This OVA is incredibly visually creative and STUNNINGLY well-animated. It is also god-awful. Repulsive and pointless, Dead Leaves is a plotless exercise in vulgarity. It didn't offend me, but it did annoy me. I'm appalled that IG and so much of the FLCL creative team would waste their valuable time on this dreck.
I liked the first film, but it was missing a lot-- it needed more plot. This iteration is so, so much better. There is more action and more thematic focus. Oshii has a much clearer idea of what he's trying to express this time around, and some of the directions he took the story startled me. His visual style has also acheived some kind of critical mass. CGI has advanced to such a point that I think Oshii's films have now become more realistic than reality. Do with that what you will.
An overlooked gem. This is a sweet, touching film that is at the same time incredibly meaningful. Takahata has a knack for finding the profundity in the ordinary. The animation is a brand new style all its own, entirely dissimilar from every other anime ever made and yet completely Japanese. One of my favorite animated films.
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