Silent Möbius 2
Entry updated 25 July 2022. Tagged: Film.
Japanese animated film (1992). Anime International Company (AIC). Based on the Manga by Kia Asamiya. Directed by Yasunori Ide. Written by Manabu Nakamura. Voice cast includes Toshiko Fujita, Chieko Honda, Naoko Matsui, Maya Okamoto and Hiromi Tsuru. 56 minutes. Colour.
The film explains how Katsumi Liqueur (Matsui) joined AMP, Tokyo's Attack Mystification Police Department: it fills the gap in Silent Möbius (1991) between her refusing to join the organization, and becoming an established member. AMP uses Magic and Technology to battle Monsters known as Lucifer Hawks, which come from a Parallel World called Nemesis.
After her mother's death Katsumi tries to return home to Hawaii, only to be told she cannot leave Japan and that she is now a member of AMP – two of whose officers, Kiddy Phenil (Tsuru), a tetchy Cyborg, and Nami Yamigumo (Honda), a friendly magic-wielding Shinto priestess, are following her around. The leader of AMP, Rally Cheyenne (Fujita) – herself half Lucifer Hawk – explains the magical powers Katsumi inherited from her parents are crucial to defend humanity from Nemesis's monsters. Katsumi, associating the powers with her parents' deaths, refuses to help and leaves.
She finds a young woman tagging along: this is Yuki Saiko (Okamoto), who can see the future (see Precognition), a result of scientific experimentation, and knows they will become best friends. Despite Yuki's warnings Katsumi enters her mother's old home, where we have previously seen an old man and a young girl playing Chess – Lucifer Hawks in disguise. They confront Katsumi; surprised by her passivity – a result of grief and loneliness – they take her to a bridge. Once a gateway to Nemesis, its closure had imprisoned many Lucifer Hawks and the pair intend to use Katsumi's powers to free them. However, AMP arrive and employ a satellite Weapon to destroy the bridge – but one Lucifer Hawk survives and prepares to kill Kiddy and Nami: this forces Katsumi to accept her powers and defeat it. She and Yuki now join AMP.
Whilst a good, solid Anime, Silent Möbius 2 lacks the inspiration of its predecessor; the mood, action and animation are less remarkable. There is more focus on characterization, however (though this is still fairly broad-brush).
There was also a 26-episode anime Television series in 1998. [SP]
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