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Short Film Review: Astro Age (2020) by Takayuki Ogawa

"You don't care about space"

Shot entirely in Tsukuba, “” is another short by that manages to have an extensive festival run, both in Japan and internationally.

Astro Age is streaming on TodoiF

Rookie science journalist Misaki is entrusted to interview an astronaut who has returned to Earth after completing a manned asteroid research mission. While Misaki is excited about this dream chance, her aunt recommends that she practice the interview, and she reluctantly ends up listening to space fans found around her. A veteran astronaut, a kid who started dealing with space due to aliens, and an obese girl with an intense fascination on meteorites are the ones who end up being interviewed, resulting in her rethinking both the concept of space and of fulfilling one's dreams. 

Ogawa directs a minimal but quite pleasant 22-minute short, which essentially uses the whole concept of space in order to comment on the differences between one's wishes and reality, as much as having one's dreams come true, in a message that addresses both adults and children. In that fashion, the kid and the obese girl seem to realize that what they have in their minds regarding aliens and meteorites is not exactly true, but at the same time do not seem to care, choosing, instead, to focus on the pleasure their dreams/thoughts offer them. 

Also of note is how, through these interactions, Misaki changes her perspective both regarding space but also about people, something that becomes quite apparent when the interview with the returned astronaut actually happens. This aspect benefits the most from 's acting, who portrays her perplexion, change of mentality, and reluctant passion and resolve in equally artful fashion. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4v18jrXQ0s&ab_channel=todoiF

The apogee of the short, as much as its central message regarding the value of patience and pursuing one's dreams, comes during the final interview, which also sheds some light on how the whole publicity thing with “star” astronauts work, in a rather rewarding scene on a number of levels. 

Rei Hirano's cinematography is quite polished, but in a rather fitting way, with the different locations being presented in a fashion that mirrors the overall pleasant aesthetics of the movie, while highlighting the quality of the whole production. Ogawa's own editing results in an equally fitting mid-tempo, that also allows for the interviews (episodes if you prefer) to unfold without rush, as much as to communicate his messages adequately. 

“Astro Age” is quite pleasant to watch, both due to its overall aesthetics and context, which is where its true value lies. 

About the author

Panos Kotzathanasis

My name is Panos Kotzathanasis and I am Greek. Being a fan of Asian cinema and especially of Chinese kung fu and Japanese samurai movies since I was a little kid, I cultivated that love during my adolescence, to extend to the whole of SE Asia.

Starting from my own blog in Greek, I then moved on to write for some of the major publications in Greece, and in a number of websites dealing with (Asian) cinema, such as Taste of Cinema, Hancinema, EasternKicks, Chinese Policy Institute, and of course, Asian Movie Pulse. in which I still continue to contribute.

In the beginning of 2017, I launched my own website, Asian Film Vault, which I merged in 2018 with Asian Movie Pulse, creating the most complete website about the Asian movie industry, as it deals with almost every country from East and South Asia, and definitely all genres.

You can follow me on Facebook and Twitter.

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