Terra e...

This lesser-known movie is another one I automatically love after searching for new anime to watch, especially movies and series from Toei Animation, since I love their stuff. I was curious about this movie after seeing it on the list of feature films Toei had made since 1958. Then last Friday, I watched it on Crunchyroll through my Roku smart TV. I thought it was a beautifully animated movie; though tragic in most scenes, it's still another favorite.

The story, based on a 1977 manga, goes like this: 500 years (I think) in the future, life on Earth is rendered unsustainable because of war and pollution. So humanity's decision was to leave Earth, with a supercomputer, AI, and human caregivers left behind. Humans now colonize planets far beyond the Solar System-until the planet reshapes itself. Then comes our male lead: Jomy Marquis Shin. When he just turned 14, he was taken by the Mu, who are a race of advanced humans with psionic abilities. Then Jomy found out he was about to go through brainwashing that would erase his childhood memories. And though he was reluctant, he also found out he was a Mu. That is all I have to say. You would have to see the movie for yourself.

I'm thinking of reading the original manga the movie is based on; thank goodness it's been translated into English. I found out that in 2007, another anime studio had adapted the manga into a series. I'd look at the screencaps and think, "I think I love the movie way better." So overall, this movie is another animated favorite with superb animation and sci-fi action.

Even it is old(1980), even its design is simple( but good), this is one of the best anime-movies, even today, 21 years after its production. The plot is original and well-done, mysteries are being revealed in their time, explaining everything without looking like that were forced (by the director or writer) to give a reason to all the story. The mü species was well created, with no lack of sense. It's a future that shows what can happen to us if we continue to destroy our planet, Earth, Terra! And there, thousand of years passed, they want to come back to this lost world. A master-piece of direction, giving you the suspense in the beginning, the sci-fi elements in the middle( showing the mü in their new planet, and the elite process of being born), and the drama in the end. In no time in the anime-movie you know if it will end happy or sad. You raise with the main character, you believe in his dreams, and get frustrated as himself. The great mama manipulates the human DNA in a space ship traveling to nowhere. People don't have sex anymore. And children do not raise and grow naturally. In this controlled chaos a boy has dreams, dreams about a prohibited civilization, about the only hope to open mankind eyes, about the mü society, those who are weak in health but strong in psychic powers. He, this boy, IS the HOPE to the mü, because he is strong in the 2 attributes. Then he meets the Soldier Blue, leader of the mü and knows his fate, get people TOWARD THE TERRA once again, but will he succeed? Find this movie and discover the answer. 10/10, a classic of anime!

There is very little action here, and not much else of interest to make up for its absence. The whole thing has a nice 1970s Leiji Matsumoto look - Space Battleship Yamato, Harlock Saga etc. - but while the creators strove for (and in some cases achieved) an awe-inspiring overall look, there is less of the sweeping narrative grandeur of those other films. Moreover, the potentially interesting story elements here - a secret society of espers fighting against a tyrannical government in a future utopia - are not well developed. There is too much dialogue discussing what is going on around the characters and not enough INVOLVEMENT of those characters in what is going on around them.

Overall, there seemed a poor mix of fictional and dramatic elements.