Much has been made of the in-between film series "The Animatrix". Some have claimed it is a pinnacle of filmmaking, ready to take the crown from various greats such as Steven Spielberg, while others have said it to be a disappointment fluffed up by its own hype. No hype is needed for the Animatrix DVD; it is a stellar wok that not only gives back-story on info crucial for Matrix Revolutions, but is also a genre-crossing event.
Although there have been collaborations in the past between East and West in the realm of anime, never has the line blurred so severely as in this series. Where even a passing glance could separate anime from animation elsewhere, this series breaks that distinction into a thousand pieces. From the recognizable visual cues and graphic beauty of "Blue Submarine 6" director Mahiro Maeda in "The Second Renaissance I and II", to the wiry character designs and twisted elegance of "Aeon Flux" director Peter Chung in "Matriculated", these series of nine shorts show the unraveling seam between American and Japanese influence. This is no surprise; the Wachowski brothers freely admitted to trying to create a "Live Action Anime" with the movies, so a step into actually producing anime is a natural follow through. When they decided to go along this track to create the mini-series, they went to the best and brightest names in the anime community in order to do honor to the genre. Not only were those anime directors impressed with the scope of the vision presented to them by the brothers, but also to the familiarity to anime in general. One person interviewed on the DVD stated, " (the Wachowski Brothers) knew more about anime and manga than the average Japanese person".
Every strain of anime fan, gamer or sci-fi fanatic will love at least one short on the DVD. For the Ninja and Samurai fan, the "Ninja Scroll" flavored short "Program". For the 3-D gaming enthusiasts it is the "Final Fantasy The Spirits Within" level of detail in "The Final Flight of the Osiris". Although thought provoking and insightful, the styles and genres expressed in the shorts reflect the more brutal influences in anime, such as "Ghost In the Shell" and "Jin-Roh". Even those who favor the paler shades of anime in plot and flavor will still be thrilled with the offerings on this disc, enjoying most the quiet and poignant sequence called "Beyond". There are even separate language tracks, so that the most dub hating purist can have the choice of listening to the Japanese track with subtitles provided on the DVD. Truly, this is a series that almost everyone will agree on during a Saturday night video marathon with friends.
After watching the Animatrix itself, time can be spent of the massive layer of extras on the series. There are countless features such as interviews with the main directors, a voice over of the director's visions for some of the segments, and a short history on anime that takes more of a construction and design aspect than just a recounting of historical events. The "History of Anime" segment is very basic and very approachable, even the clips that were shown in the lesson are of older and more recognizable series such as "Battle of The Planets", "Gatchaman" and "Akira". Academic scholars such as Frederik Schott and Giles Poitras are interviewed on what makes anime so unique and shed light on the subtleties that are present to the eye but are difficult to place into words. A special treat is in store for those who have a DVD Rom on their computer system, as there are added bonuses that can be only accessed by those means.
With such dedication, bravery, passionate insight and creativity put into this series, this DVD deserves to stand proudly next to its big film screen brothers "The Matrix" and "Matrix Revolutions". The Animatrix is a breathtaking view of the razors edge future of anime, raising the bar so high that it will take a very long time, if ever, to reach again.
