Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Assthete
How common it is to see works trying to tackle as many ideas as possible while failing to actually offer any insight. They display various signifiers for viewers to rejoice in locating, but in the end do virtually nothing with them. Mind Game happily decides for the exact opposite and rides on the simplest of themes, the most universal warm up advice conceived by man: live life to the fullest. What it does with that, however, is of such excellence anyone with minimal appreciation for animation will be astonished. Yuasa has this ability to make every visual facet, however strange, feel deliberate and thoughtful. Not always (Kaiba), but definitely noticeable throughout his career. More noticeable though is his capacity to effortlessly capture emotions through imagery better than most around.…
Read at the sourceK-e-v
This is what happens when you take wild, untamed ambition and boundless imagination and toss them into a simmering cauldron for it just to boil over and into your goddamn eyes like a concentrated dose of animated LSD. Very much a kaleidoscopic head-fuck, Yuasa's MIND GAME is a film about seizing the moment and coming to terms with your own self, but it's also about the ceaseless mythos of human emotion and connection - lives on top of lives on top of lives. Decisions that shape us happen long before we're born, and the ones we make will mold others long after we're gone, our stories neverending. Possibilites abound, and MIND GAME suggests that every one is a story worth living and that is so unabashedly optimistic I might just fucking break down and cry.
Read at the sourcetotalbodyworkout
This movie really impressed me when I first watched it. The art is not overhyped, the art is every bit as stunning and maniacally beautiful as everyone tells you it is, the voice acting and music is absolutely perfect. The flow of situations, even simple ones, is absolutely madcap and helps imbue a broad emotional appeal to the limited focus of the story, which is essentially one man's struggle to embrace life.
The story is indeed emotionally compelling on some level no matter who you are, but I think it has its limitations and that's what you might see focused on by some of the contrarian detractors of this film, which has received no shortage of praise and acclaim. And they're not wrong. We might thrill at points to see a protagonist conquer self-loathing and even death, meet God and em…
Read at the sourceEzekiel_01
Movie Review No.6
Mind Games is a very weird show about the “Game of Life”. Directed by Yuasa, Masaaki, the guy popularly known for using weird art style but one the few active directors in modern times that have amazing talents. This is anime is so crazy that the creators might have smoke weeds before they made it but that’s a joke. In reality this is how Yuasa make his shows which give the titles he made with novelty.
Moving to the main review of the show.
Art (8/10) (+)
For starters the thing you will remember about Mind Games very clearly is the uncanny background and character design. The anime don’t follow the traditional or the mainstream style most anime to date uses a lot. The unnatural atmosphere of the movie made a good advantage in portraying good cinematography and artistic…
Read at the sourcePandaJerk007
Story: There are a couple parts that aren't really meant to be understood, but the story is entertaining and it causes both you and the characters to appreciate the vast possibilities we're given in life.
8/10
Art: The climactic scene of this movie probably has the strongest blend of amazing creativity, odd beauty, and intensity of anything I've ever seen! :D
The rest of the movie also looks pretty cool visually, but it does take some getting used to.
9/10
Sound: The music is successful at calming you down, weirding you out, or building up excitement according to what each scene is going for. There are some unusual sound effects but they all fit fine with the movie.
8/10
Character: Most of them are interesting. The characters definitely aren't this movie's strong point but they still do…
Read at the sourceCatSoul
Thank you, Nana, for introducing me to Mind Game.
Yes, believe it or not, I found this film while nosing through my nan's Netflix queue after she left it open.
"Mind Game? Isn't that an anime movie? She must've put that in there by mistake...come to think of it, I didn't know that was on Netflix. I remember reading reviews saying it was really good..."
STORY (10/10):
The film starts out slow and slice-of-life-y...luckily, this only lasts for about 10 minutes. (Even from then, the artwork will tell you that this is no ordinary film.) The rest of the film is one of the most compelling stories I've ever seen in fiction.
ART (10/10):
Using my normal judging, the artwork is probably not worth a 10. It is very simplistic and even goes into the bizarre choice of using human faces at times.…
Read at the sourcezetsubou-kami
The universe is a fucking big thing. Our Planet is a tiny little sphere in a tiny little corner of a mid-seized galaxy. And on this planet there are billions of people. People, each with a ghost and a mind of their own. Some of them are as tiny as our little planet. Others are bigger than our galaxy.
Kind of a hard knock in your face to begin with, hm? Catch your breathe, this was only "um die Spreu vom Weizen zu trennen" (german for sorting out the good wheat from the rubbish).
Mind Game is a move about life and imagination and as one can see when this anime is rated with 7.something not everyone gets that. But if you weren`t knocked away from this review by that little punch above... I'm sure you will get it.
This Movie is about a young man who frees himself from the chains of fear th…
Read at the sourceDaddyDesu
Well this is my first review & its my honor to write this for you.
First let me state that I watched this under the influence of Psilocybin.
That being said, I came into this movie not knowing what to expect.
I thought I wasn't going to enjoy it but it began in a very eccentric manner.
The artwork was so free & creative, the emotions in the art & characters voices
took me by storm. It depicts every aspect of humanity, both good & bad.
That is easily my favorite trait about this film, its relatable to real life.
The plot was so original, it has very important lessons that one can take from this.
It gives you a general perspective on possibilities through certain actions & highlights
the fact that you & you alone are in control of your life. The cinematic feel it brings
along with it indub…
Read at the sourceadvenabhishek
Its been 3 year since I started watching Animes and it is the first time i has such a nostalgic feeling. Somewhere along the way, It just became part of my life. Mind game made me realise why I started watching anime. Only in anime can u laugh at a very intense chase scene.
The awesomeness of Mind Game is not in this semi-autobiographical Story, But the way it is potrayed, can be potrayed only in anime. The Humorous animation style of the movie is one of the best i have seen with those realistic chunks taking it to a new height. After all it take a genius to create a masterpiece through inconsistency
Read at the sourceAdramelekh
Mindgame, I can say, has nothing to do with its name. You can sit back and relax while watching this. It doesn't make you struggle to understand, or it does not make you stop and watch like crazy as in the -monogatari series and call it art. When you watch this, you will understand that this piece was made without being worried about appreciation. There is no struggling to be sophisticated either.
The story, as I said, flows with no restrictions. It suddenly takes you in, you feel like you are one of them, you do not find anything odd in this strange plot.
The art is excellent with the sound, character development is great, and I guarantee that you will enjoy this if you do not have any prejudices towards it.
I loved the god symbolism, pretty good.
Finally, it is quite amazing to witne…
Read at the sourcemjharper
I like arty and pretentious anime as much as the anyone. I think Neon Genesis Evangelion, whose seemingly innocuous mecha beginnings give way to stream-of-consciousness psychoanalyzing, is a high-water mark. Confusing or confused, it's worth it. And I'm a huge fan of Satoshi Kon's work, all of which pushes the limits of anime. I enjoy the challenging stuff.
So when I read several fairly glowing reviews of Mind Game, I was curious. But I'm not sure if we were all watching the same film. Yes, the art and animation are spectacular, shifting between contrasting styles with grace and ease. It's certainly a visual showcase. Yet none of the reviews mention the aspects I'm going to talk about below; and I'm inclined to think that beyond the artwork, Mind Game is really just art-house by numbers.…
Read at the sourcekekekeKaj
Drizzling rain being seen through the windscreen of a car; A guy running around with wearing a football shirt and a... is that a diaper? A girl gets her leg trapped in the door of a train and flounders around like a fish out of water.
From the first random images of "Mind Game" that looks like it was drawn by a 6 year old, I can already tell that it's one of those titles that is no doubt hailed in the spirit of modern art as a mind blowing work of genius by some, and dismissed as more worthless than a pile of steaming dog turd on the pavement by others. If you're one of those people who will eagerly lap up anything that's different just because it's different, then this is one for you to watch. But if, like me, you only like originality when the resulting product is actually good, then I'…
Read at the sourceskankfish
Story 9.1/10
A collection of barely likeable characters made even more ugly by the capricious use of random animation techniques. An innappropriate use of Matsumoto Taiyou-esque designs in a flat, out-of-place world of disconnected and hardly appropriate thoughts.
Like it's soundtrack; a jazzy, infuriated rush through a dreamland of improvised gamery. A voidless explosion of creativity, unbound by rational thought and sequence. Enacted and enjoyed on a whim. A dream. A game. A mental jongleur.
In the end a frantic but successful grasp at the unrealistic.
Like the parent on the carosel, the dick clasped between the legs, reality calmly waits at the sideline for the party to finish and the cast to rap themselves up. And it does so in a gracious yet pumpingly real pinacle which makes us r…
Read at the sourceAlgirdyz
The idea of the movie is nothing new. "Live your life to the fullest!" "Never give up!" etc. We hear these a lot actually. And one may see it as a mere commonplace. But then again, the topic is important. Especially to us - anime fans... I kid, I kid. However, the real reason why Mind Game was 1 hour 44 minutes well spent is how the movie executes the idea. It reeks of originality. The same old story about the meaning of life and how you must take advantage of each opportunity no matter how small it is to reach your ultimate goal bursting through every struggle and obstacle you find in your path and never looking back is presented with quite hilarious symbols, situations and characters.
I had a lot of different emotions throughout the movie. The scene in the cafe at the beginning made me…
Read at the sourceAMVP
Whenever a film, animated or otherwise, strives for greatness, said film is always commendable for its pursuit, even if it does not succeed. Such is not the case, however, for Mind Game. This film aims at greatness and, if anything, overshoots it and lands right on masterpiece.
Some viewers may be strongly reminded of another film, Tekkon Kinkreet, when watching Mind Game, and this is to be expected. Both films share production houses 4 degrees Celsius and Asmik-Ace, thus explaining similarities in some of the more realistic character designs. Another link, though not as obvious, is that with the extremely surreal experimental feature Cat Soup. Masaaki Yuasa, one of the chief designers and animators for CS, here rises to the occasion as both screenwriter and director. In this manner, Mind…
Read at the sourceYuki_baka
This is the first review I am ever writing, and my english should maybe be better for writing such thing, but I just have to say what i think about this movie!
I will describe this movie in 3 words, and they are:
Hilarious, colorful and odd! I havent seen anything like this before and it was very weird sometimes, but one thing is clear, you never get bored while watching this movie. I love the scene when God (Kami-sama) is arriving, he is changing faces and voices all the time and i loled my ass off when i saw him/her... X3 God was without any doubt the best character in the whole movie! I did not like the end very much though, but i hope there will be a "Mind Game 2" very soon, it would make me happy ^_^ it reminded me very much about Pinocchio and Fantasia, but it was very unique at the…
Read at the sourceRedward
This was a 'solid' effort. Fair. Decent. Average. 6 out of 10. There isn't a modest and balanced review for this movie on this site yet, and I feel its fair to those who are interested in it to realize its not the '10 OUT OF 10 FIVE STARS 1000%!!!!' bonanza its been made out to be. However, if you're convinced this movie is just that, don't read on.
Despite the title, this isn't a movie that will mess with your head or challenge you to think. It has a very simple message, one that was clearly stated: Live Life. The characters go on a journey that, while being fantastic, ended up feeling like a hollow victory come the climax. You can either blame that on the "reset button" ending or on the fact they chose to send us on acid trips over fleshing out the story.
The characters themselves wer…
Read at the sourceBeatnik
Contrary to the title, this doesn't so much play with your mind as it rubs its crotch against it furiously and dunks it in an ocean full of hallucinogen.
Produced by one of the most innovative animation studios around, Mind Game takes an abstract approach to a theme that a lot of mainstream anime has been promoting to viewers for decades: Don't give up, live life.
You see it everywhere, from Naruto to Mobile Suit Gundam to Ghibli. Anime is always reminding you of how short life is; encouraging you to stop watching it and go outside. Stop being self-conscious, act freely, chase your dreams, jump into the melting pot of humanity!
Mind Game's humorous approach is through a breezy kind of animation style that isn't afraid to become inconsistent at random moments. The most striking moments a…
Read at the sourceStefahknee
To start, this will be my first review. However, I think this movie deserves it.
At first, I was a little like, "Wow...wtf is this?" Moreover, I was baffled, but as you get more into it, you realize it is not something to overthink. Just sit back, laugh, be in awe, and enjoy. By far, one of the best animes I have seen.
Story: The story could have gone a little deeper in with the characters and their past, but besides that, it gave you enough to keep up with, and you were not completely baffled by what was going on. All in all, it was pretty good.
Art: Now this is what I enjoyed. It was very abstract, very different. It makes you think twice about watching it when you FIRST start it because it is not anything like the usual animes, but if you tough it out for oh...10 minutes or so, you w…
Read at the sourcePhill-z
Mind Game is easily one of my favourite anime movies....all the way through. At first I was a little offput by the art, some scenes work REALLY well...some scenes don't. But seriously, this anime is the best thing I've seen in a LONG time of watching anime.
Story: It's a story that you cannot take seriously. There are essentially 3 different scenes in it. All three of them are beautifully executed. The pacing in this movie is also very nice, the few slow scenes are beautifully shown, there's never a single moment of tediousness.
Art: " I think that Japanese animation fans today don’t necessarily demand something that’s so polished. You can throw different styles at them and they can still usually enjoy it." -Masaaki Yuasa (director) The art in this is so spaced out, to call i…
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