Mnemosyne - Review

Looking back on this review I wrote a while ago, god I can be pretentious at certain times... even thought it's a trait I tend to despise... anyways, here's a review of "Mnemosyne"; an insanely explicit anime that nonetheless is quite good. Hopefully I'm kind of able to explain why?

Mnemosyne is the
godess of memories
in Greek mythology

Story: 7/10

There can be no denial that Mnemosyne assembles its stylistic components from the cinematic gutter; the vast majority of frames are carefully reserved for outbursts of explicit sexuality or shock-inducing material in general, and as such one would expect the final product to be an obscene mosaic of pretentious mayhem. However, thanks to the careful navigation of the narrative and an approach that doesn’t adhere too willingly to the standardized norms of wanna-be-pornographic animation, Mnemosyne can proudly receive the prestigious award as a gem within a genre of nasties. But implement your approach of it with caution; as the anime equivalent of a Grindhouse-reminiscent exploitation flick I doubt I need to emphasize its inability to appeal to a more mainstream audience.

Leaving the painfully obvious moral objections aside, what Mnemosyne gathers support the most from, when disregarding its thespian soundtrack, is its beneficial determination to observe a world that’s constantly developing. Initially choosing its setting as the cold war era seen from the perspective of contemporary Tokyo, the story is swift to elaborate its perception of the past to post-millennium Japan that eventually escalates into a highly technological future. Furthermore, the inescapable possibility of technology subduing humanity into a state of passivity is explored hastily and is then incorporated into concepts like immortality and sexual desire.

The original chain of events blesses the narrative with commercial gold; potential viewers won’t be quick to judge a concept they haven’t encountered before as uninteresting, and spectating a unique tale unfold is a delight that’s rarely experienced. I'll admit that a pre-occupation with explicit sexuality possesses the power of making any narrative effort seem tragically futile, and if you sincerely believed that disturbingly detailed rape scenes belonged solely in the realm of hentai, then you were sadly mistaken. Mnemosyne has a tendency of ignoring the unwritten laws of decorum with provocative courage, but during certain key moments it manages to introduce taboos like bondage with an almost admirable sophistication that can’t be found anywhere else. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone whom I don’t know particularly well, but if you believe your perceptional skills are capable of overlooking growing numbers of paraphilia’s and sometimes unnecessary nudity, then I’d easily suggest that you give Mnemosyne a chance. It may use an almost offensive degree of its resources to create a repulsive panorama of gore and glorified BDSM, but it's insanely entertaining so can't we at least stop pretending that we're bothered by objectifications and sleaze and just lose ourself in the plot? Who knows, the somewhat satisfying end may even leave you with an equally satisfying sense of conclusion that's rarely savored these days.

Characters: 6.5/10

The exceptionally small cast provides an excellent advantage in characterization, but upon realizing the commercial appeal in explicit lesbianism, the creators decided to go for a more one-dimensional approach.

Rin; our protagonist

Don't misinterpret; Rin experiences her various misadventures with aggressively executed stunts and a polished persona that generates sympathy and fascination in equal amounts for her audience. Her not-even-remotely-interesting side-kick, Mimi, on the other hand was designed as the very epitome of sexism; her will to sexually satisfy in return for valuable information is abused gleefully by other women, and the girlish "qualities" of her voice actress contributed generously to the justified sense of disgust I experienced whenever she allowed herself to participate in some good old bed rocking.

The male characters come attached with similar plethoras of pros and cons aswell; While Maneo's complex personality and deeply embedded emotions make him one of the more interesting persons, he is cruelly bashed into the realm of minor characters as his existence plays no part in the impending climax.

A wasted potential among the virtuous characters is one thing, but a menacing antagonist that counterparts the goodies can navigate most plotlines into benevolence, and this role is righteously assigned to hermaphrodite angel Apos. His fair share of memorable poses as the dominator of subdued females wearing ball-gags work effectively in the struggle to portray him as pure malice, and on the visual plane he often accompanies scenes of morbid grandeur with his insatiable thirst for blood. As one of the most devilishly sadistic characters in anime he is easily able to leave a quite strong, and quite important impression.

Animation: 8/10

Anime: glorifying BDSM since 1982! Seriously though,
Mnemosyne is depraved, but it has lots of redeemable
qualities.

The action-orientated sequences are welcomed additions that temporary replace the more dialogue-driven narrative with buckets of guilty pleasures that promote fun rather than compelling eloquence. Benefitting heavily from the fluid moment, but establishing themselves as memorable through the use of innovative battle techniques, the constantly occurring fights complement the virtue of calm progression with an even more necessary diversity.

The real source of the visual grandeur, however, can be traced to the splendid artwork that propels the story forward with impeccable accuracy. The sacred existence of the Yggdrasill tree is acknowledged and highlighted through the careful use of illuminated spores slowly brooding throughout the extent of our universe, and the descents of malicious angels are finalized by the morbidly exquisite misery they invoke in their victims. During several occasions I wanted to do nothing else but to pause a specific episode and lose myself in the visual poetry of one particular frame, and savor the delight of comprehending such overwhelming beauty. I would have succumbed to these impulses if it weren’t for the fact that even a minor moment of passivity would derive heavily from the viewing experience.

Sound: 8/10

The opening theme disobeys the time-honored tradition of screeching out J-pop as if it was verbal candy, through the diligent use of scrappy metal that undergoes a metamorphose into a more beautiful entity. This transition is allowed to occur mainly because of the fairly poetic lyrics; not even the exceptionally prominent engrish can muddle their philosophical implications.

The soundtrack itself clings beautifully in symbiosis with the competent voice actors; the gruesome balance between the gore and beauty found in the visual section is enhanced remarkably by the diverse and beautifully composed musical score.  For moments characterized by a swifter pace the initially soothing music surrenders itself in benefit for loud drumbeats, establishing a good rhythm for pursuits to run their courses; with all things in consideration Mnemosyne boasts one of the more impressive soundtrack I’ve encountered.

Overall: 7/10 (remove 2 points if you're sensitive...)

Mnemosyne clings to its fanservice proportions with an almost despicable determination to use sex appeal as an advantage. However, it's occupation with sexual innuendos swiftly transitions into paraphilic exercises in gruesome sadism that's unlikely to earn any appeal from a mainstream audience, and as such it's able to escape the pursuing feeling that it was designed to sell. You can degrade its aesthetics in a large variety of ways, most prominently by illuminating the fact that it introduces notable portions of sleaze into an otherwise beautiful narrative, but unless you're easily offended by the possibilities of "wanna-be NC-17" animation you should be able to find at least the smallest indicator of something more endearing than lesbian nuns participating in group sex.