Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on November 2010

©2010 石井克人・GASTONIA・マッドハウス / REDLINE委員会

Brought to you by the cutting-edge anime production company Madhouse (Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika), Redline has generated significant buzz thanks to its all-star cast (Takuya Kimura, Yu Aoi, Tadanobu Asano). It’s also become a favorite of anime fans abroad as representative of the next generation of Japanese animation. The blockbuster combines the talent of several filmmakers, including Takeshi Koike (of the Animatrix anthology), who is helming his first feature, and Katsuhito Ishii (Sharkskin Man and Peach Hip Girl), who designed the characters and wrote the script. The result is like Speed Racer on crystal meth—loud, furious and frenetic, with sleek, angular visuals that don’t shy away from the grotesque. It’s populated by characters human, animal and alien; the lead is an ex-con auto racer named JP (Kimura), who looks like he should be dancing to ’50s music in Yoyogi Park. The Redline of the title is a race on the planet of Roboworld that’s so outlawed the participants face summary execution just for competing. This is a must-see for anime enthusiasts. (110 min)