In the crowded field of Japanese anime, “Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade” cuts an impressive swath, if not nearly as cosmic as Bandai Visual’s previous opus, “Ghost in the Shell.” Scripted by anime giant Mamoru Oshii (director of “Ghost”) and directed by first-timer Hiroyuki Okiura, 32, who worked as an animator on both “Akira” and “Ghost,” this sci-fi fairy tale about a special-forces thug who’s humanized by his contact with a young girl has already been launched on the fest circuit and appears a strong candidate for specialized theatrical play and robust ancillary biz. Pic is slated for summer release in Japan. Show Setting is the mid-’50s, in a Japan in which public order has broken down following the devastation of WWII, and the National Public Safety Commission has set up the Capital Police Organization (Capo) to exert control. In an arresting 15-minute opening set piece, Capo’s elite Special Unit is shown battling a street riot, in which anti-government forces use human bombs. During the melee, one of the unit’s members, Kazuki Fuse, is traumatized when a young girl, code-named Little Red Riding Hood, blows herself up in front of him, causing all sorts of damage and sending Fuse back to training camp. Fuse later visits the girl’s grave and meets her sister, with whom he begins a cautious relationship based on loneliness. Meanwhile, a dastardly plot is afoot, in which the Wolf Brigade — a group of infiltrators of the Special Unit — is involved. Despite the period setting and the script’s references to Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, pic’s universe is basically the same as in the vast mass of animes — a fascistic society peopled by ruthless police squads, freedom fighters and figures of innocence (generally female). Okiura’s take as director of Oshii’s script plays up the beauty-and-the-beast side, achieving some nice moments of stillness and childlike beauty and peace in between the dark, violent action sequences. It is, however, a far less complex work than the futuristic “Ghost in the Shell,” with none of the latter’s stomach-churning, visionary moments or muscular sexuality. Technically, the movie is most remarkable for the limits to which it pushes traditional cel animation, strikingly replicating cinematic techniques to the point where you occasionally almost forget you’re watching a cartoon. At other times, however, especially in non-action sections, the animation is conventional. Budgeted at a slightly higher-than-average $ 30 million, pic was three years in the making, largely due to the use of conventional techniques, which give a much more solid look to the images than would CGI. “Ghost,” which cost about the same, made vast use of digital technology. "Jin-Roh - The Wolf Brigade" isn't for everyone. It's the type of drama I would recommend to fans of BBC or army stories. That any anime could be compared to such an archtypal genre, considered one of the most well-respected around the world, is a high complement. It's absolutely worth seeing at least once. Curiously, it would receive a live-action adaptation many years later, not from Japan or America, but from Korea. It makes me proud that it still receives respect from a cult following. I actually found the animation to be lacking. Maybe I am used to the latest Japanese animes that capture everything perfectly from expression to little details. That is not saying that it has bad animation, just that it looks like Akira, even if it is made in '98. The story is great. I liked both the storytelling as the story itself, with many unexpected twists and (well, it IS Japanese) a very depressing atmosphere. The soundtrack is nice, too, as many people noticed. What this movie is about is what it is to be human in an inhuman world. I think they specifically chose such a detailed yet alternate world to put the setting in. It is not science-fiction, is ultra-reality. It shows not the beauty of the world, but the place where we all sit to look through the window at a beautiful world that doesn't exist. The worldly waiting room. It would be pointless to repeat who the characters are and what they do. Enough to say that this is a must see for anime fans as well as any other cinema lovers. If you want something bloody and pointless, watch something else. I can compare it with Grave of the Fireflies, although it wasn't THAT heartbreaking, or with Akira. It also feels a lot like Natural City. The plot is often bewilderingly complex and the dense layers of subterfuge hard to follow, but by the climax the fairy tale has been twisted into a fascist fable of realpolitik mercenary opportunism. Offers a violent but compelling vision of what an animated feature can be. this is one of the best anime films i have ever seen. the film makers use a lot of symbolism that normally would come across a pretentious but in this film's case it's used to great effect. both the story and animation are incredible, the acting in the english dub is performed very well and if you see it you'll feel better for having watched it. it deserves a better average score than it has A narrative masterpiece, very subtle at giving hints. beautifully executed animation scenes not to mention a musical score The film is built to quaver and buckle along with its victims and martyrs. In an almost soulful way, it bespeaks the reality lingering when the final fantasy ends. Its plot and political symbolism manage to be both over-familiar and confusingly muddled. The story's emphasis is on action, but there are some sensitive moments and interesting ideas along the way. Dubbed for U.S. audiences, the film has suffered in translation. Something to behold; it's just not much to watch, despite admirable ambition and a few tense, well-thought-out sequences. One of the best adult anime movies out there. Quite gory, it struggles to develope characters as almost every japanese production, but it has got high cuality production and you wont regret watching it. Jin-Roh is an anime film directed by Hiroyuki Okiura and is about Kazuki Fuse a member of a special police force that specialize in taking down terrorist until one day he fails to shoot a little girl with a bomb. This film is an acquired taste. The action is bloody and they don't shy away from the carnage. It also gives us some visual that can both amaze and confuse the viewer. Plus it doesn't give us much background on our main character. However this didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the film. This is mainly because of my personal taste when it comes to anime films. for example I like animes like Ghost and the Shell and Akira. I like Sci-Fi imagery and I like characters that are hard to relate to. But I can understand why someone wouldn't like this film. In conclusion if you don't like films like Ghost and the Shell than you won't like this one. Is Illang the wolf brigade worth watching?The adaptation of Mamoru Oshii's "Jin-Roh" of 1999 is quite good, it retains the essence of the original animation film directed by Hiroyuki Okiura. I highly recommend this film for action lovers, asian cinema enthusiats. The movie doesn't deviate that much from a possible reality of a reunified north and south korea. What is the plot of JinThe movie "Jin-Roh" is about those in society who are predators among prey. But these "beasts" never bother to change their shape; like Red Riding Hood's wolf, they merely drape themselves with human clothes that do not even disguise the eyes, teeth and claws of a killer. Society rightly fears them. In "Jin-Roh," the Capital Police are themselves hunted -- marked for elimination as a force by their own government, and by a public eager to forget the past.Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade / Film synopsisnull Is there a sequel to JinJin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade is the third and final film of Mamoru Oshii's Kerberos Saga, which was released on November 17, 1999 in France, and on June 3, 2000 in Japan. Where is JinJin-Roh is set in an authoritarian postwar Japan in the saga's alternate history where Nazi Germany won World War II, occupied Japan (a member of the Allies in this timeline), and eventually denazified back into the Weimar Republic. |
