A solid, extremely well-made slice of Anime – so why does it all seem so familiar?
In a post-apocalyptic future man’s interference with nature has given birth to a sentient forest and almost wiped out the developed world in the process. Three hundred years later mankind’s only survivors have formed two groups, those who want to form a tenuous coexistence with the Forest in Neutral City, and those who wish to dominate and subdue it from Ragna. Now Agito, the son of an aging hero, is about to set in motion a series of events that could bring all existence to an end.
A youthful prank leaves him lost in a forbidden are of the Forest, where he accidentally releases a young girl, Toola, from a cryogenic stasis tube. Toola finds it hard to come to terms with this new world and the loss of everything she knew. But she’s not the first to be released from the cryogenic tubes. Shunack, now a leader of the Ragna forces, plans to use Toola to unleash an ancient weapon that will end the Forest’s dominance once and for all. What she doesn’t realise is, however, that it will wipe out all life on Earth.
Agito srtikes a bargain with the Forest that it will imbue him with superhuman strength in order that he can both save the world, and Toola from herself. But will it be enough?
Origin comes with a strong pedigree: it’s the first full-length feature from the Gonzo studio, previously responsible for Hellsing, She The Ultimate Weapon and Final Fantasy: Unlimited, and by the director of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Keiichi Sugiyama.
The result is a beautifully made, lush mix of traditional 2D animation with 3D CGI. It’s nearly seamless, with the CGI machinations given a gritty, dirty look that fits them within cell animation without standing out too noticeably. The quality of close to being it good as it gets outside of a Studio Ghibli production, even far outstripping their disappointingly cheap looking last film Tales From Earthsea.
Where Origin falls down is on its predictable Anime plot. It boils down to this: Environmental catastrophe caused by man; only one young boy can stop it, dashing to save a damsel in distress who may well have caused this disaster, if inadvertently; the boy will have to face a truly mega-sized evil machination to save the world. It could be any one of a multitude of examples of Anime over the last 25 years!
The characters are likeable enough, and the story well-paced so it doesn’t overstay its welcome unlike so many productions now. (Though this also has the effect of making it feel like a sequel to a film you only glimpse in the opening credits.) But there’s really little to distinguish this from what has come before.
At least Steamboy had it’s League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen style Victorian setting, Metropolis had it’s incredible and completely unexpected use of a Ray Charles song. Indeed, the influence of Princess Mononoke is high, and such a comparison does Origin no favours. Surely it’s time for Anime creators to start looking away from these teen protagonists and towards new ideas for plotlines?
Origin is a good action-packed film, perfect for an early teen, over-12’s audience. Sadly, it just doesn’t do anything to break the mould. This ones for kids and real Anime fans only.
Origin: Spirits Of The Past is released by Manga and begins a limited theatrical release on 12 July.
