Malice@Doll

A dark and experimental OAV that makes use of sophisticated CGI to tell a futuristic and nightmarish fairytale, Malice@Doll is something of a “sleeper’ title that seems to have passed under the radar for many fans. Scripted by Chiaki Konaka (of Serial Experiments Lain fame) and directed by Keitaro Motonanaga it certainly shows much promise, on paper at least. It tells the story of Malice, a robotic prostitute who lives in a forgotten city in which human beings have disappeared. Along with other machines such as guards, cleaners and engineers, she and her kind are doomed to a life of disrepair, devoid of purpose. After a violent encounter with a strange and terrifying creature she finds herself transformed into a human being but is unaware of the consequences of sharing this gift with her fellow machines.

I’ve always held the talents of Konaka in very high regard after the impressive work he did on the likes of Lain, Texhnolyze and RahXephon; Malice@Doll shows his storytelling style at its most cryptic with a bleak and unsettling background to the small cast of characters. The animation, unlike the clean and polished visuals that computer-generated rendering is normally associated with, is gloomy and effectively conveys the feel of the grimy, run-down environments in which Malice inhabits. The lonely, dreamlike atmosphere and fairytale-like story are heightened by an animation style that borrows much from Eastern European puppet theatre, again going against the CGI conventions in lacking fluidity of movement.

Most films and series that share the themes and ideas shown here fall squarely in the science fiction and cyberpunk categories but Malice@Doll is more of a grotesque abstract horror: the stylised mechanical designs are unlike the futuristic robots we’re familiar with and apart from Malice after her transformation there are no real living, breathing humans to be found at all. Numerous moral questions are raised as Malice becomes used to her new lease of life, along with her feelings on the life she used to lead as a Doll.

Sadly in being an experimental piece, the film runs the risk of the experiment not working as intended. The very aspects that make it stand out also make for difficult viewing: the jerky movements of the characters with their stop-motion feel are intentional but create little in the way of entertainment value. The murky photography doesn’t help either, often making it difficult to see what is happening onscreen.

The underlying themes and the tentacle scene in particular push it towards hentai territory at times but fundamentally it is an art house work; the main problem with Malice@Doll is that it is often exessively dark and cold, both thematically and literally. It is interesting to see the protagonist experience life as a human being and the detrimental consequences of sharing this with her fellow robots even though she has the best of intentions: it is a fable but a fable whose morals are confused and unclear. The ending in particular is deliberately open to interpretation but the hour or so of footage that precedes it offers little for the viewer to work with in understanding the messages it is trying to convey.

In Summary

Malice@Doll is an example of how “interesting’ and “innovative’ do not necessarily equate to “entertaining’. In the same way as the creators’ other works, it is a challenging and individual work that requires effort in discerning the meaning of the metaphors and themes. In this case though, the protagonist and her world are so inaccessible and uninviting that only those drawn to the strangest fare will be willing to make the journey.