One More Time, One More Chance

“One More Time, One More Chance” is the closing song of 5 Centimeters per Second (see previous post), written and performed by Masayoshi Yamazaki. It’s apparently very famous in Japan (for ten years now – it was first released in 1997), and it’s easy to see why. Presented for your pleasure is a sort of AMV made from bits of the movie (no obvious spoilers):

And, as luck would have it, there are also tabs for it:

Now I only gotta learn the lyrics, and I can make a total fool out of myself pretending to be a Japanese bard :-D

5 Centimeters per Second

In the persistent quest for quality anime, only a few names stand out of the crowd, and one of them is Makoto Shinkai. I’ve seen pretty much all of his anime (three titles, two of which he made entirely by himself), and can recommend all of them. 5 cm per Second is his latest work, and it is simply beautiful. Like his other anime, it is about love and separation, and in my opinion it bests them. There’s no more science fiction, which was perhaps a bit superfluous in Shinkai’s previous anime. Similarly to his previous works, the narrative is told through the fleeting moments of life of his characters, slowly paced and reflective. It works perfectly, painting an eternal bitter-sweet melancholy. It’s the sort of anime that comes out all too rarely, and is highly recommended.

Paprika!

Went to see Paprika today. Ah, great joy! It’s a real treat. I strongly suggest you see it in a theater.

First, the background. A machine has been invented that can be used to examine patient’s dreams, thus helping with psychotherapy. But one of those machines got stolen, and is apparently used to interfere with people’s consciousness somehow, which causes bad things to happen. All kinds of carnage ensues, with completely delusional, captivating scenes, and hectic pacing and plot.

Then, the animation. My understanding isn’t that great in the subject, so I’ll just say that it’s everything you’d expect a 2006 high-budget anime film to be (crisp and beautiful).

And third, the soundtrack. Ah, the soundtrack (samples can be found here and here). Hirasawa Susumu is a genius, I suspect. His upbeat, inspirational and downright epic electronica fits perfectly in the dream world of Paprika. (Just as it did in Millennium Actress, with which I fell instantly in love, and recommend as heartily as I do Paprika.) From the opening notes of the Parade I was smiling with a sense of reverent awe.

When it comes down to it, it’s just a darned good movie. It’s really a great cinematic experience. If they ever air it in Israel again (which I doubt, but hope dies last, don’t you know), I’ll watch it again. And so should you.

Paprika in Jerusalem!

Anime in the Holy Land – http://e.walla.co.il/?w=/200/1125105/1 !

Since I’m somewhat of an anime buff, I’ll be going for Paprika. They don’t list it on the Jerusalem Film Festival website, so I’ll call them to make sure they will be airing it.

If you’re an anime enthusiast, you should go to support anime distribution in Israel. If you’re not an anime buff, you should go because it should be a great movie. I am a bit familiar with Kon Satoshi’s previous work – I’ve watched Millennium Actress and Tokyo Godfathers, both highly recommended.

What are you waiting for? Order your tickets now!