Steamboy

[Hubbedubbel]

Hier mal ein Artikel aus der L.A. Times vom 17.3.2005 über Otomos "Steamboy", der überigens auch auf der Nipponconnection 2005 in Frankfurt zu sehen sein wird.

"He's the Kubrick of anime
Katsuhiro Otomo's feature "Steamboy" was a decade in the making. And it's not "Akira 2."
 
When Katsuhiro Otomo's "Steamboy" opens Friday, it likely will be received much differently from his last anime film to be screened outside Japan. In 1988 "Akira" started an animation revolution. Meticulously drawn, and mixing sophisticated themes with shocking violence and blockbuster action, the film served as an eye-opener to Japanese animators on the medium's capabilities. "Akira" almost single-handedly launched anime fandom in the West, taking it far beyond college fan clubs. The film counts Quentin Tarantino, James Cameron and the Wachowskis among its many fans. It's a tough act to follow.

"This film is not a continuation to 'Akira.' I hope that viewers will not see it with those expectations," Otomo is quick to say. "When I work on a film, I lose myself completely in that project. Each project is unique."

That description could apply to Otomo's career as well. Born in 1954, Otomo decided to forgo a formal art education and moved to Tokyo to pursue a career as a manga (comic book) artist. His early works didn't feature the science fiction themes he would become known for but were about jazzmen, car nuts and college students.

It was only when he started working in the science fiction genre that Otomo's work found a large audience. His graphic novel "Domu" won Japan's Science Fiction Grand Prix award and became a bestseller. "Akira," the graphic novel he later transformed into a movie, launched Otomo to superstar status.

"Akira," the manga, is Otomo's longest work, and his most popular. Published in more than a dozen languages, it went on to sell more than 5 million copies. For such a mainstream success, the series was anomalous in Japanese publishing, with its hyper-detailed artwork and slow release. "Akira was out of step with the production standards of the manga industry," says Carl Gustav Horn, editor at Dark Horse Comics (which publishes Otomo's work in English). "The manga industry is primarily geared toward characters and storytelling; 'Akira' had these, but its 'production values' were too high."

Otomo cumulatively has drawn more than 3,000 pages of manga artwork over a period of 20 years; by comparison, many manga artists working for a weekly publication would create that many pages in less than three.

"Manga might never have become a mass medium at all in Japan if everyone was truly expected to work at Otomo's level of visual detail and realism," Horn says. "In the end, Otomo has been more admired than seriously imitated."

"That's the way I prefer to work," says Otomo of his hyper-real style. "I know it's not for everyone, but I can't work any other way."

That attention to detail carried over to Otomo's animated version of "Akira." As director, he was very hands-on at every level of production, and it shows. In handpicking "Akira's" distinct color palette and stepping in to direct unknown voice talent, Otomo made a case for animator as auteur as only a handful of other creators have.

"He has so much respect for his work," says Shigeru Watanabe, executive producer for "Steamboy."

"Like Akira Kurosawa and Stanley Kubrick he strives for perfection in expressing his vision on film."

"I think I did too much on my own for 'Akira,' " the director commented later. At the time, it was the most expensive anime production, but the $8-million gamble paid off. "Akira" became Japan's highest grossing film of 1988.

Otomo contributed to numerous projects in the years that followed, including directing a live-action horror-comedy, "World Apartment Horror." It wasn't until 1995 that he returned to animation, this time as a supervisor and contributor to the anthology "Memories," based on three of his sci-fi manga shorts.

During the creation of the third segment, "Cannon Fodder," the idea for "Steamboy" was born. "Cannon Fodder" captures a day in the life of a "steam-punk" past during which the citizens of a nameless megalopolis wage constant war against an unseen enemy. In addition to sharing some of the same imagery of towering steam-powered machines, the production also set in motion the technological innovation that would turn "Steamboy" into a 10-year ordeal.

Otomo knew the project would be big. The next challenge was finding a studio to back it.

"He presented the idea to sponsors, but they, being 'Akira' fans, couldn't understand why he'd want to make a movie set in 19th century England and they wouldn't cosign the project," Watanabe says. "Soon after that, Otomo bought back the rights and asked me if I would do it with him. From then on, we started working on 'Steamboy.' "

"There was a lot of experimentation" during the making of "Cannon Fodder," Otomo says. "We wanted to use computers for effects that we were not able to create in animation before."

Regarding "Steamboy," Watanabe says, "when adding digital technology to traditional animation we wanted it to feel so natural that the viewer doesn't even notice it. I think we succeed here." Some of the same techniques, such as wrapping hand-drawn art around 3-D models, were later used by Disney before the studio eventually abandoned traditional feature animation.

"It was innovative when we started 10 years ago, but I don't think it's so innovative now," Otomo adds.

Regardless, the film is a stunning achievement. Otomo and his team capture Victorian England with even more detail than he did futuristic Tokyo in "Akira."

Otomo took his animators to London to research the architecture, the colors and even the weather. But it is in the fantastic steam-powered machines, especially the flying Steam Castle, that Otomo's fetishistic attention to detail really comes through.

Even as the film spirals into destructive chaos, Otomo keeps it firmly rooted in reality.

The end result, a Jules Verne-like tale of invention, wonder and adventure, may not be what audiences expect from the creator of "Akira." In "Steamboy" Otomo has created his first family film as well. He chose a young boy as his protagonist because "children still look at life without the preconceptions and cynicism that adults carry." He adds, "I hope that adults can experience the story from this perspective."

For a creator whose early works can be rebellious and permeated with biting social satire, Otomo is quick to downplay any political overtones in his latest work. "I suppose you could see such themes in the film, but I was not thinking about those things as I was making the film," the director says.

This isn't the first time that Otomo has tried to distance himself from interpretation of his work. It was while Otomo was putting the final touches on "Memories" that cultists released sarin gas in a Tokyo subway, killing 12. While promoting "Memories" a few months later, Otomo expressed disdain at what happens when people overanalyze serious topics and said he is suspicious of complex messages — he regards them as junk. "Keeping the moral lessons on the elementary school level is best."

Whether American audiences will respond to a kindler, gentler Otomo remains to be seen. In Japan, where anime fare frequently tops box office charts, "Steamboy" opened in fourth place, disappointing considering that the film is the most expensive anime feature to date (roughly $22 million), and by comparison the latest "Pokémon" film opened the same week in second place and had greater staying power).

Watanabe isn't concerned about the film's initial reception. " 'Steamboy' is a movie that Otomo has put his entire soul into ... there's so much more devotion to this project than his previous ones. This movie will be remembered for a long time."

[Hubbedubbel]

Steamboy'
*In the dazzling "Steamboy," it's 1866 and both machines and anime are re-imagined.
Like a junior high science fair on steroids, Katsuhiro Otomo's "Steamboy" has so many amazing gadgets in its Jules Verne-inspired arsenal that it's easy to be overawed by the machinery. A sometimes stirring adventure story and visual treat with its lush, painterly backgrounds and some virtuoso sequences, it's a stunning-to-look-at film marred by a less than searing pace and some narrative incoherence.

Released in two versions — a subtitled "director's cut" opening at the Nuart and destined for art houses, as well as an English-language version aimed at mainstream audiences — the film took a decade to make and blends two- and three-dimensional animation in frequently breathtaking ways.

Otomo is best known as the creator and director of the 1988 anime "Akira," an international breakthrough for Japanese animation that continues to be a cult favorite on the midnight movie circuit. The painstaking care that the filmmaker gives his work is seen in the detailed renderings of 1866 London and Manchester that are the backdrop for "Steamboy."

The filmmaker shuns the worn-out post-apocalyptic scenarios seen in a lot of anime, setting his film amid the Industrial Revolution of 19th century England. At its center is the Steam family, three generations of unconventional, autodidactic inventors who are considered crackpots by the British scientific community, ridiculed for their belief in the power of steam.

Young Ray Steam (voiced by Anna Paquin in the English-language version) is already following in his father and grandfather's footsteps working on a steam-driven unicycle. He eagerly awaits their return from Alaska, where they are working on a top-secret project.

Unknown to Ray is that a terrible accident has estranged the two men, pitting them on opposite sides of a philosophical disagreement that could shape the future of the world. The patriarch, Lloyd Steam (Patrick Stewart), is an imposing figure who could comfortably step into a Soviet propaganda poster. "From risk comes progress," he shouts while pushing his workers during an experiment.

The accident has left Ray's father Edward (Alfred Molina) a disfigured hulk with a Frankensteinian gait who makes Ayn Rand-like pronouncements about the power of science. Edward believes that a nation's security is imperative and that if his development of war machines provides that protection, so be it.

The dispute creates a steam-powered arms race between the O'Hara Foundation, a profiteering U.S. weapons manufacturer, and the British Empire. The foundation plans to display and sell Edward's designs to military leaders from around the world at the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace. Dirigibles, tanks and all manner of fantastical steam-powered machinery cruise, roll and soar through the frames of the film, eventually reducing much of London to a shambles.

Otomo has maintained that there is no political message to the film, but there is clearly some anticapitalist, antiwar sentiment at its heart. Otomo takes some shots at the U.S. — the O'Hara family representative at the exhibition is the founder's ridiculous granddaughter Scarlett, who has a Chihuahua named Columbus — but the filmmaker does not completely stack the deck, allowing the audience to ponder the implications along with the film's hero, Ray, as he evaluates his progenitors' dueling beliefs.

If the thought of Queen Victoria speaking Japanese is too much for you, you may prefer the English-language version. Be forewarned, however, that it's approximately a quarter of an hour shorter and is weakened by the cuts. The main characters are more strongly established in the Japanese version, resulting in clearer motivations later.

"Steamboy" never really pops its rivets except in several thrilling action sequences, but the sharp imagery and inventive technology make it worthwhile for animation fans. With its allusions to "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Gone With the Wind," a finale that evokes both "Independence Day" and "The Day After Tomorrow," and plenty of undergrad discourse in the sciences and philosophy, it makes for an oddly endearing mix of pop culture and brain culture.

[MusterKnabe]

der FIlm ist gut, richtig gut, gefällt mir sehr, obwohl leicht übertrieeben find ich ihn doch sehr gut gemacht

[Schorlemixer]

LittelD schrieb am 02.04.2005 18:28[/i]
der FIlm ist gut, richtig gut, gefällt mir sehr, obwohl leicht übertrieeben find ich ihn doch sehr gut gemacht

Gibts schon ne gesubbte Version in guter Quali?

[MusterKnabe]

Schorlemixer schrieb am 02.04.2005 19:05[/i]

LittelD schrieb am 02.04.2005 18:28[/i]
der FIlm ist gut, richtig gut, gefällt mir sehr, obwohl leicht übertrieeben find ich ihn doch sehr gut gemacht

Gibts schon ne gesubbte Version in guter Quali?

ja DVD-rip, aber der sub ist nicht der besste  

[Schorlemixer]

LittelD schrieb am 02.04.2005 19:10[/i]

Schorlemixer schrieb am 02.04.2005 19:05[/i]

LittelD schrieb am 02.04.2005 18:28[/i]
der FIlm ist gut, richtig gut, gefällt mir sehr, obwohl leicht übertrieeben find ich ihn doch sehr gut gemacht

Gibts schon ne gesubbte Version in guter Quali?

ja DVD-rip, aber der sub ist nicht der besste  

Naja, solange er halbwegs brauchbar ist.
Die erste Version des Films, die ich mir gezogen hab, sah aus als hätte jemand in einem abgedunkelten Zimmer mit dem Hammer auf Lego-Steinchen eingedroschen, damit sie ein Bild ergeben...  

[MusterKnabe]

Schorlemixer schrieb am 02.04.2005 22:57[/i]

LittelD schrieb am 02.04.2005 19:10[/i]

Schorlemixer schrieb am 02.04.2005 19:05[/i]

LittelD schrieb am 02.04.2005 18:28[/i]
der FIlm ist gut, richtig gut, gefällt mir sehr, obwohl leicht übertrieeben find ich ihn doch sehr gut gemacht

Gibts schon ne gesubbte Version in guter Quali?

ja DVD-rip, aber der sub ist nicht der besste  

Naja, solange er halbwegs brauchbar ist.
Die erste Version des Films, die ich mir gezogen hab, sah aus als hätte jemand in einem abgedunkelten Zimmer mit dem Hammer auf Lego-Steinchen eingedroschen, damit sie ein Bild ergeben...  

Qualität war ganz gt obwohl es mir auch bissel dunkel vorkam, kann aber daran liegen das es da im dunkeln spielte




ah ja das ding hat einen Japanischen sub

[Hubbedubbel]

Hier mal meine ersten Eindrücke nach erstmaligen schauen.
Steamboy ist auf jeden Fall ein visuelles Meisterwerk. Sehr detaillverliebt, die Hintergrundanimationen sind einfach fantastisch und die CG-Animationen sind bis auf wenige Ausnahmen sehr unauffällig. In Steamboy wirkt das London des 19. Jahrhunderts realistischer, als die Disneyland-Version der Jack-the-Ripper-Arschbombe „From Hell“.  
Der orchestrale Soundtrack liefert zu dem Spektakel eine sehr passende und packende Untermalung. Steamboy ist von der Geschichte her zwar "nur" ein Adventure - aber sie wird spannend erzählt. Es gibt allerdings auch eine Frage, die eigentlich den ganzen Film ausmacht: dienen wissenschaftliche Errungenschaften der Menschheit?  Oppenheimer und Wernher von Braun lassen grüßen - diese philosophische Frage dient v.a. dazu, die Motivation für die Handlungen der Charaktere zu begründen. Allerdings finde ich, dass das nicht 100 % gelungen ist. Ich finde es etwas schade, dass dort ein recht simples Schwarz-Weiß-Schema aufgebaut wurde, in das sich die Charaktere zuordnen lassen - und die dann allerdings recht willkürlich die Seiten wechseln. Das kam mir dann manchmal etwas allzu hastig vor. Da fand ich die Rolle der Scarlet - trotz des Nerv-Faktors 10   - recht faszinierend. Die verwöhnte laute Göre, der Profit über alles geht - auch wenn es Waffengeschäfte sind. Das fand ich, war eine schöne Idee: nicht wie man es erwarten würde, ist keine sinistre üble Type am Ruder von Daimler-Chrysler - äh, Pardon, der O´Hara Foundation, sondern ein egozentrisches unselbstständiges kleines Biest. Damit ist Gott-sei-Dank auch kein Sympathie-Wonneproppen in die Story eingebaut worden, was ich zuerst befürchtet habe.  
Leider vermute ich, dass auch Steamboy in den deutschen Lichtspielhäusern, bis auf ein paar zwielichtige Bahnhofkinos mal abgesehen, kaum zu bewundern sein wird. Leider ist das eigentlich ein absolutes „Muss“. Sich Steamboy auf ´nem 17-Zöller anzutun – nein danke. Das macht ungefähr genauso viel Spaß, wie sich Herr der Ringe auf einem Handy-Display anzuschauen.

Otomo wird - ob es ihm passt oder nicht - wohl immer an Akira gemessen.
***Angebermodus an*** Akira hab´ich damals mit zarten 16 Jahren tatsächlich in einem völlig verranzten Programmkino gesehen ***Angebermodus aus***
Vergleichbares ist Otomo mit Steamboy sicherlich nicht gelungen. Trotzdem bin ich trotz meiner superhohen Erwartungen nicht enttäuscht. Wenn ich da an vergleichbares denke (z.B. Appleseed 2004  ) schneidet Steamboy einfach aufgrund seiner optischen Perfektion überdurchschnittlich ab. Und Steamboy 2 soll ja auch in der Mache zu sein.        

[cky4ever]

Hört sich gut an dann sollte ich vielleicht dochmal nach Frankfurt fahren und mir den angucken

[MusterKnabe]

also mal zum deutschen dub..... der ist irgendwie relativ gut geworden finde ich der dub ist echt supi mal

[Miyavizm]

gibts die dvd schon ?

[Dragon Knight]

ja, bald von mir *pfeif*

[Mercury]

Ja, die DVD gibt's schon bei Amazon. 24,99 fürn dc bzw. 49,99 für die limited edition.

[Schorlemixer]

Mercury schrieb am 25.06.2005 02:17[/i]
Ja, die DVD gibt's schon bei Amazon. 24,99 fürn dc bzw. 49,99 für die limited edition.

Und was macht die so besonders für den Preis?  

@DK:
Dein Ava macht mich fertig!  

[Mercury]

Schorlemixer schrieb am 25.06.2005 02:35[/i]
Und was macht die so besonders für den Preis?  

"Diese STEAMBOY DIRECTOR´S CUT - Limited Edition beinhaltet den Film in der Director´s Cut Fassung sowie besonders spannendes und umfangreiches Bonusmaterial auf insgesamt 2 DVDs. Zusätzlich sind eine Kapitel-Übersicht, ein 164 Seiten starkes Skizzenbuch, ein 28-seitiger original japanischer Manga Nachdruck inkl. deutscher Übersetzung und ein 10er Postkarten-Set (darunter 3 Originalzeichnungen von Regisseur Katsuhiro Ôtomo) in einem hochwertigen Umschlag enthalten."

Naja, dennoch ein wenig happig.