General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20264 min read

Vexille (ベクシル 2077日本鎖国)

Vexille (ベクシル 2077日本鎖国, Bekushiru 2077 Nihon Sakoku) is a 2007 Japanese 3DCG animated science fiction film directed by Fumihiko Sori, set in a future in which Japan seals itself off from the world with high technology and an American special forces agent infiltrates the isolated country.¹ It was produced by OXYBOT, distributed by Shochiku, and opened in Japanese theaters on August 18, 2007, with a running time of 109 minutes.¹^•²

Key fact	Detail
Original title	ベクシル 2077日本鎖国 (Bekushiru 2077 Nihon Sakoku)¹
Japanese release	August 18, 2007; 109 minutes; distributed by Shochiku¹
Director and writers	Fumihiko Sori, screenplay by Sori and Haruka Handa³
Production	OXYBOT; music by Paul Oakenfold²
Premise	In 2067 Japan withdraws from the United Nations and seals its borders; in 2077 the US special unit SWORD infiltrates the country²
Lead voice cast	Meisa Kuroki (Vexille), Shosuke Tanihara, Yasuko Matsuyuki, Akio Otsuka, Romi Pak²^•⁴
International rollout	World premiere as the opening film of the Locarno International Film Festival, August 1, 2007; sold to 75 territories⁵^•⁶

Spoilers

Story

The film's backstory begins in the early 21st century, when biotechnology, released without unified safety standards, spread worldwide for its life-extending effects, and Japan led the world in robotics and dominated many markets.² When the dangers of these technologies were pointed out, the United Nations established a strict international agreement; Japan objected, left the UN, and carried out complete isolation using its high technology.²^•⁴

Ten years later, in 2077, the American special unit SWORD decides to infiltrate Japan, which has been veiled in secrecy since isolation. Among its members is the female soldier Vexille, wearing a fighter suit, on a mission commanded by her captain Leon. The plan, however, has been detected by the Japanese side in advance.² Inside the country, Vexille witnesses a devastated, transformed Japan.³ The Busan International Film Festival's program notes add that the agents are hunted by an android sent by the giant company DAIWA and, with the help of a group of Japanese, ultimately witness the reality of Japan after ten years of isolation.⁷

Production and director

Fumihiko Sori directed, co-wrote, and edited the film. He worked on the visual effects team for Digital Domain on James Cameron's Titanic (1997), made his directing debut with Ping Pong (2002), which won Best Director at Japan's Academy Awards, and produced Shinji Aramaki's Appleseed (2004), Japan's first full CG animation. Vexille was his second film.⁷ The Busan program notes describe the film as reuniting the production team of Appleseed.⁷

The film used a technique Shochiku's materials call "3D live anime," combining 3D CG with animation to produce live-feeling character movement, and Sori used motion capture.²^•¹ Meisa Kuroki, a screen actress, voiced the heroine in her first voice-acting role.¹

Music

The score was composed by Paul Oakenfold, who has worked on soundtracks for hit Hollywood films, with dance-music artists including Basement Jaxx, M.I.A., and Dead Can Dance contributing tracks.³^•⁸ The soundtrack album VEXILLE-The Soundtrack was released on August 8, 2007, through Beggars Japan/Warner Music Japan.⁸

Release and reception

Vexille premiered as the opening film of the Locarno International Film Festival on August 1, 2007, and had already been sold to 75 territories, including the United States, where Funimation, then a Navarre Corp subsidiary, planned a 2008 release.⁵^•⁶ The $10 million CGI feature opened in limited US theaters on February 14, 2008, through The Bigger Picture, with a runtime listed there as 1 hour 49 minutes.⁶^•⁹

Critical response was mixed. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 65% Tomatometer score from four reviews.⁹ Reviewers frequently praised the visuals while criticizing the story. The Japan Times reviewer Mark Schilling called the animation a groundbreaking mix of 2-D and 3-D with dazzling action sequences, but noted that boundary-pushing anime of the Appleseed sort had been slow to break into the Japanese theatrical mainstream.¹⁰ The Independent's Anthony Quinn called the animation breathtaking but the film another story about America keeping the world safe.¹¹ Electric Sheep's review described the film as combining manga and anime conventions, such as soldiers in mecha suits and androids debating the nature of humanity, with familiar imagery like giant sand worms, and judged that it aimed to compete with live-action blockbusters but relied on regurgitated clichés.¹²

Themes and style

According to the Busan program notes, the film is a dystopian vision of a world unmasking the illusion of progress and contentment produced by scientific and technological advancement, and it blends that theme with a mystery plot and sweeping large-scale imagery.⁷ Japanese promotional material likewise emphasizes the combination of relentless action and a story about people living under a sad fate in a strange world, rendered with 3D CG showing mechanical robots in motion, lifelike character expressions, and unfamiliar wilderness landscapes.⁸

References

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Animated and short films › Japanese anime features › Released 1999 to 2013

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

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