtly shows the competence of Colonel Kenneth's insight in detecting something unusual just by blocking the light from the window, and Hathaway's strong back muscles to catch a flight attendant blown away by a hijacker. I look forward to the release of the second part of the film.

Mr. Pompo, who loves movies

After the film's release, a crowdfunding campaign was conducted to convert the film into a 35mm film, which was unveiled to non-supporters in December. In the case of modern animation, where celluloid pictures and cameras have disappeared from the production process, I was quick to assume that digital would be better for the intended screen, but seeing the film actually made me change my mind about that perception. The colorless outlines that characterize "Ponpo-san" are slightly blurred and softened by the film, giving the film a different kind of beauty. If I were to speak in a cinephile-like manner, I would say that those who have not experienced the 35mm film version were surprised at the difference, to the point of wanting to say, "The fun is just beginning.
At the end of the film, a lot of time is devoted to editing scenes that were not in the original film, and the new director finally completes a film by trimming down dozens of hours of material. One can only shudder at the horror of the ending, in which the protagonist, now able to cut away the useless for the sake of the whole, receives an award from the authority, but then one is reminded of "New Cinema Paradise," which is also mentioned in the film. There must have been a scene in this film where the film was cut. The producer, Mr. Pompo, kicked me out of the film because he "hated" it. The reason for this may not be the length of the film, but rather the fact that the director found it inconvenient to tell the story of the irreplaceable things that resided in the cut film.

Pow Patrol The Movie

In animated television films, scope size, which is longer horizontally than the 16:9 aspect ratio, is used as a promise to show that the scene currently playing is dramatic. Therefore, when one hears the term "scope size" used in theatrical animation, one might be wary of the idea that "just make it long and wide and it will be a movie," but it is clear from the opening sequence that this film has nothing to do with such easy thinking.
A large tanker truck crashes on a huge bridge, an incident befitting of a horizontal screen. The up-and-down composition, in which the tanker is about to fall into the river and is rescued using helicopters and boats, is also well defined, and is the perfect introduction to the unique worldview in which the rescuer is a puppy. Although there is a flaw in the depiction of dogs as heroes and cats as heels, which cannot be overlooked by cat people, the film draws you in at once.
The film's stance of not approving of hard work that destroys the mind and body is also favorable. Chase's efforts to face the trauma of being abandoned by his owner are encouraging, and Kent's ideal boss, who extends a gentle hand to Chase, is admirable. Raibar, who became mayor through a rigged election, destroys models of libraries, museums, and parks (where he can play with his dog) simply because they are boring, and he even threatens to abolish them in front of the citizens. What a great way to learn the obvious lesson that you should never let a man who wants to destroy public facilities become the mayor of a city. ......

Hula and Hula Dancing

This is a coming-of-age original anime about five girls who, upon graduation from high school, get jobs at Spa Resort Hawaiians and become rookie hula dancers. The story follows a year in the life of the main character, Hiwa Natsunagi, who has no experience in hula dancing, along with her slightly different classmates, who have trouble maintaining their style and smiling properly. Although they are given the unflattering catchphrase "the most disappointing newcomers in history" because of their unprecedented failure on their first stage, they grow into full-fledged dancers through their own efforts and with the help of those around them.
While we are moved by the five perfect hula dancers on stage, we are also somewhat saddened by the fact that Spa Resort Hawaiians is not a safe haven for Nippa and her friends, and it is suggested that they will eventually have to say goodbye. It is revealed that the senior employees who have supported them up to this point have moved on to new places for different reasons, and that the girls themselves have different dreams and goals.
Looking back, the works of Reiko Yoshida, who wrote the screenplay for this film, include "K-ON! and "Sumikko Gurashi: Mahounoko the Movie on a Blue Moonlit Night," which is currently in theaters, all depict protagonists who are trying their best to live in the present, knowing that one day they will be separated. Even in "Girls und Panzer," in which high school girls fight with tanks, there was a sense of loneliness in the air in the second half of the film after their friends dropped out. This is a film that makes you want to surrender yourself to such a pleasant sense of loneliness.

GHOST IN THE SHELL 4K remastered version

When we think of digital remastering, we tend to focus on the beauty of the images, but I realized once again that the appeal of "Ghost in the Shell" is rather the intricate mix of cuts with different image quality. In the film, subjective images from the viewpoints of characters and surveillance cameras are inserted in detail. For example, the room that Motoko Kusanagi hacks and peeks into at the beginning of the film has a hot-wire image style, and in the remaster, you can't help but notice the scanning line-like noise in Batou's subjective image as he chases after the criminal. The subjective images were basically depicted as being of coarse quality, although one cannot hide one's shock at the fact that a quarter of a century has passed since the film's release, and that Batou, with such exaggerated eyes, had the resolution of a CRT television set.
The only exception was the final part of the film, a long shot of about 45 seconds of Motoko's subjective view. Zooming in on the mirror, we see a girl sitting on a sofa, but the image is depicted with a different "realistic" and detailed touch, and the next cut returns to the original texture, leaving a big impact on the viewer. Batou, who appears late, says that the body is a hastily prepared dark route body, but there is no way that such a prosthetic body can have more powerful eyes than Batou. The subjective images are a sign that Motoko has been freed from the constraints of her physical body and has become a being who sees the world from a different perspective than we, the audience, do. This remastering reaffirms that "Ghost in the Shell" is a story about the texture of images.

（Text by Katsunori Takahashi)

(C) Sotsu, Sunrise
(C) 2020 Shogo Sugitani [Ningen Plamo] / KADOKAWA / Ponpo-san the Movie Production Committee
(C) 2021 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
(C) BNP, FUJITV/ Fashionable Salon Natsunagi
(C) 1995 Masamune Shirow/KODANSHA, BANDAI VISUAL, MANGA ENTERTAINMENT