Jin-Roh is an animated film which grew from a story and script by Mamoru Oshii, one of the leading creative artists of Japanese animation. However, director Hiroyuki Okiura deviated from the genre norms in focusing on the humanization of a macho killer. The action takes place in the Japan of the mid-fifties. Ten years after World War II, the country is in a state of strife. Emergency measures to boost Japan's economy have created some disturbing social problems. In Tokyo, special units of an
elite police force known as the Metro Police are engaged in a bitter struggle with armed anti-government guerrillas. Any act of violence is reciprocated with more violence. Police officer Kazuki Fushe is a member of one such special unit, known among guerrillas as "Cerberus" and particularly feared for their striking power. Fushe's assignment is to crush the members of a guerrilla group known as "The Sect." During one of his rounds, Fushe meets a young woman on a kamikaze mission who has already activated the bomb she is wearing. Following her death, he can't get her image out of his mind and begins to visit her grave, where he meets another woman who looks like her. She is the sister of the dead girl and has her own reasons for getting closer to Fushe. The plot of the film is very complex, involving several ambiguities which are disquieting at the outset. But gradually, the vision of the director comes through, offering food for thought even in the most violent scenes. Jin-Roh was screened as part of the Panorama section of the 49th International Berlin Film Festival, 1999. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, Rovi
Confirms my preference for live-action cinematography, without any tricks or conceits to place quotation marks around an already fantastic illusion of reality.
While it uses the advantages of line-drawn animation to fashion a setting that would cost hundreds of millions to produce as live action, the dramatic scale is minimal and tepid.
This blend of fairy tale and horrific post-war scenario makes Jin-Roh something of a landmark for anime fans, and a fascinating way in for first-timers.
I wasn't really feeling it. The characters were a bit shallow. A lot more could've been done with the theme wolf-brigade and the red riding hood connection. I would've liked a little more mystery.
Perhaps the plot tries too hard in the middle to give more heart and complexity to its sci-fi premise, but it's psychologically and philosophically intriguing enough to keep it afloat between the action-filled beginning and end. Plus, amazing visuals, which is why most of us watch Anime anyway, right?
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