I still remember the day where I first saw Shangri-La, the first Gonzo animation series I have ever watched. The sheer depth of their visual and technical prowess amaze me. Gonzo up to this day still lived up to its reputation, inciting both praises and critics. This time I look at one the few movies that Gonzo made outside of its usual series routine, Origin: Spirits of the Past.

Details

• Directed by: Keiichi Sugiyama
• Screenplay by: Nana Shiina, Naoko Kakimoto
• Story by: Umanosuke Iida
• Music by: Taku Iwasaki
• Cinematography: Haruhide Ishiguro
• Edited by: Aya Hida
• Production company: Gonzo
• Distributed by: Shochiku
• Release date: January 7, 2006
• Running time: 94 minutes
• Country: Japan
• Language: Japanese

Synopsis

A failed DNA experiment with plants has changed the world forever. Having demolished the moon, the intelligent and aggressive plant-life has spread to the earth and destroyed the human civilization. The few humans that remain struggle to survive, while maintaining an uneasy truce with the restless forest. One day, a villager named Agito stumbles across a stasis unit hidden deep in the forest and awakens a very cute girl from the past. Having slept for the past 300 years, Tula steps into a very different and strange world. The neighboring high-tech village of Ragna is still locked in a bitter war with the forest and when they become aware of Tula, they realize that she is the key to activating her father's final and ultimate weapon of humanity—a weapon designed to totally destroy the forest. When Tula is taken by the warriors of Ragna, Agito makes a pact with the forest to gain the strength and incredible powers to not only save her, but to stop the weapon from destroying both the forest and his village.

Story

Though the intro was quite intoxicating with the singing chorus provided by KOKIA, one of the memorable singers in Ar Tonelico, I don't really get it at first. It's getting more and more ridiculous as time goes by, and the scenes don't really help me to uncover it the meaning.

When the first scene was shown, I was immediately lured by this promise of epic grandiose storyline. However, that promise was never fulfilled and I was really disappointed of what could have been. It's predictable nature combined with weak plots and same old antics just don't appeal to me.

This idea of men vs. nature has been shown all over the place with little success. We all know how it's going to be. Mankind will learn how to "love" mother nature because she manages to remind them of her part in their survival. With that in mind, just about 10 minutes into the film, I already knew how it would end. Such a shame really, with all of that gorgeous world building.

It's not like the story is bad, it's about how it fails to give a closure for all the "hope" it gives from the beginning. A reviewer once said that Origin could be made into a fine video game, which I totally agree. The world it has presented is very vast and can be turned into a grand epic sci-fi fantasy-esque RPG. Yes, it's not realistic but one can dream, right? I would love to explore more of the realm Gonzo has crafted.

Visual

If the story is quite mixed, the visual is absolutely gorgeous. I mean, created on 2006, when animation CG was not as popular and advanced as it is today, Origin truly shows a remarkable visual style, expected from Gonzo. Edgy, fast, and cool are words I can give to the visual effects.

The characters design however is not what I expected. It's a little bland and they don't really convey the emotions. Yes, while Gonzo can create amazing believable environment, their characters are okay at best. The stereotypes of protagonists and antagonists are everywhere which means that Origin is not as "original" as its name implies.

Audio

KOKIA's voice which accompanies us throughout the intro scene really sends a chill down my spine. The soundtrack quietly blends with the surrounding scene and doesn't really come up as forceful or impactful. It's doing the job properly although I wouldn't mind if the soundtrack is more traditional in a sense being one with nature by using traditional Japanese instrument, rather than European classical one.

Even if the presence of Aoi Miyazaki means something on its own, the voice cast is not that spectacular or memorable. Easy come, easy go. Doesn't really matter to me. (how many of you get that reference?) We get some emotional scenes, but the acting doesn't strike me as relatable or realistic enough

Characters

Sadly, this is the one thing that is bugging me other than the storyline. Gonzo was notoriously known with its weak characterization, and this is very true with the film. There are so many characters who are introduced just to fill the plot. Unsurprisingly, the main characters are also not that remarkable. They don't have that unique feel that makes us care or relate to them. While I commend Agito, I still don't really understand his motivation because the intrinsic plots for each main characters are quite dissonant.

Conclusion

So much potential lost and gone in a moment because of Gonzo's indecisiveness, causing not much being offered. I feel the world that it is currently set in can be used in a much different way. In the end, Origin's pseudo-epicness is complemented with its visual and artistic style that are both engaging and lull us into this false sense of belonging, even though the film itself doesn't really have a point.