Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
chumchummaru
Unbelievable.
“Memories” as this three-part film is called in translation, I was incredibly excited. I won’t go into what each film was about, that’s already been taken care of, but I’ll highlight what I liked most about the films. Of course, the drawing/animation of all the films was top-notch and I recommend watching it in FHD.
I’ll start with the first one called “magnetic rose”, which had an incredible atmosphere that absorbed me from the very beginning. Here I liked one part the most, which was short, but had a horror feel and had an atmosphere that made me start to get scared, and that’s exactly the point of horror. I would say that they got the point across best here, it’s just a shame that it was short. Which unfortunately I can’t say about most anime horror films, which are more…
Read at the source4Fro
A true masterpiece, Memories--through the medium of individual stand-alone episodes--develops settings, characters, and plots the only way a masterpiece knows how: masterfully. Just within one episode, the directors of Memories are seemingly able to develop and convey stories that most series are not able to in 12. In the current landscape of anime, where stories are conventionally told in a 12-episode format, favoring action-based storytelling instead of stories based off emotion, Memories will endure time as a relic of the past. A relic that waits like the Magnetic Rose, enchanting any who venture into it.
Whether it's the melancholy inflicted by Episode 1: Magnetic Rose, the unfortunate humor of Episode 2: Stink Bomb, or the true tragedy of Episode 3: Cannon Fodder, Memories makes its…
Read at the sourcePitBoy
I'm going to focus in judging this as a Horror show, because I'm a big fan of Horror and this anime is tag as such. Out of the three short stories in Memories, the 3rd one is a dark story, but not horror, the 2nd one could be considered a horror comedy, where the horror is seeing everyone around you drop dead by your stench, however, the 1st title is without a doubt the crown jewel of this trilogy.
Magnetic Rose, which setting feels inspired by the movie Alien, proves that ghost stories don't have to feel like strangers in a sci-fi setting. A must watch for any horror fan, this little short film is chilling and unforgettable.
The 2nd short lacks as a horror, but It's kite fun to watch.
The 3rd short is interesting to watch, but has no horror elements to It.
Read at the sourcedextr__
Art — 8/10
I loved the classic/retro anime aesthetic: hand‑drawn detail, textured backgrounds, and expressive character animation. Studio 4°C and Madhouse give each segment its own visual identity while keeping a cohesive, tactile look that feels timeless.
Story
Magnetic Rose — 8/10
My favorite. It’s a moody, sci‑fi ghost story about memory and obsession — Eva’s refusal to let go turns the past into a beautiful but deadly trap. The atmosphere, pacing, and emotional beats stuck with me.
Stink Bomb — 8/10
Dark, absurd comedy done really well. The premise escalates brilliantly and the satire lands; it’s equal parts grim and hilarious, with tight direction and punchy timing.
Cannon Fodder — 6/10
I appreciate the satire and the world-building, but this one didn’t grip me as much. It’s thoug…
Read at the sourceKage_Nage
I enjoyed 'Magnetic Rose' very much. The concept was interesting and the characters were easy to understand. Really enjoyed the soundtrack on this one. I'm rating it an 8/10 due to this short story alone.
'Stink Bomb' was alright. I enjoyed how bouncy the soundtrack was. It was nothing like I was expecting. Great short story. If I were rating this individually instead of all three at once, it would be a 7/10.
'Cannon Fodder' wasn't the most interesting thing in this series of shorts. I kind of felt like I was just watching some Russian Stop Motion Animation. If I were rating this individually, it would probably be a 4/10. Visually interesting, things looked pretty ugly, which isn't so bad for a change, however, I couldn't really put myself into any of the characters' shoes.
Read at the sourcejoemaamah
It's been many years. This always seemed to me to be the anime industry's love letter to "Heavy Metal" of the 1970's. The same kind of format, with a number or non-related vignettes strung together. Let's look at the pieces and try to determine the whole.
Magnetic Rose was technically the finest of the bunch. Best art, animation, acting and direction. I'd definitely recommend this to a modern audience, as I suspect it is the one most likely to have withstood the rigors of time.
I found Stink Bomb, well, kind of stinky. OK it was funny in a toilet humor kind of way, for about 5 minutes, then it just got draggy. It was a chore to make it through to the end. And I like sophomoric humor. The art and animation are nothing to write home about, and the overacting by the main VA was enough to m…
Read at the sourceYoungVagabond
Watching “Memories” in 2024, it's a unique relic one can instantly ascribe to the mid 90's, even without knowing its release year beforehand. For one, it's a compilation film, which were last popular, whether animated or live-action, in the mid 90's. (“Four Rooms” also came out in 1995, amusingly enough) It also features distinct animation styles which I've always loved, but have sadly fallen out of use. And not just an updated version of Katsuhiro Otomo's prominent noses and realistic faces we all know from 1988's “Akira”. Let's examine each of the three segments separately and then discuss how they coalesce together.
1. Magnetic Rose
When one thinks of the best 90's anime, Magnetic Rose deserves a mention.
A space freighter receives a distress call and two crew members are sent to i…
Read at the sourceRyanSpring
Memories is tricky to review for two reasons- 1. Rather than being a movie in and of itself it is actually a collection of three entirely different movies, which are completely unrelated to each other and from different directors, and 2. At the time of this writing it is nearly THIRTY YEARS OLD, and while you can certainly look back at something and review it from a modern perspective or discuss how well or how poorly something has aged, the only proper and fair way to review a piece of art is in its own time. With those important items out of the way, let's get into it!
The three movies, while all generically sci-fi to varying degrees, are not particularly similar or of the same subgenres. The first movie, Magnetic Rose, has a space theme and setting, could be aptly categorized as advent…
Read at the sourceBa-Cii10
An anime film composed of three different stories, interesting....
Movie 1-Magnetic Rose
The story tells the story of a group of space engineers who received an SOS signal somewhere in the middle of space and decided to go to help those who sent it...
A very atmospheric beginning, the attention to detail is amazing, we can easily feel that we are somewhere in space with people living like this on a daily basis.
The animation is great, as befits a movie, but what impresses me even more is the sound design, the saxophone in the background does the job, it's a pity that from the moment we reach the ship sending the SOS signal, the story starts to get stupider and stupider.
I think the characters are too accepting of the weirdness they encounter, like a palace in the middle of a spaceshi…
Read at the sourceAdnash
If I were to describe "Memories" in just a short way, I would call it an audiovisual feast for every fan of animation. Three different stories, each one directed by a different director, but all done in a truly spectacular way. Beautiful art style with stunning-looking backgrounds, stellar animation, breathtaking soundtrack and voice acting, an interesting and unique approach to storytelling, many themes and genres blending with each other in a balanced way, breathtaking sequences... Everything is there and is polished as much as possible. I decided to make this review rather short. Why? Because I feel there's no need to elaborate a lot and mention all the details about each of those three movies, because it's best to just experience this movie compilation by yourself, with having in mind…
Read at the sourcePierceAllAlone
Memories is as robot carnival is as neo tokyo. They're all sets of 3 stories with different styles and genres, though all remaining sci-fi, and all completely brilliant. In terms of direction, story, art, etc it's mostly amazing.
I'll admit I did like the first episode the best, because horror is my favorite genre. The art was some of the most creative and incredible that I've seen, the acting was pretty great, and the story had my attention in a death grip the whole time. There's nothing I'd critique tbh.
As for the second one, well I guess I just don't like "black humour" as I've seen it called. I just spent the whole time pissed at the main character lol insufferable little jerk. But it was interesting, well animated, and generally smooth in terms of plot movement.
The third episo…
Read at the sourceMichealWave
Episode three "Cannon Fodder" takes us into a dystopian world set in an artillery city. We are urged to think about what would make an artillery city possible. For such a thing to exist it presupposes the existence of a constant external threat. The generalized Other must be reduced to an inexhaustible enemy, the coordinates of an ever-changing hostile position, a target. Lets say this makes up the artillery part. What makes it a "city"? It is the identification of a common purpose, the demarcation of an interior and an exterior, us and them. It is no wonder that the protestors' signs spell 'stop' 'poison' and 'gas' with the two lightning bolt S's of Nazi Germany's Schutzstaffel (SS). How do you make a people kill your enemy? By making them absolutely sure that the enemy is a far more terr…
Read at the sourcespeedc0re
Studio 4c, MADHOUSE. Satoshi Kon and Otomo. My personal favorites, all collectively showcasing their talents in 3 short stories. Screenplay and animation is an enjoyment from start to finish. If at the very least you enjoy 90s animation at all and never heard of the above names, this will be a memorable experience regardless. && even they also have more famous titles under their belt (Akira, Perfect Blue, etc). I would argue this is far better for sharing and introducing friends and family, you don’t have to grudgingly sit through an entire season or a movie. So you won’t feel bad for recommending lol. Even for non anime fans, these are short, concise and entertaining.
Read at the sourceMAKandCHIZZ
I didn't see much compilation in animes, but I really liked this one because of the cinematography, stories and soundtracks.
"Magnetic Rose" was a very special and wonderful start for Memories.I liked the idea of this episode, especially showing us this path of fame to nothing and getting lost in life was beautiful. And this episode does have one of the best soundtracks that I have ever heard in animes. 9/10
"Stink bomb" was a very good idea in the first place, but I really didn't understand the point of being in this compilation. It was fun, if I want to be honest, but it wasn't my type of thing. 6/10
"Cannon Fodder" probably had the best story idea in this compilation. Speaking about war (totalitarian regimes) was wonderful, and I loved the whole idea of this episode. Giving the viewe…
Read at the sourcebergars
The first short's the best, the second's the most fun, and the third one's just boring. As any anthology, it's a very mixed bag.
It's an incredibly animated work, starting with a space adventure, with a cosmic tone of slight horror. Beautifully animated, interesting story, but not that entertaining. It explores grief with the likes of futuristic technology, and it's pretty good at showing the mysteries of how the future can entail personal pain. It's the best, no doubt, but even then, I didn't find it that memorable. 7/10.
Even if the second one doesn't try to explore an important theme, or something with a higher concept, it's probably the one I'll think about the most. I always love massive scale, stupid plots, that make a situation worse, and worse in each passing second. Explosions,…
Read at the sourceGameboon
Memories is a compilation only in the sense that it is a bundle of three separate short movies. These three movies have barely anything in common, and as far as I am concerned only the first short, "Magnetic Rose", is really worth your time.
So, let me start with "Magnetic Rose". It's a sci-fi ghost ship story that really nails the atmosphere, plot, music and visuals. The visual style is old, but high quality and smooth. The character proportions and coloring in Magnetic Rose is one of my favorite styles and similar to Ghost in the Shell. The foreboding build-up to shit hitting the fan is well done through curious happenings inside the ghost ship and the characters' mental states deteriorate steadily throughout their adventure. I don't want to spoil too much, but it is definitely a bit o…
Read at the sourceMarco_Yooo
THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW
Ohtomo Katsuhiro is mostly known for his work on the legendary anime movie "Akira". But if you go deeper and look into his history as a writer and storyteller, you´ll find out that there is so much more to him than just that. "Memories" is certainly one of the more special entries in his filmography. It contains in it 3 short storys that are all between 20 and 45 minutes long, meaning that you can basically finish the series in about 2 hours. These stories are "Magnetic Rose" , "Stink Bomb" and "Canon Fodder". This review will be structured differently than my usual ones, simply because of this unusual structure. I´m gonna rank all 3 series individually and then decide on a final score.
1. Magnetic Rose (Science-Fiction, Space, Psychological Horror)
The mos…
Read at the sourceILove2Gaming
Memories (no spoilers)
____________________
Magnetic Rose,
Out of all of the three, this is by far my favorite through its chilling atmosphere, stunning visuals, and interesting characters. This short is so much crammed into such a short amount of time and yet it doesn't feel rushed, while I wish that the 2 hour film was just 2 hours of magnetic rose I still really enjoyed what was there. The visuals are stunning, the situation that they are in is bone-chilling, the way that their minds are played with is tantalizing.
Overall this one is a 9.5 out of ten, I WISH that it was much longer
_______________________ Stinkbomb,
Much like the name implies, this one stinks. While it is supposed to be a comedy, it just isn't funny at all and did not enjoy it at all. The subject of the short is s…
Read at the sourceTheAsterNaut
Memories is a set of 3 short films in an anthology, and due to that I will be rating all 3 separately.
Magnetic Rose is probably one of the best pieces of film I've ever seen, as well as the best thriller movie. It's suspenseful story reveals of the whole truth behind the situation piece by piece, leaving hints of other plot points in subtle ways before revealing them later. The score, the art, and the performance are all seamlessly put together so that it feels like a complete and fully satisfying story. It's best to go into this blind to get the full effect, so that's why this review seems intentionally vague. 10/10; You MUST watch this.
Stink Bomb is a story with a very simple premise of a man becoming a biochemical weapon and the after effects of it. Nothing about the story is too ou…
Read at the sourcemerb
Magnetic Rose-
A legitimately impactful phycological short film. Lots of interesting things going on between the great characters, animation, and direction. My favorite of the three for sure. 9/10
Stink Bomb-
Underrated from what I've read so far, but don't think about this one too hard. Its OK plot and characters complement the absolute absurdity of the anime. It doesn't take itself seriously at all. All of this allows the directing and animation to go all out. There is legitimately a masterpiece sequence towards the end of the short. 8/10 but my heart wants to give it a 9
Cannon Fodder-
Weakest of the three, but definitely not bad. Its simply a metaphor for communist Russia but doesn't have much else to say. 5/10
Read at the source
