Anime Film Review: Blame!
- Very Average Joe
- Aug 21
- 3 min read
English Title: BLAME!
Japanese Title: ブラム
Director(s): Sheshita Hiroyuki
Screenwriter(s): Murai Sadayuki
Studio: Polygon Pictures
Released: 2017
Runtime: 1h 45m
Starring: Sakurai Takahiro, Amamiya Sora, Hanazawa Kana, Yamaji Kazuhiro, Suzaki Aya, Miyano Mamoru
Based on the manga of the same name by Nihei Tsutomu that ran from 1997 to 2003, the story is set in the distant future in a seemingly endless self-expanding city built by machines.
I have not read this particular manga so the review is based on the film only. However, I have read other works by Nihei and it is apparent that his approach in his subsequent works is similar to Blame!.
The opening sequence sets up the world effectively: an armed group of adolescents led by a girl named Zuru moves through the lifeless cityscape searching for food. They are careful to avoid “Watchtowers” but they, of course, get in trouble as “Safeguards” turn up to exterminate them. Whilst these have a human-like head and face, they move on all fours—their design and movement are creepy. In the distant past, humans had lost control of the machines, they eliminating any human they come across.
This is when a lone man named Killy saves Zuru. He is searching for humans with the “Net Terminal Gene” that allows them to control the machines as they once did.
Zuru and her friends don’t know what Killy is talking about but the elders might, so they bring Killy back to their “village”. The plot follows the villagers and Killy on their quest to search for that key genetic marker with Zuru being the main viewpoint character.
Like Nihei’s other works, the setting is intriguing. There are enough recognizable elements but there is also mystery. The date is unspecified but the technology and the vague number mentioned suggest a period thousands of years into the future. This separation or disconnect from our real world gives him room to push a very different fictional world without being jarring.
The designs are also typical of Nihei’s brand of dark sci-fi/cyberpunk: the clothing is somewhat patchy and dilapidated, Killy is reticent and looks like his other male leads, and the buildings and weapons are essentially rectangular blocks.
The premise is obviously inspired by the likes of The Terminator, not just because of humans losing control of the machines which then kill humans, but also because of the imagery, such as machines in the midst of fire while doing their killing.
Visually, it looks solid, particularly the environment and objects. The human characters, although still anime in style, are perhaps too CG, as is their motion. It’s not jarring but it is apparent. One either accepts it or not.
Nihei’s gift is worldbuilding. The two most obvious methods utilized in his manga are large panels that show the scale and detail of the environment and repeated exposure to daily life without necessarily being slice-of-life.
In a feature-length film, the latter is limited although the narrative does try to show village life. The equivalent to the former are wide shots and there are plenty of those done to good effect. Kataama Mitsunori had done an excellent job with the cinematography.
The pacing is steady. The expositions are a little crude at the start and the plot is typical of sci-fi, but it is overall interesting enough and flows well. There is at least one instance in which the villagers could easily make a better tactical decision to enhance their chances of survival, but one is expected to just go with it.
And on the note of “going with it”, the music composed by Kanno Yugo is typically grand and/or functional, a good fit to the dark sci-fi action-thriller.
On balance, it is a solid production with an experienced cast. It may not be the best story or storytelling ever, but it does have decent worldbuilding for a feature-length film and it is executed well for what it is intended to be.
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