After a deadly encounter with two yakuza, a loser with a crush on his childhood girlfriend goes to heaven and back, embarking on a psychedelic self-discovery experience with her and his frie... Read allAfter a deadly encounter with two yakuza, a loser with a crush on his childhood girlfriend goes to heaven and back, embarking on a psychedelic self-discovery experience with her and his friends.After a deadly encounter with two yakuza, a loser with a crush on his childhood girlfriend goes to heaven and back, embarking on a psychedelic self-discovery experience with her and his friends.
- Awards
- 1 win
- Nishi
- (voice)
- Myon
- (voice)
- Jiisan
- (voice)
- Yan
- (voice)
- Ryou
- (voice)
- Yakuza boss
- (voice)
- Yakuza
- (voice)
- (as Rintarou Nishi)
- Atsu
- (voice)
- Directors
- Masaaki Yuasa
- Kôji Morimoto(Mind Game Remix)
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOn April Fools' 4/1/2018, Toonami on Adult Swim surprised everyone by airing this film in its original Japanese language with English subtitles.
- GoofsTypo of "loading". In the movie it shows "Now Lording..." on the computer screen.
Actually, this is a play on words as Nishi finds himself in "heaven," about to meet "the Lord."
- Quotes
Nishi: We've gotta leave. It's that or drown.
Yan: But how?
Nishi: The boat, of course!
Myon: The cops'll be looking for us.
Nishi: So?
Myon: The Yakuzas'll come after us!
Nishi: So what! I wanna get out! 'Cos there's so much out there! So many different people, living different lives! Incredibly good guys, bad guys... Folks completely different from us! It's one huge melting pot! See, it's not about success, dying in the streets, who's better, who's not! I just want to be a part of it! I realized that even if I've no connections, no talent, even if I'm one big loser, I want to use my hands and feet to think and move, to shape my own life! We can just die here or we can try, see what we've got!
- ConnectionsFeatured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Underappreciated Anime Movies (2016)
- SoundtracksHungarian Rhapsody No. 2, S.244/2
Written by Franz Liszt
I liked this movie mostly for reason number two and next because of reason number three. The animation is one of the real driving elements behind the film and if you enjoyed stuff like American Pop or Fire & Ice from Ralph Bashki, then you're also (more than likely) enjoy the animation and wacky celebratory art-style, rotoscoping, cel-shading, 3D and a bunch of other animation techniques used in this film.
Now, the real meat and potatoes lies within this movie's message for appreciating life, as it goes in the movie: the story never ends, just like life goes on even after the curtain drops for the main character (being you).
Unlike most films that force-feed viewers a "hero" who must save the day, get the girl and redeem himself, Mind Game instead wants viewers to root for the hero because the hero is put into a position where only he can root for himself. I also liked that this movie gives a flipside on what it is to appreciate life, even when you have nothing to look forward to in life. I think it helped turn this sometimes violent and dark film into something inspirational and hopeful. I also truly enjoyed the "possibilities" this movie played with that life can sometimes throw our way.
All in all, I loved this film. It's not a typical Japanese anime by a long-shot and it's certainly not for everyone (especially younger viewers) but it's a great film that any avant garde film enthusiast would greatly appreciate.
- cyguration
- Sep 16, 2011
- How long is Mind Game?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $36,613
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $5,609
- Feb 18, 2018
- Gross worldwide
- $36,613
- Runtime1 hour 43 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1