Customer Reviews

Robot Carnival

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First off, I'm going to find this at a Suncoast or something because this one looks like a bootleg...

I've seen this a long time ago when it was aired on the SciFi Channel, when they had anime Saturdays. I was blown away. This feature is from the 80's so don't expect anything super flashy. But the art is so gorgeous. It is a collection of short films, surrounded by a main story that is sort of reminiscent of the Heavy Metal cartoon movie. This is an emotional ride.

A couple of the stories left quite an impression on me. One being "Presence", where a working man with a family is obsessed with a robot girl that he keeps hidden away from his house. She is his surrogate "wife" because the relationship he has with his wife is cold and silent. It's a sad story, and the art is amazing.

The art throughout the entire feature is gorgeous. Any fan of anime should keep a copy of this in their collection. It might be old, but it's a timeless classic. I had this on VHS, but it got eaten up, now I have to search for a legitimate copy of the DVD.

Overall Robot Carnival is a work of art. Being a work of art means what you see is a great deal more subjective than your standard film. Personally I like it. The collection of stories all have something to contribute, albeit some more than others. With this collection you are going to find prime examples of the best work done by the perspective creators. If you are a fan of Yasuomi Umetsu, Takashi Nakamura or any of the other creators on this movie then you better get this. Most of the short films have no dialog except for two. Here's what to expect from each short:

Frankenstein's Gears: This is a dynamic take on creating a Frankenstein monster, or rather robot. You get a mix of sounds effects from nicely done environmental sounds to silly Looney Tunes sound effects. Lots of dynamic lighting and little things flying all over the place make this short look exciting. It seems inspirational at first, but then ends with what I consider a slight disappointment.

Deprive: A girl who is fond of a robot gets captured by some other robot monsters, who seem to be attacking the planet. The robot seems to get an overhaul and proceeds to kick butt in order to save his lady friend. This is an all out action short with lots of cool angles, lighting effects and explosions. This is pretty much the kind of content many anime fans drool over, and for good reason. It also has a sweet and romantic element to it that pulls all the action together.

Presence: This is a short that includes dialog and is about a lonely toy maker who is hiding something from his family: a robot girl he created. He then is shocked when the robot wants to feel more human and he now has to face the consequences of actions. This is a very artistic, touching story that uses lots of symbolism in telling the story. This is definitely one of Yasuomi Umetsu's best works. It's also one of the most beautiful stories in this collection.

Star Light Angel: A kind of love story about two girls at a theme park who both seem to be dating the same guy. Of course this is just a background story as a robot comes to play who likes one of the girls and the two end up in some dreamlike scenario (that of course includes giant battling robots). The story is hard to follow since most of the action comes from a sequence that is hard to tell if it's real. The back story is lots more interesting. Plus you get to see several characters from the movie Akira make cameo appearances all around the amusement park if you keep an eye out for them.

Cloud: This is certainly the most artistic short in the entire group. Pretty much what you see is a childlike robot walking against the wind with cloud images prominently behind it. This short is nothing but a series of sketch and charcoal art of various cloud formations and images that appear in them. There is a story behind this, but mentioning anything about it would spoil it, though I suspect many people just won't figure it out. What you get is live art gallery of beautiful images all tied to a single theme. Add to that a laid back and ambient music score and you end up with something truly inspiring for the art lovers out there.

Strange Tale of Meiji Machine - The Chapter of the Red-Haired People's Invasion: I know that's a very long title for a short film, but this is by far the most entertaining story in the entire movie! It's about a battle of giant robots... in 16th century Japan. You heard me. The robots are made of wood and bricks and the end result is a hilarious take on a giant robot rampage across a city. This one the second of the shorts with dialog and you thank your lucky stars for it. The colorful character interaction can't be done without it. If any of you are anime fans of any kind this short alone is worth the reason to see this movie.

Chicken Man and Red Neck: This strange tale seems to be about demonic robots taking over a city, turning regular machines into malevolent creatures. One of these machines chases after an extremely terrified civilian. This is the strangest of the films in the series, but it's also one of the more memorable ones. The robot creatures are fiendishly clever designs even though the story doesn't make any sense. The music score is also quite memorable on this short. Only thing I can say is don't try and figure out what's going on too much when watching this. Just enjoy the frantic imagery and action.

Now a bad note about this DVD. It's technically not an official release. You see there never was a studio DVD release of Robot Carnival so this is all you can get. Worse part is the English subtitles in this DVD are atrocious. They are completely off base. If you prefer watching the movie with the original Japanese dialog and using subs it may taint the experience this time. You may be better off sticking with the English dub, which is the same as the U.S. theatrical release of this movie.

Anime fans should bow their heads in shame if they don't see this. It's one of the most artistic forms of the genre out there. Robot fans might or might not get into it, depending on what their expectations are. This movie isn't about robots. It's stories with robots in them. I would say the more artistic you are the more you will get out of this movie. To summarize some shorts you might not like. Some shorts you will love. It really depends on what you are into. I happen to like the entire set overall and found something good enough to note in every one.

This is a copy and is not legal. Unfortunately due to rights issues the odds are that there will NEVER be a legal region 1 DVD or Blu Ray release. Someone puts it up every 6 months to a year and Amazon quickly removes the sale each time. Do not waste whatever the huge amount of money that is usually associated with these illegal sales. Sites that openly sell the illegal copy usually charge on the order of 10$ IIRC.

Do not trust Wikipedia saying that the only legal region 1 release is carried through Amazon; anyone including pirates, can edit Wikipedia.

No one wants a DVD or Blu Ray release of this excellent feature more than me, it just isn't going to happen. My VHS copy died long ago and it was the only reason I had a VCR still connected in the DVD age.

The one star review is for the illegal copy. The feature itself is 4-5 star depending on your tastes and how tough a rater you are.

Cool movie I saw on the Sci-Fi network when I was a kid. Found it on another anime website for $7.50. Whoever is selling it here on Amazon for $69.95 should be ashamed of themselves

That's just it. I caught this movie 13 years ago on USA Late Night, along w/Vampire Hunter D. I've searched high and low for this movie and still can't find anyone that has it or even heard of it. This and Guyver:Outta Control.

... And it's one of the best films in my collection.

What to say about this remarkable film that hasn't already been said already? It's not quite up to Disney specs in terms of full technical prowess, but the story and scope of imagination deliver unprecedented appeal and depth to viewers young and old alike.

The underlining theme here is "robots". The vignettes offered are a collaboration of a number of artists sketching and story-boarding their own tales of feelings of what it must be like to be an aficionado and builder of robots, or, in some cases, the robot itself.

The R2 DVD is rich with color and sound. The images are crystal clear and a joy to the eye as the luminosity of colors is brought forth in the film. The animation however, is somewhat hit and miss, depending on the sequence. Smooth in some areas, somewhat static in others, but always stylized, the stories the film delivers are vibrant with emotion and visuals to convey those emotions.

Each vignette tells a story unto itself, and frames a single theme. Whether its human-robot romance, robots as tools of comedy and destruction, robots as young children surviving calamities of history, or some good old fashioned heroics and romance among humans, it's all all here. My favorite sequence happens to be the one at Tokyo Disneyland. Young love in blossom. A heartwarming tale. Another favorite is the grand finale, where we see a man who's perhaps had one too many and is witness to either conjurings of an inebriated mind, or something else entirely different.

In any event this film is a welcome ride for audiences young and old alike. And by young I mean pre-teen, or perhaps mature grade schoolers, as there is some violence that may not be appropriate for very young audiences. If your kid can watch Star Wars or Power Rangers, then they can watch Robot Carnival.

In any event, don't buy the pirate listed here, but try to track down a genuine Region 2 DVD. You'll enjoy it.

One of my favorite films.

However, ANY region 1 DVD you see is a bootleg.