What a ride! This movie is a visual feast, using several different animation styles to weave its tale. It might take a degree of patience to absorb all that Mind Games brings to the table; certainly, those who don't enjoy anime, can't handle subtitles, or aren't big on animated movies, this one's not for you.
Mind Games follows the repressed Nishi, a reserved coward and loser, and to a lesser degree his not-so-secret crush Myon and her sister Yan. A series of rapid montages littered about the film help to tell this story.
Upon a trip to Myon and Yan's father's restaurant, a couple of gang members come seeking revenge for past grievances. A tense exchange follows where Myon's fiancée is knocked out, Myon is nearly raped, and Nishi has a fatal encounter with the gang members when he finally finds his courage.
Nishi finds himself in the "lobby" before the afterlife. When ushered towards the nothingness beyond, a red portal, by a form-changing entity that is apparently "God", Nishi's spirit finally senses its courage and purpose, and he makes a break for the blue portal at the opposite end that leads back to life. "God" is impressed by Nishi's tenacity and allows him to return.
When Nishi comes back, seconds before he died, he does things differently, killing one of the gang members and stealing the others car with the girls in tow. A wild car chase ensues between our heroes and more gangsters in cars that climaxes in a spectacular bridge plunge that sees our heroes swallowed by a whale.
In the whale, the trio meets an old man who has been trapped inside for a good 30-some years. He nurtures our heroes, feeding and clothing them, and allowing them a respite from the chaos of the fatal diner ambush and ensuing car chase fiasco.
After some reflection, and learning the whale is dying and time is running out, our quartet now develops a plan to escape. Another insane sequence follows as the heroes row a boat, swim, and literally run on the water to escape the whales gullet, which eventually, all four do.
We now get an animated closing montage that mirrors the opening one, also woven with a different unfolding of events from the films beginning, showing our characters lives and choices, resulting in different life paths, with a closing tagline of "this story has never ended".
Unlike other anime films, Mind Games doesn't take a lot of mental gymnastics to understand the messages and themes. Additonally, the animation is blazing-quick, epileptic, and borderline seizure-inducing with all its flashy imagery. The story probably could've been told without all the wacky animation, but I understand why they chose this approach; to illustrate the fervish uncertainty and creativity that envelops our minds and thoughts.
Overall, if you have the patience for it, Mind Games is worth a watch, if for no other reason than to enjoy the hand-drawn artistry at play. 7/10, would watch again.
Mind Games follows the repressed Nishi, a reserved coward and loser, and to a lesser degree his not-so-secret crush Myon and her sister Yan. A series of rapid montages littered about the film help to tell this story.
Upon a trip to Myon and Yan's father's restaurant, a couple of gang members come seeking revenge for past grievances. A tense exchange follows where Myon's fiancée is knocked out, Myon is nearly raped, and Nishi has a fatal encounter with the gang members when he finally finds his courage.
Nishi finds himself in the "lobby" before the afterlife. When ushered towards the nothingness beyond, a red portal, by a form-changing entity that is apparently "God", Nishi's spirit finally senses its courage and purpose, and he makes a break for the blue portal at the opposite end that leads back to life. "God" is impressed by Nishi's tenacity and allows him to return.
When Nishi comes back, seconds before he died, he does things differently, killing one of the gang members and stealing the others car with the girls in tow. A wild car chase ensues between our heroes and more gangsters in cars that climaxes in a spectacular bridge plunge that sees our heroes swallowed by a whale.
In the whale, the trio meets an old man who has been trapped inside for a good 30-some years. He nurtures our heroes, feeding and clothing them, and allowing them a respite from the chaos of the fatal diner ambush and ensuing car chase fiasco.
After some reflection, and learning the whale is dying and time is running out, our quartet now develops a plan to escape. Another insane sequence follows as the heroes row a boat, swim, and literally run on the water to escape the whales gullet, which eventually, all four do.
We now get an animated closing montage that mirrors the opening one, also woven with a different unfolding of events from the films beginning, showing our characters lives and choices, resulting in different life paths, with a closing tagline of "this story has never ended".
Unlike other anime films, Mind Games doesn't take a lot of mental gymnastics to understand the messages and themes. Additonally, the animation is blazing-quick, epileptic, and borderline seizure-inducing with all its flashy imagery. The story probably could've been told without all the wacky animation, but I understand why they chose this approach; to illustrate the fervish uncertainty and creativity that envelops our minds and thoughts.
Overall, if you have the patience for it, Mind Games is worth a watch, if for no other reason than to enjoy the hand-drawn artistry at play. 7/10, would watch again.