Mind Game - Blu-ray + DVD

I went in blind, but I did find this film on a list of recommendations for movies similar to Paprika, Paranoia Agent, FLCL, etc so I did expect something different. Well, Mind Game did not disappoint in that department! Mild spoilers ahead, nothing major or plot related.First off, if you're into animation at all, movement and shading and pacing and directing and style, any of it- stop right now and watch this movie. You will be in awe of Mind Game's ability to not only switch up styles on the fly, but incorporate insane action pacing that is honestly impressive to this day. The length at which they can keep up the pace is phenomenal, with characters often sprinting, flying, swimming or being flung full speed into an artistic bonanza. You know how in most anime, they'll show a short clip of someone running, where the animation quality increases and it's all intense for a few seconds? Mind Game takes that clip, throws in literally any extra shit they want, and extends its length to anywhere from 3 to 15 minutes at a time with no break. It's a gorgeous and admirable feat. These scenes go on and on- sometimes a little TOO long. If you've seen "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once", those surreal, crazy fast paced scenes are basically the majority of this movie.Now don't get me wrong. There ARE some chill parts, some moments to relax, and they're an enjoyable enough breather between the chaotic action sequences. But I'll be honest, even though the faster paced scenes at times overstay their welcome, that is where the film truly shines. The slower scenes are fine on their own and offer character development which is wonderful, yet during those moments, I just kept anticipating the batshit insane parts. The more I look into this movie the more I feel like this was intentional. And every time I felt my attention beginning to wane, Mind Game would pull me right back into the deep end of its' goofball fantasy world. I can envision a board meeting during this film's creation and all of them deciding that their approach for this movie was "Hey, yeah, go nuts :)", and boy did they.The film was like watching people bond and find themselves at a hippy retreat. The animation gave me full body tingles during certain scenes and I highly recommend you watch this on a big screen, in the dark, in your comfy lounge spot, and really soak in what this film has to offer.I liked it, a lot. Not sure if I loved it, but I'll definitely watch it again. It was well worth the couple bucks to rent and I'd gladly pay that again to revisit this film in the future. Minus one star because some scenes were just so much imagery, so much color, so much movement and swirling and flashing, that I started to zone out and get desensitized to the beauty right before me, and that makes me sad. You can really feel the work and playful creativity that went into this and I want to love every second, but sadly I don't. Still! I did really like most of Mind Game. Go check it out, even if you put it on in the background, you can be sure at least one or two scenes are gonna suck you in and you'll find yourself completely transfixed on the screen.

On the surface, this has a simple plot:A callow 20-year-old manga writer visits his girl's pub with her, only to find it invaded by two gangsters (one pretty tightly wired) who have something to "say" to the girl's father. In the ensuing confusion, he is killed.But he doesn't stay dead. He comes back a few seconds before he died and shoots the gangster instead. This gets him (and his girl and her sister) chased by the gangsters into the ocean, where they end up inside a whale.Having never seen /Pinocchio/, they are reduced to trying to escape by boat, and apparently make it work. But by this time, it has become apparent that what is happening in reality and what is happening in the guy's mind may be two different things. So, in the end, we have no idea at all what is really going on.The animation, though, is very good and very imaginative. I see why some are wowed by it.And it does have a connection to early Bakshi films -- some of the early bits use live-action faces as part of the animation, similar in principal to what Bakshi did in mixing live-action with animation sequentially.Similarly, it does have one scene reminiscent of /Yellow Submarine/.But, although I can see why some would make those connections I, myself, would not. This is better regarded as its own work.Whether you should see it or not depends on your taste for films that are, ultimately, mostly about the weirdness of the imagery rather than anything else.

Never really write any long reviews, but I have to make an exception for Mind Game.The thing that strikes me about Yuasa's, Miyazaki's, and Takahata's direction is that you can notice the influence from all different media and art-forms outside of just anime, and these influences come together in a coherent, unique way. Although there are other anime films that have incredible emotional stories, they're often too closely derivative of other works in their own medium (stylistically speaking). Yuasa is the king of manipulating animation in unique ways to communicate emotion/story/intentions/personal struggles through clear symbolism.I don't "hate it" when a simple story is presented in animation, but it's hard not to notice the directors who push the envelope vs those who do not. Yuasa pushes his films visually while maintaining a sense of purpose for his unusual animation and art-style antics. The rationale behind his choices is always clear, but he still manages to surprise you with the way they're presented.These films are not for everyone, but if you're looking to experience a film with a strong vision behind it, Mind Game will not disappoint you. If you're a fan of animation, you MUST watch this movie.

This movie is just absolutely wild from start to finish. I'm not s huge anime fan but this movie is just awesome in general, definitely not for kids. This is for a mature audience but I recommend this to anyone

The disc and packaging is well produced. Five stars. The animation is very good with a variety of artistic styles. The opening music is haunting. The overall score contributes well to the odd themed story. The vocals are in Japanese. English is the default subtitle language. It's a very unusual presentation. The opening story has violent and brutal sex. The following stories go off the rails weird. It's a long playing train wreck to endure. The story has a moral. And as the show ended, it's story never ended. For first time viewing, do not watch this disc in mixed company. It's unsuitable material for anyone less than an open minded adult. It's an odd duck for my collection. Hesitant Two stars. Overall the package is a reluctant Three stars. It's Yellow Submarine with a side of purple mushrooms that left me with an unpleasant after taste. Rent it.

Mind Game is a crazy movie and if you're into psychedelic anime i recommend it. If a dubbed copy of this movie exists, I've never heard of it.

La película llegó a tiempo y en buen estado. La película es alucinante en su animación, y la historia es muy entretenida, un "cosas de la vida". Viene con subtítulos al español.

Mind Game is an amazing movie. The animation is top notch, the characters are all interesting, and the story from beginning to end is quite a ride. Easily one of the best animated movies out there and one that totally deserved a Blu-ray release. The movie itself absolutely deserves a 5 star rating, but unfortunately my copy of the movie was slightly damaged - specifically the sleeve for the case is a little wrinkled. Not a big deal considering the plastic case, DVD, and BD are just fine but if you're the kind of person that would want this in somewhat perfect condition, order through Amazon with caution - unless you can find a copy of Mind Game elsewhere, in which case I'd probably recommend that.

I was surprised to find this film was made in 2004 - it seems far more in the spirit of Ralph Bakshi with its mixture of animation, rotoscoping and photographic image.Its certainly wild....at the risk of spoilering, there are quite a few sequences that put me in mind of the later stages of Disneys Pinocchio (to detail would spoil)An interesting film, but not ultimately to my taste, a bit too self consciously wacky for that.technical quality good, extras limited.

magical movie！