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Genius Party is an anthology film of seven short animated movies. Studio 4°C planned to release this picture and its sequel, Genius Party Beyond, as one movie. Albeit all directors finished their work in time, the studio decided to segment it because of the more than three hours runtime.

Atsuko Fukushima directed the first episode, Genius Party. Her notable work as an animator includes movies like Akira, Kiki's Delivery Service, In This Corner of the World etc. Nevertheless, she would borrow the abstract style for her second directorial endeavour from the first segment of the anthology Neo Tokyo. Along with good CGI and a superb score, the dialogue-free short is an excellent introduction.

After her effort, Shouji Kawamori's film, Shanghai Dragon, follows, who is well-known for his work on the Macross franchise. The story is a homage to animators responsible for bringing life to their drawings. The dull action and chase scenes hurt the telling of his message significantly because they make up most of the runtime. Compared to the previous animation, the CGI is occasionally inferior, and the score is decent.

Another complete CGI picture is Deathtic 4, directed by Shinji Kimura. He is best known for his work as an art director on Children of the Sea and Tekkonkinkreet. Inspired by his art style in the manga Hipira, he designs a dingy, mysterious world and uncanny, engaging characters. The plot is simplistic and leaves some questions unanswered, but it is fascinating and lovely. The score fits the short, and the animation looks great despite its age.

The fourth movie, Doorbell, is the directorial debut of Youji Fukuyama. Compared to the other flicks in the anthology, almost all scenes are hand-drawn. Albeit it is a welcome change, the visuals are neither original nor exotic. The plot is a compelling concept, but it fails to deliver any meaningful message because of its unsatisfying and erupting conclusion. Same as the previous film, the score is solid.

Undoubtedly, the most visually impressive movie is Limit Cycle, directed by Hideki Futamura. He is famous for his efforts as an animator for pictures like Akira, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, Perfect Blue etc. His approach to cyberpunk aesthetics is unique, and the various mysterious symbols are intriguing. Along with the entire runtime of the short is a convoluted and dull monologue. Despite the endeavour to sound profound or significant, the monologue is incohesive and covers too many philosophical topics. The score is neither distracting nor astounding.

Following the experimental direction of the first movie, the penultimate short, Happy Machine, has an imaginative world. The director Masaaki Yuasa, best known for his TV series The Tatami Galaxy, used a similar art style to his directorial debut Mind Game. Like in Mind Game, the viewer follows the protagonist on a bizarre but exciting journey. However, the adventure takes place on an alien planet with different physical laws. The score accompanies the film well.

Last but not least, the final short, Baby Blue, is the work of Shinichirou Watanabe, famous for the TV series Cowboy Bebop. In this collection of unconventional pictures, the ordinary animation and typical bittersweet love story feel out of place. The mediocre but engaging plot shares many themes with 5 Centimeters per Second released prior. In contrast to Makoto Shinkai's movie, Baby Blue cannot reach the viewer emotionally. Despite the unoriginal art style, the visuals look appealing, and the score is not memorable.

To sum up, Genius Party is a decent collection of creative shorts by famous and upcoming directors. As with other anthology films, the quality of all episodes is inconsistent. However, the film has at least three pictures worth your precious time.