Interstella 5555:The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem

Reviewed By: Carla Land

Virgin Records Ltd.DVD 2003

Review based on one movie/ disk

Rating NR

What it’s (basically) all about: An alien super band is kidnapped mid-performance from their home world, taken to Earth where they are transformed into humans, and are mind controlled to make it big in the music industry. Can Shep, the planet’s hero, save them, and the Earth, from the demented producer Earl de Darkwood, who is using gold records to power his take over of the universe?

Nitty Gritty: First of all, there is no dialogue in this movie at all. Not a single word is spoken outside of the music, which is French techno band Daft Punk’s album Discovery. The story and concept are by Leiji Matsumoto, who is considered a manga/ animation genius in Japan. This musical-animated pairing is the first of its kind, according to the DVD.

Because there is no dialogue, there’s no bad language. There is also no nudity outside of a couple blink-and-you-miss-it spectral moments of the stylized sort, and there is very little violence, though the hero does die. (This is where the spectral stylized nudity comes in.) A couple of moderately scary sequences and some car chase scenes are about all the action there is.

There are TONS of interactive special features on  this disk, which is good since the whole movie is only 65 minutes long. Interactive play, character files, animation editing of “Digital Love,” an interactive game, karaoke, the French trailer for the movie, biographies of both Daft Punk and Leiji Matsumoto (both of these reading), even hidden bonuses. There are also DVD credits and several different sound options. Unfortunately not all of these are labeled in the menus, so you have to play around and guess what you’re clicking on.

Of course, since Daft Punk is a French band the whole thing is available in French, too.

Survey says: This is a good choice for YA/ Young adult sections.

Personal Ad: My husband is a huge Daft Punk fan, so of course he loves this. It’s a fun little anime that is worth having in your library, even if techno music isn’t especially popular with your patrons. It’s different and innovative, and is a good example of how anime can be utilized to create something out of the ordinary.