When people think cyberpunk, this is the sort of city they might imagine: Impossibly dense buildings, stretching off the top of each frame to imbue them with a sense of immense height and scale and leave the sky nothing more than an impossibly distant symbol of ephemeral freedom.
Then there are the litter strewn streets festooned a menagerie of cryptic advertising in different languages, crushed together into a maddening mixture of culture: the classic melting pot of dystopian futures past.
Within this Future Hong Kong-like, Chung King Express inspired city we meet our protagonist, an incredibly beautifully animated lady on the run for witnessing an apparent crime. And the story starts its nonstop, bulletlike rollercoaster ride towards its unorthodox and yet amazingly foregone conclusion.
The animation quality was literally otherworldly, at times I found myself replaying scenes, wondering if it was overlaid on actual footage. I have never seen animation of this visceral quality before. The tiny details, the use of comic-like interjections to indicate surprise and suddenness and the technical brilliance of the entire presentation make this short a visual feast and sensual cacophony of stimulation.
Sexy, seedy, sordid and sleazy are all words you could use to describe this episode and you would not be wrong. But I would also add sumptuously drawn city scenes, surreal storyline and a rather satisfying conclusion.
More, please.
