A short horror special based on
the work of Shungicu Uchida, this
production by Kyoto Animation is
sadly too short to easily distribute outside of digital streaming or purchase,
which is a shame as making this widely available to non-Japanese anime fans
would lead to a lot of people embracing this production, in its thirty minute
form, to their hearts with what it has, a sumptuous little horror anthology
based on gender peer pressure. About three girls in three tales, the stories
are based around the titular one piece dress, a thing of horror in elegance
whose existence also comes with themes of gender stereotypes.

Shungicu Uchida herself is distinct, someone I had known in the
least expected way but emphasising her as a provocative creator, as she plays
the mother in Takashi Miike's Visitor Q (2001), an infamous film even
in the career of an infamous cult director like Miike's. A controversial film, it is like a retelling of Pier Paolo Pasolini's Theorem (1968), in which a man (Terrence Stamp in the Italian film)
seduced the men and the women of a family, even the maid, taking a seemingly
steady middle class/upper class family and breaking their facade. Visitor Q was about an already broken
family, a male stranger named Q coming into their lives, and bringing them
together as a happy family even if it involved murder and necrophilia among the
many taboos broken onscreen. A satire, Uchida's
role as the mother was a brave one, as alongside baring her body in nude
scenes, one of the taboos broken, even though it is a natural part of the human
body, was lactation, taken to its extreme with the kitchen floor covered in
breast milk in the film's exaggerated and extreme humour. Hers was a good
performance, and it is delightful to realise this, one of my few encounters
with her creativity, was to someone whose career as an author/manga
artist/singer/essayist/actor was openly confrontational even when it came to
her semi-autobiography Father Fucker,
or how one of her works was adapted into a genre film, Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl (2009).

This adaptation, for its luscious
style, is a series of simple horror tales with twists, trademark for the genre,
which however are all connected by peer pressure and expectations of teen girls
to look feminine, the dress (brought by ghosts of malicious intent to their
door steps barring one) an elegant gown of prettiness. Yuuko's tale is entirely
that, wishing to be pretty to attract a boy, a monkey's paw scenario as to
attract him, her clothes her mother buy looking inferior especially next to the
popular girl they are going to the birthday party of, who is able to look ultra
stylish and has an eye on him too. Immediately as well, you see, as this TV
special has been preserved and made available in higher definition, how
beautiful it is to look at. Sumptuous to look at, Kyoto (with Shin-Ei Animation)
is well regarded for shows like The
Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006), but this is a surprise in their early
career for experimentation. It offers an interesting contrast in the catalogue
of anime horror too as because, whilst the stories have horror beats, the
horror twists here are mostly in pure day light in homes and quaint locations,
between teen bedrooms to outside in the day, presenting a significant contrast.
Depicted in mostly bright colours and with distinct character designs, what was
originally a shoujo story for young women shows horror contrasted by how
gorgeous the visuals are, even if, with little time here to elaborate, the
visuals will get to the goods when it comes to the horror itself, such as the
dress being cursed and turning one briefly into a possessed demon.

Kaori, the next victim, is
brought the dress by the young brother of family, finding herself waking up
wearing the dress constantly as a living nightmare, literally becoming a skin
as a costume of elegance can for people. All of this is in mind the show can
have scenes drawn like pastels, or with distinct use of space, for simplifying
the image to only what needs to be drawn to the viewer's attention even if
outlines, to get the point across perfectly, a visual style which is distinct
and also precise for very simple tales, making them work far more in the little
time they are afforded. When it wishes to be more detailed, the production
does, and even ends this second one on a face of madness manga author Junji Ito would be proud of. Michiyo's
tale, sad to know a boy she knew has transferred schools, emphasises gender
stereotyping as she internalises guilt of never being able to comment fully to
him, with emphasis as a teenager who is a tall tomboy, not good at sports and
even teased by her own mother for not fitting the ideas of being ladylike at
all. Hers is a radio drama twist waiting to happen, involving ghosts, but
together with the other two shorts, Noroi No One Piece is a compelling
production which took me by surprise. Tragically, it comes with the knowledge
that Kyoto Animation's history
includes the July 2019 arson attack that took place to their studio, one which
took the life of this production's director Yoshiji
Kigami among others, an attack which thankfully has not undercut their
legacy in producing titles but was a tragedy no one would want and took the
likes of Kigami who were visibly
creative as here. One Piece itself
was one title I had no knowledge of even in terms of horror anime's more
obscure productions, as it was not an OVA either, and it did floor me without
any expectations. If you can find it, it is recommended, and more voices
becoming aware of this could like make the title properly appreciated.