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There was a time when Manga’s forte was dark and violent sci-fi, where nearly every release was set in a dystopian future where only the strong survive. It’s easy to forget that the success of these kinds of titles led to Manga part funding Mamoru Oshii’s original Ghost in the Shell film, especially as nowadays the UK anime industry can rarely even pull the money together to record its own English dubs. Yes, those times may be gone, but Mardock Scramble at least evokes the feel of those early sci-fi titles, even if it is a much slicker affair. The film is the first of three linked parts
and tells the story of Rune Balot, a damaged 15 year old girl whose life of
abuse and prostitution is set to come to a horrific end when the vicious
gangster Shell Septinus leaves her to die in a burning car. Fatally
injured and unconscious, Rune is pulled from the car by the maverick scientist
Dr Easter and her subconscious mind is given a choice – resign herself to her
fate, or be resurrected using a cyberisation technique known as
Mardock Scramble and have the opportunity to bring her assailant to justice.
She subconsciously chooses the latter and awakes with a new body and new
abilities to learn, her guide to her new life is Oeufcocque, a cybernetically
enhanced mouse with human level intelligence and the ability to change form
depending on the needs of his user. However, her time to learn may be
quite short, the first task of her new life is to investigate and testify
against the man who tried to kill her, but he has hired the former Mardock agent
Dimsdale Boiled who will use any means to protect his client, even going so
far as to attack her directly. For her part Rune is granted enhanced
strength, speed and fighting abilities to aid her in her role as an agent,
however, this power brings its own dangers beyond potential assailants.
For the first time in her life Rune can defend herself, for the first time in
her life she can be something other than a victim. After fifteen years of
abuse she can take revenge, and with attackers once again closing on her does
she have the self control to hold back? The consequences of her taking
unlawful action, even in self defence, are dire for both her and Oeufcocque, but
Boiled has a personal reason for his attacks, and he isn’t going to let her off
lightly... |
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Mardock Scramble is like Ghost in the Shell’s darker, edgier cousin. Like Ghost in the Shell it boasts stunning visuals and music, cool characters and a fantastically realised cyberpunk setting, but unlike its predecessor it concentrates more on the seedy underbelly of society than the high level terrorism Section 9 dealt with. As the 18 certificate suggests this is truly adult fare, Rune is a child prostitute who was sexually abused at a young age and both nudity and violence are par for the course in the dystopian future Mardock Scramble |
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portrays. The subject matter is dark and in places the story is highly unsettling, Shell is an effective villain who's a pimp to underage prostitutes and a murderer who likes burning his victims to death. His accomplices are similarly warped and Boiled is merciless in his pursuit of Rune and Oeufcocque, so much so that Rune hardly has a chance to get used to her new body before he is sending assailants after her. The action comes thick and fast towards the end of the film, but it's the middle that provides the most intrigue as Rune is faced with her past as she testifies in an initial hearing. It's an intriguing and massively disturbing moment which is very well delivered, and proves that the film can handle drama easily as well as the action. I know that it's primarily a Kazé
title, but in many ways Mardock Scramble is a real return to
Manga Entertainment's anime roots. The setting, the plot, the
bizarre villains and the themes explored are reminiscent of old titles
like Armitage and AD Police. However, whilst those
titles look quite dated now, this one looks absolutely stunning.
The setting and design is jaw-droppingly well realised, from the hi-tech
city spires to the dingy warehouse that Dr Easter operates from, and
this combines with excellent animation to create a film which is as
visually arresting now as the original Ghost in the Shell film
was in the mid-nineties. It's truly the best-looking sci-fi anime
for a long time, but it hasn't just got looks going for it. The
presentation may be excellent but Mardock Scramble is primarily a
character piece, and whilst there is shed-loads of action, some
effective horror and plenty of drama the main focus of the film is
Rune's attempts to come to terms with her new life and the relationship
she builds with Oeufcocque. After being used and abused all her
life Rune is presented with a relationship which is built on trust, and
she is the one more likely to break that trust than he is.
Misusing Oeufcocque's abilities causes him pain and distress, but when
she is backed into a corner will she abuse the only thing that trusts
and respects her? It's an interesting dilemma, and it's one that
could have been handled badly, but here it's done very well especially
when Boiled's relentless attacks threaten to push her over the edge. |
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The problem the film has though is two-fold. Firstly the enemies are real throwbacks to the kinds of villains you got in those old Manga cyberpunk titles, and this isn't always a good thing. Whilst they are pretty creepy their habit of collecting trophies from their victims which are then grafted to their bodies is quite disturbing but a little silly, especially when you end up with a man made of boobs. Having a talking mouse mascot may also seem a little daft at first glance, and whilst Oeufcocque does seem out of place the series does make |
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him integral to the plot, elevating him above the status of merchandise fodder. There's also the silly names - I mean Dimsdale Boiled? Medium the Fingernail? Seriously, those are actual character names. However, the big problem Mardock Scramble has is that at just 70 minutes in length, it's too short. Mardock Scramble: The First Compression is the first of three films which combine to make a single story, it ends on a big cliffhanger and this film is not self-contained. What you get is a 70-minute introduction to the characters and plot which ends at a pivotal moment and leaves you thinking 'what? it's over already!?' rather than 'I can't wait to see what'll happen next'. I honestly had to check to make sure I hadn't skipped to the end credits by accident when I watched it. I suppose it's a sign of how engrossed I was that I didn't realise the 70 minutes had passed but the film seemed to abruptly end without reaching a natural pause. Mardock Scramble: The First Compression is an interesting film. It is a dark, disturbing and action-packed cyberpunk tale with intriguing characters and stunning visuals which scream out for HD viewing. The voice acting and music is good, adding to the impressive presentation of the film as a whole, but it ends abruptly and gets a bit daft at times. It's hard to rate the film on its story as it's only just started to get going when the film ends, it has an interesting premise and an intriguing central character but it remains to be seen whether this film is the foundation of a classic or a promising but ultimately squandered setup. I'm leaning towards the former despite the silly names (the author must have a thing about eggs - Shell, Boiled, Dr Easter, Oeufcocque...) and am quite looking forward to seeing how the story will progress in the second film - especially considering the cliffhanger in this one. Mardock Scramble is reminiscent of the kind of adult sci-fi that got many of my generation into anime in the first place, but unlike a lot of those old titles this one's actually pretty damn good. Extras: The usual trailers and TV spots are joined by the director's cut version of the film. This directors cut adds an extra three minutes of footage which includes some additional interaction between Rune and Oeufcocque, but also changes some existing scenes which makes the film more sexually explicit and gory. Considering all of the language options there's quite a lot of content on the disc. Ratings Feature:
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