Redline

In spite of the praise that has been heaped upon Redline, I was not actually expecting it to be that good. The movie's over stylized and exaggerated characters brought Yoshiaki Kawajiri (incidentally a mentor of sorts for the movie's director, Takeshi Koike) immediately to mind, and I have never appreciated Kawajirisan's work. Within 20 minutes of starting to watch Redline, though, all of my reservations were blown away. The movie, which seems to be at least partially based on Kawajiri's similar Running Man segment from Neo Tokyo, follows a car racer named "Sweet JP" as he competes in two large races, the Yellowline and then the Redline. The Redline race happens to be held on a planet that doesn't want it to be, so the Redline racers have to dodge not only each other's artillery, but also that of the entire planet's military. While the characters are mostly light on meaningful personality, and the story is little more complex than "he's in these two races", the movie turns out to be a flashy action ride that should not be missed. While on the hostile planet for the Redline race, the story does take an Akira-style turn for the bizarre, but with all the other weird and crazy things assaulting your senses throughout the movie, it doesn't seem as out of place as it otherwise might. Do yourself a favor and catch Redline on Bluray some evening and enjoy a ride that you won't soon forget.

Redline supposedly took 7 years and ~100,000 individual drawings to create, all hand-drawn, limited computer work, and it shows. It is without a doubt, the absolute no holds barred best visual achievement in 2-D animation ever, you could make a poster out of pretty much every individual frame of this movie. Aside from all that, it's a pretty standard plot about an underdog racer getting to compete in a big race, if you seen any movie like this you can probably guess every single thing that goes on in Redline. But it's the journey rather then the story that really gets you, Redline had memorable and likable characters, a gorgeous and original design, am amazing soundtrack and jaw-dropping racing, go see this if you haven't already.

Redline is one of those movies that is absolutely popping with adolescent joy, from the sleekly-animated racing sequences to the ridiculous bravado of the characters. It's a bold debut for director Takeshi Koike, and what really amazes is that it manages to be an epic story that at the same time seems to be only a sliver of a crazy and exciting universe. You get the feeling that any of the other racers, some of whom only get a sliver of screen time, could easily support their own movie, and that kind of overflowing exuberance is hard not to buy into. The only other media that comes to mind as capturing this sensation is the anime series Giant Robo, which seems like a clear precedent here.

Plot-wise, there isn't much going on, with the story a serviceable vehicle to get from one action sequence to another. It does, however, manage to use common tropes in a way that feels mythic and not derivative. Redline really only does one thing -- epic action -- and those looking for anything else will probably be disappointed. But man, does it succeed on that front.

This review would be incomplete without mentioning the amazing music, an eclectic group of tunes that completes the adrenaline rush. Hell, every character gets their own theme song. How cool is that? (My favourite is Machine Head's.) And, in the end, that's what Redline ultimately wants to leave you thinking: "How cool is that?"

Redline is an anime movie directed by Takeshi Koike and written by Katsuhito Ishii. Originally Redline is a spin off anime of Trava: Fist Planet (2003) and although the characters from Trava: Fist Planet are in it briefly, this is a story that conceptually was developed from Trava: Fist Planet into a full length movie.

Redline itself is a story about a race driver JP who is in driving under influence of some Yakuza/Mafia types. Although, JP is an excellent and exciting driver he just does what he's told. When he finds out he qualified for The Redline competition he's up and about and this time ready to race the way he wants no matter the consequences. However, the Redline race is unlike any other race and is hosted in a hostile war-like environment that can get you killed just for participating. Prior to the Redline race JP meets female driver Sonoshee. Though they do hit it off right away, they slowly come to realize they have met before.

Redline takes you on an exciting ride that is visually stunning filled with hilarious animated characters. In the whole movie there is just one scene with some brief nudity but nothing that is shown in a sexual or perverted context. Personally, I would have liked them to have followed Trava's quest and competition in the Fist Planet Competition and maybe once again have a run in with Princess Mikuru, or even just have seen more of them in Redline which you do not see a whole lot of. Still Redline in itself is a cool anime movie and stands out by itself.

You do not have to see Trava: Fist Planet before watching Redline, but it wouldn't hurt to see it. I do recommend Trava: Fist Planet if you're into funny action packed anime with some nice trippy undertones and cool looking visuals. Redline is awesome! Check it out!

Those comparisons actually aren't mine. I saw "Redline" courtesy of the Toronto After Dark Film Festival and the presenter used those comparisons. A video presentation was also shown of writer Katsuhito Ishii when he was in the city not too long ago. If he attended the screening and did a Q&A, I bet there would've been a question on drug use for coming up with the story or making the film. It's f**king crazy and bizarre. It's also f**king well-made.

What's it about? My story depiction probably won't exactly tell you the madness you'll be getting into, unfortunately. You'd really have to see it for yourself. Anyway, it's an anime set in a futuristic universe involving people and anthropomorphic creatures racing in vehicles on different planets. I can't really describe any of the anthropomorphic creatures in the film. Maybe some are aliens and some are animals or animal-like? Those are my best guesses. Our protagonist is JP, a male racer with funky-looking hair who tends to be laid-back when he's not racing. After losing a race called the Yellowline, a precursor to the famous no holds barred Redline, it seems like it's over for him. However, he qualifies for the Redline, anyway, which is being held on a planet where its government violently opposes the race. I can hear "The Imperial March" playing in my head when it comes to them. JP, being the daredevil that he is, participates in the big race that's the final scene for the film. Yeah, it's a cliché, but it feels minor to me, especially for this particular film. Added to the story is a nice relationship with JP and Sonoshee, a female racer.

"Redline" was in the works for seven years, as I've recently learned. Wow. I, for one, certainly don't think those years went to waste. The heavily detailed animation is sweet eye candy. Unlike the live action "Speed Racer" film, "Redline" was never overwhelming to look at. In fact, because I had to read its English subtitles, I wish I could've understood Japanese so I could've focused more on the animation. I admittedly had some trouble following the film. There's so much going on and sometimes the subtitles went too fast for me to read. There were a few times where audience members were laughing and I didn't get what was funny. Nonetheless, I did laugh with the audience at times, like when one of the racers on TV is talking with a puppy. Even films that are hard to follow, such as "Inception", can be highly entertaining. On the way home, I laughed to myself over what I just watched. The audience even cheered at least twice. The action is thrilling and that includes the beginning with the Yellowline race despite the lack of characterization. As the film goes on, we do get to know the main characters to a certain extent. JP is likable and down-to-Earth, if you will. There are flashbacks to him as a child, which may also be clichéd, but again, no biggie. Watching the film, I didn't even think of the flashbacks that way.

Looking past the craziness and the animation, does "Redline" have anything meaningful for us to take away? I'm not sure. There could be a moral on leaving a profitable criminal lifestyle, for one. If there's meaning, it's subtle. I can't believe that word comes to mind when this film has a racing vehicle with two breast-shaped windows. "Redline" is probably just utter escapism. Director Takeshi Koike, Katsuhito Ishii, and so on have definitely crafted something memorably wacky. I've never done acid, but I have to wonder what watching this film would be like on that drug. That should probably be best left a mystery.