Heart String Marionette is an independent feature-length animated film by professional weirdo and self-proclaimed uberector M dot Strange. This is his second feature-length movie, the first one being We Are the Strange. Released on June 16, 2012, you are able to get the high quality film as a $5 download or get the lower resolution try before you buy version here.
The plot:
A tale about a kid, a samurai mime, and a stripper who all try to defeat a warlord and an evil clown who have successfully turned a countryside into a never-ending nightmare filled with horrible monsters.
When you died inside... the last tears your inner child cried... Heart String Marionette is a 121 minute narrative death poem dedicated to the DEATH and systematic destruction of innocence, art and life in modern society.
An animated cinemusical experience unlike any the world has ever Experienced….
M dot Strange and Endika present the HEART STRING MARIONETTE.
You will die... inside.
This Work Contains Examples Of
- Adventure Duo: Samhaine Tsuke and Siouxsie Silen.
- All Men Are Perverts: At least that's what Siouxsie believes.
- All Myths Are True: The townspeople do not believe that monsters and marionettes actually exist.
- The Blank: Samhaine Tsuke.
- By the Power of Grayskull!:Samhaine Tsuke: "The death grip of love's embrace, stirs this blade awake".
- The Chosen One: Samhaine Tsuke.
- Constructed World: In this constructed world everyone is a puppet with a mask on. They wear these masks in fear of having their souls taken away when the Devil sees your face. When your soul gets taken away, you turn into a mannequin. Marionettes are mythical creatures that hold to a 'higher power' and are the only ones strong enough to fight the monsters. When someone gets killed, they explode in many red, waving lines that shoot out of the body.
- Creepy Crosses: Tons of crosses litter the town run by The Body's cult.
- Cryptic Conversation: One of Samhaine Tsuke character traits.River Girl: "Ummm... you're weird, Mister!"
- Crucified Hero Shot: It's the ending shot of the film.
- Cult: Siouxie apparently comes from a town run by one. The cult in turn is run by a Humanoid Abomination called "The Body".
- Diagonal Cut: A lot of the people and monsters Samhaine fights end up with this fate.
- Expressive Mask: Samhaine's mask is unique in that it takes on different expressions, and later distorts when he speaks.
- Flat "What":Samhaine Tsuke: "I... am but a mask without a face, a monster that was never really... a man..."*beat*Cerealis: "What... What does that mean?"
- Hammerspace: Samhaine Tsuke stores his sword inside his heart.
- Hired Guns:Siouxsie Silen: "I'm looking for the Prince of Marionettes. I need to hire him to kill a monster."
- Hollywood Heart Attack: Played for laughs.
- I Shall Taunt You:Samhaine Tsuke: "You can call me; your last words!"
- Katanas Are Just Better: Samhaine wields one that he yanks out of his chest. It also literally sings.
- Life Drinker: Lord Wor.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: Lord Wor is revealed to be Samhaine's father. And also the Clown.
- The Man Behind the Monsters: Lord Wor.
- Mr. Exposition: Two kids are fishing at the river. When one of them tries to take off his mask, the other one remarks:River Girl 1: "If you take it off right here, The Devil will see your face and steal your soul! Didn't your parents teach you anything!?"
- Immediately subverted:
River Girl 2: "My parents are over there." *cuts to the two mannequins at the other side of the river* "They never take their mask off, but that still happened to them. Did The Devil take their souls away?". - Miss Swears-a-Lot: Siouxsie Silen has quite the foul mouth.
- One-Man Army: Samhaine is able to cut through literal armies of grunts with ease. And he later takes on Lord Wor's entire militia.
- Our Souls Are Different: When you die, black marionettes with white faces will try to catch your soul with their strings. When they do they will turn you into one of them. Now with the official link to this scene!
- The Peeping Tom: Tatsuya.
- Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: Tons of them.
- Prehensile Hair: Siouxsie Silen's hair seems to have a life on their own. They slip into the Expressive Hair category sometimes.
- The Prophecy: A play called The Silent Form written by Samhaine Tsuke himself.
- Puppeteer Parasite: The Devil requires a new vesicle.
- Samurai: Samhaine and Tatsuya both have design cues that are heavily reminiscent of samurai, though Tatsuya fits the actual role better as a member of Lord Wor's militia.
- Single-Stroke Battle: A lot of Samhaine's fights are this. This includes the final battle.
- Sword Fight: Samhaine crosses swords with a lot of opponents. They usually are single-stroke affairs with him coming out on top.