A Wind Named Amnesia Anime Movie Review

A spoiler-free review of A Wind Named Amnesia. I simply critique the plot, characters, etc. A CHRISTIAN EVALUATION IS INCLUDED at the end, for some viewers and as a parental guide.

A Wind Named Amnesia

 

A spoiler-free review of the aged but interesting anime movie

 

Title: A Wind Named Amnesia

Alternate Title: Kaze no Na wa Amunejia, Wind of Amnesia

Genre: Sci-fi/Drama

Episodes: 1 (movie)

Running Time: Approx. 81 minutes

 

Synopsis: A fierce wind tears across the entire world, erasing the memories of all of mankind. People are degenerated to a base state, and they follow animalistic instincts in order to survive. Due to a 21^st century biomedical test, however, a boy named Johnny is able to escape the memory wipe. Surgeons implanted a computer into Johnny’s brain, and the mysterious wind could not affect his mental database.

            One man " no different than any other person on the planet " stumbles upon the lonely Johnny by accident. Using the knowledge he has retained, Johnny teaches this man how to be human again and names him Wataru in representation of the Japanese word for “traveler.” Wataru must traverse the planet, trying to remind humanity of the beauty and wonder of the world it left behind. Joined in his quest by a strange, silver haired beauty named Sophia, Wataru also battles against the intelligent robots left behind after humankind could no longer control them. As he meets many people who all bear a vague and unclear knowledge that this world is not right, he tries his best to live up to Johnny’s last wishes and spread kindness to a race of vagrants. But Sophia’s well-guarded secrets may hold the key to unlocking the mystery of the strange wind, as well as Wataru’s true place in the world he long ago called home.

 

Plot: The plot, for all its potential, was a bit of a downer. I was very intrigued by the idea of the story, but it was as if nothing much really happened in all 81 minutes of the film. If you’re watching this movie because you want an action-packed, thriller film, don’t bother. If you’re watching for a more psychological mystery movie, the plot is a little better in that area. However, by about 1/3 of the way through the movie, I had everything pretty much figured out. All in all, while the concept is interesting, the plotline just doesn’t have enough punch to make you actually care about what will happen.

 

Characters: I, for one, enjoyed most of the characters. They were acted very well, considering the fact that most of them have had their memories erased and can only grunt or growl. Wataru was a good main character, despite how annoying he could become. However, such instances were rare. Sophia was enjoyable, although she was perhaps a bit too mysterious for her own good. The characters in A Wind Named Amnesia are more of a reason to watch the movie than the actual storyline.

 

Animation: Considered how aged this film is, the animation is great. For those who have only watched anime movies from about 2007 to now, you’ll be in for a big shocker at the different style of animation presented in this movie. It’s nice, in a quaint sort of way. While the flow is a little choppier than many current anime movies, it’s still rather connected and smooth.

 

Music: As I sit typing this, I actually paused for a moment to try to remember if there was actually any music in the movie at all. I don’t remember any, so that’s a negative mark for the film. Nothing memorable.

 

Ending: Well, there’s two things I want to say here. The climax of the movie was good, as it began to conclude the storyline in a nice way. The actual end of the movie, however, was rather…unnecessary. The final scenes could have been entirely cut out an it wouldn’t have made a bit of difference.

 

Recommendation: I would only recommend this film for people who are really into anime movies for the sake of saying they’re watching anime movies. The plotline is nothing fantastic, and while the characters make the rest of the story more interesting, they’re still too flat for most viewers’ tastes.

 

Audience: I would not recommend this movie for viewers under 13. There is quite a bit of blood (particularly at the beginning), and some nudity and a graphic scene are not appropriate for children under this age.

 

Final Grade: 4 out of 10, for an interesting plot with a lot of potential that was squandered by long, dragged out scenes that were completely unnecessary.

 

For the Christian Audience: While a lot of this movie is pretty clean, there are some scenes to watch out for. If you don’t like blood, this movie may not be for you. While the blood is not as dramatic as in, say, Sword of the Stranger, it’s still present. Also, some people may be bothered by the evolutionistic tinge this movie has. It’s not blatant, but it’s still woven through the story a little bit. Finally, a scene of female upper body nudity in the middle of the movie, as well as a considerably graphic nudity/sex scene at the very end are definitely parts worth skipping over. Conclusion: View at Your Own Discretion, but try to skip the very end.

 

 

Want to buy A Wind Named Amnesia? Click the links below. I’ve set up the links so that you’ll go to a new page to view the item, then you can click and go to the store to buy the item! Enjoy!

 

Click this link for the DVD: <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=wyvernwriter-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00009MGFS" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Author's Note

Have you seen A Wind Named Amnesia? Tell me about it! Did I do a good job reviewing it?