Gokiburi-tachi no tasogare

The cockroaches replace humans while the humans replace gods?

That's one way to interpret it no?

A commune of cockroaches live and play in a dude's apartment in modern day (well late 80's) Japan. Nobody bothers them. They bother nobody.

Until said dude's girlfriend moves in.

Stereotypically, the female decides this place needs cleaning and what we get is Armageddon seen from the floor.

Of course there's your rivalries between the peace-nicks and the aggressors. And Naomi is our female eye of the storm. Do they fight, run, or die? Find this to find out. It isn't easy. Not even in Japan. There are a few old VHS copies floating around the used shops however.

This combination of live and anime reminds one of "Heavy Traffic" at times. I caught this in an art theater in Philly during a run on rare anime showings. Didn't stand out like "Robot Carnival" but still kept my attention.

And anyone with knowledge of Japanese life might like it too.

This is a movie (half live action, half cartoon) about the true lives of cockroaches. The basic plot is about a group of cockroaches who have always known peace. One of the female cockroaches meets a cockroach from across the field. These cockroaches have always known war. This movie is very quiet and very loud. Good cinematography, good dynamics. I think that roaches are probably closer to this than we could ever imagine. The fact is, they are living things just like us....so anything is permittable where the level of information is small. I give this movie an 8 out of 10.

leejarrodevans

This is another one of those cult classics that everyone in "the know" claims is so great. Well, the backdrops (a sort of mixed bag of pop art collage and live action) are terrificly bizarre, the highlights (along with the story itself) of this equally mixed movie. Unfortunately, neither the animated cockroaches or the live action humans are anything special (Bing Crosby dancing with Jerry the mouse looks more realistic, so I won't bother comparing it to Roger Rabbit). I was constantly thrust out of "the dream." However, that was probably due to the awful English dubbing.

It doesn't take long for this to begin to curry favor. The animation is well done with surprising, welcome detail, depth, and nuance; Iwao Yamaki's live-action cinematography is quite smart, especially for the ways in which it emphasizes the cockroach perspective, or operates on their level, likewise accentuating swell minutiae in each scene. I dare say the blending of these two facets are certainly on par with other pictures that have done the same, or possibly even more smooth and effective; it's certainly quite clever in how an ordinary human household (or otherwise surroundings) is thusly presented in a unique way. As the animated cockroaches take precedence and are spotlighted as protagonists, anyone who has watched more drama-oriented anime will glean similar feelings from this - though as the narrative progresses, simple drama gives way to darker and more profound airs. Yes, there's quite a lot to love about 'Twilight of the cockroaches' right from the start, and whether one is a fan of international cinema, anime, the combination of animation and live-action, or just a cinephile generally, this is readily absorbing and enjoyable, and worth exploring.

Cemented by no few pieces of dialogue, for those with the knowledge and context to appreciate it there are reflections and commentary on contemporary Japanese society lurking within the film; one doesn't necessarily even need that background to glean the currents coursing throughout. Even setting aside such particulars, however, still the movie carries robust themes and story ideas: the tale of a complex, time-honored society struggling to remain strong and relevant, and to survive in an ever-changing landscape as larger, more dominant forces seem to control their destiny. There's a lot going on here, with a metaphor is so thin that it's scarcely a metaphor at all; hand in hand with the narrative focus, the film tarries with hints of tragedy, and even horror, as events progress; in spotlighting a few characters above all, every thought borne in the whole is applied as well to them. The premise may portend as much, broadly speaking, but still one is somewhat taken aback; it's the same with any picture - one can gain a sense of what to expect, but to actually sit and watch the story unfold is another matter. To the great credit of filmmaker Hiroaki Yoshida, he has shaped the production with a sharp mind and a keen eye, and the result is even better than I could have hoped.

'Twilight of the cockroaches' is flush with detail in both facets of the visual presentation, and no less so in its storytelling or fundamental craftsmanship. The sound design is geared toward amplifying ordinary noises as they might seem to such smaller creatures; the scene writing and dialogue zeroes in on the specifics of how the roaches live, and the big ideas that draw parallels between their culture and Japan in the 1980s. Morgan Fisher's original score is rich with themes that ably complement the mood at any point, and given the overall tenor of the feature, especially noteworthy are those that carry a more sorrowful or pensive slant. Down to the voice work and the performances of Kaoru Kobayashi and Setsuko Karasuma in the live-action roles, and certainly including production design and art direction, all involved put in excellent work to make this an unexpectedly earnest, impactful movie. And I think it's a stark success. As a matter of personal preference I can understand that this won't appeal to all comers, yet even if some aspect of the film doesn't readily strike one's fancy, it boasts such intelligence and sincerity in its craft and storytelling that I rather believe it would surprise folks who stumble onto it. All I can say is that I'm very pleased with just how good it is, and I wouldn't have any qualms of recommending it to just about anyone. If you have a chance to watch 'Twilight of the cockroaches,' this is a modern classic that deserves recognition.

How much you will enjoy this film depends greatly on whether you can set aside the usual reactions to verminous insects. Do that and Naomi, this movie's star, is actually kind of cute, in the way that naive 17-year-old girls often seem. With a human face and torso beneath her antennae and black carapace, she enjoys pool parties in the toilet bowl, smooches with her childhood sweetheart and is attracted to Kurt, the handsome soldier cockroach from the neighboring tribe. Her tribe's human host is a live-and-let-live sort of fellow, unlike the girl next door, sexy but merciless toward roaches. Disaster comes when the two people fall in love.

Everything is seen from the bugs' viewpoint, full of large and potentially dangerous objects. Trash, on the other hand, is full of wonders. The photography and animation are extremely well-handled. The biggest flaw is that the characters are pretty much one-dimensional, with the differences you'd expect between roach and human society too-little explored. But this is far more adult and more thought-provoking than the usual movie cartoon. And unlike other animated animals, these roaches don't sing.