A girl waters a radish. That's it. That's the entire plot, and Gainax makes it the most relentless five minutes of pure spectacle ever animated. The action never stops, the music never lets up, and every frame proves that animation itself can be the story, no dialogue, no character development needed. Watch this once to understand where modern anime's visual ambition comes from. Watch it again because the Electric Light Orchestra never stops playing and neither does your adrenaline.
A young girl is visited by the Science Patrol, whose aircraft lands near her. A masked figure steps out and hands her a cup of water with one simple job: water a radish. She eagerly takes on the task, but the way is blocked by demons, giant robots, starfighters and wave after wave of monsters. The short film is a sci-fi action piece set to music, and its question is simple: can she keep the cup safe and reach the radish in one piece?
