Malice@doll is not your average anime. It's makers have used a combination of different animation techniques to create a surreal, dark, post apocalyptic world that is now only populated by robots and - Malice.
The main character of the tale is a robot named Malice, who we follow on a journey of self-discovery and redemption. Malice begins the story as an apparently innocent young robot, whose sole purpose, by design, is to serve men and there every desire. She lives in a theme park world that is a now a relic of an age when men could express there every fantasy, no matter how sordid or depraved, with plastic faced machines.
The plot of Malice@doll is not always forthcoming, partly due to the surreal nature of the story and partly due to the futuristic environment that it portrays. Although I am sure that fans of anime will find this a very original and entertaining piece of work, I personally found the film awkward to watch at times. Without including any spoilers in this review, I felt that the story was a contradiction in itself.
I would have to recommend this film to all anime and sci-fi fans. It is a superbly animated and thoughtful film that threatens to make some profound revelations about human existence and human relations. Malice is more than just a robot.
[Malice@Doll has recently been released in the US. More details are available here: www.artsmagicdvd.com]
