Mime (lost 3-minute pilot film for cancelled anime film; 1988-1990): Difference between revisions
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'''''Mime''''' (pronounced ''Maimu'' | '''''Mime''''' (written as 舞夢 in the title and pronounced as まいむ: ''Maimu'') is a cancelled anime film by Shoji Kawamori as director and Haruhiko Mikimoto as character designer, both mostly famous for their work on mecha anime franchises such as ''Super Dimension Fortress Macross'' (better known in Western audiences under the localized title ''Robotech'') that they created. It was announced as early as 1988 and had its last updates in 1990. | ||
In contrast to ''Macross'', ''Mime'' was going to be a | In contrast to ''Macross'', ''Mime'' was going to be a more "grounded", slice-of-life anime about the titular teenage girl and her adventures riding her bicycle, but still with supernatural elements. | ||
==Premise== | ==Premise== | ||
According to producer Masuo Ueda, the plot would have been as follows: | According to producer Masuo Ueda, the plot would have been as follows: | ||
''“The protagonist, Maimu, is an extremely energetic, carefree 15-year-old girl. But she isn’t the trendy type of girl we see a lot in modern times. In fact, she has a rough-and-tumble, troublemaker air about her. The story setting isn’t very complicated either, having charming characters in an easy-to-understand story, and while it’s set in present-day, it has sci-fi elements as well. Still, nothing like robots appear…"'' | <blockquote>''“The protagonist, Maimu, is an extremely energetic, carefree 15-year-old girl. But she isn’t the trendy type of girl we see a lot in modern times. In fact, she has a rough-and-tumble, troublemaker air about her. The story setting isn’t very complicated either, having charming characters in an easy-to-understand story, and while it’s set in present-day, it has sci-fi elements as well. Still, nothing like robots appear…"''</blockquote> | ||
Mime would be a country girl leaving her village to live in the city, doing many odd jobs helping people and riding around on her bicycle. She would learn about a legendary lost treasure with the power to change the world. The supporting cast would include a cameraman sidekick alongside a young boy her age called Takeshi who'd actually be possessed by a being from another dimension also searching for the treasure. | Mime would be a country girl leaving her village to live in the city, doing many odd jobs helping people and riding around on her bicycle. She would learn about a legendary lost treasure with the power to change the world. The supporting cast would include a cameraman sidekick alongside a young boy her age called Takeshi who'd actually be possessed by a being from another dimension also searching for the treasure. | ||
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==Cancellation== | ==Cancellation== | ||
After 1990, a pilot film for ''Mime'' was reportedly completed (apparently lasting only 3 minutes), but the movie was never officially finished, having been quietly cancelled. | After 1990, a '''pilot film''' for ''Mime'' was reportedly completed (apparently lasting only 3 minutes), but the movie was never officially finished, having been quietly cancelled. | ||
In a 2019 interview with ''The Japan Times'', Shoji Kawamori gave an explanation for the cancellation: ''"Around the same time, there were a couple titles released that had a similar feeling, so we decided not to do it. It wouldn’t have felt original."'' | In a 2019 interview with ''The Japan Times'', Shoji Kawamori gave an explanation for the cancellation: ''"Around the same time, there were a couple titles released that had a similar feeling, so we decided not to do it. It wouldn’t have felt original."'' | ||
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==Availability== | ==Availability== | ||
To this day, no footage or screencaps of this pilot have been made available. Miscellaneous illustrations and concept art by Haruhiko Mikimoto in | To this day, no footage or screencaps of this pilot have been made available. Miscellaneous illustrations and concept art by Haruhiko Mikimoto in magazine previews subsist (some of it resembling the style of an anime cel), alongside an artbook. | ||
Other production material had been sold on auction websites, such as model sheets, but are | Other production material had been sold on auction websites, such as model sheets, but only some low-quality preview images are available and the current owners didn't share higher resolution versions. | ||
==Gallery== | |||
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px"> | |||
Mime upside down bike.jpg|Illustration | |||
Mime screens.jpg|A collage of illustrations | |||
Mime mag page i.jpg|April 1989 issue of ''Animage'' page with illustrations | |||
Mime mag page j.jpg|Next page of April 1989 issue of ''Animage'' with illustrations | |||
Mime mag.jpg|Article about the focus on bicycles in the anime | |||
Mime mag bike.jpg|Next page of the bicycle article | |||
Mime mag page.jpg|Magazine article | |||
Mime bicycle.jpg|May 1989 issue of ''Animage'' with two-page illustration | |||
Mime animage takeshi.jpg|September 1989 issue of ''Animage'' pages, featuring Takeshi and the cameraman | |||
Mime the art of.jpg|''The Art of Haruhiko Mikimoto'', featuring Mime on the cover | |||
Mime art.jpg|Inner page of the artbook | |||
Mime concept.jpg|Model sheets. It seems the anime would have had the subtitle "Wow My Dream" | |||
Mime exp.jpg|Model sheet for Mime's facial expressions | |||
</gallery> | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
*''Animage'', April, May, July, September, October of 1989 and December of 1990 issues | *''Animage'', April, May, July, September, October of 1989 and December of 1990 issues | ||
Latest revision as of 14:56, 4 May 2024
Animage magazine, May of 1989 issue, featuring Mime on the cover.
Status: Lost
Mime (written as 舞夢 in the title and pronounced as まいむ: Maimu) is a cancelled anime film by Shoji Kawamori as director and Haruhiko Mikimoto as character designer, both mostly famous for their work on mecha anime franchises such as Super Dimension Fortress Macross (better known in Western audiences under the localized title Robotech) that they created. It was announced as early as 1988 and had its last updates in 1990.
In contrast to Macross, Mime was going to be a more "grounded", slice-of-life anime about the titular teenage girl and her adventures riding her bicycle, but still with supernatural elements.
Premise
According to producer Masuo Ueda, the plot would have been as follows:
“The protagonist, Maimu, is an extremely energetic, carefree 15-year-old girl. But she isn’t the trendy type of girl we see a lot in modern times. In fact, she has a rough-and-tumble, troublemaker air about her. The story setting isn’t very complicated either, having charming characters in an easy-to-understand story, and while it’s set in present-day, it has sci-fi elements as well. Still, nothing like robots appear…"
Mime would be a country girl leaving her village to live in the city, doing many odd jobs helping people and riding around on her bicycle. She would learn about a legendary lost treasure with the power to change the world. The supporting cast would include a cameraman sidekick alongside a young boy her age called Takeshi who'd actually be possessed by a being from another dimension also searching for the treasure.
The executive producer also wanted music to play an important role in the film.
Shoji Kawamori was reportedly inspired by a real-life meeting with a girl who rode her bicycle for more than 310 miles after sabotaging the power supplies of her village because she was annoyed at her friends staying indoors playing video games. He originally thought of the story being about a boy using an anti-gravity pendant that made his bicycle fly, rescuing a princess and journeying to a space palace called Dockingham; he later scrapped this idea after finding it too similar to E.T. The Extraterrestrial and Laputa: Castle in the Sky.
Cancellation
After 1990, a pilot film for Mime was reportedly completed (apparently lasting only 3 minutes), but the movie was never officially finished, having been quietly cancelled.
In a 2019 interview with The Japan Times, Shoji Kawamori gave an explanation for the cancellation: "Around the same time, there were a couple titles released that had a similar feeling, so we decided not to do it. It wouldn’t have felt original."
It has been thought that the release of Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki’s Delivery Service in 1989 was a deciding factor, being a very popular anime film also centering on a teenage girl's coming-of-age adventures riding a peculiar vehicle alongside supernatural elements, and Mime would have suffered comparisons.
Availability
To this day, no footage or screencaps of this pilot have been made available. Miscellaneous illustrations and concept art by Haruhiko Mikimoto in magazine previews subsist (some of it resembling the style of an anime cel), alongside an artbook.
Other production material had been sold on auction websites, such as model sheets, but only some low-quality preview images are available and the current owners didn't share higher resolution versions.
Gallery
Illustration
A collage of illustrations
April 1989 issue of Animage page with illustrations
Next page of April 1989 issue of Animage with illustrations
Article about the focus on bicycles in the anime
Next page of the bicycle article
Magazine article
May 1989 issue of Animage with two-page illustration
September 1989 issue of Animage pages, featuring Takeshi and the cameraman
The Art of Haruhiko Mikimoto, featuring Mime on the cover
Inner page of the artbook
Model sheets. It seems the anime would have had the subtitle "Wow My Dream"
Model sheet for Mime's facial expressions
References
- Animage, April, May, July, September, October of 1989 and December of 1990 issues
- Anime V, February 1988 issue
- Of Rough-and-Tumble Women and Unfinished Films: Shoji Kawamori's Maimu
- Shoji Kawamori: 40 years spent designing an anime future
- Lost animes #1 – MIME/MAIMU (Shōji Kawamori) (page in French)
- Ai Diary: Looking Back at Mime (page in Japanese)