Mind Game (2004)

Original title

マインド・ゲーム

Directed by

Masaaki Yuasa

Genre

comedy film, comedy anime and manga

Country

Japan

Runtime

1h 43m

Rated

R 18+

Rating

7.5 of 10 from 334 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A young man gets a second chance at life after dying and meeting God. He journeys through surreal adventures involving yakuza and a giant fish.

whimsicalsurrealenergeticexperimentalvisually chaoticphilosophicalcomedicunpredictable

What happens

Mind Game (Japanese: マインド・ゲーム, Hepburn: Maindo Gēmu) is a 2004 Japanese adult-animated experimental comedy-drama film based on Robin Nishi's manga of the same name. It was planned, produced and primarily animated by Studio 4°C, and adapted and directed by Masaaki Yuasa in his directorial debut, with chief animation direction and model sheets by Yūichirō Sueyoshi, art direction by Tōru Hishiyama and groundwork and further animation direction by Masahiko Kubo. It is unusual among features other than anthology films in using a series of disparate visual styles to tell one continuous story. As Yuasa commented in a Japan Times interview, "Instead of telling it serious and straight, I went for a look that was a bit wild and patchy. I think that Japanese animation fans today don't necessarily demand something that's so polished. You can throw different styles at them and they can still usually enjoy it." The film was well received and has garnered a cult following, winning multiple awards worldwide, and has been praised by directors Satoshi Kon and Bill Plympton. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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