Animation

MOVIE REVIEW [Screener] . Tokyo Loop

Clocking in at just seventy-five minutes, Tokyo Loop provides a collection of avant-garde animated shorts from Japan. Now, it’s important to note up front that the animation exhibited here is not anime. In fact, there’s nothing really stereotypically Japanese about any of them, save for the slightest hints at their Tokyo setting and one mildly disturbing segment taking place in a restroom with Japanese toilets. Brought to life through a variety of animation mediums, from traditional cell animation to paintings to CG, these short are actually more in line with the types you would see at college film festivals, Mind’s Eye videos, or those old 80’s “The More You Know” television segments. And as with those kinds of offerings, some stand out as captivating and original works, while others astonish with their unbridled pretension and forced obtuseness. To be honest, there’s more of the latter than the former, and despite being an average of only three minutes long, quite a few overstay their welcome. But on the whole the animation is still pretty interesting. The first and last three segments in particular are of note, involving experiments in gestalt through use of motion capture, a cavorting ink-blot city, an exceedingly cheery community shit-session (no IndieFest offering would be without. See: Aachi and Ssipak), and a hypnotic CG clock. All in all Tokyo Loop is for fans of art-house animation, and students thereof. Depending on your tastes, you can take that as a warning or an endorsement.

For a full rundown of the individual shorts, check out the SF IndieFest page on Tokyo Loop. The film will be screening at the Victoria Friday, February 8th at 5:00pm, and Saturday February 9th at 9:30.

About the Author

Chris Nelson has been a film fanatic since age six. A former film and English major, he is now a Software Engineer and contract Technical Writer living in the Silicon Valley.