Chage & Aska: On Your Mark

It must have been a small but extreme labor of love to make On Your Mark, a short film directed by the great Hayao Miyazaki with his Studio Ghibli crew working at full throttle. It gets right to the heart of the idea in seven minutes through an immediate array of strange but deliriously exciting images, and its story gains momentum by the end. The end, also, is one of the happiest I've seen in Miyazaki's work (if a little fuzzy with an angel flying high into the sky). On Your Mark tells of such a winged being who becomes prey to the horrors of civilization, plague, technology, when she only got there through a tremendous blunder. But when two men finally decide they've seen enough, they go through the security, through the swarms of bio-chemical suited soldiers, and through a desperate escape they make it through the explosions and action.

All through this Miyzaki and his team create small wonders frame by frame, with small details like falling rocks just as fascinating as the large-scale amazements like the 'city' at night in neon, or the shots of the getaway vehicle running along the highway, with the helicopters chasing afterwords. How or why this has happened to the angel is never made clear, but in such an amount of time Miyazaki can only show so much. What comes through best, in the end, is the immense talents of his team, his collaborators who transform such a near fairy tale into a one-of-a-kind show. The music, too, is a curious addition, as I don't think I would've cared for it much taken apart from the animation. With it, the song works on a romantically charged, epic scale (if it were in English, I might've mistaken it for an 80s power ballad). It won't remain as a true landmark achievement for Miyazaki like Princess Mononoke, but if you're already a fan of his &/or Studio Ghibli's works and you can find it (online is the best bet), it's more than worth it, it's a must-see.

A truly thought provoking and odd experience. The film runs 6mins40secs and has almost as much depth as The Matrix (1999) which runs 136mins10secs. I think that this belongs as a short film and not a feature-length film. You'll get what's happening after about three viewings. I've seen it eight times and it still blows my mind. Show this to anyone who doesn't like anime. Grade: A+

On Your Mark is a music video created by Miyazaki Hayao for a song by the popular duo Chage and Aska. It tells a story (of sorts) which is a little confusing, owing to how it does not follow a linear time-flow, and has no dialogue. However, the stunning visuals and amazing sound-effects enable the viewer (even if unfamiliar with Japanese) to create their own story. Definitely more entertaining if you are familiar with Miyazaki's work, as certain motifs (the face of the angel, flight, etc.) reappear from his earlier work.

I frequently show people unfamiliar with Japanese animation my copy of this video to change their opinion of what is possible in animation, which usually helps removed those negative pre-conceived notions people pick up from American animation. I have created a number of anime fans with this method.

Miyazaki is considered one of the greats of Japanese animation for a reason. This film is a great short piece set to the song "On Your Mark" by Chage and Aska. The only problems with it is that it's a bit confusing due to its two endings. Repeat viewings are recommended.

On Your Mark is a quasi-movie that has everything except words, and that's just the way it was meant to be. Being a little under 7 minutes long, you'd think that it couldn't offer much in the way of content, but it's simply a monumental achievement. The song "On your mark" by Chage and Aska is the only accompaniment to the masterful sound effects throughout the animation.

As with most anime, though, you may have to watch it multiple times to absorb all that's thrown at you, but since it's so short, this is easily done. The story follows two soldiers' experience after a raid on a violent cult headquarters. What they discover hidden away in the back, however, will change their lives and the way they think forever. You'll laugh at some of the sound effects, and maybe a tear will be shed with the ending. On Your Mark is of the caliber of such movies as "Macross Plus", and even better that "Mononoke Hime". One that should be remembered always.