Memories

Memories is a compilation of three standalone short films encompassing different genres. Magnetic Rose — a science fiction tale that tells a chilling story of love, loss, and the unwillingness to forget. Stink Bomb — a tongue-in-cheek story of a chemical researcher who is just looking for a way to get rid of his cold... so why is everybody around him dying? Cannon Fodder — an introspective tale about modern wars and simply following orders.

Robot Carnival

9 of Japan's leading animators were asked to create a short segment that followed the theme of "Robots," for their inclusion in this film. Essentially, this "movie" is 9 short films, all independent of one another. The common element is human interaction with robots, namely the consequences of creating life with one's own hands, played in nine very different ways. (Source: Anime News Network) 1: Opening (Atsuko Fukushima and Katsuhiro Otomo) 2: Franken's Gears (Koji Morimoto) 3: Deprive (Hidetoshi Omori) 4: Presence (Yasuomi Umetsu) 5: Star Light Angel (Hiroyuki Kitazume) 6: Cloud (Mao Lamdo) 7: A Tale of Two Robots (Hiroyuki Kitakubo) 8: Nightmare (Takashi Nakamura) 9: Ending (Atsuko Fukushima and Katsuhiro Otomo)

Ghost in the Shell

2029: A female cybernetic government agent, Major Motoko Kusanagi, and the Internal Bureau of Investigations are hot on the trail of “The Puppet Master,” a mysterious and threatening computer virus capable of infiltrating human hosts. Together with her fellow agents from Section 9, Kusanagi embarks on a high-tech race against time to capture the omnipresent entity. (Source: Lionsgate Films)

Amazing Nuts!

Amazing Nuts! is an anthology of four animated shorts with each featuring its own distinct animation style and music by Studio 4°C. 1. Global Astroliner Gou 2. Glass Eye 3. Kung-Fu Love 4. Joe and Marilyn

Blue Literature Series

The series consists of adaptations of six modern classics of Japanese literature: Osamu Dazai’s No Longer Human (Ningen Shikkaku) & Run Melos! (Hashire Melos!), Natsume Soseki’s Kokoro, Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s Hell Screen (Jigoku Hen) & The Spider's Thread (Kumo no Ito), and Ango Sakaguchi's In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom (Sakura no Mori no Mankai no Shita). No Longer Human (Ningen Shikkaku) - A high school student becomes lost and alienated. Despondent and aimless, he falls into a cycle of self abuse, depression and drugs that taints his life for years. Told in three chapters, each chapter deals with a different point in his life and the final chapter leaves him standing alone - an empty and hollow charicature of his former self. In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom (Sakura no Mori no Mankai no Shita) - A love story between a 12th-century woman and a mountain bandit who abducts her. Kokoro - A 1914 tale of a young man's life journey during the Meiji era. The work deals with the transition from the Japanese Meiji society to the modern era, by exploring the friendship between a young man and an older man he calls "Sensei". It continues the theme of isolation developed in Soseki's previous works, here in the context of interwoven strands of egoism and guilt, as opposed to shame. Run Melos! (Hashire Melos!) - An updated retelling of a classic Greek tale of the story of Damon and Pythias. The most prominent theme of "Run Melos!" is unwavering friendship. Despite facing hardships, the protagonist Melos does his best to save his friend's life, and in the end his efforts are rewarded. The Spider's Thread (Kumo no Ito) - The Buddha Shakyamuni chances to notice a cold-hearted criminal suffering in Hell. But this criminal did perform one single act of kindness in not stepping on a spider in a forest. Moved by this selfless act, Shakyamuni takes the silvery thread of a spider in Paradise and lowers it down into Hell, but it falls upon the criminal to seize the opportunity and pull himself out - if he can. Hell Screen (Jigoku Hen) - A famous artist is commissioned by a great lord to create a series of paintings depicting scenes of the 'Buddhist Hell'. The artist is unable to paint scenes that he has not seen himself, prompting him to torture and torment the Lord's staff to create his imagined images of hell. His creative efforts taint the household, as the story descends into madness and destruction. (Source: AniDB)

Sweat Punch

Sweat Punch is a series of five Studio 4&deg;C shorts collected as a direct-to-DVD package film entitled Deep Imagination</i>. 1. Tanpetori Kyouju no Yuuutsu</b> (タンペトリー教授の憂鬱, Professor Dan Petory's Blues) A musical number starring a hand puppet named Junior. The puppet is controlled by the drunken Professor Dan Petory who explains in puppetry the answers to such questions as why the Earth is blue and why UFOs fly in a zig-zag pattern. 2. End of the World</b> "End of the World" is a science fiction story about a young alien girl named Yuko as she escapes from the world of humans. After meeting Kazumi, a human girl Yuko met at a rock concert, the girls head to Kazumi's apartment. Before Yuko even takes off her shoes, however, she leaves through Kazumi's TV with her trusty cybernetic steed FACE to wage a retaliatory campaign against hordes of S&amp;M monsters from another dimension, and the evil queen of Yuko's world. 3. Kigeki</b> (喜劇, Comedy) Set during the Irish War of Independence, a five-year old girl goes out in search of the mysterious Demon&rsquo;s Castle - home of the Black Knight whose services she hopes to recruit. The Black Knight is a dark, young, skilled swordsman who will only accept a particular genre of books as advance payment. 4. Higan</b> (彼岸, Enlightenment) An injured man lies completely still in a hospital room with doctors hovering at his bedside, appearing serene and peaceful as he slowly succumbs to death. However, in his own mind, memories of a recent battle vividly flash by. Thoughts of death and chaos haunt him, even in his final moments. 5. Garakuta no Machi</b> (ガラクタの町, Junk Town) One summer day, a young boy encounters a little robot at a shopping arcade-a hungry little robot, it turns out, as he devours one machine after the other, growing in size with each "meal". This story of a boy, a machine, and their little adventure is the tale of an unusual friendship, enriched by the details of daily life and seen through the director's unique visual style. (Source: Studio 4&deg;C website)