Anime!!
July 10–September, 2005

Anime—the latest of America’s many imports from Japan—is a genre of animated film that developed out of manga (printed comic books) and retains the raw energy of that popular format. Anime began by attracting younger viewers, but developed diversified content and spread steadily to wider audiences.

At the same time, it has progressed from the jerky, rough action and economical drawing of its early productions to the aesthetic sophistication and stylization of more recent projects. It is as if the panels of a comic had been directly translated onto the big screen. Anime characters are often entangled in extreme situations, and the stories delve into up-to-the-minute subjects like the Save the Earth movement, the overlap between humans and robots, and those staples of popular film everywhere, growing up and the mayhem that comes with transition. Anime emerged shortly after World War II, and took off with the advent of Japanese television in the late 1950s. Early works reflect the tensions in a Japanese society urgently reinventing itself. The films presented here follow the development of anime chronologically: the classics of the ’50s are closer to their manga sources, while the recent productions are hybrid assemblages demonstrating everything high tech has to offer. The program includes short works, often episodes from television series, and full-length theatrical features.

In September, the final segment of this three-month exhibition, Anime: New Voices, features hybrid assemblages demonstrating everything high tech has to offer. The work includes Leiji Matsumoto and Daft Punk’s music video opera, as well as the recent film Mind Game, by Masaaki Yuasa.

All works subtitled except where noted.

Organized by Barbara London, Associate Curator, Department of Film and Media, with Fabienne Stephan, Andrew Maerkle, and Anri Yasuda. This exhibition is supported by Walt Disney Studios, The Japan Foundation, and The International Council of The Museum of Modern Art.

Hinotori (The Phoenix: Chapter of Dawn) [4 episodes]. 1966/2004. Japan. Manga by Osamu Tezuka. HD version directed by Ryousuke Takahashi. A story involving a mythical bird and man’s quest for immortality in the distant past and the far-off future. In English. 100 min.
Sunday, July 10, 2:00. T1; Friday, July 15, 6:00. T2

Akira. 1988. Japan. Directed/manga by Katsuhiro Ôtomo. A motorcycle gang–member in Neo Tokyo becomes mixed up with a secret government project called Akira, and discovers his supernatural powers. An anime featuring conspiracy theories, telepathic and telekinetic freaks, and wild motorcycle rides across neon-lit urban landscapes. 124 min.
Monday, July 11, 6:00; Wednesday, July 20, 6:00. T1; Monday, September 5, 8:00. T2

Ranma 1/2: P-P-Chan, He Is Good for Nothing. 1989. Japan. Directed by Tsutomu Shibayama. Manga by Rumiko Takahashi. When splashed with water, Ranma turns into a girl. 25 min.
Urusei yatsura (Beautiful Dreamer). 1984. Japan. Directed by Mamoru Oshii. Manga by Rumiko Takahashi. High school student Ataru meets Lum, an alien princess with the attributes of a demon, including horns and tiger-skin bikini costume. 90 min.

Monday, July 11, 8:00; Sunday, July 17, 2:00. T2

Rurouni Kenshin [episode 1]. 1996. Japan. Directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi. Manga by Nobuhiro Watsuki. At the start of the Meiji Restoration, reformed samurai killer Kenshin protects a once-proud sword school from criminals and government intrigue. 25 min.
Crayon Shin-chan: Tip and Run! Pig Hoof Battle. 1998. Japan. Directed by Masaaki Yuasa. Manga by Usui Yoshito. Shin-chan, a precocious child, has wild adventures. 95 min.

Wednesday, July 13, 6:00; Monday, July 18, 6:00. T2

Ginga tetsudô 999 (Galaxy Express 999) [episode 1]. 1978. Japan. Directed by Nobutaka Nishizawa. Manga by Leiji Matsumoto. A hero journeys toward the Andromeda Galaxy. 25 min.
Waga seishun no Arcadia (Space Pirate Captain Harlock: Arcadia of My Youth). 1982. Japan. Directed by Tomoharu Katsumata. Manga by Leiji Matsumoto. Harlock returns to his unsettled past and goes deep into the galaxy in defiance of the unjust Illumidas Occupation Forces. 130 min.
Friday, July 15, 8:00. T2; Thursday, July 21, 8:00. T1

Tetsuwan Atomu (Astroboy) [episode 1]. 1963. Japan. Directed/manga by Osamu Tezuka. An irresistible robot with a heart of gold fights threats to humankind. 25 min.
Fushigina Merumo (Marvelous Melmo) [episode 1]. 1971. Japan. Directed/manga by Osamu Tezuka. Magical candies allow little Melmo to transform her age at will. 25 min.
Hinotori (The Phoenix: Chapter of Dawn) [episode 1 only]. 1966/2004. Japan. HD version directed by Ryousuke Takahashi. Manga by Osamu Tezuka. A story involving a mythical bird and man’s quest for immortality in the distant past and the far-off future. In English. 25 min. Program 75 min.
Saturday, July 16, 2:00. T2

Dragon Ball: Saikyou e no Michi (Dragonball: The Path to Power). 1996. Japan. Directed by Shigesayu Yamauchi. A loose reworking of a classic Chinese tale, combining slapstick comedy with kung fu action. 45 min.
Saturday, July 16, 4:00. T2

Boku no chikyu wo mamotte (Please Save My Earth). 1994. Japan. Directed by Kazuo Yamazaki. Manga by Hiwatari Saki. Seven strangers who share a dark past dream of the moon. 30 min.
Shoujo kakumei Utena (Revolutionary Girl Utena) [episode 1]. 1997. Japan. Directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara. Manga by Chiho Saito. Utena cross-dresses and fights duels. 25 min.
Kareshi kanojo no jijo (His and Her Circumstances) [episode 1]. 1998. Japan. Directed by Hideaki Anno. Yukino strives to keep up appearances. 25 min. Program 80 min.
Wednesday, August 24, 6:00. T1

Samurai 7 [episode 1]. 2004. Japan. Directed by Toshifumi Takizawa. In an age when warriors enhance their bodies mechanically, the samurai code still lives on. 25 min.
Samurai Champloo [episode 1]. 2004. Japan. Directed by Shinichiro Watanabe. Manga by Dai Sato, Shinji Obara. Dispossessed samurai and a ditzy waitress come together amid hip-hop. 25 min.
Keroro Gunso (Sergeant Keroro) [episode 1]. 2004. Japan. Directed by Sato Jun’ichi. Manga by Yoshizaki Mine. Foiled alien frog invaders adapt to life on earth. 25 min.
Thursday, August 25, 6:00. T1

Shin seiki Evangelion gekijou-ban: air/magokoro wo, kimi ni (Evangelion: End of Evangelion). 1997. Japan. Directed by Hideaki Anno. Young Shinji battles mysterious government forces and his own internal conflicts. An anime that reinterprets the theme of the apocalyptic giant robot through philosophical introspection. 87 min.
Friday, August 26, 6:00; Monday, August 29, 6:00. T1

Kareshi kanojo no jijo (His and Her Circumstances) [episode 1]. 1998. Japan. Directed by Hideaki Anno. Yukino strives to keep up appearances. 25 min.
Fushigina Merumo (Marvelous Melmo) [episode 1]. 1971. Japan. Directed by Osamu Tezuka. Magical candies allow little Melmo to transform her age at will. 25 min.
Ranma 1/2: The Return of the Headmaster from Hell. 1989. Japan. Directed by Tsutomu Shibayama. Manga by Rumiko Takahashi. When splashed with water, Ranma turns into a girl. 25 min. Program 75 min.
Saturday, August 27, 2:00. T1

Robotto Kânibaru (Robot Carnival). 1987. Japan. Directed by Atsuko Fukushima, Hidetoshi Omori, Hiroyuki Kitakubo, Hiroyuki Kitazume, Katsuhiro Ôtomo, Kôji Morimoto, Mao Lamdo, Takashi Nakamura, Yasuomi Umetsu. An omnibus filled with inspired drawing and unconventional plots, meditating on the interaction between robots and humans. 91 min.
Saturday, August 27, 5:00. T1; Saturday, September 3, 4:00. T2

Kôkaku kidôtai (Ghost in the Shell). 1995. Japan. Directed by Mamoru Oshii. Manga by Masamune Shirow. Evidence of the increasingly surreal hybridization of man and machine in recent anime’s cyberpunk aesthetic. A bionic policewoman and her task force track down a renegade computer program in a dystopic future metropolis. 83 min. Sunday, August 28, 2:00. T1; Saturday, September 3, 6:00. T2

Tetsujin Nijyuuhachigou (Gigantor) [episode 1]. 1963. Japan. Directed by Yonehiko Watanabe. Manga by Tadao Wakabayashi, Mitsuteru Yokoyama. Shotaro turns an evil secret government project into good. 25 min.
Mobile Suit Gundam [episode 1]. 1979. Japan. Directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino. A boy discovers his scientist father’s mobile suit, and combats enemy Zeon forces. In English. 25 min.
FLCL (Fooly Cooly) [episode 1]. 2000. Japan. Directed by Tsurumaki Kazuya. Manga by Enokido Yohji. A sixth-grader and her crazy family captivate otaku (“geek”) insiders.
30 min. Program 80 min.
Sunday, August 28, 5:00. T2; Wednesday, August 31, 6:00. T1

Hoshi no koe (Voices of a Distant Star). 2002. Japan. Directed by Makoto Shinkai. In 2048, the government threatens Mikako Nagamine and Noboru Terao’s love by selecting Mikako to fight in an intergalactic war. Mikako remains a teenager, while Noboru grows up. 30 min.

Kumo no mukô, yakusoku no basho (Place Promised in Our Earlier Days). 2004. Japan. Directed by Makoto Shinkai. Two boys working to revive their comatose friend discover that her sleep is linked to the secrets of the world. 90 min.

Thursday, September 1, 6:00. T1; Friday, September 2, 6:00. T1; Saturday, September 3, 1:30. T2; Sunday, September 4, 5:00. T1

Interstella 5555, The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem. 2003. Japan/France. Directed by Kazuhisa Takenôchi, Leiji Matsumoto. Screenplay by Cédric Hervet, Guy-Manuel De Homem-Christo, Thomas Bangalter, Daft Punk. Four musicians from another galaxy are kidnapped by an evil manager with plans to make them the biggest band on earth. An animated musical, Interstella 5555 comprises the fourteen videos from Daft Punk’s Discovery album. 67 min.

Thursday, September 1, 8:30. T1; Saturday, September 3, 7:45. T2

Mind Game. 2004. Japan. Directed by Masaaki Yuasa. Screenplay by Yuasa, based on a story by Robin Nishi. A wildly psychedelic ride through Osaka’s backstreets, the afterlife, and a whale’s belly. Incorporating photo frames of the actual voice-actors’ faces, the film reflects the rough aesthetic of the young production house Studio 4c, as well as an emerging anime trend toward DJ-style visual sampling. Western premiere. 104 min.

Friday, September 2, 8:30. T1; Saturday, September 3, 9:15. T1; Sunday, September 4, 2:00. T1; Monday, September 5, 5:45. T1; Friday, September 9, 8:45. T1; Saturday, September 10, 2:00. T2

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