Short Peace / Ranko Tsukigime's Longest Day (2013)

Short Peace (2013)

Dirs. Kōji Morimoto (intro) and four short animations from Shūhei Morita, Katsuhiro Ôtomo, Hiroaki Andô, and Hajime Katoki, respectively.

Each of the four shorts (and one intro) take a different thematic approach to its subject, but all in some way represent Japan and capture a little of what makes it unique.

Subjects include, but are not limited to, culture, religion, passion, folklore, noble sacrifice, and post-war concerns, set as far back as the Sengoku Era and as far forward as the near future.

They're all created digitally, but animation styles differ from one to the next. The first is the only one that looks awkward, being too digital in nature. In contrast, the second is a loving nod to emakimono, even down to the stylistic perspectives used.

Ranko Tsukigime's Longest Day (2013)

Genre: Platformer | Players: 1 | Developers: Grasshopper Manufacture, Crispy's Inc.

A side-scrolling platformer written by Suda 51 and directed by Yohei Kataoka, available on the Short Peace Blu-ray (see above). It's a hybrid disc that'll play the anime portion in any Blu-ray player and the game in a PS3. You can view the anime section in your PS3, too, if you scroll to the video section on the XMB.

The animes took a refined approach to their subject matter, but the game goes tits-out, packing in a plethora of references from past and present; it's a smörgåsbord of Japanese culture that'll have weaboos pissing themselves in excitement. There's panties, guns, schoolgirls, costumes, a flying dragon, wrestlers, swords, and Akira references presented as either pixels, anime, manga, or visual novel-esque cut scenes.

It looks beautiful, filled with colour and oozing visual creativity, but you'll probably be too busy hurrying though each short level to be able to appreciate it fully. You can't stop and explore the environment because you're being pursued hurriedly from the left side of the screen by something. Yes, something. I've no clue what it actually was, except for the time it was a giant, hungry Pomeranian.

The only levels you'll have time to enjoy are the boss levels, but they're even less fun to play. They can be frustrating until you figure out what the hell you're supposed to be doing.

Another aspect of Japanese media carried through into the game is that it makes very little sense. It's like a late 80s OVA. It's very tongue-in-cheek about it, though.

As one-fifth of the Short Peace experience it's a welcome addition, but as a game it's more of a visual treat than a gamer-treat. Even factoring in the time taken to fail and repeat stages from their beginning, it'll take approximately one hour to get from opening to closing credits. A Let's Play might be more fun than an actual play; you'd at least be able to appreciate how pretty it is.