Kenichi Maejima and Masahiro Yoshimoto's Blue Remains (2000) is an interesting film that doesn't always fire on all cylinders. Although computer animation was hardly a new concept at the time of its release, it was one of Japan's first fully-rendered CGI films. From the company that brought you Alice: Her Past is the Future comes a story that's a little reminiscent of its predecessor, but thankfully changes the formula a little. It follows the story of Amamiku, the daughter of environmental scientists, who ends up isolated at the bottom of the ocean after a biological disaster. The Earth has been all but doomed by nuclear war, but she has the ticket to save the planet: magic seeds (it doesn't sound like much, but think more along the lines of "Jack and the Beanstalk"). Unfortunately, she manages to awaken Glyptofane, an destructive organic creature, in the process. There aren't many people left to help her on this quest, save for a handful of human (and not-so-human) survivors. A relatively quick 77 minutes later, and you'll find out if her efforts were successful or not.

For all intents and purposes, the plot of Blue Remains works a little better than its predecessor. The more subdued atmosphere and tone make for a more introspective movie, although the character interaction still is pretty rough around the edges. The film's best moments are when there aren't any characters on screen at all, as the dated CGI still manages to create a well-rendered aquatic environment. Sadly, some of the film's remaining scenes put us back at square one, offering little more than below-average dialogue and unbalanced character development.

The art style itself is fairly standard for early CGI work: while the environments and overall character models were ambitious for their time, they just can't hold up to today's efforts. The animation is relatively stiff, the facial expressions are limited, and the overall movement seems a little forced. While it's more refined then the earlier Alice: Her Past is the Future, it's still a far cry from anything you'll see today. That's not to say that CGI-based projects will always be doomed to their own technology; but like video games themselves, there's much more to the enjoyment than just pretty graphics. With that said, Blue Remains has a several moments of visual magic: whether it's the slower pace of the story or the change in atmosphere from Alice, the material seems to suit the animation better this time around. It's far from perfect, but it makes the unbalanced story a little easier to digest.

For fans of CGI history and followers of the recent installments of Final Fantasy, Blue Remains should be worth a once-over. It was a major project for its time---and although its time has passed quickly, it's still a modestly appealing effort in its own right. Don't expect to be visually blown away, and you might enjoy yourself. The DVD comes to us from Arts Magic, boasting a decent technical presentation and a few nice extras. Let's see how this one stacks up:

In the audio department, there's more good news: the 5.1 mix (available in the original Japanese or an English dub) sounds terrific! Surround activity is very active at times---especially during the underwater sequences---although this should still be considered a dialogue-driven film. It's not up to the level of most live-action productions, but this is still a nice mix that really helps the overall presentation. As a sidenote, I'd have to give the overall edge to the English dub for clarity and "punch", but I still prefer the original language track from a personal standpoint. Optional English subtitles are also included for the deaf and Japanese-impaired.

The overall presentation of Blue Remains is another highlight, offering simple menus and easy navigation. The 77-minute film has been divided into 12 chapters, and no layer change was detected during playback. The packaging is also simple, although the clear slipcase reveals nothing more than a plain white interior (although my screener might not contain the final artwork). No insert was included, although Alice included a chapter listing on the interior cover. Bonus features have been presented in fullscreen and non-anamorphic widescreen format. Speaking of which...

The bonus features are very much a mixed bag: although I found them to be quite informative, the way they were presented was very lackluster. To start things off, we're given comprehensive Biographies & Filmographies for Toshifuma Takizawa, Hisaya Takabayashi, and Haruhiko Mikimoto *pause for breath* (director, writer/co-director, and designer, respectively). Next up, we're treated to a lengthy Interview with director Takabayashi, as he chats informally about the early stages and production of Blue Remains (Japanese with English subtitles, 28 minutes). Unfortunately, the presentation is a little dry, and is shot against a very plain background: overall, it's a nice listen but may have been better presented as a text interview or written essay. Lastly, there's a Trailer for Blue Remains and Alice. Sadly, there's no Image Gallery or other supplemental material (both of which were present on Alice), but the interview will be of interest to fans.

It's hard to judge Blue Remains on its own terms, as there are as many bad elements as good ones. The dated CGI technology makes this film stick out like a sore thumb at times, but it's a step up from Alice and still contains a few visually stunning scenes. Overall, it was entertaining from a very basic standpoint, but it didn't really seem like something I'd watch many times (although it'll be interesting to see in another 5 years). The DVD itself offers a great technical presentation, but the extras are minimal and don't really cover all the bases. Overall, Blue Remains is a mild recommendation for hardcore CGI enthusiasts, but everyone else should proceed with caution. Rent It.