This review might contain spoilers. You may proceed if you can handle the truth... https://anilist.co/anime/113337/ViolenceVoyager/ Gekimation is an almost halfcenturyold animation technique which has not found a broad audience and has fallen into obscurity over the years. Albeit its cardboard figures share resemblances with the paper ones of cutout animation the joints of the gekimation puppets are immovable. Another distinction is that their facial expressions stay static within a shot since the animators record the movement of the cardboard figures in realtime. Furthermore the scenery and stage consist of identical material. Because of the lack of still images to create an illusion of motion it is more comparable to a liveaction film than a stopmotion one. Therefore the animation approach can even resort to liquids fire smoke slimes etc. To learn more about gekimation you should consider reading the first two paragraphs of my review of The Burning Buddha Man the directors previous and first featurelength gekimation film. While The Burning Buddha Man was an excellent showcase of the directors acquired experience from his prior short films Ujichas second movie Violence Voyer attempted an international breakthrough. With its white American characters and indirect allusions to classic American films e.g. Jurassic Park The Goonies and The Deadly Spawn it blatantly focuses on one of the largest anime consumers outside of Japan. Consequently it leaves behind the unique Japanese characteristics of his first work except for the body horror which successfully strives for even more repulsive imagery. Although he could attract the attention of more international critics of his works he failed to introduce gekimation to a mainstream audience despite his endeavours to make this film relatable to the Western World. Because of Violence Voyagers higher budget the independent animator could hone the smooth inclusion of fire smoke and liquids. Additionally the paperboard figures and scenery are richer in appearance colour and detail. Another improvement is that its horrifying scenes are more sadistic brutal and bloodstained than its predecessor ones. By creating a convoluted messy and ludicrous story with many twists Ujicha reached a new frontier of grotesqueness. However the slowpaced start and unnecessary plot twists can sometimes make the watching experience tedious. Unlike The Burning Buddha Man the more polished gekimation does not harmonise flawlessly with the absurdity of the plot and countless badwritten characters. Unfortunately he missed again the opportunity to experiment with the dialogue sound effects and score to enhance the folly but they are all decent. In summary Violence Voyager Ujichas nearly solo project convinces with its refined gekimation shocking scenes and repelling body horror. Even though the plot and the characters are mediocre at best the film is worth watching for its exotic animation method. Undoubtedly it is a mustwatch for every serious anime fan looking for an artistic and entertaining movie. While writing the review the film is not on a streaming service but you can purchase a physical copy online.