Gyo

...and it ain't just the walking fish!

Granted, I haven't read the Manga upon which this 2012 Anime movie titled "Gyo" (aka "Gyo: Tokyo Fish Attack") is based upon. And after having sat through this 2012 Anime, then I can honestly say that I have zero intentions of reading the Manga.

Writers Junji Ito, Takayuki Hirao and Akihiro Yoshida put together a very bizarre storyline here. Sure, as I sat down to watch this Anime in 2023, I thought that zombie fish was a strange concept, but I opted to watch it regardless, giving the Anime the benefit of the doubt.

And I have to say that "Gyo" was no my cup of tea. Sure, there were parts of the story that were good, but the overall picture was a swing and a miss. I just couldn't get into the vibe here that director Takayuki Hirao was trying to portray on the screen, and it was just difficult to take the whole thing serious.

The art style in "Gyo" was adequate. Not the best of art seen in an Anime, for sure, but it was adequate enough. Despite the fact that the creature concepts made zero sense. The animation in "Gyo" was good, though.

I am sure that there is an audience out there for something such as "Gyo", I just happened not to be a part of that particular target audience.

My rating of "Gyo" lands on a four out of ten stars.

Gyo: Tokyo Fish Attack

The reason why fish don't speak is they would drown every time they tried.

Although verbal evolution is far-off, this anime confirms upward mobility is not.

Graduates Aki, Erika and Kaori head to the seashore to celebrate their recent liberation from the classroom only to discover a freakish fish on the beach that has grown a pair of motorized legs.

More ambulatory vertebrates soon appear on land, including a Great White Shark that stalks the sidewalks for its next meal.

Time reveals the military's involvement in creating a self-perpetuating mechanism propelled by the death stench of its victims.

The most bizarre aquatic tale to ever surface, this acutely drawn anime inspired by the multi- volume horror manga fails to deliver the unnerving scares of its muse, but it does feature the key moments that comprise its greatness.

Incidentally, once they can ride a bike, these biped fish will dominate the Ironman Triathlon.

Yellow Light

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An animated movie that does take environment very seriously. Japan is an island and therefor isolated. It also seems to heighten their fears and how they portray them. Another case in point is this movie. Just because it is animated though, doesn't mean it is child friendly. There is nudity, there is violence and there is body horror that Croneberg would be jealous of.

Apart from things (machines) sticking things in human body parts (where they shouldn't be) and other out there ideas, you have to be pretty open minded to watch this movie. It's not great, but it has a message. Is that enough/sufficient for your viewing pleasure?

As someone that has read the manga that this movie is based of, I can saffely say that booth are enjoyable in their own way. Some things have been changed within the story, but it does follow the same plot and at times re-enacts the same exact scenes from the manga. The fish were creepy and gave me a very strange feeling of dread in booth versions. I will however complain about two things: The first one is a particular octopus-scene that was not in the source-material and felt completely unnecessary and forced. The second thing is that the movie didnt end as in the manga. That is not a complete dealbreaker but I enjoyed the ending in the manga better. Wouldnt recommend watching this if you havent read the manga. It might be to much for some...

A graphic, weird film that depresses more than it thrills. Still you certainly won't forget it and contains a strong eco, disaster meassage. Not sure if there is a huge fan base for this one but it's surely an oddball entry, to the 'Anime' genre. 6 stars for just being different.