A woman wants to become an adult who can help others but is unable to take the first step. Suddenly, a giant monster appears, emerging from the ground in front of her. Amid a destroyed city and people running for their lives, she gathers all her courage for the sake of others.
Ivara: Case of Extra is screening at Japan FilmFest Hamburg
Overall, “Ivara: Case of Extra” is a solid and enjoyable short. The seemingly simple plotline from writer/director Kurosu allows for a nice bit of time to meet our nameless protagonist and generate a lot of interest in her. Built up as a meek individual but wanting to better herself, that sense of unrealized hope she displays is given a chance to fulfill itself when a giant monster appears in the city. The chaos and destruction that occurs when it emerges allows her to finally get the chance to put those actions to the test in a genuine life-or-death situation. Realizing a citizen has become injured during the confusion and the race to help them, the sequence inspires a fantastic primordial reflex that spurs her into action.
As good as the story is, it's needed to help bump up the kaiju sequences which are fun but somewhat problematic in “Ivara.” The main creature design is quite fun, offering a bipedal design with some unique features involving the horns on its head and the whip-like tail that's involved in several spectacular stunts knocking buildings over onto the citizens. While obviously handled with some CGI, the design of the beast and its rippled texture give off a sense of cheesiness that comes at odds with the type of close-quarters action involving the protagonist and the other civilians she's interacting with, as they are trying to escape. It's use of green-screen shots for this type of interaction is all fun enough for this type of short.
Generally enjoyable and has a lot to like about it, “Ivara: Case of Extra” works as a rather solid kaiju short that might be somewhat underwhelming with the kaiju action but has the basework human drama required to be quite entertaining overall.
