Anime Reviews (2010-2019): Human Lost: The Movie (2019)

I enjoyed “Human Lost” and for those who enjoy sci-fi anime and of a futuristic world, should definitely give this film a try!

TITLE: Human Lost: The Movie

ANIME RELEASE DATE IN JAPAN: 2019

DURATION: 110 Minutes

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 4×3, English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0, Subtitles: English

COMPANY: Funimation

RATED: 17

Release Date: August 25, 2020

Directed by Kizaki Fuminori

Script by Ubukata Tow

Music by Kanno Yugo

Originally created by Dazai Osamu

Character Design by Kozaki Yusuke

Art Director: Ikeda Shigemi, Maruyama Yukiko

Anime Production: Polygon Pictures

Featuring the following voice talent:

Mamoru Miyano as Yozo Oba

Haruka Chisuga as Tsuneko

Jun Fukuyama as Takeichi

Kana Hanazawa as Yoshiko Hiiragi

Kenichirō Matsuda as Shibuta

Miyuki Sawashiro as Madam

Rikiya Koyama as Atsugi

Takahiro Sakurai as Masao Horiki

In 2036, a revolutionary medical treatment conquers death, but only for the rich. Yozo Oba makes a trip to see how they live but learns that life without death has awful side effects. Now he faces the monsters plaguing the world, including himself.

NOTE: The following being reviewed is the Digital Edition and not the Blu-ray release

Back in 1948, Dazai Osamu wrote the novel “No Longer Human”.

Considered as a masterpiece by Dazai Osamu, Dazai would take his life shortly after the last part of the book was serialized.

In 2019, a 3D animated sci-fi film inspired by the 1948 novel titled “Ningen Shikkaku” (Human Lost) was created by Polygon Pictures and is directed by Kizaki Fuminori and featuers a screenplay by Ubukata Tow (“Mardock Scramble”, “Le Chevalier D’Eon”, “Heroic Age”).

And the animated film “Human Lost” is now available on Blu-ray courtesy of Funimation.

Set in 2036, with breakthroughs in medical technology, nanomachines have been internally implanted in all humans and these nanomachines can reverse illness, injury and death. The system controlling the nanomachines is known as the “S.H.E.L.L.” system and a person can be ensured to live around 120-years.

But if a person severs the nanomachinese from the system and disconnects themselves from S.H.E.L.L., they can mutate to monstrous beings known as “Lost”.

The anti-Lost organization known as H.I.L.A.M. have been pursuing the Lost and the feeling is that to protect S.H.E.L.L. and mankind, they need an applicant who can communicate with S.H.E.L.L.

One evening, the organization is in pursuit of Takeichi, who is involved with a drag racing gang within the Route 7 Loop (where the privilege class live). A man named Horiki Masao has been giving out anti-GRMP drugs (GRMP is among the four medical revolutions: Genetic Manipulaiton, Regeneration, Nanomachines and Panaceas and each are controlled by the S.H.E.L.L. network) as part of his experiment.

As Oba Youzou goes to help his fallen friend Takeichi but Takeichi turns into a Lost and H.I.L.A.M. tries to defeat it. But when Oba is knocked by Takeichi’s Lost, Oba starts to turn into a Lost himself.

But Hiiragi Yoshiko (the second applicant) rescues Oba and believes he is an applicant that can turn to a Lost but revert back to human and can communicate with S.H.E.L.L. and may be a special individual known as The Third Applicant that can protect mankind.

When Oba finds out that Takeichi turning into a Lost was because of the anti-GRMP drugs that Horiki Masao was giving out (in order to destroy the S.H.E.L.L.), Hiiragi asks Oba to please help save civilization from Horiki and the Lost.

I have to admit that part of the reason why I was excited to watch “Human Lost” was that I read it was inspired by Dazai Osamu’s “No Longer Human”, which in itself is deep, complex, perverted and crazy and literally about a person who goes through an emotional hell.

It’s important to note that while inspired by Dazai’s novel, its not an anime adaptation of the novel, it’s loosely-based on the novel, uses character’s names but it’s an entirely different piece of work and storyline.

One should look at “Human Lost” as a sci-fi animated film about a future where humans are forced to be connected to a network system that can eliminate them from sickness and make them live longer.

A different storyline compared to Dazai’s story about a troubled man named Oba Yozo and his life when he was younger through his young adulthood.

In the original novel, Oba is scared of humanity, from being sexually assaulted as a child, to seeing the worse of humanity from his family, their friends, the staff that work for the family. And in order to hide that disgust, he would try to hide behind the facade of being a clown. Making jokes, playing stupid to make people laugh. Its his way to establish any sort of relationship with people.

For “Human Lost”, Oba is the third applicant which is different from the rest. Horiki Masao is a Necromancer-type, Hiiragi Yoshiko is a Defense-type, while Oba, he is feared because he could lead to the destruction of mankind, while Hiiragi believes he is the savior to mankind.

What they do know is that Oba has the ability to destroy Lost forms and use him to destroy Horiki. In addition, Oba can return to human form even though he has become a Lost.

Behind the scenes, a group of those who lived a long time known as the Qualified are wanting Oba to be controlled and help revent people to turning to Lost and also help humanity reach a 180-year-old age limit, but also to lead to the capture of Horiki Masao, the person who is giving out anti-GRMP drugs and turning people to Lost.

The title of the animated film “Human Lost” can be seen on each side. With humanity being genetically engineered to live long lives, to no longer be sick… are they human? As for Horiki turning people to Lost in hopes to destroy S.H.E.L.L., he is giving a people a chance to get sick, possibly die as a way of regaining part of the humanity they lost, despite turning into monstrous beings.

To see these perspectives clash as the first applicant, believes in destroying the S.H.E.L.L., while the second believes in society and humanity and wanting to give Oba hope as he is the third applicant. Which side will Oba end up choosing?

For the most part, the anime series features awesome animation and I like the character designs of the series.

To be truthful, if they never even mentioned Dasai Osamu or that it was inspired by the novel “No Longer Human”, I don’t think people who have read the novel would come to this series with higher expectations.

Aside from the names utilized by the protagonist, I say forget the connection to the Dasai novel, “Human Lost” is an animated film that is best enjoyed on the concept that it’s about a future of humanity who has found ways to let people live long lives, to no longer be sick but there are those who feel that is wrong. That human beings live their life as humans should.

There are those who want to go back to being human, disconnecting from S.H.E.L.L. but not knowing the ramifications. There are those who are known as the Qualified who live long lifes to make society of what it is today but have become desperate in extending the length of their own lives that they want humanity to live even longer from 120-years-old to 180-years-old.

But I found the Applicants – Horiki, Hiiragi and Oba to be characters that made this film fascinating, entertaining and action-packed. Their different perspectives of humanity and civilization is what drives this film. But watching humanity using technology and medical advances to play God, that’s an interesting futuristic concept. And I’ll leave it at that, as I don’t want to spoil the storyline for anyone.

Overall, I enjoyed “Human Lost” and for those who enjoy sci-fi anime and of a futuristic world, should definitely give this film a try!

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