Shōto Pīsu / Short Peace, movie (2013)
image © Sunrise & Shochiku
Article updated: 2021.05.06
The Shōto Pīsu / Short Peace (1987) is an animated anthology film, made up of five segments. The movie was reviewed by Kadmon.
Product: Shōto Pīsu / Short Peace, movie (2013)
Original title: ショート・ピース (Shōto Pīsu), English title: Short Peace
Series: -
Setting: various
Product type: Film, Genre: various, Style: animation, supernatural, futuristic
Release: 2013.07.20
Reviewer: Kadmon, Type: Male, 40s, Preferences: Immersive, logical story, consistent setting, prefers surprises to spoilers, prefers establishing elements before referencing them
Watched: very recent (2020.05), first time
Rating: Average (2 out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Average (2 out of 3 points)
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This is my review of Shōto Pīsu / Short Peace, an animated anthology movie from 2013. It has five segments, with different animation style, with the setting of Japan as a connecting theme. I didn't really like the Short Peace film.
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Overall review (spoiler-free) - Short Peace movie
As I've started to watch anime anthologies (Meikyuu Monogatari / Labyrinth Tales, Memorîzu / Memories, Robotto Kānibaru / Robot Carnival), I thought I'd continue with the Short Peace film. I didn't watch the trailer before watching the Short Peace movie.
The Short Peace film has five segments, that are connected by the same setting - Japan, but in different times. All of them are self-contained stories, with a distinct animation style. You can watch them in any order without missing anything.
The trailer of the Short Peace movie is all right, it doesn't give too much away, but it raises the interest.
All of these short movies have good visuals and music. The stories are mostly okay.
My experience
Watching the Short Peace movie is enjoyable, but not exceptional. I like animated movies, futuristic and fantasy stories, so I didn't have anything against the concepts of the film.
Rating: Average (2 out of 3 points). Technically it's okay, the movie is watchable, but the stories of Short Peace are average at best.
Enjoyment: Average (2 out of 3 points). The Short Peace film anthology is okay.
Rewatchability: I'm unsure. If you liked it for the first time, it's probably the visuals the caught your interest, so knowing the plot won't change your enjoyment of the Short Peace film.
Chance of watching it again: Possibly. I was not overwhelmed by the Short Peace movie (as you might guess from my review), but I was not repulsed either.
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Will you enjoy this?
If you like animated short films, you might like the Short Peace movie.
If you like Japanese mythological fantasy, you might like Possessions and Gambo.
If you like historical period pieces, you might be interested in Combustible.
If you like futuristic movies, you might be interested in A Farewell to Weapons.
Watching for plot points
Most of the segments of the Short Peace movie don't really have a story.
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Segment review with no spoilers - Short Peace movie
As the stories of the Short Peace film are not connected, I'll review each of them separately.
Shōto Pīsu / Short Peace, movie (2013)
image © Sunrise & Shochiku
Intro
Review with no spoilers
It's about a little girl playing hide and seek. It's 3 minutes long.
It's not very interesting, but has some good visuals.
I'm not sure this is a good introduction to the Short Peace film, but it's watchable.
Rating: Weak (2- out of 3 points). Technically it's okay, but there's no story.
Enjoyment: Weak (2- out of 3 points). I didn't really enjoy (or understand) this.
Shōto Pīsu / Short Peace, movie (2013)
image © Sunrise & Shochiku
Possessions
Review with no spoilers
It's about a man taking shelter from the rain in an ancient shrine. It's 14 minutes long.
It has supernatural elements. The music was good. The graphics were interesting.
This feels like an episode in a longer story. I'd like to see more about the journey of this character.
The story was not exceptional, but it was entertaining.
Rating: Average (2 out of 3 points). Technically it's good. The story is watchable.
Enjoyment: Average (2 out of 3 points). It was a good film.
Shōto Pīsu / Short Peace, movie (2013)
image © Sunrise & Shochiku
Combustible
Review with no spoilers
It's about a noble girl, living in Medieval Japan. It's 12 minutes long.
There are no fantastic elements in this. The visuals are very good. There was not much of a story.
My experience
I prefer fantastic stories instead of straight, realistic ones when I'm watching movies, especially animation, so I didn't enjoy this segment as much as I could.
Rating: Average (2 out of 3 points). Technically it's good. The story is okay.
Enjoyment: Weak (2- out of 3 points). I didn't really enjoy this, but I was slightly entertained.
Shōto Pīsu / Short Peace, movie (2013)
image © Sunrise & Shochiku
Gambo
Review with no spoilers
It's about a village that got threatened by a demonic ogre. It's 12 minutes long.
It has supernatural elements. The story was okay, the action was good.
Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points). Technically it's okay. The film is watchable.
Enjoyment: Average (2 out of 3 points). I liked this short film.
Shōto Pīsu / Short Peace, movie (2013)
image © Sunrise & Shochiku
A Farewell to Weapons
Review with no spoilers
It's about a group of soldiers trying to complete a mission in the ruins of Tokyo. It's 25 minutes long.
It's a futuristic story. The visuals are great, the action is nice. I really liked the look of technology (vehicle, combat suits, robot).
The story is a little bland.
My experience
I did enjoy this for a while, but it's too long, and the ending doesn't really give a resolution, it just ends. From the Short Peace anthology, probably this is my favourite segment.
Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points). Technically it's okay. The film is watchable.
Enjoyment: Average (2 out of 3 points). It was okay.
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Review with spoilers - Short Peace movie episodes
I'll complete my reviews of the Short Peace film's each segments separately.
Shōto Pīsu / Short Peace, movie (2013)
image © Sunrise & Shochiku
Intro
Plot summary / Synopsis
A little girl plays hide and seek. When she looks up, she is in enother place. A doorway opens into an extra-dimensional space. The girl encounters things. Then a floating light enters her body, and she start to switch between the looks of multiple girls. Then the segment ends abruptly.
The message of the story
I'm not sure there's one.
The structure of the story
The scenes are probably played in sequence. I think it has the usual narrative structure, but no real resolution.
Shōto Pīsu / Short Peace, movie (2013)
image © Sunrise & Shochiku
Possessions
Review with spoilers
We don't get to know much about the character, but what we get is probably enough to feel a connection to him.
The title is a double entendre, and I find it a good addition to the story. The original title (九十九 / ninety-nine) refers to the ghosts of objects, and it would be meaningless for foreign audiences.
The setting
Medieval Japan.
Plot summary / Synopsis
A tailor is on his way in the woods when it starts to rain. His hat is blown away by the wind. To take shelter from the rain, he enters an ancient shrine. Inside, he finds himself in a strange place. He is confronted by spirits, living there. He is shown a couple of tattered umbrellas, so he repairs them all. He is shown worn-out materials, he makes new clothes out of them. He is attacked by the spirits, but he remains calm, and thanks them for their gratitude. He awakes next morning, and everything is back to normal. However, outside he finds a new coat, a new umbrella and his lost hat. He takes them, and continues his journey.
The message of the story
Good deeds get rewarded.
The structure of the story
The scenes are played in sequence. It has the usual narrative structure.
Shōto Pīsu / Short Peace, movie (2013)
image © Sunrise & Shochiku
Combustible
Review with spoilers
We don't get to know anything about the characters and motivations, so it's hard to follow or appreciate the story.
The setting
Medieval Japan.
Plot summary / Synopsis
There's a boy and a girl playing in the garden. Years later, the girl is about to be wed to a suitor. At the same time, her friend is sent away from his family. She is so sad about these events that she lets her house burn down when a fire starts. Her friend tries to save her, to no avail.
The message of the story
I'm not sure there's one.
The structure of the story
The scenes are played in sequence, in two timelines. It has the usual narrative structure, with an abrupt ending.
Shōto Pīsu / Short Peace, movie (2013)
image © Sunrise & Shochiku
Gambo
Review with spoilers
The characters and the setting doesn't get introduced, everything feel generic. We should feel connection to the village, as it is being threatened, so there should be more info about the villagers. Especially the little girl.
The setting
Medieval Japan. An ogre steals virgin girls to impregnate them with his spawns. The spawns grow in the body of the girl, until they hatch. There are also technological elements included, the ogre might be an extraterrestrial who arrived in his spaceship.
Plot summary / Synopsis
A demonic ogre is threatening a medieval Japanese village. It takes the virgin girls. The village hires a samurai to deal with the ogre, before it takes the last virgin girl, the daughter of the emperor. The girl runs away, and she is confronted by a white bear. The bear doesn't hurt the girl. The white bear runs away, and finds the lair of the ogre, and destroys it, giving a last mercy to the prisoners. The ogre attacks the bear, mangling it. The samurai attacks the ogre, but he is quickly defeated. Soldiers surround and attack the ogre, weakening it until the white bear is able to kill it.
The message of the story
I'm not sure there's one.
The structure of the story
The scenes are played in sequence. It has the usual narrative structure.
Shōto Pīsu / Short Peace, movie (2013)
image © Sunrise & Shochiku
A Farewell to Weapons
Review with spoilers
We don't get to know the characters, and it's a problem as they all look and sound alike in their combat suits. Yet, we should always remember their positions to understand the happenings.
We don't even get a proper introduction to their plan, so we can't tell if things go right or wrong for them. We don't even get to know what kind of group they belong to. Are they soldiers, and if they are, what nation do they belong? Are they mercenaries, and if they are, who are their employers? Are they scavengers, taking the opportunities where they can?
The setting
Post-apocalyptic Japan, in the ruins of Tokyo.
Plot summary / Synopsis
A group of soldiers enter the ruins of Tokyo to complete their mission. On their way, they are attacked by a walking robot tank. They assault the tank, seemingly destroying it. They continue the mission into the subway tunnels, but they get ambushed by the robot tank, that survived the previous attack. Some of the soldiers get killed. The last soldier gets out of his combat suit, and the robot leaves him alive. The soldier tries to damage the robot with stones, but he gets scolded by the robot tank. He tries to attack the tank with an unexploded missile warhead, and the film ends.
The message of the story
I'm not sure there's one.
The structure of the story
The scenes are played in sequence. It has the usual narrative structure, with an abrupt ending.
Things I liked
- The combat suits of the soldiers
- The look of the vehicles and the robot tank
Possibilities of improvement
- Give a distinct look to each character. Use different colours, or very different kinds of exo-suits.
- Give a distinct personality to each character.
- A proper closure would probably make the story better.
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How does it compare to the other works of the creators?
I've seen a couple of the works of the creators, but it's hard for me to compare them to the Short Peace film.
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Uses for the film - Short Peace movie
Plot
Scenes
Scenario ideas - Role-playing game scenario ideas
Scenario ideas - Wargame scenario ideas
Miniatures - 1/50-1/60 (28-32mm scale)
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Similar stories - Short Peace movie
Movies
Heavy Metal (1981): Unrelated animated tales of fantasy.
Meikyuu Monogatari / Labyrinth Tales (1987): Unrelated animated tales of fantasy.
Memorîzu / Memories (1995): Unrelated animated tales of fantasy.
Robotto Kānibaru / Robot Carnival (1987): Unrelated animated tales of fantasy.
TV series & episodes
Love, Death & Robots (2019-2021): Unrelated animated tales of fantasy.
Métal Hurlant Chronicles (2021-2014): Unrelated tales of fantasy.
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Frequently asked questions - Short Peace movie
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Resources - Short Peace movie
Official
Short Peace: Official website.
Information
IMDB: Short Peace (2013): Database article.
IMDB: Tsukumo (2012): Database article of the Possessions segment.
WikiPedia: Short Peace: Database article.
Letterboxd: Short Peace: Database article.
Rotten Tomatoes: Short Peace: Database article.
TV Tropes: Anime / Short Peace: Database article.
Reviews with no spoilers - Short Peace movie
Niels Matthijs (Onderhond): Short Peace: Review article of the Short Peace movie, with minor spoilers.
Reviews with spoilers - Short Peace movie
Serdar Yegulalp (for Ganriki): 'Short Peace': Genius In Miniature: Review article of the Short Peace movie, with spoilers.§
Stephen (for Silver Emulsion Film Reviews): Stephen reviews: Short Peace (2013): Review article of the Short Peace film, with spoilers.§
The True Lystria: Anime Review: Short Peace: Review article of the Short Peace movie, with spoilers.§
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Buying the product - Short Peace movie
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Have you seen the Short Peace film? How do you like the movie? Would you recommend it to others? Do you know reviews or resources you'd like to add? What further thoughts do you have about it? Tell your opinion in the comments!
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