Malice@Doll
Some time ago, I rewatched several anime that were considered thought-provoking for their time. One of these anime was “Serial Experiments Lain.” Released in the summer of 1998, it is a cyberpunk, psychological anime that, for many viewers, has been difficult to understand due to its subject matter and themes. It continues to receive praise and ranks in MAL’s top 500 anime. SEL is a standout amongst anime, and I became interested in its writer Chiaki Konaka.
Chiaki Konaka is a Japanese screenwriter and novelist. He is best known for the earlier mentioned Serial Experiments Lain. Still, his catalog includes works that are easily accessible to fans and those that push beyond the mainstream. Many of the projects he has been involved in were psychological works such as The Big O, Armitage III, and RahXephon, anime well known in mainstream circles. His lessor known projects Texhnolyze, Malice@Doll, the latter being the subject for this review, are not as well known or accessible.
Malice@Doll is a three-episode OVA written by Chiaki Konaka and directed by Keitaro Montonaga. It was released in the Spring of 2001, animated by Soeishinsha, and produced by GAGA Communications and Arts Magic (MAL). It includes the genres of horror, Sci-Fi and has an R-17 rating.
The story is set in the future, where humans no longer exist. The machines and the world they built are all that remain. Though humans no longer live, the devices continue their day-to-day activities as if someday humans might return. The anime opens with Malice, a robot who is a prostitute—referred to as a Doll. Malice takes her daily walk in search of Johns. While walking, she discovers that she is damaged and must seek out the Repairman.
She finds a location that she had never been to in her search. While there, she was assaulted by a creature. She awakens in her room only to discover that she is no longer mechanical but a human. Delighted, she goes to the other machines to show them what she has become. When they too become human as she, by fulfilling her function can pass on humanity, the robots become corrupted and forget their function. Instead, they become consumed in pain and depravity.
Malice@Doll deals with the idea of form versus function and the nature of humanity, It is like many cyberpunk anime before it that asks what it means to be human? It poses the question would a machine possessing artificial intelligence desire to be human” To summarize this idea best, there is a scene in Big O where R Dodorthu is playing the piano. As she is playing, moving from side to side Roger Smith comments that “you are merely imitating us.”
These questions are raised through the lens of a machine rather than a human lens. The characters are assigned their roles based on their programming within this world that is set up like a stage play. The Dolls Malice, Misty, Heather, Eliza, Doris, and Amanda are the sex workers that remain in the world referred to as the organization. The organization is managed by Joe@Admin, Freddy@Licker (Cleaning), Melissa (Public Works), and the Leukocyte (Security).
Malice administers the gift as she calls it through a kiss as “comfort” is her only function. When a strange creature assaulted her, her transformation was flawless. When she evolved, she did not know what she was and still viewed herself as a Doll. She was initially shunned by her fellow Dolls, especially Doris@Doll, Heather@Doll expressed curiosity. As Malice accepts what she has become, Joe@Admin tells her that her appearance is likened to the Gods that used to live here.
Without first knowing Chiaki Konaka’s background, it is effortless to write this anime off as a waste of time. Konaka, as I discovered, is a fan of H.P. Lovecraft, and many of his works incorporate the Cthulhu Mythos. Malice@Doll is no exception. Numerous beings and creatures appear as the world becomes distorted.
In addition to Lovecraft, Konaka's religious influences as a child and the story Alice in Wonderland are referred to in the anime. Malice, a double entendre, is also a possible reference to Alice. Her childlike curiosity and naivete seem to support this theory. However, her naivete is challenged as her machinations result in adverse outcomes.
Malice receives little obvious character development despite these outcomes, nor do the other characters save Heather. I write obvious because she threw fits like a child, and there were moments when some of her creations appeared to be done out of malicious intent. No design reviled her perfection.
Malice@Doll is a surreal anime, and nothing is to be taken literally. It is a philosophical piece that allows for various interpretations. It uses extremes to keep the viewer engaged, and some may find its use of BDSM, Yuri, and religious themes offputting. Additionally, its animation is not a plus, so many viewers may give it a strike in that category. This is not a MAPPA creation nor for those of a different persuasion a Bunnywalker production. No, Malice@Doll is more an art piece that, given a different era, may have been in the same conversation as Fritz the Cat.
