definitely going to be watching this one again at some point. there's just so much shit going on. the visual effects are so memorably bizarre. one of the early sequences that stood out to me was when Gorgeous was describing her aunt's past and it's shown through a film reel but the other girls are also viewing the film and commenting on the images and effects like the "kiss of fire" and the bomb looking like "cotton candy" as just a really cool way to play with the medium and meta aspects.
the sound editing(?) is noticeable as well. there's all sorts of bizarre overlap between the music and dialogue that seems unnatural though admittedly i'm a little unsure where the intent begins with that one.
lot of cool trivia here as well. The director Obayashi had previous experience working with advertisements and if you've seen any of the multiple "weird Japanese commercial compilations" floating around the internet, parts of the film are definitely reminiscent of that. part of the inspiration for the movie and the events that happen in it came from the director's 10(?) year old daughter at the time and she actually has a "story by" credit. Obayashi's quote that "adults only think about things they understand ... everything stays on that boring human level while children can come up with things that can't be explained" is typically mentioned when the film is brought up and it fits really well here as some of the stuff that happens...i mean...yeah.
Seginustemple posted...
After watching it twice (it was short enough) what I really appreciated is how on on the surface it has this spontaneous, improvisational energy but there's an undercurrent that feels very designed and deliberate.
i think that's a very good way to put it. just like how none of the visual effects feel out of place no matter how "cheap" they look. it really fits the tone perfectly and the main cast with the exception of the aunt having no prior acting experience helps it achieve that feeling.
i really appreciate a lot going on here and love how much personality it has. unforgettable and i'm sure there's a lot more to pick up on for future viewings.