There is nothing poetic about Samurai Cyborgs and Outrageous Babes, as the upcoming UCLA Film and Television Archive’s Japanese animation festival is called. Incorporating elements of hyper-kineticism, fighting-female fetishism, samurai kamikazism and absurdist humor, these animated works are based in a post-apocalyptic aesthetic that is creatively masterful.

The final installment of a five-part animation series (the first of which is a series of children’s animation called “Magical Boys and Girls”—innocently shy in comparison), Samurai Cyborgs and Outrageous Babes brings us to an important realization in cinematic evolution—that science fiction and mystic philosophy are inextricably linked.

In these animated features, we find that the samurai ethic envisioned in a futuristic Japan is far from residual—nobility and loyalty remain in high esteem. Even the mercurial samurai temperament is intact, as feelings of revenge and saving face often co-exist in the same character.

Still, each title in this festival is unique, as audiences are treated to a wide variety of high-octane adult animation—from the classic sci-fi epic Mobile Suit Gundam to the recent hit Ghost In A Shell, from the experimental short Speed to the puppet anime The Demon.

Among the highlights of the festival is a sneak preview on opening night (May 8, 7:30 p.m.) of Hiroyuki Okiura’s Jin-Roh (1998, 98 minutes), which comes fresh of its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. Interestingly, the film is set in the past—10 years after World War II—though its storyline about armored police and guerrilla warfare is decidedly sci-fi. First-time director Okiura, animation director for some of the most popular animated features ever (Akira and Ghost In A Shell), will make an appearance in conjunction with the screening.

On May 9 at 7 p.m., the festival pays tribute to Osamu Tezuku, creator of Astro Boy, with five works he has directed, written or produced.

Jumping (1984, 7 minutes) takes a humorous perspective on someone jumping into an atomic bomb blast. Tales Of The Street Corner (1962, 38 minutes), inspired by the Russian Constructivist posters of the 1920s, is the first winner of the Ofuji Prize, established to recognize animation art. In Tezuku’s homage to silent films. Broken-Down Film (1985, 6 minutes) features film frames deliberately stained, scratched and damaged to create an archaic appearance. Pictures At An Exhibition (1966, 39 minutes), set to music by Mussorgsky, is a fantastic experiment in mood and rhythm. Black Jack (1996, 93 minutes) is the fantasy-horror story of an unlicensed surgeon who is a genius with the surgical blade.

On May 13 (7:30 p.m.), the festival screens three movies based on folk tales and ghost stories. Tadanari Okamoto ‘s Ofuji Prize-winner Praise Be To Small Ills (1973, 18 minutes) manipulates puppets in front of painted cedar blocks to create the effects of traditional tablets used in Japanese shrines. Kihachiro Kawamoto’s The Demon (1972, 8 minutes), another Ofuji Prize-winner, blends kabuki and noh theater with an 11-century ghost story. Toshihiro Hirano’s Vampire Princess Miyu, episodes 1-2 (1988, 50 minutes) tell the story of a girl vampire who protects and preys on humans.

In returning to its series focus, the festival screens three mainstays of the mecha genres on May 20 (7:30 p.m.). Episode 5 of Gigantor (1965, 25 minutes), the TV series that spawned the giant robot sub-genre, combines simple animation with Cold War espionage. Gigantor producer Fred Ladd is scheduled to appear at the screening. Yasuhiro Imagawa’s retro-style Giant Robo, Episode 1 (1992, 50 minutes), pays tribute to Gigantor. Yohiyuki Tomino’s Mobile Suit Gundam (1981, 148 minutes), among the most popular in anime history, is as much an emotional ride as it is an all-out sci-fi battle.

The festival also brings newer animation to its audience on May 22 (7:30 p.m.), including the North American premiere of Mahiro Maeda’s Blue Submarine No. 6, Episode 1 (1998, 30 minutes), which depicts a futuristic “waterworld.” Also making its North American premiere is Yoshiyuke Takei’s Cowboy Bebop, Episodes 1 and 3 (1998, 50 minutes), set in the distant future full of bounty hunters and lawlessness, creates a Wild West landscape in space. Among the most imaginative works in the festival are episodes 1-2 of Kazuki Akane’s Vision of Escaflowne (1996, 50 minutes). Both masterfully fuses sci-fi with sorcery a feudal tale of samurai, dragons and robots.

On May 23 (2 p.m.), the festival screens Katsuhiko Nishijima’s Project A-Ko (1986, 86 minutes), an entertaining slapstick comedy about revenge—between two lesbian schoolgirls with superpowers who are fighting over the love of a blonde crybaby. Episodes 1-2 of Tsutomu Shibayama’s TV series, Ranma (1994, 50 minutes), tell the story of a father and her kung-fu-fighting daughters.

More recent animation fusing tradition with futurism will screen on May 29 (7:30 p.m.), including the Masami Shimoda’s Saber Marionette J, Episodes 1 and 26 (1996, 50 minutes). Combining a cyberpunk attitude and period costumes, Saber Marionette J is an entertaining and touching series about a planet of men that is protected by female androids. Also screening is Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost In A Shell (1995, 82 minutes), the acclaimed feature about cyborgs, hacking and virtual intelligence.

Samurai Cyborgs and Outrageous Babes closes June 1 at 7:30 p.m. with several shorts and Taiji Yabushita’s two-part documentary, The History of Japanese Animation (1970, 1972; 70 minutes). The shorts to be screened are Kon Ichikawa’s The Hare Gets Revenge Over the Raccoon (1936, 6 minutes); Noburo Ofuji’s Whale (1953, 10 minutes); Tadanari Okamoto’s The Well-Ordered Restaurant (1991, 19 minutes); Yoji Kuri’s Love (1963, 5 minutes) and Au Fou! (1967, 10 minutes); Kihachiro Kawamoto’s House Of Flame (1979, 19 minutes) and Taku Furukawa’s Speed (1980, 6 minutes).

All films are to be screened at the James Bridge Theater, Melnitz Hall, UCLA, near Sunset Boulevard and Hilgard Avenue. Tickets are $6 general, $4 for students and seniors. For more information, call 310-206-FILM or visit the archive Web site at http://www.cinema.ucla.edu.