| Dead Leaves | |
|---|---|
 North American DVD Cover featuring Pandy (left) and Retro (right) | |
| Directed by | Hiroyuki Imaishi |
| Screenplay by | Takeichi Honda |
| Produced by | Katsuji Morishita Kaoru Mfaume |
| Starring | Takako Honda Kappei Yamaguchi Yūko Mizutani |
| Cinematography | Makoto Kogawa |
| Edited by | Junichi Uematsu |
| Music by | Yoshihiro Ike |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Shochiku |
Release date |
|
Running time | 52 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Dead Leaves is a 2004 Japanese animated science fiction film produced by Manga Entertainment and Production I.G and directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi. It was distributed in Japan by Shochiku, in North America, Canada and the U.K. by Manga Entertainment, and in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment. The film is notable for its fast pace and energetic visual style.
Plot
In a dystopian Earth, Retro and Pandy, two unlikely renegades, awaken naked, possessing superior physical abilities but no memory of their former lives. The duo embarks on a brief yet devastating crime spree in downtown Tokyo, targeting food, clothing, and transportation. However, their actions lead to their arrest, and they are subsequently sent to the notorious prison Dead Leaves, located on the half-destroyed Moon.
Once incarcerated, Retro and Pandy are subjected to activities inside the prison facility, such as forced labor, straitjackets, and mandatory defecation. The facility is overseen by Warden Galactica, with prison guards 666 and 777, two super-powered enforcers, managing the daily activities.
Later, upon uncovering Dead Leaves' dual role as a cloning facility, Retro and Pandy engage in a sexual encounter and orchestrate a mass prison break. Subsequently, they recollect additional memories, revealing their past as spies employed at the facility. In a pursuit of revenge against Pandy, Galactica recreates a deranged fairy tale from her childhood.
During the battle with Galactica, Pandy unexpectedly gives birth to Retro's mutant child, armed with a pair of machine guns, which promptly dispatches Galactica. Despite this victory, Galactica absorbs 666 and 777, undergoing a transformation into a giant caterpillar. However, the mutant baby infiltrates the caterpillar's body, ultimately annihilating it along with the entire station. Subsequently, Pandy and Retro escape the station, crash-landing back on Earth.
Characters
Main characters
- Retro (レトロ, Retoro)
- Voiced by: Kappei Yamaguchi (Japanese); Jaxon Lee (English)
- Retro is devoid of any authentic memories from his past life. He staunchly holds the belief that he could have been either a Yakuza gang member or a ninja hitman, attributing this speculation to his remarkable martial skills and a natural proclivity for causing chaos with diverse weapons. Owing to his Yakuza-like tendencies, Retro tends to act on impulse and resort to violence, frequently causing harm to those in his proximity.
- Retro has a TV for a head; his original human appearance is shown only in Pandy's flashbacks, having a mop of hair that covers his eyes.
- Pandy (パンディー, Pandī)
- Voiced by: Takako Honda (Japanese); Amanda Winn-Lee (English)
- The heroine, Pandy (so-called because of her panda-like mutated mark), seems to have a special connection with the prison warden, Galactica. Though ignorant of her past, something about her mutated eye causes her to experience bizarre flashbacks and strange, debilitating precognitive episodes. She is very strong at hand-to-hand combat and excellent at using firearms.
- Offspring
- Voiced by: ? (Japanese); Hal Lublin (English)
- The result of Retro and Pandy having sex in prison, their child is born near the end of the story. As Pandy's offspring, he inherits a mutant gene cluster, endowing him with extraordinary powers and resulting in his eyes displaying different colors. Despite only existing for a brief period, rapidly aging from a baby to an old man, he demonstrates care for his parents by sacrificing himself to ensure their safety. Uttering his first and only word, "papa," he expresses this sentiment as he takes a final look at Retro.
Prison workers
- Galactica (ギャラクティカ, Gyarakutika)
- Voiced by: Yuko Mizutani (Japanese); Kerry Anderson (English)
- Galactica, the enigmatic and tyrannical warden of Dead Leaves prison, oversees cloning and genetic engineering experiments, resulting in an unholy assembly of deformed and infinitely expendable inmates. Possessing a cyborg nature, Galactica integrates an array of weapons and sinister devices directly into her body.
- 666 (スリーシックス, Surīshikkusu)
- Voiced by: Mitsuo Iwata (Japanese); Chad Fifer (English)
- Product of the Dead Leaves bio-weapons experiments, 666 (three-six, or referred to as "Triple Six" in the English dub) is a tall, skinny character who moves at high velocity when confronted with a challenge. His primary weapons are two long blades attached to his arms.
- 777 (スリーセブン, Surīsebun)
- Voiced by: Kiyoyuki Yanada (Japanese); Jason C. Miller (English)
- 777 (three-seven, or referred to as "Triple Seven" in the English dub) is also a product of the Dead Leaves experiments and the bulky, powerful counterpart of 666. Says a quick prayer before going into battle, something 666 admonishes him for, stating it's a little late for that. Tends to prefer his brute strength and the wide assortment of guns he has at his disposal within his body.
Inmates
- Dick Drill (ちんこドリル, Chinko Doriru)
- Voiced by: Nobuo Tobita (Japanese); Keith Burgess (English)
- An easily identifiable character with a drill for his penis, he is one of the most helpful and loyal followers picked up by Retro and Pandy during their attempted escape and seems to be sexually attracted to Retro. Later brutally killed by 777 while trying to defend Retro from him.
- Quack (ヤブ医者, Yabu-isha)
- Voiced by: Wataru Takagi (Japanese); Douglas Rye (English)
- A curiously knowledgeable inmate when it comes to prison affairs. He too aids in the jailbreak. He used to be a doctor but was sent to Dead Leaves when one of his patients died. Later gets cut into a paste by 666.
- Sergeant (軍曹, Gunsō)
- Voiced by: Masami Iwasaki (Japanese); Stephen Kruiser (English)
- Appears later in the movie, and takes command of the tank stolen from the Armory. He seems to be a leader of sorts as the other prisoners attempt to avenge his death.
References
External links
- Dead Leaves page on Production I.G website
- Dead Leaves (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Dead Leaves at IMDb
