Movies / Animé and Toons

Coicent/ Five Numbers!

By Chris Zimmerman
January 27, 2012 - 07:34

Episode length feature films have littered the anime market for quite some time now. Sadly, in a day and age where the consumer demands more bang for their buck, the length of these projects has proven to be their most critical handicap when licensed for home video. Sentai Filmworks believes it may have found a remedy for this dilemma, packaging two shorts on one disc. Aside from both being products of Sunrise studios, the stories offer a distinct contrast in both tone and story that gives audiences a more well rounded release that doesn’t appeal to only one audience.

The two films collected herein are both equally strong and succeed for different reasons. Whereas Coicent is much more simple in nature; focusing more on the sentimental joys of romance and the hope that comes with it. Five Numbers! However deals more in the darker nature of humanity, opting more for a gripping adventure of cat and mouse threaded together by a web of intrigue.
While Five Numbers! is certainly the more original of the two, Coicent is much more enjoyable with its warm and honest tale of “boy meets girl”. Consider it like Spirited Away in reverse, with a girl named Toto escaping from two brothers and happening into a boy named Shinichi. The film is pretty straightforward in its approach, helped along by a delightful story and lush imagery that borders on the absurd at times.

Five Numbers! relies less on its artistic merits and more on the personalities that occupy it. The cast is made up of unusual characters marked by different facets that work to define who they are. They awaken to find themselves trapped in a mysterious prison and work to uncover what it is that binds them to it. Part of the driving force behind the film is the genuine twists and turns in the narrative, from the nature behind the prison to the identity of one of the prisoners. The animation is less decadent than the norm, relying on a more gruff stylistic choice to reflect the mood of the piece.

Unfortunately, even with its packaging of two shorts this release barely totals an hour. Sentai doesn’t help matters with its meager offering of bonus features. A couple interviews, and trailers are all that is included here. While the quality is enough to warrant the purchase, those hesitant because of the miniscule runtime may want to give this one a rent before opening their wallet.

B

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12