Jin-Roh: A Brigada Lobo

It's hard to begin describing this, but I can only recommend it. Taking place in a bleak, and fully believeable alternate version of post-WW2 Tokyo, Jin-Roh accomplishes all the things that other anime cinema movies who were hailed as the holy grail of anime didn't accomplish, or at least never accomplished so well. And Jin-Roh does it with style.

The animation is very impressive, without even really trying. No overly flashy effects are hurled in your face in a "lookie here!" fashion, instead we get sobre, lifelike and extremely realistic chara designs that move with wonderful fluidity through some very beautiful backgrounds. The "less of you is more" effect is used to it's full extent here to create a foreboding and terribly tragic atmosphere.

The story, at it's most basic is a doomed lovers tale. Jin-Roh doesn't try to shock or disgust (though there are a few very frightening violent scenes in there), but wants to make you cry genuine tears of sorrow, and succeeds in every way.

The movie's approach is subtle, slow and delicate, and leaves a huge impact, exactly because it plays on a smaller scale. The fairy tale of the Little Red Riding Hood, and the image of the wolf (or "the beast" in general) are used throughout the movie with the same sobre flair. Apart from the main doomed lovers theme, there's also a very impressive story of betrayal and political intrigue in there, which adds a dash of suspense. Kudos to the great designs of the Panzer armors as well, who look powerful, and in some moments truly frightening.

In short, Jin-Roh is a wonderful piece of work, full of beauty and intelligence. It's not quite possible to make clear how strong this film is on paper, but watching it will leave an unforgettable impression. It's a stylish tragedy that makes you think as well as makes you cry. Don't hesitate to seek this out.

Watching this, it is important to make an overlooked distinction between Western and Japanese animation: while the former is often also considered as a genre and calls to mind a specific type of audience and story, the latter is purely a format. Many a film out there in the realm of anime could have been made as a live-action feature, even though in cases like Akira or Ghost in the Shell, the budget would have been prohibitive.

This distinction is particularly interesting to apply to Jin Roh: this could well have been live-action, and since its story, themes and execution put it well outside the Western boundaries for animation we need to ask ourselves why it is not only particularly suited to that medium, but can easily be counted among the finest animated features of all time.

Drawing countless parallels with the tale of Little Red Riding Hood - the original, somewhat pessimistic version - Jin Roh explores two characters on an inevitable collision course: a traumatized, counter-terrorist elite soldier and a young, female future suicide-bomber. Given the subject-matter, it is surprisingly apolitical, not siding with either faction or even exploring the roots of terrorism within the context of this story. In fact, to great and horrifying effect, it is more concerned with the mundane nature of it all, and the dehumanizing effect of their roles on the respective characters. This is a world without redemption, where the only choice is between embracing your role, or drifting off into an abyss.

Telling this very specific story through animation elevates it into a myth, into a horribly grounded adaptation of that ultimate suspicious authority-rejecting cautionary fairytale. Perhaps there is no grandma or little red riding hood, only wolves in people's clothing. It's hard to imagine a live-action version of Fuse's empty stare that could ever conjure the effect deployed here.

Finally, Jin Roh was the last fully hand-drawn Japanese animated feature (1999), and it uses its broad array of technical tool with a mastery and restrain that puts even a Pixar or Studio Gibli to shame.

If you want monsters and heroes and magic, go see something else... This is a moving example of how a good story incredibly well told can rip your heart out. A must-see!

The plot of Jin-Roh is set in a fictitious Tokyo, several years after the second World War. Violent combats between an anti-administration terrorist organization and the capital's para-military police rock the city over and over again. When Fuse, a member of the capital's police force, gets suspended after a young terrorist messenger blows herself up in front of his eyes, he tries to search for more information about her but gets mired in a secret power struggle between the administration and the capital's police force.

The plot of "Jin-Roh" is so sophisticated, it can hardly be described without spoiling some very important facts. The movie then comes up with several stunningly surprising twists that one would hardly have anticipated. But despite, respectively, due to the movie's complexity, it is sometimes hard to follow properly the events and incidents. There are so many different organizations interacting and intriguing, which shall not mean, that the story is inconsistent. Rather are all relationships and hierarchies between the organizations (police, administration, ministries) brilliantly thought-out, but the fact that everybody seems to play off against one another, doesn't make it clear who belongs to whom until the end. I had to watch the movie twice, before realizing every aspect of the story.

All this may sound like an ordinary political crime plot, but let me tell you, it is something totally unique. The plot's obscurity perfectly fits its grim atmosphere. The idea of a fictitious past is excellently illustrated by the streets and locations, that seem familiar, but at the same time totally strange.

The movie's subjects about guilt, atonement and living with burden make it also pretty depressing, but at the same time, a special cinematic experience, due to its unique stylistic features, such as narrating the story of "Little Red Riding Hood and the evil wolf" during several scenes, which accurately fits the events in the movie itself.

All in all, one of the greatest and most unique movies, that I have seen, Mamoru Oshii, once again, created a brilliant and intelligent plot, whose complexity sometimes really reminds oneself of Oshii's "Ghost in the shell". The movie's overwhelming picture language and music contribute to its excellence.

Jin-Roh is one of those few animated films that not only transcends the boundaries of it's medium, but also displays more emotion, heart and depth than most live-action dramas. It is a film that destroys any preconceived notions any audience might have about the true power of animation and how much emotion "mere" drawings can convey. Upon viewing this great film one might ask why it was even animated in the first place. It probably would have been cheaper and easier to produce as a live-action feature, but herein lays the beauty of this sublime film: it is the strength and integrity of its animation that emphasize the dark, mysterious and surreal themes of the picture.

Jin-Roh was written by legendary Japanese director/writer/producer/animator Mamoru Oshii and directed by the freshman Hiroyuki Okiura. However, make no mistake about it, Jin-Roh looks, feels and IS an Oshii film, even having its gorgeous score written by long time Oshii partner Kenji Kawai. Jin-Roh explores the themes often touched upon by Oshii. Themes of human beings becoming detached alienated and threatened by the very technologies and societies they themselves have created.

Jin-Roh is, quite loosely, based upon the childhood story of Little Red Riding hood. It is set in an alternate reality where after WWII, Japan is under complete Martial Law becoming little more than a police-society upset by constant social unrest, political terrorism, and near civil war. The government set up the ultimate police force, the Wolf Brigade to combat the thousands of citizens fighting for economic stability, social justice and their identity as a nation ravaged by warfare. The revolutionaries have a special "unit" of terrorists that resemble Little Red Riding Hood. These girls dressed in red cloaks deliver baskets, baskets full of bombs, to their evil wolf-like Grandmother, the Wolf Brigade.

Although this story could have easily set itself up to be a military action-thriller, what transpires is nothing short of a harsh, tragic love story between one of the "hoods" and the very "wolf" she so desperately wants to kill. With that being said, Jin-Roh is, with out doubt, one of the most depressing journeys into the psyche of a soldier blinded by his idealistic, oppressive leaders, and a social revolutionist numb to life after years of civil and social unrest.

While watching live-action films it is easy to forget about all the craftsmanship that went into creating the final picture: it easier to view the film as an entity within itself. This is not the case with well-crafted animation. The viewer is constantly aware of the vast amounts of detail, heart and soul that were poured into each and every frame. Animation should be regarded as the pan-ultimate art form. Animated features are the only form of art to incorporate all of the major media: Film, acting, painting, writing and music. And Jin-Roh is a work of fine art when it comes to all of these aspects. The animation is smooth and natural, almost having a roto-scoped feel to it, the music is as moody, beautiful and moving as any soundtrack ever recorded, the director and layout artists worked together to craft each shot with the utmost care, and the script and it's delivery are near flawless.

If there is anyone out there who doubts the emotional power of mature, adult animation, then I challenge you to view Jin-Roh and not walk away marked by its brilliance. Once again Oshii has proved that animation, when done correctly, is not only beautiful, but it can also strengthen an already strong story and theme.

I saw this at the New York Japan Society two and a half years ago. The director was there to take part in a symposium on Anime. For some odd reason this film has not received wide-release even in the major US cities (as far as I know anyway). Having just visited Japan, I found that it is only now being released on DVD but not on VHS; supposedly there are bootlegs videos of it going around New York but with the visuals this film offers to watch a crappy version of it would be a shame. Anyway, the film's a good one, one of the better anime films, up there with "Akira" and the works of Miyazaki; it's much better than the director's previous work "Ghost in the Shell." Similar to "Ghost in the Shell," the plot is confusing but not to the point of causing frustration and/or sleep. It sort of reminds me of the begining of "Akira": an underground movement vs. the government--minus all that sci-fi garbage. The animation's state of the art as you should expect. The animation featured in anime is usually top of the line but it's the stories that tend to disappoint. This film is the exception, its got the animation and the story something only a handful of anime films can claim. If you can find it watch it. Highly recommended.