Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space

TAMALA 2010: A Punk Cat in Space is a 2001/2002 Japanese animated film[1] written, directed, animated and featuring music by a 13 to 16 year old person named Onizuka, also with his friends K. and kuno.[2] The film features both 2D and 3D computer animation, and is mostly black-and-white.[3] The characters, designed by Onizuka and a few background characters designed by Kentarō Konpon, are reminiscent of Sanrio's Hello Kitty and 1960's anime and manga such as Astro Boy.

Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space
GenreScience fiction Psychopunk Y2K aesthetic Cyberpunk
Anime film
Directed byOnizuka
Produced byOnizuka Seiichi Tsukada, Kazuko Mio, T.o.l
Written byOnizuka
Music byOnizuka
StudioKinétique
Released19 October 2001 (Old Version) 22 January 2002 (New Version)
Runtime92 minutes
Manga
Tamala in Space
Written byOnizuka
MagazineElle Japon
Original runAugust 2000 – present
Original video animation
Tamala on Parade
Directed byOnizuka
Produced byOnizuka
Written byOnizuka
Music byOnizuka Barzile
StudioCatty & Co. Partners
Released24 August 2002
Runtime35 minutes

TAMALA2010 was originally envisioned as the first episode of the series – the latter two parts were given the working titles TAMALA IN ORION (which would chronicle Tamala's search for her real mother) and TATLA (which was to explore the character of Tatla in greater depth). A colour TV series was also planned, with the working title TAMALA IN SPACE. As of 2020, none of these has surfaced – instead there have been two shorter works, Onizuka written and directed TAMALA ON PARADE and TAMALA'S "WILD PARTY" – three short stories from the same writer, storyboarded and directed by Onizuka and animated by Onizuka with Studio 4°C in 2003.[4] Both of these are included on the TAMALA ON PARADE DVD, released in Japan in August 2002 which doesn't release in Europe till 2005. This DVD does have English subtitles.[5]

Development

TAMALA2010 was started in late-1997 when Onizuka was 13, it was originally going to be a short 2D film but when he kept animate more, Onizuka turned into a full movie. But in mid-1999, Onizuka stopped and working other stuff to make, until the year 2000, when he was making a full 3D town city (which is originally planned for Dead Leaves), he thought that he would love to finish it and puts it in his movie and so the trailer was released in February 25, 2001, and it's finally release in October 19, 2001. And after it's done, lots of people praise while others hated and one of them was K. because he is mad at Onizuka when he animate Tamala kick at a cat cub. Onizuka was happy but disappointed that the ending was nothing, so in January 1, 2002, Onizuka start making the last parts of the movie and ending, and in January 22, 2002 the movie has finally completed.

Synopsis

Onizuka's style was inspired from famous japanese media like Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy, Sanrio's Hello Kitty, and the black and white aesthetic was inspired by 1960's anime and it's 1989 live action film Shinya Tsukamoto's Tetsuo: The Iron Man when he watched it as a young kid. He likes Tezuka's shows and movies despite he has a burning hated of blackface the same way as his father. His friends admit that one of the film's central plot points, about nonsense as a postal service and corporate monopoly, is influenced and adapted from Thomas Pynchon's novel The Crying of Lot 49.[6]

It begins in Meguro City, Tokyo, Neo Earth, a world of corporations and commercialism, where a giant mechanical Colonel Sanders wanders the streets with an axe embedded in its head, loudly advertising the restaurant. Tamala, bored with the city, leaves her home against the wishes of her human mother and flies away in a personal spaceship bound for her birthplace, Orion. Her ship is shot down by the Mysterious Postcat, and lands on the outskirts of Hate City on the Planet Q, a city populated by a contentious mix of cats and dogs. There she meets a male cat, Michelangelo, who becomes her friend. While visiting a museum, Tamala discovers a mural detailing the sacrificial rituals of the ancient Minerva cult religion and the ruins of a statue of a female cat named Tatla. Later, the couple is pursued by Kentauros, a sadistic dog dressed as a motorcycle cop. Kentauros attacks and eats Tamala while Michelangelo abandons her and cowers nearby.

The film then switches focus to a future presentation given on Cat Earth by Professor Nominos, presumably an elderly Michelangelo Nominos, on the secret history of CATTY & Co. He reveals that the company is an offshoot of the Minerva religion, and that Tamala first appeared in the companies advertising in 1869 and has reappeared sporadically over the next 150 years as their mascot on packaging, print, and filmed advertisements. The presentation is interrupted by an attack, presumably by Minerva/Catty & Co. and the room is burned.

Professor Nominos appears to die in the fire but returns in an undead form, floating down Hate City's river in the film's present time. He approaches the present Michelangelo and while his body falls apart he tells him of Tamala's identity as a recurring reincarnation of Tatla whose recurring ritual sacrifice serves the goals and gives power to The Minerva Cult and its corporate and possibly imperial ambitions. As Hate City dissolves into widespread violence between dogs and cats (including the death of Kentauros) Tamala spontaneously revives under a park bench (much to the seated Michelangelo's surprise) and continues without him on her voyage to Orion, accompanied now by the mouse Penelope, a former sex slave of Kentauros. As she leaves we see through product branding, advertising, newspapers, and street conversation that Hate City is now taken over completely by CATTY & Co.

Characters
  • Tamala — A young 15-year old female cat, born in the Orion Constellation on the Odessa star; cute, but uses much foul language. She was genetically engineered in Cat Year 2010 to always remain a year and a half old, in order to be the immortal mascot of the mega-conglomerate CATTY & Co. She is, along with Tatla, the reincarnation of the goddess Minerva, and idol of the Minerva cult. She is voiced by Hisayo Mochizuki
  • Michelangelo — A 19-year old male cat who lives in Hate City on Planet Q. He's Tamala's boyfriend, despite being considerably more mature and cultured than she. His full name is once given as Michelangelo Nominos, which implies that he and Professor Nominos are one and the same. He is voiced by Shinji Takeda.
  • Kentauros — A 31-year old sadistic German Shepherd who dresses as a motorcycle cop. Although extremely violent, he has a fetish for sailor boys and keeps a mouse, Penelope, locked in a cage for his pleasure. He is eventually killed in a cat riot.
  • Professor Nominos — an elderly scholar who has been researching the history of CATTY & Co. and has uncovered the vast conspiracy involving Tamala and the Minerva Cult. When he converses with Michelangelo he implies that they may be the same person and that he, like Tamala, cannot die. Voiced by Takeshi Kato. Originally voiced by Shinya Tsukamoto but was changed due to Shinya though it was unfitting.
  • Tatla — A giant cat robot that lives in another dimension in Meguro City. She is constantly ascending above the city via a huge escalator. She is revealed to be the idol of the Minerva cult, and has a deep connection to Tamala. She is the only character rendered in 3D computer graphics by Onizuka.
  • The Mysterious Postcat — An immortal agent of CATTY & Co. He keeps tabs on Tamala and tries to prevent her from getting to Orion.
  • Penelope — A mouse kept by Kentauros. She eventually escapes her cage and joins Tamala in her journey to Orion.
  • Human Mother — Tamala's human foster mother. She is always depicted nude, playing video games with a giant snake wrapped around her. She is determined to not let Tamala reach Orion.

References
  1. Tatsumi, Takayuki (2006). Full Metal Apache. Duke University Press. p. 19. ISBN 0-8223-3774-6.
  2. "The Advent of TAMALA - Super Idol". Tamala2010.com. Retrieved 2013-08-17.
  3. Lenburg, Jeff (2009). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons (3rd ed.). New York: Checkmark Books. p. 231. ISBN 978-0-8160-6600-1.
  4. "Tamala On Parade Animation [DVD]". Cdjapan.co.jp. Retrieved 2013-08-17.
  5. "Tamala On Parade (DVD) (Japan Version)". YesAsia. Retrieved 2013-08-17.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-05-18. Retrieved 2007-12-01.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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