Feature version of a story that started as a 6 part TV series and that has a second season promised by the producers but which has yet to materialize.
The first part of the series ran during the Flicker Lounge show at last years New York International Children's Film Festival and it had all of us in the audience groaning when it ended. This time the same thing happened, only later in the story.
The plot of the film has androids/robots and humans living together. The human like androids must have a halo visible above their heads at all times. (There are many people, the Robot Ethics Committee, who don't want equal rights for mechanical people). When a school boy finds an odd message on his beautiful androids log roll, he goes with a friend to investigate and finds a cafe called the Time of Eve, which treats humans and androids the same. What they find there and how the lives of the various characters interact is the story.
I really loved this film a great deal. It's got great characters, both heroes and villains. How the story as it spins out is very believable, we are never forced to swallow this huge pill of exposition, it reveals everything a little at a time. I love that you don't know who is human and who isn't even at the end (as someone says at one point, we all have a secret or two). There is a real emotion to everyone and everything going on. In a weird way this film isn't even a romance, though you know it's heading that way and you have indications of it all though it. The couple the film is about barely have any time together- and certainly none in a romantic way.
I groaned, very loudly when the movie ended because I didn't want it to end. This film is a keeper. It's a film to treasure.
The question is will there be more? Wikipedia says that a second season has been promised, but hasn't materialized. Additionally there are some spin off books. I'd like to see the film continued either as a feature film or as episodes since it's rare that we get such good time with such good characters.
A must see if you get the chance.
(FYI- there are pencil drawings during the end credits, pay attention to them, I didn't and I was lost when the post credits sequence started. There is more after the credits so stick with them.)
I'm not sure if there's a different version that you saw, but I saw nothing but a black background during the final end credits. I checked it on both CrunchyRoll and on a version I downloaded that I assume is a DVD rip. Where your copy come from?
ReplyDeleteThat was the version run at the New York Internationall Children's Film Festival.
ReplyDeleteOne of the DVD versions, Japanese with english subtitles, has the credits with pencil sketches followed by a a few minutes of video. The video at the end depicts a mysterious conversation. The conversation takes place in the room that appears to be a large private library with a desk. I did not recognize the two speakers.
ReplyDelete