Anime Club: Urbance (Short)
URBANCE
CREATED BY: Joel Dos Reis Viegas
GENRE: Science Fiction
YEAR: 2015
COUNTRY: Canada
In the crumbling inner city, sex kills. The urban landscape is split in two — men on one side, women on the other— opposing each other. COEVO seems to be the only hope: a government medical treatment developed to cure every single citizen except that those wearables haven’t produced the expected results yet… Born among this lost generation of frustrated gangs, Kenzell and Lesya live each day as their last, defying anyone who stands in the way of their union. Like modern avatars of Romeo and Juliet, they will have to choose between love or their kind, Passion VS Reason, Deadly Eves VS Neo Blasterz… In their flamboyant relationship lies the premises of a revolution against the authorities, the vicious Mediators and their mysterious separatist laws. Rebels can change the world…
Alright, time for the next short film on the chopping block. While not necessarily an anime, it definitely draws inspiration from it so it is included! For a short film, I didn’t expect much from Urbance. Despite this, it came out swinging with some fantastically drawn animation and a soundtrack that is actually addicting. I want to download the tracks right now and blast them as I write this review. Anyway, besides the actual technical aspects, Joel Dos Reis Viegas sets a fantastic foundation for a world that I desperately could use more of.
As far as the world of Urbance goes, you have got me hooked. On the other hand though, I actually don’t really care about any of these characters. I understand that seven minutes is not enough time for any major character development, but there needs to at least be a little. When two of the characters died while having sex, I didn’t care about it. Sure, it did what it was supposed to and set the rules of the world, but still.
PROS:
- Nice stylized animation.
- Addictive music.
- World-building.
CONS:
- Confusing story.
- Don’t care for most of the characters.
SCORE: 6.0 / 10
If you have any suggestions for films/TV/Games/Music/Anime for me to review, drop me a comment!
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