The Blackberry Walk

Robot Carnival: an anthology series of 9 episodes each written and directed in a different style. But what is the common link? We welcome technology into our lives - like a carnival. Irrespective of whether it brings us a better existence or greater happiness, technology can't be reversed and anything which is invented is here to stay. Take for example the 8th short movie: Tokyo comes to life with robotics, robots being a metaphor for technology, proliferating themselves inexhaustibly. The final cut is most striking when you see the robotic remains embedded into the skyline of Tokyo as we hear the chatter of Tokyo. Technology integrates with our society seamlessly without us realising. The iPhone was invented in 2007 and in merely 12 short years the conception of not having a smart phone is inconceivable. We have taken the first step to cyborgism without being conscious of it. Another theme is the unnatural intransigence of machinery. The quest for eternal feminine beauty - his Aphrodite - led him to despair. This Robot Carnival is the carnival of the soul; the ability to know that eternal beauty is technologically plausible, not just a transcendental ideal, leads him to attempt to become a god and create a living being. This technology is on the rise; the idea of a sex android may not be a nerd's wet dream for much longer. Technology creeps underneath our feat with wisdom trailing far behind. We greet innovation with a carnival without knowing if it'll be congruous with our well-being. Finally just want to talk about how fucking awesome the 8th episode was. I loved how it encapsulated the imposition of western ideas in the early Meiji era. Like, isn't the idea of a mech piloted by several people just ludicrous when you stop and think about it? Is it not an allegory for Japanese collectivism? Also the line "I only understand English, not American" is awesome.