(Please note, this post was intended for release on 11:59am on the 31st of December. But a glitch means I am now late for the Reverse Thieves Secret Santa project. My apologies.)

Approaching this film, I was struck about human the story sounds. A bunch of kids saving an old man from the Ministry of Health? Where’s the epic-ness of that? But still the story has it’s draw. Plus Katsuhiro Otomo. And art design by Satoshi Kon. I’m in.

So, I’m going to try something different here. First I’ll give the plot, then I’ll give my impressions of the first 25 minutes or so. Then tomorrow I’ll auto-post the next two clumps of 25 minutes. Finally I’ll give my overall impressions. It’s different to how I usually review but I want to try something new on the site.

Plot

From ANN:An elderly invalid is volunteered for a bizarre science experiment. He is given a robotic bed linked directly to his brainwaves, allowing instant gratification. This seems like a wonderful deal, until this seemingly harmless bed goes out of control and transforms into an unstoppable robot.

First Impressions – first 25 minutes
Hmm, it’s starts kind of like Assemble Insert. Everything is hunky dory and we’ve got our set up. Haruko, played by Chisa Yokoyama, is the ever smiling Japanese girl. The rest of her friends who work as volunteer nurses with her are likable enough but I like the old man, Kijuro Takazawa, even though he doesn’t seem to do anything other then say “Haruko-sannnnnn!” Also the Toyota-like presentation of the super bed is awesome! The Ministry of Health have that whole “Welcome to the World of Tomorrowwwwww!” down pat.

OK, now the bed’s starting to do stuff. Send email, IM Haruko and then get up by itself and drive down freeways! What would the ticket write up for that on a Tokyo Metropolitan Police cop’s ticket look like?

Awww, seems the old man just wants to remember the good old days with his beloved wife. The flashback is nice. Feels like a scene from a Yasujiro Ozu film.

OK, now the Ministry has cornered the kids in the hospital with the bed, with Takazawa-san in it, in Takazawa’s house. And the bed’s climbing up the stairs! Oh, I’m around the 25 minute mark here.

Second Impressions – next 25 minutes
Oh, damn. Haruko and her nursing friends just got busted for trying to bust Mr. Takazawa out of the hospital. Their boss screamed at them for three hours. Imagine the dialogue- “You’re a loose hypodermic in this department! Turn in your ID and your bedpan now!” Wait, she’s asking a bunch of old guys for help breaking into the bed’s computer.

OK, I never liked the movie Hackers. It sucked. Mostly because I couldn’t buy that a bunch of attractive people could be *ahem*, “hackers”. But now, there’s a bunch of geezers, just finished breaking into the Tyrell Corporation. Nice reference. I like these old guys. They talk about hacking, bio-computer and hard-ons. Wow, this is good. Now, they’re getting the bed to stand up, walk and talk. Someone get Will Wright on the phone! Now, the bed has escaped the hospital. Must have been the food that made it leave. Haruko leaves to find the bed. Now, the health department has coming looking for her at the hospital. Wait, is this the same hospital or another one? Now, the guy who programmed the bed for the Pentagon (don’t ask) is stealing two floppy disks from the geezers computer. Jesus, does he not have any of his own?

Now the bed is destroying downtown. Oh, there goes the Pachinko parlour! Now the police are in riot gear. Wait, the bed is now fifteen feet high, how the hell are they going to intimidate it to do anything!? Now, Haruko is arriving at the scene. Mr. Terada from the Health Ministry is ordering the arrest of Haruko for causing all this. Wait, when can the Health department arrest anyone? Nevermind, the bed, using the voice of Mr. Takazawa’s dead wife, is telling them to let her go.

The bed, with Mr. Takazawa in the land of nod in it, has fled the scene of the crime. And now, loose cannon Haruko, the computer guy and Terada are getting into a chopper. To find it….

Next up – The Final half hour!