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This futuristic fantasy by a Japanese director Hideki Noda higher goals. It begins with no one but God looking at the Tower of Babel, which rises up like a high ceiling. Check out this irreverent drama about the age of the dinosaurs, Cleopatra’s frozen eggs (was she linked to Julius Caesar or Mark Antony?)
The Pied Piper of Hamelin (Koji Ohkura) turns up, as do Mephisto (Suzu Hirose) and Faust (Isao Hashizume). Noda does the same, as a researcher in the cutthroat world of genetics. Of particular concern are the principles of eradicating disease and creating the “last man”. The story was inspired by a mass murder at a nursing home in Sagamihara, outside Tokyo, in 2016and a former employee who wanted disabled people to “disappear”. Help, who is D/deaf, embarks on a Back to the Future-style adventure to reconnect with the bones that make up humanity’s legacy and make some medical discoveries.
Or something along those lines, because the plot alternates between dreams, fantasy, experiments with lab mice (a large group of comics), archeology and conflict. The renditions are too sharp, the insults too high, it seems like a sugar high. If you can’t keep up, it doesn’t matter because most of it is fun. Highlights include a piece with dancing bananas. There is beautiful choreography by Shigehiro Ide and physical performances where the group becomes dinosaur skeletons. At this time, it shines and shines.
Yukio Horio’s designs consist of circular paper for characters to disappear or reappear, along with video technology that takes us to the surface and gives the illusion of changing frequencies in time. It’s stunningly beautiful (by Taiki Ueda), underplayed, with stunning costumes (designed by Kodue Hibino) and great acting.
But being mocked and shaken is hard to last more than two hours without a break. It’s so satisfying that it defies classic humor. Yet you walk away feeling like you’ve stepped into Noda’s zany Tardis mind – and with a phone box mentality to boot.
