Ian_K

Anthologies of animated shorts based on Western properties have become something a big deal. In the past two years we've seen both Batman and Halo get this treatment, as well as the videogame Dante's Inferno. However, the Animatrix is still the gold standard of such works, even going so far as to outshine some of its source material. The secret for the Animatrix's success is the talent that was poured into it. Some of the creative minds that worked on it include Mahiro Maeda (Gankutsuou), Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll), and Shinichirō Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop), in addition to some up-and-coming talents as well. While theMatrix sequels devolved into mysticism and spectacle, the different pieces of the Animatrix give us new spins on the ideas that first made this world so compelling. Each segment gives us something completely different while still remaining true to the thematic elements of reality and identity that are at the heart of the Matrix. And these differing visions are captured in a kaleidoscope of visual styles, making the experience an enriching one for the brain and the eyes. Of course, in an anthology work such as this, everyone will be drawn to different parts. I certainly have my favorites, but I found that each segment had some to offer - with one exception. The first segment, The Final Flight of Osiris, made by Square (who you might know from Final Fantasy:Advent Children), features remarkably realistic CG but has such a poor story that any sense of wonder is lost, and the overall effect is rather one of boredom. Fortunately, this misstep is quickly forgotten as it is eclipsed by the equally pretty and much more interesting works that follow it.

BouncedOnMyBoysD

SHORT 1 - Final Flight of Osiris (dir. Andy Jones and prod. SQUARE USA) So, this short only really exists to set up Matrix Reloaded as well as Enter the Matrix (greeeaaaattt), and in spite of a well choreographed opening fight scene, it quickly devolves into gray mush with muzzle flashes. It suffers slightly from Star Wars prequel-itis, yes it is tying directly into events of the film I like and yes I do recognise the iconography, but the reason these shorts exist is to expand the universe beyond what was seen before. FFoO meanwhile does very little to expand the universe, stylistically ressembles a Matrixthemed Second Life server, and is a boring slog to begin with. This short should've been called The Blue Pill because it sure as hell put me to sleep. 2/10 SHORT 2 - The Second Renaissance Parts 1 & 2 (dir. Mahir Maeda and prod. Studio4oC) Now this is where we should have started, detailing the conception and subsequent rise of machines, it's an interesting expansion of this world. The visuals are interesting with overall fine designs, the main focus are the machines and they look great, but the humans all look very bland bar a few close up shots with some interesting shots with a portrayal of them being extremely animalistic. It's also one of the more intense and mature execution of the robot uprising idea, with neither the message of "human bad" nor "technology bad" it shows the conflict without bias with both sides being given a part to flesh (or metal) out their motives. 7/10 SHORT 3 - Kid's Story (dir. Shinichiro Watanabe and prod. Studio4oc) Whilst The Second Renaissance showed a larger conflict as whole, this short shows the personal stakes of a Neo-like character living in the Matrix whilst questioning his reality. The sketchy visuals with the fluid almost jittery movements is an amazing portrayal of the characters perception of the Matrix. Although an extremely simple short it's effective in its execution with a brilliant soundtrack to couple some interesting animation and it really does a good job at justifying this collection's existence as a whole since it and the previous short have already displayed the diversity of Matrix as an IP. 9/10 SHORT 4 - Program (dir. Yoshiaki Kawajiri and prod. Madhouse) Kid's Story was more about animation in motion, meanwhile Program is extremely picturesque and beautiful with a further exploration of small scale conflicts found within the resistance groups, it was extremely effective in both tying familiar iconography with unique ideas, the use of paper doors as an obstacle was a cool moment, the simulations bleeding code was very nice, and overall the samurai setting is a brilliant set up that gives this short its own identity. 8/10 SHORT 5 - World Record (dir. Yoshiaki Kawajiri and prod. Madhouse) And it's a sports anime now, no but seriously as expected from Madhouse it's got some amazing animation, my main description would be "Redline - except my car broke down" and you can really see those aesthetics in this short almost 4 years prior. It's an interesting addition to this collection and also a very unique spin on a sports story like this, I probably would've preferred if Matrix Reloaded was about this guy instead. My only real complaint is it's placement, we just got a Kawajiri/ Madhouse short, so it somewhat nullifies the complete variety displayed prior, that being said the style is still different enough with more exaggerated faces as well as a larger emphasis on movement and a more naturalistic environment that breaks into some unique visuals in the sequence with the Smiths (Agents, not Morissey). 7/10 SHORT 6 - Beyond (dir. Kouji Morimoto and prod. Studio4oC) It wasn't at all surprising when I checked Morimoto's page and spotted Tekkon Kinkreet inhabiting his body of work, this is definitely my second favourite stylistically and in motion it's an absolute treat. I see why Thor: Dark World directly ripped this scene into their movie (yeah Marvel, I fucking noticed). There isn't really much else to analyse with this short, I adore the aesthetic, it fully utilises it's format as a short to tell a concise yet realised story. 10/10 SHORT 7 - A Detective Story (dir. Shinichiro Watanabe and prod. Studio4oC) Watanabe is back and hey look, it's my favourite! I love how it blends the Matrix universe with a film noir/ manga aesthetic, it was definitely a smart choice putting this towards the end seeing as it seems to tie directly into the films somewhat with the appearance of main character (okay, yeah Neo and Trinity showed up in Kid's Story, but Trinity is like the central focus). The writing is sharp, the soundtrack is amazing and the mystery while small is still very fun. My only complaint is it seems t be cut a tad short, but when my complaint is that I want more, that's not really a complaint. I would love to see Watanabe do a detective series sometime since this style very much suits him. 10/10 SHORT 8 -Matriculated (dir. Peter Chung and prod. DNA) I was awaiting a short to explore the spirituality of Matrix, sadly they saved it for last, conceptually the short has interesting themes with the humans somewhat reprogramming a machine by making it feel like a human almost. Aesthetically in its backgrounds it is gorgeous and the sequence wherein they explore this weird space within the machine is rife with Buddhist imagery and interesting ways of bending the reality. Aside from that, this short is ugly as sin, the awful proportions, the nauseating use of CGI that just doesn't meld well with the rest of the scene and good lord the outside world is so mind-numbingly dull, sadly we visit there often. 5/10 IN CONCLUSION: If the first and last shorts were cut, this would be amazing, but with those two bad apples I would say this is just pretty great, I still wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to just about anyone, but not without a "skip the first short and the last short, they kinda suck" prefacing it. Definitely a perfect companion for the Matrix and a much preferable addition to the series than Reloaded or Revolution.