Extraordinary Movie & Video Guide

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Malice @ Doll. Japan 2000. Directed by Keitaro Motonaga.

Human race has disappeared on the earth, but robots are still there executing their programmed duties to the very end. Malice is one of the prostitute robot dolls. She is transformed one day into human being and learns to feel joy and happiness as well as pain. Other robot dolls are confused and start to despise Malice, who is now just like the beings that created them. Soon Malice discovers her ability to give the same gift to others by kissing them, but what was once a kind gesture, is now the kiss of death. Literally.

Malice@Doll blends CG (Computer Graphics) -animation to traditional cel animation and it's dark, sinister and fascinatingly strange experience - and truly a kind of its own. Of course there is Final Fantasy, a prime example of full-length CG-movie. Malice @ Doll on the other hand gives you nightmare-like visions that are really top-notch and refreshing, despite the quality which is not as polished as in Final Fantasy. Keitaro Motonaga's (Patlabor) and Chiaki Konaka's (Bubblegum Crisis, Serial Experiments: Lain) background in traditional anime can be seen and I guess helped a lot making something new with different approach.

Although the tentacled monsters and sex robots are more familiar in hentai anime, Malice @ Doll stands out from the infamous genre with its story, characters and not showing detailed sex scenes. Grim artwork of future world is perfect for the robots last home. Malice @ Doll has its negatives sides there too: it is stagnant in times and some characters have been left too shallow. But all in all, I must give some extra credit for the daring cinematic expression.

Picture quality is fairly dark but on the other hand, original material might be also. Sometimes it is just simply difficult to see what's going on. Audio track is fair enough to support the weird mood of this film. Extra material lasts altogether almost one hour. You can find a knowledgeable lecture of japanese animation and interviews of director and writer - interviewer is the voice of Malice, Yukie Yamada.

(DVD by Artsmagic)