A.k.a, If you like LD&R, try this.
Short fiction is a staple in science fiction; no other genre does it better. I believe this is where science fiction thrives. The ability to pack an impactful and memorable story in a few words is only matched within genre fiction by horror classics. Many SF short stories get the same recognition and praise as whole novels.
With that being said, I’m surprised there aren’t many adaptations of short stories into animated anthologies, especially seeing the success of Love, Death & Robot. This series proved the enormous potential animated science-fiction shows have. So, I’m here to recommend some other anthologies in the hopes they’ll become more popular in the future.
Let’s establish some ground rules. I will focus here on series in which every story has its own lore, cast, and style, excluding episodic series like The Animatrix, for example. Because it is the combination of the great plot and inventive animation that makes the anthology come alive.
Ok, enough preamble. Let’s cut to the chase. If you like Love, Death & Robot, try these.
Memories (1995)
Released in 1995, Memories is composed of three excellent short stories by Katsuhiro Otomo, best known as the creator of Akira. He also acted as an executive producer of the movie.
The first one, Magnetic Rose (彼女の想いで, Kanojo no Omoide), tells the story of a ghost ship… a ghost spaceship! The crew of space vessel Corona receives a distress signal and is impelled to investigate. They find a rose-shaped ship orbiting a space station, learning it once belonged to a famous opera singer. When inside it, things start to get weird.
Since it is a short story, I will not spoil it further. Instead, I’ll praise the overall artistry of this segment. This unique psychological horror has a dream-like ambiance and mood. It seems to draw inspiration from Japanese classics like Paprika and Perfect Blue, although it predates both!
It also reminded me of a character in another story released twenty years later: Dr. Avrana Kern of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time. But I’ll let you find this connection by yourself.
Stink Bomb (最臭兵器, Saishū-heiki) is less serious with a cartoonish style leaning toward comedy. A lab technician under the weather mistakes an experimental drug for flu medicine, and his body starts to produce a highly toxic gas, killing every living being around the man.
This one doesn’t take itself too seriously, which makes it a thoroughly entertaining respite after the heavy plot of Magnetic Rose.
Cannon Fodder (大砲の街, Taihō no Machi) was not only written but also directed by Otomo. And it is my favorite in this anthology. This is the tale of a family of three, a father, a mother, and a young boy, living in a city at war—a city geared toward maintaining their giant cannons functioning.
A mild spoiler: we never learn anything about the War other than it’s happening. The enemy is unimportant because a society wholly functioning to sustain a war is its own villain. We get to witness the optimism planted in the youth, contrasting with the hopelessness of the settings and everyday life.
I should one day do a whole post about this story. It deserves it.
Robot Carnival (1987)
This 1987 anthology movie comprises nine short stories, each directed and designed by a different young animator, including Katsuhiro Otomo (who actually directed two: Opening and Ending).
These are shorter than in Memories (some don’t even have dialogues), so I will not discuss much of each not to give away the goods. They are:
Opening (オープニング, Ōpuningu) / Ending (エンディング, Endingu)
Franken's Gears (フランケンの歯車, Furanken no Haguruma)
Deprive
Presence (プレゼンス, Purezensu)
Star Light Angel
Cloud
Strange Tales of Meiji Machine Culture: Westerner's Invasion (明治からくり文明奇譚〜紅毛人襲来之巻〜, Meiji Karakuri Bunmei Kitan: Kōmōjin Shūrai no Maki)
Chicken Man and Red Neck
Ending (エンディング, Endingu)
Franken’s Gears is based on Frankenstein, so obviously a must-see! But my favorite is Presence. And I couldn’t help but notice the inspiration it draws from Blade Runner. Can you see it?
Neo Tokyo (1987)
Yes, another Japanese animated SF anthology. This time, we also have the involvement of Katsuhiro Otomo in his directorial debut!
To complete the trilogy of Japanese classic animated sci-fi anthologies, Neo Tokyo is the oldest and most experimental one.
The first two stories, Labyrinth Labyrinthos and Running Man, are pretty psychedelic, with figments of imagination reminiscent of a dream and little to no dialogue. A feast for the animators. They could unleash their creative power to give us amazing visuals and action.
The third one, Construction Cancellation Order, written and directed by Otomo, has a more linear storyline. An inspector is at the mercy of an unhinged robot manager who is supervising other robots in the construction of a city-size factory called Facility 444.
We can all agree that malfunctioning killer robots are the best!
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Have you watched these movies? What did you think of them? Let me know in the comments.
See you next post,
Ra.
Carla Ra is a scientist by day, sci-fi writer by night.
You can check out her anthology ARTIFICIAL REBELLION here.
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