As impressive as the city of tomorrow
Remarkable animated achievement a testament to the Godfather of Anime
metropolis
Starring Yuka Imoto, Kei Kobayahi and Kohki Okada
Directed by Rintaro
Opens Friday, March 1
Check listings
Prepare yourself. A magnificent animated spectacle awaits.
Metropolis has a production team that will enlarge the eyes of any anime fan. It’s directed by Rintaro (X, Galaxy Express 999, Harmageddon), written by Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira, Roujin Z, Perfect Blue) and, of course, is based on the original manga by the Godfather of Anime himself, Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy, Black Jack, Kimba the White Lion).
The latter is possibly the most influential illustrator/animator of all time – by the middle of the 20th century, almost all Japanese animators had adopted Tezuka’s trademark "big eyed" style out of respect for the master. Tezuka died in 1989, leaving a legacy of unforgettable anime and manga, including the original comic Metropolis, written in the 1940s.
It should be pointed out that this Metropolis is not a remake of the classic 1926 silent film that shares its name. However, Tezuka does pay homage to Fritz Lang’s classic, and the two films have many details in common: robots, duplicitous politicians, workers on the brink of revolution, and, of course, the spectacular retro-futuristic grandeur of the metropolis itself. The computer-generated backgrounds are amazing – magnificently detailed images of a sprawling city that suggest both the future and the past simultaneously. It’s like Brazil, only more so.
There’s so much background detail that at times you’ll be forced to decide between reading the subtitles and staring at the pretty pictures. This is clearly a film that should be viewed more than once.
The character design stays true to Tezuka’s original manga – the effect is like seeing characters from Astro Boy running around in the urban cityscapes of Ghost in the Shell. It’s unsettling at first, but we quickly warm to the likable characters, who are flawlessly animated.
The soundtrack will surprise those who expect standard anime j-pop. In keeping with the art deco architecture, the tunes are made up of old blues and ragtime numbers. The only incongruous note comes during the climax, when the country and western ballad "I Can’t Stop Loving You" suddenly blares out from nowhere.
The story: Fugitive scientist Dr. Laughton is constructing a highly advanced android for Duke Red, a megalomaniacal industrialist who has big plans for the future of Metropolis. On the eve of the project’s completion, Laughton’s lab is destroyed by Rock, Duke Red’s adopted son. Rock is a violent, unpredictable young man driven to acts of desperation by his father’s inability to love or accept him.
Laughton dies in the fire, but his creation is rescued by Kenichi, the young assistant to the detective sent to arrest Laughton. The android, Tima, doesn’t realize that she’s a robot, and forms a strong emotional bond with the equally unsuspecting Kenichi. Tima and Kenichi are then relentlessly pursued by both Rock, who wants to kill them, and Duke Red himself, whose plans for the robot are more dangerous than anything anybody suspected....
Breathtaking. Simply breathtaking. |
