Redline Anime Review

Details

Written by suske

Redline
Directed by Takeshi Koike
Story by Katsuhito Ishii
Studio MadHouse

Seven years is a unheard of development cycle in modern animation. Coming in late and over budget, Redline is a product of the fertile imaginations of Takeshi Koike and Katsuhito Ishii. The plot is quite simple really. J.T. is a racer pulled into the most famous and dangerous race in the galaxy - The Redline. That's it. But thats all you need when you bring this kind of talent to the big screen. Redline forgoes CGI in favor of hand drawn cells.... doing things the traditional way takes time... and it is apparent in Redline that it was a labor of love.

The use of black outlines and shadows not just on the backgrounds but the characters themselves mixed with a vibrant color palette really give the viewer a feeling that you're reading a comic book whose pages are turned by Koike's fertile imagination.

Redline is action packed. To the point that you cant catch it all in one viewing. The work done on the backgrounds is staggering as well considering the film boasts a horde of strange aliens large enough to rival any science fiction movie.that coupled with the insane technology of roboworld provide a very strange backdrop for the explosive racing action. A cast of very unique racers keeps the story flowing nicely. In fact J.T. And Sonoshee are nearly the only normal humans in the movie.

The great sound effects are matched with a driving musical score and help to pull you into the story. Small but important details like sound effects and score contribute to the overall movie experience and if you think about it - all of the best movies you can remember, they paid attention to those details.

The way to seperate good animation from bad cartoons is simple really. Good animation weather campy like fooly cooly or more dramatic like GITS draws in the viewer to the point they forget they're watching animation at all. Redline pulls one into the story and leaves you on the edge of your seat. Lavish artwork and non stop action make Redline a definate must see anime.

The animation industry has changed over the years. It's become watered down for the masses. Companies look towards proffit and marketability. In this climate Redline is a breath of fresh air. Madhouse studios always seems to have had their own agenda when it comes to the animation business though. They have struggled at times it seems with the t.v. Show medium and on again off again financial problems... but when it is time for animation for the sake of animation....nobody can bring it quite like they can.

Takeshi Koike has with Redline carved out a spot for himself and his film along side the other legends of animation like Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira and Yoshiaki Kawajiri's Ninja Scroll. Because these three films are the yard stick by which all future animated movies are judged.