The Animatrix by Various Artists (Review)

All in all, a very impressive collection that adds quite a bit of flavor to the Matrix world.
The Animatrix

I just finished watching all 9 episodes of The Animatrix, and it was incredible, to say the least. Of course, if you’ve done your downloading, you’ve already seen 4 of the episodes (“The Second Renaissance, Parts 1 and 2″, “Program”, and “Detective Story”).

While all of them were great, I’d have to say my absolute favorite episode was “Beyond”. In it, a group of kids find a glitch in the Matrix which manifests itself as a haunted house where reality seems to bend and stretch. The animation was so gorgeous, possessing a dreamlike feel that was perfectly in tune with the episode’s storyline.

Not surprisingly, both of Shinichiro Watanabe’s episodes were highlights as well. Watanabe’s work with “Cowboy Bebop” shouldn’t really need any introduction, and “Detective Story” picks up right where “Bebop” left off, style-wise. The 1940s film noir setting is incredible, and the music was my favorite out of all the episodes. “Kid’s Story” opts for a slightly different route, with the animation very reminiscent of Waking Life’s surreal style.

All in all, a very impressive collection that adds quite a bit of flavor to the Matrix world. The episodes bring a lot of different concepts and ideas to the table, and I wonder if any of them will pop up in the movies. Given the fact that the Matrix video game ties in with the movies, I wouldn’t at all be surprised.

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