If nothing else, I can say for certain that Mind Game is a movie that appeals to my love for mindless weird shit. That said, if there's one thing I love more than mindless weird shit, it's when said weirdness acts as something to elevate something rather clever and complex, and that's what I feel like this film does remarkably well. While on the surface a lot of this can come of as wacky, creative surrealism that doesn't contribute to much beyond spectacle (and to be fair, some of it is exactly that), a lot of the imagery in this is also deceptively clever at how it represents its themes. Most notably, the film is about the almost endless possibilities that life brings forth and the way one's own indecision and desire to be overly cautious ends up stopping so many outcomes from happening, no matter how good some of them might seem. The representation of this indecision through scenes and concepts such as the film's ever-changing visual design of God, or how the stagnant, imprisoning nature of the main cast's situation is represented through toning down the more psychedelic, colourful elements that are put on display front and centre for the first act. This thematic cohesion continues with the way displays of self-expression are given far more detail and vibrancy to the colour palette, almost always being the most striking parts of the film to further convey the freeing nature of taking a leap and letting your creativity and motivation run wild.

Of course it's not just the deeper meaning of the film that makes this so amazing to me, it's also the way in which Masaaki Yuasa's visual style is so unbelievably special to the point where it's almost mind blowing. There's a certain appeal to the sheer ugliness put on display for a lot of this, almost like a warped, anime-styled take on the older Klasky Tsupo cartoons, further adding to the bizarre nature of the film while being incredibly distinct. The way this is supported by moments in which the animation quality either drastically increases or decreases, not to mention sometimes just entirely changing style, such as with adding realistic faces on top of crude looking drawings makes this an entertainingly unpredictable viewing experience. No matter how off the rails this gets, I never really find it to be particularly excessive either, with the more out there moments often being short lived and working as an effective means of providing an additional comedic layer to the events more than something that feels tastelessly added as an afterthought just for the sake of being all quirky. It also helps that so many of these sequences just manage to be beautifully artistic, whether it's moments of fluidity as splashes of colour are being thrown in the scenery, or simply briefly becoming something more conventionally appealing looking, just a constant bombardment of juxtaposed absurdity and gorgeousness.

Overall this is the sort of film that has a lot more going on than just what's on the surface, but the best thing about it is the way that even if you ignore all the symbolism, you've still got a genuinely incredible viewing experience that's filled to the brim with unhinged creativity. Some of the 2nd act does drag a bit, I will admit, but there's more than enough time spent on interesting content even during this part that ultimately makes it all a more than worthwhile watch, even with that bit in the middle that can dampen the overall impact. If you're in the mood for something off kilter and all around wild, I'd seriously recommend giving this movie a shot.