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On Your Mark
Studio: Studio Ghibli Format: Movie Released: 8/8/1995 Written by: Face 
At first glance, On Your Mark appears as if it's a vignette, summarizing a longer story. We aren't given any character names, there is no dialogue to carry the plot along, and yet Miyazaki has succeeded in doing more in 7 minutes than many movies can do in over 2 hours.
After the Earth has been demolished by nuclear warfare, the grounds of the planet have become unlivable, and humans were forced to relocate to what appears to be an underground metropolis. One day, a police organization raids the headquarters of a religious cult. After the intense fighting is over, two police officers find a winged young woman, resembling an angel, who is taken to the police lab for research. Soon after the two police officers realize they have transported her to another facility, and decide to embark on a mission to set her free, to the outside world. In 1995, Studio Ghibli was hired by the recording company of the two highly popular J-Rock singers, Chage and Aska, to construct a fully animated music video for their song, On Your Mark. Miyazaki decided that they would make something extraordinary, and in the process went over budget, considerably over budget. As a matter of fact, in order to compensate for the expenses involved in making the video, they released it in theaters as a short film playing before Whisper of the Heart. There is no doubt in my mind that Miyazaki succeeded in making an amazing video, albeit a very short one. His style in the film is very much like Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue, and even more like Millennium Actress in that the sequence of events is non-linear. We are occasionally shown scenes that have already or are about to take place, and in a few instances, scenes that never take place (if you don't believe me, watch the last 3 minutes). Miyazaki deliberately did this as a directing tool, which is used to help us get into the events going on before us. Any Japanese speakers will notice that the lyrics have absolutely nothing to do with the video, which was also deliberate. It was interesting to see Miyazaki blend his strong-minded ecological outlooks with a futuristic cyberpunk-esque setting. If you really delve into the flesh of On Your Mark, there is quite a bit to be discussed. It's clearly obvious that the angel resembles Nausica, and may even serve as some kind of a tribute for her. And the post-apocalyptic settings are also a part of Nausica of the Valley of the Wind. But, what really struck me hard was the inclusion of the rebellious religious cult, which actually took place in Japan during 1995. Even though this horrible incident occurred after On Your Mark, it still says a lot about how Miyazaki feels about society. Understanding the references made in this movie is completely irrelevant. You will enjoy it even if you have never seen any of Miyazaki's past works. On Your Mark is an astounding achievement of quality over quantity, and definitely worth your seven minutes of time. * * * * (Very Good) Posted: January 5, 2004
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