MattGrif

This short "trailer" for the subsequent TV series is a rather odd introduction to the world of Azumanga Daioh, but worthy of note.

The original comic strip was something of a sensation in Japan, and the first Internet-exclusive animated short proved so popular that further episodes were dropped in favour of producing a full TV series. This short film was made to bridge the gap and to please the fans eager to see more of Kiyohiko Azuma's characters in action.

Because of its length, we don't get any kind of formal introduction to the characters, so it could prove rather dizzying for those unfamiliar with the original comics or TV show. With much of the latter half of the film taken up with the "Chiyo's pigtails" sequence, the writers crammed so many gags into the first half that the action actually overlaps at points, which is rather distracting.

However, the film does have its charms. The animation production values are commendably high, with a far greater level of fluidity and detail than the TV series. Osaka's aforementioned encounter with Chiyo's pigtails is a fine taste of this popular character's bizarre mindset. The Japanese voice cast proved themselves to be ideal choices for their roles (the previous Web-exclusive short had a different and less distinguished cast), and their excellent performances are carried over into the TV series. One can easily imagine that, at the time of its release, fans were overjoyed to see some of their favourite jokes from the comics committed to celluloid. Viewers coming to this after seeing the TV series might be disappointed, especially considering most of the material was reworked with greater success in the first few TV episodes, but it is worth seeing if only for the sake of completeness.

With the current trend among US TV channels to acquire the latest Japanese animation fads, particularly in the wake of Pokémon et al, it is little wonder that Yu-Gi-Oh has been snapped up.

Telling the story of Yugi, a kid who strives to be the champion of the Duel Monsters trading card game, Yu-Gi-Oh is yet another of the ever-growing canon of shows designed specifically to shift toys, trading cards and computer games. This is not always necessarily a bad thing - previous efforts such as Pokémon, Digimon and Card Captor Sakura certainly have their entertainment value if one ignores the blatant commercialism. However, on this front Yu-Gi-Oh fails to deliver. Ugly, unimaginative character designs and juddering animation do little to distract from the derivative, paper-thin plot. Only its unusual Egyptian styling show a degree of imagination going into the show's production.

Frankly, one can only hope that Yu-Gi-Oh fails to spark in the US in the way previous imports have. I doubt if most parents' wallets could cope with another Pokémon-level influx of toys and card games!

There is little doubt that "Titan A.E". achieves what it set out to do in terms of visual impact. From stunt-flying through a nebula to a deadly game of cat-and-mouse amongst gargantuan ice crystals, viewers are taken on a roller-coaster ride through spectacular digital effects with scarcely the chance to draw breath. Unfortunately, the generally high quality of the scenery and effects animation sits at odds against the character animation that is only above average at best. I am willing to overlook the visual shortcomings of any movie if they are blessed with well-crafted characterisation and an intelligent plot. Alas, "Titan A.E." fails hopelessly on this count, feeling as though someone accidentally got hold of a first draft of the script, and made the movie out of that instead. The film lurches between plodding tedium and impatient haste, revelling in cruel and pointless dramatic or comedic devices, starting plot arcs that never see an adequate conclusion, and forcing characters to change their motivation halfway through just because they get a gun pointed at them. Even as a 'popcorn' movie, "Titan AE" is flawed to the point of distraction; we are teased with elements that, with work, could make this a genuinely mature and intelligent sci-fi movie, only to have our piqued interest rewarded by shoddy writing and hackneyed cartoon humour. And no one likes to be slapped in the face like that when they're trying to enjoy popcorn.