Summary
Interstella 5555 is a groundbreaking international collaboration and an unscripted “musical” that tells a story through a series of music videos. The film incorporates the soundtrack of Daft Punk’s Discovery album, making it a unique and experimental experience. Interstella 5555 played a key role in bringing anime further into the mainstream, proving that the medium could be relevant and appealing worldwide.
After 21 years, Toei Animation’s work on the 2003 anime Interstella 5555: 5th floor of the 5secret 5tar 5 system, is a unique entry in the history of the medium. In addition to being one of the venerable Leiji Matsumoto’s sweeping space stories, it is also an example of international collaboration in the early stages of anime’s modern revival. The fact that it incorporates the now-retired Daft Punk’s soundtrack only makes that more important to remember now.
It’s no exaggeration to say that clips from this film helped push anime further into the mainstream during the early 2000s. But more importantly, anime fans owe it to themselves to see this entertaining and experimental series, which puts Daft Punk’s Discovery album at its core.
Making the soundtrack incredibly unique, Interstella makes music an essential part of its identity beyond its premise of extraterrestrial performers.
Interstella remains one of a kind to this day
This film is both an unscripted musical and a groundbreaking international collaboration
The film, described as “House Musical,” is about an alien band that is kidnapped and brainwashed by a mysterious and supernatural music manager. The entire anime is played to songs from the Discovery album, providing a unique experience that is not unlike a story told through a series of music videos. In fact, the first sequence, timed to “One More Time,” dominated the airwaves as a standalone music video that bewildered audiences alongside Daft Punk’s most famous song. To date, only Toei Animation has made such a complete image album.
Interstella’s existence was only possible thanks to Daft Punk’s admiration of Leiji Matsumoto’s work many years ago, encouraging them to contact Toei and Matsumoto, who would serve as supervisors for movie. While Interstella is directed by Kazuhisa Takenouchi, the veteran creator’s influence is clearly felt throughout. The characters are drawn in his signature art style, and the sci-fi fantasy motifs and themes of sacrifice are familiar to those familiar with classics like Captain Harlock and Galaxy Express 999. This still makes this a surprisingly standout collaboration, even 21 years later.
The film’s most recent splash was with the 2011 Blu-ray remake, but today’s viewers should pay closer attention to Interstella 5555. Even if one isn’t a Daft Punk fan, or Even as a Matsumoto enthusiast, there is no other anime quite like this. In 2003, its ubiquitous presence on channels like MTV gave countless ordinary people their first taste of anime beyond the 90s stereotypes it had, while also serving as a pioneer. in the dominance of anime today. Interstellar 5555 shows that the medium can be relevant and even appealing on an international scale, proving that music – and animation – are not constrained by creative boundaries.