Robot Carnival: The List with Amber Audra

Let's take a look at my two personal favorite shorts from this 1987 anthology all about robots! Featuring at least one carnival.

This might come as a shock to you but I've been struggling with this review of 1986's Robot Carnival. There isn't anything particularly complicated about the movie, it's a fairly straightforward anthology made up of eight shorts of varying degrees of quality but I've been sitting on this review for about two months, almost completely done, and I just haven't been happy with it.

Why? Well, I guess it might be because I originally wrote the review while I had a migraine. So not exactly in my element. But I think what we're going to do is something a little different and talk about the two shorts of Robot Carnival that have stuck with me the most instead of the film as a whole.

But before we do, I'd love to show you these sick vintage Robot Carnival pins I scored off eBay. I'm always paranoid to wear my vintage pins because I don't want to lose them so I'm glad I get to show them off here since it's unlikely you'll see me sporting them at a grocery store or concert venue near you too soon. It's a high risk life having a small collection of deadstock anime memorabilia!  

So a little backstory on Robot Carnival before we dive in: Some of these shorts are absolute gems and other ones are a bit clunky but they're all animated beautifully so even the ones that are a little convoluted or less than enjoyable are a treat to look at. And every short is animated by a completely different team, some of whom might be familiar to you as we've got the names behind such classics (and future List topics) as Megazone 23, City Hunter, Naussica and the Valley of the Wind, Kite and even Akira. And if that score sounds extra good? Well, that's because it's Joe Hisashi, who has scored all those Miyazaki movies.

It should be noted that some releases have the shorts in different orders in others. If you're watching it on YouTube like I did, the order I mention here will be accurate.

The second short, Starlight Angel, is unabashedly my favorite of the crop. If you've stuck around the List for more than a few weeks, this will probably come as no shock to you. This has everything a Brain Ill For 80's Anime Girls gal like me wants out of her entertainment: Large eyed women in bright pastels. Beautiful landscapes. And a pure pop score that worms its way into both your head and your heart. 

I have heard criticism for Starlight Angel but I think it's so well animated and enchanting that I am willing to overlook the things that are hard to follow or need more explanation. This is basically a trip to Disneyland, soundtracked by music that sounds like it could be right from the Main Street Electrical Parade. We follow two teen friends on a wordless adventure through a theme park populated by robots far more advanced than the audio-animatronics of reality. The animation here is great and dreamy and will make you want to visit this place, fall in love with a robot, and ride a roller coaster to some sweet synth sounds. It's great. Robot Carnival boasts a lot of famous names but I was shocked I hadn't seen anything the director of Starlight Angel had done before. I really love the character design and the story is greatly effective even though it's so short. He is the director of Megazone 23, which is also on The List so I guess we've got to fast track that one!

https://youtu.be/8l-AWbmqf-c

I am not a huge fan of love stories, particularly in anime due to how often the emotions are heightened to comical degrees (Miyazaki and Kon, always masters of emotion, are the two exceptions here and I'm looking forward to delving into both of their love stories in future months). That being said, there's something so earnest about the way the robot looks at the teen protagonist of Starlight Angel that I really couldn't help but want to see them fall in love. 

If you are familiar with any part of Robot Carnival, it's probably the sixth short, Presence.

This lady.

Listen. I cannot blame tumblr and Instagram for digging this one up and plastering screencaps of it all over. This robot gal has style. And if her character design looks familiar? Well, that's because this segment was helmed by the creator of Kite. (He also worked on a Lupin the Third movie, Dead or Alive, which I haven't seen but am definitely making note to). This segment stands out for a number of reasons: First off, there's voice acting for the first time in the film, which is a little jarring on first watch after having been bathed in synthesizers for the last hour. Also, most of the shorts have taken place in dirty dystopias and we finally leave them behind for a steampunk Victorian setting. Maybe it's the lack of buccal fat on the main character but this short always gives me Junji Ito vibes. Particularly, that story where the couple gets married and the wife finds out her husband is in love with a doll he keeps in the shed? Yep, it's a "man keeps a doll in the shed" story! 

If I had this lady in my life, I would not keep her in the shed. We would go out on the town.

Maybe I'm predictable but, yeah, it's the fashion and the score for me. But past this robots outfit, which I would wear right now no questions asked, what has stuck with me is her vacant glassy eyes stare as she questions her own existence, begging her creator for answers, only to be left in the shed, dust covered as years go by, while her creator lives his life, fulfills his dreams, and grows old. 

https://youtu.be/5vHCxKeMNk8

Next week begins March and we are going to be starting LUPIN MARCH MADNESS! As I've mentioned a number of times, I have watched so much Lupin the Third for you guys. Literally the majority of Lupin the Third. If you're not familiar with Lupin, the series has been on the air with decent consistency for 50 years so it's been a lot to watch! I've broken everything up into manageable bunches. Next week, we're going to cover Lupin the Third the series Parts 1 and 2. It's streaming on YouTube, Pluto TV and Tubi! No need to watch it all, just jump in and watch a few! It's fun! Let's have fun!