Amrita no Kyouen

Saw this at a recent animation festival. Was not disappointed. I will mention right of the bat that this movie isn't perfect. The occasional use of 3D character models compared to the traditional medium that is mostly used makes some scenes stick out like a sore thumb. For what it was, it perhaps could have been briefer too, and voice acting, though not a lot of it, is sometimes over the top in the wrong places. As a prime example of this, all the character breathe and gasp really loudly and much too often. It's more of a personal gripe, but I do think it detractedfrom scenes of horror that would have benefited from shocked silence. All that being said, this is some good shit. I should also point out that if you're here for a very straightforward narration technique, you might not - in fact, definitely will not get what you want, but considering this movie is very quick to turn from what seems a typical ghost story into a fairly trippy horror escapade, I think the vagueness of everything that took place in it is really makes the whole thing that much more interesting. Not everything needs to be unveiled and clear from the star or by the end, for that matter. That very ignorance gives some otherworldly charm that mystery genre in general could benefit from, because by the end it'll make you both (sort of) understand AND question what the hell just happened. I don't want to spill too much, because I truly believe it's good to see it without any expectations, so you can enter the experience with an empty mind. The story of it, depending on your interpretation, could be as straightforward as you like, or a mere glimpse into something beyond human comprehension. And isn't a personal interpretation just the best way to approach any mystery? The visuals are pretty consistent in being spook-inducing, and sometimes downright unsettling even when nothing of immediate terror is taking place. I think the beauty of the scares in this movie is about the implications of it rather than the events, and the visuals will serve as a very good point to tell you what I mean. Last but not least, the movie even managed to squeeze in a bit of personality into the characters, just enough to make you feel for them when you see them struggle. All in all, a very solid short movie that took me by surprise.

Nauseating. Hurts to look at. Gave me motion sickness. Sounds good. Okay, the most glaring issue Amrita no Kyouen has is the animation style. It has this low framerate look reminiscent of a flipbook. It's a very particular style and I can almost imagine how it was made. It looks like a live action performance filmed in front of a green screen and awkwardly keyed in front of the background. Characters sometimes slide around on the ground as they stand still. Then they got some rotoscoping artists to draw over the actors but only on every 10 frames to save time. Finally, any time the cameraneeds to move, add a ton of motion blur. Yeah, it's really hard to look at and unfortunately this might be a hurdle that a lot of viewers are not willing to move past. It's not all bad though. This anime is actually a sign of improvement. "Amrita" is a prequel of sorts to indie filmmaker Saku Sakamoto's 2018 work Aragne no Mushikago. Sakamoto's techniques have clearly improved since "Aragne", as the uncanny valley inducing 3D models, and vapid characters devoid of any design elements, save for intensely detailed eyes, are not present in "Amrita". Instead, characters have a markedly more pleasing appearance that elicits vague memories of some mid-2000s anime film. The characters' movements are actually fairly lifelike, but it's hard to tell as the low framerate disguises it nicely. And the obvious CGI in "Aragne"? It's only kind of noticeable in "Amrita". Sakamoto seems to also have ditched the drunken cameraman he hired for "Aragne" or at least got him to sober up a little. The frame only occasionally (rather than constantly) wobbles panickily in all directions as if imitating the eyes of an onlooker who is so terrified that they are about to wet themselves. Alright, alright... Maybe it's supposed to look unsettling. Maybe all these production and design choices that I'm criticizing were used intentionally to set the atmosphere. This IS a horror movie after all, it's supposed to be uncomfortable. And if that was the intention, then it was certainly achieved. But instead of having to turn away from the screen due to the sheer horror of it all, I had to look away to find the nearest trash can. There is some actual praise to be had for "Amrita" though, and that praise belongs to the sound design. There isn't a musical score, but instead a masterfully woven blend of silence, ambient noise, and rich, lush sound effects. Goopy bodies melting through the ceiling. Footsteps echoing down a vacant, dripping corridor while the crinkling of an unseen threat approaches. A metal wrench clinking against other tools and clunking to the floor. The warm pulsating innards of some disgusting creature. Every single movement, each action is accompanied by lovingly hand crafted sounds, tailored to the specific needs of every scene. With very little dialogue present, the narrative is driven forward almost entirely by the sound design. Simply, "Amrita" is nothing short of a masterclass in sound production. All-in-all, it's not a terrible film, especially for an independent effort, and there are good elements at play here. Just come prepared with an ibuprofen and a barf bag.

First of all, I don't speak English. To begin with, I will say that compared to its predecessor, I did have perhaps a little higher expectations, but even so it did not disappoint, it has its touch, and for the duration, it is a pretty good short film. I would recommend it if you know in advance what type of footage it is, since perhaps it is not to the general liking, due to the fact that it is not very literal in its narration, it is more figurative. In any case, it has an animation that can be annoying, at least I am used to this typeof style, with a certain anime of a flower, and the way the story unfolds or is narrated is intertwined in various ways, although always making it clear what is happening. , does not leave you much interpretation and is abusive, taking advantage of the same history of recycling. As for the characters, the truth is that you don't go too deep into any of them, but you still manage to more or less understand them, and it makes it a little easier to know what happens with each one. Although I liked it, I think I could describe bad things more than good, since they are more visible, but if you don't have much to do, you don't waste your time watching it, as it is short and from the beginning it gives understand how it will happen, making sure that if it didn't attract you from before, you can abandon it and if it catches you, continue In short, a remarkable short film, without good things, but wonderful in its own way.

I'll keep this brief as other reviewers have already made some key observations that do not need to be repeated, regarding story/characters or animation quality. While it may be a bad anime, I think it is unique in some ways. It takes a Lovecraftian approach to horror and the atmosphere is somewhat reminiscent of the Silent Hill games. Creature/monster design is less yokai inspired and more like what you'd expect from Clive Barker (Hellraiser) or H.R. Giger, and Magic the Gathering's Phyrexia. Personally I would like to see more original anime adopt similar themes and visual approaches versus the same formula every time. This had potential,but could have used far better execution. TLDR: I don't think this is a good anime, nor do I think it has zero redeeming qualities. Read the actual content of the reviews and decide for yourself whether you want to skip it entirely. At the time of writing this review the whole thing can be seen on youtube. If you are for some reason somewhat interested, watch clips or skip through parts of the movie (which is what I did - I think the direction suffered from pacing issues and this could have been half as long, which might have raised it a point or two)

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