I re-watched Mind Game. I kind of have no words on how amazing it is.
But first I have to get it off my chest: the 11 year old, breast obsessed angle is juvenile and didn’t age well. It’s just unnecessary. Breasts and ample, large ones are great and can be used in animated movies, no problem. But the obsession is just childish which is stupid because the movie’s theme –be yourself, live your life fully- is not childish at all. A little dissonance here.
Having said that, I still believe that Mind Game is the most amazing animated movie I’ve ever seen. It mixes absolutely every single technique –rotoscoping, slide show, stop motion, 3D, photos, cel shading– available at that time and everything works together. If you love graphic design, it’s a joy to watch and a must-see.
It was Masaaki Yuasa’s second movie that he directed. Yep. I’m not jealous at all.
Every shot has some of the wildest angles and crazy perspectives you can possibly get. It puts to shame so many narrative video games that want to be edgy, 16 years later. It is just phenomenal. The sound design is fantastic, the music is perfect. Especially for that scene that still gives me goose bumps. The love scene (no spoiler ahead).
The way it happens after they both laugh at something really cute and funny… The way the music starts and how it moves on screen… I think it’s one of the best depiction of making love I have ever seen (including the reference to old movies). That’s it. That’s how it looks like if emotions felt while kissing and feeling someone’s skin were visuals.
Find a way to watch it. And because it’s dense as hell at first, watch it a few times. A true hidden gem.