Casshern

Take an old 70’s animated kid’s show about a boy who becomes an android, pass it through Shakespeare’s Hamlet by way of Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and bring it to today’s somewhat paranoid climate of endless war, eternal occupation, and reprisal after reprisal. Whack on a coat of steampunk and set it in a dystopia teetering on the brink of the apocalypse, and you have Casshern.

If that sounds complicated, well it is. In his debut feature film, director (and writer, cinematographer and editor) Kazuaki Kiriya brings together disparate elements to create a film far more deserving of the ‘live-action anime’ moniker than any product of the Wachowskis.

In a dystopian alternate world, wracked by war, pollution and disease, Dr. Azuma (Akira Terao) is attempting to unlock the power of Neo-Cells (think stem cells) to create replacement organs for the injured and the ill. Azuma wants to save his wife, but the military want to return wounded soldiers to the battlefield sooner. Azuma’s son Tetsuya (Yusuke Iseya) defies his father’s wishes, leaving behind his fianc√©e Luna (Kumiko Aso) to join the military, policing an insurgency. A year later, he is killed.

His father’s research is fruitless until a giant metallic bolt of lightning falls from the sky and causes all the body parts being used in his research to reform and resurrect, creating a mysterious army of undead. The military attempts to exterminate the creatures, but several escape, dub themselves “neo-sapiens” and pledge to exterminate humanity. The grief-stricken Dr. Azuma uses the same lightning that resurrected the neo-sapiens to bring Tetsuya back to life. Armed with a special suit of armor developed by Luna’s father, the stage is set for a battle between Tetsuya and the vast robot armies of the neo-sapiens.

Casshern emerged as Japan’s entry into the global cycle of “digital backlot” films released from 2004 onwards. Other films of this quasi-genre include the French Immortel and the American films Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Sin City, and the recent 300. These films are shot entirely in front of a green-screen, utilising a minimum of practical sets, allowing the special effects teams to create a uniquely stylised backdrop for the action. This also allows for a rather complex and visually intricate film on a shoestring budget - Casshern cost only US$6 million.

That entire budget and more, we see on the screen. Casshern’s strengths lie firmly with its visuals, which are nothing short of stunning. Though this is Kiriya’s debut feature-length film, he has a noted background in music videos and fashion photography. This mastery of - and perhaps over-emphasis on - the visual elements is evident all throughout Casshern. Each shot demonstrates an intense attention to detail, with Kiriya rarely missing an opportunity to fill a frame with as many beautifully designed elements as will fit.

Spectacular visuals aside, where the film falters is in its characters and plot. Kiriya spends too much time establishing the world, and not enough time establishing the characters that live within it. We’re barely introduced to Tetsuya before his transformation into the messianic superhero Casshern, and thus the film never really connects on an emotional level, beyond the visceral thrill of the visuals.

One could argue that character is not important in a visual feast like Casshern, but Kiriya has clearly gone to great length to add depth to his film, even if he does finally become rather heavy-handed in delivering the film’s ultimate message of hope. He has created a world of contrasts, between the rich and the poor, the old and the young, the oppressed and the oppressor , and especially between the living and the dead. Kiriya has played to his strengths and constructed a visual language for each, ably communicating a very detailed post-apocalyptic dystopia.

Fans of anime should find a lot to love in Casshern. Technically, it’s more an animated film with live-action elements than vice-versa. It draws upon its animated roots for both visual and narrative inspiration, and despite its flaws, does justice to its heritage. At the same time it is a feast for action junkies, who will no doubt enjoy the frenetic battles. In his first outing Kazuaki Kiriya has crafted a confident, compelling, and thoughtful film that succeeds at most of its lofty goals.