Noiseman Sound Insect

Name(s): Noiseman Sound Insect / Onkyou Seimeitai Noiseman / 音響生命体ノイズマン
Format: Movie (14 minutes)
Studio(s): Studio 4°C

Noiseman Sound Insect Review

I remember taking note of Noiseman Sound Insect after seeing it on some recommendation image. You know, those ones that have a bunch of anime posters on a black background with their names written under each one. There’s always a title on the top or bottom that says something like, “So You Think All Anime Is the Same? Check These Out.” I don’t think that, but I generally like avoiding repetition.

Well that aside, Noiseman‘s badass poster alone was enough to sell me on it: the hot pink contrasting against flat greys over an edgy, dystopian punk with small, patterned dots and a fuzzy logo representing static feedback—on top of the thing just being fucking called Noiseman Sound Insect.

The Considerable Talent Behind Noiseman

If it didn’t have that, then if I somehow took a look at the list of talent before watching, that would’ve caught my attention, instead. Several high-profile names are involved, with art and animation being handled by Masaki Yuasa, and sound design by Yoko Kanno. Shigeru Watanabe and Kouji Morimoto are less prolific but have been involved with Akira, Memories, and The Animatrix. Goddamn!

Oh, and Noiseman is 15-minutes long. Put that much talent in such a restrained space, and it’s possibly inevitable that the output would be something of merit. Noiseman is a frantic action piece that literally does not stop for a breath, bursting to the seams with meticulously detailed stills of the tie-dye junk city and Yuasa’s free-flowing animation style that breaks proportions and scale in the name of keeping kinetic energy. It’s a technical marvel and the eye-candy becomes literal candy when paired with the general color scheme of bright reds, blues, and yellows.

Oh right, the story or whatever. Some old scientist creates a monster that looks like a five year-old’s drawing of Oogie Boogie. Oogie separates people into a ghost form and a crystal, and people are brainwashed into rounding up the ghosts for him. Or something. And a few guys break free after eating magical fruit. I don’t know. It’s crazy, and is seemingly a nonsensical excuse for equally nonsensical visuals. If I had a complaint, it’s that the aesthetic implied above from my description of Noiseman‘s poster just isn’t here.

Noiseman, Hold the “Noise”

Despite its title, music plays almost no narrative role. It’s extra disappointing, considering Yoko Kanno’s at the helm. I’d never guess it was her by virtue of me not recalling any music from Noiseman after it finished. The Noiseman is the Oogie Boogie monster, and the “music” is peoples’ souls or whatever. The background score is a lot of nondescript, fast percussion—drum patterns delivering only a basic sensory assault, compared to the visuals.

I was hoping for a bunch of screeching noise feedback and comparatively abrasive visuals that’d melt my brain like an egg on asphalt. Think Tetsuo: Iron Man. Only the very beginning utilizes video static (“noise”) as a visual gimmick, so I don’t know what overall style it was attempting. Instead, it’s a wacky fantasy ride. It’s still fairly distinct because it’s Yuasa, whose name typically promises fluid, kinetic animation. But there’s nothing really shocking to anyone already familiar with his style.

Noiseman Sound Insect Verdict

For such a short running time, Noiseman Sound Insect is easily worth it to those looking for a visual trip. File under “definitive stoner anime” along with Trava. I’ll probably never think of it again unless someone asks me to recommend anime with cool animation. Even then, other anime pairs those with heftier, more cohesive narratives. This is fine stuff—just fine.