is a 2007 Japanese CGI

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses Speculative fiction, speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as Extraterrestrial life in fiction, extraterrestria ...

written, directed, and edited by

Fumihiko Sori Fumihiko Sori (曽利文彦) is a Japanese people, Japanese film director and film producer. He received a nomination for the 'Best Director' prize at the Japanese Academy Awards for his directing debut, ''Ping Pong (2002 film), Ping Pong''. F ...

, and features the voices of Meisa Kuroki, Yasuko Matsuyuki, and Shosuke Tanihara. At the 60th Locarno International Film Festival, where ''Vexille'' made its world premiere, the film was sold to 75 countries, including the United States–based distributor,

Funimation Entertainment Crunchyroll, LLC is an American entertainment company based in Coppell, Texas. It currently operates the anime-focused eponymous over-the-top subscription video on-demand streaming service. The company was founded as Funimation in May 1 ...

; however since that time the number increased to 129 countries.

Plot

By the 2060s,

robotics Robotics is the interdisciplinary study and practice of the design, construction, operation, and use of robots. Within mechanical engineering, robotics is the design and construction of the physical structures of robots, while in computer s ...

technology has become extremely advanced, including

cybernetics Cybernetics is the transdisciplinary study of circular causal processes such as feedback and recursion, where the effects of a system's actions (its outputs) return as inputs to that system, influencing subsequent action. It is concerned with ...

. World opinion begins to turn against robotics, leading to the U.N. declaring a unilateral ban on further research in 2067.

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, being home to robotics pioneer Daiwa Heavy Industries, strongly protests this ban, but is unable to prevent its passage. In protest, Japan withdraws from international politics. All foreigners are deported, and further immigration is prohibited. In addition, the R.A.C.E. network is constructed—270 off-shore installations that cover Japan with an energy field, nullifying all communication with the outside world and making satellite surveillance impossible.

Trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...

and diplomacy continues, but Japan vanishes from the world scene. Ten years later, the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

special warfare unit "SWORD" is trying to trap a Japanese informant for Daiwa in Colorado. The instigator, Saito, escapes by cutting off his own leg. Analysis shows the leg is made of bio-metal. SWORD suspects that Japan has concealed extensive development of banned technologies. They embark on an unapproved scheme to infiltrate Japan and to find out the frequency of the R.A.C.E. network, enabling SWORD to gather

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. It can be described as t ...

on the country. Although the agents successfully enter Japan, they are detected by security forces before they can transmit their data. Vexille is the sole SWORD agent to evade capture, and only her lover Leon survives to be taken to Daiwa's headquarters. Vexille awakens to find

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

is now a

shanty town A shanty town, squatter area, squatter settlement, or squatter camp is a settlement of improvised buildings known as shanties or shacks, typically made of materials such as mud and wood, or from cheap building materials such as corrugated iron s ...

ruled by Daiwa. A small

resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized group of people that tries to resist or try to overthrow a government or an occupying power, causing disruption and unrest in civil order and stability. Such a movement may seek to achieve its goals through ei ...

opposes the company, and uses Vexille's transmitter to successfully transmit the distortion frequency. Maria, the head of the resistance, details the 10 years of secrecy while SWORD studies Japan in shocked horror—the islands are a lifeless wasteland. In 2067, an unknown disease struck Japan and was countered by an experimental

vaccine A vaccine is a biological Dosage form, preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease, infectious or cancer, malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verifi ...

. In actuality, the disease was created by Daiwa and the "vaccine" was used as an excuse for Daiwa to begin testing experimental

nanotechnology Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). At this scale, commonly known as the nanoscale, surface area and quantum mechanical effects become important in describing propertie ...

. Every Japanese citizen was converted into a form of synthetic life. But there were unforeseen side effects; the conversion was imperfect, resulting in the infected humans losing their

free will Free will is generally understood as the capacity or ability of people to (a) choice, choose between different possible courses of Action (philosophy), action, (b) exercise control over their actions in a way that is necessary for moral respon ...

and becoming just lifelike machines. Some of the nanotech went amok, creating the "Jags", giant whirling constructs of semisentient metal that prowl the wilderness. The Jags destroyed all of Japan, save Tokyo which is protected by an inedible wall of

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...

. The Resistance plans to draw the Jags along a service bridge to Daiwa's corporate headquarters, which now stands in the middle of

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan spanning the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture, on the southern coast of the island of Honshu. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. Th ...

. Vexille volunteers her assistance (and that of her flight-capable armor). However, though Vexille and Maria succeed in drawing the Jags to the end of the service bridge, the bridge has been detached from the headquarters, the Jags fall into the sea, and Vexille and Maria are captured. They are taken to Kisaragi, the master of Daiwa, who boasts that his research is nearly complete. And as he needs more test subjects, he is going to invade America. Vexille attacks him with a hidden knife, revealing that his blood is still human—he has not used the process himself. Saito then strangles him. The town council forces the ceramic gates open, destroying Tokyo and enabling the Jags to enter Daiwa's headquarters. Kisaragi, having somehow survived, shoots Saito and escapes with his research. The underling then releases Vexille and Maria before succumbing to his wounds. Vexille pursues Kisaragi while Maria frees Leon, who shows concern for Vexille, angering Maria. Thus when Vexille prevents Kisaragi's escape in a helicopter, Maria grabs him and holds them together as a Jag devours them. Vexille and Leon are rescued by a SWORD helicopter just as Daiwa headquarters collapses into the bay, along with every Jag in Japan. As Vexille and Leon are flown from a now completely lifeless Japan, Vexille comments that humanity's spirit can never be taken away.

Cast

Japanese

* Meisa Kuroki as Lt. Cdr. Vexille Serra * Shosuke Tanihara as Cdr. Leon Fayden * Yasuko Matsuyuki as Maria *

Takaya Kuroda is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Tokyo, Japan. He is affiliated with Axlone, and was formerly with Mausu Promotion and 81 Produce. He is best known for his bass voice, which has usually seen him cast in villainous roles such as the vo ...

as Zack *

Akio Ōtsuka is a Japanese actor, voice actor, and narrator from the Tokyo Metropolitan area. He is attached to Mausu Promotion. The astringent and calm quality of his deep voice has landed him many roles in films, dubbing, animation, and video games. He i ...

as Saito * Romi Park as Takashi *

Takahiro Sakurai is a Japanese voice actor, narrator, and radio personality from Aichi Prefecture, Japan. His well-known roles include heroes such as Cloud Strife in '' Compilation of Final Fantasy VII'', Suzaku Kururugi in '' Code Geass'', X in '' Mega Man ...

as Ryo *

Toshiyuki Morikawa is a Japanese voice actor, narrator and singer who is the head of Axlone, a voice acting company he founded in April 2011. His name is sometimes, although incorrectly, transliterated as Tomoyuki Morikawa. In 2003, he and Fumihiko Tachiki formed ...

as Kisaragi *

Tetsuya Kakihara is a Japanese voice actor and singer. He is a former member of 81 Produce. His agency, Zynchro, was established on May 15, 2013. In 2010, Kakihara has been affiliated with Kiramune, a music label by Bandai Visual and Lantis, where he made his ...

as Taro * Takayuki Sugo as Captain Borg *Kenji Takahashi as Saga *Jiro Saito as Chairman Itakura

English

* Colleen Clinkenbeard as Lt. Cdr. Vexille Serra *

Travis Willingham Travis Willingham is an American voice actor known for his character portrayals in video games and English anime Dubbing, dubs. His notable roles include Roy Mustang in the ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' franchise, Cleo in ''Glass Fleet'', Ginko in ''L ...

as Cdr. Leon Fayden * Christine Auten as Maria * Christopher Sabat as Zack * Jason Douglas as Saito *

Luci Christian Luci Christian is an American voice actress and ADR script writer. She has provided many voices for English versions of Japanese anime series and films. Life and career Christian grew up in Texas, where her parents, Mike and Barbara, were hig ...

as Takashi * Illich Guardiola as Ryo * J. Michael Tatum as Kisaragi *

Todd Haberkorn Todd Michael Haberkorn (born August 16, 1982) is an American voice actor and director, who has dubbed in anime, films, and video games. Some of his notable roles include Keroro from ''Sgt. Frog'', Allen Walker from '' D.Gray-man'', Death the ...

as Taro * John Swasey as Captain Borg * Phil Parsons as Saga * Kent Williams as Chairman Itakura

Music

The original soundtrack and music to the series features an electronic,

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

, urumee melam and

trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...

theme, and features Basement Jaxx,

Boom Boom Satellites were a Japanese electronic music duo consisting of guitarist and vocalist Michiyuki Kawashima and bassist and programmer Masayuki Nakano. They were signed to Sony Music Entertainment Japan, with whom they released all of their albums in Japan. ...

, Asian Dub Foundation, Dead Can Dance,

Carl Craig Carl Craig (born May 22, 1969) is an American electronic music producer, DJ, and founder of the record label Planet E Communications. He is known as a leading figure and pioneer in the second wave of Detroit techno artists during the late 1980 ...

The Prodigy The Prodigy are an English electronic music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboardist, and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured Rapping, MC and vocalist Maxim (musician), Maxim, dancer and occasi ...

DJ Shadow Joshua Paul Davis (born June 29, 1972 in San Jose, California, San Jose, California), better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ and record producer. His debut studio album, ''Endtroducing.....,'' was released in 1996. He uses l ...

, M.I.A, with singer

Mink Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera ''Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": the A ...

providing the theme song "Together again" and

Paul Oakenfold Paul Mark Oakenfold (; born 30 August 1963), formerly known mononymously as Oakenfold, is an English record producer, remixer and trance DJ. He has provided over 100 remixes for over 100 artists including U2, Moby, Madonna, Britney Spears, Ma ...

handling the music score production, which was co-written with Ian Green and

Michael J McEvoy Michael J McEvoy (born August 29, 1961) is an American screen composer, orchestrator and multi-instrumentalist. 1980s As a session musician, writer and arranger, McEvoy worked on various projects with the producer Adam Kidron, including albu ...

. McEvoy also orchestrated and programmed the score.

Reception

''Vexille'' has been said to have a ''

Resident Evil ''Resident Evil'', known as in Japan, is a Japanese horror game series and media franchise created by Capcom. It consists of survival horror, third-person shooter and first-person shooter games, with players typically surviving in environments ...

''-like plotline and has drawn many comparisons to the movie. A review of the DVD on website ''IGN'' gave this film six out of ten, finding it difficult to follow and riddled with plot holes. They also found fault with the soundtrack, particularly Paul Oakenfold's score: "A couple of tracks manage to rise to the occasion, but for the most part, ''Vexille''s tunes feel limp and repetitive." '' Hyper'' comments on the film for "retreading of familiar territory already covered effectively by ''

Ghost in the Shell ''Ghost in the Shell'' is a Japanese cyberpunk media franchise based on the manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. The manga, first serialized between 1989 and 1991, is set in mid-21st century Japan and tel ...

''". It commends the visuals for its " cel-shading and

rotoscoping Rotoscoping is an animation technique that animators use to trace over motion picture footage, frame by frame, to produce realistic action. Originally, live-action film images were projected onto a glass panel and traced onto paper. This pr ...

, leading to some incredibly impressive looking set pieces". However, it criticises the action scenes which "aren't nearly as exciting as they should be — most of the action scenes boil down to rather mundane gun fights or chases, and while they look great there's no real energy in them." It currently has a 60% approval rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

Releases

For Region 1, ''Vexille'' was first released in a one-disc format on May 20, 2008, followed by a 2-Disc special edition on November 4, 2008. Both versions include the original Japanese soundtrack as well as the English dub, with optional subtitles. A Blu-ray Disc version was released on the same day as the 2-Disc special edition and includes exactly the same features as its DVD counterpart. The Region 2 DVD was released on September 1, 2008, in a limited edition steelbook 2-Disc set, featuring only the original Japanese soundtrack with English subtitles without English Dub. That version has since gone out of print and has been replaced by a standard one-disc set with no extra features. A Blu-ray Disc version is yet to be released on Region B.

Live-action film

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

has acquired the rights to the film to produce a live-action remake. Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson have signed on as producers, Lisa Zambri as executive producer and

Evan Spiliotopoulos Evan Spiliotopoulos (; born ) is a Greek-American screenwriter, film producer, and film director. Early life Spiliotopoulos was born in Greece, and graduated from high school there. Soon after, he moved to the United States and attended the Un ...

as screenwriter.Universal Acquires ‘Vexille’ with Evan Spiliotopoulos Adapting (EXCLUSIVE)
/ref>

References

External links

* * * *
Twitch ''Vexille'' review
{{Fumihiko Sori 2007 anime films 2007 science fiction action films 2007 films Anime films with original screenplays 2007 computer-animated films Science fiction anime and manga Films directed by Fumihiko Sori Funimation Japanese computer-animated films Japanese science fiction action films Films set in 2067 Films set in 2077 Films set in the 2060s Animated films set in the 2070s Animated films set in the future Animated films set in the 21st century