I knew it was a series of short films by foreign directors, but I expected something better from the all-star Japanese cast in these films.
The first segment "Interior Design" is a total trash. The two main characters' behaviors were completely un-Japanese and ludicrous. The 'spin the umbrella and jump' joke was so anime, it probably was copied from an anime series. The whole presentation with the chair and heroine was so generic that it felt like a work of a film school student trying to be creative, much like the failing filmmaker in this movie.
The second segment "Merde"'s opening sequence was very solid, but the Gojira theme music playing in the background was ridiculous, and shows how little research was done on Tokyo and Japan for this film. The second havoc scene was produced with so little care that one of the dead victims was clearly breathing. The director also went overboard with the fake language and the crazy gesture that came with it. The actor who played Merde was brilliant, but the French lawyer's acting was so fake and corny. This short film would've been much better with more Merde action.
The third segment, "Shaking Tokyo" was the only short film that had anything remotely related to exploring characteristics unique in Japan. I guess being the closest neighbor of Japan, a Korean director was the only one of the three who were qualified to describe Tokyo in a short film, and the only one who did any kind of research. Cinematography, Kagawa Teruyuki's narration, and depiction of this atypical (very organized) hikikomori were all really well-done, but the special effects in the Earthquake could've been done much better. This short film deserved much more budget since it starred A-list of Japanese acting like Kagawa Teruyuki, Aoi Yuu, and Takenaka Naoto. Although I liked the style of this film, it was too different from the previous two art-house style short films that created inconsistency as a whole.
I guess this anthology was made for Western audience, but the first two segments were a joke to anyone familiar with Tokyo and Japanese films. In fact, those two films absolutely didn't need to be set in Tokyo or Japan. Only the Korean director made any attempt to tackle an issue of Japanese society. Considering the all-star cast these short films managed to gather, these short films were nothing but complete and utter failure.
The first segment "Interior Design" is a total trash. The two main characters' behaviors were completely un-Japanese and ludicrous. The 'spin the umbrella and jump' joke was so anime, it probably was copied from an anime series. The whole presentation with the chair and heroine was so generic that it felt like a work of a film school student trying to be creative, much like the failing filmmaker in this movie.
The second segment "Merde"'s opening sequence was very solid, but the Gojira theme music playing in the background was ridiculous, and shows how little research was done on Tokyo and Japan for this film. The second havoc scene was produced with so little care that one of the dead victims was clearly breathing. The director also went overboard with the fake language and the crazy gesture that came with it. The actor who played Merde was brilliant, but the French lawyer's acting was so fake and corny. This short film would've been much better with more Merde action.
The third segment, "Shaking Tokyo" was the only short film that had anything remotely related to exploring characteristics unique in Japan. I guess being the closest neighbor of Japan, a Korean director was the only one of the three who were qualified to describe Tokyo in a short film, and the only one who did any kind of research. Cinematography, Kagawa Teruyuki's narration, and depiction of this atypical (very organized) hikikomori were all really well-done, but the special effects in the Earthquake could've been done much better. This short film deserved much more budget since it starred A-list of Japanese acting like Kagawa Teruyuki, Aoi Yuu, and Takenaka Naoto. Although I liked the style of this film, it was too different from the previous two art-house style short films that created inconsistency as a whole.
I guess this anthology was made for Western audience, but the first two segments were a joke to anyone familiar with Tokyo and Japanese films. In fact, those two films absolutely didn't need to be set in Tokyo or Japan. Only the Korean director made any attempt to tackle an issue of Japanese society. Considering the all-star cast these short films managed to gather, these short films were nothing but complete and utter failure.