Deaf Crocodile’s obsession with Cats in animation continues with the mind-blowing Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space. New to Blu-ray.
The Film
I’m not going to lie. This one almost broke the streak of Deaf Crocodile’s undefeated curation. Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space left me cold on my first viewing. Then I watched it again. And again. And again. All told I think I’ve watched the film five times now, six if you consider the commentary track by Samm Deighan. Much like the work that inspired it Tamala 2010 is an incredibly dense film that pushes symbolism, critique, and art over storytelling and plot. The result is something that is far trickier to get a bead on than anything that Deaf Crocodile has released but it also one most rewarding of their releases.
Not so much a story but a cycle of vignettes that focus on Tamala a cat who is bored with her current life, and against her Anaconda-obsessed human mother’s wishes, spaceships away from Earth. Tamala’s destination is Orion her home planet. Though Death and fate have different plans in store for Tamala when she lands on the outskirts of Hate City on Planet Q. Befriending a fellow cat Michelangelo, Tamala finds herself on a planet on the verge of collapse. As the unexpected and the very much expected begins to unfold we go beyond Tamala’s own adventure to the very core of dissidence and the fight for existence in the face of overwhelming corporate oppression.
Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space is not an easy film to categorize or enjoy if you are not actively engaged in its inner workings and purpose. Those who do not engage will be interested in the unique animation and scenes that unfold but nothing more. It is only with understanding behind what appears to be discordant imagery, sound design, dialog, and music that will engage those curious enough to do some heavy lifting. Those who do will find a film more prescient than it was when it was released in the early 2000s. A film that is both a mirror of our current society and of the past.
The artist collective known as t.o.L. (Tree of Life) has created a dense cinematic riddle that takes time and patience to appreciate. However, the film is not as dense as to be indecipherable. It’s J-Pop by way of Punk Rock divided by The Matrix to the square root of Anime is so deliciously entertaining on a surface level that repeated viewing only adds to the sensory overload of an experience.
Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space will not be a film for everyone. Those who connect with its deeply rooted themes will find a new film to obsess over in the way that fans of David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick, or Alejandro Jodorowsky obsess over those filmmaker’s films.
The Transfer
The Anime is as beautifully rendered on Blu-Ray. The beautiful mixture of CGI compositing and 3D cell animation style used by the filmmakers is a perfect example of why one must buy physical media and not watch a stream. The animation looks perfect on Blu-Ray the image without any pixelation, ghosting, or blur that comes with watching something via a stream. Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space in this Blu-Ray iteration is a prime example of how amazing a visual presentation one can get out of the format.
The Extras
They include the following;
- New commentary track by film historian Samm Deighan
- Two original “Tamala” Short Films:
- “Tamala On Parade” (2007)
- “Tamala’s Wild Party” (2007)
- New video Interview with TAMALA 2010 co-director/co-creator K. of t.o.L.
- ‘Doesn’t She Ever Die?’ The Punkification of Late Capitalism” – New visual essay
The all-new commentary track by film historian Samm Deighan begins with the origins of t.o.L (or Trees of Life, an art collective), the makers of Tamala 2010, and the intent of this Anime and its critique of Capitalism and art house experimental nature. Some of the other details include the dystopia mixed in with corporate greed purposely in the opening moments; the character of Tamala – and how her character contrasts the story and society, being a true “Punk Cat”; the way the film relates to the current (2002) Japanese culture from Salary Men, Advertising (both Japanese and Western), Capitalism, Consumerism, Youth Culture; a discussion of Kawaii culture in Japan which Tamala appears to be drawn (literal and figuratively) from; a larger discussion of Hello Kitty is history and how it relates to Tamala 2010; a discussion of Japanese Pink Films and how it relates to Tamala 2010; the history of Astro Boy and its influence on the film; the influence of the fear that Y2K caused and echoed through the early 2000s and how that influenced this film; the appearance of The Shining twins – and some of the meaning they hold in the film; the protests in Japan in the 1960s and 1970s about the military occupation by the US; the influence of Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49; the influence of Metropolis; the influence of Sailor Moon; a larger discussion of the various references – many which are hidden – throughout the film; a larger discussion of the way that the film is structured and featured and used with purpose for its critique of various themes and concerns the film has; a larger discussion of the way that t.o.L uses both character design and the voice actors in the film for critiquing both the medium itself and culture; and more. Deighan provides a vital commentary track and a guide to this often experimental and dense film.
Two original “Tamala” Short Films:
- “Tamala On Parade” (24:28) – Those expecting a “plot” will be sadly disappointed as this short film is a series of vignettes that pose as various types of advertisements, short bits with Tamala going through various pieces of her own story that add up to another sort of critique of capitalism. This much like Tamala 2010 is a film that is dense in its visuals. One will have to see it a few times. The short is presented in Standard Definition. In Japanese with English Subtitles.
- “Tamala’s Wild Party” (16:20) – Again another short that lampoons commercial and consumerism though this short ends very weirdly on what appears to be an ad for a foot fetish site. There are actual moments with Tamala as she deals with a few unkind citizens of Hate City on the Planet Q. The short is presented in Standard Definition. In Japanese with English Subtitles.
New video Interview with Tamala 2010 co-director/co-creator K. of t.o.L. (59:50) – in this fascinating Zoom chat moderated by Dennis Bartok for Deaf Crocodile in Japanese with simultaneous English translation by Christian Storms (who also did the original English Translations of Tamala 2010) begins with who t.o.L. is and what they did (which was everything on Tamala 2010). Some of the details include the origins Tamala 2010 – which began as a book/Manga style project called The Tamala Chronofiles (its purpose) and evolved into the film; their musical influences – which plays a large role in the film; K’s own cats which were named Tamala and Michelangelo – and how the cat’s lives influenced the film itself; where the name Tamala came from; the first projects that t.o.L. worked on together – which was a song and music video, which was the inception of Tamala 2010; their literary, artistic, and philosophical influences; the heavy visual influence of Manga Creator Osamu Tezuka; a discussion of the corporate culture that’s taking over the world – and how this is the central theme of Tamala 2030; a discussion of the actual production process of the film – including the type of animation they used, the work and how it was divided up, et. al.; why there was a lack of work post Tamala 2010’s release; a discussion of the two short films and how they were released in Japan and worldwide; a discussion of what Tamala 2030 is about and the themes; and much more.
‘Doesn’t She Ever Die?’ The Punkification of Late Capitalism” (14:55) – the all-new visual essay by journalist and physical media expert Ryan Verrill (The Disc Connected) and film professor Dr. Will Dodson dissects the themes of late capitalism, consumerism, and art in Tamala 2010 directed the art collective t.o.L. Beginning with an exploration of the history of Anime and its ties to WW2 and Disney the essay goes onto discus of the first Anime (two propaganda films made during 1944 and 1945) to the grandfather of Manga Osamu Tezuka to the rise of Kawaii Culture (e.g., Hello Kitty) to the fandom/Otaku to how the rise of Punk Rock around the world and it came to Japan and how these factors into the film Tamala 2010. The essay sharply directed and written by Dodson and edited by Verrill is a true cipher in understanding the context in which Tamala 2010 was made.
New Tamala film Teaser (1:02) – an all too brief look at the second film (in an intended trilogy) that’s literally two decades in the making.
The Final Thought
Ring up another hit for Deaf Crocodile. Tamala 2010 may be one of their more challenging releases but their inclusion of truly revelatory special features gives any cineaste the tools to unlock this amazing piece of animation. Highest recommendations!!!