From the world of gangubai movies, we have this unique and captivating collection of animation films that are filled with all sorts of different characters that are all doing something. The characters get involved in a lot of different issues and they come together in different ways.
It’s actually a bit of an oddity to have such a collection since these films are all about killing and violence. But I guess that’s exactly the point which makes this collection so great. When you have a variety of different types of characters in your films, then it really helps to create a unique style with your animation work.
Gangubai, the first film of director Hironobu Sakaguchi’s current cycle of films, is a great example of this. The story is about a group of people that are trying to get away from Japanese culture and get onto a peaceful island, where they can live in peace until a crisis occurs. They are doing this in order to escape Japanese culture and Japanese society.
The style of animation in Gangubai is so unique that it really helps to create a unique look. Hironobu Sakaguchis films tend to be quite slow and very low in the budget, so there is a lot of art direction and planning that goes into the final look and feel of your films. This is not just so that your films look like other Hollywood films.
Gangubai is the first film in Sakaguchi’s series to be directed by a woman (I’ve been a fan for years, and it’s been great to see her directing a film again). The film is also the first to feature a female lead as main character. The film looks and sounds spectacular. Unfortunately, the script doesn’t work on all levels, and it’s a shame as it’s a beautiful film that I would have loved to have seen.
I cant think of anything that is a more beautiful film than the Gangubai. The movie is great, it does have some issues which is why I cannot recommend it. However, its a film that I would love to see more of, and I hope that someone else does. I am going to end this review with the trailer.
The trailer is a little short on description but does include some footage and dialogue. The footage is mostly of Colt as a guy looking like he is doing a lot of thinking, thinking, thinking, and thinking… and most of the time looking like he is doing a lot of thinking is great. The dialogue and visuals are a little lacking, though. The dialogue doesn’t really explain things to the viewer, and more than a few times it feels like they just made it up.
Well, you know, it’s sort of the same problem that keeps the trailer from being too long or too short. The dialogue is just the same as the footage, yet they don’t explain things in the same way.
The movie is called ‘gangubai’ which is a reference to the Japanese word for ‘ghost’, or something like that. It is a good movie though, definitely worth checking out.
The thing is, the Japanese word for ghost is a bit of a misnomer. In fact, when I think about it, no ghost actually exists. Ghosts are not living people, they are not inanimate objects, they are entities that exist outside of our reality. They don’t really exist in the same way that the human soul does, which is why they are often referred to as spirits.