Bonus #16: Dazzling Days (2003)

a.k.a. Sky Blue

Director: Moon-saeng Kim

Screenplay: Moon-saeng Kim, Michael
Keyes, Jay Lender, Jun-Younger Park, Sunmin Park (adaptation), Yong-jun Park,
Howard Rabinowitz (English Language adaptation), Jeffrey Winter and Micah
Wright

Notify Solid: Andrew Ableson as Zed
/ the Digger Leader; Cathy Cavadini as Jay / Younger Shua / Cheyenne; David
Naughton as Commander Locke / Dr. Noah; Bob Papenbrook as Goliath / Governor /
Typon

Seen in English

A Korean manufacturing, I favor I
would possibly per chance extra fervent out of appreciate for a country’s animation industry,
in particular as this used to be clearly an audacious strive for wider recognition. Sky Blue, as we got it known as below in
Britain, is as a long way extra than you’ll be in a position to in finding from Blue Seagull (1994) and Armageddon
(1996), two Korean tantalizing motion photography that are intriguing and risible productions
I admit were the first two from this country I had considered, which I admit I stumbled on
enjoyment in nonetheless are two titles which struggled to reach into existence. The
light is an erotic thriller made recognisable in the cyber web generation, the later
and not using a doubt one of two Manga Leisure releases
of South Korean animation in the VHS generation that managed to in finding a 3DO Multiplayer Interactive game in its
fatherland, they’re motion photography I feel sympathy for the staffs on, in particular as Blue Seagull ends with in the abet of the
scenes manufacturing footage over the close credit. They were titles which would possibly per chance presumably
in finding been dogged on by merciless reviewers, in particular as Blue Seagull had some questionable pronounce. South Korean cinema is
a properly off vein in itself to be admired, whether artwork cinema or vogue photography, and
while there in finding been some prominent and properly regarded tantalizing work, equivalent to The King of Pigs (2011), there is an
total tradition of tv and theatrical Korean animation which is never as
readily available restful. Sky Blue,
or to exhaust its customary title Dazzling
Days, used to be a prominent title to appear even in a trimmed down compose with an
English dub abet in the 2000s, and should always restful in finding been a extensive gamble for wider
recognition if it had succeeded, and not using a doubt coming with a drastically bigger
scope in visible invent and animation than the 2 motion photography I primarily in finding talked about.

There used to be even a theatrical push
in Britain when it used to be licensed by Tartan
Video. Tartan Video, after they
existed, were a extensive title, in particular when it came to serving to the push for cult
Asian cinema, the those that brought us in Britain the likes of Takashi Miike’s Audition (1999), Ring (1998)
and Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy (2003), to take into accounta good proponent for a means
we learnt of South Korea’s properly off vogue and cult cinema, introducing the likes of
Park Chan-wook to us in the West. Even
with the DVD originate of Dazzling Days,
as I purchased cheaply 2nd hand, it used to be sold on two DVDs, in a deluxe location
with a three hours rate of extras on but another disc, in the connected means they had
with the likes of Oldboy, pushing it as a extensive title in the day. It has a
premise which has been readily sold sooner than. Restful evoking sad components
about climate alternate, Dazzling Days
is determined in a submit apocalypse the set the environment collapsed, toxic rainfall and
all. The foremost and handiest residing city, the Echoban, used to be built to present protection to
civilisation from this, nonetheless whilst it stands proudly in the course of this as a
bastion of hope, there is rife class divide, the set the elite are residing in the
Echoban, and everyone else is outside in the slums, workers to mine sources
for the residing metropolis and defend it alive. It’s a long way a myth told repeatedly
sooner than, and that is now not a unfriendly aspect, with class warfare and a romantic triangle
divided between aspects, as Jay, a feminine law enforcer, is connected from
childhood to the person Shua from the slums searching to spark off a secret Echoban
system intended to set everyone, all while her male superior Cade needs to
prevent this nonetheless also loves her since they all know every other from childhood
sooner than Shua used to be compelled out of Echoban. Add on this a kill crazy superior from
the elite in the course of this, and all the pieces right here would possibly per chance furthermore merely furthermore be made into one thing
colossal.  Honestly, the good inform
is entirely that right here is staunch k, one thing we can in finding into later into this
overview, that this staunch in the case of making a lavish manufacturing, and guaranteeing
it has a myth which gets from A to B properly, used to be a purpose that it cleared nonetheless Dazzling Days does now not in finding extra from.

It’s staying safe, so powerful so
with its myth it’s miles within the slithers of this location the set you look
one thing extra dynamic as soon as rapidly seem. I in finding myself extra intriguing for
the petty thieves launched, in particular after they’re published to now not be
villains nonetheless merely denizens of the slum desolate tract who would possibly per chance furthermore merely furthermore be sympathetic, love
a minute rat love member who I had sympathy for over the light leads, all
because he used to be made less a thug nonetheless any individual who would possibly per chance furthermore merely furthermore be insecure, be brave, and
when he went from a dubious figure to at least one with sympathy for when he laments for
his fallen comrades. Whereas it has outdated skool, the movie’s visible palette even with
glaring exhaust of computer animation is to be admired too. Makes an strive at blending
this into sharp directions would possibly per chance furthermore merely furthermore be considered onscreen, equivalent to a hump into the
Time Tablet in the Echoban, and not using a doubt one of the few moments the set world building, which
is now not as entirely considered as it can per chance per chance restful in finding been, seems; a museum presuming what
has survived in human tradition from sooner than, it mixes are residing photos with the likes
of Roy Lichtenstein and Gustav Klimt’s artwork for a location part with
idiosyncratic visible picks. The manufacturing personnel were clearly making an strive their
hardest, and one sequence does counsel what can in finding been; in context it’s miles
restful a routine different, a nightmarish dream of biblical photos and multi-eyed
rams nearer to a Ken Russell are residing
action movie, a British director acclaimed (and notorious) for this approach to hyper
intense imagery, at the side of trusty Biblical photos with multi-eyed rams in Altered States (1980). That scene is
tense and abrupt in Dazzling Days,
nonetheless displays an strive at characterisation, that for Shua it’s miles symbolic in his
alarm for Jay’s existence, and the mumble of the trouble for him, exhibiting how the
manufacturing personnel for this movie, as they persevered making motion photography or tantalizing
projects in other formats, can in finding taken this extra. The truth is, prominently,
the manufacturing used to be better than staunch animation of the 3D and 2D compose, as
extra work integrated filming proper mannequin sets which the animation used to be
layered over, even the exhaust of proper photography of clouds and the sky, symbolically which implies
for the movie’s narrative, and layering animation over them¹.

Sadly, beyond two short motion photography
after this, director-author Moon-saeng
Kim has now not accomplished one thing else else, and there is the sad sense that Dazzling Days, even with its shortened
length for global originate, used to be a manufacturing with many components despite these
certain visible virtues. Even in suggestions to Tartan Video striking their weight in the abet of
it in Britain, even the esteemed Japanese animation studio Gainax making a dub for the Japanese market which used to be less
“alien” fairly than merely adapting it to distribute it in Japan²,
Dazzling Days used to be constantly going to
fight with how light the placement proves to be. An pricey manufacturing¹,
the total complications undoubtedly reach from the indisputable fact that its narrative in all equity light
and never even that in particular idiosyncratic either. With info of various
contributors being intriguing with the writing task, even unaccredited work by Micah Wright, a prolific American author
for the likes of comedian books, and Jay
Lender, a prolific American author in particular in the Spongebob Squarepants franchise, it used to make certain that while visually
the movie, even with its outdated skool CGI, used to be audacious and is restful to be admired, the
manufacturing’s narrative wanted that powerful strengthening of ambition. Seriously when
one of the extra idiosyncratic touches, love the blind lady, are clichés which
undoubtedly are now not that obvious after they’ve been considered sooner than, this movie while
having so powerful restful I favored also suffers from this lack of personality. Sky Blue as we got it in the British
Isles is k, a case of a manufacturing which staunch goes to display masks how powerful of a
fight it’s miles staunch to in finding an tantalizing theatrical movie off the ground, the set
the challenges are now not staunch the visuals nonetheless even guaranteeing to in finding one thing
in its narrative to repeat to final.

=====

1) Rob with a pinch of salt, as
it comes from one perspective for a movie, nonetheless this chronicle My
Elegant Korean Film written by Micah
Wright, for his non-public websites on April Ninth 2003, does lift some
poignant ingredients that, if confirmed, cease lift up many of the components with Dazzling Days, as an unaccredited
co-author with Jay Lender, which
undermined it.

2) Gainax
to Adapt Dazzling Days, written by Christopher
Macdonald for Anime Info Network
and printed on November 5th 2004.