Avalon
In a future world, young people are increasingly becoming addicted to an illegal (and potentially deadly) battle simulation game called Avalon. When Ash, a star player, hears of rumors that a more advanced level of the game exists somewhere, she gives up her loner ways and joins a gang of explorers. Even if she finds the gateway to the next level, will she ever be able to come back to reality?
Working with a modest budget of $8.0M, the film achieved a respectable showing with $8.8M in global revenue (+10% profit margin).
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Avalon (2001) reveals precise narrative design, characteristic of Mamoru Oshii's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 47 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.6, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Ash
Murphy
Stunner
The Game Master
Main Cast & Characters
Ash
Played by Malgorzata Foremniak
A skilled solo player in the virtual reality war game Avalon, searching for the mythical Special A level.
Murphy
Played by Jerzy Gudejko
Ash's former team leader who reached Class Real and now exists in a catatonic state in the real world.
Stunner
Played by Dariusz Biskupski
Ash's former teammate and skilled warrior who provides information about the hidden level.
The Game Master
Played by Wladyslaw Kowalski
The mysterious administrator of Avalon who appears in the Special A level offering Ash a final choice.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Ash plays the illegal VR game Avalon alone, methodically completing a combat mission. Her sepia-toned world establishes her as a skilled but isolated warrior grinding through virtual battles.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Ash learns that her former teammate Stunner has become Unreturned after attempting to reach a hidden level called "Class Real." His catatonic body in the hospital haunts her—the game has claimed someone she knew.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 27 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Ash commits to finding Class Real, agreeing to team up again to hunt the elusive "Ghost" that serves as the gateway. She chooses obsession over safety, crossing from casual player to seeker of forbidden knowledge., moving from reaction to action.
At 54 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat Ash successfully encounters and follows the Ghost, triggering a portal. She glimpses Class Real for the first time—a world rendered in vivid color unlike Avalon's sepia. False victory: she believes she's found the answer., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 80 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Ash returns home to find her beloved basset hound has disappeared—the one anchor to her physical reality is gone. This death of her emotional connection to the real world represents the cost of her obsession., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 86 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Ash receives final instructions on how to enter Class Real permanently. She chooses to go alone, accepting that she may never return. Her synthesis: if reality is meaningless, she'll create meaning in the game., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Avalon's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Avalon against these established plot points, we can identify how Mamoru Oshii utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Avalon within the action genre.
Mamoru Oshii's Structural Approach
Among the 3 Mamoru Oshii films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.7, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Avalon takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Mamoru Oshii filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional action films include The Bad Guys, Puss in Boots and Venom: The Last Dance. For more Mamoru Oshii analyses, see Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Ash plays the illegal VR game Avalon alone, methodically completing a combat mission. Her sepia-toned world establishes her as a skilled but isolated warrior grinding through virtual battles.
Theme
A terminal operator states that players who go too deep into Avalon become "Unreturned"—trapped in catatonic states. This warns that pursuing virtual transcendence may cost one's grip on reality.
Worldbuilding
The bleak post-industrial reality is established: Ash lives in a dingy apartment, feeds her basset hound, and earns money through Avalon. We learn she was once part of an elite party called Wizard before it disbanded.
Disruption
Ash learns that her former teammate Stunner has become Unreturned after attempting to reach a hidden level called "Class Real." His catatonic body in the hospital haunts her—the game has claimed someone she knew.
Resistance
Ash investigates rumors of Class Real, visiting the Game Master and reconnecting with former Wizard members. She debates whether pursuing the secret level is worth the risk of becoming Unreturned herself.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Ash commits to finding Class Real, agreeing to team up again to hunt the elusive "Ghost" that serves as the gateway. She chooses obsession over safety, crossing from casual player to seeker of forbidden knowledge.
Mirror World
The Ghost—a spectral young girl—appears during a mission. She represents what Ash seeks: transcendence beyond the normal game. The Ghost embodies the thematic question of whether reality can be found inside illusion.
Premise
Ash and her reformed party engage in elaborate tactical missions hunting the Ghost. The visceral VR combat—tank battles, helicopter assaults, ruined cityscapes—delivers the cyberpunk action promised by the premise.
Midpoint
Ash successfully encounters and follows the Ghost, triggering a portal. She glimpses Class Real for the first time—a world rendered in vivid color unlike Avalon's sepia. False victory: she believes she's found the answer.
Opposition
Ash struggles to return to Class Real alone. Her teammates refuse to follow, fearing the Unreturned fate. She becomes increasingly obsessed, her real life deteriorating as she neglects her dog and isolates herself further.
Collapse
Ash returns home to find her beloved basset hound has disappeared—the one anchor to her physical reality is gone. This death of her emotional connection to the real world represents the cost of her obsession.
Crisis
Ash confronts the void in her life. Without her dog, without her team, she has nothing left in the sepia world. She must decide: retreat to safety or risk everything for Class Real.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Ash receives final instructions on how to enter Class Real permanently. She chooses to go alone, accepting that she may never return. Her synthesis: if reality is meaningless, she'll create meaning in the game.
Synthesis
Ash enters Class Real—a vibrant, color-saturated world resembling an idealized European city. She must find and defeat Murphy, the final boss. The mission plays like reality, with Ash unsure if this is game or truth.
Transformation
Ash confronts Murphy and pulls the trigger. The screen cuts to white with the words "Welcome to Avalon." She has transcended—or been consumed. The ambiguous ending mirrors the opening but in full color: transformed, yet trapped.