UTS Anime Review: Memories (1995)

Today, under the scope, I take a look at Memories, the 1995 anthology film from industry-legend Katsuhiro Otomo.
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I use two rating scales for each review. First is the approval rating. A show will receive one of five approval ratings based on my recommendation. They are BEST OF THE BEST (for shows I find to be masterpieces), WATCH (for shows I find really really good and recommend to everybody), TRY (for shows I find good but not great and will only recommend to some people), PASS (for shows I did not particularly enjoy and would not personally recommend), and finally BURN (for the shows that are so awful they have a special place reserved in hell).
The other scoring system is a 1-5 rating scale that I essentially give out arbitrarily based on how good I think the show is. For reference, here's how I would rate on a 1-10 scale:
9+ Masterpiece
8 Great
7 Good
6 Average
5 Bad
4 Very Bad
3-1 Burn in Hell
If you have any other questions, comments, or want to rage at me for my rating of a show, feel free to leave them in the comments section below. My goal for every review is to give my honest opinion regardless of whether that matches the majority or not.

[@Blackgriffonphoenixg]

Magnetic rose: Holding onto memories too long. Stink bomb: The persistance of holding onto a specific memory, in that case, heading to Tokyo no matter what. Cannon Fodder: The lack of memory. A society in a perpetual cycle of loading and firing at an enemy nobody really rembers, but is somewhere "out there", with change and new memories having no place. There's a reason it's called "Memories" after all.

[@kormannn1]

Cannon Fodder made me think that lack of memory forces and motivates us to be better. Better than someone, at something. Like it was to the little dude who was a big believer and wanted to be cannoneer.

[@linhhoang7138]

In Cannon Fodder, when the kid ask his father if who's the enemy is and the dad just told him off, I wonder if he even knows who the enemy is

[@toothpasteman3400]

@@linhhoang7138 who knows? that statement sums up all of cannon fodder does ANYONE know the enemy anymore does anyone know what would happen if they stopped firing?

[@Skidonti]

Man I fell in love with Magnetic Rose after I saw it 2014. The direction and the design and the soundtrack just impressed me and I've watched it three times since.

[@imnothereforthefood7832]

I literally just watched magnetic rose for the first time a week ago Everything about it left me completely mesmerized

[@angeladriano408]

Watched this as a child back some many years ago but still sticks to me as one of the best things I've watched in my life, don't know why more people don't credit Satoshi Kon for the first section of Memories but it is what engulfed me into his work. RIP master.

[@marvelousTUD]

Magnetic Rose is an instant horror classic, and I am so glad I got the privilege of watching it. I'm so glad I heard about this film.

[@sazabi-zc3ir]

I think the 'Magnetic Rose' used to call 'Her Memory' in some other translation and serves as the main course of the short series, also IMO it is one of the best animations. I think it was a kind of 'experimental' animation so it wasn't aimed for profiting, never got any publicity, but that also means the animation team could do whatever they want for the given budget. Also worth to mention that the same producer, Ōtomo Katsuhiro, has another short series of experimental animation called recently, equivalently excellent as the original and worth to take a look.

[@0207xander]

this is high quality as fuck considering your viewcount and sub amount, i'm very impressed. Keep it up.

[@baph_nooky8255]

I bought a cheap Japanese cinema collection dvd at walmart for $8. The dvd is called "Pop Culture Bento Box" ... Memories was included and man these 3 stories are gold. I didn't want them to end. Ive heard of Cannon Fodder and seen bits and pieces of Stink Bomb online. Magnetic Rose was completely new to me. Really made my night discovering these little gems.

[@Michael-dt1mv]

How great that someone brought this magnificent anthology to the attention of anime fans. Every one of the three shorts is great in its own way, but I agree that Magnetic Rose is special. The visuals alone are so rich that they reveal something new with every viewing.

[@UnderTheScopeAnime]

Well, another week, another late review. I should really change my banner from "new video every friday" to "new video every week" but I'm lazy. Anyways, huge shoutout to +ArcaneThinker for recommending Memories to me!

[@Amin-ig6nc]

+Under The Scope Reviews i honestly thought that you upload a video every Sunday hhhhhh

[@s0nnyburnett]

Watching this made me feel like a kid again. Had to take a break for a day after Magnetic Rose because of how impressed I was. Also made me think it could easily be a cowboy bebop episode that never was. Cannon Fodder did feel exhausting at the end. Brilliant directing, I didn't even notice the seamless transitions until you pointed it out. I think if Cannon Fodder were a silent film it still wouldn't lose it's message. Magnetic Rose and Cannon Fodder will always be relevant with their ideas and clear message. Stink Bomb too but it's harder to see as clearly as the other two. And the end credits track by Takkyu Ishino was unexpected and a wonderful surprise. Memories has become a overlooked gem.

[@DivideandConquerAnti-WEF]

Magnetic rose reminds me of Love, Death and Robots ep 7. Instead of a ghost it was a alien that feeds on your memories/thoughts. Stink bomb was fun to watch. Cannon Fodder my favorite reminds me of 1984 and also a mobile game called Redcon. Witch you should all try so much fun. This is the only way to continue cannon fodder

[@Rydrake98]

Thank you for introducing me to this movie! I always have a problem with calling any work a masterpiece, but this is nothing short of greatness. Already looking forward to your next review, I feel like your quality is really improving.

[@UnderTheScopeAnime]

+Rydrake98 Thanks! Glad you liked it :)

[@sosig9254]

Hey man. Great video you made here. I know Im late for it but, where did you get the soundtrack if I might ask? I am dying to get it but I cant find a legit source.

[@MarcosLuna03_ATT91]

I want to recommend you another anime movie to review, well two actually. Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade and Ninja Scroll.

[@Ausar_The_Vile1]

This movie was a complete fever dream to me. For what I wanna say is 10 years, I couldn’t find this movie again, but was in the back of my head constantly, and I almost resigned the thought to being a movie from my dreams. But I finally found it a month ago, and now I’m here

[@z9xo]

Hey bro....i just watch this movie recently and am confused that what is goin on in it ..can u please help me. Whats happened in it. ^_^

[@Insanabiliter_In_Linea]

Yeah same here lol, I watched it when I was 15 or thereabouts and it popped into my head today while I was watching a video about lost media, so I tried to find it. I kind of just assumed they were some unrelated shorts that weren't part of an actual movie or show and I honestly didn't even remember whether it was anime or just some random experimental animated shorts, or if I even watched it and I was just remembering a dream or something really. I ultimately found it though by searching for, "film about a man who stinks so bad he kills everyone around him and the military tries to stop him" and it was the first result lol.

[@johnpatterson8697]

I think the dad from Cannon Fodder inspired the disign for the demolition guy from disney's Atlantis 5 years later

[@Propaganda9999]

There is a game with a shockingly close resemblance called REDCON it's on mobile and I think PC

[@damianstarks3338]

Magnificent rose is my all time favorite out of this anime anthology.

[@bumdiggity]

What a perfect typo

[@AlexAndriy1995]

Stink Bomb is my favorite, for me best one of the three, even if Magnetic Rose is real close second. Really good movie, and good video

[@BmikroB]

Sorry, I can't help myself but swear (just a bit): holy shit, man, I'm enjoying your thorough reviews so much! Absolutely loving your detailed and logically structurized analysis. It's just plain unfair that your channel is criminally overlooked in both sub count and view count. :(( I sincerely thank you for doing a great job reviewing anime!

[@georgeoldsterd8994]

I think I actually saw Cannon Fodder when I was little. Don't remember much of anything, but the kid and the epic visuals. Will definitely watch it again, now that I came across this. Thanks!

[@DigiMega351]

Personally, I'm very mixed on Stink Bomb. I love the animation, music, voice acting from both the English and Japanese versions, and some of the JSDF's attempts to stop Nobuo. However, I found Nobuo's stupidity (As well as everyone involved with the commissioning, production, and analysis of the biological weapon) and all the damage and chaos he unwittingly caused to be very aggravating and depressing, especially because of the current world we live in with COVID-19 - Making the vignette's satire all the more frightening, poignant, and relevant. Though to be fair, Nobuo didn't want to hurt anyone, and he seemed legitimately horrified about all the death around him despite not knowing that he caused it.

[@SelenaC_anime]

I seem to be in the minority that enjoyed Stink Bomb the most. Most people like Magnetic Rose best from the people I've talked to and yourself. Where/how did you get all those cool animations for the transitions and your title logo sequence and in-between stuff? They look incredible.

[@UnderTheScopeAnime]

+Selena C I'm a sucker for a good sci-fi, ghost story, but I did really enjoy Stink Bomb. I've seen some people not even realize it's a comedy, and I'm just like 33.media.tumblr.com/aa067b18232f0ba87cf7eb2a8e38853f/tumblr_mrt6owZ4uG1rj8nzio1_400.gif Also, I made all my transitions using a green background on Keynote, different animations, and exporting it as a movie. Basically I took a red and blue circle, added green diagonal lines to each, and added animation to move them across the screen so the lines crossed over. Then I just exported it as a movie to my editing software and added a green screen effect. As for my titles and stuff, that's just a trace animation that comes with keynote. I did make the shapes and whatnot for the titles. Using my Bachelor's in graphic design of course (lies). Sorry, this has gotten long haha. Basically if I had one piece of advice, it would be use green screens to your advantage! You can do all this without having to spend a dime too. Like I said, I just use keynote (apple's powerpoint) for most of my animations.

[@SelenaC_anime]

...I have a refurbished Windows laptop that felt like it was gonna melt when I tried to fetch clips. Editing is a pain.

[@UnderTheScopeAnime]

+Selena C That happens to my mac sometimes too. And then if I'm trying to do a screencapture, I can't because it's not buffering smoothly... I love the writing part, it's the editing that's so tedious and time-consuming.

[@SelenaC_anime]

That's why I was thinking audio-only was a feasible option for me. Unfortunately, I have hundreds of ideas on how I want things to look, and scripts do need to be in accordance with visuals. (Also, literally my only editing experience is Movie Maker, and opening Premiere once at school, thinking "nope," then closing it.)

[@UnderTheScopeAnime]

+Selena C It's cool haha I'm still riding the iMovie train cause I'm too broke to buy better software. I had a 30-day free trial with Final Cut Pro for a while that really spoiled me (like on my top 50 openings and Nagi-Asu review). It's pretty simple though. I look at the interface on Premiere and Sony Vegas for five seconds aaaaand I'm out. pa1.narvii.com/5683/d8c9ebba5e21de5139d18429c1bc4f3a919d3c3f_hq.gif (Nichijou gifs are the best gifs)

[@aureusknighstar2195]

"For the sake of humanity, may the best commander win" *"ALL GUNS, REDCON ONE!"* --Traitor General Kranz

[@totoro3007]

Magnetic Rose woke something inside of me that just felt like it shouldn't have been awaken. I had a dream similar to a few seconds of a scene from magnetic rose, a year before I even saw it. It's chilling how I remember my dream and how familiar it was to the scene in magnetic rose.

[@maudepinterest5673]

Stink Bomb's built-up punchline feels incredibly weak after that shot of the three astronauts. It shouldn't matter that they can't see him, given how he acts.

[@blacksunapocalypse]

What are more anime like magnetic rose? It's stuck with me for years. The atmosphere, that melancholic/sad/forgotten feeling... It's so damn good. Reminds me of the Escaflowne movie in some ways, as well as some parts of Galaxy Express 999

[@Fandestdh]

Cowboy Bebop to some extent, thou if you were really interested likely found that out already.

[@aleks19971997]

magnetic rose was awsome, you also might wanna watch angel's egg. Keep up the good work man

[@UnderTheScopeAnime]

+‫אלכס מור‬‎ Thanks! I love Angel's Egg. It's an absolute classic.

[@fuadsalad7873]

Damn I just spent all night watching most of your review damn I liked them so much I had to subscribe ... I am looking forward to your next video!

[@UnderTheScopeAnime]

+fuad Salad Thanks! That means a lot :)

[@Ian-ky5hf]

Idk the animation and art for Stink Bomb looks amazing to me.

[@darkmisanthropy1169]

He doesn't know what he's talking about.

[@dekyed]

Great video! I'm still sad as to how underappreciated Memories is. It's quite the masterpiece.

[@puertoricanboii]

Your videos are amazing. Just subscribed, and boy do I have a bunch to catch up on. Thanks for making such great content

[@zipzeolocke2]

I watched Memories back in 2006 as one of my first DVD's from Netflix and I think it really says something special about Stink Bomb in particular to have stayed in my thoughts for all these years whereas I can barely remember Magnetic Rose and Cannon Fodder! It's funny to me that the name of the anthology is Memories and yet I couldn't for the life of me come up with the name of the movie even though I wanted to rewatch it so badly based on my thoughts of Stink Bomb in particular. it's also funny to me that the least critically acclaimed episode stink bomb was the most memorable for me. I guess because it surprised me most. And now I've noticed a lot of people are discovering it due to the recent world events of 2020.

[@fedorrussel3810]

How did I not know about Memories before now is beyond me;I mean just by looking at it you just know it's a hidden gem.

[@drakashrakenburgproduction5369]

Magnetic Rose haunts me in a personal way. I would have dreams of being in a haunted Victorian mansion. One got to me especially. It was mostly dark with limited lighting yet I was overcome with fear and dread. I remember hearing horrific noises as I explored and a feeling of a terrifying presence following me giving me this horrible oppressive feeling. The furniture and architecture were a dead ringer from this anime. I never saw the monster but damn just the feeling of dread scared me enough. I still get stressed out thinking of those dreams. Sometimes I would have dreams of haunted gardens or places like in those holograms. It's like the animators took inspiration from my dreams and brought it to life. Creepy coincidence.

[@kadex8824]

Great Review Man, Thanks to you I found one of the best Anime I have ever seen.

[@samuelebefani8943]

can someone explain me what are those blue lights at the ending of the cannon fodder film?

[@samuelebefani8943]

@@YoopsYoops dunno ;-; it creeps me out

[@ZombifiedDuder]

At the end it says... "Licensed by: Nobody" That's... not exactly true... There's never been an English dub, but Sony released an English subtitled version in North America on DVD back in 2004. Obviously it was out of print by the time you released this video, but... they still had the license. Even if they didn't, it was still licensed at some point. Anyway, great video, really loved your review of all three shorts. Just thought I'd point out that mistake at the end.

[@WolfthatRocks]

You say there's never been an English dub. I want one. Maybe a fandub?

[@pyrophobia133]

I saw this back in 2003 it was very well made, and here I am back here on KZbin seeing what everyone else is saying about this

[@Avellania]

Cannon fodder reminds me of "Wizards" by Ralph Bakshi.

[@KazuyaMithra]

I wouldn't say there is an inherent wrongness to war, considering its always inevitable and utopia is impossible. This doesn't equate to supporting war mongering either. Pacifism is just one radical principal (like war mongering) that happens to plant the seed war (rather of initiate it), with no intent of stopping a tyrant from hurting others.

[@shakir_ahmad]

It's a beautiful review!!! I just finished watching memories.

[@irvincastillo9544]

Incredible review

[@gjoerulv]

Stink bomb is one of my all-time fav comedies. It's brilliant. When a story goes over the top, it should go all the way. Don't stop half-way. EDIT: It's the most memorable I would say. Perhaps it's a bit too long, its only fault imo. You make it sound like its over the top comedy makes it the worst by default. If you accept the premise the judgment shouldn't be half assed. EDIT2 (lol): Sorry, that sounded a bit strict. Very good review.

[@EmilyGloeggler7984]

I personally believe Magnestic Rose is darker than that. Spoiler - In the story, it’s shown Eva’s lover left her and Eva chose to get her revenge on both him and other people. How did she get away with that all that? That’s up to debate. I personally feel the story is not letting heartbreak be an excuse to commit murder. Eva succeeds in trapping and killing most people who come to her ship. She’s an intergalactic killer. As for living in the past or future, I agree neither should be. I like living in the present but learning from the past and being forewarned of the future.

[@WanderlustZero]

Hmmm getting big Mobius vibes from Magnetic Rose. Must watch

[@HereticalKitsune]

Stink bomb in today's time and age is more real than ever before.

[@Bookspine5]

Awesome. Good review.

[@jennytargaryen]

you sold me with yokko kanno music

[@XxLordSJxX]

least memorable? idk I loved stick bomb and the first one so much!

[@ultrainstinctgigachad3820]

hey uts where do you get your anime clips without the subtitles?. ik some anime are dub but how about the ones that arent dubbed

[@UnderTheScopeAnime]

+Dangle Berry I try to get the clips from the raw version. If worst comes to worst though, I just crop the subtitles out.

[@blyrax]

I love all three, but if you have to watch one, i would suggest magnetic rose.

[@hrithikdluffy1310]

Isn't "Cannon Fodder" just 20 mins long (without the end credits) ?

[@GentlemanBystander]

The term for the society in Cannon Fodder is stratocracy, fascism is more nuanced than than just a society built around war.

[@Catglittercrafts]

Where can I find this to watch it???

[@commanderfoxtrot]

Okay, but... where can I watch it for myself?

[@konnichiwa7925]

Mang great analysis!

[@lungcancerivan6929]

REDCON the game was inspired by Cannon fodder!

[@malloc7108]

Stink bomb reminds me of how quickly we will have access to create world -ending pathogens accidentally and at low cost soon.

[@Amin-ig6nc]

man you really going dark with these reviews, Halloween's is over man hhhhhhhh, great review though also i will try and take your advice to watch all three but i will probably end up only watching magnetic rose cause it's the most intriguing for me

[@UnderTheScopeAnime]

+Amin Mokhtari Yea this one does kind of have a horror vibe (Magnetic Rose does at least). I would suggest all three, but if you're only gonna watch one, then yes Magnetic Rose would be my choice.

[@Amin-ig6nc]

Under The Scope Reviews also do you watch sport anime ?? if not and you're interested i recommend haikyuu. if yes would you like to review any sport anime at some point

[@UnderTheScopeAnime]

+Amin Mokhtari I started Haikyuu recently so I could watch season 2 (really liking it so far). I haven't watched a single true sports anime before. It's kinda funny that I haven't since I'm actually a sports nut. Seriously, I watch more sports than anime a lot of the time. But I've never watched a sports anime. Haikyuu, Kuroko, Free, Ping Pong, and Slam Dunk are at the top of my list.

[@Amin-ig6nc]

+Under The Scope Reviews hhhhhh for me it's the first genre I started with cause I find myself relate to each character and me experiencing sports in highschool really adds to the overall experience

[@ricthecusco4428]

Scariest one to me is Stink Bomb because i'm THAT stupid

[@bucketofnails1325]

Where do I watch this, I need to see it

[@Flugmorph]

(cannon fodder is only 20 minutes long)

[@BigBoyz33]

Magnetic Rose was my favorite. Stink Bomb and Cannon Fodder didn't come close to how good MR was imo.

[@lakshayrsg2414]

Cannon fodder is only 22 minutes not 40 minutes

[@plussum3255]

I watched memories for cannon fodder and cannon fodder was probably my favourite but magnetic rose comes close. Stink bomb is pretty funny, has great animation, and i loved the ost for it, but it was the weakest for me.

[@CJDaravina]

Estupendo.

[@taksuya8303]

'eva' yup evangelion :v

[@UnderTheScopeAnime]

+Taksumi Taksuya Exactly

[@taksuya8303]

+Under The Scope Reviews you watch it before haven't try to reviews it?

[@UnderTheScopeAnime]

+Taksumi Taksuya Oh yes, I've seen Evangelion more than once. I'll definitely review it at some point.

[@taksuya8303]

+Under The Scope Reviews thank you I be looking for to it :D

[@XX-sp3tt]

11:59 Your "don't watch if" list feels rather condescending. Some of us see so much nihilistic horror in the world around us day by day, that we don't need more of it in our story telling.

[@tobangafeufeu]

Where exactly does Studio 4C° stand here?

[@UnderTheScopeAnime]

+tobanga feufeu If you mean which ones did they animate, they did Magnetic Rose and Cannon Fodder. Madhouse did Stink Bomb.

[@tobangafeufeu]

I feel so ashamed that i haven't really watched anything by that studio

[@UnderTheScopeAnime]

+tobanga feufeu They haven't done much, but they've done some good movies like this and Tekkon Kinkreet.

[@rear9259]

Cannon Fodder is just Krieg WH40K

[@GasMask_Boio7105]

did you know that the game REDCON is based on cannon fodder?

[@JohnnyBurnes]

Stink Bomb hits better after 2020 doesn't it? :(

[@swagsolotl]

?

[@user-xz7wg1zn7k]

cannon fodder is 20 minutes, not 40

[@ovoxo7396]

I’m probably the only one who kinda thought stink bomb was dumb. And got annoyed with Nobou

[@shaikim-shapiro1453]

I think that was the reaction the creators wanted to a certain extent.

[@JohnSon-vk1nz]

lol , when Madhouse is considered the weakest part of animation hehe

[@gnunez3272]

Part 3 made me sick dude

[@stefvde]

oh the irony

[@kamujahat21]

jepang gak ada obat

[@Verlurion]

APPLE PIE IS BRITISH, IT CAME FROM BRITAIN NOT AMERICA... STOP ASSOCIATING IT WITH AMERICANS GOD DAMNIT...And yes... That is all I took from this...

[@carlosghiara1383]

80

[@cannonballjenkins2757]

I came from this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqrcgWCEbq6Kr9U VA was funny and I wanted context

[@B61Mod12]

Your pronunciation of “arching” and “Cyrilic” needs tuition.

[@WolfthatRocks]

This movie needs an English Dub. :)

[@anoccomir]

it wasn't 40 minutes, canon fodder was only 22 or something, i felt empty after, it felt like a hollow story, only setup and no payoff of conclusions.

[@anoccomir]

1st one was handsdown the best one.

[@s0nnyburnett]

Watching this made me feel like a kid again. Had to take a break for a day after Magnetic Rose because of how impressed I was. Also made me think it could easily be a cowboy bebop episode that never was. Cannon Fodder did feel exhausting at the end. Brilliant directing, I didn't even notice the seamless transitions until you pointed it out. I think if Cannon Fodder were a silent film it still wouldn't lose it's message. Magnetic Rose and Cannon Fodder will always be relevant with their ideas and clear message. Stink Bomb too but it's harder to see as clearly as the other two. And the end credits track by Takkyu Ishino was unexpected and a wonderful surprise. Memories has become a overlooked gem.