Depressives who see the light and become proselytizers for living better are up there with born again Christians and MLM recruiters as the exact type of person I can’t make peace with. Anno is this guy as well as a endlessly celebrated (and accomplished) artist who can’t help but put his treatise on finding purpose, getting in touch with your feelings, and the struggle to just get out of bed in the morning in everything he touches.
Problem is, I’m not his therapist and this is a fanboy passion project for a 50 year old Tokusatsu TV series about a motorcycling grasshopper-man powered by the wind. Here he’s got nothing to prove, a colossal business (Toei) looming behind him, and no partner to grab the wheel when he slips into reverie. Good news then that Anno’s on his best behavior, delivering a tokusatsu blockbuster of staggering beauty and flair. I LOVE the hyper coverage captured from an army of GoPros, sunny/dreary industrial locations, and surrender to full animation that evokes action more than it shows. Coming in with distain for the auteur helped me appreciate the staid drama as camp with every ounce of the didactic lines like a child, just 63 years of age, presenting his first self insert fan fiction.
It’s cute and refuses to be taken seriously in any regard. In that sense it’s a better superhero film than any I’ve seen in years.
